LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 80, 29 December 1920, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Port Nicholson, which loft Sydney for Auckland on December, 25, is bringing large English and American mails. The Wellington portion is due here either on Thursday or Friday.

The Court of Arbitration ( has decided that Wellington traniwaymcn are to recive a bonus of 3s. per week. The order will operate as from November 1.

The Auckland Choral Society has advised Mr. AV. E. Caldow, of Wellington, that it does not propose to participato in the festivals to be given in 1922, under an arrangement with Mr. Frnser Gauge, as it doubts whether there would be sufficient interest, in the event to ensure it being a financial success on, the basis submitted. It is'hoped that another Auckland organisation mny be induced to take up the project which has so much to commend it from a musical standpoint.

Mr. Fraser Gange, the English baritone, has great confidence in the future of New Zealand, l'rom the stamina of the people and the general productiveness of the soil he holds the idea that Now Zealand, strategically, isolated from any mainland, is destined to be another England in the south. He has so much confidence in the Dominion that he has invested in a block'of land near Christchurch which at present is planted with 20,000 pinus insignis trees.

Vincent Stanislaus, a barman at the Xow Commercial Hotel. wan arrested yesterday on charges laid under the Gaming Act. John Martindater who was also in the hotel, enwavoured to make his escape, but was napWrcd by Chief Detective. Ward and similarly charged. The two men will appear in the Magistrate's Court this morning. <"

Mr. Herbert G. Smith, J.P., presided al a sitting of the .Mount Cook Police Court yesterday, when fifteen inebriates were paraded, thirteen being first offenders. Six of\ those charged failed to appear, and their bail of 10s. each was forfeited. The rest were convictod and discharged.

An Auckland remit to the Now Zealand Women Teachers' Conference, to be held this week, rends: "That in order to secure a solid foundation for primary education, it is desirable that infant departments of all higher grade primary schools be stalled at least as liberally as would t'e the case if they were separate schools, and that this staffing be, as in the case of side schools, without p-ejudice to the staffing of each school as a whole."

The Arawa's complement of immigrants appeared to be a thoroughly satisfactory class of settler (states the Auckland "Herald"). They worn a well-dressed and well set up looking party Here and there the gleam of a medal ribbon on .1 man's vest Showed his war service. 'J'Jif testimony of the ship's officers was that they were the best lot that bad been carried. The vessei, was a happy ship, being favoured with good weather, particularly after leaving the Panama 7.0110. Christmas Day was celebrated, on board on t'lie day on which the ship mado port. There were plenty of sturdy, happy-look-ing children among the party to niakn the Christmas seem a real one. The arrival of those new settlers who wer» awaited by friends a I ready ui tho country occasioned a number of happy littlo reunions on the wharf immediately tho vessel berthed. A largo crowd gathered butsido the wharf gates as tho Arawji was moving in. By the time she wa.« made fast there was an animated seen* at the ship side, with the exohange of .greetings. The Customs oinoe-re had gone aboard earlier, so .that all was in readiness for the disembarkation. Tho gangway was promptly let down, and an immediate rush shoreward began. Party of tor party came down with their luggage, passed the examining officer?, and were promptly swallowed by the growing crowd. All the arrangements narked smoothly, and, amid scenes of greetings from the shore crowd and farewells among fellow-passengers, the ship was speedily cleared' of those whose iiome she had been for just over m weeks.

Time was (wiiteiTaTorrcspondent) when Christmas was marked in Wellington by a profuse decoration of the shops along tho main streets. for two or three days' before Christmas Kvo lorries and expresses used to vißit the nearest available native bush and bring in ferns of various' kinds, lycopodium, and other greenery, and every snop-iroiit -was enframed with the spoils oil the forest. This idea, whilst it was picturesque for the day,'helped very largely to despoil what little bush was left. This Clinstuas was a fernlcss one. The remaining areas of bush at Wadestown, Khandallah, and Day's Bay have been created reserves, and it is a serious oifeneo to intcrioro in nny way with nature's handiwors thereon.

Among the remits to bo submitted to the New Zealand Women Teachers' Con ference this week, is the following:— "That tho poor physique and manifest delicacy of several rocont entrants to the teaching profession is a matter of grave concern; in the interests of. the school children, of the candidates themselves, njid of tho ratepayers of the Dominion, therefore, this association urges that tho preliminary medical examination be ot a more seardhing nature."

It was alleged that a number of calves had died at the Govemniont model dairy farm in Hit. 'l'aranaki district through cftting- the foliage of blackberry bushes, which had been sprayed with a weedkilling composition (states the Auckland "Herald"). Investigations were made V? a Department stock inspector, who loamt that only one calf had died, and there was no ovidenco that its death was caused by eating poisoned leaves.

The great factor in tl\o cost of timber is wages (states the Dunedin "Star"). On I'his point a well-verified experience may ho quoted. A certain sawmill manager has kept figures which show that in 1915 his fourteen men put out 150,000 ft, .in a month, and drew ns pay £U per man. In 1919 ho had twenty-seven men working, and they produced between 80,000 ft. and' 100,000 ft., boing paid .£26 per month. The pay in each case included housing and firing.

How in years of adolescence people drift, from Hie Church is revealed in information given by the Rev. T. N. Cuttle, of Groymouth. Speaking regarding infant baptism, ho stated that of every 100 the Church statistics revealed only forty passed' through the Sabbath school and only ten become church membcra. lie claimed that young people were not being sufficiently shepherded by tti« Church.

A Vress Association telegram from Timaru states that the Aviation Co 6ent a 'plane to the Dunedin races. Two passengers left Timaru at 10.45, and arrived iw'/ore the first race, returning after the races. The passengers had a good trip both ways. The trip took 95 minutes to Dunedin City going down, and 70 minutes from the city returning, and 95 minutes from the course. The machine bad to rise to' 7000 feet to get above a fog on the Teturn journey.

Has tho.Gerniun chemist discovered thesecret of the diamond? Some time ago there were rumours, which could not be continued ut the time, that uu important Gorman firm hud uot ouiy acquired a patent for the production of those precious stones, but had actually manufactured diamonds in such quantities as to warrant the conviction that yet unother of nature's <mysteriej had been definitely unveiled, writes Mr. George Renwick from Berlin ■to a London paper. Diamonds- have, of course, been produced artificially before. now, but only in such uuprofitably minute crystals that the process could not be termed definite or even successful. Humours about the latest discovery havo been vague, but it is now known that the linn in question is a dynamite company, formerly Alfred Nobel, of Hamburg. No details are available as to the nature of tho process, though it is believed to diffor' very considerably from those 'hitherto tried. It is stated, that not only have many diamonds of good size already been produced by it, but also that the cost of production is such that it will be possible to make theni- very piofitobly. In quality, too, the artificial stones are said to bo equal to any which come from tho mines Cost of production, of course, is considerable, but still very much lower than the ruling market price. In tho diamond market, which is naturally highly interested and not a little alarmed at the news, it is stated to-day that it.is believed that the price will bo as much as 40 por cent lower. The company referred to has not 'yet sold any diamonds, and is producing only at tho rate of a few hundred carats daily. Only a few privileged exports have, been permitted, so far, to see tho manufactured stones. When-they will be placed on the market, is a point on which no information- can be obtained. It is hoped there will soon bo a weekly production of between 20,000 and 30.000 carats. .