The Chronicle LEVIN TUESDAY, JULY 18, 1916. LOCAL & GENERAL.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 18 July 1916, Page 2

The Chronicle LEVIN TUESDAY, JULY 18, 1916. LOCAL & GENERAL.

Tlio price of kerosene,' benzine and motor spirit hub again been advanced by tho wholesale houses,'* to the tune <'t an extra eightpence per case; and tho former commodity is likely to Be© a higher price still. Oils also tare on the up-grade, and according to one I :ca! tradesman this rise is Likely to ti bo experienced again. The outlook lionernliv shows that general merchandise, clothing, etc., will advance considerably.

slr J. (■. flunking, who i 6 well-known throughout New Zeakuut as the representative for McDougall's sheep dip. is joining the Maßtertoii staff of llesfirs Wright, Stephenson and Jo., Ltd.. as from August I«.—-N.Z. Tunes.

At Monday evening's meeting of the I'etone Borough Council. Councillor I). McKenzie moved : ''That the legislit'on it an otreiicr* to 1 -employer ln> asked to introduce legislation mat: i f j advertising vacant position to invite applicants to state the amount of wage oi- salary tney ,'equiro, tantamount to encouraging people to work |o- less than a reason-able living wage." Tlu> motion was carried.

With reference to yesterday's Press Association message from Grevmouth, regarding an alleged communication from the Federation of Labor asking tlic CJ reymoutli Union if it was in ■favor of a general strike as a protest aga.i,n6t tho National Service Bill, Mr. Hiram Hunter, tlio secretary of the T iiitctl Federation of Labor, states emphatically that no letter has been sent b.V the Federation any union on tho subject of tho Military Service Bill, nor lias he received any instruction from tho Federation of .Labor to ask unions whether t.Hoy are in favor of a general strike as a protest against that bill.

A soldiers' letter from France ;:o Levin) records that the lltli Reinforcements from New Zealand went .straight to tlie base at France, and made no stay in Egypt.

Accounts totalling £35b 19s 2d were pussed by the Levin Uorough Council at ite meeting held last night.

The kite Mrs Kveline 'Duff was the daughter of Captain Alexander Jrunicison (not Captain Duff as published yesterday), of Adelaide, South Australia.

Mr T. AV. Kirk,' who visited Levin 011 Friday and inspected the Lake Domain, wiiil draw up a design for laving out the ground and tree-planting, work 011 which will be comnieiKvd next year. Fn the meantime the ;>lanriig o! shelter 'hedges will be proceeded with. He also advocated the planting of further shelter belts for the Waiopehu Domain, in case that in future the timber on private property adjoining he removed and the trees on the domain suffer in consequence.

Questioned as to whether he thought the gasworks finance could stand the setting aside of £200 per annum for.a sinking fund tho Town Clerk, last evening, said he considered the proposal a good one and that the works could bear the burden. Since the inception of the works they had spent £3000 in extensions and maintenance, and at. present there was no further extensions in view and the profits would he larger. The council agreed to take the necessary steps to make provision for a sinking fund of £200.

To devise a nchunic for reducing tlie coat t" the local bodies concerned of tiie liiiiinteiianco of the Wellington Hospital and Charitable Aid j'oard, is the purpose ol a conference of the representatives of the local bodies, to lie held in the Towui flail. Wellington, on the 20th instant. A remit for consideration from the Makara County Council is that the hospital hoard be requested to furnish full particulars as to >ail patients from each district and the amount of fees paid. Another remit (from Karori Council) msks for the nomination of board members by the local bodies instead of the present system of election. This means a reversion to the state of affains before the present act was passed. Councillors France and Dempse.v favoured tlie Karori Council's remit, but Councillor Robertson ivae opposed to it. There was a tendency to exercise undue economy under the old system. The present system of election 011 popular franchise was an improvement. It rnupt lie remembered that after all the people found tlie money. The mayor also flavoured leaving things as at present. The council decided to opposo t"ho remit. Other remits requested that the Government subsidy be £1 for £1: that £1 4s per £1 be the subsidy for the maintenance of sanitaria ; that £1 10s per £1 be the subsidy for capita' expenditure ; that the hospitals be nationalized. These, together with tlie one from the Makara Council were supported by the council and will be upheld by itis representative (Mr B. R. Gardener) at the conference.

Mr I}. 11. Gardener wiil represj.it tin Levin Borough Council in the depi vition of delegates (>r local bodes to wait 011 the Minister of 'Health in connection with hospital affairs.

Indigent children cost the Wellington Hospital and Charitable Aid Board a sum of £6000 per annum. The natter will come before the local bodies' conference on the 20i.1i in tlie .shape of a remit asking that the Government take over the cost of keeping a'J indigent children throughout the dominion. The Levin' Borough Council last night instructed its representative to support, flic remit.

The orderly was going touiid the mess-room asking for complaints. A private got up and said he had' not got his proper ration of butter. Officers don't like being bothered like this, and try to squash this practice ; so when the officer saw a wee bit of butter sticking to the private's boot, he thought he would crush him. "Of course you haven't got your ration," lie ..aid "there is half your butter sticking on your foot." "Yes, sir" said the private, looking at it, "just half I"

The opening of the tenders, by tho Levin Borough Council Last night, for the removal of the trees on the section* adjoining "the gardens in Cam-bridge-afreet, disclosed a remarkable difference among the nine tenders as to the value of the work in removing the trees. The lowest tender was that of W. M. Finlayson at £8. wild tho other tenders went up to £9. £9 17s (id, £20, £20, £2-1 10b. £25, £33 10s to £43, the last put in by R. Kingi. The lowest ternler was accepted. V,

The reserves committee placed several recommendations before the borough council last night. Those relating to the trimming ol ! hedgeis, eV. : in the various reserves were passed without discussion, but the proposal to close the gardens in Bath-street 11 om sunset to sunrise aroused miicn opposition. The chairman of the committee. Councillor Dempsey, gave as one raason why the gardens should be closed. was that the seats were removed from their places and dragged about, and the flower beds trampled down and the pia.nts damaged. He also stated other reasons (censored). Ci inei!k.r France was Councillor Dempsey is comrade in what proved a forlorn hope, .'til the rest of the councillors being <>i>posedto it, considering that the tron ble could be met by asking the police to pay periodical visits to the gardens and by bolting the seats to concrete blocks set in the ground.

Several shippers of draught horsas from the Bluff on Thursday found themselves confronted with a difficulty in regard to obtaining suitable men to attend to the horses on the voyage across to Melbourne (says the SouthVind Tiines). Owing to tlie embargo that has been placed on men eligiblo for military service, 110 men coming under that category, are allowed to leave the Dominion, and at least in one instance an-owner wfto had not originally intended to make the trip was perforce compelled to do so or cancel his application for spflce, which, of course, wonVI have been a most, unprofitable proceeding.

What was said to lie the first, case in the Dominion under the law empowering a magistrate to hear o claim lor defamation of character was heard at Keefton, when a Chinamen named Glow Chong (Mr Sargent) sued JOO Hee ("Messrs Joyce and Lajvry) for £20 for defamation of character (says tho Greymoutli Star). The hearing caused considerable amusement. It seems (according to Mr Sargent- that fllie defendant some months ago had some £50 or £60 stolen from his house in Cin--11.1111011 street, Keefton, and is alleged to have made use of the defamatory words complained of, viz., "Chow Fong he 110 good, ho steolum my money." ICach side had come prepared with their own Chinese interpreter, both of whom elected to be sworn on the Bible, one saving lie was "a Christian, but not much of one." (The S.M.: "None v of us are.") After lengthy evidence for about four hours. His Worship dismissed the charge, with solicitor's costs £2 2s, interpreter £1 9s Bd, witness Bs. and Court costs 14s.

Percy Robinson, secretary of tlie Manawatu FlaxrniV. Kniployees' Union, was prosecuted iat the Palmereton X. B.M. Court yesterday for that he did express a sed'tious intention of deliver, ing to a person unknown, a certain document, to wit, a certain letter in the words following:—"Manawntu Flaxmill Employees' Union, Britannia Buildings, June 12, 191 G. Dear Comrade, —At the special mass meeting of the above union, held on Saturday last. June 10, 1916. for the purpose of discussing conscription, the following resolution was unnnimously carried: 'That this meeting pledges itself by the signature attached to forms provided, tbat it will immediately go on strike the moment (liv Conscription Act is put into operation to enforce any man against his w'Vn or conscience to join tHie forces, and that all ftaxmiUs be circularized calling on members not present to give i similar undertaking. Further, anv ether suggestion 1 that may be considered necessary to obstruct the Act.' Acting under instructions from the above meeting Mr J. Thorn or myself will visit your place of employment on Monday, June 19, for the purpose of getting .signatures to the above pledge. Kindly notify the workers of your district, —Yours faithfully f. T. ROBTNS'A'X. Secretary." TITe Magistrate (Mr HeSvitt) remarked in the course of the tr>il that there was no evidence that Robinson had published the letter. Ddcision was reserved.

At the Palmerstou North S.M. Court yesterday before Mr. J. G. iiewitt, S.M. I'ierce Charles Freetli, managing editor of the Manawatu Daily Times wias proceeded against by the Crown 'for a

breach of the War Regulations Act in that (1) on .May '27,14)10, at Pialniersion North, he did publish in tlie Manawatu Daily Times, a newspaper circulating in the said town, matter which indicates disloyalty in respect to the present war, to wit a letter under the signature of "Shirker.'' (2) On the same date at Palmoiston '.North he did publish ill the Manawatu I>aily Times matter likely to interfere with recruiting of His M-a.jesty's Forces in a. letter under the signature ".SlnfKer." TIIO defence was that the letter could not possibly interfere with recruiting. There was not one solitary line which would effect it. In an article subsequently the paper had explained the attitude of the writer of the letter. In giving evidence, Mr Freeth said the idea was that the publication of tlie views of .extremists would caueo a reactionary effect in the minds' of loyal persons. Hf, declined to give tlie name of the anonymous writer "Shirker." The Magistrate reserved his decision.

The Timoru municipal motor-bus service is not paying, and the Council are appealing to the public to support it. The loss for the year ended 31st March was £500.

Tin: members of the Levin Borough Council met for their ordinary meeting in the borough chambers last evening. The mayor (Mr C. nienkhorri) presided, a-id there were present: Councillors M. Fusel la, E. 51. Herriek, J. Harvey, S. Jones. .J. Roberston, A. Dempeey. and ii. France.