LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 29, 29 October 1920, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The postage rates for registered magazines have been amended, according to a notice in the Gazette, and the lates now fixed are,: Inland, 2d. for each copy if not exceeding Soz., and Id. for eai.li additional Boz. or.fraction _ thereof. Australia, Fiji, and islands in Pacific to which postage is the same as to Australia at present, 2d. for each copy it not exceeding Boz., and 2d. for each additional Boz. or fraction thereof.

Tlio figures of the Post Oflice Savings Bank for tlio September quarter show that the deposits totalled .£8,(>39,39.) is. 8d„ as compared with j87.051,9M Ms. Sd for the . corresponding quarter of last year, and the withdrawals amounted to J68.070.-103 3s. Id., as against. .£7,116,213 3s. Id. The excess of deposits over withdrawals in the past quvter amounted to •£568*992 Is. ld.,whilo in the corresponding quarter last year the withdrawals exceeded the deposits by .£61,283 13s. ad. The total Postal revenue tor the boptember quarter amounted to .C3G3.607 18s. 9;1,, as compared • with ,£219,684 14s. Id. in the corresponding quarter of last year. The telegraph revenue totalled .£273,383 65., as against ,£229,937 Gs. Id., and the postal and telegraph revenue combined amounted to ,£596,991 Is. 9d., as compared with <£479,622 Os. sd.

The AVellington-Auckland express ".as delavd for -bttlf an hour at Taumarnmii yestermorning, offing to Gnnrrt Duncan taking suddenly ill. Medical aid was summoned, t and tiie- guard a\ fts vemoved to the liosdUal.

The Tevenue and expenditure figures ot the Consolidated Fund for-the September quarter appear in last night s tin/, ettc. The ordinary revenue totalled £6 603,808 18s. 2d., as compared witu £3*707,031 Bs. 3d, in the corresponding quarter of last year, and the territorial revenue was £53,8|6 Its. n f „ lu l 1 K ( , £75,831 16s. 8(1. Treasury bills to the •mount of £500,000 were also included in the past quarter s nent appropriations absorbed £2,00 , u and the Departmental expenditme was £-1,052,446 14s. 6d„ as against £2,974,933 17s. 2d.

There was a good deal of quiet fun at tho Hospital and Charitable Aid Board s meeting yesterday, over a matter ot po»tB «c. It appeared that the usual copies of reports weighed over the legal two ounces, and-as the <derk only allowed for the minimum postage, each member was mulcted in tho fium of foprpence. In proof of this outrage on their pocketa several of the members brought to tho board table their surcharged envelopes. With the development during recent years of the gum riddling uud washing process (says the kauri-gum superintendent in his annual report),, the old method of digging for gum, as far as it applies to kauri-peat swamps, has to a very large extent been abandoned, and it is suggested that in future, instead of giving a gum-digger a license entitling him to dig over all the, gumnroducing lands, ho shall bo given a small area of, say, from 1 to 3 acres, oil which he shall have the exclusive right to work and recover the gum by whatever process be may,find most profitable. At the same time the condition could bo imposed that ho should fill in the holes made during the course of his work and leave the land in a fairly fit stato for future agricultural purposes. It is proposed to obtain legislative authority this year enabling the Minister to make a much larger contribution to the local bodies from the kauri-gum revenue than has hitherto been possible. Instead of issuing a license to dig, the digger will be required to pay a royalty on tho value of tho gum recovered, and the suggestion is that this' royalty, after deducting n sufficient sum to cover administrative costs, will be handed over to the local bodies in whose districts the leases •are situated. f The lack of adequate domestic help is interfering with accommodation arrangements at'various holiday resorls in the Dominion! In Ilanme'r the shortage is aculo According to the Government Tourist Ag-wit, several boarding-houses fl re not able to eater for very much more than half their usual number of summer quests, find booking is 1 6811101" ed in consequence,

The duplication of the Island- Bay tram track between Luxford Street uud Dee Street is to be carried out with hardwood sleepers, as there is 110 prospect ot cement supplies being available tor a

long time. The Mayor (Mr. J. P. Luke) stated a* last night's meeting of the City Council tjiat the Wninui water scheme could not bo started until tho loan money wa? available. At the same time a certain amount of work had been done. A now road to-the OrongOroilgo had had to bo constructed as well-as a camp for the men to live in. In addition, little sub-contracts had been let in order to keep the Men together. Authority was grunted by the City Coiincil last night fur liie erection of a temporary, building at Howe's Lano to make provision for the installation of the milk station standby plant recently acquired. The work is to bo carried out by the station engineer under tho supervision of the City Engineer. Authority wns also given to the chairman and actins general manager to procure an expansion vat to cope willi the large quantity of milk coming to hand at tho Rapui factory (at Qti&i).

Tho Tramwayn Committee reported to tins City Council Inst night that the old horse tramway loan of £20.000 had 'been paid olf. This would relieve the tramways account of an annual interest charge of .£soo.

It was announced at yesterday's meeting of the- Hospital Board that the late Mrs. Frances Guildford, who died recently in the Hospital, had' bequeathed the residue of her estate to tho General Hospital, 'l'he estate (wrote the executor. Mr. P Luckie) would be worth from £800 to .£IOOO, which was subject to four legacies of <£100 each. The chairman said that the Hospital would probably benefit to the extent of between =6300 and £100.

The question of granting! Hospital nurses one day off per month was again beforo the board yesterday, when the chairman (Mr. F/. Castle) stated that they were still waiting to see whether the Government was going to legislate in the matter or not. If it was, there was not much use in the board coming to indecision. 'l'hey must just wait. Mr, C. H. Chapman urged that whatever the Government did, the board was unanimous, so lie believed, ill allowing the nurses one day off per month. If it were one day off per week so much the better, but 'the one day off per month could bo arranged without any great dislocation of the staff or providing additional staff or accommodation.'

Councillor T. Forsyth asked ing if it was the policy of the Milk Department to .sell the butter they would make in the' future at the new price or at the old price, viz., Is. ,9d.PPr,J r , Councillor W. H. Bennett said that they were in no better position to sell butter cheaper than anyone else. Seeing that they had to pay Jd. per ,Ib. more for butter-fat than the factories paid, they were in a worse position than any other factory in the Dominion.

The average numbpr of patients under treatment last month at the General Hospital was 375. Yesterday there were 387 patients in tho Hospital, including 12 cases of influenza, 13 venereal, and eight of scarlet fever.

Good wortt is l>eing done by the Gratuity Anomalies Committee which was set up some tirtie ago, and through its recommendations several grievances have been removed. If a soldier was evacuated Rick or wounded Trom a theatre of war and returned to New Zealand, lie was paid a gratuity of not less than eighteen calendar months. If, however, after his return to New Zealand he received treatment in a hospital as an in-patient for a jjpi'iod of six months continuously, lie was paid a minimum of two years gratuity. The Anomalies' Comnutw founrt several cases where the soldior, although not having had fix months continuous treatment as an in-patient, had lecenrd hospital treatment extending over a vop Irtng period, in many cases interfering with.his civil employment, aud iin such cases tlio committee recommended that a minimum of two years' gratuity be paid. This recommendation has been approved by Cabinet. Those who take an interest in artare advised to visit ithe Art Gallery, \V litmore Street, this evening, where Goloiil Purdy and Messrs. Charles Uilson, Alixander Newton, and J. A. Iripe will gi\e abort talks 011 the life and works of the late J. M. Nairn, who did much, du - ins the twenty ywys lie spent m Wellington, to raise the standard of p.unting to a liigh level. A repre=entatne collection of paintings in oils and watei colours by Nairn is at. present on exhibition at the gallery. A direct appeal to the public for funds in aid of tlio starving women and cln - dren of Europe'is to be made m Wellington by <i committee set Tip tor tlio purpose. At ft meeting ot the comuutta held in the .Mayor's room yesterday alternoon, it was decided to hasten ar-raiK-ements, so timt the appeal could be concluded before Christmas. An executive committee was elccted as foll«rn s: Miss England, Me,blames J. 1. LuKe, Nathan, Boxliall, I'nrde, Donaldson, Hon. Dr. W. E. Collins, Messrs. Luke, 1. Young, A. L. Hunt, E. G. Denton, . It. L. Foster, P. and L. Hay, C. Ji. Luke, with power to add to the number.

During the month of September the Municipal Milk Department treated 131,093 gallons of milk, which had produced a revenue of .£12,902 Us. Bd. -the revenue per gallon was iiS.liOd., and the cost per gallon was 20.50 d., and the working expenses were 3.50 d. per gallon, ino total capital expenditure was 1«5d., and the debit balance to date (bepternber 30) was «£4-202 Is. lid.

The list, of prisoners to be tried at the criminal sessions, which open in the buprenie Court in Wellington next week, with the charges against them, is tts follows Myrtle May Heid and Sydney Swensson, bigamy; Sydney bweusson, false pretences; Herbert John Mercer, breakiug, entering, and. theft; Altvecl. Joseph Vance Ryan (alias B. E. Ryan), false pretences, and forgery and utteriurr; Jlyrft liill, theft and obtaining credit frnuduently; .John Henry Morgan, breaking, entering nnd theifc (two charges); James Herbert Carr, breaking, entering and theft; Kitty Stewart and Phyllis Banks, theft from «.dwelling; Charles Thornton Birtield Mills, false pretence; lleginald William .Jsorman, forgery and uttering; Ella Dorothea Boys and Rupert Hatch, theft; Jessie Anderson, bigamy; William Arthur Webb, manslaughter.

At yesterday's meeting of the committee which will raise funds for the starvin" women and children of Europe appeal, Mrs. Luke (tho Mayoress) announced that already one donation of .£SOO had been received. This was -regarded as a good indication of the support the appeal was likely to receive.

The last meeting of' the Wellington District Repatriation Board was presided over by Mr. M. J. Ileardon. Twenty-eight furniture loans were granted. Three applications for financial assistance in the establishment of businesses were approved, one was declined,, and three were deferred'. It was decided to subsidise the wages of eight men undergoing training in various trades, and to pay the fees and allowances of eight others receiving instruction in technical schools, etc.

That notices should be exhibited on tho footpoths urging pedestrians to "keep to the right," was suggested by Councillor R. A. Wright, M.!\, when speaking at last night's meeting of tho City Council. "We nsed to have them, at one' time," he remarked,, "but they seem to have disappeared. Strangers are always coming into the town and people are always jostling one another on tho wrong side." The Mayor said he saw no objection to the proposal, but tho only trouble was: would it tend to educate drivers of vehicles to drivo to tho right instead of to the loft as was tlm rule in New Zealand? Councillor Wrightreplied that the notices would have no such effect. "All light. Councillor Wright," remarked tho Mayor .smilingly,

The idea that the Kent Terrace reserve is to be abolished was dispelled by the Mayor when replying to Councillor P. Eraser at last night's meeting of Iho City Council. Mr. Luko saiu that the City Engineer did not advocate cutting inlo (he reserve, but favoured bringing the vehicle traffic down Cambridge Terrace, and keeping the tram traffic in Kent Terrace.

At last night's annual meeting of the New Zealand Lawn Tenuis Association the racket which Anthony 1\ Wilding used in the first Davis Clip uinioh in which he played, or in the first match won by Australasia, was exhibited. The racket was ltjoz., and was made by t\ H. Ayres. It was won by Mr. A. Petherick in a raffle, and has been presented to thq New Zealand Association.

. At a well-attended meeting of tho Wellington Motor Traders' Association, held last evening, and presided over by Sir. Stuart Wilson, it was unanimously resolved: "That this meeting approves of the national principle of an 'Anzac highway' through the two islands of tho -Do minion as 0110 worthy means of commemorating _ the great part taken by New Zealand in the Great War, and it is agreed that this Association will do all in its power to help in the achievement of this national ideal."

The City Council decided last night that tin., necessary steps 'be taken to bring about the amalgamation of the Borough of Miranmr. with the city as from January 1 next. On tho motion of the Mayor, the council also resolved to enter into negotiations with the Johnsonville Town Board with a vi»w to bringing' Jolinsonville into the city. The Mayor stated that if anything came of the negotiations it would mean that the whole of the surrounding suburbs would bo included in the city.

The Auckland City Council has decided to vote Jilo,oofl and the Auckland Harbour Board ,£SOOO towards a war memorial museum in Auckland, subject to validating legislation, which it is believed will be secured this session.—Press Aosn.

The Wellington College Old Boys' Association has lleen granted the free use of the Town Ilall on the occasion of the presentation to Mr. J. P. Firth, lattf headmaster of the college, on November 3.

Tiro City Council resolved last night to approve of tli'.; resolutions of the Auckland City Cbuncil regarding the coal shortage. The Auckland Council suggested that the Government be urged to provide sufficient labour for the 1111jncdiatu adequate development of the Dominion's coal resources; to form a New Zealand Coal Board to control thj) working of the mines; and to introduce legislation to free industries from the inccssant interruptions from trivial causes as' are now in evidence throughout the Dominion.

On the recommendation of the By-laws Committee, the City Council decided last night that authority be granted for the piteparation of a new set of tramc inlaws.

The City Council decided last evening that the charge for the use of Karori Park for picnic purposes be ±1 tor school picnics, and il, plus the cost: of labour employed, for other t picnics. Hot water is to lie included in the abovo charces. v

There was ft total eclipse of tlie moon vesterday morning, beginning at l-.osana ending (it 2.24. The Government Astronomer (Dr. C. E. Adams) reports tlmt owing to bad weather no observations could be inadti locally. A Iress Association message from Sydney states that the eclipse was witnessed throughout Australia undei* exceptionally iavourabio conditions.

One of the works that the City Council intends to undertake ill the future will be the widening of Vivian Street from Kent Terrace to Willis On the recommendation of the I'ir.ance and L ro--perty Committee, the council last night decided to make application'for the exemption of Vivian Street, to Willis Street from the provisions of section 11< ot the Public Works Act. IMS, subject to the building line being set back on the northern side a- distance of Soft, from the centre line of the street, lhe Mayor stated that the undertaking would Tiave to be faced, in order to meet the development of the city. There were other street-widening proposals which would also have to be put in baud, aiul in tutf connection it was his opinion that u u--lis Street should be widened as far tip as St. Peter's Church. The City. Engineer endorsed the Vivian. Street proposal, and was distinctly of opinion that the northern side would bo the cheapest side to widen. The reason wily t.lie application was being made wa6 to ensure that new buildings in the thoroughfare should be erected on the new alignment.

Air. C. F. Goldie, the wellknown artist, has left New Zealand for Sydney, en rout© foi Paris. He will probably be absent from the Dominion, for some years..

A young man, 19 years of age (a Kussian), who was wounded in the head in the war, has disappeared from the care of his - friends in Wndestown. He has gold-filled teeth, and is of robust build, sft. BMn. in height, pallid complexion, speaks English imperfectly,, and is likely to seek unskilled work. A JJS reward is offered for his recovery.

A message sent from Invercargill by the Press Association reports thatJwnes Barnett, a boardinghouse-keepcr at Woodlands, was sentenced to two months' imprisonment for keeping liquor for sain ina 110-license district, and' his wife was oVdered to come'up for sentence when called upon. Accused admitted that his wife and daughter hid received cheques for various amounts from a boarder, but denied that the man ivas-in the horrors. Sergeant Eccles stated that the man waS now an inmate of a mental hospital. Another man found in the kitchen on the night of the raid had since died from alcoholic poisoning.

A Blenheim Press Association message' reports that W. Fogwc-11 arrived there from Sydney 011 Wednesday night.. Hi will race P. J. Hannan 011 November 20, 011 the Wairavv liiver for the sculling championship'of New Zealand.

At a meeting of the Auckland City Council last night- the resignations of Councillors A. J. Entrican and E. H. Davis were received and accepted. The resignations are tlio outcoma of the purchase by these councillors of sections owned by the council in Anzac Avenue. It was ruled by the Audit Department that this was in contravention of the Municipal Corporations Act. and lnaflv Councillors Entrican and Davis ineligible to sit as members of tho council. In the case of Mr. Davis the purchase ot a section.in his name was made by hi* attorney " duVing his absence on a visit to England. Mr. Davis is still away and his resignation was received bjr cablegram.—Press Assn.

A professor of dairy husbandry at Purdue University lias .recently been con■uiictiiig a series of experiments with a view to testing (he relative propertioa of butter and margarine (states the Melbourne . "Age"). ' Butter-fat or butter contains certain biological properties which are not present in vegetable fats nor in the ordinary animal fats. These properties are absolutely essential for an adequate diet. Experiments carried out with young white rats showed that when tho animals were put 011 an artificial 'diet, containing all the chemical elements necessary for nutrition, but in which the fat part of tho.ration consisted of vegetable oil or of lard, the rats, after a brief period, ceased ,to grow.' As the diet was continued they lost weight, and gradually developed sore eyes, which culminated in blindness, and later in

death. In cases where butter or butterfat v as substituted for a portion of the animal or vegetable fat in the ration, rats which were rapidly declining l*covered, gained in weight, and resumed their normal t.rowth. The conclusion from the experiments is that so-called butter substitutes, all of which are largely made up of vegetable or animal fats, or both, cannot take the place of butter.

. Tim scarcity of news print and lioox paper, Especially towards thfi of tiic war, caused considerable concern in commercial undertakings dependent 011 the paper industrv. If. England and America particularly the paper shortage was so acute that the -size of newspapers and magazines had to 1)0 cut down, and the book publishers suffered seriously, An extract from'a letter from Canada throw's some light on tjie situation, savs Hie Melbourne "Age." The/ correspondent stated that another serious cause of tho shortage* of book paper was the recent orders that all German text books hud to' be reprinted ill English, particularly ill the middle west of the United States. This, the writer considered, was croinff to call for ciioriflous tonnopc of Super, ami where this paper wm to eomo from ho confessed he did not know. Apart from the academic importance of reprinting the German text books, tlie problem of paper supply will short,y have to be faced in earnest by all countries.

"Ts the Milk Committee making nnv arrangement for the nmnufacture ami sale of cheese?" as ceil Councilor C. IT. Chapman at last nights meeting of tte Cih- Council. Councillor .H. Bennett' "We have, no cheese ill stock, and in the present state of the mnrkot the whole of the surplus cream is being converted into butter."

An announcement was recently irade by the price fixing commissioner m Hnsbnne that the prices ol tea would be reduced as from October 23 by 4d. per lb. for No. 1 grade, sd. for No. L, alul l>d. for No. 3. Applications wero made by the Merchants' Association that tlio icduction should- be postponed until November 30 to eilablo mercliauts to mmiir,i'o the hoavv losses which would occur. The commissioner replied refusing to extend the period beyond October 23, adding that he was not aware of any hesitation on the part of traders to charge immediately any increased price to consumers.

In committee last night tile City Council decided to appoint Mr. M. Cable chief electrical engineer in connection with the erection of the new power-house at Evans 33ay, also in connection with th;> change over to the hydro-electrio sehenie when it is brought about. Mr. George Lauohlan was appointed distributing engineer-

The benefit of wnlkins as '"fiP for school children was emphasised _ M the director of the Wellington Technical College (Dr. John E.Howell) in a report presented to the Board of Governors at Wednesday's meeting, l'he report status i "On two recent Saturdays, parties of boys have been taken by Mr. Wilson foi walking excursions, asd I hope that the success which has attended these will result in the formation of ramblers clubs for girls as well as for boys. Such, excursions aro helpful in many wavs ana in some schools are a regular feature ol school life. They briua teachers and pupils togother in a way that hardly anv other form of activity can,d°- \vellinEton, with its limiied facilities for.aanie6, but its exceptionally fine country for walking should favour tho formation o» 6chool ramblers' clubfi."

Messrs. W. Ferguson, civil engineer, Wellington, John B. Iline, farmer, Toko, and James Begg, farmer, Dunedin, have been appointed a. commission to inquire into and ascertain the best route for the North Auckland Stain Trunk railway (Te

.'l'io north.wnrds), and connecting line from the ICaihu Valley railway to the North Auckland Main Trunk railway.

' "What steps are being taken for tarring tho wuodblocks in the streets?" inquired Councillor T. Forsyth at last night's meeting of tho City Council. The Mayor replied that the work would be proceeded with if the weather would only keep fine: it was no use tarring the. blocks unless tho weather was good.

It is notified in the Gazette that no money order or postal packet addressed to H. Lane, Box 79, G.P.0., Launceston, to H. Reck and Company,* Copenhagen, or to Sva Da V. I'leury, Barcelona, Spain, will be forwarded by the New Zealand Post Office.

Dr. Collins, chairman of the Red Cross Society mid Order of St. John, acknowledges ,£3 10s. 6d. sent anonymously to supplement grants for advantage of N.Z:E.]i'.

'l'he Land Board held a ballot on Wednesday for a discharged soldier's holding of 877| acrtis in the Ngamatea, survey district, and the.succcssful applicant was Mr. L. O'Sullivau, of Lyall Bay. There were 02 applicants for the land,

In reply to Councillor W. H. Bennett, the Mayor stated last night that at the next meeting of the City Council he would bring down a report showing what expenditure the. Tramways Band is in" curring to the council.

The first voluntary course for. Territorials and Senior Cadets, which iconciuded at Trcntham this week, lastfjd fourteen' days, and proved highly successful. It was attended by 100 lads, mostly Senior Cadets, who were desirous of qualifying in physical mid recreational training, musketry, and drill. As the period available for instruction was so short, the whole fortnight was spent by the students in receiving the special instruction for which they entered camp, and, all being keen and smart, gratifying progress was made. The members attending the classte were drawn equally

from the four military districts, and it is hoped that as a result of their .tuition lit Trentham they will become efficient

instructors for their units ill the subjects lh ; ?y took. ' Special'" attention was paid to the barrack life of the trainees while they were in camp, the matron of the hospital making a special inspection of the hutments and tho manner in which they were kept. The course concluded with a programme of 6pons and a boxing tournament,' in which tliore were 37 bouts in one night. Th« trainees all speak enthusiastically of the course, and many of them have applied for on-

franco to the next one, . commencing early next month.

It bias ten decided by the City Council that the fish merchants in the citv. must provide means for disposing of fish offal, as the material cannot now be dealt with at the destructor. The Mayor said last night that the disposal of the offal was puwly a trade undertaking and the.Finance Committee felt that it

was not honest to use the people's rates to pay for the burning of suc-b. refuse. Councillor P. Fraser considered that the city should take steps to deal with such material,, as, in his opinion, its de. s traction should be a municipal function. Councillor M. F. Luckie pointed out that the destructor wa9 built for the disposal of household refuse, not trade rubbish. Councillor C. H. Chapman said the fish • merchants were making such profits by charging top prices that any svmpathy extended towards them was dimply wasted. He was opposed to th;« OiUv Council further subsidising the fish* merchants by paying for the destruction of the fish offal from their businesses.