LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 142, 11 March 1920, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The conference that is considering the claims of the waterside workers is still sitting, and is not likely to complete its work for some days. Strict secrecy is being observed by the parties, >"iio have undertaken to disclose nothing until'the conference ends.

Tho Postal authorities advise that the mails which left New Zealand on January 29 arrived in London on March 5.

In the course of a letter to the Prime Minister, Mr. P. Eraser, M.P.. raises the question of how the Government pro. poses to provide for the housing of tho immigrants it intehds to bring out to the Dominion. He points out that the shortage of houses is already very great, nnd urges that this condition will bo vastly increased and intensified if the immigration policy is carried out. Mr. Eraser suggests that the Government is not aware of "the terrible housing conditions under which a large number of working-class families have to live," and invites Mr. Mnsscy to make a house-to-house visitation of certain portions of the city of Wellington. He holds tho opinion that if the Prime Minister would do this there would be great alterations Ixith in the housing and immigration policies of the Government.

The programme recently arranged for experimental trips by seaplanes for the carriago of mail matter to certain of tho seaport and river districts of the north is being carried out successfully. A report received 'by the Postmaster-General (tho Hon J. G. Coates) yesterday morning stated that a 'plane carrying bags containing 950 letters, GO newspapers, and three packets for Dargaville. nnd 0.1 letters for Euawai, left Auckland on Tuesday morning at 10 o'clock, and arrived at Dargaville at 11.50 a.m. On the return trip to Auckland, which was made at 2.10 p.m., .bags containing 400 letters, 20 newspapers, and eight nackets,. were carried, the 'plane reaching Auckland at 3.20 p.m. Tho Postmaster-General is arranging where possible for bags containing mail matter to be dropped from the seaplane at the small towns passed en route by tho machine, as was done in the case of Kuawai on Tuesday. Several of the districts in the north over which the mail seaplnnes travel are oxtromcly isolated. In some instances mails are received bv the settlers twice, and somelimes only once, weekly, nnd (he aerial mail services nre Ihus a great boon to them.

Prices of ealvnnised iron are not likely to decline for some time to come, accordiiur to tho bulletin of the British Department of Overseas Trade. The main works in the United Kingdom arc sold abend for some months to come, nnd in spite of the high orices at present rulincf makers nre declining to commit themselves further. Buyers at the IwEiniiiiiK of this year were experiencing ereat trouble in' covering their requirements.

Tho Waterside Workers' Band, under Bandmaster ,T. Drew, arrived from Dunedin by the ferry steamer vesterday. At the contest at Dunedin tho band won Ihe Aggregate Shield, .£IOO in cash, a silver cup, and silver medals for each player.

The Acting-Mayor (Mr. G. Frost) and a deputation from tho City Council waited on the chairman of tho Harbour Board this week in connection with the acquisition of an area of tho board's reclaimed land adjoining the destructor. The needs of the city in that locality were pointed out 'by the deputation, and it is understood that Hie board will favourably consider the City Council's proposals. The formal ion of a British company which intends to underlalco Ihe manufacture of <d inula rdiscd motor-cars on a lai-L'o scale was announced' some months niro. The capital of tho company is .Cii.ooo.oHfl. The bulletin of the Department of Overseas Trade states lhat this com nan v had an output of fiflv cars per week in January, and expected to ha nroducins GOO cars per week in December of this vear. ' An output of 2000 cars nor week wns expected to he attained bv the midtllo of tho year 1923. Three trpea of care aro to be manufnc-' hired

lii our report of the meeting of tho Presbytery yesterday, the Rev. B. llutson iv.is made to say that "the statement luul lici.'u made that the scholars had In-eu removed [from instruction at one church to another] because of the inefficiency of a certain minister." Mr. llutson writes asking us to make it clear that his remark had no reference to tho tiansfor of the pupils of St. Margaret's College from St. Andrew's to St. John's Church. What he actually referred to was another case, which ho names, in which the pupils of a certain college had been under instruction by .1 home missionary who was not considered by certain parties to have the necessary 'qnnli''liniw and n change was made nceord""fflj". The point he wished to make was (hat though a change might have been desirable in the case quoted the same argument coidd not apply to pupils attending St. Andrew's Church.

Can any Britisher ever forgive the Germans? Lieutenant Max Juriss, of Wellington, who was for twenty-five months a prisoner of war in Germany, relates horrors that it will take a generation to for«et. At Clausthal. where then; were 253 -British officers, it was the German Armv pr.ie.tico every week or two to count out so many prisoners and send them away. Some eight or nine months afterwards they would be returned to Clnusthnl. The inevitable miestion was: "Where have you been?" In reply the men would invariably say. "Swtndau!" At Spandau the custom was lo put them in prison clothes, herd them with the vilest German criminal' - , and treat them like dogs. Lieutenant Juriss saw many a bright young officer return from a spell at Spandau, a white-headed, bent, old man—broken on the wheel of German cruelty for no reason whatever. At, Echwnnsted, after the war, Lieutenant Juriss discovered the grave of Captain Moritt, who was shot as lie emerged from ,1 tunnel through which he was trying to escape.

A record Sliced was attained by the British destroyer 'Pyrin 11 in December. This new oil-burning vessel averaged-10 knots, or over 4."> miles an hour, on a four-hours' trial in deep water. She is 10(50 tons displacement.

At a meeting of Hie executive of the Central i Progress League the following motion. Was pnssed :—"That the executivelearns with regret that a private conclave of gentlemen representing the shipping interest of this Dominion and the representatives of the waterside workers are discussing, in private, mutters of the greatest vital interest to the whole people of this country, and are presumably making conditions that will further add to the 'burdens of the people without their having any say or knowledge, of such conditions being made. This executive is of opinion that, ns the cost of any agreement made will be at once passed on to the people, such conferences should he held in public, a Press representative being present, at least in the primary stages, so that the people may know of the justice or otherwise of the demands made."

An aeroplane which can be run singlehanded and housed in an ordinary motor enrage is on the. market, states tho bulletin of the British Department of Overseas Trade. The machine is the Austin whippet, which is 19 feet long 8 feet wide, with folded wines, and .'SO pounds in weight. Us motor jrives a (lying speed of 90 mile? ner hour, and the machine can make a two hours' flight with its pilot and 60 pounds of luggage. A self-star'ting device makes it unnecessary for tho pilot to have assistance in starting his motor. The "whippet" h«3 undergone trials successfully.

In the Supreme Court in Banco yesterday morning, before His Honour the Cliief Justice (Sir Robert Stout), an application for power to carry on the business of sheep farming, conducted by a testator at the time of. his death, was made by Francis Logan, solicitor,, of Napier "and Kenneth Stewart Williams, ihexvi fnnnei-. of 'Polaga Bay, trustees under the will of the late David Canning of Pnrangahaii, respondents being Kathleen Jinn- Cunning, John Davis Canning, and ttlsbeth Mary Canning (first pet) and the infant children of the testator (second set). After hearing counsel His Honour made an order granting the application. Sir. C. P. Skerrett, K.C., with him Mr. Arthur Fair, appeared for the appellants, and Mr. M. J. Crombie for the first set of respondents, and Mr. W. Perry for the second.

About !) o'clock on Tuesday night a fire broke nut in a twelve-roomed dwelling on the Main Pond. Upper Hutt. owncdV Edward T. Wilkie, and occupied by Patrick Gubin, who wis living there alone. Tho place was practically gutted.