LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 27, 27 October 1920, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

0 The Postal authorities advise that the 6,5. Tahiti sailed from Vancouver on October-21 for Auckland. She has on board 900 bags of mail for New Zealand and 1501 bags for Australia. The s.s. Suikai Maru sailed from Newcastle on October 23 for Wellington. She carries nine bags of 'Australian mail for New Zealand.

The regulations governing the new scale of salaries and allowances to sclijol teachers in the employ of the Government will ba gazetted to-morrow.

His Honour Mr. Justice Salmond, in the Supreme Court yesterday, passed sentence on a youth named Alfred Holmes, formerly a 6table boy at Wanganuij who had pleaded guilty to breaking and entering and theft on October 2 last. Tho theft occurred at Wanganui, Holniei stealing Bd. from the till of a shop. Mr. H. I'. O'Leary pleaded for tho prisoner on the ground of his youth, but tho Judge held that the offence was clearly planned and premeditated. Under these circumstances, he would not grant probation, as tho case was a fit one for the Prisons Board. Holmes was sentenced to detention for reformative purposes for two years in the Wellington prison.

The Anglican Synod at Christchurch yesterday carried the following motion, which was moved by Dr. A. C. Sandst-on: "That iu the opinion of this Synod marriage should 1 bo conditional-on the production by men and women of a statutory declaration of health and freedom from communicable diseases."—Press Assn.

The sale of shop property in' Cuba Street, advertised by .Messrs. S. George "athan and Co., for yesterday (Tuesday), has been postponed indefinitely.

Recently a well-known clergyman and social- worker stated that in his opinion immorality was increasing in Dunedin, The statement provoked a good deal of comment, somo opposition. Some pertinent femarks in this connection wero let fall on Saturday by the Rev. G. E. iioreton, while speaking at the annual meeting of the Anglican Memorial Boys' Home (says an exchange). He. was* speaking of the "terrible responsibility" which anyone who knew city conditions must realise rested on each one to reach out a helping hand to those who need it. In many cases that had been brought under his notice, said Mr. Moreton, people were living in open adultery, and it was sometimes the children who had been neglected that they had to care for in their orphanages.

The Christmas number of the -Auckland Weekly News" for 1920 is to hand 1 , and contains the usual fine range of illustrations! which have extended the fame of this publication fur beyond the shores of New Zealand. Last year there was no Christmas issue owing to difficulties in obtaining supplies. These, fortunately, have been overcome this year, and a further advance is noticeable, especially in the excellence of the coloured and double-tone illustrations. The pictures cover many phases of New /,e.a':>nd life and scenery, particularly of summer pastimes, and the number makes the usual excellent gift to post to friends abroad.

In reply to an inquiry, the 'Minister .of Agriculture has informed Mr. J. A. Young, M.P., that legislation, in the direction of amending the Fertilisers Act in under preparation, and will if possible be introduced during the present session. Tho Hon. W. Nosworthy also intimated that it is intended to introduce this session an amendment to the Babbit Nuisance Act, and that it will contain provisions as' to the hnsis of rating and subsidy in the case of boards established under Part 111 of the principal Act,

Portion of a human body was.ftund ia Auckland Hartwur yesterday. It is believed to be the remains of a member of tho crew of the steamer Rnkanoa, who was lost overboard at Chelsea some wceki ago.—Press Assn.

The question of what is tho busiest period of the tailor's year arose during tho hear-, ing of n case'concerning tho tailoring trade nt New Plymouth. Some witnesses said tho rush period was'from September on till Christmas, whilo another gave it as his opinion that Taranaki business is better after, rather than before, the lioliduyeeuaon.

The band of tho Wellington Patriotic Society will play at Oriental B?y tonight

The mouth of the Turanganui Eivei— Gislwrno's harbour—is gradually but surely becoming silted up. Each year sees the channel a little more abbrevia tod, and a little shallower, probably causal by n diminishing rainfall, duo to the denudation of the back country's mautle of natural rain-inducing forest, lime was when steamers -such as the Mawhera, Penguin, and (much later) the Araiura used to be able to steam bi>ldly upstream and berth alongside the Quay 111 st below the Kaiti Bridge, but whilst the district has grown and iprospered, the river has become so bad that it is feared that, if the silting-up goes on at the present rate .the stream will be no use to shipping at all. For some years past it lins only boen possible for a light-draft tender to "work" the nvsv; now even that craft can only work the river at high tide, l'n the meantime the Harbour Board is still 'deliberating over the construction of a new harbour.

. business deal ever cfl'ected 111 1:1] i was completed during the present month The parties to what was ft complete merging were Morris Hedstrom, Limited, and Henry Marks and Co., Limited, which are the two largest concerns in Fiji, with the exceptiin of Bums, l'hilp, and Co. The as*cls and goodwill of Marks and Co. are accepted at .£337,500, and those of Morris Hedstrem at The capital lias been increased to X 1,000,000, the sum of, X'JoO,OOO being represented by 0 per cent, cumulative preference shares, and <£750,000 by ordinary and employee shares. The firm has lately entered the '1 organ field, having bought- out* ]?oss and Co.'s interests, and are' competitors there against the Burns, Philp South Sea Company, Ltd. "Some regret i.- expressed," says the ".New Zealand Herald's" correspondent, "at the disappearance of the firm name of Henry Marks and Co:, Ltd., which, since 1881, has been so intimatel yconnecled with Fiji and its history. Mr. Hedstrom is tho senior electcd member in the Legislative Council, and represents Levnkn. Ho is a member of'tlite Executive Council of the colony Mr l Marks is a C.B.E. and one of tho'M.L.C.'s for Suva."

Some remarks on the present world unrest and the attitude of the Church were made on Saturday by the Rev. G. Gordon Bell, vicar-elect of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, who arrived at Auckland by tho Tainui from Eugland, Mr. Bell said he certainly felt that the ono force that would make for social stability was the power of Christ workin;,' through His Church. What one hoped of people who had any religion at all was that they would realise the importunes of the part they had to play, and by their personal life and character, .would so influence public opinion that tho Christian principles of justice ind unselfishness would prevail. England tho great difficulty was that Church people would not interest themselves sufficiently in' political and civic life. While one deprecated entirely the idea that tho Church should 1 take sides _in politics, men andi women of Christian character should see to it tjiat thoy "pulled their whole weight in the social welfare boat." One of the great reisoiis why the Church had not uiade the impression on public opinion that it should have done was the lack of unity among people who professed to 1» and called themselves Christians. At - the same time Christian leunionmustbe based upon principle-and not upon expediency. Those 'who most longed for reunion muse resist the temptation to accept short cuts and seemingly sjmplo solutions that would probably only pave tho way to greater difficulties. . . -

A plea for crippled children was made by llis Excellency the Governor-Gen eral, Viscount Admiral Jelhcoe, during his speech at the Bed Cross gathering last evening. "Ji will 011 'y conclude, lie remarked, "by.saying that the i\oik which other speakers will recommend you this evening is work that must ap' peal to everybody. The diffusion ot medical knowledge by means ot lied Cross work must be of benefit to future generations,, aud might be the means of preventing some of the suffering that one sees amongst the crippled children ot New Zealand. Only a tew days ago visited 'L'rentham Hospital, and saw some crippled children wno were enduring their suffering with a patience thai was a magnificent example 'to. ail ot uc, and particularly to those wounded and suffering soldiers who are out at lrentham. If anything the Order can do will in any way mitigate tho suffering!, that-little children undergo, I am quite satisfied that it. is work that will appeal to the heart of every itmii and wo mail 4 iu New Zealand." (Applause.)

That there is still alluvial gold in this district was shown the other dar when two men engaged in prospecting at Messrs. Morris and Learmont's coal mino washed out in one day loz. and Jdwt. of the precious metal (says the Keeitoii "Timer). The gold was found oil top of the coal, and is similar to that found in the days of Murray Creek, when rich deposits were, as a rule, found on the top of all the coal swims in that district.

A cable message to the Australian papers states that Lord Eiddell, the well-known newspaper proprietor, tells a story, that while recently dining at ii city livery company, he was astonished to see a distinguished general shaking hands heartily with a beadle He discovered that the beadle rose from the ranks during the war, and became a valued general. He returned, and found his old job as beadle tho best he could get.

Iu conversation with a gentleman connected with the dairy industry, a representative of the "Auckland Star" was informed that within a moderate radius of Auckland over 400 calves are being killed weekly at the present time. The high price of butter has a good deal to do with this "slaughter of the innocents." No milk is likely to be spared to feed calves when 2s, Gd. per lb. can be got for butter. The outlook for the future is, however, a serious one. If no calves aro reared daily cattle will be at prohibitive prices in a few years' time, while 'beef must become about as expensive an article of diet as butter j.s at the present time. The man in the backblocks who cannot get milk to a factory should, however, gain in the future if he rears the calves.

A kind of antipathy to ivorlc was observed by General Booth, of the Salvation Army in every country visited by him during his recent extensive tour. "I 6ee on the horizon," lie said on his return* to London, "a small cloud which indicates that we are going to have something of the loafing spirit spread abroad among the working people of the world as a whole, and all that applies in condemnation of tho ''idle rich' and all, and more than all, that applies in condemnation of the 'loafing poor' wyll apply to any new class that desires to got through without labour. I am alarmed at it. I am alarmed that the best people in the Labour world do not realise this, or, if they do realise it, are relatively silent". I know ninny Labour men. 3fy experience of tho Labour leaders has been a most happy experience. 1 have found them men of conscience and men of principle, and men, iu many cases, of sincere and religious conviction, and therefore J speak with deep feeling when I appeal to theso men to bo careful and to bo forewarned and forearmed against this new doctrine. One of tho questions which has, exercised mc very niuch during the last year or two has been the responsibility which, it seems to me, rests upon the whqje British world to do better for its own depressed sections. When we come by and by to be placed at the bar of history and judged there, we shall bo accounted a success as a nation and ns a race by our ability to bless and raise the poorest people under tho flag."

A humorous incident in connection with the "safety firet" campaign occurred on Saturday morning in Queen Street, Auckland. A motor-car, which was waiting at the intersection of Customs Street for the signal to proceed, was moving slowly forward when a pedestrian moved from the footpath and stood in fropt of tha wheel of the motor-car which caught his foot. Turning to address tho motorist tlio pedestrian saw the placard, "Look twice before ;0u cross a road once," on tho windscreen, ami, realising the humour of the situation, laughed heartily as the car backed and released his foot. Speaking at last night's meeting qf tho Miramar Borough Council, tho Mayor (Mr. S. M. Stone) staled that the lite of the council would now be very short in view of the coming amalgamation with the city. "We are expecting the deathinock at any moment," lis remarked.

The Miramar Borough Council last nifflit • dccided to grant the Garrison Artillery the use of Seatoun Park on Saturday, November 6, for the purposes of a parade, The town clerk said lie had written to the cricket club, pointing out that the council proposed to allow the Artillery the use of the park, but m. reply had been received. "We should encourage parades before sport," 'aid the Mayor (Mr. S. M. Stone), "and this is ono of the applications «liouiu grant. We must consider the <J#fenco of the country."

Schoolboy "howlers" art frequently the product of a resourceful comic writer of much more" mature growth, but there are enough genuine ones to warrant someoon making an anthology (says the "Auckland Star"). A couplo of good ouoa came to light in an Auckland suburban school the other day. Tho lesson was natural history, and New Zealand birds were under review. The class came to a full stop when asked to explain how tho tui came to be known as the "parfflii bird," until si small boy piped out, "Please, miss, when oil the other birds were having a battle, the tui did all the talking, <md that is why they called it tho parson bird." There is a wlrolo |ot of child history and outlook on life in the answer of another child at the same school, who was asked the uses of tho human car. Without the slightest hesitation she answered. 'To be cleaned out!" ■ >