LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 156, 27 March 1920, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wellington tribunal under llie ■ liyard of Trade Act. met again yesterday, and considered some nllsged cases of profiteering. All the business was conrl'ictcd in private. The tribunal is handling i a considerabile amount of correspondence, ,t and is gathering information from many > ([uartciji. It is 'luted that some of the i complaints that have been placed before j it appear to be well founded, and may < give rise later to prosecutions.' i The Pacific Cable Board notify that ! the ■ weather conditions in Canada are . still unsatisfactory. Delay on full-rate ( traffic to and from the United Kingdom is about three days, and on deferred messages about five days. Traffic to mid i fiom America is also allowing heavy de. i ley. - I At the meeting of the Executive Com- I mitec of the War Relief Association held : yesterday, Mr, L. O. H. Tripp (president)' i read the following letter from the Prime . Minister (Right. Hon.. W. P. AJassay):— ■ ".Please accept my thanks for copy ot , (lie fourth annual reporp of the War , Relief Association, which you ivere kind enough to send me, ami which . I have read with a good deal of interest. May I take this opportunity of complimenting yourself and other members of the Kxceiitive Committee on the successful -and valued services rendered by them during the past year." ■ England is a good' place to be out of ' just now, according to the m.uinging 1 ■lirector of tho London Stores, ll.eld)o»rne. -In the. heart of the Umpire, at present rooms are never let for more than n week, in order that ove.rst.i i passengers may be accommodated. After Mr, .Meyers had been at his hotel for six days noti.:e was given him that his room' was required. Taking, a. taxi at about 10 a.ui., he taxied all day, visiting every hotel 'he passed. Ultimately--lie was re- ( warded by discovery, about 5 'p.m., of three'small rooms, which he. rented at a cost of .£3O per week, and arranged for food for his party, which comprised.four •members, at the. rate of .£25 per week. One day was sufficient—tlw food was practically uneatable. All the time Mr. Meyers .was in Londo'n lie never tasted butter or sugar, whilst meat was strictly rationed. Asked what he' thought of future business prospects, Mr.'- Meyers said prices must go much higher, pud eventually, unkss something' happens, goods .would'not bo procurable, at i.ll. Everywhere in England and America, the same conditions ruled. With a world starving for goods,' manufacturers had uioro.tliau they could do. Professor P. ,W. Robertson., M.A;, who was tho. first Rhodes Scholar, from Victoria.. College, will be the chief guest and speaker at a New Zealand .Club luncheon on Tuesday next. -. , - Mr. W. C-i. HiddeU, S.M.,'held an ine.uest, yesterday',into the cause of deatln of Louis Herbert Clow, a. res'dent. of Kelson, wlio died on 'boaitl Ihb Alararoa on the night of March-24. The Coroner found that .death ivas duo to 'hlvuliir disease *if the heart, in'accordance with the testimony of Dr; Pyft'e.' The annual report of the Wellington branch of the New Zealand IMueational Institute, to be presented at the annual meeting on Monday evening, f,ives tho present membership of the branch at .248, leaving stili very many teachers who nve. not in the ranks of the. institute. Tho response to a circular /fppeal was not-large, and owing to the dila'coriness in the payment of {subscriptions a small overdraft hud to be arrlmeed to keep Hie branch -linancial. Thuugh-the boards in five of the education districts collected subscriptions t(i the.'institute tlw Wellington board still refused to do so. Tho year was' a successful one for -meetings, and the attendance was satisfacory. Addresses and discussions on. educational topics were arranj-fd and proved very popular. The project of.a. hostel for women teachers was advanced a stage further, but the incoming committee is , urged- to - endeavour to make-'-the establishment an accomplished fact.,, Tho re. port pays a 'warm tribute to the yeoman service rendered by Mr. George Jlllor. ran to the profession, and'trusts he may be long spared to the well-earned rest of his retirement. . The Executive Committee, of the Wellington War -Relief Association',,is now holding mora-than JBl3oo' in .respect to' v.nv gratuities forfeited by men who n:t> not maintaining their wives, and to. retro- ■ spective married and children s allow, nnces that the authorities have asked the ■ committee to . disburse under ilie pariveiilar circumstances attached /to these cases , ' ; The offices of the Wellington' War .Re. , lief Association are. to close for 'he Easter holidays from' Thursday, •• -April V to Thursday, April S. At, the monthly meeting of the Weiliii"ton Provincial Christian 'Union ot the"Vivian Street Hall, Mr Huss'n was Appointed secretary and Mr. A. Brooks assistant secretary. It was' decided toappoint the Rev. Dr. Pinfold, to represent the Wellington Union at the New Zealand Convention, which is to be held at Auckland during Blister. A comimtteo wa'' appointed, and arrangements were lv.ade' for the annual 'convention to be held at Wellington in the Taranaki Street Methodist Church on May 23 and 26. The Watewiders' Bard will' play at Wilton's Push .to-morrow afternoon.' In our advertising columns will lie found the arrangements for the faster raihvay* scrvicos, also .ivraugciubnts ior admission- the Thorndor. plafornt As a result of the recent increase in coil miners' wages, the price of coal is to be iiicreaseil (savs the "New Zealand Herald"). The Taupiri Coal _ Mines, Ltd.. lias announced the folloiving in--creases to retailers ns from Monday lasti Household coal from Bs. Gd. a to'l to M 10s: Gd„ steam coal from .£1 ■Is. to il Gs., "through" coal from 18s. Gd. to JCf, slack from, 7s. to Bs. . lie average increAso is Is. Gd. a ton, out for the bulk, of the output, winch is sDl'l for household use and steam pnriioses, the. increase is 2s. a ton. Iho prices quoted are f.o.r. at Himtly or Rotowaro. It :is understood that all other mines throughout Isew Zealand aie ' passing on the extra wages chaTge. Uu . the increase in the price of coal is not uniform, owing to the. fact that unfil this national agreement the miners were working under local agreements were, not uniform. ■ It is stated that the increase in the case or certain southern coals is as much as as. a ton The Taupiri Company has notified uie Board of lVade of its increases. Ao information is available as to what tno retail charges are to be, but is understood that the Board of. Trado has agrk-d to certain increases. - According to lettat's reeeiyed by tho Chancellor of the Otago Unn-ersity. one of the younger members of its trail, .ui. II ]1. "'Skinner, lecturer on ethnology, has been asked by Dr. Herbert E. I'orr, tlie acting-director, of -tho. Bishop Museum, Honolulu, to take command or a survey party in the - Austral Ishind> for a year, and perhaps, afterwards, go to the. Southern Paumotus: Mr. bKinner was unable to accept;, the: invitation, but ho has written to l>r. Gregory mibce'ting, ns 'an inlternahve. that' lie. should undertiike an ethnographical survey of the South Island of Ivew Zealand, a work which, in view of the rapid. decrease in numbSrs of the smitllern Maoris, is perhaps the most pressing now facing scientists in the, Itymillion.. Skinner is a son of Mr. Ai.' H.'Skinner, formerly Crown Lands Commissioner in •Cliristchurch. . . , Tli.o Comiiiisjionc;' of Crown Lands lor Canterbury (Mr. 11. D. M. Haezurd) has issued a warning thai' he will oiddish the names of certain land agents if they persist in their practice of calling upon discharged. soldiers to forfeit deposits paid, upon house properties for the pur--chase .of; which no Government advance is granted. Also, Mr.- Haszard advises that it is useless seeking advances upon old, borer-infested dwellings. ■ The adverse rate of exchange is seriouslv affecting the position of alWinissionnries il India aiul China. In China *'200'(the averaje missionary's salary in tho Presbyterian Church)' used to exchange into IWIIO dollars, but novr this amount when remitted from here gives the missionary about SOO dollars, which represents .ESO on tho pre-war basis. An effort is being jnado throughout the Prosit? terian Church of New Zealand 1 to. increase tho annnalli income .for foreign missions bv .-£25.200. If this.is raised it will be possible to carry on and' send nut the necessary reinforcements. St. Andrew's Church is making a special effort I t'l-niofrow to contribute .£4OO, full par- | titulars of which will be fouud ill an''i>U«r placc, .' •• • • •• ' '

A message received from The Do.minton's I'nlmerstoD North special correspondent last night stated that at a large meeting of Palmerston North retailors yesterday, it was decided not to observe (lie Saturday before Easter as a. holiday. Amongst a lot of street improvements which require the attention <•' the city engineer, a correspondent mentions tho xig-znpr terrace at Oriental Bay as quiring attention. Thy. condition of th.s public way is stated to be positive danger to those using it. The Duke, of Edinburgh corner footpath also is hardly what might lie osn?ct«l in a city. Tho alterations to the building have long fiincfe be?u completed, hut the -path is still neglected. \ Now . that the citizens of Palnierston North have turned down the proposal to raise a loan for providing the town villi tramways, tlie Mavor has called 11 special meeting of the Borough Council for Thursday jvening next to discuss the question of taking an early -poll to authorise the. raising of the necessary money to carry nut the proposal schnme for electric, lighting; Councillor E. H. Crabb has given notice of motion"That in view of the decision of the ratepayers as shown at tho late poll, the Miincil proceed no further with its trhmwnv proposals, and that all previous resolutions dealing with tramway • traction he rescinded, and that Mr. Black, who was appointed ensineer to the scheme, he notified accordingly." Councillor If- A. Eliott has also given notice to move:— "Thrft ill view of the urgent nee'.! of traction in the borough, steps be taken at once to place a loan before the ratepayers for providing a service of 'iir.tor buses, electrically or otherwise propolliMl. sufficient for the needs of the borough." The Consul for the Netherlands at Wellington has received advice thai the Netherlands 'Government lias estaliiished a commission for naval .war damages, which has for its object the collection of claims made by Nethorlam! subjects, who 011 account of unjust acts committed during the late naval war, consider themselves entitled to damages against one of tho parties. Under supervision cf this commission an office for naval war damages has br?n established ill Amsterdam. All Netheiiiand subjects who coneider themselves entitled to'damages on account of unjust acts committed during the late naval war ars -requested to transmit th?ir name and address to tho above-mentioned office, iSO JCeizerssraciit, Amsterdam, before January 1, 1921, on receipt of which forms for claims aud particulars will be sent to them.