DOMINION ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 3 April 1925, Page 4

DOMINION ITEMS.

nv TELECRAPH —PRESS ASSN., COPYRIGHT. SOUTHLAND SEATS. INVERCARGILL, April 1. Judging by the telegrams he has received the decision of Sir Joseph AVard to re-enter political life has created interest far away beyond the confines of Southland. Hundreds of messages have arrived wishing him every success. Sir Joseph Ward’s decision is likely to have a profound effect. It lias already consolidated the Liberal position,” notably in the adjacent electorates. In Mataura the Hon G. J. Anderson will now in all likelihood he opposed by Air E. Howmar, ex-county chairman, who is personally popular with the farming community. In Awarua Air P. do la Perellc will he opposed in all probability by Air ,J. R. Hamilton, who defeated Sir Joseph Ward in 11)1!', hut even the Reformers are not enthusiastic over his prospective candidature. In Wallace Air J. C. Thomson has still the field to himself. COAL FOR RAILWAYS. WELLINGTON, April 1. The commission which is investigating the use of New Zealand coal on the railways, lias adjourned till after Faster. It has authorised a further set or independent trials of Newcastle and New Zealand coals on the New Plymouth and Canterbury sections of lino, the former being hilly country.

The test will he under the supervision of Mr A. K. Cull, designing engineer to the Public Works Department

I! ARQ LENT INK YSABEL. AUCKLAND, April 1. The harqnentine Ys:\hel, which wasbuilt in Auckland fifty-one years ago, and whose history constitutes a chapter in the story of the development of Auckland as a shipping port, is to enter on yet another stage of her long career. She has been sold to .Messrs Carr. Pountncy and Co., on account of an island firm, which intends to employ Imr in the Inter-island trade in the Eastern Pacific. Originally named Southern Cross, the Y•.-libel Guilt in 187-1 by .Messrs Xicol and Son. She was the third vessel of the Alelanesian Mission, and the second one to he named the Southern Cross. After 19 years’ service m mission work, the barquontine became too small for the mirnose, and was sold to Captain Ross. He took out the auxiliary engines and re-named her the Ysabel. For the ensuing 23 years, with Captain Ross as master, the Vsahe! traded between Auckland and the islands. 11l 11)1 t Captain Ross sold her lo Messrs G. 11. Seales and Co., of Wellington. The dearth of shipping dm-ine the war resulted in craft of all si'/.os gild rigs being brought into use lor overseas work, and the As.i.il * ,-jcd a cargo of New Zealand produce to San l-'raueiseo, returning with case oil. Later she was engaged in .the Nine Island trade, until superseded by U' c ‘ steamer. . Since then she has been lying idle at her moorings in the harbour. In H>' 10 of her ago, the Ysabel is lit for many years’ work vet, judging from the opinion of experts wlm recently visited her on the slip. They marvelled nl’ (lie remarkably well preserved condition of the hull, especially below the water line. She is a. line example of a class of sailing vessel built in the past.

X■ Z. INSTITUTE. WELLINGTON. April '- A deputation from the New Zealand Institute waited upon the Alinister of Internal Affairs, the Hon. R- F. Ballard. to-day to ask for an increase in the Government grant. Dr. .Marshall pointed out that the institute represented the whole body of scientific thought and activity in the Dominion. It had branches in all larger cent res. and these branches comprised men wlm devoted all their spantime to scientific research and produced papers embodying the results, which were ‘published ill the t transact ions. D,-,,m its establishment in 1569 u l> to the present time the institute had published an annual volume of its transactions. The position now was that they would either have to. reduce llk yearly Volume to one-halt its lie-sei size or publish every alternate year. Either course would he disastrous. Hpresent grant was £101:9. In 131® they had a grant ol £“O9- lt raised about 1917. hut the cost of printing per page in 1869 was Us 2d, and to-day it was £1 Ms 2d. The lion. G. Al. Thomson quoted from the appendix of the transactions of the institute particulars as to valuable research work done some years ago by a doctor upon scale insects. That research work, he said, was t,e basis upon which to-day fruitgrowers and farmers and others were working t<> keep down scale insects. The Minister said that lie was very muesli, impressed by the representations put before him. He would .submit th request to Cabinet tor consideration and strongly support it.

LANDS REBAR tiwENT. .MINISTER’S HIGH TRIBUTE. GISBORNE, April 1. During the course to his reply to the soldier stetlers on the Glencoe settlement. the Alinister of Lands (the Ron. A. 1). AlcT.eod) made interesting reference to the working of the complicated Lands Department, and at the same time paid high tribute to the work ci his officials.

In the course of lii.s remarks. Air AleLcod said that he had gone into harness as Alinister of Lands, expecting to fie able to find many Haws in the administrative side of the Department, but he was very satisfied with the system under his control, ft was, tf cjur.se, capable of improvement. The members of the Land Board received very little for the services they re mired. and lie thought that they should he paid more than they were at present, j Me had found that prior to the revaluation being i-arried out, there was I a feeling of great depression among the j soldiers, and many of them, thinking their position hopeless, did not put [their best work into their places. He was not blaming them for that; there was no doubt that their prosit ion was to a certain extent the result of circumstances. The result of this feeling was that "lien the revaluations were actually made, the soldiers wore unable to meet their rents. He bad explained to bis Commissioners that for a year at least they would have to expect some difficulty, and that every consideration was to he given the settlers. The treatment extended would have to i..< the result of previous experience gained through the slump years. It was impossible to postpone rents indefinitely and it would he necessary tor the Land Boards to harden up gradually. The soldier settlers, after all. were only like other men. and would have to pay their way.

BOWEN FALLS. license to harness. INVERCARGILL. April 1. Otago and Southland have been greatly agitated for some weeks past by the knowledge that the Government had granted' a license to harness the Bowen Falls, in Milford Sound, for injinstcial rnrrtrwes. the idea being to

As the result of numerous protests, Air Leigh Hunt- and Air J. Orchison aro at present conducting a c-ainpaign in both provinces in favour of the scheme. Ah- Hunt, in the course of an address, stated they had asked for the right to harness the falls, as all the essentials to success were within easy reach : Air, limestone and cheap electricity, and also a deep water harbour. They would require no transmission lines and would not want a dam. They could not get such a collection of essentials in any other place in New Zealand. The company was not asking for the whole of the Ilowen, and the falls were not going to disappear because they were going to harness them. They would tap the river above the falls; and in the summer they would take a quarter of the water, while in the winter they would require half of the water. .1 he company would establish a wireless station and also a good hostel, which would assist in making the track more attractive. There would also be a regular shipping service, which would make the sound easier to reach. At most- of the meetings considerable opposition lias been shown, the weight of opinion being against the possible spoliation of the beautiful sound. CHAIR OF ARCHITECTURE. ARRIVAL OF PROFESSOR KNIGHT AUCKLAND, April 1. Professor C. R. Knight, who wil till the new Chair of Architecture al Auckland University, and who was se looted out of a large number of applicants for the position, arrived at Auc-k land bv the Aluruma to-day. He n accompanied by Mrs Knight and child Prolessor Knight laughingly donioi having any particular' plans for teach ing a new architecture to New Zea land. Every town, he pointed out, hm

. to he judged from an architectural 'j point of view by local conditions, and ; stranger could not make up his mind about it until he had made a comprehensive inspection. Location. Dane, ' and lay-out all had their inllueiiees on . building. ■ Professor Knigld is a young Austra- . limi, whose work is his hobby. He says that the most striking thing about architecture in New York at the pie- , sent time is the development ol the , “Hat.” . , “The modern tendency is all lor the ‘ construction of vast apartment houses, ' and there is more of this than any otliei kind of building going on in America s !’ greatest eitv. The majority of people seem to have grown tired of housekeeping, and go in for sell-contained ~ fiats, which do away with a lot ol |, trouble, including the servant problem ■ 1 On the other hand, of course, theremre many people who will have a home ol their own. with suburban lot or gar,l den, at any price. ~ “The flat tendency in London is atsi I growing enormously. p “(.’or myself,” said the prole.-sor. “ I .. would prefer a small home, bur in New „ York you would have to go Iron) hi- | icen to twenty miles out to get. one. Kbits appeal to people in Now A ork e too, because of the variable climate In summer it is very hot, in vinu-i | very cold. In the hot weather tin e people can close their fiats and rm y off to the seaside or the country. I- ,| INSTRUMENTS STOLEN. j, WELLINGTON, April 1. i- The Government Meteorologist re ~.,1-ls that his apparatus in expose) a positions has been stolen. “The thermometer in the obsi-rvnloi \ was stolen on March I. so that w< have no record alter that date,” san Mr Rates". “This also applies to Hu 1 solar radiation thermometer, though w< f managed to get another. We have - had frequent trouble down at the oh e servatory through interference by mis ehevious persons am! the mallei i-a e been reported,”