LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 101, 22 January 1921, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Postal authorities have been advised that the s.s. Moeraki left Sydney at 11 a.in. on January 20 for Wellington. She carries 210 bags of mails, including three bags from Africa and seven bogs from San Francisco.Thefts of timber from buildings in course of construction are causing builders some concern of late. One city firm has lost quite a quantity of timber from its timber yard owing to night thefts, and has decided to put on special men to watch the yards at night, in the hope of catching the culprits. The contractors for the new Technical College, now being erected tit the Mount Cook barracks. have found it necessary to put on a night watchman, on account of the quantity of timber stolen within the past month.

Regulations for the employment and payment of itinerant teachers appear in the Gazette issued last evening. Such teachers must give house-to-houso instruction to pupils ot school age in isolated districts, and must give instruction for not less than 20 sours on not less than five days in the week. Tho salary is fixed at £2OO, with £5O travelling allowance.

According to statistics published in I the Gazette, the total number of persons I who arrived in the Dominion during 1920 was 44,062, and the departures during tho year numbered 32,924, the excess of arrivals over departures for the year being 11,138, as compared with 1054 in 1919, and 246 in 1918. Of the total, 12,340 persons arrived from the United Kingdom, and 3995 departed therefor during tho year. From the Commonwealth the arrivals were 26,125 persons, and the departures thereto, 23,768. Arrivals and departures from and to other countries were 5597 and 5761 respectively. Of the 44,062 persons who came to New Zealand last year, 6216, or 14.11 per cent., were children under 12 years of ago; and of the 32,924 departures the children numbered 3479, or 10.56 per cent. The figures show that of the 44,062 persona who arrived, 20,957 landed at Auckland and 21,189 at Wellington. Of the 32,924 departures, 12,967 left from Auckland, and 18,794 from Wellington. The Chinese arrivals numbered 1477, and tho departures 380. The annual meeting of the Board of Governors of the New Zealand Institute will take place this morning. The Early Settlers’ Association invite all pioneer settlers, members of the association, and friends to their gathering on the Observatory Reserve this afternoon Should the weather prove unfavourable, the gathering will be held in tho helburn Kiosk. It is notified in the Gazette that the fees for private letter boxes have been revised, and are now as follow: —At places where there ie a postman’s delivery, for boxes of the usual size, 30s. per annum; for larger-sized boxes, £3; where there is no postman's delivery the fees are 10s. and 20s. respectively. The Minister of Internal Affairs (Hon. G. J. Anderson) returned to 'Wellington yesterday after a visit to Marlborough and Nelson. While in Marlborough he conferred with members of the several river boards regarding a scheme for the creation of a single controlling authority. He also met members of the county councils, and suggested some amalgamations. Marlborough has a great many local bodies, and it is considered that their number ought to be reduced in the interests of efficiency and economy. Later the Minister conferred with the authorities controlling the Cawthron Institute at Nelson regarding some research matter*. General Headquarters instructions issued yesterday state that advice has hecn received iroin the War Office that officers and attested other ranks permanently appointed to the staffs of military < transports plying overseas and carrying out such duties between August 5 1914, and November 11, 1918, are eligible for the award of the British War and Victory Medals.

The consent of the Government has been obtained by the undermentioned local bodies to raise loans, as follow:— Dunedin City, -1'35,000; Tuakau Town Board, JC7000; Waiaptt County, £8500; Feilding Borotigh, .£6500; Franklin County, .£3000; Tokom«iriro River Board, £2500; Whakatane Borough, £3500; Opotiki County, .£2455; St. Kilda Borough, £3200: Marton Borough, .£2000; Kaitieke County, .£5000; Stratford County, .£1700; Cook County, .£750; Ohura County, £400; Warkworth Town Board, £330; Piaka Country, £300: Clifton County, £900; Hungahunga Drainage Board, £l3O.

The following resolutions wane carried at a meeting of the Workers' Educational Association last evening:—“That this meeting of the Wellington District Council of the W.E.A. strongly resents the unjustifiable attack made by the Chancellor and some members of the University Senate by conveying to tho public the idea that The W.E.A. lias been carrying on revolutionary propaganda instead of performing tho eincational work for which it was founded ” "That the WIE.A. welcomes the appointment by the >Senate of a committee of inquiry into the way in which tha funds provided for W.E A. purposes nave been used by the colleges, and as Tnaccurate statements about the W.E.A. will do harm to that organisation urges that a committee should be set up At once to report at an early date.” Representatives of the Otago MeCMcai School and the Otago University Interviewed tho Prime Minister and the Minister of Health yesterday in support of the request for extensive additions to the Medical School. The plana for these additions have been in the hands of the Health Department for some time, but they have not yet been approved, owing chiefly to the very large amount of money involved. The cost of the extensions is estimated at something like £70,000. Mr. Massey and Mr. Parr are to be in Dunedin early next month, and they will then go into the question on the spot.

The regulations for the grading of teachers appeared in the Gftzette issued last night. The inspectors of each education district, acting together, are empowered to assign grading marks to all the certificated teachers employed iti the public schools by the education boar# of the district on December 31 preceding, and forward such grading marks to the director through the senior inspector. “An absolute farce and a waste of public money,” was the criticism levelled nt the present system of medical inspection of country schools by the Awakeri Committee in a communication to the Auckland Education Board this week. The letter referred to a recent visit of the medical inspector, and stated that about half an hour was spent in the Rcho.ol by the inspector and a nurse, only a small percentage of the children being examined. It wo? doubtful whether any other school was examined that day, and therefore it was said more time might have been spent at the Awaken school. Half an hour was considered too little to spend in a country school. Tho whole arrangement was unsatisfactory. Mr. R. C. Smith said the school committee had informed him that the whole thing was a huge farce, and the way in which the examination was carried through was a disgrace. The chairman said tho board would discuss the matter after the medical inspector had reported. —"New Zealand Herald.”

A Press Association telegram from Masterton states that a lad named Bob Hutchison, of Christ’s College, Christchurch, fell from a horse while riding at Blairlogio, and sustained severe injuries to hie head. He is in a critical condition

The Iqt of tho New Zealander who attempts to settle in the Old Country is apparently not always a happy one, judging from letters just received from one who has tried England and found her sadly "wanting.” Writing in Novemberone of the worst months of the year in Great Britain —tho adventurer confides to an Auckland friend: “I can assure you that after many months of dull, leaden skies, biting cold, and nover a gleam of sunshine, anything which recalls to me my associations with New Zealand is a real pleasure. England as a land to visit during the summer is most interesting, and in parts inspiring. London, for instance, with its historic buildings, its immensity and its grandeur. I found most impressive. But as a land in which to found a home in tho hope of being surrounded with such amenities of life as I found in New Zealand, England is a long way behind the Dominion.” In addition to his disgust with "the wretched climate,” the writer states that he has found himself utterly opposed to English life and social conditions. He concludes by declaring: "The idea of another November here is unthinkable.” Regarding tho cost of living, his wife says her domestic accounts aro double those she paid in New Zealand. Their house, without a scrap of land, costing nearly £2 per week, and income tax of £1 per week are among th“ other unpleasant surprises for these colonials abroad.—Auckland "Star. 1 * The Eastbourne Ferry Company’s timetable for to-day i» advertised in this issue.

"The showers we have had all over the country have meant the salvation of the harvest," said a member of the Farmers’ Union to the Auckland "Star” on Tuesday. "A couple of weeks ago there was some apprehension in Canterbury and in the North Island —in the Wellington district. Even in our own Auckland province dairy farmers, who expect an altogether exceptional season, were a little apprehensive for the outcome. But now all that is gone. The rain of tho last fortnight or so will mako an astonishing difference to the milk yield and to the prospects for the autumn. Its is the same in Canterbury, I see. The barley, wheat, peas, ana potato crops have been immensely benefited by the rains, and that means money to the country. Agriculture is our largest single industry, but it is odd that a strike in a. coal mine is made such a fuss of when you think that a 'go-slow' policy by the clouds may cost ,a million times greater loss to tlie country.” Proposals have been submitted to the Commonwealth Ministry, and are now under consideration, which, if adopted, will shorten the time occupied in travelling from I/ondon to Melbourne to 20 days, says the “Ae’o." The scheme has nothing to do with modern aeroplanes, but is a proposition involving the use of an improved type of triple expansion steam engine with the application of a similar class of engine to the locomotive of the transcontinental railway. The proposition has bean. made by the AVerry Engine Syndicate, Ltd., and the original patents were Australian. It is proposed to provide for the Australian trade vessels of 13,500 tons and 576 feet in length. These, propelled by engines of 34,000 horse power, would, it is claimed, bo capable of a speed of 25 knots an hour on tho run from Suez to Fremantle. Passengers would leave London by the overland route, and travel by that means to Brindisi, there board a 23-knot vessel to Port Said, and there tranship to a 25knot vessel for Fremantle. Tho proposition is that these vessels, capable of accommodating 758 passengers, should be owned and run by tlio Commonwealth Government. The Werry engines, it is claimed, lend themselves equally well to railway locomotive work, and the proposals submitted contain a suggestion for the building of several engines capable of n speed of 85 miles an 'hour, reducing the time occupied in the overland journey considerably. From the Duntroon Military College IO cadets were turned out this year as fledgling officers, and already these are entering upon the' last phase of their training which will prepare them for actual work with the Australian military forces. This last phase, however, is regarded us one of the most important periods of training. It includes service with the regular forces of Great Britain in various parts of the Empire. Of the 40 young officers nine were New Zealanders. Of the remaining 31, who were Australians, 10 will leave for England shortly for artillery training and one for training with the engineers. Of tho remainder, who are to be trained with infantry and cavalry regiments, 18 are to leave for India shortly, and one each for Singapore and Hong Kong. In every case the period of training with the overseas forces is one year, and at the completion of this last phase of the Duntroon graduate’s career the young <fficer returns to the Commonwealth to take his part in the training and administration of the Australian citizen forces.

The Tramways Military Band will play at Lyall Bay to-morrow- afternoon.