LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 285, 26 August 1920, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Postal authorities advise that information has been received from London that a mail was dispatched for New Zealand on August 19. per Corinthic, via Panama. "Tho supply of boys who had passed the Public Service examination was much below requirements last year," says the Public Service Commissioner in his itnmini report. "This may bo accounted for by the increased popularity of tho medical, legal, and teaching professions, nnd the fact that the ago of leaving foliool appears to bo gradually becoming higher than before tho war. There is still an unsatisfied demand for accountants with the university qualification, nnd for male shorthand writers. Feniale shorthand writers aro even more diffioult to obtain than during th« war." t

A considerable number of war decorations awarded tlo officers and nureos for service during tho lato war is still outstanding, according to general headqunr- t, tors. All inquiries received to date , have been dealt with by the transmis- ; 6ion of iihe necessary details to the Tin- * perial authorities, accompanied by the J request. that the delivery of the decora- ■ tions be expedited. A complete list of , presentations at investitures held in , London is not available, but it is be- ' lieved that in a good many cases officere and nurses who were awarded de- , corations have not yet Teceived them , nor have tliey made any inquiry as to J delivery. In order tha'ij the/ matter ! may be cleared up, it is requested that all"persons concerned should notify ? Headquarters, N.Z. Military Forces, ; Wellington, without dclav. providing ' they have not already been advised ? that their cases are bei/ig attended to, l giving their full name, rank at time of J Award, and decoration awarded. Simi- ; lar information, should bo furnished by the nearest living relatives of deceased ( officers in cases where! the decorations f awarded to the latter have not yet been ! , delivered to them. S Wo have to acknowledge receipt of a copy of Wednesday morning's "Lyttelton Times" delivered J>y_JjeriaJ, P os t Her J> °n ) the afternoon of the" day of publication— i the first newspaper to be. carried across the Strait by aeroplane. ( The need of increased office accoiuniodation for public Departments is men- 1 tioned in the annual report of the f Public Service Commissioner. "Unfor- 1 tunately iftie building programme lor i tho Departments in Wellington was t abandoned at the beginning of tho war," t says the Commissioner, "and the De- i partmeuts, instead of being broughtl 1 closer together, are being more widely ( separated. Prom thei point of view of 1 efficiency and economy the question of c accommodation is one which should re- ' ceive early attention. I\J is satlsfac- 1 tery to note that in eomo cases there i lias been an endeavour to ritl up offices ; in accord- with modern, practico, but in is most desirable that in any new build- I ing the multiplication of small rooms sliould be absolutely forbidden.'" , ] The arrival of Captain Euan Dickson ' in Wellington, by aeroplane from Chris* I church, was mentioned in the House i of KeDi'escntatives yesterday afternoon. Mr.. W. S. Glenn (Kangitikei) drew attention to the flight. He said that ' the first, flight across Cook Strait was ! an, incident of importance and probably would have a bearing upon "mail ' services in the future. He thought that Captain Dickson's feat ought not to go unnoticed. The Prime Minister said the Go- ■ wlrnment had received no official informa- i tion on the subjecti, but he understood that tho airman had reached Welling- : ton after a particularly good flight from Ohristchurch. This was the first occasion that an aeroplane had flown from i one island of tiho Dominion to the other, i He recognised that the event was important. 1 The Eoll of Honour Board of St. An j ■ drew's Church, Miramar, was unveiled : on Sunday afternoon by Major-General Sir Alfred Robin. The board has thirty one names of men who left Miramnr, three of whom made the supreme sacrifice. A 6hort service was held, tho preacher being His Lordship the Bishop of Wellington, assisted by the Eev. J. H. Sykes (vicar). The Bishop took for his text part of the 3rd and 4th verses of the 22nd chapter of Revelations: "And His servants shall servo Him, and they shall see His face." The hon. secretary (Mr. E, W. Shallcrass) acknowledges the following fur- ' ther donations to tho fund being' raised to meet the expenses of the New Zenland team at the Olympic Games, in Antwerp:—Already acknowledged, .£1519 16s. 6d.; Wellington Racing Club, .£IOO i J. B. Samson, .El Is.; Canterbury Olympic Council, .£10; N.Z. Amateur Swimming Association, .£37. Total, .£1727 17s. Gd, The Customs revenue collected at Auckland on Tuesday amounted to ,£31,802, irrespective of a few. minor returns. Tho amount is a record for the Dominion. The question whether Dr. BlacKmoro should be permitted to admit to the Cashmere Hills consumption sanatorium patients from outside Canterbury was discussed at a meeting of the Canterbury Hospital Board yesterday. It was proposed that only North Canterbury patients bo admitted, except in exceptional circumstances. It was decided to inform Dr. Blackmoro that the board would adhere to its policy laid down in 1910, providing that only North Canterbury residents should be admitted.—Press Asen. A veterinary demonstration will bo given at. Donald's Estfate dairy, near cheese, factory, Featherston, on Friday, at 1.30 p.m., by Mr. T. A. Blake, AI.E.C.V.S., Government veterinary surgeon. The demonstration is being; arranged by the Wairarapa Partners' Union. At the Magistrate's Court, Tauniarunui, before Mr. E. W. Burton, S.M., James Patrick O'Mallc.v, oil a charge of keeping intoxicating liquor for sale in a proclaimed area was fined AiO and costs. Tho petition of A. F. Wimsett, of Wellington, for -relief and refund of costs of trial for a certain burglary in the Wellington General Post Office in 1909 has been referred to the Government for favourable consideration by a. Parliamentary Committee, , \ "An Admirer" writes in high praise of the Eev. J. Gibson Smith's sermon to Hie congregation of St. Andrew's Church last Sunday evening, at the Aircraft Theatre. Our correspondent writes;— "Though Mr. Smith resigned from St. Andrew's on,account of illness and has been in bad health for 6ome years, no one listening to him ou Sunday last could fail to be struck by his extraordinary increase of vigour, and the writer is only voicing the hone of many for his complete Tocovery, which now at last seems to have well begun." A protest against the Immigration Restriction Amendment Bill has been addressed to the Prime Minister and members of Parliament by the committee of the Society of Friends. Exception is taken to the implied promise of obedience to all future legislation which is regarded as being embodied in the Oath • of Allegiance to lxs taken by all immi-' ! grants under th» Bill. "In earlier history of our society," writes the secretary of the committee, "the Oath of Al--1 legianco was repeatedly tendered to our I members simply as an excuse for con- ■ tinued persecution resulting in largo » numbers being imprisoned for no other reason than its non-acceptance. If tluij Bill is passed it will be a ' retrograde ' step; it will be a. step loading the peo- " pie not to a greater freedom, but backi ward towards the bondage of past cenl turics. It will tend to foster rather than fo dispel a spirit of rebellion", within '~ the country, and its purpose will bo largely rendered futile by the fact that " its unscrupulous opponents will not hesi- ! tato to give lip consent to the promises - contained and without further considcraj tion proceed to work against them." The annual debate between tho Wel- - lincton and Christohurch Accountant. 1 Students' Scciclio* was held in the Ac- - countants' (»»mber las) night. The propo.sit.ion for discussion was; That " lUe system of Government, subsidies for • reducing the cost of living to the coiit punier is economically unsound. The r debate was won by the Christchurch Society by 314 points to 300. Matters arising out of the application to tho Minister of Agriculture to grant, an export license to Armour and Cony pany were discussed at some lenth by the executive of the North Canterbury Farmers' Union. Opiniou was divided, but eventually a motion was earned, "That the Government be urged to tako - ster* to prevent, meat trusts monopolis- - in* the export trade of the Dominion." r \u- W E. Leadley was appointed to ro- • nle'coufc' tbe union before the PftrlmmonC} Committee on Vnday.-Press Assn.