LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 131, 26 February 1921, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Postal authorities have received advice from Sydney that the s.s. Marmua sailed at 4 p.in. on Wednesday for Wellington. She carries about 200 bags of Australian mail' for New Zealand. The Manuka sailed from Sydney nt 11 p.m. on Thursday for Wellington. She carries 83 bugs of Australian mail for New Zealand.

A conference of delegates from the election committees of Councillors Norwood, M’Kenzie, and Wright was held last night. Mr. IV. E. Jackson presided. It was decided to invite three delegates from the Greater Wellington Election Committee to meet in conference on Monday night with the three sub-committees representing the candidates named, in order to make a final selection. Mr. F. Meadowcroft is to be asked to preside at the conference.

A Press Association message from Auckland state that H.M.S. Chatham will leave for Wellington at 1 o’clock this morning.

A. report is being prepared by Mr. Al. Cable (electrical engineer) on the handling of coal for tne city power-houses. The cost of the cartage of coal from the waterfront to the power station yards, and at times from one yard to another, is very considerable, and it is thought that economies could be cfleoted it careful investigation were made. At present the -artage is done under contract. There is ,‘i -proposal that the city should cut out the middleman’s profit by securing motor-driven plant that would do the work required.

The pleasantries of a female witness in a civil case hrord in the Supreme Court yesterday did (hot impress the cross-examining counsel while he was endeavouring to elicit definite answers. After a particularly delicate question the witness “hemmed and hawed,” mid finally said: “My dear Air. .” Counsel interrupted her quickly, “Don t call me your dear, Mr. he said. "But please answer my questions without trying to evade them!”

Reference to the existing legislation relative to bookmaking was made (hiring the Patterson trial in the Supreme Court ■yesterday by counsel for the defence (Mr. H F. O'Leary). ‘‘The legislation affecting bookmaking is unique," ho said. ‘‘Usually an offence is an offence wherever it is committed. If a man commits a theft in a hotel or in the street, the offence is the same. Not so with gambling. If a man carries on the business of bookmaking in a hotel he is an offender; but if gambling is queried on in another place it is not merely allowed, but persons are encouraged to het.' He referred do the totalisator, whereupon Mr. P. S. K. Macassey, who appeared for the Crown, objected to any comparison be-mr made between the totalisator (ind a .bookmaker. At this stage Bis Honour announced his opinion that the jury had nothing whatever to do with the singularity of the statute. ‘‘There are many unique things «n our statute books, he added.

What is believed to have been a naked boiiv was observed floating near Pencarrow lighthouse early last evening. Tho Wellington police were communicated with, and a launch was dispatched Io the vicinity of the lighthouse, but no trace of any body was found.

“I have a feeling that local bodies make too. much of subsidies,” remarked Mr. H. J. Otley, chairman of the North Canterbury Hospital Board, at the last meeting of the board. He added that some local bodies seemed to think that if they could get subsidies out of the Government it did not matter very much how the money was spent. But all the money- had to be raised by the country.

A large number of complaints were received by the Auckland Prices Investigation Tribunal at its last sitting. These included allegations of excessive charges for scoria, coal, boots, .and yarn wool. Complaints in respect of motor hire charges at Hamilton- and coach repair charges and bacon prices at lauranga were also received.

“I do not keep to n 48-hour week,” said the Mayor of Auckland (Mr. J. HGunson) at a recent gathering, “and 1 do not see why 1 should be of a group apart from the manual worker because I do not toil with my hands. Once 1 did work with my hands, and I worked as hard as anybody. If this cleavage ot different groups is carried out everything will come to a standstill, for we are so dependent uixin one another.” He stressed the fact that all groups and classes of the community were dependent one upon tho other, and made it clear that if any one group became idle the result would be disaster.

Visitors to the State mine township of Runanga are reminded of the tragedy that occurred about two years ago, wheu two officers of the Mines Department were fatally shot—a crime for which a man was subsequently executed—by a monument erected at the top of the cutting where the shooting took place. It is in the form of a column of black polished marble, an inscription giving some detail of the tragedy.

Ornithologists and those generally acquainted with the bird life of this counter will be interested to learn that an Australian curlew was recently o’teerved leading a flight of godwit on the Manuknu’Harbour (states the “New Zealand Herald”). Although common in parts of Australia, the curlew is an unusual visitor’to'these shores, and occurs ouijas an occasional straggler. The Auckland Museum contains onlj- one specimen shot in New Zealand, which was secured on the Manukau in 1897. .lhe curlew differs from the godwit in respect to its beak, which is curved, and in its size, which is considerably ihe greater. A lamentable lack of concern as to the injuries of a little girl his machine had knocked down was displayed by a.motorcvclist in Auckland recently. The girl was crossing the road when .she was knocked down. The cyclist, it is stated, stopped for a moment to pick up his lamp which had fallen oft and been broken, and then quickly resumed his course. The girl was picked up and taken to a chemist’s shop, where her injuries, consisting of cuts tn; her head and bruises on her leg, were attended to.