LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 42, 13 November 1920, Page 8

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Postal authorities advise that the s.s. Wcstrnlia. left Melbourne at 3 p.m. on Novomber !) for Wallington. Sho carries 118 bags of mails, including ten from the East. ' The s.s. Mararoa. sailed from San Francisco on November 9 for Wellington. She carries 760 bags of mail and 1178 parcel receptacles for Now Zealand.

In order to remove any mieftpprehension as to certain building proposals at itiramar on tho part of the Government, Mr. Graham (of the Housing Branch of the Labour Department) states that tlie operations of his branch do not include tho construction of a model village of the self-contained character of that, at Lctchwortli 'or Port Sunlight .in England. An effort will, however, bo. made to utilise to the best advantage tho new Mock as part of the Government's housing scheme, within the provisions of the Housing Act. ...

Tho quarterly meeting of ■ tho Public Service Superannuation Board was held in Wellington on Thursday, Mr. J. H. Richardson, C.M.Q., presiding. Twentyseven contributor*, retired under section 3o of tho Act by reason of ag« or longth of service, were granted allowances •of a total of .£SIBO per annum, and four contributors, retired as medically unfit, were granted allowances totalling .£57 per annum. Tho hoard refused to grant allowances in five cases, consideration of one cate was postponed, and in one case the allowance already granted wa6 ordered io' be continued. Ten widows and oleven children wero granted tho statutory allowances, amounting to ,£323 per annum. In consequence of retirements under section 35 of tho Act. accrued compensation to tho amount of .£9518 be-, came a liability of tho Superannuation Fund and a corresponding rolief to the Consolidated Fund.

"In your report of Iho deputation to tho City Council in referenc-d to tho Rest Park, Island Hay, you have inadvertently mis-stated tho object of the deputation," writer KJ. Col ley, lion, secretary of tho Island Bay Muniiripal Ratepayers' Association. "Tho deputation waited upon tho City Council not with (he object of protetin# (lie extension of tho golf links, but to protest against the aclinn of tho Reserves Committee in allocating a small area of ground for tho purpose of golf after having definitely- promised that this particular area should be used ax a reerontion and rest rosorve. In 60 far as golf ,is concerned, my association was the direct agency which brought abou,t the formation of tho present golf links st Borhampore, and wo are in hearty pju\ patiiy and support with the schema for tlio extension of theso links, but we consider that in view of tho fact that theto is somoivhcro about' 400 acres- of the Town Belt availablo for this extension it is surely unnecessary that; tho Reserves Committee should repudiate their promise mado nearly five years ago: moreover, there is a, lwrtion of this area running parallel with Lcraud Street "Which offers much better facilities for a perfect putting green than the area in dispute."

In tho Supreme Court yesterday, before His Honour Mr. Justice Salmowl and a jury of twelve, of which Mr, P. 0. Watt was foreman, the hearing was commenced of a civil case between Herbert Henrv Cook (Mr. M. Myers and Mr. Upham) and Arthur Daniel lumnedv (Sir John Findlay, IC.C., with linn Mr. •0. Bepre). . Tho plaintiff claimed the uavment of .£687 on', a promissory note, v.-h'ich had been issued for the purchase of the Mount Whitnov? run. Canterbury. Th e defendant resisted payment <*a tho ground of misrepresentation M to the condition and value of the property, and put in a counter-clann for ,£5500 damages. Eviflon.co was by several witnesses, and" tho defendant was pat tiiroiizh a rigorous cross-examination by Mr. "Myers on the point of the damages. Tho ease will be continued this morning.

Councillor M. P. Luckie lias given notictt of his -intention lo wo\qi at the next meeting' of Hie City Council: ihot the resolution of tho council passed on October 14, increasing the charges made against the Wellington Cricket Association from 15s. to 20s. per wicket, so far as tho proposed .increase relates to the, .present cricket secsou, be rescinded.

' An employee at the tramway } )ow " fiouse named William M'DougaU,. 48 years of age, residing at iNu. 1 T " la Avenue, mot with an accident ycstt?rd.ij morning. ' Ho was drilling a piece <)t metal in a drilling machine, when suddenly the metal swung round and cut one uf. his fingers so severely ' that he had to be removed to the hospital lor treatment.

The flag at the Dominion Farmers' Institute was flown, half-must yesterday us a tribute of respect to the memory uf Sir David Hutchins and to Captain liussell, D.F.C., Croix <le Guerre. .

'During tho'week ended on Thursday 19 men applied nt the Labour Department Employment- Bureau, ; Ghuznec Street; for assistance in obtaining work.. Thirteen'of the men were single and six wero married.' and all were placed in employment. Seventeen were sent to private jobs and two to Government works. With the exception of four farm hands, ail the men wero labourers.

There is in the Wellington Centrnl Police Station and, indeed, in every police station, a collection of photographs in, the "Police Gazette" something on the lines of the Rogues' Gallery at Scotland Yard. It is usually spoken of .with awe as "the book," and it contains tho portraits of all those sinister folk who are "known to the police." To.be "in the book" is to be in constant peril of being in the dock. Tho average thief carries—in his headsuch a classified gallery of persons who are "known to the' crooks," mostly do-, tectlvos, aud to meet one of these, with a straight face . and steady knees. requires of most some effort n.s well as a clear • conscience. ,In Sydney recent, ly, one of them, a senior-detective, was riding through a suburb oil a cable car. He noticed two men, slauduig by the tram track, "reckon him up" and ex> change' notes hastily.'. . He became interested and jumped off the car. Tho two., men tore .for their lives, one of them dropping a. bag ho Imd been carrying. . The detective stopped and examined it—it contained. articles worth about „£S() -winch' proved to be the proceeds . of. a» robbery .in another suburb the night before... The two young men had expensive consciences.

The balance-sheet of the Auckland municipal'fish for tho six months ended Septom)»r 30 shows a loss of .£748. Tho total sales of fish wero J23.7&9.

"Are you aware that you aro accusing this man of-a fraud?" asked counscl in the- Supremo Court yestwday of a witness who was giving him a denl of troubled "No, I didn't," retorted tho witness. "Arc you sure you didn't?" persisted tho lawyer. "Well I said the witness haltingly. "Answer me," interrupted the lawyer. "Do you accuse him of fraud?" "l'es," admitted witnttfs, "your way." "No, your way," returned counsel, and the interlude was ended.

Amonj: the passengers by the Tahiti, which arrived at Auckland from Vancouver on Wednesday, wero Dr. S. T. Clmmptaloup, professor of bacteriology and public health at tlio Ota,to University Jfed'ical School, and Dr. A. IS. Pearson, pathologist at the Cbristcluirch Hospital. They have each been oil" leavo studv in Britain for tho last aiino months. They nCso spijul; some time in France, America, and Canada, studying the, latest methods practised in various hospitals in connection with bacteriological and pathological research. / "Possibly our most pleasing experience," said Dr. Champtaloup to a "Herald" reporter, "was that in all our travels we did not find any of the medical schools visited better equipped than tho Ota go Medical School, but, on the contrary, there were many whoro tho accommodation was quite inferior to that in tho New Zealand institution." Ho said thero wero many people, both in and out of New Zealand, who were under tho impression that n medical-eourso could not bo completed iii tho Dominion, and it had lieen his duty to inform anyone who raised this question. . that a medical student could e'oiiipleto his courso here just is well as ho couUd elsewhere, ,

"If we aro to accept immigrants of tlio class that liavo been arriving lately wo would be better without tlynn," en ill a member of tho Duuedin Manufacturers' Association this week. He ndded that ho heard that three women who arrived by a recent- stoamer from Home caused trouble at Port Chalmers bccause they wrr<3 not allowed to enter a local hotel bar.

"T was told recently of an old student of tho college who might be able to help up," said an "old hoy J of Lincoln College, when the schcine of raising funds for tho erection of a soldiers' memorial hail at the coliego was being discussed. "He is now In America—a millionaire." Laughter, however, greeted his remark, Btntes tho "Lyttelton Times."

While the people of Australia, and NewZealand aro wrestling wjth tho problem of Hie cost of living, Fiji has taken action which it is 'hoped wiU lx> elYeclive. writes the Rnv'a correspondent of tlii> "Xew York Herald." The cloctivo mem hers have unanimously agreed (o it proposal which, it is .understood, the Government is prepared to accept. It is tho removal of all duties on foodstuffs, except the following:—Kise, peas, butter, lea and hops. All the commodities named, ! with the exception of hops, are grown in the colony. All ship .chandlery used in the course, of shipbuilding is to lie' relieved of duty, and duty on all agricultural' and pastoral machinery is also to be lifted. .These reductions or exemptions will amount to:—Foodstuffs, [shipbuilding materia)!, .C1M1; agricultural industries. or a total duly remitted of .!'25,07f1. meet this the commit!"!' agrees to support an increase iii Ihc higher grades of income tax, and also (o support a preferenen to liritish manufactured goods. The T/wWivp Conn»M

—ni- -•iiUn'r has appointed a snb-eonimittro to discus' and report on the prooosal. but the Governor is llkelv (o agree (o the rather iii'nue and enterprising economical and fitnneial experiment, Tt i= certainly, one which should atl*U't enn■ sidernble alt"'itinn. el«ewl""">. -Tim merit wi!l be a precedent condition,, must, give tho public tho immediato benefit of the duty.

The gap on The Torrace caused by (lie destruction of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church by fire a few months ago is to be nnule good by n now church, designed by Messrs. (Jlere nnd Williams, the architects, in reinforced eoncrote. Tito building will seat about seven hundred nnd the stylo chosen will be classic.

To ordor ono's household groceries liy wireless seems strange, even in tliese i«fvanced times, but that is the method adopted by several resident* of tlio Chatham Islands (says nil exchange). A l.yttelloti firm was Imsv on Weilncsday morning making up "on Ids" fov dispatch to tlio Chatliams by the- Ngutoru. 'Tlio orders had come by wireless, _ and were for ordinalI}'1}' household commodities, Tho quantities wore, however, much larger than the city housewife is accustomed to order, tho fact that there is a steamer onlr every two months, necessitating ordering veil ■•ahead." - '

At Dunedin yesterday William Penrose, draper, was lined JC.V). with eusln, for selling n -skein of wool t at an tiiirenaonnbly higli prico. 'I'lie sale was made at 2s. 2d., when the acknowledged retail price was Is. 4-Jd. to Is. fid.—Press Assn.' (

Tho Auckland City Council discussed nil application from the tramwny employees for the bonus of nine shillings declared by tho Arbitration-Court. Vhe council declined the. application, poiutfng out that, tho union was working under a special agreement, not an Arbitration Court award.—Press Assn.

Tlio Tramways Band will give a performance in the hospital grounds at 3 p.m. on Sunday. The Patriotic ' Society's Band yill ploy at. Lyall Bay at 3 p.m. to-morrow.

Tho system of book-keeping affected by many country shopkeepers might wall bo likened to a Chinese puzzle. This wns the opinion expressed at a meeting of creditors in a bankrupt estate lield yesterday, when the bankrupt was asked to produce his books. Ho put in one lone book, of unusual-proportions, and after scanning this tho Official Assignee remarked: "You soein to have made, seme attempt to record your outgoings, but what about your receipts .and cash sales? What record have you of thesef" "Mother put nil tho cash in her ban," came the response. Asked where the hag was, bankrupt replied: "Mother lias got it." This enlightening intelligence prompted the Assignee to remark that only last week he had burnt several tons of various bankrupts' books, and neither lie nor a professional accountant could mnke head or tail of them.

One hundred and eighty thousand trmit fry, obtained from ova from I.ako Hawea, are in cour,?o of. distribution in .Lakes Rotorun, Tarawera,. and Taupo. It is considered desirable to import a fresh strain into the fish in the thermal district, and American ova is not obtainable under present, circumstances.

Referring to conditions in America, Ifr. A. G. Lunn, an Auckland 'business man, who returned this -week from a visit to Great Britain and the United States, said tliu present bank rate of erchali.;e between Britain ami America was riot' considered to be a bad thing frai'B.-itinn's point of view, as it served as a protective ijiriff for home-manufactured goods, 'i'he Americans were importing quantities of British goodsj in fact, hicse imports were considerably crc:iter than they had been for a long ''inc. On tho other hand, Americans were experiencing industrial troubles in coimno?i with other countries'. Businessmen there with whom lie had discussed this subject were of opinion that strikes and bad Irade v<rc bound to. cause :i' reaction-" Against the present high wages, and thi? would proba'bly result in a recurrence of serious labour troubles. Hero, as it was recognised that <> continual raising of wages was not a solution of tho economic problems by which the people were faced-, ft was at. best only a palliative, and 0110 that might l>e fraught with gravo consequences'in the future. Before anything could be (lone to restoro industrial peace, ftie workers would have io adopt a reasonable attitude on the question of wages. This would pavo tho way to a mutual understanding between the different ngen'rs in production, and then they would T;o able toconsider proposals whien might logically be expected to' solve the economic question which evciy ri »2 l dfsi'td to see solved at the earliest .possible moment.

A welcome was tendered by the Caledonian Society last evening to Major SX'Lean, chief of the M'Lean elan. Major M'Lean, who was at the lletreat of Mons, and was mentioned, in : dispatches, was given a very hoorty reception when he arrived after having been played through the streets by.the Caledonian Society's Pipe Band. The visitor was made an honorary member of the society. Those present .included Mr. and Jlrs'. Eraser Gauge, who were elected honorary members of the society on the occasion of their first visit to. Wellington. The proceedings, which, were most enthusiastic, wore presided over by Jf.r. D. Clark, Chief of the Caledonian Society.

In the Commonwealth House of lteprtwontativcß on October 29, Mr. Initoy (N.S.W.) asked the Prime Minister (Mr. \V. Hughes) whether tho Government was prepared to enter into trade relations with Germsmv as other nations wero doing. The Prime -Minister said, that he did not know what other countries were doing, and he did not £u*e. The Ileuso would be given nn opportunity' of expressing .an opinion, but ho was not in favour of opening our arms to onr dear brother tho Gorman. They would have a fair deal, and Germans in this country would have.a fair denl, but ho was "not in favour of resuming trade relations with Germany.