LATE LOCALS.

Hokitika Guardian, 9 June 1920, Page 3

LATE LOCALS.

f Tlie Westport “ News ”of Tuesday , says: ”It is understood that the police j have no trace.of the ex-Mayor of Westport, for whose arrest a' warrant was issued .owing to his alleged failure to ac- , count for £100(1 of the O’Connor Home trust funds.” 1 J i A special meeting of the Wests and Hospitals and Charitable Aid Board will 1 lie held on' Mondpy next at 7 p.m. Business, to receive the chairman’s report on the recent Boards’ Conference; to say farewell to John Cameron (Arahura); purchase of Mr Pointon’s section for £190; resignation of nurse, South Westland. Parliament is to meet on June. 24. The ceremony will take place in the new Legislative Council Chamber, but it has not yet been decided whether the Upper, House will continue for the l whole session to 'occupy the new qunr- j tprs. It is probable that they will j not, owing to the neighbouring rooms ( not being finished. There are also difficulties about getting the necessary fur- |' niture in time. j The local branch of the Returned Soldiers Association has asked for a visit of General Birdiwood to Hokitika in a fortnight’s time. Captain - Seddon. has conferred with the Internal Affairs Department on the matter,, and it Has been decided to submit to the General a. suggestion to make a short stay in Hokitika on the 23rd' inst (Prince of Wales’ birthday) to meet the returned soldiers of Westland. When the decision of General Birdwood is available a public announcement on the matter will lie made, and if satisfactory, a suitable programme will he arranged in due course.

' The establishment of a British coaling 'station 'for both naval and merchant ships on Fanning Island is forecasted by the “Pacific Marine Review”, of San Francisco. The journal states that as a result of Admiral Jellicoe’s visit to Fanning Island last year, the Adjm'i’.'alty 1 dispatched two engineers, Messrs A. L. Perfect and S. R. Little, to the island, and they passed through Honolulu on their way to Fanning Island recently. Should the report of the engineers be favourable it is expected that the long-discussed plan of establishing'a base on the island, to supply both coal and oil, will be earned out. If this is done it is presumed that much of the shipping now resorting to Honolulu for supplies will he diverted to the Fanning Island station. The following additional regulation to those at present governing the burial expenses of members of the N.Z.E.'F. ■is published by General Headquarters All ex-soldiers of the N.Z.E.F. who die within twelve months of discharge from that force, or who are under medical treatment authorised b.i an officer of the Now Zealand Medical Corps, and whose death is certified to have been caused by disabilities contracted or so aggravated in the service, as to cause death shall he provided with a funeral at State expense' on the application of the next-of-kin, and under instructions of the General Officer in Charge Administration. This*-provision mn v also be extended to eases not under treatment- at the time of death, hut in which indigence is proved without reference to the length, of time- since discharge took effect,

The burden of increasing cost of living continues to .be a matter of absorbing dismay to many thousands of wage and salary earners (says the "Public &eivice Journal ”), and it- must ho admitted tl.jat the outlook affords no ground for optimism regarding the immediate future. If the average bitizeu agreed with' the Government that widespread exploitation was not prevalent, the recent vigour of the Board of Trade over the price of a bottle of Mellin’s Food would not ho without humour, hut the man who believes that rampant exploitation in absolute necessities, keeps him poorer than lie ever was before, while certain classes and individuals have obviously excellent financial capse to thank God for the war, has little more Ininnmr to spare for the Board of Trade than we can suppose Rome lvad in long past days for the fiddling of a certain Emperor.