LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 95, 16 January 1920, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Pacific, Cable Board has advised tile. Secretary'of the General Post Office Iluit ral>lp messages to the United Kingdom are showing a delay of from eight Io ten hours. The delay on messages from the United Kingdom is I'orly-oight iuiurs. '*Oul«nii>([ deferred messages are .subject Io a delay of. six days and u hall'. American traffic will bo delayed lliree davs.

A Treasury officer is shortly to go to England Io ' the High Commissioner's office lo strengthen the financial side of the "office stall'. The officer has not yet been selected. Tho arrangement is being made on the request of the High Commissioner, Sir Thomas Mnckonzio.

stated In he an enormous increase in smoking amongst women, which has, curiously enough. developed somewhat'alarminslv, durimr and .since the war This phase of Hie trade is not as open as is the main trade. "You would be surmised at the orders I receive from women through the pusl—inos.ly for cigarettes for women." said one tobacconist. Whilst the ordering of supplies may be executed through the post, the habit is oocnlv pursued in some quarters—indeed, if. is almost the exception, and not the rule, to see women pulling their cigarettes after dinner in some of the\holels. The immigration and emigration returns for .December show that 31U5 persons arrived in the Dominion, of- whom 2571. came from the Commonwealth. The arrivals in December, 1018, numbered 420. The first ports of arrival of those who came to New Zealand last month were 1578 at Auckland, 1753 at Wellington 1 , ami 131 at Duncdin. The departures last month totalled 2142, as compared with 420 in December, 1918. The arrivals last month exceeded the departures by 1023. In the corresponding month of 11)18 the arrivals exactly bal-

anced the departures. Prior to the war it was the annual custom of the Worser Bay and Karaka- Bay neouie to hold a seaside gala on Anniversary Day (January 22), but since the war it was found impracticable nud inadvisable to do so. This year, however, it has been decided to resume the marine snorts on a better scale than ever, and tn that end the Miramar Council has made, a ernnt of £10, and residents are subscrihiiiL' towards a lund which' will, it. is honed, provide a capital outing. All the business that the police were able to present at the Magistrate's Court before Air. \i. rage, S.M., yesterdarv morning was one lirst offender for insobriety, who was lined 10s. The defendant, while intoxicated, went on 10 Queen's Wharf, but his legs refused to do their normal duty; and the result was that he fell into the harbour. However. Constable H. Smith was hundy cnoush to null him out of the water, and lodced him in the lock-up. With the object-of making the lot ol the. maimed men as comfortable as possible whilst their needs arc being attended to at the Defence Department's artificial limb factory in the old Te Aro railway station, the YM.C.A. is filling up a lounge and waiting room on the premises, which will be provided with' books, papers, periodicals, etc. The apartment is now being lilted, and will Im available for use during the coining week. Another activity of the Y.M.C.A. has taken the form of a military buffet and waitimr-room for outdoor patients at tho,Defence Department's office in Brandon Street. There light refreshments are being provided free of charge throughout the day to patients, Under the direction of Airs. I'ossetto and her assistants. Mr. A. W. Newton presided at a mcetim: of those interested in tendering a complimentary farewell concert to Mr. Herbert F. Wood, a vocalist who lias ilono ve.w estimable-service in many ; rood cause over a term of years in Wellington. It was decided, after an informal discussion, to arrange a bit: concert to be held in the Town Hall either on Saturday. January 31, or February 7, and the following commilteo was appointed to carrv out the arrangements— Messrs. W. C. Robertson, G Allwright, W Goudio. Eraser-Thomson, H. Plimmer, W W. Crawford, Albert Russell, Kev. A E. limit. W. Fraser, A. Shaw, F. Thomas, and G. Holloway. Apologies were received from the Prime Minister, His Worship the Mayor, and many others win bio to be present at the meeting. It is anticipated that Cabinet will make a definite arrangement regarding the continuation of the Public Service Commissionership prior to the Samonn trio in view of the early retirement of Mr. Donald Robertson from the position of Public Service Commissioner. A story of a sensational fraud in the Tasmanian Agricultural Bank is revealed in the annual report of the Auditor-Gen-eral. Misappropriations totalling £wj have been discovered, and the culprit is alleeed to have been a clerk formerly employed in the bank. The frauds were cleverly and deliberately planned 'and executed bv operating upon tour old applications to the bank for loans which had been npproved by the trustees and which for some reason or other had not been operated upon by the applicants. Tho mortgnges and signatures of the applicants were forged, and entries made in the leader to the effect that the co - lection of interest should stand over till the applicant returned from active service The entries helped materially to cover un the frauds, which were perpetrated in the latter part of 1017 and early in 1918. and were not discovered till July Inst. One of Ihe cheques was cashed over the Treasury counter. Ihe audit inspector in his report says: ihe absence of ordinary business precautious in the bank made the fraud possible. is the outcome of instructions recently issued, the pulice in O'anlerbury are closimr down as far as possible on the issue of permits for the purchase ot firearms and ammunition. 'Dozens of applications for permits are now being refused. lio permit system in its application to the sale of arms and ammunition was introduced early in the war period. U provided that no person was to be supplied unless he presented a permit issued b) the police. These permits were issued fairly freely, but application had always (o bo made in person, and the issuing off ei satisfied himself as to the applicants linnn fides. Permits were Ircquently withheld when the applicant was desirous of purchasing n revolver, as it was not. considered advisable ha revoheis should Im scattered broadcast over a civilian population. Now, «li»° f' neace has come, this one of the War Regulations is still enforced No rea ; son is sriven for this new "lightening up in tho issue of permits. Tho ordinary sportsman who goes out after rabbits has no difficulty in wearing nmiminitio , although professional rabbiters are being treated as formerly. Farmers, ton, have not the same difficulty in obtaining supplies as have town and city dwellers As nu illustration of the fact that there is money in poultry, the experience of Iwo hrnllit'is in the Levin district (siivs the "Chiouicle") may be mentioned One pcuilrv-farms one and a <in.irler acres, on which he accommodates between (100 and 7IKI head, and.!''« otw'r i works a 50-acro dairy l'arm,.wilh 20 odd cows. After the last yeaWs operations Ihe wnillrvinan came out with a far betleu' credit than the dairy man, who was so much impressed that ho intends disposing of his herd and taking up fowls.

Some anxiety Ml by rclntives and I A number of men are arriving daily in frionds oi a 'Wellington launch party Asliburton in quest of harvest work overdue at Pareunia was relieved last (slates the "Guardian ), and, as there night by the welcome news chat (he trip is practically nothing doing, the majorIrul been ftilely completed 'I lie ex- iLy of them are faced with line alterna-ccllonliy-appointed auxiliary vawl Psvehe of waiting for something to turn up 11, owned bv Jlr. (I. H. Jackson (of tho <"' taking 1 li<-■ ir- departure. 'J he lew oat firm of Messrs. Jackson and Co., painters , crops being harvested in the aggregate do and pnpei hangers), left Wellington for , 110l 10 , 1 P rovl(l « "" avenue iar much .' cxlra l'aren.ata at (i p.m. on January 12. She abomy and- m many cases the farmers had a parly of nine aboard, including h . av . c combined together and are doing several children. As early last cveniirc taoir own harvesting It will be fully a no news of her arrival had come to hand", m<1 " 11 ' h s°, v f harvest is in full, sw I g tho police were advised, and stations on around Mothven. as the wheat is still various parts of the coast were aUo pen Lyndhurst tanners may requirenotified. Only a-few minutes, however, ban-esters in about three weeks, and after th.e story had been communicated llom l*"™ton down to Malta a a little to a Hom.mon representative, the police t 1S understood that tome ol received informal!,;,, that all was well. »>e thrashing nulls will move on next The boat had arrived safelv after spend- weck . to foramence operations for the Maine some tine in sheltering off Por.nia. «">•" fields. According , " 'to farmers, the prospects ol grass seed "1 will allow you £> a week a.s main- j and wheal yields in the country will be lonance," Jlr. S. K. M'Cartliy, S.M., told good. The'wheat, generally is well heada wife at the Ciirislchurel, .Magistrate's n \, and, except .something unforeseen Court, "and ii is liltle enough, now that happens, should thrash out well. ss« h ->H?s -- «»&".& X: iiVlod t&r 'I.«!«'. »t/ i,e I c,a ' lric mi » s r^ lo^ M'Carlhy continued that a month ago dul no norhaps convey an-adequate idea tho liovernment Statistician Tiad said >'i w-hat was meant the new Hue to that the purchasing power of the sover- "instructed tliro.igh the cell tie ol he eign was Ws. 7.1. since Mien rises in soft npwor-lioii*.' is a huge brick tunic! I.lft. goods had occurred, so that his own c,li- ''->• "' ! 1( ' 1!! ll: all <l <$[■ fil j|- >" m ; iu ' l , ' mate of Ills, was nut far out. ami if '-s throu-b this flue that the ~ , , . ... ~-,,, ~. smoke and »asle gases are drawn per At about ~l,i ocloclc hbt ■ night, car m , ( |!„„, r ,|'the hig chimney stack. Tins No. 42, Ihorniloii bound, left tne rails stne uj )V thiMvnv, has iust been slrengllias if was leaving the loop oppo-ite >n( , (] wi|]l ~ s ,; ePessi( ;„ 0 £ iron collars Messrs. A. h. Paler.-ons wool store, lor- 1(| , . liwut Mv<i fect api „. L Innately the car was moving at a slow , . pace, and all but a few of the passengers At the request ot the parlies conecmnad disembarked. Owins to the wet ed the Board of Trade met yesterday stale of the ground much difficulty was Hie merchants and retailers in the toexperienced in replacing the car on tho bacco trade, and it was agreed that the truck. price to be charged for the ordinary Local lobaceonisls fount anticipate tins or cartons or cnt lobaceo ehouM be thai; the recent rise in the price of to- H- Cd. and tlia the price o e.ga eI to bacco and cirareites will prove much of P." Packet should be Bd. lh.» allpulaa deterrent to the habitual smoker, lion does not apply to cigarettes made They, one and all, admit that the prices "> >">«• to land. of tobacco are far too high, but are The statutory half-holiday for the Itutt civen to believe that the rise is univer- county was lixed as Wednesday, at a snl owinu to a pronounced shortage of special meeting of the Hutt County leaf in i.he last American crop. There is Council yesterday.

At n special meeting of the _ Hutt County Council, held yesterday, it nas decided to raise a loan of .WOOD ior dwellings for .county employees. The election of members of the Public Service Superannuation Board will be held on Monday, March 1, and nominations close on February 2. Ino l'o-a and Telegraph Department has the right of electing two members, ,lhe Police Department one member, and the other contributors to the fund in the Public Service three members. Last month 111 Chinese arrived in New Zealand, of whom four were females. The departures numbered 12, and two of these were females. ""According to a Gazette notice examination of engineers ior the mercnn : tilo mar.ne will be held at Whaiigarci and New Plymouth in addition to the places where such examinations have been held in tlie past, and they arc to be conducted during the first three working days in February, May, August and November. It is notified in the Gazette that the restriction imposed'by section 42 of tho

Military Service Act, MB, upon reservists under that Act who desire to change their names has been removed. Ibis does not affect the position of aucn enemies under the War Initiations, who will still require to obtain the consent ot the .Minister of Internal Affairs. Further amended Statutes of the Order of the British Umpire are published in the Uazettu issued last evening. The following have been appointed Deputies of tno Kegistrars of B.rths, Deaths, and Marriages in the districts named: liupert U. Poulton, ■Wellington; ,1. T Martin, l'etone (births and deaths only); James W. Holland. Upper Hutt (births and deaths only); E. It. Do L. Beau, Hutt (.b.rths and deaths' only), Albert Ji. ktwson, Bulls. The idea of planting pohutukawa trees on the Oriental Bay Bspiaiiailc was suggested at a meeting ot the Wellington Town-Planning Association on Wednes» i!av night. Tnis native tree is specially suited ior the purpose, as it will stand against the strong northerlies and tne sea spray that are common to Oriental Bay. A meeting of the New Zealand Association of British Manufacturers mid Vents, held in Wellington recently, recurved to make a request to tho various public bodies in New Zealand that m rt eases preference should be given (all things heme equal) to Bv.tisli goods in any purchases made, either for :nuiucipal trading ventures, or ior other pur-, poses. The association indicated that., ,t felt it could look for support from tho public bodies of the Dom.nion in a matter of this kind. The Wellington Town-planning Association has u Ijig programme for tne year. Perhaps one ot the most interesting features of the association's plans is the proposal to form a gurden subiub on Home suitable site close to the city. Three proposed sites 'have been surveyed, and as soon as the selection committee decides upon the most practicable of these »tcp» will be taken to promote the scheme. These garden suburbs have been most successful m America and England, as well as in Australia, and it is hokl that they should be similarly successful in New' Zealand. The Town-planning Association is also hoping to carry out a campaign for the improvement of school playgrounds in the city, and in this' couneciiou a deputation has already mot with the School Committees Association, which body has promised to assist in the enterprise. The .Mayor, who met a deputation from the Town-plan-ning Association a tew weeks ago, is interested in the organisation, the aims ot which coincide to a largo extent with his own so far'as improvements in the city are concerned. These improvements includo rest spots, properly equipped playgrounds, development ot town Belt, acquisition of reserves in the suburbs, tramway extensions, road and street improvements, demolition of slum areas, and 60 on. The work of the Town-plan-ning Association, like that of all other similar bodies, is greatly handicapped owing to the lae.lt of a strong public spirit. Men who have the welfare of tho city at heart should be interested in the work of the Town-planning Association, which desires to make Wellington the foremost city in New Zealand from every point of view.

A gourl many of the youiiß fellows from the universities have got into the habit of coming into tho wheat-growing districts for the harvest, and very good harvesters they make, just'as tho High School boys do very well in the shearing sheds, says the South Island correspondent of tho "Farmers' Union Advocate," They all make good, wages, and the cheques that they gather in the vacation in the country must be a big help to them for the rest of tho year. The experience, too, is worth having, and no doubt many of them will take a fancy to rural life after they have been out into the country for a few weeks during the busy time of the year.

A visitor who arrived in Kolorua recently from (lie Hangilaild Mentioned that new parts of the swamp are rapidly being reclaimed as the draining operations nro extended. Lagoons are consequently drying up. Some of these conlain niany eels. In one the _ Maoris were busy a day or two ago making the most of the opportunity by spearing them. The giant of the' catch was 401b. , in weight. It was speared by a Maori who was unable to hold it, whereupon two more came to his assistance. The second man also drove his spear through the monster, while the third nroeeeded to cut o(T 'its head. Before this could bo done, however, the eel managed to get a vicious bite on the Maori's arm, leaving marks as if Hie man had been attacked by a doe. Four others in the catch went over 2fllb. i" weight.

Bottle gatherine at Ashburton must bo a flourishing business from the remarks made by the local bottle-gntihorer to a reporter. He slated that he had only worked three days after Christmas, and three days after New Year, andhnd secured .TO dozen bottles. "And," ho added, "T am sending another truck-load this week, which makes the third truck since Christmas."

Queenstown is full of visitors, according to the Dunedin "StarV" correspondent. During the holiday season many could not get accommodation, and it is estimated that over 500 applicants were refused. This pressure is off now. but still every place is full, and all cottages are booked for periods by families, who are evidently unablo to "afford the increased charges for board.

Under Hie supervision of the. Hon. Q. 11. Thomson, the- I'ortobello marine hatchery people are conducting an investigation to discover the set of the various ocean currents Unit pass the Otngo Heads, (says a Dunedin paper). Bottles, hermetically sealed, and each containing ;i printed slip requesting the finder to fill in information about tlio place where found and (he date, are," systematically dropped overboard from a motor launch. Mr. Thomson estimates that the majority of the bottles will bo broken on the rocks or stranded on some' liltle frequented sandy shore and become buried, but if one in twenty is picked up he will lie satisfied,

Whilst holiday-matters bemoan the broken weather conditions that are being oxnerienced in Wellington, there are manv win welcomed the copious showers which Ml vesierdav. The whole of the. district is now very dry, and as tho shearing is now done, the farmer'is looking for rain to refresh his more or less arid nnstures. Yesterday's rain should also have an effect on our reservoir watersheds, which would benefit eubstan.tia'.iv hv.a thorough soaking.

Sixtv utlicers and n.c.o.'s of tho New Zealand l'ost and Telegraph Corps will co into eami> ar Trenthani on February S For n three weeks' specialist course in signalling, musketry, and physical trainiim. 'J'lie course is purely a voluntary one. and it is hoped as a result that tho oiliciency of the corps throughout the North and South Islands will be much imnroved. Lieutenant M. K. Aldridge will act as instructor in signalling, and Can'.ain A. W. Brocks, i\l.C, in physical training. It is hoped that the course for the l> and 'J'. Corps will be extended In all other units of the Territorial torce from time to time.

A voluntary camp for officers of ticjlh (Wellington) Regiment will be held ul Dav's Bav from January 19 to 2G. Instructional courses will be held in tho earlv morning and evenings, the officers engaging in their ordinary civil avocations during the day time. The object of the camn. which is being held under Ihe direction of Lietuenimt-Colonel H. St. .1. Heere. officer commanding tho regiment is to promote . the, welfare, working, and efficiency of the regiment when il; resumes full peace (raining this ve'ar. Other units are expected to follow the. example thus set. •

While on the G-2-1 p.m. run from Lambton to Lower Hutt on Wednesday, tho motor-train broke down, causing u delay to passengers of about half aii hour.' Assistance was rendered by a goods tram and the passengers were taken on to their destinations.

A young man named Cliarles Roberts, residing in Cuba Street, l'etone, was thrown from the platform of tho train which left Lambton Station at (S.H p.m. on Wednesday, while it was rounding a. bend beyond tho Ngabaurnnga Station. The train stopped and the man was picked up in an unconscious condition. He was badly cut about the lace, but recovered consciousness before reaching Petone, and was able to proceed to his home.

Some rather quaint statements are occasionally made, by discharged soldiers in Tilling up the departmental form in connection with applications for land (says an exchange.) To the question on tlw form: "What was your occupation before enlistment?" the reply was made by oue applicant: "'Hurried couple for im.e. months!"

Tho Public Works Department has been refusing applications for current i from Lake* Coleridge for months past, so that there is not likely to be a surplus for any lengthy period after tho new supply is available. However, tenders are now being prepared for tho supply of pipes and machinery necessary to bring the supply up to tho full 10,000 h p., and the probability is that tho second extra » h.p. will follow very closely after the first. Mr, Evan Parry, late Chief Government Electrical bngineer, is watching New Zealand s interests in this matter in England.

The Auckland Acclimatisation Society recently wrote to the Auckland Karinm Union, asking it to use its endeavours to prevent the laying of poison for rabbits as this resulted in the ow-in'-li'm of pheasants. The matter was considered bv the Farmers' Union, and it v.;i.> decided that, as poisoning was the most successful method of killing rabbits, it could not see :U way'to recommend farmers to discontinue the practice.- iX./i. Herald."

The Hutt County Council yesterday fixed the dog tax at 2s. Gd. per dog. Power was given to collect tho taxes on Maori dogs as well as on those owned by Europeans. In previous years tho Maori Council collected the fees on nativo (logs.