NEWS OF THE DAY

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIV, Issue 10277, 12 May 1919, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

The city municipal election recount was concluded on Saturday evening, and there was no alteratkm in the results already announced. The installation of the Mayor and city councillors will therefore take place on Wednesday at noon. It is understood that tho Mayor in his speech will propose a vigorous policy of improvement and development. <

After being in quarantine in the stream for twelve days, tho Union Company's steamer Manuka berthed at the Queen's Wharf on Saturday. It is understood that the waterside workers will agree to commence discharge this morning, though nothing definite has yet been decided. The Union Company hopes to dispatch the vessel at noon on Wednesday with 'cargo and passengers for Sydney.

The question of pillaging; of cargo has been a matter which has been discussed by the Wellington Chamber of Commerce for many years, but probably tho losses incurred by the commercial community in this direction have never been so groat as d\iring tho past two years'. The position is tho more serious owing to the high price of commodities (states the annual report of the chamber). Insurance companies have found it necessary to increase their rates for cover against pillage. The matter has been discussed by the Harbour Board, and during the year there have l>ecn many cases upon which convictions have been obtained in the Magistrate's Court. It seems difficult, i if'not impossible, to ' find a remedy. Pillaging may take place in tho country of shipment, in docks and oversea jports, on the voyage, during discharge in New Zealand, or in harbour board sheds.

As the result of being knocked down by a motor-car at Island Bay on- Saturday, a boy named Harry Harris received a rather severe injury to the chest. Tho injured lad, whose homo is at 18, Luxford street, is receiving treatment at the Hospital.

The Marist priests of the Archdiocese of Wellington, numbering about fifteen, will go into retreat to-morrow. This retreat, which will be of one week's duration, was postponed last year on account .of the influenza epidemic, which called for so much of tho priests' time.

I Members of the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts feel they have every reason to congratulate themselves on -■lie success attending the exhibition which closed on Saturday night. Record returns all round have been established. Sales are said to be 50 per cent, higher than in tho sketch exhibition of 1918 and the public attendance 100 por cent, greater. The art union was drawn ori Saturday night-, in the presence of many visitors, and the winning numbers appear elsewhere in this issue Holders are requested to call at the Gallery and select their pictures as early as possible to-dar.

A Robert Burns Club is being formed in Wellington, in response to the expressed wishes of a large number of residents. The object is to provide a means of social fellowship between lovers of Scottish song and story, and to promote a knowledge of and familiarity with the works of Burns, Scott and other poets and writers of the "land o' the leal." Club membership is open to •all who desire to see a revival of tho grand old national music. The inaugural public meeting of tho club will be hold in the Ponsonby Hall, Abel Smith street, on Wednesday, at S p.m., when all interested in the neglected treasures of national folk song and Scottish works of poetry and fiction are cordially invited to be present.

At a sitting of the Juvenile Court on Saturday, four boys, whose ages ranged from ten to fifteen years, were charged before Mr F. V. Frazer, S.M., with stealing took and other articles of value, and with damaging 22s (id worth of property. The boys had visited tho Constable street fire. station, which is in course of erection, on three separate occasions, damaged some spouting, and taken some tools and other articles away from the. building. The 'police stated that the defendants. did not intend to commit theft. Tli© damage had been done through mischief, and the missing articles had been taken away by the boys in order that they might play with them. The cases were adjourned for twelve-months, and the parents of the lads were ordered to refund the value of the stolen articles and to pay for the damage that was done.

In a letter to Commissioner Hodder, of,,the Salvation Army;-,General Richardson writes:- —"I' would like you to place on record through the columns of | your paper my high appreciation of tho excellent work done> bv the Salvation Army for the New Zealand Expeditioniary Force. The New Zealand Salvation Army has raised lafcga sums of money on behalf of the New Zealand soldier, and I can certify, to this_ money having been judiciously bpent in the interests of the men. The Salvation Army organisation through the medium of Major Green andJthe various Salvation Army chaplains has assisted me to a very great extent. Large numbers' of men in London have been personally assisted from Salvation Army funds. The Salvation Army has also established huts in tho various camps in England, and a large hostel in London where our men on returning from the trenches were able to obtain accommodation equal to that of any good hotel in the city. At Staples a large hut was erected by the Salvation Army, and every one of the reinforcements passing from' -England to the 'Division was entertained and its' social needs provided for by theN.Z.S.A. Also the sick from the various hospitals in France wore looked after in the same institution. I am deeply indebted to all chaplains and the Salvation Army who have worked so hard for the N.Z.E.F. in the interests of their relatives in this country."

Mr Justice Chapman on Saturday delivered .judgment in a -shit affecting the- ©state of ■ Joseph Henry Redwood, between Marianne Rediwood and Hamilton Joseph Redwood, an application for increased maintenance under tho Family, Protection Act, 1908. His Honour stated that he lind come- to the conclusion that the will of the testator did not adequately for his widow, the plaintiff. The estate in the bands of the defendant was worth £30,000, with an earning power commensurato with its value, and, by tho will, became the property of the defendant, tho testator's son and only child. Plaintiff, who was testator's second wife, now had about £SOO of her own, which she had lent to the testator, and the latter, by his will made on the day of the marriage, left her £240 a year, to bo reduced to £lO4 in tho event of her marrying again. This His Honour increased to £460 a year. Tho condition, he explainod, would not apply to the increase, but the allowance might be increased or diminished by the court if the circumstances altered. To this he. added a cash payment of £l5O to enable the plaintiff to furnish a house if she thought fit so to use it. Mr C. P. Skerrett, K.C-, with him Mr Crombie, appeared for plaintiff, and Sir John Findlay, K.C., with him Mr T. F. Relling, of Blenheim, for defendant.

Tho monthly meeting of members of the Returned Soldiers' Association who have lost limbs was held in the club rooms, Mr J. D. Harper (chairman of the association) presiding. There were about 30 members present. Mr Batten, district repatriation officer, and Mr T>J. Seymour, general secretary of the New Zealand Returned Soldiers' Association, also attended. Tho disabilities under which limbless men . labour ! and their prospects of obtaining suitable occupations were fully discussed, and a committee, consisting of Messrs C. McKenzie, Payne, Irwin, Weir, Adams, and Johnson, was sot up to collect-in-formation for tho use of tho association. It was generally agreed that a big improvement had taken place since tho last meeting in tho repairing and making of artificial limbs at tbo factory, and the men wore satisfied that a genuine attempt was now being made to cater for their needs. They recognised that it would bo some time beforo the arrears could be overtaken, and dissatisfaction was expressed regarding the delay which had taken place in establishing the limb factory on proper lines. Speakers stated that the limbs now being turned out compared more than favourably with limbs which had been supplied them abroad. The travelling accommodation provided them whilst proceeding .to tho limb factory or hospital did not. however, meet with the approval of those present, and it'i. as decided that tho association be asked to 'press for first-class accommodation foe all limbless men whilst travelling.

"While playing football at Newtown Parle on Saturday Thomas Cunliffe, who lives at 16, Upper Rata road, Hataitai, fractured his right leg. He was udmitted to the hospital for treatment.

The finding; of a district court-mar-tial held afc Featherston military camp on April 25th has been confirmed ns follows :—Private B. Ganrbirazzi (of Featherston details) sentenced to two years' hard labour for desertion and losing his clothing and equipment.

The unsatisfactory position with regard to communication between Australia and New Zealand, consequent upon the influenza epidemic, was relieved to some extent by the arrival from Sydney yesterday of the Atua. The vessel, which anchored in the stream, was declared "clean" by the Port Health Officer, and she will berth this morning to discharge cargo and mails.

An inquest wns held at Christehurch on Saturday morning into the death of Alexander Matheson, who was fa tally injured by a fall from a horseThe evidence showed that the deceased, who was riding a young and restive horse, lost the reins, and in the endeavour to regain them, fell and broke his neck. A verdict was given accordingly. Deceased was a returned soldier, and had only arrived that day by the Kia Ora. His people live iu Scotland.

According to statements made by several returned men at Lyttelton on Friday, the educational classes on the Kia Ora were a distinct success, mainly, it is believed, owing to them being voluntary, instead of aompulsory. Glasses were held for bookkeeping, motor mechanics, fruit farming, bee-keep-ing, shorthand, civil engineering and surveying, French and general education. Lieutenant Callahan was education officer on board, and he had a number of capable instructors under him. An educational library was provided, of which good use was made by the men.

A matter which is at present receiving tho attention of tho Wellington Chamber of Commerce is the serious delays which are taking place in the transmission of cahles. It is realised (states the annual report of the chamber) that some cable routes which were previously available were damuged during the war, but it is felt that better consideration ehould be extended to commercial'messages even if this means tho curtailment of Press cablegrams., For many years paafc o great deal of business overseas has been done by cable, and the fact that prompt cabled replies cannot be given to cabled offers has meant that business overseas- is continually being lost.

Some advice to orchardists is given by the Wellington district, fruit inspector in his report for last month to the department. He says:—"The apples now coming forward, show a-marked improvement on tho earlier "varieties, only a few small lines being condemned. Some growers still persist in forwarding fruit in a mixed condition, resulting in tho whole line being condemned, whereas, with a little care and attention on their part, such lines, may be passed. Many lines now submitted have, however," been" kept too long by the orchardist and show signs of withering. Pears, in many instances, exhibit the same mistake,, and over-ripeness at the time of marketing must' be realised by the consignors:"

Referring to dairy produce, ihe annual report of the council oftho Wellington Chamber of Commerce states: The present season has been probably the most extraordinary in the history of the Dominion. /The latter part, of the winter was the coldest on record, and these climatic conditions continued far into the period when spring conditions should have, prevailed. The two previous winters of 1916 and 1917 had been mild, and this fact had con? tributed in a great measure to inadequate provision being made hy way of winter feeding to meet the altered conditions. Consequently the mor tality amongst dairy herds was heavy and considerably above normal. Th<* «ibove conditions continued in several districts to the end of the year, and, together with the general effects of the late epidemic, materially influenced the supply of milk, and decreased the output. .However', 1 since the beginning of the year 1919 matters have improved, and the autumn output indicates that any losses in production during the earlier period of the season will be made good.