LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 39, 10 November 1919, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Sir James Allen sjatos that the lists for compulsory contributions to the Victory Loan nre now out of the hands of the Treasury Department, and have been forwarded to tho Commissioner of Taxes for verification regading income tux, says a Press Association telegram from Dunedin. , It is not an uncommon occurrence for a.man to discover money in an old suit, and judging by the echo of n. past investment that has lately l«en heard in Invorcargill, it is not impossible to become a shareholder and to forget all about the investment even though the venturo is lucrative. Fifty yours ago a young man canio to New Zealand from Scotland. Ho settled in Invercirgill, and prospered. Ho has been dead for many years, but recently a communication was received from Aberdeen in connection with tho 'winding up of n- local railway company in that shire. The letter was opened,by the deceased man's son, who marvelled to rend that his father had been an early shareholder, before leaving Scotland half a century ago, in a company the existence of which he liad evidently forgotten. A search produced an original share certificate, and iii; a. result, the estate benefits by a, good sum.

A. definition of the law of assault was eiven bv His Honour Mr. Justice Herdman in the Supreme Court; at Christchurcli recently. His Honour sairf that in the old-days it ivas usual to talk iibnut. assault, and battery. Tho assault meant the lifting of the hand, ami the battery meant the actual striking of the blow. Therefore, if a man simply lifted his hand, (lint could be held to constitute assault. If a man had a revoiver in his possession and pointed it at another than was an assault. The Act referred to assault as the act of intentionally applying force to the person of another, directly or indirectly, or attempting or threatening , by any act or gesture to apply such force to the person of another.

Burglars who attempted to break open a safe at Page's store, Kingslaud, on Friday night. left behind a considerable quantity of fuse, with dynamite caps, gelignite, and revolver cartridges says a Press Association telegram from Auckland). An explosion was heard by neighhours at 5 a.m., and the police were called. An examination showed thut the safe had been badly bulged, but had not oponcd.

Seedsmen in Dunedin say that there has been an extra demand this Reason for the commoner kinds of vegetable seeds, suMi as carrots, parsnips, and salad stiiir, and the stock is running short (says AVednesday's "Star"). The reason is on the surface. Many gardeners have had to sow two or even three times, owing lo tho almost continuous cold weather causing a large percentage of the seed to perish in the ground, or stand still after germinating, thus becoming a prey to birds and crawling posts; and, again, n large, number of persons who own little plots have taken to cultivating them for the. first time because of tho high price for kitchen Stuff.

A mild winter and an early spring in the liasjau district have been the means of making this year's lambing season practically a record, finys an exchange. All round the district splendid results have been obtained, one holding alone with IGOO owes returning 100 per cent, of lambs.

The extent to which American motorcars are b?ing imported to the Bomihion may be gauged from the fact that the sjirgo steamer Bellbuekle, which arrived from New York , on Wednesday, is unloading over MOO ears in Auckland alone. The steamer also brought 18,500 easi's of oil for Auckland.—"New Zealand Herald."

A correspondent has submitted to the "Otago Daily Times" (ho question whether, in Hie event, of an employer deciding lo divide 25 per ceiit. of each year's profits allium,' his employees, the amount represented by that distribution is deductible, a.s wages, from income for taxation purposes, or whether it is still treated as part of the income, and, besides being subject to ordinary tax, adds its full value lo the graduation. The Commissioner of 'faxes, to whom (he question was referred, staled' that, provided they are actually paid to the employees, the amounts will be allowed as 'additional wagea,

Some fine feats of typewriting were performed at Melbourne a few days ago by Mr. H. S. Blaisdell, who bus twice woii the world's championship contests, and is on a visit to Aiislralm for the purpose of explaining the 'methods used by the champion operators in attaining speed and accuracy. Using an ordinary typewriter—not a. special machine, as many are apt to imagine—Mr. Blaisdell gave a. number of one-minute demonstrations, first iyping 109 words of. new matter, then 121 words whilst conversing freely with those about lijm, and (hen 1.33 words of "contest." copy. In these rests (says the "Argus"! Mr. Blaisdell read from the matter before him, but in (he blindfold exhibition the matter was dictated, aim he recorded 121 woi'ds in the minute; whilst in typing a memorised sentence he attained a speed of 202 words a minute. As a final effort, and to show the speed that can bo attained on the machine, ho niado 3fi9 impressions in !i0 seconds, or an average of a little over 12 impressions a second.

TV populace, of Chatham. Islands baa not had a very happy time lately owinjj to the violenco of a succession of gales. At limes tho wind Tins been blowing at hurricane force, and certain minor damngo was done to property. Trpes were «p----ronlnil, unci necording to information oblained from the creic of the Kaliu, the fifiliin? industry has been at a. standstill for about a month. When the l\ahu arrived after her adventurous voyage last inonlh the residents on the island were praclically out of flour and other necessary items, but ample slnres were landed from the vessel.

Tho last balch of Vijiun troops from Franco returned (o Iheir native hind by I lie. liner Kisi Ora, which arrived iu Wellinirlon on Saturday. They numbered IflO and worn landed at Suva. The town was en fete for Iho occasion, and Hie soldiers were given a wonderful reception. The Governor of Suva received Ihe.uien, who marched along the main slreci. which v,-as Ihrongcd wilh people. A short speech of wehjomc was <lclivcred by the Governor at tho market place, and (he men were afterwards enlerlajned on a lavish scale. A similar recent-ion was inronlod to about five humtred French Caledonian soldiers who wcro landed, at Noumoa,

At the competitions on Snliirdny tho judge (Mr. Harold Gregson), in referring to a character snug section for children, commented on the difficulty in judging a j section where the broadly comic item was placed in juxtaposition lo the serious or even tho pathetic song in character, lie would rll'er the suggestion thai in arranging character song sections there should be one for humorous pongs and another for serious or semi-scrim , ' songs. .Mr. Tom Pollard, who ha- ucled as produced for' "The .Mikado," went south on Saturday night, lie is to pass through Wellington again next Sunday, en route for Nelson, whore he is to produce "Paul Jones" for the local amateurs. A Press Association message from Chrislchurch states that the Canterbury Education Hoard has endorsed the Wαnganui Borough Council's protest against the rcinsiuleiucnt of Professor von Zedlitz at Victoria College. The New Plymouth Borough Council lately adopted plane for. hydro-electric works capable of developing up to 10,000 horse-power. At a recent meeting of the councili'the tender of Messrs. Payne and Blan.ciiard for the sum of was accepted for the construction of the in-lake works and tunnel, being tho first portion of the scheme, which includes the building of a dam and tunnel for delivering the water at the penstock. The surrounding bornimhs and districts are negotiating with the New Plymouth Council for largo supplies of power. Messrs. Blair Mason and Lee arc the, consulting engineers. A serious motor accident occurred in the Mnnawatu Gorge on Saturday afternoon .(telegraphs our Palmerston correspondent). Mr. and Mrs. Crouch, of Palmerston, were iourneyins,' to Kketnhuna, and when "within half a mile of the Woodville end of tho Gorge the car leftthe road, landing near the water's edge. The exact causn of the accident is not nscertainable. Cries were heard by a passer j by and the injured people were removed to Palmerston Hospital. Mr. Crouch's injuries are not serious, but the extent of his wife's injuries is not yetdefinitely known. At a meeting of those interested in theEast Coast Railway Development League on Saturday (says a Press Association telegram from Gisborne). several speakers welcomed tho nroposed Parliamentary tour of the Hast "Coast. Mr. N<r-*tn stated that the Natives would bear their full share of the expense. Mr. Gladstone Hill, who is arranging for tho visit of the New South Wales Orchestra to New Zealand, has received the following cablegram from Sydney:— "Suggest special performances of 'Messiah, by local society and State Orchestra in four centres. Suggest Mmlainn Gon=-sens-Vieeroy as soprano soloist." Mr. Hill intends going into the matter with the New Zealand societies in question. The energy with which, the Americans are entering into the trade war was referred to by Mr. A. Morilz=on, of Dunedin, in an interview in Auckland. "Every steamer parsing through Honolulu on her way to Australia, New Zealand, and the Orient," he said, "carries Americans | whoso mission is to secure trade or estal , lish branches of American firms. A steel company proposes to start i>. branch in New Zealand! and a. New York bank, 1 am informed, has the intention of establishing ill all Pacific countries offshoot banks, which will discount all American drafts on the various business houses for their purchases at 3 per cent, withoit* recourse." Mr. Mnritzson considers that New Zealand should appoint as travelling representative a thoroughly qualified business man, whose duty it would l)fi '■<' promote New Zealand trade in the neigli'bouring lands. Small supplies of rice have come to hand lately from Sydney, but the short, ase in Auckland is still acute (says tho "New Zealand Herald"), The Australian supply is stated to be very limited indeed, and recent, consignments have advanced in price, although this has not been passed nn to the public, to whom the retail pricH is still Sd. per II). A wellknown Auckland merchant stated that he had managed to place an order in Australia for two tons at M> a ton, three times as much as it would have cost six months ago. Then! is little prospect of any improvement in the position until next May, when the new'crops in the East are gathered. Another article, in which there is still an acute shortage is methvialyd spirits of wine. Very small (iiiiinlities are being received l'vom Australia from time to time, but like the rice this cops into consumption, the market renmiuin!! practically bare. The Auckland butchers' dispute (said Che Auckland' "Star" of 'Friday's date) seems to luive arrived at that concrete sUeo when both pa-Hies are waiting for each other to act, for since the ultimatum was issued by the men there have been no developments, with (he exception of what has appeared in the Press. There are still n fow days ahead in which a settlement might he reached, for the fourteen days' notice of the mun'es threat lo strike, failing n satisfactory settlement, does not expire until T'ridav next. It is bliiii'Ei'.-lfci'istie of divorce proceeding) nowadays that very fen , children aro involved in the reshuffle of husbands and wives effected so simply by a stroke of His Honour's pen. Four cases heard in Auckland the other day gave a to!al nl' thirty-two years' married life, and the onlv benefit to the Stale was one child. —Auckland "Star." ■