NEWS OF THE DAY

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8343, 1 February 1913, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

Tho Hawke’s Bay Education Board has endorsed tho resolution of the Wellington Education Board that board scholarship holders bo not allowed to attend sectarian colleges, states a Press Association telegram. With a view to seeing for themselves the conditions under which Wellington College and the Girls’ High School are working, members pf tho Board of Governors have decided to visit the two institutions very shortly. The college will bo visited on Friday afternoon, tho 14th inst.

Before Dr A. McArthur, S.M., at the Magistrate’s Court yesterday, Mr D. Carmody (inspector of awards) proceeded against William James Hart, butcher, and Denis Gerondis, restaurant keeper, on informations charging them with failing to keep proper wages books. The breach of the Act consisted in there being no entries of the daily hours worked by employees of the defendants. Only the total number of weekly hours were recorded. In each case fhies of £2, with costs 7s, were imposed. it yesterday’s meeting of the Wellington centre of the St. John Ambulance Association a statement of receipts and expenditure in connection with Ambulance Day, 1912, was presented. It showed that the sum of £225 4s 7d was received in collections. Sundry expenses amounted to £8 14s 6d, which left a balance of £216 10s Id. The latter sum is to be allocated as follows: A quarter to the St. John Ambulance Brigade, a quarter to the quarter’s fund, a quarter to the nursing guild, and a quarter to the general fund. The compensation case in which James Walker, of Plimmerton, claimed £2115 for value of land taken, and for damage alleged to have been caused by the Hutt County Council in the formation of a road to Pahautanui, was resumed yesterday morning before Mr Justice Chapman and two assessors, Messrs W. M. Hannay (for tho claimant) and H. J. Richards (for the council). Mr S. Stafford, with him Mr E, S. Stafford, appeared for the claimant, and Mr A. do B. Brandon for the Hutt County Council. The case was, opened in December last, but was adjourned in order that counsel for claimant should be enabled to call expert evidence as to tho loss caused by cutting off tho water supply on claimant’s land. After counsel had addressed tho court until 2.40 p.m., au adjournment was made until a quarter to 10 this morning, when decision -will probably be given. Tho Minister of Marino informed a “Lyttelton Times” reporter that regulations were now being drafted for the installation of wireless telegraphy on coastal passenger steamers. Ho hoped that the installation on tho LytteltonWolHagton ferry steamers would bo begun soon. He also hoped to make arrangements with tho postal authorities by which wireless messages might bo sent from coastal steamers through shore wireless stations at a much cheaper rate than was charged for wireless messages at present. The arrangements would olace the ferry service within six hours’ assistance at least from either Lyttelton or Wellington Under modern conditions, the regulations, apparently, could not make adequate provision for a supply of life-saving appliances for all tho passengers and crew, and it was necessary that prompt assistance should be made available as soon as possible. Work connected' with the erection of a new light in Cook Strait, on the Karori Rock, was being pushed on. Although considerable time would be occupied before the light was ready to use the marine engineers would spare no efforts to prepare the plans and have the undertaking put in hand. When going to his home at Island Bay at midnight on December 31st Henry Hind rang in the New Year by clanging th«. 'oo*; ftre-beii, com., of hi» friends at the same lime performing the same operation on a near-by church bell. Thinking that a fire had broken out Constable Hedican hastened to the fireball tower, but he was ‘.he only person who heeded the warning bell. The local brigade failed to put in an appearance even. All that Constable Redican sa wwas Hind walking quietly homo with some lady friends. Taking a serious view of the situation the policeman Interrogated Hind as to who had rung che bell. “Donf you know what the j; me i s —what’s the occasion ’i” inquired Hind. The constable did not treat the occurrence lightly, and the sequel follow>d in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday, when Hind was charged with wantonly ringing the firebell- “1 think tho whole matter is so terribly serious,” said Dr McArthur, S.M., “that I’m going to convict and discharge tho defendant.” “Well,” remarked Sir P. W. Jackson, who appeared for the defendant, “I was going to suggest that you shouldn’t even enter a conviction.” “All right,” replied his Worship, “we’ll make it cautioned and discharged. Don’t do it again. Hind.”

A £o Hunk of New Zealand note has been sent to the Treasury as conscience money bv some unknown person. It is to bo" paid into the account of the Railway Department. Cornelius Christianson was fined 5s with costs 9s, by Dr McArthur, S.M., at the Magistrate’s Court yesterday on a charge of travelling on a tram without paying the fare. Tho committee of the Wellington centro of the St. John Ambulance Association yesterday derided to invito his Excellency Lord Liverpool to accept the position of president of tho asso" elation. Since the departure of Lord Islington, tho previous president, tha position has been vacant. Two officers of tho jniblic service havmg been convicted of embezzlement, a call has been made upon all other officers in the service to make good tho defalcations. This is done under tho Public Service Act. The defalcations total £3OO-1 11s sd, and the. levy was made at the rate of one shilling per cent. Tho grocery premises occupied by Fowlds in King street, Dunedin, wore badly damaged by fire early yesterday morning, states a Press Association telegram. The fire originated in the residential quarter of_ the. premises. Ih<» insurances are: Building (owned by Mrs Dodds), £275 in the National office, furniture, £l5O in tho Ocean office; stock, £320 in the Alliance office. Tho post and telegraph revenue collected during- the quarter ended December 31st last in the Wellington postal district totalled <£66,603 19s, of which £40,001 19s Od was postal revenue and £26,601 IDs 6d was telegraph revenue. Tho quarter's total revenue for the Dominion was £298,507 9s as compared with £317,754 3i 3d for tho corresponding period of 1911. Last night a conference was held at the Town Hall to discuss tho claims of the corporation labourers for a new agreement. Tho City Council was represented by Mr W. 11. Morton (city engineer) and Mr Murdoch, while the representatives of the General Labourers’ Union were Messrs M- J ■ lleardon, F. O’Keefe; and J• 1’ urey. Tho conference sat till about 11 o clocit, and then adjourned until this afternoon. The Board of Governors of Wellington Boys’ College and Wellington Girls’ High School held its monthly meeting yesterday. There were present: Messrs R. Leo (in the chair), P. Warburton, W. H. P. Barber, Miss Richmond. In the statement of finances it was shown that after mooting tho monthly payments thero would bo a credit balance of £2329 16s 2d, and that when outstanding fees, etc., came in the balance would bo increased to £2537 6s lid. The payments required totalledi £Bll 16s 8d (£455 6s 5d at Wellington College and £356 10s 3d at the Girls' High School). Fees outstanding totalled £lB9 4s 9d (£79 14s 6d at Wellington College and £lO9 10s 3d at the Girls’ High School). Outstanding rents totalled £6B 6s. After visiting the West Coast the Minister of Customs told a Christchurch interviewer that ho would go to Auckland, whore he would spend a week or ton days in consultation with commercial men in regard to tho tariff. Tha recent conference connected with tha boot industry was very valuable. H« believed that all who were present highly appreciated tho fact that an opportunity was afforded of making icnown tho disabilities under which tho industry laboured, and of suggesting remedies. The- same scheme would be carried out in respect to other industries. It could not bo said that tho items which would be placed on the tariff appeared there ■ without full and free consultation with those most interested. Ho wished to make it clear, also, that the public would not bo unrepresented at those conferences. Tho Wellington Land Board continued its sittings yesterday. Only ona application having been received on January 29th for section 13, block 2, Rangataua, consisting of 1 rood, viz., from Michael Dalton, ho was declared tho successful applicant. Fifteen holders of , leases-in-perpotuity gave notice of their intention to purchase tho freehold of their holdings, comprising an area of 3950 acres 2 roods 9 porches, Of these two of the lessees had completed their purchases, the amount received from tho two being £358 4a Id for 218 acres. In addition to thesa about forty lessees had applied for information as to how to proceed in order to obtain the freehold, etc. These had been supplied with notice forms, etc. There were no application* in reference to the freeholds of renewable leases under the Land for Settlements Act. It is announced that the Bible-m State Schools League is holding a demonstration in tho Town Hal! on Tuesday, tho 11th inst., at 8 p.m. The chair will bo taken by Mr J. G. W. Aitken. The principal speaker will be the Rev. Dr ' Youngman, president of tho Methodist Conference of Australasia, who is tho solo surviving founder of the Queensland Bibio-in-State-Schools League, of which ho is now vice-president. Dr Youngman has had many years’ experience in New South Wales and Queensland, and is held in such honour and esteem by his own church that ho has on frequent occasions been president. Ho is also held in great respect by other denominations. Other speakers include Messrs Gilbert Carson, of the Baptist Church, Mr W. D. Little, of tho Church of Christ, Commissioner Richards (representing tho Salvation Army), and Canon Garland. The Commonwealth Minister of Defence, Senator Pearce, interviewed in Sydney last week said; “We will taka over the control of the Australian naval station on July next, and I think few people realise tho importance of tho change. Admiral Henderson recommended that Sydney should bo the naval base, and my present visit is to have a general view of the whole position. Cockatoo Dock is to become portion of the naval establishment, and - reparations are wo!! in hand to ensure ■t being an important part of the naval base. Preparations for the reception, equipping, and maintenance of the fieet at the primary bases are also being thoroughly considered. There are i wo primary bases provided for in Australia—Sydney is to be one and Fremantle the other. Sydney has tho advantage, as it is tho principal inheri•or of the vast amount of work carried mt by the Imperial Governments. In Fremantle, on the other hand, wc have .jothing but what nature has provided, xnd, consequently, we have to do all mr own pioneer work. Start right from scratch, as it wore. It must be remembered tbat the arrangements we ire making are not for Australia only. We are establishing a naval base, which will be available for both our own ships and those of the Empire. It ■s in times of war that the true value af such bases will be recognised. Of course, the development of a navy takes time. It is not the work of a day nor a year, but the Australian. Navy is developing in a most satisfactory manner.”

The following vessels aro expected to bo within wireless range of Wellington thin evening: Victoria, Mannganui, Moana, Tahiti, licmuora, _ Wimmora and Turakina. Tho following aro expected to bo within range to-morrow night: Moana, Tahiti, Remuera, Mocraki and Makarini. Tho report of the Government Meteorologist upon tho weather exjiericnccd in New Zealand during December describes it as a warm and dry month, , with northerly winds prevailing. Total bright sunshine, 2-id hours 20 mimitos; aVorago sunshine, 7 hours 51 minutes per day. One frost was recorded. Wellington had an average shade temperature of Cl.l degrees, and a total rainfall of .80 inches. Some timo ago tho Government offered a bonus for tho discovery of a preventive of tho potato and tomato blights, or for a moans of coping with tho blight when it appears. Mr James Way, of Now Plymouth, claims to have discovered tho necessary blight specific, and will raako application for tho bonus (says a Taranaki contemporary). This specific can bo applied with equal success to tomato plants, potatoes, or grape-vines, and is composed of several different cheap ingredients, is easily applied, and is capable of acting in tho dual capacity of a blight preventive and a fertiliser. Mr Way has had excellent results of trials of this specific on potatoes, tomatoes, and grape vines. Tho Presbyterian Church of Now South Wales is in tho proud position of having been able to pay every minister in tho church, who has boon a full year in his charge, a stipend for 1912 of not less than £2OO. In fact, there aro few ministers in tho church who aro now on as low a salary as £2OO (says tho “Sydney Morning Herald”). Following their custom, tho church authorities last year mado n. special appeal to congregations to raise their ministers’ salary. There was a splendid response, and a general raising of tho ministers’ salaries took place. Many who wore on tho £250 grade got £300; others at £3OO received £350, and those at £TOO were paid £450; and so on. In,view of tho increased cost of living, this has proved welcome news to the ministerial brethren. There is much, more encouragement given to private enterprise in Canada than there is in the Commonwealth, according to Mr G. Raymond, an Australian, who has settled in Vancouver, and arrived in Sydney by the Zealandia last week on a holiday visit to his native land. As a consequence there is, he declares, vastly more development going on, and accordingly a great deal more money in circulation. Ho stated that no man with his wits about him could help doing well in Canada just now. Much the same sort of story was told by Mr P. Champain, another passenger. He is a ranch Owner in tho Kootenay district of British Columbia, and says ho knows of no country in tho world where a young man with grit in him gets so many opportunities for making headway. Vancouver and the prairie towns were booming, but he was inclined to think that the pace was being made too hot in Vancouver. New education regulations have been Approved by tho South Australian Government by which male assistants will receive £I3OO per annum additions to their salaries, while increases will he riven to women assistants amounting to £2500. The maximum salary for thief male assistants has been fixed at £340, and that for women at £2OO. The total increases to salaries will amount to £IO,OOO per annum. School staffs are to be provided on a more generous icale, a monitor being allowed for an average attendance of 25; for 50 pubils, two monitors (one senior); for 70, kn acting assistant, or two senior monitors ; for 00, an assistant, or two settlor monitors. Hitherto tho examinations for promotion have been made .by Inspectors at, varying times throughput tho year. This is to be changed. When the schools open each class will begin its work for the year, and teachttrs will examine their classes for promotion at the end of the year. A scheme »f examinations by which teachers may Improve their classification and status has been introduced. Tho new scheme pas tho advantage that it includes subjects which may bo studied without much tutorial assistance, and which have in many cases a direct hearing tho teachers’ daily actual work. The Minister of Railways, Hon-. Mr Eorries, replying to a deputation from the Napier Chamber of Commerce, which mado a request for a speedier express service between Napier and (Wellington, said it was very hard to do away with stopping places. Ho thought a dining car could possibly be put on that would enable them to shorten tho length of some of the stoppages, but ho could not hold out any hope that tho department would do away with any stopping places between hero and Wellington—tho out cry would be too great. The small places had to bo considered. Tho backblocks settler wanted the train to stop at his railway station and wanted to got his moils and so on. He was continually receiving requests for moro ■topping places. Ho could promise the deputation, however, that tho train would not stop at more places than it did- at present. It had been stated that the stoppages were too long in gome places. Well, he would look into that. They might make the stoppages shorter. He would go into the whole question of tho Napier express, and if it was possible to accede to their requests ho would see what ho could do. At Messrs W. H. Turnbull and Co.’s' gallery, Panama street, there is now on view an excellent display of watercolour drawings from Mrs Fletcher Johnston’s collection, which will well repay inspection by lovers of art. The pictures include several from the brush of Loxden Pocock, whoso “Shepherd’s Queen” was presented to the National Gallery last year. These aro “Dangerous Documents” (a Royal Academy exhibit), “Tho Garden Party,” and “Tho Mill Stream,” all fine examples of some of the artist’s best work. 6. I. Kilburne, R. 1., is represented by “The Heir” and “Christmas Timo”; Follen Bishop, R.8.A., by “Sunshine after Bain”; Walter S. Stacey, vice-presi-dent of the Dudley Gallery, by “Harvest in Devonshire,” “A Bracken-clad Hill,” and “The Roast Beef of Old ■England”; F. J. Aldridge, by “An Old Sussex Port,” “On tho Maas,” "On tho Thames.” and “Little Northampton”; A. G. Whittingdon, by “The Pool of London, Evening” and "Morning at Tilbury.” Tho collection also includes works by James Cafe, William Aifleck, J. Shaw Crompton, R. 1., Sheridan Knowles, R. 1.. R. A. K. Marshall, F. W. Booty, S. G. W. Roscoo, Achillo Buzz!, W. Scott Given, P. Moroney, and W. Alfred. Mr Fletcher Johnstnon is in attendance Joe tie guidance of visitors.

The postal authorities advise that tho Wimmcra, which sailed from Syq--•j'.y at noon on tho 20th inst. lor Auckland, has on hoard an Australian ina-il, also an English mail via Suez. The Wellington portion should roach Wellington by tho main trunk express on Monday. A meeting of those interested in tho evangelistic campaign to bo conducted by Dr Chapman and Mr Alexander in this city from March 2Gth to April 15th, was hold in tho Y.M.C.A. rooms last night. Rov. W. S. Potter was elected president, Rev. W. H. Hinton secretary, and Mr W. Allan treasurer. A general meeting is called for Monday at 8 p.rn. in tho Y.M.C.A. rooms. Vigorous steps aro being taken to combat tho agitation in favour of Bible reading in schools. Delegates from various parts of the Dominion will arrive in Wellington next week to atend a contforcnco of those opposed to tho movement. It is proposed at this conference to form a Dominion executive to control and direct operations. The Federal-Shire steamer Westmonth, w'hich arrived at Auckland on Wednesday from Liverpool, via Capetown and Australian ports, brought 134 third-class passengers. Thirty-four of tho now arrivals landed at Auckland, the remainder being booked to Wellington, Lyttelton, Dunedin, Bluff, Napier, Now Plymouth, Gisborne, Greymouth, and Wanganui. Almost every trade is represented. A company called “The Now Zealand Automatic Bakeries, Ltd.” was registered in Wellington on Thursday, with a capital of £35,000. Tho objects arc tho manufacture of and wholesale and retail purveyors of bread, Tho directors are Messrs W. M. Hannay, W. A. Kellow, J. A. Plimmor, O. S. Watkins; secretary, Mr H. F. Allan ; solicitors, Messrs Buller, Anderson, and Buddie. Tho allotment of shares applied for .to date took place on Thursday.