LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 94, 14 January 1921, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Postal authorities have received advice from Sydney that the e.s. Kauri sailed from Newcastle for Auckland on January 10. • She carries a small mail for Wellington and the south. The secretary of the Wellington Master Butchers’ Association recently wrote to tho Mayor of Wellington, expressing the desire of the members of the association that His Worship should declare Monday, January 24, as the day on which Anniversary Day is to be observed. Mr. Luke has replied as follows: —“I regret to inform you that I cannot see my way to comply with your request. ... I would point out that the first New Zealand settlers landed in Wellington on January 22, and that this historic event has a wider application than a purely Wellington one.” A warning to shipping to keep a lookout for floating mines oft' the New South Wales coast is conveyed in a notification from the Naval authorities in Wellington. It is reported that mines have been seen at 36.12 degrees south and 150.19 degrees east. This is a vicinity of the. point of the coast touched by the border-line between New South Wales and Victoria. Capo Howe and Gabo Island, near which several mines were discovered during the war, are situated here.

To discover upon opening a case of goods containing gloves and hosiery from England, that practically two-thirds of the contents were missing, was the experience of a Petone business man, MrJ. R. Carey, on TuVd-ay. It is estimated that over £lO worth of goods had been stolen.

In the Wellington district there were ten bankruptcies during the past year, and eight during 1919. Only one bankruptcy occurred in December last, while in December of the previous year no bankruptcy was recorded. The 1918 total was 15

Field-Marshal Earl Haig, who will preside at tho conference of ex-soldier organisations to bo held in South Africa in February, has cabled as follows to headquarters of the N.Z.R.S.A.: "Hope New Zealand will be represented Empire Conference Cape Town February 23.” The association is sending n reply to the effect that two New Zealand delegates will be present. Messrs. Leadley and Knight, the delegates in question, will leave Wellington for Sydney on January 20, and' Will complete the journey to South Africa in the Ceramic.

Mr. Sieve Boreham. of Dunedin, has (slates a Press Association telegram £x«'m Dunedin) been elected one of the two New Zealand delegates to the annual convention of the Australian Workers’ Union, to bo held al. the end of the month.

The Wellington 'branch of the Returned Soldiers’ Association is engaged at present in shifting from the building in Lamhton Quay to iis new quarters m Brandon Street, in the premises recently leased from the City Council. The building xs not new, but the quarters to b»> occupied by the AV.U.S.A. have been renovated and should be a satisfactory substitute for the old home. The ground floo’r portion is devoted to the offices of the association, including the Laud Mid Property Bureau, but the headquarters of the N.Z.U.S.A. have been removed to offices in AY right, .Stephenson’s building, together with "Quick March,” the U.S.A. journal. On the first floor- of the elobhousc extensive alterations have provided for a billiarxk-i'oom and library, am! lounge, dining-room, ami kitchen, and the necessary appurtenances. The leqse of the next floor does not fall in until later. The general style of decoration is in panelled wall boards, distempered above a dado in stained woods. It is simple, yet effective. The pictures and photographs, with the addition of an enlargement of a photograph of General Richardson and a photograph of Miss Stevens, who did yeoman service for returned soldiers as honorary typiste at the old clubhouse, are now peing installed, and on Monday the new chile house will be opened to members. The change is expected to prove beneficial to the branch financially, and after a period of years the association proposes, under the lease, to erect a large block of modern office buildings, including full a<j commodation for a clubhouse.

In the Gazette issued last evening, tils notified that the Government has consented to the Invercargill Borough Council raising £81,600 for the purposes of tramway improvements, street improvements, waterworks, etc., and for the raising of a loan of £125,000 by the Tauranga Harbour Board for harbour improvements.

The north-western side of portion of Nornianby Street, AVellington, is, according to a notice in the Gazette, exempted from the provisions of section 117 of the Public AVorks Act, 1908, subject to the condition that no building or part of a building shall at any time be erected on the north-western side within a distance of 30ft. from the centre line of the street.

Routine orders at the G.H.Q. School, Trentham Camp, contain special regulations governing bathing parades. Instructors are responsible for detailing those who are to go bathing. A squad commander will be appointed fox- each *squad and must make out a roll before moving off and hand it to the officer ox- sergeant-major in charge. All cadets must be paited off, and the pairs must keep together the whole time, both during undressing and in the water, and until Vheif return to camp. The officer oi' n.c.o, 'in charge must divide the party into: 1, good swimmers; 2. poor swimmer's. Only good swimmers will bo allowed to bathe ,in the .soldiers’ pool. The poor swimmers are to bathe below the soldiers’ pool. Boys who cannot swim will not be allowexl to go bathing in the river. Two sergeants-major instructors must accompany each parade, and remain on the bank at a point of good observation.

"The extraordinarily long-growing season, and the remarkable sustained performance of many exotic tx-ees results in really wonderful returns,” remarked t'he Director of Forestry (Captain M'lntosh Ellis) in his address to the Nurserymen’s Conference yesterday, in referring to New Zealand trees. “Where else in the world are better wood yields obtained than here, where from 75,000 to 200,000 superficial feev per acre are secured for a thirty-year rotation of pinus insignis? I challenge the production of better results abroad than have been obtained in such State plantations as those ail Rotorua, and at Hanmer Springs. There are indeed many other similar examples, too numerous to mention, in New Zealand. In New Zealand the growing of forest trees fox- profit by the individual is a sountl and remunerative business. I am satisfied that with persistent (presentation of the facts and the profitableness of the business, a long and growing interest will be taken by farmers, settlers, local bodies, private companies, and syndicates in systematic planting.”

A tribute was paid by the president of the New Zealand Association of Nurserymen (Mr. R. Nairn) yesterday to the general excellence of the flora of AVellingten parks- Anybody interested in hor:s- - would, he remarked, be able to satisfy their tastes by a visit to the city reserves, whether their fancy lay in the direction of native plants, bedding plants, or pot plants, all of which were well represented. “I commend members of the conference,” he said, “to visit the public gardens in AVellington if they get a chance. They will be well rewarded.”

“If we don’t eliminate it, then it will soon eliminate us.” remarked Air. T. Waugh (Lower Hutt) at yesterday’s Bitting of the Nurserymen's Conference in speaking to a motion in favour of the adoption of the most drastic measures possible to eliminate the fire-blight from New Zealand. The motion was carried and the executive was empowered to take such action as it might deem necessary to support the Central Fire-blight Committee and the Fruitgrowers’ Federation in the fight to eradicate the pest. The conference also endorsed the action of the executive in asking the Government for compensation for nurserymen whose nuscries have been quarantined owing to the outbreak of fire-blight in their districts.

A resolution was passed at yesterday’s pitting of the New Zealand Association of Nurserymen urging the Government to establish a school of horticulture.

Practically everyone in Hastings, except, of course, recent arrivals, will remember the two Russian brothers named "Nevidge, who earned their living 'by hawking, principally wool skins (states tho “Hawkd’s Bay Herald”). These two brothers came to New Zealand some time ago, and were almost ns well known in Hastings as the proverbial town clock, their horse and cart and themselves being a very familiar party. Several months ago, they received a call back io Russia, and, as far as can be ascertained, went back to the army. Their experiences in Russia read almost like fiction, but what befel them is recorded in a communication to a friend in Hastings, and givep a good idea, of the slate of affairs existing in Russia. When the brothers got back to Russia, one of (hem, Barry, found that his wife and two children had died of starvation. They evidently then went to live with two other brothers, and according to the information received, these two brothers owned a cow, which one day,,was asked for by a party of Poles. The brothers asked what die cow was wanted for, and the answer came from two rifles, and two dead men resulted After this Hie two brothers who left Hastings evidently separated, for one of them has not been heard of since, and the other has re-married, and is now on his way back to New Zealand.

The immigration and emigration returns for the past month show that 3366 persons arrived in New Zealand, as compared with 3465 in December, 1919, nnd that the departures numbered 2864, against 2442. The excess of arrivals oyer departures last month was 502, while in December, 1919, the difference was 1023. Thirty Chinese arrived last month and fifty left our shores. . Can you invent a time-saving device? Perhaps you have an idea that will develop into a money-making invention. If you have, protect it by patent right. Consult Henry Hughes, Limited, Patent Attorneys, 157 Featherston Street, Wellington.’ Write or call for free booklet, “Advice to Inventor*.”—Adri.

A Chinaman, named Su Mee, aged 80, and residing at 44 Haining Street, was admitted to the hospital at 3.30 yesterday suffering from a fracture of the right arm, caused through being knocked down by a motor-car in Tory Street.

The following telegram from Mr. Wrigley, of Timaru. was received by the Secretary to the General Post Office yesterday morning: “DH9 flew from Invercargill to Stewart Island this morning. Dropped morning papers. Did not land. Good trip. Great possibilities.” Before the war a considerable quantity of fruit was exported by New Zealand to South America, and a valuable trade was being built up. Shipping difficulties in the war period put a stop to this trade, and the lack of shipping has since prevented its revival. Tim Fruitgrowers’ Federation, which waited upon the Minister of Industries and Commerce (Hon. E. P. Lee) yesterday morning, asked the Minister’s assistance in re-establishing the trade. Mr Longton, president of the federation, said that about 60.000 cases ware exported to South America each veai- before the war. the exnort season being from February to May. If othei lines than fruit could be discovered as suitable for the South American trade, it would be an inducement to the shipping companies to put on steamers. He suggested that hemp and binder twine could be taken, and. perhaps, butter and cheese. There had also been inaniries for New Zealand rugs. The Department of Industries and Commerce, might .assist in finding such lines. Mr. Longton also asked that the Minister should do his best to secure better terms of freight throivdi the Prime Minister for the fruit export trade with Great Britain. The Minister paid he would have both matters looked into. The Secretary of the Department (Mr. J. W. Collins) said that the Department was already investigating the possibilities of trade with South America.

The incorporation of the Rangitikei Agricultural and Pastoral Society appears in the Gazette issued last evening. The Commissioner of Taxes <Mr. D. G. Clark), at the suggestion of the New Zealand Society of Accountancs, lias agreed to visit the principal centres' in the Dominion about March or April nex to discuss with professional and business men the effects of the recent amendments to the I,and and Income Tax Act. Mr. Clark will abo sei out the Department s attitude on any questions brought befox-e him. Details of place and time of meeting will he advertised later. The Medical Practitioners’ Register and the Dentists’ Register appear m yie Gazette issued last evening The lists of names cover 66 pages of the Gazette. letters of Naturalisation have been issued to Charles John Johnson (Swedish), Island Bay; Vincenzo Montaperto (Italian), Napier, and Josef Leonarxl Tscliuwperlin (known as Joseph Leonard Chamberlain) (Swiss), farmers, of Oeo-

Regulations for deer shooting in die Nelson, Feilding, Otago districts and the Fiordland National Park,' Southland, have been gazetted.

A. Press Association telegram from Oiaki states that a proposal to form Otaki into a borough was carried on AVcdnesday by 295 votes to 117 against.

Many people still believe that thirteen is'an' unlucky number. Among them are the members of “T'he Man 1' rom Toronto” Company, which passed through AVellington yesterday ('January 13). According io schedule, they were to arrive from ths south in time to connect with the 7.50 a.m. train for Masterton, where they were due to play last evening. The Maori arrived too late foxsuch expedition, and they made an endeavour to catch the 10 a.m. train “over the hill,” but as the steamer only made the wharf at 9.55 a.m., the members of the company arrived at the station pel' motor-cars just in time to see the train disappearing in the distance. Mr. AVxlliam Russell, the manager, made a hasty arrangement to have the train delayed at Petone, and sent the company careering after it in motor-cars. As there was no time to shift luggage ox- scenery, Mr. Russell remained behind, secured the clothes for the players from several trunks, anti left' early in the afternoon per car for Masterton. The scenery and what is left of the wardrobe will pursue the company to Hastings to-day.