LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 309, 25 September 1919, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

A wireless message received from tho Cordoba (Returning Draft No. 278) states that the approximate date of arrival at Wellington is September 30.

The Adolph Woermann (Returning Draft No. 256) is expected to arrivo at Wellington at 8 a.m. on October l v

During the four days, September 18 to 33, there were 32 cases of influenza notified in New Zealand. Five cases onlv were serious, 3 pneumonic, and 2 severe. In Wellington there wore 18 cases, one being pneumonic. ;

Tho reserved judgment in.tlie action the Board of Trade v. George and Kerslcy, Ltd.. a charge in connection with the price of certain flannel, will be delivered in the Magistrate's Court at 9.30 o'clock this morning

The Customs revenue collected at tho port of Wellington yesterday amounted to ,£13,797. which constitutes a New Zealand record. The previous record, <£17,193, was held by Auckland, and Wellington's best record previous to yesterday was ,£17,187.

The Minister of Mines (Sir William Fraser) 'informed a dppntation yesterday that he would send an export of his Department as soon as possible to examiiio tho asbestos deposits in tho Takaka tiistrict, Nelson Provinco.

Frequent reference was made to the fact that many skilled locomotive men are leaving the Railway Department, at a gathering of that brunch of tho servico at Auckland on Saturday evening. One of tho objects of the gathering was to bid farewell to Mr. T. Barron, an engine* driver, who, after 17 years' service, is resigning. "The shortsighted policy of the Department," said one speaker, "in not improving conditions in the servico lias been the cause of 35 drivers on the Anckliuid-Frnnkton section resigning within the last twelve months. Many of these men have had lengthy service, and.it is obvious, that something is radically wrong when men of that age decide to throw up t)lie service ami any superannuation benefits • which, await them. If any private firm were losing its skilled men 'at such a rate the manager would bo required to give ail explanation to tho directors. The new Minister it Railways, the Hon. W. P. Mas?ey, should certainly investigate" the matter, wliich is ,moro urgent ,in the interests of tlio efficiency of the service than the subjects which are to be,investigated by the Royal Coiraiiission." The speaker said he knew of twelve other tnen of the branch who intended to "get out" at the first opjiortunity.. Other members 6poke in similar terms. In his reply,; Mr. Barron said tho service was "rotten to the core." The system appeared to be designed to kilh the initiative of every man in it. He referred to the conditions under which the locomotive men worked, and said that a married man had nractically no liomo life.. The Department did not understand the locomotive men's duty, and officers who had risen from the ranks would not see the grievous'nature of tho. conditions. The impression he gave was that the locomotive branch was a 'harsh, unbending system, from which ho was glad to escape at any cost.

A special meeting of the New Zealand Automobile Union will be held on Tuesday for the purposo of settling the policy of tlia union regarding the formation of a national roads board.

Evidence of the possibilities of somo enmll holdings was More the North Auckland Land Board last week, when the transfer of a suburban farm from its civilian owner to a discharged soldier was under consideration. The obtained by tho board in support ot tho soldier's application for financial assistunco showed that during the past year tlio owner had taken produce vnluotl at .£l7O off the place. Of this amount lotus major seed contributed <£240, hay <£100, and honey <£130.

In reporting .upon the visit of H.M.S. New Zealand to Wellington at last night's meeting of tho Harbour Board, the chairman, Mr. J, G. Earkness, said that it was a matter for congratulation that tho 100,000 persons wlio had passed over the wharves and visited tho 'battleship had been handled without accident or mishap of any kind. Mr. Harkness in this connection read a letter from the_ authorities on E.M.S. New Zealand thanking the board for its co-operation and commending the board's officers' for their courtesy and efficiency.

An action for probate of wilt in' solemn form (Peter M'Donald y. Elizabeth Valentine and others) will be heard by Mr. Justice Sim in the Supreme Court to-day.

Arriving at Wellington in tlie next shii) fioiu San Francisco are Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Turnor, of Stoke Rochfor'd. Lincolnshire. Mr. Turnor, who is one' of the leading authorities in Britain on land and agriculture, and who has been greatly concerned with Imperial food control during the war, is now visiting all the Dominions in connection with the scheme of Imperial land settlement. During the, war Mr. Turnor, who is a great, friend of the High Commissioner for New Zealand, entertained many New Zealand soldiers in his Lincolnshire home and in Scotland. He and Mrs. Tumor will havo a warm -welcome iu this country from the New Zealand soldiers who' enjoyed their hospitality.

The Good Roads Association of New Zealand will hold its deferred conferencO'on October 2.

"The Huns aje evidently determined to capture , a share of- tho world's markets again, and they are not losing much time about, it," declared a Christchurch merchant on Monday. He had received bv.the English mail several German price lists from firms jvith whom ho had never done any business before. The prico lists held 110 interest for Mm, and he had accordingly consigned them to the,waste-' paper basket, but he pointed out that other importers might not treat the Gorman overtures in the samo manner.

Specimens of nickel pennies have been struck at tho Melbourne Mint. These have the figure of a kookaburra, taken as tho Australian emblem, on one side. There is no danger of their being confused with silver coins, since they are not quito circular, though tho corners are rounded off. It is understood that no design for tho nickel coins has been finally approved.

At tho last meeting of the Akaroa Borough Council, a letter was received from the Jlayor of Fontaine an Pirio, in France, in connection with the presentation of a French Hag. to New Zealand soldiers after tho Germans were driven out of that town. Tho writer stated that tho lady who gave the flag to the New Zea'ianders was named Prosperine Wanon, and she was eighty-nine years of age. The flag in question had been presented in turn/to tho Altaroa Borough Council, and it was decided to liavo tho letter suitably framed. i

Thefts of flowers are usually more or less common in flowering 6eajons in Christchurch, which has a large number of attractive private gardens. Many- of these thefts are tho work of juveniles, who do not realise that such oifeuces are criminal,, LatcCy, however, .■ thero have been more serious depredations on private gardens. The owners of largo and well-laid-out places in and near Richmond have had their gardens stripped of great quantities of/ blooms, many of them choice, in at least one garden so visited tho footprints of a man and a woman wore discovered. ■ The flowers had not- been carelessly picked, but had been neatly snipped off, apparently with scissors, in sucli a way as to leave as much stalk as possible attached to each bloom. The nature and extent of tho depredations suggested that tho flowers had been stolen for sale, but inquiries amongst florists failed to bear this out.

There is a mysterious man in London who is earning money at the rato of ,£7OO ' a yoai' by shining boots. He is tlie man who lias his "pitch" insido the Beaver Hut, in the Strand, and his takings overage c£2 a day. Mystery, as well as romance, has its part in his story. He is a wcU-edncatbd wan, tiiid joined up as a seaman in (ho 4th Flotilla. lie has filpnds.in British Guiana, ajul is anxious ■ to return to that colony. Tie refuses to j divulgo his name, "because." ho says, "it i would up,set niy people if they discovered ! T was a shoe-shiner. When I was demobilised I could not Ret a free passago out. to. British Guiana because I was born til England, and then I thought of this game. I nliirt at fi a.m.. and tint working continuously until 7.30 p.m., charging 3d. a, time. lam saving up, and in about throo months' time I shall have enough to buy a small cocoa plantation in Brit- j ish Guiana."

Tho Union Steam Ship Company, Ltd., has undertaken to grant a reduction of 15 per cent, in the fares of New Zealand competitors faking part in tho an. nunl prize meeting of the National Rifle Association of New South Wales. The concession will bo available on intercolonial steamers only.

Mr. John Jlobertsan, one-time member for Otaki. aW now connected with the Labour Party in Palmerslon North, has, savs our Palmerslon correspondent, been chosen as the official Labour nominee to oiiposc Mr. G. Witty, the sitting niember. for the Eiecartou seat. lie will leave Palmerston to commence his campaign about the end of next week.

The following is an extract from a letter received by the* last snail by tin* Hon, R. i'. Wigram, of Christchurch, from liis brother, Sir. W. A. Wigram, ot Herehom House, Wallun-on-Thamcs:-"Ile (Captain Dickon) telephoned mo that lie wanted to see me on Saturday morning, and would ily over from Dartford, so I gave him land-marks for finding my field,.and put down a large while .sheet to guide him. He came over all right, creating an immense sensation in the village. Any amount of 'planes pass over us (the house is not/far from Bronklands), but 110110 lias ever landed here, and within a few minutes a polico sergeant arrived to pick up tho pieces, followed by crowds of villagers anil children. The sergeant sent i'or a constable to clear the ground, and they kept guard so long as Dickson was hero, but tho report in the village was that Hawker had been smashed to pieces in my field. He hadn't too much room for landing, as there is a tree which is rather, in tho way, but got off all right, and did a number of stunts over us before sailing away to Dartford." Captain Dickson ,is on the way to New Zea-' land in the Arawa, and is duo to arrive next month to iafte cliargc of the Sockburn aerodroiua- '

At a meeting of the Chamber of Com-" ■niercfl a communication was received from the llawera Chamber, urging that something shojild be dono in the way of up the express train between Wellington and New Plymouth. In the course of a discussion, it was mentioned that, the Napier express also needed speeding up, and it was decided to use every means to get, the speed of both trains accelerated. A circular was received from the Wanganui Development League, and a proposal was made simply to congratulate the league on the work it proposed'to do. Mr. J. M, Johnston thought that that did not go far enough. He pointed out that if through he action of the league they could act freight? to Wanganui at the same prices as Wellington they should do so unless Wellington was prepared to force the Government to reduce the railway freights from Wellington in the same proportion.. Mr. Crabb said that at the present time it paid bettor to get local stuff by Wanganui than via Wellington.' In some cases it was cheaper by 2s. or 3s. per ton. He .considered they should take up the development of Palmerston North rather than Wanganui. Finally the mattef was held over for further consideration.

_ A meeting was held on Tuesday eveninir to consider ihe proposal to form an lin-to-ilate 'Athletic Club for Palmerstou. .Representatives of the Y.M.C.A. were present, and enlightened the meeting on the programme which it had' in hand f'fv raising, if possible, between ,£15,000 and ..£20.000 in the district for a social hall, with which there would also be a gymnasium. The opinion was expressed that it would be better to work in with the association than to run. another scheme, and a committee was appointed to go further into the matter before proceeding any further.