LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 19, 17 October 1919, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The number of n.rriv.rds in the Dominion during September totalled 21JI. compared w.ith 957 in the corresponding •month of J9lB, and the arrivals exceeded the departures by 5119. In September, 1918, there was an excess of arrivals over departures of 15.

At a meeting of the Dominion Executive of the New Zealand Returned Soldiers' Association, at present in session in Wellington, it was resolved:—"That .this executive hliving noted the facts: 01 that the Hon. W. 11. Jferjics, chairman of the Repatriation Board, promis-. Ed h deputation, consisting of the members of the executive, which waited on Cabinet on August 2 last, that a reply would be given to certain representations in due course, . and (2) that no reply has been ■ received, despite further requests in jvritinjf. desires that the. Ministerial delay lie placed on record."

"I am informed." remarked the president, Sir .Tames Wilson, at the annual meeting of the New Zealand Forestry Leagiw yesterday, "that pinus insignis trees are beintr purchased in large quantities in many districts for milling purposes for export. One owner stated that his royalty amounted to ,EIiO per acre. In the Waikato, logs are being, floated down the river and milled at a central mill. I hear, too, thai: in Wawkp's Bay .standing timber is being sold as high m J'S a tree, presumably hardwood. Tn the Wa'kato 'tlie owner .of some eucalyotns eugen'oides (stringj' bark) sold snplings for poles lit 85s.' each, but want.s JM a tree for the balance, and presumably there would be fifty trees to (lip acre. It will bp .seen that th.e fores.'ght which was re.yipnsililr. for this plantation lias been rewarded."

Proposing ..(he toast ,of "The Players" at tlio Wellington Rugby Union smoke concert last night C6lonel G. F. C. Campbell said that football was played in New Zealand as far hack at 1870. As far <is spectacular play was concerned the old players did not have, the chances that players of (lie present day possessed. For one thing the grounds wero not so good. As far as the future was concerned the prospects were good. "We want to see the future player an amateur and not a professional." continued Colonel Campbell. "I would caution yonng players not to be led away by the prospects of obtaining recompense—monetary return—for their services, because, if (her do. they will find thai; the popular support of the game will at -once begin to wane, and that they will not have the enthusiastic crowds at their matches thai they had in the past."

For the four-w.eekly period ended September 13, 1919, the revenue of the New Zealand railways amounted to .£292,141, compared with .£350,517 for the corresponding period of last year. Tho expenditure for tho same mouth amounted ~to .£287.237, compared with .£216,485 last 'year. The revenue for tho live months ended September 13, 1919, totalled JC2.355.554, tlio expenditure amounting to ,£ 1,670.(131. In the corresponding period of 19i8, the rovcmio amounted to ,£2,223,092 and the expenditure to ,£1,472,580.

A new tramway loop ls_ to bo constructed on the itilbirnie line near tlio city boundary in order to onablo tho traffic on this route to be moro conveniently handled.

The City Council decided last evening to call for tenders for additions to ,the electric lighting power house in order to provide additional' boiler 'accommodation. It is hoped that, by a re-arrange-ment of the bis flues, accommodation will be provided for two' big Babeock and Wilcox ■ boilers in a position near the centre of the block, 60 enabling the ol<l engines to 1)9 used to relieve the peakload in the. winter-time, and the overincreasing demand generally for current. The cost' of the proposed work is likely to run into live figures. During September 53 Chinese, including one female, arrived in the Dominion. There were 13 departures, including two females. That tjift waters around the coast of New Zealand are considered to be free from German mines is evidenced by a nottco in last night's "Gazette," revoking the regulations made on November 4, 1918, requiring vessels proceeding along certain parts of the coast to have their boats swung- outboard with boat-covers off and all gear in readiness for lowering into the water. A notice in tlio "Gazette" states that consent has been jjiveu. by Order-in-Coun-cil for the following local bodies to raise tlio loans mentioned: Whangnrei County Council, .£30,000; Gore Borough Council, JCl2,tioo; Wairarajkx South County Council, J.'DSOO and ..£1000; Waipa County Council, JC3OOQ; Western Taieri Land Drainage Board, .£1900; lvaitieko County Council, .£1250; Huntress Creek Drainage Board, <£1000; Tauranga County Council, .£4900, and (.wo other loans of .$2500 each; To Awamiitu Borough Council, .£2500. It is provided that the rate of interest on each gf the loans shall not bo more than 5i per cent. By notice in the "Gazette" authority is given for the City Council to take an area of nine perches of land in Clarence Street, Vogeltowu, for stroetwidening purposes. The Secretary to the Treasury acknowledges the receipt of Hie sum of 13'. conscience money' forwarded to the Railway Department, 'Auckland.- by a person unknown. A conference of secretaries or education boards, called by the Education Department, w»3 held in the Government Buildings yesterday. The chief business of the conference is the consideration of the interpretation of regulations.

Ono of the surest signs of a busy city is a shortage of oliice flccimimoualkin. A few years ago then; .wrro oili ft be had for a song all over Wellington, and owners of buildings spent a lot of money advertising for tenants. The position Unlay is exactly the reverse. _ There aro no offices available. A Wellington business man with a thorough knowledge of Wellington informed a Dominion reporter that lie had hunted the centre of'-the city for two or three days without being able to secure a suitable office,and mentioned that it looked as though ihe oiiicc famine was going to run neck and neck with the acute shortago of houses in this city. The Bv-laws Committee reported to the Citv Council hist evening:—"Thai they have received a letter I'roni Ihe Minister «f lnlernal Alfa ins Willi reference lo the .annual registration .of motor vehicles, licensing of driver?, and authority to locjil bodies lo supply number-plates for vehicles of a typo uniform throughout llie.Dominion, iii which ho .slates that I tie importance of the-e niotter.; is recouniscd, ami that it is Imped to bring clown legislation at the pvencnt se.-sion providing for the licensing of drivers, but that it will not bo jxissible to (lea! with ill!) other matters during tho prestsnt ««sio« of Parliament." The Citv Council deciileil last evening to remit the rale# on ih« Khnmlallnh bowling green. The Mayor and liiriiititrc of the City .Council last evening acciiiiled the invitation of the Wellingtonbranch of the Navv League lo a'-tcud llie detnonslr.v lion at the Town Hull on Thunsdny »renin;! (Nelson Day). In stressing the point that llio State should eliminate wasto in our forests, Mr. Joseph Unitler, in the course of a paper read at the annual meeting of the New Zealand Forestry League yesterday, commented: "No 0110 has ever thought, with a view of saving Umber, of examining, and determining the gauge of saws used by millers who pay royalty to the Government U)ion the. sawn timber output of the log and yet waste by sawdust is enual to from 15 to 20 per cent, of tho log." All is now in readiness lor the "cutover" lroin the manual or tlie Slrowgi-r automatic (as the caoe may be) to me Western electric a\ivomatjc telephone system at tlie Courteimy l'luce and jNhctown sub-exchanges to-morrow night. The cnango is jio.t a vei v drastic one to man> subscribers, as the new system bears a 1 cousiniv resemblance lo Uie automatic in use, and it is not anticipated tluit there will bo any wild rush to use the new telephones at a late hour to-morrow night. Indeed the Departmental officers warn people not to uo ou. They must only use the new .telephones as necessity demands and no more. In some other places some little contusion has been experienced for the first few days after a new system has been installed, but that was when tlie euf-over was from the manual to Ihe automatic. Wellington subscribers liaye become sophisticaxed .through using the Strowger system, and no such confusion should occur here. The two main points to bear iu mind i,n connection with the new system are that on taking up the receiver the subscriber must listen for the humming tone before dialling the number required, and he must remember that the numbers' are set out on the dial in tho reverse order to the Slroirgcr.

.During the course of the Wellington Rugby Union's smoke concert last night. Mr. A. 3. Griffiths, manager of the AVellington representative A .foam, was presented, on' behalf .of the players, with a case of pipes. Mr. K. Roberts. captain of the team, made the presentation. nnd referred to the great esteem in which Mi Griffiths was held by the Rugby players of Wellington.

A iiip.ji was arrested in the .city yesterday ]>v I'lain-Clothes Constable Bprnett on' a 'charge of theft of a gold watch. Plain-Clothes Const able Tricklebank arrested a man on a. charge of thett at Lyllellon.

As 'illuslrating the possibilities of rraft'orestiil'on in New Zealand on waste areas, Sir .Tames Wilson, in his presidential address at the. annual meeting of the Now Zealand Forestry league jr.e>terday. poinlod out that in the case of tho sarid dune plantations on tl'c shores of Trance, from Bayonno' to the. mouth of the Giroude. a distance of tffl miles, tlie forests pay their way owing to the prewar export of GOd.OOfl tons of timber for props to the Welsh mines, besides enabling vpsl: areas of low,'mars.hr. unhealthy grouiiid to be reclaimed and brought into cuXivfition. It was worthy of remarlciji connection with these jilantations. that during the recent war British coil mining could' not: hnve continued without the supply of coal nron? from that district. We in New Zealand had, however, a long distance to go before we c<?nld claim success, although we had got the length of a declaration of policy.

The Academy of Fine Arts has purchased, for the Free Public Gallery, n work from the brush of (lie late Mr. E. G. Hood. The work is a really fine representative oil painting by Mr. Hood, entitled "Birch Trees-Upper Hutt Valley." The late Mr. Howl in the last three vears of his short life had made more rapid progress in li.is art than probably any contemporary of his in New Zealand.

Miss Isabel Hutchinson, of Napier, writes:. "In connection with your notice of a white crane being 6een at Foxton, it may interest your readers to know that there'lias been one near Napier most of Ihe. winter. It frequents tlio inner harbour and reclaimed swain p, and is often seen in the evening near the road I'roni Napier to Taradale. No official means have been taken for its so far as I know,'but. the Press'intereedn' for its life when it first came, and thibeautiful bird has so far remained unmolested. About forty years ago a whit' crane was seen on the Okawa Lake, and it was even then considered very rare."

Messrs. Harcourt ami.Co. report that there was a record attendance at their rooms last night, wjien the balance of the sections of the Evans Bay ami Mirarnar Land Company were offered by public auction. For many of the sections the bidding was spirited, and the following were sold: —Section 186 anil IS", to Mr. W. H. Blood, for .£250: .sections 105 and 100, to Mr. A. L. Chapman, for J3200; section 109, to Miss L. Diaper, for ■£140; section 8, to Mr. R. Eager, for ,£BS; section 75, to Mr. H. Coombo, for <£100; section 205. to Mr. J. W. E. Hudson, for .£9O; and sections 100 and 101, to Mr. C. P. M'Farlanc, for .£55 and ,£65 respectively.