LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 232, 25 June 1920, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

It is reported that during the past few days there have been phenomenal clearances of whisky fir.m bond at Wellington in anticipation of an immediate increase in duty nn spirituous liquors. A Press Association measure from Dunedin also reports big clearances from bond. A month ago the Wellington Hospital and Chiiritab.e Aid Hoard wrote to the Inspector-General of- Hospitals (Dr. T. 11. A. Vatintdne) drawing attention to the number of indigent females arriving in New Zealand. At the meeting of the board yesterday it was .reported that Dr. Valintine was m communication with tho Immigration Department on the question. 'Exceptionally heavy rain hes been experienced at Palmerston ' North this -week, not an unusual accompaniment for the national dairy show. The "Standard" of yesterday reports that the Mauawatu Rivor has risen .nine feet since Monday, but has still a margin of threo feet before any danger may be apprehended from the 'inter overflowing the banks. The Mangaono Creek, howover, has overflown it® banks in Severn! places and at a dip in the Awapuni Racecourse Road over four feet .of water covers the road and surrounding country. Tho Kawau lias broken away and 'Florence Avenue (off Russell Street) is now submerged. The Kairanga Road is also covered with tho overflow from the Mangaone. perhaps the most serious damage has been done in I'eatherston Street' east, where the Kawau Creek lias burst its banks. Early yesterday morning the water swept down I'Vatherston Street and into Terrace Street, where it lny, the drainage system being nimble to cope with the volume. A number of 'the residents thereabouts were .forced to bridge the inundated urea on their properties before they could reach the street.

Eggs nre coming forward to the markets in 'better supply, and tlioro is a general easement in the price. A sveek ago they were soiling at from 4s. to -if. Id. par dozen. Yesterday they were puroh.iscnble over the counter at 3s. 10d. per do/,eu. A further fall is expected. At a meeting of superannuated I'ltb'.ic Servants at ilamil'.ton on AVedneS'lay night a branch of tbo Auckland Association was formed. Tho following notion was carried:—'' That the Prime Minister be asked whether it is liis intention to introduce .legislation this session with a view to ameliorating the hardships' ltnny superannuated Public Servants are suffering from owing to tho reduced purchasing power of tho sovereign."—Press Assn. The Wellington Returned Soldiers' Clubhouse Society having olforcl tho Governor-G'enoral the thanks of i;s members for hia support as patron, and their assurance that tho institution has proved it success as a resort and n place for tho reception of returning: uien, His Excellency made tho following repb "Many thanks for your letter of Juno 21. I can asstiro you that it has been a great pleasure to mo to have been patron of tho Wellington lietunicd Soldiers' Clubhouse Society '.Incorporated) since its formation. I have always been deeply interested in nil matters which have tho wolfitro of the soldiers at heart, and I am glad to learn that th« clubhouse has proved, such a boon to nil concerned. In thanking voir members for thoir good wislips towards mvself, I desire to express n hope that now they havo onco more started in their civil professions, they will bo successful in any undertakings tbev mav ombark on." ' c

I cannot leave New Zealand without recording my appreciation to the Press of the Dominion for their never-failing courtesy towards Her Excellency, myself, a ? 4 my,staff," said lord Liverpool last night. "I do not wish to flatter when I sny that these islands can well congratulate themselves cn the high reputation which has been reached by the Dominion Press for the accurate news which is evcrywhero circulated even in the most isolated parts of tlio country." The division of the county of Inglewood into four ridings is gazetted, and Mr. E. A. Lloyd is authorised to prepare tho electoral roll, also to lie the returning officer- to conduct the first .election of members. The consent of the Government to tho raising of loans has been granted tu the Heathcoto Countv Council for .£23,000; Franklin' County Council, £5500. Masterton County Council, ■£12,G00 j Waitomo County Council, Wa'ipa County Council, .£300; He Pnko Town Board, ,C 475; Dannevirlto and Kairanga County Councils, JCGOO each, Balclutha borough, £100. The meeting of the City Council postponed from last evening, owing to the farewell function to the Governor-Gen-eral and the Countess of Liverpool, will be held on Monday evening next. ,At Wednesday's meeting of tho Wellington Education Board it'was decided to rescind the motion embodying a decision to build one central school at Pukenui (near Martinborough), and in placo thereof to establish two schools, one at Dry River (where Mr. Hathaway has offered the use of d building fur school purposos), and to-re-estab-lish a school at Pukenui (where the settlers interested have offered to purchase threo_ acres,of ground and to fence and drain it free of cost to the board).

At the latter place, too, Mr. A. D. M'Leod had slated that lie believed the County Council would bo prepared to offer a sito opposite the former block, which would be suitable for .the school building. The objection to the central site was the necessity for the children to travel along roads which were considered unsafe, particularly in tho. gnrire. The new proposal was the r«mi'lt of. the visit of Mr. T. Moss to the district, and. on his motion, seconded by Mr. 0. Harkness, the new proposal was unanimously agreed to. A Gazette notice under the Apiaries Amei'<lnignt Act,'l9l3, . announces the substitution of Wanganui for Waitara Us a specified port from which honey may be exported. A block of land in the Drayton Settlement, Kolleston survav district, containing 15GJ acres, has been acquired by tho Government under the Public Works Act for the purposes of a prison. Tho Hospital and Charitable Aid Board yesterday devoted retention to the transactions of the recent )Am;inioii Coufernnce of Hospital Boards. Point was made by several members that the Government should be cumpelled to adopt the resolutions agreed to. particularly thoso in" regard to subsidies.' Mr. J. Hutchison said ho wa» of opinion that the Government were shelving their responsibilities in regard to public health. Air. J. W. M'Ewan stated that, if tho scheme regarding subsidies were adopted it would mean that the Wellington llos> pita] would receive a subsidy of 235. Ud. for every pound instead of lCs. 3d. as it present. EogattTing licspita! control, Die medical superintendent, Dr. P. It. Woodhouse, mentioned that ttm British Medical Association had submitted certain propositions to the Department of Public Health. The i-lea of the British Medical Association was that instead of haying political control as at present, the various boards in the Dominion should bo subject to tho jurisdiction of, 'a central Board. Mr. J. Smith thought a cqmmittce of the board should wait on the Minister to ask what proposals he was lo bring before Fuilmment. Mr. Smith's proposition was agreed to.

A lad named Alfred Charles Love appeared in the Magistrate's- Court yesterday morning, before Mr. E. Page, S.M., on a charge of being an idle and disorderly person, in (Imt he possessed insufficient lawful means of support. The lod is an ox-inmate or Weraroa Training Farm, and about tliiee months ago was licensed out to his parents, but sinco being set free he has done 110 good whatever. The Juvenile Probation Officer (Mr. Dineen) suggested that the lad should be returned to Weraroa, and the Magistrate made «n order accordingly.^ "I have been attending conferences for 20 years, and never yet has anyone taken in hand the pressing of tho resolutions passed upon the Government," remarked Mr. F. T. Moore fit yesterday's meeting of the Wellington Itcspital Board. Mr. Mooro wanted to be assured that tho resolutions adopted at the recent conference of hospital boards would bo placed before the Government and pressed into execution. "If somebody does not take the matter in hand," he added, "then nothing will be done, and all the money spent on the conference will be wasted. We all Know that no Government moves One iota faster than it is kicked along. Th'e watersider will not work unless his demands are granted, and wo ought to work on the 6ame lines."

In a letter to his parents, Mr. and Mrs. S. 11. Kennedy, their son Lauri, the Sydney 'cellist, writes that he is now touring tiie big centres of the United States with John MacCormack. He adds: "We shall go ovfir to California (San Francisco), Los Angelos, and so on, until Juno 23, when he leaves for Australia, and I shall sail for England. In England I shall rejoin hira for a tour of Europe in February, and, in all probability, his return American tour after that. As regards tlie MacCormack torn, t will give you a' few details. Ono night, for instance, - in Cleveland, Ohio {not one of the largest cities), the takings were 5500 dollars (.£1400) in one house. feeCormack gets 3500 dollars for that night! In the New York Hippodrome I've played to audiences of nearly 10,000 people! In San Francisco, which is an excreme'.y large hall, tho takings will be IIi.OOO dollars (=£3200). MacConnack's income tax for the year was 120,000 dollar (.£24,000) at par! Theso are not romances, but realities. We aro playing four concerts a week, and the average takings are between 4000 dollars and 5500 dollars per concert, never less."

On behalf of tho Sports Protection League, the general secretary (Mr. 11 W. Shallcrass) has sent the following letter to the chairman of the City Council Reserves Committee; "During •the election of the City Council, the. question of tho extension of tho municipal golf links was freely discussed, and all the present members were returned pledged to such extension. I, understand also that the necessary preliminary arrangements have been made to proceed with the work, nnd I am instructed to urge upon you the neccssit.v of , pushing forward thn pstoi'sion witY as littlu delay as possible. Then) luis lately been some ill-advised _ criticism in tho public Press respecting tho course, nnd I desire to assure your comli'.uleo that tho proposals winch it has in view have tho hearty support of thoso most directly interested and who are in flit) best position to judge. Tho on'v complaint i 9 at the de-lay in carrying out the extension. Tho links have me an important public a'li nro being well p:it?)in-.cd even to the extent at times of ijeing very much overcrowded. Tho Wcllmg'.cii City Council has sot a splendid example in providing a public, golf course, and tho area occupied could not bo better used in the interests of the tenllb and recreation of tho people. Trunin:* that the work of completing- tho full scliomo will be put in hand at onco.'

A muss meeting- of A.S.IJ.S. members nt Wanganui was hold at the lunch-hour yesterday to discuss _ remarks l>y Mr. Ewen IrGrepror. president of tho feocutivo of tho P.P.A. During his address to that organisation on Monday evening (states a Press Association mossago), when speaking of Hio industrial'. situation, ho is reported to have said thai: the lailway strilco was engineered "by disloyal people, who wanted to belittle the Prince. The railwaymen yesterday unanimous'.)* decided: "That this' largo meeting of Kastown raifway employees enter nil emphatic protest against such a slander c,n tho milwayiuon, and our executive in particular who called the men out nfter a secret \>a!lot hod been taken, end PI per cent, of the members themselves had voted to eeoso work. Also, we colli vpon Mr. M'Gregor to inform, us if he is speaking in his otfieiul capacity as president of tho executive of tho P.P.A., or rs a private individual."