LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 295, 7 September 1920, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The postal authorities advise that the mails which were dispatched from Auckland per R.M.S. Tahiti, via Vancouver, on July 30, arrived in London on September 2. A; Press Association nicssage from Christchurch states that Captain Dickson arrived from Kaikoura at five minutes past twelve yesterday. He experienced a strong southerly gale, and brought an aerial mail fron Blenheim and Kaikoura. Tho State sohools of Wellington will reopen this morning after the second term Holidays. Thcro is still a good deal of 6ickness about among; the children, possibly due to the continuation of cold, wet weather. The attendances today are expected to show pretty well whether the situation is serious enough for the authorities to take any action. Mr. A. Crawford, of Miramar, has settled a point in nomenclature which will interest many peoplo now and in tho future. Whence did Miramar derive its namo? Trnbablv not even tho oldest resident on what was Watfs Peninsula long before tho district became a borough, or oven a road board district, could have told how Miramar secured that name. Speaking at the amalgamation "smoker" on Saturday evening Mr. Crawford told the story. An uncle and aunt of his came out from the Old Country in 1868. Whilst here the aunt was asked to visit the district and select what ohe flonsidered the best site for a homestead. Sho went all over tho district, and at length decided on the site of the old home on tho little shoulder above Evans Bay, which commands an extensive view of Evans- Bay, tho harbour, and Lyall Bav, and perhaps one of tho finest in and around the place. There the homestead was built, and she named it "Miramar"—"the whole of tho sea — after a sea-coast seat which once belonged to the great Maximilian, near Trieste, at the head of the Adriatic, with which part of the world his relative had a considerable acquaintance. Afterwards they lad referred in making for home as "going to Miramar," and: so the district acquired its euphonious name.

Severe frosts have been experienced m Hie inland bush districts of tho North Taland (states tho Auckland "Star"). As many as twonty consecutive frosts liavo licen experienced in some districts, tlieso being of a vory severe nature. Many cows have died as a result of the cold and lack of fodder, and in some placos the herbage has blackened. At a recent goncral meeting of the Wellington U.S.A., tho question of Chinese I immigration was discussed, and in the courw of the delxiio a member is reported to have said that he protested against, tho Town Clerk having advertised tor a Chinese cook, during tho past few months. A letter has been received by the executive of the Wellington R.S.A. from the Town Clerk—Mr. J. R. Palmer—in which he states there is absolutely no truth whatever in the statement. Ho had not advertised for a Chinese cook, and had not at any time had any Chinese in his employ. The matter is to be brought up for discussion again at a goncral meeting of the association to-morrow, and tho member who made tho statement is to be asked to shite from whence he obtained the information. I Tho Girls' College will reopen to-day 'at 9-o'clock. Classes usually held nt Moturon street will assemble at Sydney street, lato Dr. James's residence. Joseph Kelly (aged 22), Horace Naismitli (19), and.Harry Nuvin (IS) wero charged yesterday at tho Opotiki Polico Court with tho theft of £\ and a blank cheque book, and with forging and uttering a cheque for £8 15s. The accused men pleaded guilty. They were sentenced to threo days' imprisonment with hnrd labour fer the theft, and wore committed to the Supreme Court for sentence on the forgery charge.-Press Aran. Tho annual conference of directors and board representatives of technical schools will be opened by His Worship the Mayor (Mr. J. P. Luke, C.M.G.. M.P.) to-day at 2.30 p.m. At a ceremony in connection with Captain Dickson's' return flight from the North Island, says a Press Association telegram from Chrislchurch, Captain Dickson 6aid that what appealed to him in connection with tho "stunt" was that a victory had been won by tho South Island which could not be taken away. Tho aeroplane carried two bags of mails for tho P<»tel Department.

The Mayor (Mr. ,T. P. Luke) announces Hint the second public meeting, of ratcpuyerii in connection with the loan proposal will lie held in the Town Hall on Thursday evening.

There is not a ureal (leal of danger in cricket when it is played under reason-, ably Rood conditions, but the crowding of three and sometimes four games on to the Basin Reserve has always made (lie risk of accident not the least unlikely, furthermore, batsmen were nonplussed at times as to how the fieldsmen concerned In his gamo were placed on account of tho presence of others concerned in neighbouring games. Tho crowded slato of the ground has always been criticised adversely by visitors. It will therefore bo learnt with a senso of gratification by lovers of tho game that the Wellington Cricket Association has decided to allow only one senior match to be played on the Reser»e on Saturday afternoons, nnd occordins to tho annual report, this arrangement should improve tho standard of cricket hero.

There were discharged from the Meikai Maru 46,030 lings of superphosphates. It is officially reported that tho sweepings from the hold when discharge was completed totalled only twelve bags, which is an indication of tho care in packing tho cargo.

Tho Wellington engine drivers' awnra, a* amended, was filed by tho Arbitraion Court yesterday. The following rates of pay, with tho addition of a bonus of Is. per day, will operate as from May 1 last: Engine-drivers in charge of any boiler, where work requires a first-class certificate as stationary engine-driver, Us. 2d. per day; and in the caso of where a sec-ond-class certificate is required 13s. 2d. a day. For work requiring a traction or locomotive certificate for engineers moving from plr,ce to place on their own power, Hs. 2d. per day; firemen ami greasers, 12s. Bd. per day. Youths employed as firemen: 18 and under 19 years, OJd. per hour; 19 and under 20, lHd. per hour; over 20 years, the ordinary minimum wage. The youths' bonus was hied at the rate of id. per hour.

On Friday morning last Mr. H. A. Ward, assistant general manager of the Municipal Milk Supply Depot, paid visit to tho Trentham Military Hospital for (he purpose of addressing the students under the Defence Department'* vocational training scheme in dairy farming and the milk supply problem. In the course of his remarks the speaker imparted some advice to the students, whose intention it is to abandon the sword for the ploughshare after recovering from their present war disabilities. Experience, stated Mr. Ward, had confirmed him in the belief that three salient features governed success in the dairying industry, viz.. acquisition, of suitable land, a sound herd, and a iudicious application of energy. At the invitation of the speaker, questions were plied freely. On behalf of the students tho vocation officer thanked Mr. Wan] for his helpful remarks, and expressed the hope that it would bo their i privilege to receive another visit from him at no distant date

Since tho inception of a Returned Soldiers' Club in Wellington, the staff ot tho Bristol Piano Company has donated $1 monthly towards the upkeep of the | club. This donation was discontinued at tlm request of the Club House Society when it decided that the soldier members should take over the management of the club and make it self-supporting. At the time this monthly subscription was discontinued, tho staff of the Bristol Piano Company had in hand the sum cf £8 ss„ and this amount has now been handed to the Wellington R.S.A. by Mr. W. Gordon for the benefit of military patients at Porirua. The executive of the Wellington R.S.A. desires to express its thanks and appreciation of this act on the part of the staff of the Bristol Piano Company. Monthly visits are made by members of the executive of Die Wellington R.S.A. to Porirna, and this money will be used to provide luxuries for the soldier patients there. Tho Wanganui Chamber of Commerce Inst night endorsed a decision by the Wanganui Borough Council that the Wanganui racecourse was not a suitahie site for the new main railway station proposed by the Railway DepartmentPress Assn. ' | •V meeting of those concerned in the trado was held in Melbourne a. few days a"o in connection with the prices to Be charged for butter for local consumption This step became necessary in view ot the amended rates which the Imperial Government is to pay for the surplus Commonwealth output, It was contended that the wholesale prices should be raised to tho parity of the new British contract rate, which is on the basis of 2745.. per cwt. f.o.b. for butter grading 90 points. If prices are adjusted in accordance with fiie request of the trade, this would bring tho local wholesale selling price of first grade butter up to approximately 2s. sjd. per lb. as compared with the current price of 2s. 2d. An official estimate of tho present season's Queensland cane crop is about 1X5,000 tons of cane. In malting this announcement the General Superintendent of Sugar Experiment Stations, Mr. Ensterby, said that this should produce about NM.OOO tons irf raw isugar. Ot this amount, it is anticipated that 114,00.1 tons will be made by tho nulls north ot Mackay, and 46,000 tons by those mills situate in Mackay and southwards. this cwat falling-off is largely due to tho recent severe -drought, which persisted well into the present year With .New South Wales production added to these figures there will be a shortago _ot at least 100,030 tons of sugar, which would have to be made up by importations, it tho consumption of sugar remained' at the present level. The outlook for next year is much mora promising, due lo the better price now offering, and largo areas of land have been prepared for planting with cane in almost every sugar district, so there should be a fine crop next year, riven good climatic conditions, the produetto., last year, 1919, was 162,136 tons of raw sugar, which was made from 1 258,700 tons of cane. This yield of sugar was much better than was first anticipated, owing to the high commercial su«ar content in the cane, duo partly to drought. The tons of cane taken to make * ton of sugar were only 7 ,6, the lowest amount in the history of tho industry.