LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 169, 13 April 1921, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Postal authorities have received advice that the mails which were dispatched from Wellington on March 2 per R.M.S, Marama, via San Francisco, arrived in London on April 10.

The Postal authorities have received advice that the R.M.S. Niagara sailed from Sydney at noon on Monday for Auckland. She carries a small Australian mail.

The pen and seal that were used by tne Right Hon. W. F. Massey in signing tibe Peace Treaty at Versailles on behalf of the Dominion of Now Zealand, are to be preerved among the historical records of the Dominion. They have been placed in a particularly beautiful case, the work of the craftsmen who made the casket of New Zealand woods for tlhe Prince of Wales, and will shortly o e exhibited in a shop window in Wellington. Each of the Wellington chambers of commerce received a handsome volume, being compilations of the annual bal-ance-sheets and reports of the Bank of New Zealand from 1900 to 1920. The volume is strongly bound c n <l interestingly illustrated. "The Crown has no right to tstagemanage a criminal prosecution.” said Mr. M. Myers in tlhe Supreme Court yesterday, in the course of his address in the application for a new trial by F. .T. Smith, who is at present serving seven years’ imprisonment. Mr. Myers contended th ar the appearance of "the girl in the case,” who had worn « rather "risque” dress during the Polic« Court hearing of the case, had been attired, by order of the police, as a "Puritan maid” when the case came up for hearing in the Supreme Court. Mr. Myers considered that the police—the prosecutors—had no right to employ such "stage-managing” tactics in a criminal case.

A meeting of the Workers’ Educational Association was held at Newtown on Monday night, for the purpose of forming classes. A number of students handed in their names, and the result will be the formation of a study circle, and probably one or more tutorial classes. The subjects suggested are English literature and economics.

A meeting of the Wellington R.S.A. will be held to-night in the Club Rooms' Brandon Street. All members are asked to attend as the remits to be submitted to the forthcoming conference are to be discussed. Several matters concerning local affairs are to be brought forward, and the Government’s action in regard t'o the unemployment question will b» reviewed. Advice lias been received by Mr. Cyril Girdlestone, of Wellington, that "Little Matterhorn” peak, near Ruapehu, has had its name changed to "Mt. Girdlestone,” in memory of his brother, the late Sergeant Hugh Girdlestone, who was an enthusiastic mountaineer,

Door-to-door deliveries of the census papers to be filled in on Sunday nightare now being made by the postmen. The forms are set out in a. clearly understandable way, which should give the public no great trouble. In the matter of religion it is requested that people should avoid using such general terms as "Catholic” and "Protestant" in lavour of Roman Catholic, or whatever other denomination they hold allegiance to. If they do not wish to name any religion they simply have to write the word, "Object.” If any difficulties present themselves the sub-enumerators will assist to the best of their ability when the papers are being collected next week. People are asked to give particulars n* to what i/niltry and bees they keep. One lady, who has a couple of hives in her small garden, was so perturbed at finding a space on the form for Hie enumeration of her bees that she made inquiry as to whether she had to count them—a task she was not in the least prepared to do. She was informed that an approximate estimate of their number would meet the case.

Yesterday afternoon the council of the Central Chamber of Commerce approved of the proposal that the Government should appoint a Commission to inquire info the conditions of waterfront labour with a view to stabilising the industry. Ex-Australian soldiers now resident in Wellington and district are desirous of placing n wreath on the Cenotaph on Anzac Day in memory of their comrades who gave up their lives during the war. As it is thought that all "Aussies” would like to participate in this, arrangements have been made for subscriptions towards the purchase of a wreath to be received by Mr. Aldrich, secretary of the Wellington U.S.A. All ex-Australinn soldiers are asked to accept the invitation of the Wellington R.S.A. to take part tn nil parades and functions in which they themselves are concerned on Anzac Day.

A special meeting of the Hutt County Council will he held on Wednesday. April 20. to discuss Hie vexed question of the establishment of a toll gale on the Day’s Bay Road. The council has obtained a mass of data on the subiect for consider a I ion at the ineel iug. the outcome of which awaited with interest by motorists and

The Rev. Dr. Gibb acknowledges the fallowing donations to tho China Famine Fund-.—Already acknowledged, .£lO3 12s (id. (the donation from Mr. Reynolds in Sa'Ainfiiy’s issue should hove been not 10s. but 155.): A Colonial. ,£5; H.P.M.. J 32; Primary Department Trinity Metho, diet Sunday School, .£1 10a.; A.D., XI ; A.H.W., Xi.

The sight of a tall and wroll dressed bridegroom, carrying his bride’s suitcase, and running at top speed, in an effort to overtake a taxi-cab, which was whirling his bride out of sight, enlivened the residents of a Christchurch suburban street a couple of days ago (says an exchange). After the wedding, the bride and bridegroom had. retired to n friend’s house to shake the rice out of their clothes. The bridegroom had told the taxi-driver not io waste any time in leaving the house afterwards. Bui the frieniiß' of the pair were alive to the ruse. They surrounded the house, and gave the newly-wedded pair more showers of rice <is they emerged. In the bustle, the ihxi drove off without the bridegroom. After the bridegroom had chased the taxi for some distance, the driver awakened to the fact that he was without one of his fares, and then waited for the perspiring and panting man to overtake him.

“Since the nine shillings bonus has been reduced to fihree shillings, the employers have been receiving refunds of the surplus payments made in consequence of the Court's first pronouncement,” said Mr. F. Cooke, in the Arbitration Court ab Christchurch on Saturday. “What has become of the refund Have the customers got it back!" On the motion of Dr. Gibb, the Presbytery last night resolved: —“That the Presbytery expresses its profound sympathy” with the people of the faminestricken districts of North China, and asks ministers to give members of their •congregations an opportunity of contributing to the relief of sufferers."

According to present indications, few, if any, of the oversea shipping companies, with the exception of the Orient S.N. Co., appear likely to apply for permits to tirade on the coast after the operation of the coastal provisions of the Navigation Act as from July 1 next, states the "Age.” Most of the regular British-Australian services have carried inter-State passengers, and- Japanese vessels have often carried cargo lietween Melbourne and Sydney—particularly in strike periods, when applications from inter-State shippers for space on the Eastern traders have been numerous. However, the employment of coloured labour has been regarded as an almost definite bar to t'he granting of a. permit, while Representatives of certain British lines employing European crows have already stated that the coastla) portion of their business is not a profitable proposition. Unless permits are granted, fibc following oversea companies with regular connection with Melbourne will cease to engage in inter-State trade:— Nippon Yusen Kaisha, P. and O. S.N. Co., White Star, Aberdeen. Austral-Ori-ental, Eastern and Australian, Osaka Shosen Kaisha, Blue Funnel anq P. and O. branch lino service. Thursday Island Chamber of Commerce has forwarded a petition to the Minister of Customs requesting that the steamers of the Nippon Yusen Kaisha, Austral-Oriental, E. and A. and China-Australian mail line should be granted permission to carry passengers and cargo between Australia and the island after July I next.

Efforts are to be made by the Commonwealth Ministry to obtain a further reduction of nt least 5 per cent*, in the price charged by shipping companies for passages for immigrants from ed Kingdom to Australia, the "Age” states. At present it will cost intending immigrants .£2B a head to reach Australia, the Government finding .£l2 of the J 340 requinfd by the shipping companies. Strong hopes ar e entertained that, with an increasing flow of immigrants as a result of the commencement of the Federal scheme, it will shortly be pussi'b to arrange passages at a considerably cheaper rate, though a return to the pre-war Tates, when the fares were less than .£2O, is not expected.

It was reported in a Press Association message from New Plymouth a few days ago that' a quantity of rock had been dislodged from Paritutu for harbour extension works. In connection with tins matter the council of the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts has passed the following resolution, copies of which have been sent to the Government! and to various local authorities in Taranaki: —“That the Council of the N.Z. Ac-id-em yof Fine Arts feels it its duly to express its strong disapproval of the destrnction of Paritutu, now commenced. This striking peak, owing to its historical interest! and great natural beauty, should really be regarded as the property of the Dominion, and any attempt to interfere with it is as much an act of vandalism as the destruction of the Reims Cathedral.” The Early Settlers’ Association has arranged for a reunion of early settlers and their descendants, to be held at Pahautanui (in the Hall) on Saturday next. A cordial invitation is extended to all early settlers or their descendants, in and around Pahautanui to attend. Members from town will meet at Thorndon, and journey to Paremata. by the 9.W a.m. train, and conveyances will meet them to complete the journey. 1 his reunion should be of particular interest from the association of Pahautanui with the earlier settlement of this district. Whore (in the ’forties) stood the lah of Rangihaeta, there now stands a church. Pahautanui seems to have been the headquarters of the rebels who raided the valley of the Hutti previous to, and during 1816.

ARvice has been received .in New Plymouth (says an exchange), that it is possible the promoters of z large iron works, which are to be conducted on the Willamafte River, Portland, to treat ore in that district, will also consider using Taranaki iron-sand on a considerable scale. It is reported that the Oregon ore is of low grade, and requires a superior material such as Taranaki ironsand to enrich it'. One suggestion made is that the sand should be -converted into hard white pig iron m New I lymouth for convenience of shipment. L Ins is stated to be a cheap process prescniing no technical difficulty, and it is possible that an expert will be sent over from Portland to investigate tho possibilities. Further investigations with Taranaki ironsand are to be carreid out by Messrs, Sunmerton and Sons. of Darlington, England, in the hope of demonstrating that it can bo profitably smelted by an electric furnace. Dy arrangement with the jMines Department, which is sharing the cost, the New Zealand Iron Ore Smelting Company will ship some 20 tons of ironsand to the firm bv the Port Hacking, which is to load at the New Plymouth breakwater shortly.

The serious effect of the backwardness (JTfevalualions of land in New Zealand upon The finances of local bodies, and the consequent escape of land speculators from taxation upon enchanced values, has been emphasised in the course of the inquiries of the Kauri Gum Commission. It was stated nt Mangonui Vhat no valuation of the conntv had taken place for 12 years, and that land in Knitaia still assessed at the old-time prairie value of 10s. an acie had been sold at as high as per foot. Mr. Rodney Coates, a member of the commission, mentioned that in the Otamatea. County there were gum lands rated on Hie linsis of 10s. an acre from which the owners had taken gum to the value Of £-00 and T3OO an acre.—N.A"Herald.”

Further Ilghti was thrown upon tho question of Hie earnings of gum-diggers in vhe course of the inquiry by the Kauri Gum Commission at Mangonui (says a northern exchange). Mr. R. T. M rathall, representative of the Mangonui riding on the County Council, said that it was a general thing for the most skilled diggers to earn .£lO, Xl2, Xl4, and even .£“2O a week. This, however, would be confined to the summer months. Tn winter, when the deep diggings could not be worked. I'hc earnings would I><« much smaller and the average for the whole year would p-nbnblv not exceed X 3 or X 4 * week.