LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 222, 14 June 1920, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

A public farewell will be tendered to Their Excellencies tho Governor-General and tlie Co mitres of Livorpool in tho Town Hall on Thursday, Juno 24.

A reminder that money, like everything else, is becoming dearer was brought to tho notice of the Lyttelton Harbour Board last week on a proposal from a special committee that tho licard should immediately take stops to borrow for harbour improvements in instalments as required tho gum of ,£150,000 at 5J per cent, for 36J years, with a jinking fund of 1 per cent. When tho report was received Hie chairman (ilr. H. B. Sorensen)' said that 5J per cent, was inadequate, the Tramway Board having, found it necessary to give*sl per cent. It would be wiser to ask the Government for permission to pay 5J per cent, rather than go for a loan and court a failure. Mr. F. Ilorrell said that he would like to know whether the Tramway Board had permission to borrow beyond 5i per cent. "Oh, yes," 6aid the chairman, "and we wii'.l get it." The clause wa» passed with the rate of interest at 5i por cent. The above news from tho south is particularly interesting to Wellington, as the City Council is on the eve of coining o.n the market for a loan of .£1,000,000 for new works, and with other big local bodies offering SJ per cent, it is considered unlikely that the. City Corporation could offer less with any success.

Yesterday afternoon the Salvation Army Band played in the Hospital grounds. The collection amounted to £fi ss.

The Postmaster-General notifies* that tho British Government announces that, commencing from .Tune 1, 1920, the postage on letters posted in tho United Kingdom, addressed to all places abroad included in the Imperial postage system, was raised to 2d. for tho first ounce and Id. for each additional ounce. Postage rates for His Majesty's ships and troops abroad remain unaltered for the present, but an enTly increase is in contemplation. In the Juvenile Court on Saturday morning, beforo Mr. E. Page. S.M., two' boys, aged 12 and 10 years, respectively, were charged withi the theft on April 30 of a number .of coins, valued at .£2O, the property of Alfred Po.clc, Tasman Street, Tlie offenders entered the premises of the complainant by breaking a window, and once inside rummaged through the house-, breaking opcm a deed box which was m the sittingroorn, and making away with the coins. The complainant stated that his houso had been entered on two or three previous occasions and otter goods stolen. The vounger h.id admitted that he had broken into the place and stole the coins. ' Ha gave eighteen of the coins to tho other defendant, who, he said, was in the neighbourhood at tho time the. theft occurred. Tho Probation Officer, Mr. J, Dvnneen, gave tho lads a good character, and suggested that thev should be. placed on probation. In the case of the .elder lad the charge was adjourned for sis months, and in the meantime he is to be under the supervision of tlto Probation Officer. The younger lad was placed on probation for two years, and the charge again" him was adjourned for that time. Tho mother of tho latter was ordered to pay 30s. expenses.

A fine cxainplo of practical help is reported from the Hautapu district. A! party of settlers invaded a returned soldier's holding the other day, ploughed his fields, erected fences, dug drams, and did innumerable small jobs.

- The' high price of horso feed led to the Auckland carriers recently suggesting to the Prime Minister that the export of oats and chaff should be prohibited until sucii time as it was ascertained whether sufficient supplies were available for local requirements. A reply has been received (states the Hcrnld") from Mr. to the -fleet that he found, on making full inquiries, that tho position of tho oats market would not warrant the stopping ot export or the fixing of prices. When the Farmers' Union conference at Christchurch was discussing the question of afforestation last week, frequent referenco was mnde to the damage done to bluegum plantations by tho scale insect, and ono delegate said t.iat on account of the jruins' susceptibility t'i this disease it was not advisable to plant gums.' Mr. Seth-Smith, however, contended that ladybirds' were capablo of protecting the ' trees against the scale, and he instanced a case at his own plantation, which four years ago was badly affected with tho scale disease. He procured two boxes of ladybird insects from Australia to fight tho crale, with such good results that the plantation was, now practically free of scale.

■ Speaking ot tho Farmers' Union conference at Christchurch, Mr. 6. Shoat commented on the general excellence ot tho potato crop, and said that he personally had not seen a single instance this Benson in Canterbury of flight, llio state of the market had caused considerable loss, many returned soldiers being among the sufferers. A neighbour "Digger" of his dug uo fifteen tons of potatoes, all good quality, but because of Hie marketing values had preferred to sell the whole lot to a neighbour for £Vi. There were plenty of potatoes available, and the workers here need have no four that if the embargo were, removed by Australia- they would have to pay 'high prices. T - If a shopkeeper gives a firearm to a. customer in exchange for another, does lie commit a breach of the regulations.' Mr. V. G. Day, S.M., answered that question in the affirmative in' the .Magistrate's Court at Chvistchiirchi last weekdays an exchange), though the weapons concerned were only boys' airguns. Ho also held that it was. illegal to _ sell to hoys round lead pellets for the air-guns. "There is nothing going to save New Zealand so much as hard work, liie only way for national salvation to be worked out is by work." These sentiments from Mr. G. W. Leadley at the Farmers' Conference at Christchurch last week met with enthusiastic "Hear, hears" from his fellow delegates. "More production and less rows," was the remedy suggested by Mr.,G. Shea* to reciuco the cost of living.

"In yiew of the high cost of living, I ask you not to inflict a heavy fine,' said a ■solicitor appearing on behalf of his son in the Magistrate's Court at Christclvurcli on Friday (reports ■an exchange). The charge was one of driving a motor-car in a manner dangerous to traffic. "The cost of petrol lias gone up, ond if fines are to go up, we won t bo able to live at all," continued the father "I can't thrash tire hoy; he's bigger than I am." The pwalty was fixed at XI and cosh.

In order to. permit of the more convenient handling of tramcars at the boundary between the oity nnd Mirainar Borough, a new siding has been constructed. The track has been Cnid on concrete sleepers, and now only 1 needs ballasting. The new siding will bo in use this week.

In order to honour permanently the memory of the late Colonel Arthur Banohop in hie native town of Port Chalmers, the locail members cf the Fourth and Fifth South African Contingents; are forming themselves into a committee .with a viow to erecting a suitable memorial. Colonel Bauchop, who was for some years officer commanding the Military District, won high honours in South Africa, and n brilliant military career was-Cooked for in the late war. but he was 'mortally wounded when leading his men 'in action on Gallipoli.