LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 200, 19 May 1920, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

His Worship tho Mayor (M<r. J. p. Luke) has been invited to attend a fareif \vl !, r ' er - to r!f . ff i v , en h / iho ot Wales in Christchurch on Friday evening, previous to his departure from , . As Mr. Luke will bo leaving for the south to-morrow evening, tho fortnightly meeting of the City Council has been adjourned until Tuesday next. At yesterday's meeting of tho Central Chamber of Commerce, Mr. W. Cotton emphasised the need of some solution of tho hydro-electric tangle Wellington , l self '; to ' "°«t at the Hutt, said Mr. Cotton, "wo don't know .where we are. We are now dependent on Petono for gas, and we don't know whethor to go m for a work of our own or what to do: We arc waiting for tho city to do something, and (the city is waiting for the Government, but nothing definite is being done. I say, we don't know where wo are!" And no one present was able to tell him.

It is .twenty years since the railway tariff was reviewed. It is quite obsolete, an I one mass of anomalies/'"Mr. nI I ™J 1 at „ tlle meeting of the yentr&l Chamber of Commerce x vesterday.

Mor to leaving Christohureh the : * rifle© or ales 6<?nfc for Supennrondeat - J. Dwyer and congratulated him upon . tho orderly nature of Christchureh ' f™™ 3 - J} toe w>y the police force had handled the traihe. Before Hie train steamed out at the railway His Eoyal Highness presented ■ Superintendent •Dwyer with a gold tie pin set with precious stones, as a-memento of his visjt. Tha examination of Senior Cadets for posting to the Territorials was con-, nnuei at the Garrison Hall last night. About 000 boys have to bo posted, and tha work will not be completed for several days. The medical examination is a fairly close one, and some of tho boys are found to be unfibfor Territorial servico. But the physical standard appears to be fairly high. 'The posting take place on June 1, In the course of his presidential address to the annual conference of the New Zealand Dental Association. yesterday, the president, Mr. I-'. I. Washbourn, remarked that there appeared to be every chnnce of somo scheme of national dental servico being established in the Dominion. Tho success of any such scheme must depend in great measure ou whether it started on the right lines. In ibis matter dentists should act hand in hand with the Government, giving them tho benefit of their experience and special, knowledge, aiding them by any means in their power. From the ready response to the call that was made upon the profession during the war, said Mr. Washbourn, it is safe to assume (hat in this important matter of a State dental service the dentists will again rise to >the occasion and throw themselves wholeheartedly into the furtherance of any sound scheme. One way in which we can help. is by fostering our dental school. It should be the aim of the association to realise that the advancement of the school and the interests of the dental profession are so bound up with each other that whatever affects one reacts on the other. Wo must seo to it that it continues to thrive and grow along right lines, so that it will be able to exert to the best advantage tho influence it will undoubtedly have upon tho future of the Jrofession The better the class'of student we can attract and the ''etter tho trniisng they receive, the better for the future of dentistry and for the public ' they have to serve later on."

Fergus John Adams, who had been convincted of an attempt to know oarnally ti girl undor the ago of IG, and of an indecent assault upon the same girl, was yesterday sentenced by Mr. Justice Herdman to four years' imprisonment, with hard labour.

Quotations received during tho past weok from Australia show that the tea market there is much easier, 1 his is in sympathy with the fall of the rupee and current quotations in Colombo. By way of eomjjarison it may bo stated (based 011 cablegrams received) that between March last and May 5 on highgrade teas there has been a fall of Is, Id. per pound, supplemented by a further fall of id. oil May 12. Other grades, ineluding common teas, liavo also fallen in price, but not to tho same extent, the drop from Morcli to early in Mjiy being OJd., followed last week by a reduction of Jd.—a drop of 7d. siince March last.

Tho City Engineer (Mr. W. 11. Morton), in his report to the City Council on his observations abroad, says:—"The. heavy expenditure for repairs ami maintenance consequent upon motor traffic in counlici in tho United States is mot by an annual tax upon all ijiotor vehicles, such tax being based upon the horse-power of the car, and averaging, so far as could be ascertained, Us. to is. per horse-power per annum throughout the various Stated. Tho United States Government also subsidises tho construction and maintenance of many arterial roads throughout tho country wherre suoh are used in conneotioo with the postal services."

At yesterday's meeting of tho Wellington CentraL Chamber of Commerco the vice-president (Mr. H, 8. Hart) spoke of the necessity in Wellington for a commercial men's club. There were several clubs in Wellington, but not one of tho class he had in mind to whicll business people in town would subscribe. If it would only provido a dccent meal it would bo filling a crying need. It should bo a place where business men could meet in a social way, and discuss their problems. Such a club would bo of real servico to the business men of tho city. In referring nt th» meeting of the Wellington Central Chamber of Commerco yesterday to the developments th'-.t were, taking place in industrial England, Mr. Francis Holmes stated that seventy of the big Staffordshire (pottery) manufacturers had come together, and formed a College of Experts, whose advice was to bo at the disposal of an,- of the firms. The- head of that college, the. chief chemist, was Dr. Mellor, wlio nsed to be a clicker in Lightband, Allen and Co.'s boot factory in Christchurch. Tliese experts advised thi manufacturers on the finer points of mixing and burning clays, and the result of having such advice had meani a saving of 25 per cent, in manufacturing cost. Mr. Holmes said that the manufacturers thought a very great deal of Dr. Mellor and would rot do without him for anything. Tho exclicker hnd left New Zealand some twenty years ago. • A party of visiting boxers visited Treutliam yesterday and ijavo an exhibition of sparring to tho inmates of the military hospital. During tho journey of the Prince of Wales from Greymouth to Otira (he train pulled up for a few minutes at the small 6tation known as Jackson's. Vive or six old settlers of the hardy bush type immediately pressed closer up t.o the carriages for a better vieiv. The Prince, though ho was having lunch at tho time, nevor bothered a'bout formality, but hastily left his chair and stopped off tho train into the centre of tho group, conversing with them until tho engine whistled. Tho question of the hours of closing of fruiterers' shops in Auckland is creating great interest among those in the trade. Those favouring the early closing have prepared a petition to the Minister of Labour, and those in favour of the retention of the present hours are now obtaining signatures to a couu-ter-petition.

Speaking of tho Mangahao hydroelectric scheme at the monthly meeting of tlu council of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce yesterday, Mr. C. St. Luke stated that the best experts in Wellington had informed the Progressive League that a very small proportion of the power developed at Maiigahao would be available for the city. Palmerston. North had a claim, so had other parts of the country, and the Goverrment would also want a, lot of the power for its own usee, so that it seemed to them that if Wellington city was to benefit they would liave to go on with tho Hutt or the Waikaremoana; schemes. Indeed, he thought all three schemes should go on together. The Progress League was giving a good deal of attention to the nut Iter,' and intended shortly to bring before the Prime Minister (Rt. Hon. W. 1?. Massey) reasons why a forward movement sliould bo made if it were only to define the positioi ao far as Wellington was concerned.

In connection with the threatened increase in tram fares, the Town-Planning Association has asked the City Council that when making any revision ill fares tho greatest possible preference might bo given to long-distance passengers. This recommendation is made with the solo

cbiect of encouraging the spread of population. ' /

Amongst the veterans with whom tho Prince of Wales shook hands at the parade at Christchurch on Friday, was Corporal R. N. Wiokham, late I?oyal Field ArtiM-y. His Royal nighness was much interested in the record of Corporal Wickham, and of his relatives, and askod Corporal 'Wickham to send him the family's complete record, which is certainly a uniquo one. Corporal Wickham served for six years in India, and also in South Africa, where ho gained the Queen's.medal, with six clasps, and the King's medal, with two clasps. In the late war he served os a seaman gunner in the mercantile marine,' and in the New Zealand Army Service Corps, and was awarded tho 1914-15 Star and two Victory Medals. In the last forty years four, brothers, live uncles, seven cousins, and. four nephews of Corporal Wickham have served in the Navy .and Army. Several of them were killed or died on service, and one, Thomas Perry, 24th Regiment, who, was killed at Eorke'e Drift, wag posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross. Requests have been received from several provincial'towns in tho North Is-

land for lectures on town-planning. At a meeting of the Town-Planning Association Mr. A. Leigh Hunt mentioned that it was his intention to accept these invitations and to make a short lecture tour at an early date. It is felt that in these smaller towns the time is ripe for townplanning schemes to be tarried into effect.

In tho Arbitration Court at New Plymouth (says a Press Association message) Ifr. Jiistice Stringer awarded Clara Florence Jamieson .£SOO compensation for the death of her husband, Noble Alfred Jameson, engineer of the small oil vessel Jiahoe, which foundered at tho entrance of the Waitara River in January, 1919. The body of a man much decomposed, with the throat out, was found in a plantation near. Kirwee (reports a Christchurch Press Association telegram). It is believed to bo the body of Archie Major, a former resident of West Mel-

In connection with tlje recent strike by tlie slaughtermen at the Imlay freezing works, two of the strikers were fined •£lO, and a number of others ,£5. Tho

wen made a demand for increased wages and then knocked off work, alleging that the sheep were wet.—Press Assn.

A photograph of 11.U.5. Eclipse, which vessel Baw service round the New Zealand coast during the Maori wars, was shown to members of the historical section of the Philosophical Society last night. The picture had been sent by Admiral E. R. Fremantle, who wrote: "I. took command of the Eclipse in April, 1804, and I had most interesting cruises on' the East Coast of a semipolitical nature; protecting our friendly natives' and foiling intended insurrections, for three of which I received the thanks of the Government. I was fortunate enough to- rescue tho Church Missionary Society's missioner at Opotiki, commemorating which an ensign was presented to me at the Bishop's palace .... Towards the end of tho war I had Sir George Grey aboard andaccompanied him 'up country on several occasions."

Lust July the Hataitai Jslcctors' Association wrote to the City Council "urging tlie desirability of making the minimum frontage for tho district 40 feet. Two months ago ft reply wis leeeived to the effect tlmt Hie By-laws Committee were of- tho-opinion that a 40-foot frontage with no depth fixed.would have ii tendency to congestion rather than otherwise. At the request of tho Hataitni executive the Toivn-Planniag Association has taken the matter up, and .has written to the City Council, endorsing t'lio minimum of 40-fcot frontage, while still maintaining the minimum space of 3000 square feet.