LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 5, 1 October 1919, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

There were no bankruptcies recorded in Wellington' last month, nor were theru any for the same period last year. The total for the present year is nine, while for the same period last year there were 19.

There are 110. fewer than 750 waiting applications for telephone connections 111 Wellington at the present time. This really represents the war-time accumulation, when for a very long time there was no telephone material of any kind coming to hand. The deficiency will shortly be remedied. The telephones aro now to 'hand, and after the now. Western Electric automatic exchanges at Courteliay Place and Wellington South aro operating a start will be made to erect tho new telephones where they are needed. It is hoped that all application for connections will be met before tho end of the year. .

In giving judgment in a case in the Supreme Court yesterday 11 r. Justice Edwards remarked that if. lie had been aware of (lie position in which the case stood he would certainly have declined to hear it in its present form. ■Ho would have required the parties to stato the relevant facts as facts concisely and in numbered paragraphs. Ho added: "1 deprecate the growing practice, not merely in flie Magistrate's Court, but in this Court also, and not merely in Wellington but clsowherp, of putting in as exhibits in the case every scrap of writing, relevant" or irrelevant, admissible or inadmissible. which in any way refers to the subject of the action, leaving it to the Court to sift the grain from/the chart and to decide the case accordingly."

At tho annual meeting of the Wellington Uacing U.ub, held yesterday afternoon, the proposal was made that the stewards .should consider the. advisableitcss of allotting tlio outside, public to usd the inside of the course, as was tho case at Handwick (Sydney), Flemington (Melbourne), and on some of tho courses in New Zealand. Tlio'proposer said that at present tho outside public wero able, to seo very littlo of the horses, and it was a matter of'-importance that they should bo 'better provided for. A Bill would be brought forward n.ext winter asking for ftinner permits, possibly lor trotting and pacing, and it'behoved the club to bear tlmt in mind.- They had before them tlio example'of the senior club in New Zealand, which had been, diffident about, the public, and had been ve.ry slow in bringing in the Ids. totalisate'r. What had happened there? A trotting club had been established which was proving a serious rival to tho racing club. It was hoped t.luit the same serious mistake would not be made in Wellington. The president (Mr. J. B. Hnrcourt) said that tlio suggestion would be taken into consideration by tho stewards.

The sportsmanlike qualities of the Wellimrton Cricket Association were demonstrated at last night's meeting of that body, when arrangements were made to send an eleven to Wanganui 011 Saturday next to play a representative fixture jiirainst the Wanganui Association: The finances of the Wanganui Association are bv 110' means healthy, and the visit is being 'naid with the object of assisting it to raise funds. To this end each member of the Wellington team will,pay his own expenses. The notion of tlie Wellington Association is the outcome of the visit the -Wellington' representatives made to Wanganui last season, when an offer was made to lend Wanganui a helpinu hand in the direction indicated.

The fixing of a date for the opening of the cricket season was considered last evening by the committee of the Wellington Cricket Associations According to the chairman (Mr. C. G. Wilson) tho grounds were not yet sufficiently dry for play to commence, and it might pe well to defer the opening to Saturday week. The committee referred the matter to the Grounds Committee, with an instruction to decide as to the advisableness of commencing practices under the present conditions of the turf; if found suitable to notify the players through the Press.

■ Mr. R. D. Martin remarked at a meeting of shop assistants in Christehureh (says the "Press") that he would like the Court, or Government officers, to go to Christehureh and investigate certain instances of alleged profiteering that he had given.' He lind recently heard of a case in which colonial tweeds, alleged to have cost 9s. per yard, were being offered for sale by one firm for 255. Gd. per yarjl, and by another firm at 31s. Gd.

A Dunedin residont, 1 who recently planned a holiday in Central Otago, found himself in a likely rabbiting block, and becoming excited over the rabbit stories, thought ho would try what he could do, with the result that his oudeavour, which was eventually carried out in earnest, brought hiin a cheque for «£2lO for a iormiglit s work singie-i.antai.

The Director of tho Technical School Board (Mr. J. H. Howell) aiid the chairman .of the board ex-officio were appointed to represent tho Technical School Board, at a conference of. school bodies to .be held this month in connection with a proposal to synchronise 'all school holidays in Wellington. The conference will take place towards the end of tho month, and will bo attended by representatives of.-.the State schools, the secondary schools,/and the technical school, the idea being to arrange the holidays so that children attending any class of school will enjoy their vacation at, one and the samo time.

"I look forward to the time when technical education will be made compulsory," said Mr. L. M'Kenzie at last ovoning's meeting- of tho, Technical Education Board. ."Tlio matter of technical education had been a little adrift in Wellington, owing to conditions, but that could not always be. There was a time between when ft boy left school and commenced to work seriously which had to be bridged in the boy's'own interest, and it could not be better filled in than by a course of study in a technical college, which would not only keep llim from bad company, but help to fit him for the struggle of life. l''or that reason ho hoped that technical would eventually be .made eompubo.y."

A man who ivns brought up under escort from Dunedin yesterday morning will, bo prosecuted at the Magistrate's Court to-day on a cliargo of theft from a dwelling at Wellington. It is alleged that the accused committed the offence in Juno last.

Thursday's meeting of the City Council will mark tho beginning of the summer session of council meetings, and the bout at which "minutes" will bo called for by His Worship the Mayor will be 8 p.m. instead of 7.110 p.m., as has been the easo during the winter months.

T1)o caso of the Solicitor-General v, the Wanganui Borough Council and tho AVaiiyanui Eire Board is to be. heard by •tho Appeal Court- this morning, and on Thursday tho case of George Iluntci Gates against Arthur G. C. Glass will bo taken.

A suggestion that New Zealand's war history should bo taught in the schools of the Dominion was made in a letter received by tho executive of tho Auckland Returned Soldiers' Association from Lieutenant Ormond Burton. To bring this about the writer suggested that, a school reader should be prepared containing chapters on tho events which led up to the war, the story of Anzae, (lie story of tho New Zealand Division in France; tho story of the Mounted Brigade and the League of Nations. In audition to this it was suggested that a prominent artist should prepare a series of pictures in colours of tho doings of the New. Zealand Expeditionary Eorce, as well m portraits of tho Now Zealand V.C.'s, and that lectures or special teachers of history be appointed, for the larger towns at least. Enlarging on the subject, Lieutenant Burton said that it. should bo recommended to the Senate of the University of New Zealand that lectureships in New Zealand history be established at the four colleges; that prizes and scholarships for research work in New Zealand history lie established; olid that "New Zealand History" be raised to tho status of a pass and honours subject in university examinations. Tho suggestions were favourably received by tho members of the executive, and it was decided to forward the recommendations to the Minister of Education, tho Director of Education, and the Auckland Board of Education.

The ignorance displayed by people of the Old Country in respecit to this Dominion was exemplified by Chaplain Crick at tho Y.M.C.A. at Auckland on Sunday. He said that for a long time all lie'knew about it was tlmt its map was tho last in tho atlas, and that it was uncomfortably overcrowded ivitli sheep. (Laughter.) The last letter ho had received from Home' while in New Zealand expressed a wish that lie would have a merry Christmas here.J "The writer,"' ho said, "evidently thinks it takes correspondence 6ix months to get here/' Tho achievements of New Zealand troops in tho war had removed this ignorance. • Before leaving home a British officer of high rank had said to him: "In the line the New Zealanders are magnificent, and out of it they are gentlemen every time."

deferring in his report to the Wellington Technical School Board last evening to the practice of commencing tho new terms 011 Tuesdays, .the Director (Mr.- J. 11. Howell) says "lie does not think it a desirable practice for teachers to return from their holidays to resume their important duties at the last possible moment. "At the best school, with which it has been my good fortune to be connected, the whole of the staff returned for staff meetings on the Friday and Saturday previous to the opening of the school year."

In his first report to the Wellington Technical School Board last evening, the new director (Mr. J. 11. Howpll) recommended a variation of the present, system of terms and. - Mr. Howell recommended three terms in the year, two of 13 weeks' duration and one of about 14 weeks. "The evening school session of 40 weeks hitherto arranged in Wellington," lie says, "has been too long for the continued mautenance of really efficient work. In the Old Country the evening school session is, I believe, invariaJjTv weeks. In New Zealand, with tlio exception of Wellington, the sessions aro us.ually about 34 or of. ur<;ks, and would strongly recommend that in future our sessions should be «f this duration. ■ II:. must be remembered that our evening students arc for the most part young people engaged in full day work in addition to their school work, and it is only reasonable, if not actually necessary for health reasons, that tlio evening school vacation should lie longer than the day school. ' Whenadolescent students have already'nut'in 7 or 8 hours at their daily occupations, two hours is quite enough for them to spend in I have had some experience of ;2i hour evening periods and the result has been such as to make me strongly opposed to- them."