LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 195, 13 May 1920, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

ni At the present Dime the absentee rolls so of the innjority of the Wellington city A schools are about 100 per cent, larger S( than is usual at this time of the year, of but it is not thought that many of the m absences are sufferers from influenza. It is assumed, however, that many chil- N dren are the victims of heavy colds. As N the term holidays commence to-morrow, w tho health authorities have not deemed fi it necessary to close the schools. ra Replying yesterday to a deputation from j;J Wanganui the Hon. C. J. l'arr, Minister of Education, slated that Cabinet had vot«<l a sum of =£5000 for additions to r< tho Wanganui School'. B With fef6rence to tho proposal of the t. Imperial Government to send out a tour- y ing' exhibition of British manufactures t< to visit the self-governing Dominions, about which notices have appeared in the d Press of New Zealand from time to time, d His Majesty's Trade Commissioner in w New Zealand has been informed by tele- C i graph that, owing to practical difficul- s tics, it will be impossible for the exhibi m tion to leave tho United Kingdom in h June of this year as was originally con- b template!. The Trade Commissioner has c been instructed by t'he Imperial Govern- ei ment to make it quite clear that the pro- g ject Jias not been abandoned, but has i: only been deferred with tho object of o making the exhibition as representative n as possible. It is anticipated that infor- n nation will .soon be forthcoming a3 to t< the date of departure of the exhibition I and as to the approximate dale of its o arrival in New Zealand. s Tho Mayor . (Mr. J. P. Luke, M.P.) stated yesterday that ho lioped tho ques- j tion of electrical cower development j would come before tho City Council at s its next meeting. A motion calling for a n review of the decision already readied by t the council was on the order paper, and it was important that finality should bo » tenched with as little delay as possible. Tho city's need of increased electrical , power was undoubted, and-now that the s question had been very fully discussed } in all its phases by tho councillors and ] by the public, a settlement ought to be j possible. Many petty thefts and some eeriouß ones aro reported to have been committed at Karori recently during the hours of' darkness. Clothes lines have' been stripped, find coal lias been removed from bins. It is thought not unlikely that tho activities of the thieves aro in a ( measure due to the continuancc of tho ! old Borough Council's practice of extin- I Ruishing tho street lamps at midnight. / Now that Karori is part of the city, J residents hopo that the suburb will no 1 longer be den'ied the protection of lamps i kept burning all night long. It has \ been said that every street lamp carry- 1 ing out its function is as good as a policeman in guarding property. Karori , people would like to know that their | guardians' hours on duty are to aa ] long as 'is tho case in tho rest of the city. \ Tib l boot manufacturers have decided J to make a small increase in boot prices ' to meet the bonus recently allowed by j tho Arbitration Court (reports an Auckland Press Association message). ! At Feilding yesterday (reports the i Press Association) Mr. J. L. Stout, S.M., i in a written judgment,, convicted Wil- < lia i Jones of carrying on tho business \ of bookmnking. Jones was fined .£2OO, i being J3IOO on each of two charges. 1 The following are somo particulars re- ! garding vocational .training at l'rentham Military Hospital during the month of , April. Number of men who received instruction in one or more 221 (88.4 per cent, of tho patients);number , not taking classes, 29; occupational work , is being done by 76 bedridclon patients; | total attendances made. 7710; instruction ; given in 21 subjects, among the most ' popular being engineering, 32; carpentry, i 32; farming, 22; commercial training, 14; . motor mechanics, 33; basketwork, 26; . wool-classing, 19. The numbers on the , rolls of the various classes show an SnI crease of 57 over the previous month. ( | The Commissioner of Taxes draws at- : tention of taxpayers to the notification 1 appearing in to-day issue that returns of 1 income must bo furnished not later than ' Juno 1. IJorms of return may be obtained at any Postal Money-order Office; : they w'ill not be sent to taxpayers from : the office of the Commissioner of Taxes unless written application is mado' for them. The Director of Vocational Training states thai popular lectures on law are being organised for sold'icrs in hospitals. Thirty patients attended tho first lecture delivered 'at -Trentham, and displayed the keenest interest. The subjects treated included lftud transfer, mortgages, etc., with a special view to tho, requirements of returned soldiers going on the land. Tho last meeting of tho Wellington District Bepatriation Board was presided over by ''Mr. M. J. Reardoii. Thirty-fivo applications for loans for the purchase of furniture were approved. Applications for assistance in tho establishment of businesses were dealt with to the number of M, of which 57 were granted, six declined, and' one was deferred. , In 12 instances it was decided to subsidise the wages of men who arc learning trades, and lfi applications for the payment of training fees and allowances, were granted. An inquest was held yesterday morning by Mr. W. G. Riddell, S.M., into the cause of death of Benjamin Baynes at his residence, 17 Sage's Lane, on Tuesday. Tho evidence showed that the deceased' was a retired grain merchant, 60 years of age, and had lived in New for about 50 years. He caught cold about a week ago, and on Tuesday morning collapsed, and died,before medical aid could be secured. Dr. Monaghan, who made a post-mortem examination, stated that" death was due to heart failure, caused by pneumonia, and the coroner returned 'a verdict accordingly. Eobert W. G. M'Taggart was brought before-Mr. W. G. Riddell, S.M., in the Magistrate's Court yesterday morning, and charged with having left New Zealand with tlw intention of failing, without reasonable cause, to make, adequate VoVision for his wife. M'Taggart went to Sydney on January 8 for six weeks, with the oonsent of his wife, ami at the end of the period ho wrote to say that ho would stay a little longer. Later on he sent another letter, stating that lie would not return to New. Zealand, but intended going to Vancouver. A warrant was then issued for his arrest on the charge stated, and ho was brought back from Sydney. M'Taggart consented to a maintonanco order under sureties, and on the charge of leaving Now Zealand ho Was convicted and ordered to come up for soiitence'when called npon within a period of twelve months. The central executive committee of tlih Home Service League of New Zealand held a meeting this week, when the articles of incorporation were perused und formally adopted. The league lias primarily been formed and . registered under The Incorporated Societies Act, 1908, w'itli a view to obtaining Govern., ment recognition for those men of the New Zealand military forces who served in the Dominion during any period of the late war, and the principal aims of Iho organisation are briefly; (a) To obtain tho payment of a war gratuity to members; (b) to enable members to partici-. pate in the privileges and benefits tinder the Discharged Soldiers' Settlement Act, 1915, and the Repatriation Act, 1918 and amendments; (c) to obtain payment (J f the increased separation allowflDcos to members; and (d) to obtaii} payment of the mufti allowance. It is the further intention of the league to take up and investigate all alleged easoj of loss or hardship arising out of tho military sorrico of members. In tlm course of tho meeting, it was explained that the present. Dominion membership approximates 3000, with every prospect of doubling that number in tho near future Excepting one or two teclvmcalitiei connected with registration, there now only remains the signing of the potition to Parliament, on completion of which tho league will be prepared to proceed with its claims. It is anticipated that even-thing will bo in readiness for tho introduction of a deputation during the coming session, mid from tho fact that promises of suy.nort have Iwen given by more than half the members of Parliament tho league is particularly sanguine of success. The Auckland Journalists' Union has been granted a clothing bonus of 4s. nor week by (the Arbitration Court. Ihe bonus is retrospective from January I.— * Prow Assn. !

At last night's meeting of the Acclimatisation Society a letter ivns road.from the private secretary of IKb Royal Highness the Prince of Wales thanking tho society for the complimentary permits to shoot stags and lmuls in Wairarapa South and I'eatherston. A similar letter of thanks was received from tho Commander of tho llenoini. Mr. A. Draine, a resident of Pnlmereton North, fell from ft fire escape, at tho New Occidental Hotel Inst evening; and was removed to the Hospital suffering from injuries to his ribs. He was admitted at 8.30, and about two hours later the Hospital authorities described Ins condition as very satisfactory. The treatment some returned soldiers receive at the hands of tho Pensions Board came in for criticism at last night's meeting of the Wellington Returned Soldiers' Association,! w hen Mr. W. Pascoe moved that a remit be sent to the annual conference of the N.Z. R.S.A., urging that in viov of the great discontent existing among returned soldiers an advocate should be appointed who would appear for soldiers when their cases were bffore the board. Mr. A. 13. Sievwright seconded the motion. Stress was laid on the fact that returned men had no appeal from the decisions of the board and that they did not have sufficient opportunities of presenting their easos. One speaker contended that pensions should be assessed according to the increase in the cost of living, l and wis opinion met with the approval of the meeting. Tho general trend of the arguments advancod was that 110 fault was to be found with the work of Mr. J. 1). Harper, the association's representative on the board, but'that the nresent Pensions Act was inadequate 'for dealing with the cases 'of men who were incapacitated. The motion" was carried. It. "was also decided, on the motion ,01 Mr. A. Curtayne, to urge that the .present scale of pensions should he revised, as it was totally inadequate, considering the higli cost of living. f Tho annual meeting of the Wanganui •branch of tho Returned Soldiers Association last night passed a resolution urging the Government to resume <i 3 soon as possible the making of grail ,3 to soldiers, aud \S necessary, to cau Parliament together for the purpose. Press Assn. ■ ' .