LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 47, 19 November 1920, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Tho last mooting of tho Wellington District Kcpatrhttion Board was presided over by llr. M.. .1. Kenrdon. Lightcen loans tor the purchase of furniture, were granted. Three applications for financial assistance, in the establishment of businesses were approved, l.hreu wero declined, and one was deferred. The board agreed to subsidise tho wuges of a man undergoing' training as an apprentice, to liny mo feu.s and allowances of three otliew receivinginstruetion at technical'schools, etc., and to purchase tools of trade lor iiniichor applicant.

As the power, from a hydro-electric scheme Hows night and day without cessation (=ave by accident), a good dt-al of energy is. lust during the dead hours of the uixlit. 1" Christchurcb some of this is being takan up by charging oleetrically««driven motors , during the dead hours at a nominal cost for power. The city's annual report, in referring to this phase of the business, says:—"The garage has now a few- vehicles over half of its designed capacity., 'Hie garaging facilities have been increased by (he.temiiiikiiv aiTMiigeiiu'M of using Klmid-by generators together with two induction motors for converting alternating it a direct current. However, by so using them, their utility in case ol failuro of the Lake supply for n lengthy period has not been destroyed, as they can be reeoupled to the steam engines at an hour's notice. ... It has been, proposed to. iiislnl a second charging station »t Moor-chouse Avenue sub-station. aUd when the capacity of tho present garage is more fully utilised this proposal can he economically put in effect. "Marania," the first produced comedy opera depicting New Zealand life, bj Messrs. Ribbands and Don, local vesiilents, was performed by the. Hastings Operatic Socioty for tho first tunc, Oi;tics speak highly, of the music and book. :The authors received an enthusiastic ovation.—Press Aasa,

A committee of the Auckland City Council is, according to tho Mayor (Mr. Gunson) considering tho important question of further storage provision for local coal, which 1 would not. keep if exposed to tlio air, but which, if under water, would keep indefinitely. Tho proposal involved a largo.tank for the storage of 10,000 tons of coal. Once this quantity was secured thero would 'be no need for the council to pay away money for oversea coal. In view of the position that had developed recently, and Imd faced the city again this week, the. committee would give serious and inline, dinto attention to this nmttcr, wifh tho object of recommending the council to lake action. A member of tho Wellington Coal Trade Committee, referring to the foregoing proposal, stated that ho had no objection to tho Auckland or any City Council making storage accommodation for coal, but in view of tho fact that othor portions of tho Dominion were practically coalites ho would strenuously oppose storage of coal up to 10,000 tons by any local body fit the expense of ofher portions of the Dominion requiring •■oal. This was not the time to talk about providing storage accommodation, but a time, for securing outside coal in Miflieient quantities to augment local supplies and keep .industry and householders going. When this latter happy portion had been reached it would b& tijne to talk about storage accommodation.

A youth named Robert Nesbilt, Ifi years of age wa6 experimenting with some chemicals at his home. 178 Main Koad, Wnelestown, last evening, when an explosion occurred; and both his eyes were iniured He wns admitted to-the Hospital at fi.ls o'clock, but it is not. anticipated that his sight will be impaired.

Recently a leper wns discovered in the I backblocks of tho Tnumnrunui district, I and the Health Department hail the [patient, a Maori, brought to Wellington. To-dav he- will bo taken (o Lyttelton aboard the Jnnie Seddon, and transferred to Quail Island. A small shed has been erected at tl* stern of tho .Tame Seddon. This is believed to be the sixth ense of leprosy discovered in. JNcw Zealand, and tho case is not viewed, with alarm as the infcctivity of lenrosy is not lush- . . . "Viewing the general position in regard to tho supply of light and power, states the Christchurch City Councils annual report, "it cannot be doubted that the city has beliolitcd to an exceptional degree as a res"ult of the Lake Coleridge undertaking. Those industries elsewhere which are dependent,upon the coat supply are dither operating -under greatly increased working expenses, or have been hampered in their development, whereas there has been a continual expansion of .industrial activity in Christchurch, which will certainly be much more marked ns soon as further power is available." The receipts from the municipal baths in Christchurch during the last ollicial vcar amounted to £\s?i lis. 8(1. 'the attendances almost exactly doubled those of the previous year. The annual sports of «the Wellington Girls' College will be held Kelburn Park to-day. Parents nud ifends have been invited to attend during the afternoon.

The Bov. 1\ S. Kopfman was pelted with rotten, eggs by women at Washiiujton's Corners, a New Jersey summer resort, after ho had preached n sermon, in the Methodist Church there, condemning women for the scantiness of presentday apparel, says an exchange. "Some gins," declared the preacher, "near so few clothes that I think they must be tattoeil." Aftor ft scathing description of women's apparent immodesty in dress, exclaimed: "Look! This is uio way liiey sit in public placos.'' Ho sat down and crossed .his hijjs, with one foot extended outward at a considerable angle, exposing his socks, end I hen continued: "But J. suppose we must bow to tho constitutional amendment giving women the right (o vote." When iff. Kopfman left the church, and climbed into a motor-car, women in the streets pelted him with rotten eggs; decayed vegetables and stones. His car broke down,. and ho was rescued by a passing motorist. The women had' made ready for him at Washington's Coiners, because it was the second time lie i.ud made an effort there to start a crusade in favour of modesty in dress.

An inquest was lipid yesterday morntiig- by Mr. W. U. Riddell, S.M., into the circumstances attending the death of Eliza Jones, n widow, 58 years of age, in the hospital, on. November IG. Mrs. Jonos was staying with Mr. .and Jtrs. L'awthorpo at Waucsiown, and on Mm morning of October 1 sue went into the Pawthbrpe's bedroom and asked them to fend her to tho hospiiul, slating that *ne had "made a hole' in her throat. She was takon to the hospital, where it was discovered that she liad cut her throat, and through the wound in tho trachea had lost tha power of opening and closing the windpipe. The final cause of denth was the blocking of the windpipe, [t was stated that deceased had been very depressed since the death of her husband about twelve months ago. The Coroner found that deatli was due to nsiihvxia following a wound in the throat, self-i'nHicted, while in* a state of temporary mental depression.

The- Otago Education Board passed a motion yesterday, viewing with alarm Regulation 27, and entering an omphalic protest against the substitution of female assistants for males in large .schools. It also protested against, regulations of this kind boing brought into operation until considered by those who administer education. It was decided to ask other boards for their support.—Press Assn.

The loss which is being made by Hie Wellington tramways is exercising the minds of City Councillors a good deal just now, and in recent discussions at the council table the contention has beon put forward that, by decreasing the fares, the revenue would be increased, its more people would make use of ! the ears. According to the. latest issno to hand of "Tho Municipal Journal," statistics of London municipal concerns reveal the surprising fact that those boroughs supplying at the cheapest rates have made the largest profits, whilst those charging higher rates for electricity make a furthoT charge upon tho borough rates. The information available for the year ended March 31, 1919, and tabulated in order of the cheapness of supply, is as follows, the first figures being tho average price, the second the working costs per' unit, and the third tho surplus or delicit:- ■ Poplar, 1.18 d.. 1.06 d., .£8948 surplus; Hammersmith, 1.55dr, I.2Sd. s J11347 surpass Stepney, 1.G1d., 1.02 d„ .£22,215 surplus; Eulham, 1.03 d., 1.23 d., .£OOSB surplus tersea, 1.G1d., 1.23 d., .£lllß surplus; Hackney, LOW.,' O.Md., .£9308 surplus; St. Pancras, 2.10 d.. 1.89 d JBCL239 debet; Shoroditch, 2.1 W., 1.53 d., £-iS7 deficit; Uerinnndscv. 2.18 d.. 1.5 d„ .£16,9 sin-pus; Islington. 2.52 d.. 1.78'!., BUS surplus; Stoke" Newington, 2.78<U 2.24d,ffi50 detint- St Marylobone, 3.Ld., I.CGtI., 4:1(103 deficit; So.thwark, lUOd., 2.SM. JKIMI deficit; Harapstead, 3.7 M., 3.0 M., .£13,144 deficit.

The estaMishment of a Lloyds Aviation ■Record has been approved (says the 'Bulletin of (he. Department of Overseas Trade" • This is the iirst-frult* pf tho labours of a. sub-committee on aviation, assisted by a technical committee, estab?f«]i« "ome time ago,by the Committee nf lilovds', and including representatives of air'transport companies, aircraft conihuctors and underwriters. The hrst mr of the Bccord will shortly be issued to subscribers, tearing Information in rc'ncot to aircraft and piloU; nud it w in- & to follow this with further Informatioii as to technical personnel, aero- ?'„' alighting waters, air routes, fer--1„ Inwseto. T l'he scope pf the liccord will'be international,- and stops aro being ake. to establish Lloyds' nyia ion agents and "urvevors at homo and abroad. A dispute filed by the Wellinffton Sad,]W Industrial Union of Workers wul to heard bv the ConeiUalion Oojninwsfoner (Mr/ W.' Newton) at Wellington on December 3, Palmereten North on Decnmbci « Wai gomii on December 7, and o» December 9. The Wellington wholesale merchants' storemeii and l>nck--oVs' dispute will be heard by the Ooncilint'inn CiMincil on December 14. The Director of Forestry (Captain Ellis) is «t present paying an olhcinl visit to the South Island. Tie has arranged to inspect .portions of the Canterbury ami Westland forest reserves in company Willi rangers, chiefly for tho purpose of P>th«»'S information and formulating plans regarding timber sales. It is the poliov of the Forestry Department <o ste thai 'limber is cut to Iho.bosfc advantage, and that areas aro placed in tho hands of the sawmillors m accordance with o oompreh*n«TO «ehem«.