LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 166, 9 April 1920, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

* The Secretary, General Post Office, linn been advised Hint local time in Austria lws been advanced by one hour from April 5 to September 13. and in Holland fro 'i April 5 to September 2".

Tin Auckland Pacing Club has decided to donate ,£2OOO to the Auckland M usemn —Press Assn.

The Government has received an application .from a coal-mining company for a loan for the erection of workers' homes, and this week's Gazette contains a notice extending the provisions of Part I? of the Housing Act, 1919, to the coa'.-i" : ""'ng industry. This extension mak. 1 4ible the granting of loans for the u 'ou of homes for coal,miners.

Th--> difficulty of obtaining carpenters is being felt in the Government Departments as well as generally in > the community, though recently a deputation interviewed the Prime Minister to point out that the Government!was drawing carpenters to its service who should he employed in house-building and other genera! work. The position appears to be that there are only a limited liuinl>er ot' artisans of this class in the Dominion; but to ascertain the real position, the Prime Minister has ordered a census of then; to be compiled. This shoull soon be available.

There was a clean bill at the Magistrate's Court yesterday so far as police cases were concerned. This, while not a record for Wellington, is a most unusual happening.

Tlio sale, by Messrs. S. George Nathan and Co., of household furniture and effects, the contents of tlio 18-i'Oomcd house in the estate of the late Elizabeth O'Connor, will take place at "Carridafojle," 195 The Terrace, Wellington, • at 11 o'clock this morning, Through a typographical error iu yesterday's issue it was made to appear that the sale would be held on Thursday.

A farmer, when diseasing the prospects of the bacon industry with a Wiuiganni "Herald" reporter, stated that there was a tendency among farmers, owing to tlio prospects of high prices, ti pay more attention to breeding pigs during tlio present year. Purebred pigs were now in keen demand along the coast. The farmer then referred to an anomaly in regard to the railway tariff on purebred pigs. In other classes of stock a reduction is made in the railway freight, but not so with purebred pigs, the tariff being unreasonably high, and consequently not tending to encourage the distribution of pigs over long-distanco rail journeys.

The Wairarapa Electric I'ower Board is to consist of nine members, two from Masterton borough and one each from Carterton borough, Groytown borough, Foatherston borough, Maryborough town district, and portion of Maslerton county, a portion of AVairarapa South county, and a portion of Featherston county.

Regulations governing the introduction of live stock from New Zealand} into Fiji are issued in the Gazette. They j specify ports of entry, provide fo. quar-i nntinp and give generally protection against tlio importation of animals suffering from infectious or contagious diseases.

The improvement in the output of butter and cheese in the Auckland district this year, which was first indicated in the latter part of February, was continued during March, and' the ■ .inticipations for an exceptionally good autumn for dairy fanners bid fair to t>9 realised. As a result of the extremely dry weather in the spring and early summei; the returns from the butter factories up till the middle of February were considerably lower than the figures for tlio corresponding period of the previous season, but the rains that fell during the latter portion of February and in March have caused the butter returns to show a marked improvement.

The Hobart Assistant 1 Government Geologist, Mr. A. M'lntosh Beid, has issued an important preliminary report on the occurrence of that rare mineral osmiridium (which is now worth .£4O per ounce) in Tasmania. He states that nowhere outside Russia and Tasmania has it been found in situ, nor does it occur in any other country sufficiently concentrated to become the sole object of search. In this respect its occurrence in Tasmania is unique, because more important deposits in Tasmania are found from one end to the other of tho great Serpentine belt, which is over 30 miles in length, extending in almost an unbroken line from Nineteen-mile Creek in the Hnzelwood district, through the Wilson liiver and Benison Bell districts, southward beyond Mount Dundas.

There is no immediate prospect of tea being any dearer (says the' Sydney "Sun"). The tariff does not affect it, and Sydney stocks are heavy. Ten. importer? report easier positions in stocks, owinj to the heavy arrivals during the last month, and slightly lower rates ml in* in C'eylon. The Indian tea market has closed, and most of the desirable tea in Java has been sold almost to the end of the year. This mc.ms that Australia will have to draw most of her requirements in the futuro from Ceylon, and buyers will have to compete with the rest of the world. Ceylon growers are. at prcseut selling on a low basis, but although there is n possibility of a higher price rulim;. it seems that Australia lias at present n chance of buying lea cheaper than for some time past. The trade having got its stocks is sitting back.

Ths stoppage at the Pukemiro colliery on Tuesday last was due to the miners declining work, relying on a clause in the new Dominion agreement in support of their action. The clause in question stiit. a that if an "agreement" holiday falls on a Sundav or a pay day another day i? to be substituted by agreement between the mine management and the union." The miners contended that as lust Saturday was a pay day they vcro entitled to an extra day, which they took on Tuesday.

A collection of 2D Javanese krisses has btNM deposited in Canterbury Museum, also an interesting document illustrating: in grotesque drawings tho life history of a. .l'nliiiese chief. It is the custom in Bali Island, near Java, to prepare this kind of obituary notice after a chief's deafi. and to include in it illustrations of the chief events of his career. The clii.-f whose notice is in Canterbury Museum happened to be executed, and the, fact is recorded faithfully and graphically.

Speaking at the Karori Rifle Club's social lust evening to Champion Rifleman H \\ Croxton, Mr. JI. Oakley llrowno said it was a pity tho Govern men t could not see its way lo send a team to liisley this year. New Zealand has shown its prowess 'in the rifle-shooting world as in other branches of sport, and it was a pity that the present holder of the King's Prize, Sergeant Loveday, who won the blue 'riband of the British Empire at Bisley last year, was not to be sent Home to defend the title. He suggested Hint tho riflemen of the Dominion should club together just as tho sports bodies woro doing to-day to send Home athletes to contest the Olympic Games, to send Home Sergeant Lov.edoy, tho Bisley champion, and Rifleman Croxton, the New Zealand champion, and ho wa6 sure that they would do honour again to the Dominion of New Zealand.

Quotations are now being received in New Zealand from Australia for the new season's Mildurn dried fruits, which will he, delivered during May, June, and July. These show increases from last year of 2d. to lid. per lb. Tn addition, suppl'ies are going to be scarce. For Free Crown Mildura currants, the quotation, f.0.b., Melbourne, is 9Jd. per lb., as against 7Jd. last year, and lljd. for Free Crown nultaiias, as against 7d. for the previous season. So far, only about 25 lo 50 per cent, of orders aro being confirmed, so that there is likely to bo a grave shortago 'in supplies. American prices are expected to bo extraordinarily high, ono quotation received being almost double of of last year's.