LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 23, 22 October 1920, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Thanks to the efforts of the Gratuity Anomalies' Committee, recently set up in Wellington with the approval of the Government, Cabinet has removed certain grievances pertaining to the payment of gratuities. It has now been decided that mea returned to Now Zealand for hospital treatment during the war period shall receive a gratuity for the time 6pent in the Dominion, thus removing the 18 months' limitation, which was a strong cause of complaint.- In the case of men who proceeded overseas twice, the committee recommended -liuit a minimum of eighteen lnonths' gratuity should bo paid for the first period spent abroad, the actual service overseas to count for the second period. Cabinet has approved this recommendation also. -

True to its advertised promise • the Telephone Exchange on Tuesday began to cut off subscribers whoso half-yearly accounts had not been paid. Over 400 'phones were cut off altogether, but os tho result of this salutary method of collecting the number • of "silence purveyors" had been reduced to 120 by 5 o'clock last evening.

The Hon. G. J. Andurson, Minister of Internal Affairs, advises that on and after October 22 the present practico of collecting passports from British subjects aVnving in the Dominion by oversea vessels is to cease, and instead thereof th: passports will Ire sighted and returned to the owners. In Mie case nf aliens receipts will be given for tho passports, which will be held by the Department until the. owners take their departure from tho Dominion. There are at present over ten thousand British passports in the custody of. the Department of Internal Affairs, wliich the Minister has directed nwy bo returned to the owners on application.

Tho Coroner (Hi- J. S. "Evans, S.M.), in continuation of the inquest on George Robert Church, chief steward of the Working Men's Club, who died in the hospital last Monday as the result of a fall from a staging, visited the scene of the accident .yesterday morning. Later he announced lids finding—that death was due to injuries received as the result of the fall, and that there was no evidence of negligence on' the part of any person.

Tho following resolutions will be brought up at the annual .eonfprenee of the New Zealand Women Te(ichers"Assoc'iiition(a) That the N.Z.W.T A. point icil to the. Department and the Minister the hardship inflicted ou those women teachers with dependants who drew the double bonus, and who in consequence will have the .double bonus substracfed irom their salary in<yv>asf>. which takes in account of domestic responsibilities. (M That women teachers "with dependents be grant<sl the married assistants' allowance of .£'lo.

In connection with the iuovement for establishing the Red, Cross and Order of St. John uwm an effective peace tiino fooling in New Zealand, it is necessary to have a large membership. In New Zealand the R*d Cross Society only came into existenco owing to tho war, but in most of tho other countries it has been a long-established institution, and numbers its members Iff hundreds of thousands, and in several instances mil' lions. In America they had in 1919 20,000,000 adult members and 11,000,000 junior?,-and even Jnpan had over 1J millions adult members. The power of tho Red Cross movement springs from its democracy No national Rod Cross society can do the work which th© pre.sejit condition ol' the world demands of it 'unless it is supported by the largest number of individual members drawn from all parts of the country, and from all ranks of society. It is necessary to have n large and popular Red Cross Society not only to obtain funds but in order that the people may co-operale effectively for their common welfare, for the improvement. of tho public health and the betterment of conditions which promote the health and happiness of the whole community—especially is' it desirable to have a veeopmsed centra for effectively Inching serious epidemics at the very outset, or in case of great public (lis flster.

"Burn it" was the advice of a telephone girl, when a subscriber using an old list callcd for a number that had been altered. On inquiry it was found that the exchange staff was being put to no end of trouble through .people using out-ofrdato lists. So the 'ndvicp to burn all old lists is sound, and should be acted upon to save dolay and annoyance at both ends of the wire. A new list is to bo issued in December.

"Every chain of macadam put down means a fresh dust-lwap for Wellington's winds," said a well-known citizen yesterdaj', when watching (he process of "Winding" a new patch of metal'.in Combridge Terrace, in tho opinion of thn critic it would be preferable to-lay down a chain of permanent roail—wood blocks or asphalt or concrete—every year, rather than repair a milo of rood which Is subjected to heavy motor traffic, and is ii prospective source of mud and dust. While working at the Potou! 'Slip vesterday Alexander M'Donnld, agod « years fell off ft scaffold and dislocated his "eollarbonc. lie was admitted to the Hospital at 1.30 p.m.

It is notified in the Gaaette that the Now Zealand branch of tho British Red Cross and Order of St. John hna bsen incorporated undet tho War Funds Act, 1915.

The Trentham Scholarship Fund has been incorporated under the W,ar "Funds Act, 1915.

Some time ago a circular letter was sent out by the Duncdin City Council, advocating the advancement of loans to local bodies by the Government An iirportunt amendment, providing for the setting-up of locai, boards for ihv Vsrpnse ulunvestigatiug loan proposals, was recommended by tho Sumner Borough CY.unul this week, on the motion of the llou. J. Uarr, M.L.C. Tho motion was as fellows"While approving of the proposals of tho Bunedin City Council in regard to tho Government placing loans to local bodies on a more satisfactory basis, tho council is of opinion that thils should be curried out in conjunction with the work of a local governing hoard, amongst whose duties would ■ be the fcxamination of all loan proposals, such proposals not to be carried out unless sanctioned 'bv the board " Tho motion will be forwarded to the Duuedin City Council. <

The exports from New Zealand during the quarter ended September 30 were valued at £12,360,695, as compared with i 11,005,619 in the corresponding quarter of last year. Of the amount exported during the past quarter, the share of tne United Kingdom was £8,602,838, Canada ■£195,722, Australia. £555,372, South Africa ,£BO2, and the United States ,£2,764,099. in the corresponding quarter of last year the value of the goods exported to the United States was £1,089,565.

'Hie luvercargill Borough Council has obtained the authority of the Government to erect a monument in Coronation Avenue, Victoria Park, as a permanent Avar memorial.

The following local bodies havts secured the consent) of the Government to raise tho loans set out after each:—raniaki West Road Board. i;26,5C0j; Whakatano Borough Council. .£5000; Wliangarei Comity Council, .£1500; Pahiatua Borough Council; £1300; Rangitikei County Council, £1000. The services of the Marlborough Coast Defence Rifle Club, with headquarters at Mekerangu :have been accepted, by tlie Government.

It is notified in the Gazette that tho Postmaster-General, having reasonable ground for supposing that Walter Ciuard \Vatson, Raetihi, is engaged ill receiving money in respect to 'betting, has ordered that no money-order or postal packet shall lie forwarded or delivered by the Post Office to-him.

At a well-attended meeting last, night of members of tho staffs of shipping companies in Christehurch, it was unanimously decided to establish a guild. Press Assn.

"The world is speeding up in every direction," said the Very fiev. Deay tfarringon at tho Anglican Syncd at Auckland. "N&tioiis aro coming mora and more into contact with each other. It < will no longer be possible for anybody, however much he wants to stand alooE from a subject to decide that it. does not matter to hini what is th tt moral and spiritual condition of the Japanese or Chinese or t Africans. 1 don't claim to be a prophet, but I venturo to say that during the next ten or fifteen years it is "going to matter rnott desperately wljat are the morals of the Japanese and Chinese. Some of the men in this' country will bo taking such a deadly interest in it that they -will wish tliey Had not got to do it." ■

K "It 'has been a standing puzzle to me how ■ clergy keep their heads _ above water and .keep out of debt," said Mr. C. J; Tunks, when presiding over a'sittingl in committee ot the Anglican Kyuod at Auckland on Tuesday (says the "Herald'.'") One member said that for several years ho had t>een iu charge of a. very widely scattered district, including eight places of -worship. His stipend was .£lB5 a year, and from this lie paid house rent and kept three horses for use in his work, which necessitated long and oils riding. During 25 years' service his average stipend had been -£185.

.Swimmers will be interested to know that tho 'i'e Aro baths will bo open on Sunday Boys and girls will only bo admitted in tho afternoon when with their parents or guardians.

A by-election for ono member of the Dunedin City Council resulted yesterday as follows:—George llitchie, 910; Uobert Gilkison, 880 j Sanders, 257j Luun, 201; Phillips, 110. —Press Ass»i.

"Has anything been done in the matter of tlie Daylight Saving Bill?" asked a delegate at the annual meeting of the Canterbury liowinp Association. lie stated tji'at it would be a great advantage to rowing, especially in the North Island, if the clock was put on and the evenings consequently lengthened. As Parliament was still silting it might be advisable to write to the New Zealand Council and also-ask Mr. Side.v to ren-iw his agitation in this matter. It was resolved to write to the council of the New Zealand Amateur Rowing Association recmestinir it to fulvocfit© tbte furtlioiftnw of Mr. Sidey's Daylight Saving BillPress Assn.

The Prime Minister stated in the House of .Representatives yesterday that the Railway Bill, with the schedules and tlm D 3 Classification List, would probably reach the House next week.

Tho Railway Department notifies moW ■advertising columns that the railway platform Liuiibton will be ci6«trcd after tho departure of each race tram Passengers for the races should, therefore, travel by the first train leaving after they enter on platform.