AUCKLAND HAPPENINGS.

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 11 July 1918, Page 3

AUCKLAND HAPPENINGS.

[From Our Own Correspondent]

Auckland, July 9

THE WIMMERA.

As an enquiry is proceeding in regard to the loss of the Wimmera comment touching the precise cause of the catastrophe must be withheld. In this connection I will content myself by merely remarking that I think the example set by the people of Gisborne in demanding that all the "enemy aliens" in New Zealand should be promptly interned, is worthy of imitation by the people of every city and township in the Dominion.

IDLE RUMOURS.

During the past week or two stories of a sensational kind have been current in Auckland relating to the war. Had these mischievous reports got into print they would certainly have occasioned a great deal of uneasiness. But the daily papers know better than that, and merely referred to them as untrue. How did they get into circulation ? . Probably they originated with our friend the enemy. There are plenty of Huns, naturalised and unnaturalised, in our midst, and nothing would please them better than to cause trouble and excite alarm and do ail the mischief they could. But if the persons, whoever they may be, responsible for these lying rumours are caught they will find themselves in the wrong box. The War Regulationa prescribe a penalty not exceeding £100, or imprisonment not exceeding 12 months in the case of any person " who shall publish, or cause to be published any false reports relative to the war, and likely to cause alarm." The term " publish}" means "to make known, either to individuals or the public at large."

HE PAID UP!

Canvassers for subscriptions to Patriotic funds meet with some queer experiences. Not long since a lady canvasser while travelling by train appealed to an elderly man on the opposite seat for a subscription. " I have given moneybefore to-day to help the same object," he growled, as he went on reading his newspaper, " but you can ask my wife if you like. She is sitting by herself there at the other end of the carriage." The canvasser took the hint. She appealed to the lady. " 1 will give you half a-crown," said the latter, " but I have never set eyes on that man you speak of before in my life." The canvasser approached the man again, "How could you tell me such a story ?" she said, " that lady is not your wife. Now, to make up for that untruth I shall expect you to give me ten shillings." He paid up without a murmur. Shortly afterwards the lady and he were married. If you are curious to know more I am sorry I cannot oblige you. I but tell the tale as 'twas told to me.

11 WAIPIRO."

There has been a good deal of discussion here of late touching the quantity of intoxicants coming into New Zealand. There is not a little indignation in Prohibition circles, both in Auckland and in other centres, regarding this matter, and although I am not a Prohibitionist, and dislike Prohibition methods, I am free to confess that I think this country is rather overdoing it in the matter of " Waipiro." From a return prepared by the Government Statistician, the accuracy of whose figures cannot very well be called into question, I find that for the four months, January 1 to April 30,1917, 262,501 gallons of spirits and wine were landed in New Zealand, During the corresponding period of 1918 the quantity was: 477,777 gallons. A correspondent of a local paper pointed out the other day the large amount contributed by whisky to the revenue of the country in the shape of duty. Another correspondent replied, contending that there are dozens of commodities in common use which are of moreirrmortanoe in winning the war than whisky. "We need cotton, drapery of all sorts, iron and steel goods, building materials, and foodstuffs, chemicals, etc.," continued this correspondent, " all of which are of more vital consequence to us than whisky." He concluded by suggesting that the further importation of liquor into the country should be prohibited until after the war, because that would allow great quantities of necessary geods to be shipped to us suoh as are now awaiting despatch at the ports of the United Kingdom. With this correspondent's views I am entirely in accord,

11 IT'S AN ILL-WIND," ETC

The inclement weathei- experienced here of late has resulted in an epidemic of coughs and colds,

and this has stimulated the demand for " cures" such as the chemists supply. Formerly, that is before the Kaiser set out to conquer the world, the charge for a bottle of cough mixture, compounded by the chemist while you waited, was half-a-crown, It is now 3/6. Of course the prices of all drugs have advanced owing to war conditions. But, even at present rates, the cost price of, the 3/6 bottle of cough ; cure is almost certainly not sixpence, and if threepence for wrapper and bottle is allowed the nett profit on the transaction is 2/9. Now 2/9 multiplied by any number of times during the day amounts to something worth while. The Auckland chemists should experience small difficulty in keeping the proverbial wolf from the door this winter,

A "TENNER" IN COURT.

During the Easter holidays, in 1914, a number of counterfeit £10 notes got into circulation in Auckland, and one of these notes a certain resident of St. Helier's Bay had, in his possession, as a curiosity, up to a few days ago. But just recently an acquaintance of this resident's wife called at the house, saw the note, picked it up, and put it in her pocket, being, apparently, under the belief that it was genuine. Some days later she attempted to pass the note at a suburban tradesman's shop, but the shopman becoming suspicious informed the police, and this led to a charge of attempted theft. As she proved to be a person of hitherto unblemished character and appeared to have appropriated the note on the spur of the moment she was convicted and ordered to come up for sentence if called upon within six months. And the note ? Oh. the police have impounded that, The Crimes Act provides that any person who knowingly retains possession of a forged note renders himself, or herself, liable to imprisonment not* exceeding 14 years. •

LADY J.P'S.

The emphatic way in which Mr Wilford, Minister for Justice, expressed himself re the question of women justices of the peace, to the deputation which waited upon him in Wellington the other day has offended at least a section of the women of Auckland, and several letters on the subject have appeared in the local dailies from indignant lady correspondents. "The ordinary J.P. does not strike a woman as being in any way a superior being," writes one of these ladies, and probably she will find a Rood many people, of both sexes, to agree with her. But the lady who wrote to uphold the right of women to be appointed justices on the grounds that being accustomed to settle disputes arising amongst the juvenile members of their own households they were therefore qualified to dispense justice from the magisterial bench, hardly made so stiong a point. The wisdom of appointing''women to act as magistrates may, possibly, be open to question. But there can be no question as to the wisdom of appointing women police. Thousands of women are doing police work in England, and doing it well. . In America and in Canada the experiment has also answered admirably, and in those Australian States where women police patrols have been tried the innovation has proved a great success. Mr Wilford should pocket his prejudices and keep abreast of the times.