LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 187, 4 May 1920, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

It is understood that the Government address to the Prince (mid the casket containing it), iilso the inldress from the Native race, and many fine Auckland addresses, will be exhibited in Wellington dunig the latter half of the week. The out-patients department nt tno General Hospital will be closed on Thursday and Friday next. Urgent eases will bo treated ot the main hospital. A strangely incongruous and very modern touch was given to the splendid Maori welcome to the Prince ot Wales at Rotorua (says an Auckland paper/. A warrior with blackened face, playing a mouth-organ with ono hand nnd brandishing a spear with the other, was bad enough, but when ouo tribo lugged a piano into the marae, or square, in front of- the Koyal stand it made admirers of the old-timo Maoris shudder. The piano' was fortified with a comet and other things borrowed from the band. An even more ambitions attempt was a full orchestra of violins, 'cello, guitar, double bass nnd fconio wind instruments, which ground out interminable barß of a waltz to wlreh some- poi girls went through their contribution to tho programme. The holiday time-table in conuecliion with tho Eastbourne ferry service. i 6 advertised in this issue. The service includes special trips to Potono on Friday.

The Press Association representative with the lioyal train yesterday telegraphed from New Plymouth as follows:— Early though the hour was as the train passed through Ilawera, Eltham, Stratford, and Inglewood, en route to New Plymouth, considerable crowds, children predominating, gathnred at the railway s'ations, evidently intent on getting at least one. good view of the Eoyal equipage, and mindful of the danger that at tho big demonstration later m the day they miyht get shut out from the picture. One unrehearsed incident of tho morning had its beginning in Hawern, \nd in that deep-rooted curiosity which femininity has always been supposed to possess in such a marked degree. A lady got on ft. carriage just to have a look ut the quarters provided for. the travellers in the Eoyal train. She became so interested that she did not notice the train moving, «.inl |when at last she realised the, fact alarm took possession. ot her. However, officials soothed her, ami pointed out that not everyone got a ride through the country with n real live Prince. The lady soon calmed down and accepted the position. She loft the train a'. Stratford 'to await the one that would take her horns a::ain.

A meeting oi the Conciliation Council was called for yesterday morning to consider the grocers' dispute, and at tho appointed hour the assessors for the employers were present, but the secretary of the union was the only one present to represent the employees. An Aueklander had been chosen as one of the assessors, but owing to the railway strike had been unable to attend. It was decided to adjourn until 2.15 p.m., to see if other assessors could be obtained. In the afternoon Mr. It. M'Keen (secretary of the union) said that he had been unable to get cay of the men working at the trade to accept the position of assessor, and the matter was in consequence adjourned sine die.

At a sitting of the Bankruptcy Court yesterday His Honour the Chief Justice (Sir Robert Stout) presided over the public examination of Arthur'To Wawata Gannon, John. Henry William James Thomas Johnson, and George Edward Davis, trading as Gannon and Co. Tile Official Assignee (Mr. S. Tansley) was represented by Mr. 11. E. Evans, and Mr. P. W. Jackson appeared for Johnson. After all three bankrupts had been put on oath and questioned, His Honour adjourned the waiter till May i!t. He suggested that the assignee sho'uld in the meantime endeavour to make up a statement.

The Appeal Court will to-dav hear argument h the ease of H'.M. tlie lung v. Hatrick and Co., Ltd., a matter removed from the Supreme Court. To-isor-row the case of H'.M'. the King v. Langdon, a case stated by Mr. Justue Cooper, will be taken.

Owing to Friday being a public holiday, the typographical dispute, which was set rown for hearing before the Conciliation Council that day, has been adjourned until Tuesday, May 18, at 10.30 a.m.

Maurice Maeterlinck, the mystic lielgian poet, is to deliver a series of lectures in America on behalf of his eadl) stricken country. King Albert has been to the States; he was followed by Cardinal Mercier, and now Maeterlinck has gone over to sustain American interest in Belgium's plight. "Wo wonder," one writer, "if this Belgian Shokespearo will be beseiged as was Lord Dunsany, Only the other day the author of "The Gods of the Mountains" saw one of his pieces given by Miss Lewisolm .at the Neighbourhood Playhouse, and the audience surrounded him on the sidewalk, clamouring- for his autograph. Such is the wilderness of the lion-seeker. Poor Maeterlinck, lover of silence, none too great a lover of music—is lie endowed with some of the laughter of the gods, and will he takei it with a sense of humour, or will he, like Rabidranath Tan'ore, suddenly waken to the fact that to present his person ns a spectacle is not worth the agony of spirit which wu predict he will go through." It will be news to many tha l ' Maeterlinck's famout> play "The Blue Bird" has been made the basis of an onera, and was to h« produced during Maeterlinck's stay ip New York. The composer is Albert Wolff.

Ballonco is to have its school teacher* residence completed very shortly, say the Education Board officials. As.a protest against the delay in the work the householders last week went on strike and refused to elect a school committee. In, inquiry yesterday, a Dominion reporter was informed that a contract for tho erection of a. new residence was let sonus time ago. and the Education Board was urging the earliest prosecution of the work. As a. matter of fact, the contractors asked for a six weeks' extension of the time in which to complete the workin view of the diffieuUv in obtaining materials, and the board felt that it was only reasonable to agree to the request. It was pointed out that it was quite common at the present time for delay to take place in regard to building works.

Tho following officers were elected at the annual meeting of the Auckland Returned Soldiers' Association: President Mr. G. E. Eliott; vice-presidents, Messrs. A. C. A. Sexton, E. W. Inder, and ■L. J. Gannson; secretary, Mr. E. F. Andrews: lion, treasurer, Mr. A. A. Donald; hon. solicitor, Mr. E. W. Inder; auditor, Mr. W. Stanley Cooper; executive, Messrs. 11. A. M : ldon, R. G. Mason, .1. Melling. T. S. Miller, C. E. Waddingham.-K. Harold, J. D. M'C'omisli, A. L. Nugent, T. Long, R. Gordon, W. Pollock, and L. Lloyd j Dominion conference delegates, Messrs. E. W. Inder. A. C. A. Sexton, and J. Melling. The balance-sheet showed a credit balance of ,£1157, while the assets showed a surplus of ,£2057 over liabilit'es. The membership was stated to ho 11,705.

Discussing tho terms of tho new agreement between the Auckland City Council and the tramway employees, the general manager of the system, Mr. J. J. Walklate, stated .that roughly speaking tho men will receive an increase in their wages anprox'mating <£1 a week. Li addition they had secured a six-days working week, with double pay for every man who works on a Sunday. This latte- condition applies to motormen and conductors, but the provision in tho agreement giving extra pay for night work applies only to a section of the men, namely, those in the depots who are engaged in cleaning and overhauling at night, and those in tho powor stations who attend to the generating plants, etc., at nieht. The extra amount to he paid to these men is Id. an hour. Certain allowances are also to bo mado to employees working in what are termed "dirty" places.

Prince Alfonso, Duke of Oporto, who had been living at tho Villa Heali. Naples, since the Portuguese revolution of 1903, died at his villa at Posilippo in March. He was tho younger son of King Luiz, who married the younger daughter of old King Victor Emmanuel, and was grandson of Prince Ferdinand of Saxo-Coburg-Golha, Kohary, of tho branch of the Coburgs from which comes ex-King Ferdinand of Bulgaria. At the time of the revolution tho Duke, w.ho was King Mnnoel's great uncle, was the only other male of the reigning branch, and therefore the heir. He was a general in the army, ami had served in the East and in Africa. He put himself at the head of all tho troops he could collect in Lisbon to defend the throne, but the precipitous flight of the young King was fatal to the Duke's plans. Tho Ouke was married in 1917 to a wealthy American widow, whose* first husband. William H. Capman, of Connecticut, left hor a large fortune. The late Prince was born n. Julv, 1865.

The train arrangements in connection with the visit of (ho Princo of Wales are advertised in "this issue. A bachelor of 72 years aud a spinster of 66 years were married at Young, Now South Wales, a fow days ago. The bridegroom contentedly declared that this was the culminating bliss of 50 y6ars of friendship and courting. Both parties wero required to make solemn declarations that they wore above tho ago of 21 years, and that parental consent to the marriage was not necessary. With a lusty peal of laughter the bridegroom concluded the declaration: "I am abo-ft. tho age of 21, though I may i.'ol look it." An engineering and macliiii xhibition is to be held in London .;i September. Over 200 British firms have arranged to exhibit, and they will show "the finest and most comprehensive collection of machine tools and workshop equipmont ever seen at any exhibition 5n any coun'ry at any time." This exhibition is being held under the auspices q( the associated British machino tool manufacturers, who aro 'issuing invitations to overseas buyora and other joreons interested.