LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 75, 22 December 1919, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Sir .Tames Allen is "tho father" of the new House of Representatives. Prior to Wednesday last, he shared with Sir Joseph Ward and Sir James Carroll tho distinction of having been clected for ten Parliaments, and of having sat in Parliament for :)S sessions. These three knights wero all returned for the first time on the same day, Sir Joseph' Ward and Sir James Carroll now drop—temporarily, at all events—out of public life. It is interesting to observe that five liiemburs of tho Reform Party in the new House stand at the head of the members with the longest record of syvice. Mr. Massey and Sir Frederick Lang, who entered tho House at the same time, havo now boen elected to nine Parliaments, and Mr. Berries and Dr. Newman to eight Parliaments in each aise.

The Pacific Cable Board notify:—"Ow. ing to tho extra traffic being handled, due to interruption of the main Eastern route, work is suffering considerable delay. Ordinary messages lo the United Kingdom show three days' delay, and ordinary from the United Kingdom two days. Deferred traffic shows a delay of twelve and a half days. American traffic is also heavily delayed. There is little prospect of being alilo to handle Christmas social trnllic without serious delay, and the public are urged to confine messages to urgent business."

The danger of jerking children 'by their arms was illustrated on one of the Devonport ferries on Friday. As the boat nenred tho city wharf a mother seized' her little one. by tho hand end gave 11 sudden pull, with the result that the child's arm was dislocated. Hy a happy chance two doctors were on board, ami 1 hey gave prompt attention to the little sulVerer.

An experienced fisherman stated tho oilier day that he saw no reason why ti>o Wa'rarapa district should not have tTteap Tish. An average schnapiier, weighing from seven lo eight pounds, should bs retailed at about or alwut 3d. per pound in the summer. lie was willing to make a contract for the supply of groper (hapuka) to Mastertun at 3'i per lb., f.o.b. in the summer, and -Id. per lb. in the winter. He would supply Bchnapper at the same price, and 'flounder* at from sd. to Gd. per lb. A fisherman, he said, could make a comfortable living at these prices. There was an abundance of good fish in Palliser Bav, which was one of the best fishing grounds in the Dominion.

The "go-slow" policy has been again adopted by the men employed at the Ifiripaka mine, this action following the visit paid to the mine by the president of the Federated Miners last week. Discussing I lie matter with a "Herald" reporter, "the managing director of the Northern Coal Company, Mr. W. I). Helsare, said that in addition to the adoption of the policy, several shift miners had left, although they were receiving the high rate paid to coal miners in New Zealand. In consequence of the miners' decision, the directors had decided to close tho Kiripaka mine at Christmas, did not intend to resume work there again until the men were prepared lo give a "fair, honest, and nrptarc deal." Tho "go-slow" policy was liret put into operation at the Kiripaka mine on September 8, and on the foiiowing Monday the mine was closed down bv the directors. The mine remained idle until September 22, when work was resumed under normal conditions.

With the holiday season commencing, the seaside resort# .on the eastern side of the harbour are beginning to attract numbers of visitors. The bush at tho kick of Day's liay is looking very beautiful just now. aiid the numerous pretty walks are being well patronised, it has been suggested that now the City Council has control of tho bush, it might be possible to place scats along the various paths, and on spots of vantage. At present a ramble in the bush becomes somewhat tiring unless one cares to sit down on the undergrowth.

A statement made recently to the effect that the American Consulate-General was to be transferred to Wellington, was referred to Mr. A. A. Winslow, who returned to Auckland last week from tho United States. Ho said lie had received no notification of any change, and did not think it was meditated, Possibly the fact that he had been promoted in grade by his Department: had led to misapprehension on tho point.

The "Otago Daily Times" believes that it is safe in saying that the oldest elector in New Zealand voted en Wednesday at tho South Duncdin Town Hall. Ttu„ was an old lady 105 years of age, who was wheeled fo the polling booth in • chair, and duly recorded her selection on the momentous isues .which she was called upon to decide.

Ponnies silvered in imitation of halfcrowns have been discovered in Auckland recently. One woman who received a number of coins as change after t. purchnso found later that two such pennies were included. n

Some criticism is levelled by the headmaster of the Auckland Grammar School, Mr. J. W. Tibbs, at the majority of 73 "free-place" boys of Auckland district who failed to complete their second year at the school, in his annual l-cpur, ho says they ought never to have entered the school, that they came merely because they won free places, and thai some of them worked only under con stant pressure, .showing little inteivit in the new subjects. Good wages induced some of them to leave school, wliilo others wero "retired" for playing tenant, lie declared that much public money was wasted by sending to the higher schools _boys who would, be better employed in an ollieo or at a trade.

"For some Lime .past," writes tho TailiapO'correspondent Of llie Auckland "Star," "neither ham nor bacon has been procurable locally, and similar conditions apparently provail in most parts of New Zealand at present. A mere shortage of such commodities would not excite a great deal of comment, but what amounts to almost a complete extinction of supplies is worthy of investigation. A local authority, when questioned regarding tlie shortage, stated that farmers wero asking as much for pigs as fat cattle could lie purchased for at one time. His (inn had tried lo securo pigs, and as mucli as .ClO per animal was asked in some cases. At such n price it would not pay them lo buy pigs,' as lliey would not return a profit at liresent prices for ham and bacon, lie hinted nt the cause of the inllated |.rices being due lo the operations of a trust, ami slated that the fanners were selling their pigs to somebody who was willing to pay the inllated prices. A peculiar fact is that for some lime past pigs l.ave been in exceptionally tfood demand at high prices, but no ham or bacon is I'vailable, lie concluded that the trust l ad secured control, and that prices would 'be further increased later on, when tho trust had secured completo control."

Citizens are invited by advertisement to attend tlio reception to Lieut-Comman-der Roland Bourke, V.C., D.5.0.. in the Concert Chamber of tlio Town Hall tomoriw at D p.m. Commander Bourke is tlio first naval V.C. to visit the Dominion, and was in charge of M.L. 27G at tlio blocking operations of Ostend in April and May of last year. At the first attack on Ostend ho won the D.5.0., and at tlio second, when tlie old Vindictive wns laid in the entrance of the harliour, he, won the V.C. and the Legion of Honour. In tlio Naval Annual for 1!)19 is the following reference to his gallantry:— "M.L. 270 (Liout.-Comm.uidor Holand llourke, 1i.N.V.1!.), hnvi;ijj. lollowcd Vindictive into Ostend (engaging both piers with his machine-guns en route), went alongside Vindictive after M.L. 2!it, with her first rescue parly had shoved cIT. After much search nnd shouting, mid still under a very heavy fire, Lieutenant Bourko and Sub-Lieutenant Petric managed to find and embark the last three of Vindictive'* survivors (Lieutenant Alleyno and two ratines), all badly wounded, in the water, clinging to n capsized skill'. This fine rescue effected. JI.L. 27(1, hit in . r is places and once by a six-inch shell, and with three of her crew killed or wounded, cleared the harbour and was able to continue steering ro the westward until picked up and taken in tow by the monitor Prince Eugene." '

In the interests of country soldiers, many of whom were late in applying for their gratuity payments, through not jetting information as to the mode of procedure as early as their city comrades, Mr. C. J. Pan'. M.P., telegraphed to the Minister of Defence some days ago asking that the payments to such men be expedited. A renlv lias been received from Sir James Allen stating that gratuities are being <lealt with in the order m which applications were received, and no departure can be made from this rule. Tlio maximum staff is working at high pressure, and payments are being made at the rate of 1000 a day.

The serious shortage of cement throughout tnc Dominion was discussed on Friday by the Auckland manager for Wilson's Portland Cement Company, Mr. S. Keid. Mr. J?eid denied the statement rondo l)v tlie Mayor of Wellington, Mr. J. P. Luko, in his appeal to the Prime Minister, to the effect that boats trading from Auckland to the cement works are employed for other purposes. Tie paid that practically no cement wns available at 'the Portland cement works, and that the Warkworth works had been closed for three months owing solely to the inadequate coal supply. The company had four vessels, two of which ww encaged in the hydraulic ce.ment industry, another was undergoing repairs, while tlie remaining vessel was employed- in transporting cement from Portland. The amount of ceine.nt produced did not renuire further shipping ppacc; in facj:, offers of spaco by the NoruieTn Company and others had been refused. Provided it eonld obtain adenunto supplies of bituminous coal for burning cement clinker, the company alone could simply over SflOO tons of cement a month, and if all tlie. plants in tlie Dominion could secure' full capacity supplies of coal the outiuit would exceed 1-J.AOO tons a month. The demand throughout, the Dominion was at present only 8500 tons a month. The cement mills of the I)ominion had been nl>le to produce only 7000 tons a month sinci- Jnns, though n greater output might he obtained if advantage wero taken of the offer of "oal from Newcastle, entailin;; an increased e nc t of cement of fit' least .£2 n ton. The output of cement throii-rliout the Dominion must remain curtailed until sufficient supplies of coal were obtainable. The commission appointed to hold an inquiry rcga:din« the proposed Plimmerion Town District will commence ' its sittings nl the schoolroom,. Plimmcrton, on Tuesday, January C. Til an interview with an Auckland "Herald" rc-pa.'ter, Mr. J. H. Gunsoii, Mayor of Auckland, who returned last woelt from a visit to the United States, dialed tluit prices in all lines were much beyond pre-Wiir levels, nnd wages correspondingly had advanced. Strikes of workmen in shipbuilding and upon the wharves had been general and protracted, but had not stopped the How of business. When he left San Francisco the shipbuilders were returning, and <i settlement of the port dispute was in sight. A much mora serious position was that of the coal miners. The issue appeared to be one of constitutional governnu'iit and law and order, as against revolution, and there wns no doubt that the people of the States would stand by the Government, as Mr. Guns-m believed the great body of workers would do whcil the issue berame clear. The country was very anxious about the future of its trade with the resumption of conditions more nearly normal i.n European countries and in Great Britain. The cost of living was the chief problem confronting legislators. and only overshadowed for « timo by the miners' dispute and the League of Notions tangle. ]n the cities extravagance was apparent, particularly in dress, mid wliilu the Savings Hunk depcsils showed aii unprecedented increase, yet the people never spent as much'. The spending power of the community was very hii*h: they thought 110 more of a dollar than we do of a shilling. Tn tlio thickly populated parts of New York, Chicago, and ot'.her large cities, whero in 1902 ho Saw much poverty nnd distress, he found on this occasion a transi formation. Children wero mostly well dressed, while.at evening, in large groups, there was an atmosphere of happiness and contentment. This appeared a strange contradiction to the unrest prevailing in leading sections of the big labour unions, and went to show that ill many eases there was more than the question of wages at the bottom of the unrest.

Broken H.'ll miners have been on strike for more than six months (says the Melbourne "Argns"). Tlio.r have lost .€900,000 in wages. In fact, they are industrial parasites, living on the earnings of others anil preventinc the production of wealth. During the six months levies liave been made on miners in other parts of the Commonwealth, and from Newcastle' in particular a "rent deal of the money . that would in ordinary circumstances lie «nent in the town has been remitted to Broken ITill to maintain men in idleness. A similar drain on sreneral resources duiimr the shipping strike. Jfemrfrv is so short that, the public has quickly forgotten how thousands of men who reunified idle voluntarily, and thousands of industrious but unfortunate men who were thrown out of work were supported by the people who worked. Substantial grants were also made by the various Governments out of funds provided by taxinyers for purposes of government. The stalwart men in Broken ITill who are being sunnorted by others are led by agitators, wlio endeavour to elevate this "sponging" into a fight for a principle.

Some limo ago it was suggested Hint tlio liijgli prico of silver might be met by the issue of nickel coins in Hie Commonvonlt.li. The Commonwealth Treasury officials hold, 'however, that as a safeguard against the circulation of false coin the metallic content of the coin should have a definite relation to the face value (writes Hie "Melbourno Age"). Til- this connection, it fe curious to note that counterfeit coins are not always worthless. For instance, just before the war the Treasury authorities were very interested in some seventy 'half-crowns bearing various dates from IS7I to 11)00, which had been weeded out from the money in circulation in the comm 11 ivty. All these coins were spurious. Yet bank tellers professed rhemselve.s practically unable lo distinguish between the false and the genuine coins, and as a fact the counterfeit coins in maiiv instances contained more fino silver liinn the real half-crown, though closio examination showed that they had never been tiirnol out by any oflieial mint. Tho standard half-crown contains fl'2s p.irts of line silver and 7. r > parts of alloy. Many of the spurious coins contained as much as !)sli parts of silver, being thus of more actual value than the real article. The mutter was carefully investigated at. the time, and it was decided that the generous coiner had never Actually opera teiHn Australia, but that Hie products of his work had been innocently introduced bv some travellor from overseas. Probably the coiner's mistake was due to an insufficient knowledge regarding tho mixing of tho silver and alloy.

A national memorial (o commcmarnta Now Zealand's -part in the ivar was suggested by Goneral'Sir Andrew Kussell when speaking at a civic reception tendered him at Wungnmii, lie said that in addition to individual memorials, tliero should be ono which was truly a national one, which would commemorato the epirit with which New Zealand carried out its part in tho war, and the sacrifices made by the nation both oil the field of battlo and at home. Such a memorial, which might l>e elected, say, at Wellington, would bo a sourcc of inspiration to the future generations, ami would urge them to emulate tho same spirit of .selfsacrifice.

The agricultural contributor to tho "Morning Post" is surprised that New Zealand is not Bending more cocksfoot seed to England. "The failure of New Zealand," he says, "to compete with Denmark as a source of supply for cocksfoot seed is a disagreeable fact. When the war broke out hard fescue and cocksfoot, which do not seed well in England, wero profitable little appanages of our New Zealand fellow-subjects. NewZealand fescue, sold ascliewings,' lias for fivo years been going to a price higher and higher, until other fescucs are replacing it while Danish fescue, since a year ago, has so beaten tho New Zealand out of tho field that few firms quote the old familiar article." Fescues and peas are all more or less scarce, and New Zealand is expected to ship moro freely in tho near future. (

In the latest number of the "New Zealand Bowler" there is matter to interest all followers of the ancient and honourable game of bowls. By a perusal of its well arranged pages one is able in the course of an hour or two io become fairly well seized of the activities of every centre in New Zealand, and the numerous illustrations give an added interest to tho letterpress. In addition to (his there are several special articles bearing on the game, notably a history of llie AYellington Bowling Club; an article on bowltesting l)v Mr. Fleming Laurenson; nil historical survey of Miramar and adjacent lands, with particular reference to the green sites; an article, "Bowling and Fraternity," by Sir Robert Rtont, and one on the "Psychology of Bowling" 'bv Mr. Tom L. Mills; niul an interesting reference to a world-wide federation of bowlers by Dr. flnsk, 8.A., ex-president of the Irish Bowling Association. The publication is altogether creditable.