LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 173, 18 April 1921, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The annual meetings of householders to receive the reports of retiring school committees and elect new committees for tho ensuing year are to be held at the various schools throughout the Wellington district this evening. As it is not possible for every meeting to be attended by a reporter, committee secretaries are asked either to send or telephone to The Dominion brief reports of the meetings as soon as possible after the meeting closes.

The Postel authorities have received advice that tho s.s. Moeraki sailed from Sydney at 11 a.m. on Thursday for Wellington. She has on board 150 bags of mails, including two bags from Africa and six from, the East. All over the Dominion householders yesterday were, or should have been, carefully filling up their census papers, for which the sub-enumerators will begin to call to-day. The census of 1921 has a special interest, as it forms part of a great Empire post-war survey; and. so much light had been thrown—by means of newspaper publicity—upon the various little puzzles that confronted the. householder in providing the information required, that the returns on this occasion are expected to be comprehensible and fairly accurate. The police last night had the duty of filling in census papers for all who spent the night in the cells. A Press Association message from Auckland states that the Niagara, which sailed on Saturday evening, carried 3700 cases of apples and 250 cases of pears for Honolulu.

The Central Alission Silver Band played at the hospital yesterday afternoon, and collected' £8 Ils. for t’he institution.

No. 9 Company, N.Z.G.A., under tire command of Major V. P. Haughton, held its annual big gun practice on Saturday afternoon. The twelve-pounders, under Second-Lieutenants Fenton and Morris, and tho G-inch guns under Major Haughton and Lieutenant Claridge, were in. action. The shooting was very successful, many hits being registered. The greatest trouble was that caused by unavoidable delays when yachts and ferry boats crossed the course. Major TV. H. Johnston, N.Z.G.A., was tfhief umpire. The weather was perfect and observation excellent.

The Dominion’s Wanganui correspondent telegraphs that Mr. L. MTlvride, who contested the recent Pa tea by-elec-tion as the representative of Labour, has been engaged as organiser for the Labour Party in Taranaki. Mr. MTlvride was formerly employed nt the Eastown railway workshops, Wanganui. At a meeting of the Wellington branch of the Educational Institute on Friday night, Mr. A. C. Blake read a. very interesting paper traversing the history of the institute from 1884 to the present day. After Mr. Blake had concluded, several speakers expressed warm appreciation of the paper, which it was decided should bo handed over for publication in “National Education,” the journal of the N.Z.E.I. Mr. T. R.. Cresswell, M.A., headmaster of Wellington College, who was present at the meeting, in tho course of an address, said that in his opinion tho teachers of primary and secondary schools should be brought closer together. Major Warren (says a Ixmdon correspondent), principal architect for Mesopotamia to the Imperial War Graves Commission, told the members of the Royal Institute of British Architects an amusing story of how a number of Britons climbed the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden and smashed, it to (be ground. “The reputed and quite indefensible Garden of Eden.” was situate near Kurnah. Serpents were there, and probably some Evos, but certainly no garden, said Major Warren. 'The Tree of Knowledge stood in the garden, but was by now completely withered and dead. Wishing to test the strength of its branches, a number of demoralised and inebriate Britons had climbed into the free, and more rapidly they fell to the ground with it. The, tree had since been set up in concrete.

In our report of the case Hosio v. Stone, concerning possession of a house, the term “trespasser” was used in reference to tho defendant. It should be explained that Mr. Stone was a trespasser only in the legal sense. When he took possession of tho house the key# were handed over to him in the usual way. and the differences . which subsequently occurred, and which were ventilated in the. Court proceedings, arose out of.fhe question of price. Ills Honour Mr. Justice Reed, who presided over the hearing of lhe case, made it. clear that defendant, if rt t re*pra>«'.r. was an inno. cent one, and that apparently the fault did ncrt-JAs with Mm.

A suburban shopkeeper recently bougfit a quantity of matches at auction, and received a shock while carting them home, for they burst in flames in a cart (says the Sydney “Sun”). They were of Japanese make, and boro the assurance of safety in the words “protection from fire.” They were sold cheaply, and the buyer was thoroughly satisfied he had secured a bargain. He placed the matches in a sack, and on his way home his dog jumped Into the cart and settled on tho sack. Immediately flames ehot up, but they were quickly smothered. When the shopkeeper arrived home his wife inspected his purchase, and as she was pulling a box of matches from a pocket the friction of the edge of one box against the edge of another Ikix set fire to tne packet. Further surprise was caused when her husband was pouring matclies from the bag into the shop tray, for again some of the boxes hurst into flame. The series of shocks and surprises convinced the shopkeeper that it would bo unwise to rely on the label on the boxes. He stacked them in his backyard, and poured much water on them. Merely minimum wages are not paid to more than 50 per cent, of the men working under Arbitration Court awards (states the Christchurch “Sun”). The question came up last week, before His Honour Air. Justice Frazer, who said that he understood that someone who had made a study of the matter for an honours thesis, had found that 50 per cent, of the men working under awards were getting more than the minimum wages laid down by tho Court. There Was not a. carpenter to-day getting the award rate. Air. O. T. J. Alpers said he had recently been so unfortunate as to have made some additions to his house. “I did not know of anyone getting the award rate there,” he said. “But I was quite satisfied. I got a splendid job for a liberal price, because the men getting more than the award worked like 'billy-oh!’ ” While a motor-car containing four men was negotiating the corner of Taranaki Street and Hankey Streel, about 12.30 p.m. on Saturday, a woman wheeling a peTambillator suddenly got in front of the car. The driver at once made, a sharp swerve to avoid a collision, whereupon the car turned upside down, the four occupants being pinned underneath. The driver and a man who was sitting with him were cut badly about the head and bruised, but the other two escaped injury. Tho windscreen was smashed, hut the motor-car did not appear to be otherwise damaged.

The North Island Railway Appeal Board sat in AVellington on Saturday to hear evidence in the appeals of Air. P. 11.I 1 . Fletcher, of the District Engineer’s Office AVanganui, and Afr. E. S. Kelly, Chief Clerk in the Engineer’s Office, Ohaknno. Decision was reserved.

When H.Af.S. New Zealand first visited the Dominion in 1912 Captain Halsey spoke of his desire to obtain a collection of New Zealand stamps, and it was thought that this was for his- daughter, who was a collector. The PostmasterGeneral. Sir. R. Heaton Rhodes, had a collection mounted in an album, and sent it to Alias Halsey with the compliments of the New Zealand Government as a memento of her father's visit to the country. Later, it was discovered, that tho young lady was only four years of age. It was her father who was interested in stamp-collecting. The result of the gift was, however, that the little girl became a collector, and when Sir Lionel Halsey was in New Zealand with the Prince of Wales last year the Government sent by him to his daughter a supplementary album containing specimens of all the stamps issued since the former album was compiled. By the last mail Sir Francis Bell, who was responsible for sending the second album, received a letter from Aliss Joan Halsey thanking him for the gift.

The executive of the Dominion Rifle Association will tender a farewell “social” function at the Grand Hotel this afternoon to Rifleman E. E. Vennell, of Te Wharan, -Dominion champion rifle shot for 1921, on the eve of his departure to represent New Zealand at the Bisley Rifle Afeeting, England.

A witness before the Inland Waterways Commission at Ngaruawahia. stated •says the "New Zealand Herald”) that willow trees in the Waikato were first brought to Taupiri by a Mr. Ashwell in 1837. The ship that he cam® to New Zealand- in called at St. Helena, and seeds of the willow were taken off Napoleon’s grave. The witness said the seeds spread from Taupiri, and covered the banks of the Waipa. The chairman (Mr. Ferguson) laughed heartily, remarking that he heard the same explanation all over New Zealand regarding the importing of willows. The good name that New Zealand soldiers earned in the war is being sustained in peace (telegraphed a Dunedin correspondent recently). They are paying back their repatriation advances with fine promptitude. Mr. A. D. Tennant, District Repatriation Officer, said tn answer to a question by a reporter, that of the advances wherewith to purchase tools of trade, the Otago returned men had already paid back 90 per cent., whilst as to business loans, although the returns had not come in so quickly, the evidence to hand went to show that he could reckon on repayment of fully 98 or perhaps 99 per cent. The fall in prices was reflected in a report to the Auckland City Council by the waterworks engineer on a tender received for waterworks supplies, stales the “Star.” He stated that with few exceptions the prices were down con siderably as compared with last year. Angle, stop and hose taps showed a reduction of 30 per cent, and oil nearJi 200 per cent. Onlv one tender had been received, and while the market was so unsettled the engineer thought it would be better to accept that tender. The imposition of duty upon eight invalid tricycles imported from London for the use of totally disabled soldiers, was recently the subject of a protest by tho Auckland Victoria League, says the "Herald.” Tho tricycles arrived two months ago, and have been stored in the Harbour Board’s sheds pending settlement of tho question of payment Of duty. It was announced at the annual meeting of the league on Thursday that advice had been received from tho Minister of Internal Affairs, the Hon. W. D. Stewart, that Hie league must pay the duty, but flint provision would be made in the Estimates next session for a refund to be made. About a year ago designs were invited for a suitable war memorial to be erected at Gisborne, on which the sum of .£4OOO is to bo expended. An Auckland sculptor submitted a model design, which was accepted, and last week the contract was duly signed. This memorial is to be constructed of marble. —Auckland "Star.”

A Christchurch drapery importing firm cabled to London tile other day for worsteds for ladies’ wear, says Ihe "Lyttelton Times.” The Horae buyer has advised that prices for good quality materials are still high, although there has been a drop of fully 25 per cent, from tho "peak” prices of al few months ago. On the quotations given these worsteds would cost 21s. a yard and 365. a yard, landed wholesale in New Zealand. Tho position seems to be that, whilst manufacturers can make up goods cheaply, the wholesale merchants at Home are not inclined to break prices unduly until they can quit lhe big stocks they previously'pufehased on (he higher market.