LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 67, 13 December 1920, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Tho Prime Minislor stated on Saturday that tho ftftonsion of tlv* butter equalisation fund to cover farm-made buttor was considered to be impracticable. Tho matter liad been considered, carefully, but the difficulties in the way of paying the subsidy in respect of farm-mado butter appeared to be insuperable. This butter was 'not graded, and as most of it was sold direct to tho storekeepers by the farmers, the Government could n(t check either the deliveries or tho quality.

Cabinet considered on Saturday tho sentence of death imposed on Samuel John Thorn, in connection with the Pukekawa murder. Tho decision of Cabinet has been referred now to the Executive Council.

The Prime Minister has agreed to rooeiva a deputation from tiro Central ProUipjw League* at 10 a.m. on lliursday, whnn the question of setting up a, commission of experts and business men from Ui* districts rtHicftnied in reference to the Eimutnka donation, will bo discussed. Tho deputation will also urge the re-ar-rangemont of the railway yards at Wellington, with a. view to ojrea'rly construction of the new railway station.

A Press Association message from Chvistchurcli nt&tes that owing to tho cmuent shortage, work has ceased at Otira.

Apparently puWio bathing is gaining ground in Christchurch It,™ reported to a meeting of the Christchurch City Council that the cash taken at the municipal baths in October amounted to £221 12s. 6d. In Octobet, 1919, tho .takings were only #168 09. Id. Sewn months of the current financial year aro now gone, and the bath takings to dato total 10s. Id. For tho first Boven months of tho last financial year tlte takings were ,£571 176. 3d.,.and for tho corresponding period of tho year before that JJ33S fls. Ed.

American timber will be in great demand ia New Zealand during the coining year, according to a dispatch received by the American Department of Commerce from Mr. A. A. Window, ConsulGeneral for New Zealand, suys flio Son Francisco "Commercial News." There is a Ricnt shortage of all kinds of building material in New Zealand, especially timber. Bays the dispatch. It seems clear that large quantities must be procured from tlio West Coast of the United States and Canada if buildine construction is to bo carried out as contemplated within the next few years. There is a great shortage- of homes for the working people as well as offioo and other business structures, warehouses, and schools. The accessible forests of the Dominion are exhausted, and little other than the, Tougher materials for construction work nro available. A large corporation has been organised with headquarters in Auckland, and has sent a representative to the West Coast of ttiie United States and Canada to arrango for a supply of timber from there. II; is clnimod that New Zealand withm tho next two or three years could consume 40,000,000 ft. or 50,000,000 ft. of Umber from America.

The statement thai! it is proposed to remove tho table used in connection with the signing of tho Treaty of Waitangi from the north of Auckland to tho Parliament Buildings in Wellington was referred to by the Mayor of Auckland on Friday (states the "Now Zcnland Herald").' "If such a table still exists, said! Mr. Gunson, "it rightly belongs to the Auckland province, as it is an article of historic value directly associated with this province. If its whereabouts can be ascertained an endeavour will be made to secure it for tho Auckland War Memorial Museum. It is not a question of provincial rivalry, but one of tho most fitting resting-place of a memento of one of the most important events in the history of tho Auckland province. It is truo that the Treaty of Waitangi is a national document; but ill is specially connected with the Auckland district, which has always been essentially tho home of Maori associations."

With Tespect to the new To Aro Infant School, to bo erected on ilhc eaol site, the Minister of Education (Hon. C J Parr) has announced that the architects of the Education Department and the Wellington, Education Board report that the site "-will carry a further room As a result, the Minister has decided to ask the Education Board- to prepare fresh plans, to include a fifth room, 3'ft by 24fit in size,.to be used for free exercises and kindergarten work. This decision has been made largely m deference to the wishes of theschool committee and experienced infant mistresses, who made representations to the Minister. . A motor-van from Wanganui, loaded with bottles, was descending a hill at Patea when one of the steering rods broke-, causing tho van to become unmanageable. As a result It. turned sharply at right angles, throwin K the whole' weieht on to one of the hind wheels, causing it to crumple up and turn the van completely upside down. Its fwo occupants wpre flirown underneath, Imt fortunately there was a large covered top which enabled the occupants to crawl out little the' worse for the accident.

V suggest'on has been made to the Minister of Education by the Epuni School Committee that the Prince of Wales's message, to the school children of New Zealand'should be_ issued in a more permanent form than in the School Journal, where it is apt to be lost or defaced. The Minister has- replied that he considers tho messaee of such worth that it should bo kept as a permanent record in the schools. He is submitting the proposal to tho Education Department.

The growth, of a pvenfc daily when it succeeds is very well illustrated by the success that Ims attended the "Melbourne Iferald" of recent years. At the annual meeting a/week or two back the chairman, nf directors (Mr. Theodore Fink) was able to nnsaimce that the latest figures showed a sale of oyer a million a week, which was probably the firealest circulation of anv daily newspaper in Australia. Mr. Fink also spoke of the increasing cost of conducting a daily journal on modern lines. He snid that the present cost—apart from that of paper—of running a newspaper was as great per day as it was for a whole week comparatively a few years ago. Although the price of paper would probably" fall to some extent in the future, other costs would not—in fact, the tendency was for tliem still to mount.

Tenders are being invited by the Public Works Department for the supply of Portland cement. This has beep found nocossary on account of the shqrtago of cement in New Zealand. Offers havo been received by the Government for the supply of Norwegian and Canadian ce. vnent, but they have not been accepted. Should the Public Works Department decide to purchase other than English or New Zealand cement in order that works in hand mnv not be retarded a test would have to be given of the quality, and in addition a further test would be taken by the Departmental officers when a shipment arrived. The Tenders Board having recommended tho Government to accept the tender of Messrs. Snedding. Ltd.. of Auckland, for a supply of prepared roofing, a contract has heon entered into with that firm for one thousand rolls at 425. per roll, the total 'contract price being J52100.

Some difficulty wns experienced by Mr. Justice. Hcrdiuuii during the proceedings of the Supreme Court in Christchurck in ascertaining the law in respect of admitting offenders to probation (state an exchange). No copy of the Act passed last session could be produced in court, but after some delay a copy of the Act was cot from the Magistrate's Court;, and His Honour was ablo to give the prisoner the benefit of the latest legislation and admit him to probation. Under tho law' as it stood prior to last session's amendment the prisoner would .not have been entitled to probation.

The "Donbank" Boardinghonee was Aliened by tho Y.M.C.A. as a hostel for young men and boys in June last. Within u month (tho annual report of the association states) the hostel was full, and has remained so over since. The Humorous applications for residence in this hostel that have had to be declined bore witness to the need that existed for such provision. By special arrangement with the Public Service Commissioner, boys coming to tho city to take up positions in the Public Service were net at the boat or train and assisted in every way possible to get settled down. The policy of the association was always to give preference to boys nnd .voting mon with small incomes. When selected older men were taken into residence, it was for the nurpose of maintainine discipline and exercising a good influence. The board endeavoured to keep the hostel work of the association on a selfsupportinc basis. This was not always the easy task some would imagine. At. Willis Street and tho hostel, the association had now 155 boys and young men in residence.

The celebration of Queen Alexandra's birthday recalled to Major D, H. Lusk a strange incident connected with the celebration, in Auckland of tho marriage of tho late King Edward VII and the Danish Prince?? (says the "New Zealand Herald"). When the news of tho marriage reached Auckland in May, 18S3, the settlers of the district docided to colcbrate the event by lighting bonfires on the prominent hills. Major Lusk was then living at Mauku, near Pukckohe, and was officer in command of the volunteer corps, formed at tho outbreak of the Waikato War just a short time beforeHo and his neighbours proceeded to Bald Sill and there lit a bonfire. Returning Into in tho evening to his farm wWh ono or two companions he met a party of some 15 Maoris, some of them armed, who had evidently been to his house. He had a ■strong suspicion that there was trouble in the wind, and, as was subsequently discovered, tho Maoris had decided to kill the pakchas that night. The bonfires blazing on tho hills had puzzled them, however. They had thought that I'hß bonfires indicated t'hat the settlers hand go wind of the attack, and were preparing a counter-blast. Not then knowing this, Major Lusk decided' to put up a "bluff." He demanded to know what they were doing about his place at that >tinio of night. They roplicd that they ! had thought 'by the tires that the pakelias | were going to do something against them. Mnjor Lusk, carrying on the "bluff," said that if thov behaved themselves nothing would bo done against them,. but that if they did not, something would be done. 'The Maoris then went away and, speedily organising, tho settlers drove thorn out of tho district. Thus- through the celebration of the marriage of Queen Alexandra the lives of the settlers hi that district were undoubtedly saved.

Conditions in China, owing to famine, are graphically described by Mr. John Falls, an Aucklandcr, who has been attached to the- China- Inland Mission in Hie province of Shansi, North China, for obout twenty-five years. In a letter to his brother, who resides in Mr. Vails says:—"Tho famine in tho provinces of Chl-l'i, Shantung, and North Honan is terrible. Over large tracts of country the people Have had no harvest for a whole year—people who always live from hand to mouth. Even the seed grain has had' to be catcu, and now that splendid rains luivo come and autumn wheat can bo planted they have no seed to plant in order to savo tho lives of the children, many parents are selling them for a mere pittance-two or three- dollars. Hub opens the war for unscrupulous dealers to traffic in-- children. Just think, it will bo ci"ht months at least, even in. Honan, before the wheat that is now being sown can be reaped! The reports are that 10 000,000' are involved. Imt at a moderate estimate some 20,000,000 liavo no food and will need relief immediately. Many have already died', .and thousands have had to leave their homes and emigrate, under the hardest conditions, to adjacent provinces. To give a moderate measure ot relief to all the hungry, it is estimated it will take .£25,000,000, but a cum »!«» that is not easily raised in a hurry. Ai tho officials in'Shansi are assessing tlemselves, and 6ur Governor alone, has given JiiiiOO. Peking is-making (l great ettort, and the whole foreign community in the nnrts is organising anS giving liberally. Very Extensive relief works are being organised to provide work for tho mcn."Ncw Zealand Herald.-