LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 207, 27 May 1920, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Twenty-six applications for furniture allowances were considered by tho Wellington Repatriation Board at its last meeting, and all but one were approved. Nino returned soldiers applied lor business loans, and seven of tho loans were approved, two being declined. One application for tools was declined. Fivo men were granted allowances for training on the Stnto farms, and four Bubeidicd to workers were approved.

Mr. D. G. A. Cooper, S.M., yesterday ufternoon heard an appeal made by Eric 15asil Rawlings under tho provisions of the Expeditionary Forces Amendment Act 1918, to havo his name removed from the defaulters' list. Lieuterant J. Thomson appeared for the Department. Tho appellant said that ho left camp on April 2 because, ho wa6 suffering from sciatica. He went to Christchurch nnd, hearing that the civil police wcro looking for him, he reported to thorn and was eventually brought back to Trenlham nnd courtloartialled. He was sentenced to tt year's hard labour nnd placed on the defaulters' list. Ho did not return to camp because ho was not treated too well whilo there. Lieutenant J. Thomson produced tho file and tho decision of tho district court-martini. Rnwlings was found guilty of deserting from His Majesty's service and losing by neglect his equipment. The Magistrate promptly refused the application. Two other appeals were lodged but ono was withdrawn, nnd in the other caso tho «;> liellant did not appear.

Mr. W. H. Field, M.P. slates that ho has again interviewed the Minister of Railways regarding; Ms often repeated request for an early morning train from Otald onco woekly. Mr. I ibid expects thnt tho services will soon bo running. Better postal facilities f,or Otaki have also been. jj Mm feaif ; *o hun by th*. Gotanwxfsk,

Tho Wellington Land Board was engaged practically the whole of yesterday in dealing with applications fiom soldiers and interviewing applicants. This was done in committee.

Mr. Justice Salmond yesterday heard an appeal by Georgo Doughty and Co., Ltd., of Wellington, against a decision given by Mr. \V. G. Riddell, S.M., in favour of -the Shaw, Savill and Albion Co., steamship owners; having an offico at Wellington. Appellants were plaintiffs in the Magistrate's Court. They claimed from the shipping company £i\S 9s. Id. for loss incurred upon goods carried by the s.s. Matatua, and damaged by contact witli whisky during tho voyage. Tho Magistrate decided that upon tho evidence presented the defendants could not bo held liable. In their notice of appeal, plaintiffs submilted that defendants had failed to bring themselves affirmatively within one or other of the exceptions in tho bill of lading. The matter r was yesterdav argued by Mr. D. S. Smith (for the appellants) and Mr. M. Myers (for tho respondent*). Decision was reserved.

Once again, at the meeting of tho City Council on Tuesday, Councillor T. Forsyth emphasised tho neglect of protective work in, delaying tho tarring of tho wood-blocks. After drawing attention to the main point he asked whether they were, to wait yel; .rather, year for this necessary work to bo done. The Mayor attributed the noncompletion of the to the weather conditions, and, incidentally, complained of tho many times the new part of the roadway in' Dnfterin Street had been dug lip.

At a meoting ctf the Wellington Master Carriers' Association held yesterday morning, it was decided, owing to tho rise In wages and tho cost of horse feed, to raise the carrying rales as from Juno 1. That applies to tho tonnage rates only. With respoct to charges on a time scalo the association is to approach, the City Council notifying them of tho proposed increases, as the timo charges arc included in tho regulations to the city 'by-lam appertaining to carriers. Taumarunui residents going homo from the theatre at 11 o'clock on Tuesday night witnessed an unusual sight— a magnificent lunar rainbow, which formed a perfect white arch from one horizon to tho other.—Press Assn. In the Supremo Court at Christchurch (reports the Press Association) Bernard Olsson, with several aliases, was sentenced to seven years' imprisonment, with haijd labour, fo(r jan attempted unnatural offence. He had been convicted of indecent assault at Auckland in 1910, and of attempted carnal knowledge at Christchurch in 1915, when ho was sentenced to five years' imprisonment. Mr. Justice Hcrdmnn said accused was a menace to the community, and must be kept under lock and key.

At a meoting of subscribers to tho Captain Eeid benefit fund held under the presidency of the Mayor of Eastbourne (Mr. F. H. Mnthor), the following resolution was unanimously carried:—"That a letter be written to Captain Macindoc, of tho Merchant Service Guild (N.Z. section), conveying the hearty thanks and appreciation of the committee and subscribers for tho splendid eft'ovt and excellent results achieved on behalf of the Captain Eeid fund by the guild."

At Tuesday's meeting of tlie City Council, Councillor J. Hutchison (one of the Labour Four), said that during the recent celebrations there . appeared to be any amount of electrical power for everything, but as soon as the Prince left tho electric light wont "crook," shops and factories suffered, industries were intorfereiT wt!h, and even the doctors at the Hospital stated that they could not work the X-ray apparatus for want of power. It seemed very funny to him, and he wanted to know whether tho Prince had anything to do with it. (Smiles.) The Mayor (Mr. J. P. Luke) said that primarily changed conditions were responsible. They had trouble with the boilers, and owing to having had to use somo very fierce coal the chain gratf/i to 6omo of- the furnaces 'became buckled and jammed. As soon as these troubles were adjusted there had ten a change for tho better. The Prince was quite blameless in the matter.

Writing of Mr. Herbert E. Wood's (of Wellington) introductory concert at the Auditorium, Melbourne, the "Punch" said:—"Mr. Herbert Wood bowed litis first acknowledgments to au Australian audience at the Auditorium on Saturday, after receiving a wonderful ovation. Blessed -with a charming tenor voice of great brilliance'and temperament, well trained, rind a natural [knowledge of throwing himself into tho song he is interpreting, the' vast audience soon realised what a great artist Mr. 'Wood is, and gave him one of the greatest receptions ever given a einger in thfc Auditorium. After singing four numbers, which included 'A Wandering Minstrel,' 'Take a Pair of Sparkling Eyes,' 'Beneath Thy Window, and 'I Like You in Velvet,' he was obliged to,- bow many times ere the audience would lei him go. He, soon established himself a firm favourite. It can truly be said Mr. Wood'is ono of the finest, tenors in Australasia, and his futune. success is assured. New Zealand may well be proud of such an artist. Australia welcomes him.

It may be somewhat surprising to some (savs tho "Town-Planning ' Review") to find that the skyscraper is becoming eußpect in Hie land of its inception, and is regarded as an economical and financial blunder; the deathtoll during construction, the loss on the lower stories, congestion affecting the transportation system, and the falsifying of ground values being quoted in the indictment. As the result of the work of city. planning commissions property values in New York and other American cities aro now conserved, because districts and buildings aro pro'ected against damage by the wrong vses of property and the erection of tho wrong kind of liuildings. This stabilising of values is.ouo (f the most practical results of the application of town-planning principles.

In the Supreme Court ut Timaru yesterday three men charged with wilful damage to tho window of a Chinese fruiterer on April 17 were acquitted. The only evidence identifying these men amongst tho crowd was that of two girls, but accused all brought men companions to prove that they took no part in the mischief. Tile window cost £<X to replace-.—Press Assn. A very interesting discourse on volcanoes, illustrated by lantern slides, was given by Dr. T. H. Jnggar in tho library of the Dominion Museum last evening. There was a record attendance of members of the Philosophical Society, who listened to a very interesting though hHily technical lecture, embodying the experiments, observations, and records niade by Dr. Joggar, who has spent nine vents at the 'Kilauea Observatory, Hawaii The lantern shdos exhibited showed some very awe-inspiring sights in connection with volcanoes. The lecturer urged the desirability of erecting an oh--•ervatorv in New Zealand for the study of our volcanic belt. A very nwarty voto of thunks wns accorded Dr. Jaggur.

Approval of the introduction of tho kinemfltograph into State schools is expressed by Dr. A. P. Newton, a visitor to ~ind. "You will need »to bs careful,- however," he ?aid, "in regard to the class of Sim used. Whatever von do, be quite sure thoy are studies from nature, and above all things do not show the children wry of those pictures which are 'got up' for the occasion I have been m tho so-called •Wild West' of America, but. tho life there is just as placid cfl in New Zealand. Just try to imagine Kansas, City being a place where (-hooting and lawlessness are tho order of tho day. It does not oxifit, but that is not the impression that peoplo get after seeing some of tho films supposed to lie ;.c----presentative of Western American life. Incalculable harm may be done by- creating wrong impressions in tho minds of the young. It is tho teal life in different countries that should bo represented to tho children. This would havo a ltsting and beneficial effect."

A young man named Percy Hooker, a Ch'ristchurch resident, but living at present at No. 10 Dixon Street, Wellington, was caught between two ears passing each other in Manners Street yesterday afternoon and was seriously 'injured 'about the head. No one appears to havo actually witnessed the accident, but ITookor was seen lying on the road unconscious when tie trams had passed. Ho recovered consciousness shortly before being taken to the hospital. The hospital authorities stated Inst nieht that Hookor was not seriously injured, and that ho seemed to bo fairly oomtotnbte.

A Press Association telegram from Auckland reports that Matthew Wech, aged 57, a fanner at Puhoi, fell from a bridge and was drowned. William Brown, tho elderly man wlio on Saturday morning was knocked down in Jervois Quay by a tram, died at tho hospital yesterday. When he was admitted to the institution it was not thought that his injuries woro serious, but apparently he l/jfer roeovorod from tho shock of tho accident. An inquest will bo held. Raymond Harper, aged 21, single, and residing at Mirainar, was on Tuesday working in Robertson's foundry when he Imd oho foot crushed by a roller. He was admitted to the hospital at 2 p.m. Last night he was reported to bo making a good recovery. Which is tho healthiest place in tho world? If tho index is tho death-rate, as it presumably must be, we havo to go to tho unlikely neighbourhood of the Antarctic to find it (states an exchange). In tho last colonial report from the Falkland Islauds the deathrate for 1917 and 1918 was 5.31 per 1000. During 10 years the death-rate in England and Wales did not drop below 13.3, and was as nigh as 17.6. Yet tho climate of tho Falkland Islands is vigorous and tho country is inoro bleak and barren than tho Shetlands. High winds blow almost constantly, but thoro is no scarcity of sunshine. To those, Nature's great disinfectants, is probably duo the longevity of the sparse population. The fight-thc-fainine fund movement in aid of starving Europe, has been taken up by tho .Mayor of' Auckland, who, in a letter to the Mayor of Christchurch, says: "There is no question as to tho distress and as to our obligations on the common ground of humanitarianism to assist these people. The British Government havo subsidised this fund on a £ for £ basis, and this alono is sufficient evidence of tho urgency of the need." The Auckland distriot is aiming at .£SOOO.

Soino 2000 ex-soldiers who recently were allotted farms in British East Africa as a reward for their war services, have (a London correspondent writes) had a terrible blow dealt to their prospects by the stabilisation oF the rupee at 2s. This means a loss of one-third of their capital on transfer to East Africa and a rise of 50 per cent, iu costs of production. An association litis been formed to protect the interests of present and future producers in East Africa, and especially to deal with tho pressing question of currency. The police in London are mystified (says a London correspondent, writing on March 30) in connection with the findiut' of a man with serious injuries to his throat lying on a rubbish hoii'j outside linnisgate. No instrument likeW to havo caused tho injuries was found. The man, who was well dressed and appeared about 70 years oi aire, recovered sufficiently after removal to hosoUal, to Rive his name as Daniel Doynos. Ho said he was from Ivew Zea*'inJ, and had been staying at an Kotal at Upper Norwood. He said' he has no relations in Great Britain, and he threw no light on the manner in wb'cn ho received his injury.