LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 296, 8 September 1920, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Postal authorities aro advised that the E.M.S. Tahiti, which sailed from Suva for Auckland on September fi, carries 516 bags of mails for Wellington. It, is significant that the State coal depot in Cuba Street is exhibiting a notice to the effect that owing to the conges; tion of orders for coal, 110 coal ordered after Friday last can bo delivered for at least two months.

A return presented to Parliament yesterday shows thnt 13 houses have already been built by the Government Housing Department, 292 are now under construction, tenders have been called for another 2GC, nnd arrangements are proceeding for a further 514 dwellings. The charge to occupants for administration expenses is approximately ,£25 per house. Thirty-seven houses already built have been purchased.

The revised scale of fees in tho Supreme Court is still under consideration; but the scale of foes in the Divorce Court lias been increased and approved by Order-in-Council. The Judges have also for the first time fix4d a 6calo of fees to be taken in respect of proceedings in the Court of Appeal. Such fees in the past were the' same as those in the Supremo Court in respect of similar proceedings.

Taranaki is a fruitful province. Speaking at a luncheon given by the Taranaki Chamber of Commerce to Sir Arnold Gridley, in charge of electrical supplies at Homo' during the waiy who was 011 a visit to the province, the chairman (Mr. T. C. List) said it was no exaggeration to claim that Taranaki was the most prosperous part of the most fortunate country in the British Empire at the present tin)). "Our figures for produce last year," remarked the speaker, "were over five millions; this rear, with better prices, it would, be probably onethird mcTe. The present exports work out at over <£'80 per head of the population. The figures for New Zealand as a whole show £i 2 per head of the population, so we easily lead in this respect. We are about one-fortieth part tf New Zealand in area, but we export over onetenth of the whole of the produce. The province is only in its infancy, one-third of the provincial area being undeveloped. The exports from the port of New Plymouth for last year were 40,000 tons: the imports were 63,000 tons, so that the trade of the port amounted to 103,000 tons. At the present rate of growth our trade will be doubled, and it should bo well worth having-, and we want to deal as much" as we can with Great Britain. In the course of his reply, Sir Arnold Gridley said Great Britain was anxious to supply the colonies, and this was part of his mission for the British Electric Company.

Mr. J. B. Merrett, of Christchurcli, who is on his way to Melbourne to investigate the sugar beet industry at Maifra, Victoria, is a provisional director of the ccmpany to be formed in Cantorbury for manufacturing sugar from beet. Mr. Merrett states that recently, while in California, lie passed through thousands of acres of beet, that kept ton refineries constantly at work manufacturing sugar. In California, says Mr. Merrett, the farmers have to rely oil ail expensivo method of irrigation. Much better crops could bo grown in Cantorbury, and there should be 110 difficulty in encouraging farmers t'o grow beeis. It 'is proposed to form a company, and to induce the Government to foster tho industry on similar linos to those recommended by the English Commission. Iho cost of a refinery will run into .£200,<500. Tho paper famine lias killed the 118-vear-old "Memorial des Pyrenees. a lournai well known to many Pan (South France) visitors. The "Nouvelliste, of Bordeaux, a .leading Conservative paper, with its own Paris telegraph line, lias nlso disappeared. If a Paris report correct, a number of other papers, including at least one Paris daily, will "fall like the leaves" this autumn.

An exhibition of paintings by tlie late J. M. Nairn is to be held ill the Art Gallery, Whitiuore street, during the second week of October next. The exhibition will be open lo the public, free of charge. There are many examples of tin's artist's work in private collections in and around Wellington, and the council of the academy will be grateful for offers of loans for the occasion.

The District Electors' roll, which is to be used at the City Council by-elec-tion ou Friday week contains 33,450 names. Of these 31,950 names belong to the city, and 15CG names have been taken in from the latest Karon roll.

The president of the .Academy of Fine Arts, Mr. T. Stmiler Weston, has donated the sum of .E5 ns an addition to the prize fund for the students competitions to be held this month in connection with the annual exhibition of the academy.

Ocean Island, a small island about six miles in diameter, is not far from Nauru, and it has rich phosphate deposits, which have been worked for some time by the Pacific Phosphates Company. This company also works the deposit on Naum. These deposits are included in the assets of tho company, which have been acquired liy Australia, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand. X Bill is to be introduced in tho Federal Parliament shortly to give effect to the taking over of Ocean Island by the Commonwealth, conjointly wjth the other Governments concerned. Ocean Island differs from Nauru, in that it was not a German possession before the war.. It has always been British territory,

As an acknowledgment of the work us the Central Fire Brigade in preventing the loss of valuable stock in a reeeni fire, Mr. W. Cole, of Cole's Drapery Company, has donated the siini of ten guineas to the brigade's rccreaTion fund. In his letter to the brigade superintendent (Mr. 11. Tail), "Mr. Cole writes "We desire to acknowledge your smart work in saving us enormous loss to our bulk stock in Horbert Street during the fire at Drew, M'Crorie's last week. Your expedition turned a possible loss of thousands of pounds into hundreds instead.

Tho animal competition for the l'liaro Cup, in connection with the. Petone Fire Brigade, was held on Saturday. Fireman X Hose, who is in his twonty-fifth year as a fireman, won tho cup, and llio 3-men team honours fell to Superintendent Gaynox and Firemen A. Eoso and Shardlow.

Cap'.iain Wilkes, secretary of the Air Board, and Captain Isitt, of Sockbum, amWl In Timaru by air yesterday afternoon on their way south. Captain Wilkes J3 to report 011 the air routes to illie soutnwjml. They will go to the Hermitage to-day.—Press Assn. The Liberal Party in tho House of Representatives will consider to-morrow tho action to be inken in connection with the t Hay of Plenty by-election. It is considered certain that a Liberal candidate will contest tho ecat. Local merchants were advised last' week of a -id. rise (per lb.) in tea at the Ceylon auctions. Imports of tea for this currelit year constitute <1 record for a seven months' period, viz., 11,380,900 pounds. For the whole cf MU the imports wore !),!I;1S,G00 pounds. Already the New Zealand imports are erjvial to over 9i pounds per head, much of it bought at high prices; There have also been exceptionnllv heavy importations of dried iruils for tiie first seven months of the year, being equal to three times the total importation cf 1919—a scarce period. ,