LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 310, 24 September 1921, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Monday is Dominion Day, and an optional holiday. The banks. Government, legal, and insurance offices will he closed for the dny, but it will not 'no public: holiday in wholesale and retail trade. ’The slate schools will be closed for flic* dny, hut. not the Welling'ton College or the Girls’ College

Mr. E. Newman (Manawatu) has asked Tn lhe House of Representatives if the Government will consider the advisability of issuing a badge or medal to members of the New Zealand Police Force who have displayed exceptional bravery in the discharge of their duties. He mentions that recently several eases have occurred where members of the Police Force have been fired upon whilst engaged ill arresting criminals, and Magistrates and Judges have expressed the hope that the courage shown on such occasions would be recognised by the authorities. The only medal for ' distinguished sendee now open for members of the New Zealand Police Force is the King’s Medal, but as only thirty of these are granted annually for distribution throughout the whole Empire, it appears there is loom for the issue of I such a medal or badge as is now suggested. At the Welsh Eisteddfod held in the first week in August Mr. Lloyd George expressed himself as outraged at tho suggestion which a distinguished critic had made, to the effect that a performance of 'Wagner’s "Nibelungen Ring” should lie given at these festivals. "There are some men," said tho Premier, "not many, who think that, unless if is of foreign birth, any music is as a tinkling cymbal.” "That is a just remark, so far as it goes," says the “Liverpool Post” critic, "though I am quite sure that no such implication was put forward 'by the gentleman who made the suggestion as to Wagtier. The point was that the Welsh festivals, like some others, tend to become associated with music which is rotten with repetition and was never particularly good in its best day's. The Welsh people are still apparently satisfied with tho second-rate stuff of Gounod and Goring Thomas, and the result is that they are producing nothing of any significance to the world of music io-l day. An experience of Wagner, whose work is festival music par excellence, would serve to open their eyes to the fact that Gounod was not the end of all things. There is no reason why a traslation of’Wagner’s operas should not be made into Welsh ns they have already been done into English, Henry John Simpson (taxi-driver) Was adjudicated a bankrupt in lhe Supreme Court yesterday by His Honour Mr. Justice Reed. It was stated that bankrupt's liabilities approached .£lOOO. The applicants for the adjudication were Thompson, T<ewis. and Co., to whom the bankrupt owed .£lO7.

In the case Ward and Co. v. the Commissioner of Taxes, regarding campaign oxpeiiditure and income-tax assessment, the Court of Appeal yesterday granted the appellants leave to appeal to the Privy Council, The. Full Court recently found against tho appellants, when the company contended that the sum expended ' (Ji2l23"odd) was not assessable for ■ income tax purposes. The money was .used in connection, with the Liquor Referendum in 1919.

The National Executive of the New Zealand Labour Party has cjfcularisod branches inviting nominations for Labour candidates for Parliament at the next election. The names are expected to he received about the end of .November for the purpose of being endorsed by the executive. Candidates must have been bona fide members of the party for six months prior to nomination.

The gardeners’ dispute will come befor the Conciliation Council at 10 30 nm. on Tuesday. This matter was -adjourned in order that the Arbitration Court might give a ruling ns to whether tho tdvm "gardener” ioojuded .a 5' ur man The Court held that it did. The hairdressers’, dispute will beL hca ™ 10.30 a.m. on Wednesday. The bytter and cheese- workers’ demands will be considered by the Council at Palmerston North on 'October 11.

As a memorial to the late Sir John Russell French, the well-known Australian banker-,■ it was decided at a mee - ing in Sydney to create an endowment fund for the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children. It is hoped to obtain a sufficient fund to establish the 90 more cots now required by the hospital and to endow them in perpetuity. The State Governor, Sir Walter Davidson, presided over the meeting which inaugurated movement, end about 200 of Sydney s most prominent men in financial, commercial; and professional circles were present. X. _ ... An ingenious shingle-conveyor, built for the Christchurch Tramway Board by a local firm, u-as used for-the first time in the board’s pit at Sockburn on Wednesday (says an exchange). The apparatus, which has a reach of 30ft. from tho centre upon which it is pivoted feeds the shingio from the ground level into trucks by means of an eightnlv plain rubber belt, 18m. wide. This belt runs over £f series of curved death, and forms a- continuously moving trough, in which the material is carried. The men who feed! it aro not required to lift the shingle upon their shovels, as formerly, and as a consequence two men can. now do the woik which six did before. The saving m wages is about 4)20 a week. Owing to the long reach of the conveyor less moving of trucks and less track-laying are required.'. This is expected to help the working of the pit a great deal. At a meeting of the Limbless Mens Committee of the Christchurch Returned Soldiers’ Association on Wednesday evening (says tho "Sun”), it was decided not to proceed with the formation of a Dominion limbless men’s organisation, on tho ground that to split tho Returned Soldiers’ Association into sections was not desirable. It was resolved to ask tho Dominion Executive of the Returned Soldiers’ Association awain to urge the Government to make an allowance of 10s. a day to all men attending artificial Hmb factories for repairs to the limbs supplied them. The following motion was carried:— This ■meeting' of the Christchurch Limbless Men’s Committee expresses its eppreciarion and 1 hanks to tho Christcnurch Tramway Board for the issue of free passes to legless and. paralysed soldiers." It was decided to call a general meeting of limbless men prior to the annual general meeting of lhe Christchurch Returned Soldiers’ Association.

A Christchurch reporter who made some inquiries amongst, iarmers at the .Addington yards on Wednesday . found them all jubilant over tho bountiful rains which have fallen throughout Canterbury during the last few days, The general opinion was that the rain is worth thousands of pounds to the farmers of this province. Although the full effect has not yet been seen on the pastures the rain is almost sure to result in a bountiful supply of feed, and it will also do untold good to the crops. A largo acreage of wtieat lias been sown in Canterbury this season, and as the Government has guaranteed the price of the grain it is likely to prove the best paying of all farm products. Farmers are therefore anxious for a good yield, and the recent rain should help materially towards this. Generally speaking tho rain has been a warm one, and although it has caused some morfaliiy amongst tho lambs the losses in most paris aro not excessive. In any case the loss of lambs will probably be more than counter-balanced by the benefit to tho crops and pastures which were badly in need of a. thorough soaking after the lengthy spell of dry wearimr.

The. Waterskiers’ Band is to play at Oriental Bar to-morrow afternoon. A collection will be taken up in aid of , I lie Plunket appeal.

At n meeing of the .Electing Committee representing the Employers’ Associations in Wellington, the following were elected to the Teehnfril School Board:—Messrs. ’J'. Ballinger, C. A. Lawrence, and L. R. Partridge.

The Christchurch to Timani road race has been revived, and will be held on November 26. —Press ASsri. The Lower Hutt Borough Council hopes to be able on Monday morning to engage a number of the men whose names are on the unemployed list on work at the garden plots at the approach to the Butt Railway Station. Though no pocket is safe from the attentions of the adroit sneak thief, these chevaliers of industry have ever an especially sharp eye lifting for the handcarried purse and bag of womankind. An incident, recorded by the Auckland “Star,” emphasises the need of a sharp lookout by ladies against the chance of sorrowful experience at the nimble hands of these gentry. A little after five o'clock on a recent afternoon a member of the Thames ladies’ hockey team entered the General Post Office to dispatch a telegram, raid laid her purse down beside her. Her attention was taken away for- a moment or two, and when she looked round again the purse had vanißhcd. It seemed so safe to place it Ireside her in the little telegram compartment that she could hardly credit the" disappearance, but it was really and truly gone, and with it 4:3 in money, a return ticket to the Thames, and sundry other articles. The purse-thief and bagsnatcher requires very little encouragement and practically no time, to notice for the practice of his petty felony. During the past twelve months there has been a marked increase in Auckland (says the Auckland "Star”) in the number of these one or two-men laundries, with the Ah or the Lee, etcetra. sign over the lintel. On the other hand, the number of Europeans employed -in laundries has decreased during the same ]>eriod. As a matter of fact, one white person did start a laundry in Auckland within the twelve month, but after a three weeks’ experiment .the shutters went up. It was hopeless- trying to compete against the yellow man. The scattered Chinamen—there -is one. every few yards, so to speak, in the environs of the city—have a big advantage over the large European laundries in the matter of delivery. The Chinaman can keep open in the evening, so it is an easy matter for the householder, to slip round after work, or oven after teg, for his washing. In this country the ’average person is not burdened with a too extensive wardrobe of underwear, a.nd the inconvenience caused by nondelivery is not to be conceived by people who are better off, or who perhaps are more thrifty. The European laundry is bound by rules nnrl regulations, and must close at five o'clock.

The Education Department is- not in favour of a recent suggestion made by the Auckland Education Board,, that -the supervisor of domestic science in- Victoria should be asked to, come to Auckland to investigate the .methods- adopted there. A letter received from the director of education at the last meeting of the board staled that in th© Victorian primary schools syllabus no provision whatever was made for the teaching of. domestic, science, sd that this State was far behind Now Zealand, which provided for instruction in cookery and laundry-, work for girls throughout the Dominion. The instruction referred to in the Victorian schools related only to four centres in the whole State, embracing not more than. 400 girls; in New Zea-, land it was given in 527 schools to 12,120 girls. It was further pointed out that in the junior technical school in Victoria no provision -whatever was made for the teaching of domestic science. In view of the very limited scone of the work in Victoria, it was unlikely that an officer from that State could be of much assistance in reporting on the work in Auckland province, which was already very fa-r in advance of anything in Australia. Further consideration of the matter was accordingly deferred until next meeting. "Now 'Zealand Herald.” - -

Through tho representations of Mr. A. Harris, in past sessions,- legislation 'hns been placed on the Statute Book providing for the appointment of officials of the Magistrate’s Court to see to the enforcement of maintenance orders issued in th© cas© of persons otherwise destitute. Up to the present this legislation has not been given effect. Mr.. Harris has now been informed by the Minister of Justice (the Hon. E. P. Lee) that such an appointment is to bo made immediately at Auckland. In addition to this, the Minister intends bringing down a Bill this session providing for a reciprocal arrangement with other countries for the collection of maintenance moneys. Further maintenance is to be made a charge upon insurance policies. He was leave yesterday to introduce a measure entitled tho Maintenance Orders (Facilities for Enforcement) Bill.