LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 245, 11 July 1921, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Tho Postal authorities have received advice from Sydney that the R.M.S. Makura sailed at noon on July 7 for Auckland. She carries 127 bags of Australian mails and 55 parcel receptacles fir Wellington and the south. Tho s.s. Ulimaroa sailed from Sydney at 3 p.m. on July 7 for Auckland. She carries a small Australian mail.

Twenty-one identification discs. recovered from Gallipoli Peninsula, have-toon received by the War Graves Branch of the Internal Affairs Department. In some of the cases which uro represented by the discs the soldiers were reported "Killed in action: Court of Inquiry," and the discovery of the identification will set at rest any doubt that may have existed. Certain discs from "Hill 60" were recovered during the operation ol concentrating the bodies interred there in a central cemetery. Tho discs will be forwarded to the next-of-kin of the deceased.

"It does not pay io have a watch repaired," said Mr. S. E. Wright, advocate for the employers, in the Auckland Arbitration Court, when opposing an application by the Watchmakers’ Employees’ Union for tho abolition of piecework. He stated that watch repairers in Auckland did not work on wages, but on contract, and their prices had become so exorbitant that it was more economical to buy a new watch- than to have one repaired. Watch repairers were making anything up to £lO a week, and an award, for them would mean a loss.

"As councillors will not test the position and will not resign,” stated Mr. A. Scholefield yesterday in a speech to a. .Petono audience about ihe gasworks trouble, “I suggest that ono councillor and the Mayor resign and contest the Mayoralty, abiding hv tho decision of the public. (Applause.) Tf tho councillors are sincere, and don’t want to see an industrial upheaval, they will be only too ready to get the public opinion on the matter.”

A contract lias been let to Mr. PStacey for the erection of a new technical school in brick at Lower Hutt. . The same firm is building the new primary school at Mtiritai which will be finmhed shortly. Both buildings are being erected tor the. Wellington Education Board.

A definite step toward tho erection of Auckland’s ’ war memorial museum has been taken, competitive designs for the building having been'invited. A statement on the subject was made on Wednesday by tho Mayor. Air.-J. 11. Gunson, who is president of the Auckland Institute and chairman of the Citizens’ War Memorial Committee. Tie said that, in addition to the subscriptions already announced —namely, .£25,600 each from the Government and the Auckland Savings Bank, .£IO,OW-from the City Council 415000 each from the Harbour Board end Auckland Ruting Club, .£4OOO each from the New Zealand Insurance Company and the South British Jnsmanco Company, ami .£lO6O from the Bank of New Zealand. a total of .£79,ooo—the committee had obtained donations from the principal firms and institutions in tho city, which- brought the amount, in hand and promised to date to .£120,060 The objective <of tlhe. committee was .£200,000. Of the ,£120.000 mentioned the hon. treasurer. Mr. V. J. Larner, actually had .£70,000 earning interest. The appeal to tho public had l>ccn temporarily postponed, but the commit tee depended upon it to produce the balance of JBO.OOO.

’‘Nothing is going to be done, precipitately,” stated Mr J. Thorn at the Lalrour meeting nt Petone yesterday, in referring to the men who were dismissed from tho Petone gasworks. "We intend to finance these men. Already tfie movement is on foot to gather fande, ‘which I can assure you have been forthcoming from all parte of New Zealand. There has been no trouble about the finance. . ■ If these means of thernselveo will not bring your borough conn oil to bonk, other methods will have to bo adopted." There is no sign of a cheapening in tho painting trade; rather tho reverse, for oil has gone up Is. per gallon in England, the price- of the drums is increased, and lead has advanced <r2 pe; ton. states tho Dunedin "Star.” "Well, why not Import from Australia?" is a natural ouestion. But the Dunedin merchant to whom if was addressed waved aside the suggestion with tho remark that the English goods are still the cheaper. tho extension of the trade with Australia being quite forbidden by the protective tariff.

The commission appointed to report on tho revision, of the Customs tariff will not hear any further evidence after Julv 25.

A. Dominion ballot is in progress for tho election of president and vice-presi-dent of Hie New Zealand Latour Party. The result will probably be available on Wednesday.

A peculiar story of i he Maori s credulity was told in tho Wairoa Magistrate's Court, where u Maori was charged with false pretences, states tho “Herald.” It was alleged that accused claimed that “Wa," n high power had revealed to him that cold was to be produced at the Mahia. He had built an immense basket a chain long, and where the basket was the gold would come. The evidence was to tho effect that the other Maoris had toon appealed to for money for a. share in the gold, which one Native said would go on for ever. Several of the Maoris put money on the floor, but there was no evidence that accused had taken, it up. The Magistrate dismissed tho case.

A question as to the year in which the telegraph service was instituted in New Zealand necessitated a hunt through records, says tho Dunedin “Star, and the public will doubtless to interested in facts that Mr- W. H. Ferens has gleaned out of Dlr. Hocken’s works. The first telegraph lino to to erected in New Zealand was between Dunedin and Port Chalmers and the Heads. The contract was let to Woodley and Co. to construct the line between Dunedin and Port Chalmers on March 1, 1862, the first pole was erected in May 24, the lino between Port Chalmers and Dunedin was completed on August 18, and it is presumed the first official telegram was sent on that date. The next line to receive attention was *between Dunedin and Invercargill, which was opened for traffic on May 15, 1865. The first Press telegraphic communication was from Bluff to Dunedin on the same date, and tho Dunedin to Christchurch line was opened for traffic on May 23. Tho Cook Strait telegraphic cable was successfully laid after two attempts on August 24. 18G6, and tho first cable message sent from Wellington to Dunedin on August 28.

The danger so often attending the effort to destroy an animal pest by a too free resort to the services of ono of its natural enemies has had a further exemplification in tho use ot ths cat to exterminate the rabbit (says the “South Australian Register ). IM> transport of cats by the truck-load to the interior for this purpose some years n-0, has had the familiar result that the antidote has become as mischievous as the bane, and, if anything, more While the rabbit ate tho food of the sheep, the cat, left to run wild has toon playing havoo among tho flocks j devouring lambs, and where possible extending its ravages to fowls reared on the stations. Running wild the cate grow to an enormous size, and will sometimes weigh as much as 201 b., and their daring ami ferocity grow with, their physical strength, so that they will often hunt their prey in broad daylight. Ihe expedition .of the Australian Ornithologists’ Union, when camped on the Capricorn Islands, found that wild cats were doing fearful slaughter among the turtles. The pest may not breed as fast as the rabbit, but unless cheeked it may become as great a national evil.

Laymen, generally will to interested! in the following remit from Pelorus bound, which will be moved al the Dominion Conference of ihe New Zealand banners. Union this month;—"That the Government bo asked to pass legislation to compel manufacturers of woollen goods to label virgin wool, when, material is made of pure wool, to that the public will no' to deceived ns at present and buy all wool’ made of rags for pure wool. The Difficulty in obtaining houses and the keen demand for them was illustrated in the Auckland Magistrate’s Court, slates the “Herald,” before Mi. M- LM’Keau, S.M., by Mr. Sullivan, counsel tor the ’tenant in a tenement case, who stated that 43 applications had been received for ono house which was being vacated at six o’clock that morning. In regard to the case before the Court, he stated that his client, a married' woman, found it impossible to got another house, and it would! be a great hardship if she was turned out of her present abode. Mr. Nutsford, for tho owner, said his client was waiting to get into the hous'e toforo ho married. Before coming to Court plaintiff had offered defendant a month free of rent if she would give up possession at tho end of that time. She would not agree, however. Air. Sullivan replied! that as his client had nowhere else to go one month’s notice was insufficient. He would ask for six months’ notice. Mr. Nutsford said he would agree to three months' notice, end, both parties being agreeable, an order for possession was made to to operative in three months time.

Although at the present time many lines of soft goods arc selling at lower figures than were ruling some months ago in Auckland, still, according to information from Home, the outlook pointe io higher prices for both linen and cotton' goods in the near future (states the “Star”). A Christchurch firm which recently endeavoured to place a large order in England for high-grade linens received a cablegram stating that in Belfast prices had recently advancorl' from 15 per cent, to 20 per cent. Inquiry made in Auckland showed that there is a shortage of raw material in Belfast, to which th? rise in linen is no doubt due. Information was also furnished that in London prices for cotton had also firmed alwut 15 per cent. A well-known firm of agents representing several of tho largest British manufacturers of cotton gctofi has received cabled- advice of nil advance of 121 per cent, in towellings. This is doubtless due to the termination of tho coni strike and to the renewed buying activity in other parts of the wo'rld.

"That a commission representative of the farmers and the Department of Agriculture. be set up to obtain reliable information with the object of being able to arrive at a correct estimate of the, cost of production from dairy farms and of the value of dairy farming as a means of livelihood to Gio farming community, and to the Dominion as a whole, and tho recording of wages paid for the various services 'dealing with farmers’ supplies and their produce,’’ is the text of a remit from Taranaki to ho moved at tho forthcoming Dominion Conference of tho New Zealand Farmers' Union.

The aitcnffanco of young children at the afternoon sessions of picture theatres was the subject of some discussion at the List meeting of the East Christchurch School Committee, and on (he motion of Mr. Gray tho following resolution was carried: —"That this committee views with grave, concern the growing tendency of young children to attend tho picture theatres io the detriment of their school attendance, and recommends Iho Board of Education to instruct its truant officer to pay frequent visits to those places during the afternoon sessions and take tho names ol ail young children with a view to securing a prosecution for non-attendance at school.’’