NEWS OF THE DAY

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIV, Issue 10298, 5 June 1919, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

' A Press Association message lrora Greymouth states that the long spell of f.no weather there continues.

It is reported that there is a strong local feeling in Fiji in favour of a movement to join Samoa longa, and Fiji in a Federated State.

TOile Commission appointed to inquire into matters in relation to the police force has now concluded its investigations, and its report is shortly to be brought before the Cabinet tor consideration.

Sergeant-Major Edward G. F. Marsden, who is charged with manslaughter in connection with the death of Regimental Sergeant-Major Choate on the transport Pakeha, appeared before Mr F ,V. Frazer, S.M., .in the Magistrate's Court yesterday. On tho application of Chief-Detective lioddam, the accused was remanded for a week. Bail was allowed in the sum of £6O.

That school gardens should be part of a scheme for tho bcautification ot the whole school grounds was an idea put forward by Mr P- J. Kanlaugher, one of the delegates to tho Agricultural Education Conference,' yesterday. Tho work, ho said, should be planned so as to provido for ornamental trees and shrubs, flower, and general gardens, and experimental and • individual plots. Everything in tho garden should be clearly labelled.

"It would bo well if motorists would note that they are required by law to take all precautions possible in respect to the use of brillinnt headlights on motor-cars. Many motorists think that .thev are at liberty to use brilliant lights on country roads, though not in tho cities, but there is probably more danger on narrow country roads than in the towns, the streets of which arc well lisrhtcd." This remark was made by "Mr W. 0. Uiddell, S.M.. yesterday «■* tho Lower Hutt Court,

Two wiling pirls appeared betore Mr W. G. ltiddell, S.M., in the Juvenile Court at Lower Hutt yesterday on charges of stealing a doll's house and other articles. A plea ot guilty was entered, and each case was adioiirned for six months.

Tho derailment of a tramcar at the city end of the Karori tunnel caused partial dislocation of the service to the suburb about 6 o'clock last evening. A number of cars returning to the city from Karori were hold up until the derailed tram was restored to the track. About an hour and a half later another city-bound car left the rails at tho same point.

Last evening the Wellington Rugby Union received from the New Zealand Union a copy of the resolution recently passed with regard to new rules. After a brief discussion it. was decided to circularise clubs and to call a general meeting of delegates in order to ascertain tho opinions of the players themselves as to tho desirability oi otherwise of adopting the new rules in local football.

At a recent test of the Isaac Pitman Shorthand Writers' Association (states -'Pitman's Journal"), Mr Herman J. Stich, an American Court reporter, wrote under most rigorous rules at the rate of 3CO words a minute for five consecutive minutes, and then presented a transcript that, with only two immaterial errors, almost reached perfection, tho percentage of accuracy being 99.9. I'u- Stich's performance is described as the finest in the history of shorthand. '

A charge of attempting to commit suicide by hanging was preferred against a returned soldier named Frederick Charles Gibbe in the Magistrate's Court yesterday afternoon. Accused's explanation was that lie suffered from gastritis, and had been ordered by a doctor in Auckland to take a little whisky. He blamed the liquor • tor his rash act, and added that he had been gassed and wounded at the front. On tho understanding that his son would look after him. accused was convicted and discharged.

Tho Hon. T. M. Wilford, as Minister for Marino and Fisheries, yesterday received a deputation iu the interests of fishermen at Kaikoura. It included Messrs Forbes, Hornsby, bidey, Poland.'und Craigie, M.P.'s. The deputation pointed out tho disabilities tho fishermen operating in the open sea laboured under through the want oi%» a , boat harbour or moorings for their'oil launches. The Minister, m reply, stated' that he had received departmental reports concerning the construction of a shelter in the locality, which would be necessary, and promised to bring the matter before Cabinet.

"I have been unable to secure labour, but it was essential that the potatoes should be dug and the peas the'.market, ;andi.that i 3 the reason I kept my boy home from school.'' So explained a market gardener to Mr TV". G. Riddell, S.M., at the Lower Plutt Court yesterday, when charged with failing to send his son regularly to school. Mr Butler, truant inspector, remarked that the boy was away from, school for two months, and the information given him was that the boy's schooling was being. sacrificedrin"-ordw-rth"at"-he might earn- money. The magistrate con victed and fined the accused.

Reference was made by Mr Jb'. V. Frazcr, S.M., in the Magistrate's Court yesterday to the question of indemnifying second-hand dealers who unwittingly deal with thieves. in a case before the court the police asked that an article purchased; by a secondhand, dealer from, a thiof. should be returned to-the owner upori-payment by the latter of the amount given by the dealer. His Worship mado it quite plain that he would not make any such order in cases where no carelessness on the part of the owners was proved. Second-hand dealers had to oxpect to take a risk as well as other people. True, they often assisted tn» police, hut it was their business to bo honest. i

A boyish-looking young fellow stood in the dock in tho Magistrate's Court yesterday to answer two charges ot stealing a bicycle, valued at £3, and breaking and entering tho dwelling ot Minnie Spargo and stealing a gold watch and chain, valued at £ll, the property of a boarder. With regard to the first charge, it was shown that a small boy named Albeit White left his bicycle in a passage way, and accused calmly took it off to a secondhand dealer, and received 25s for his trouble. Tho la|Ts counsel, Mr J. A. Scott, entered a plea of guilty, and Mr F. V. Frazer, S.M., postponed sentence until the major charge is disposed of. Respecting the more serious charge, a plea of guilty was also put in, and tho lad was committed for sentence.

Their first visit has been made by His Fxcellencv the Governor of Fiji <md Mrs Ilodwell to tho southern islands of the Fiji group (states the 'Suva correspondent of the "New Zealand Herald"). When they came to lvadavu they wero welcomed by many hundreds of natives. A decorated canoe was waiting at the water's edge, and, on landing, the Governor and Jus wife wero invited to take seats in it. .Then tho ceremony of taveta (the lifting up) took place, the cauoo being lifted by the natives, who marched alone with loud shoutings of welcome until the party arrived at "the covered place." There a reception was held and an address of welcome presented. The party went on by the yacht Kauodi to NabuUelevu and Jiega, where*the famous firewalkers live, and to the island of Vatu Lela.

An interesting letter is possessed by Mrs G. C. Nuttall, of New Brighton, in tho form of a communication from her son, Criptnin Frank Nuttall, M.C., D.F.C., of the Royal Air Force in Mesopotamia, which, was the first to be carried bv aerial mail from Baghdad to Cairo. The flight between the two ancient cities was accomplished by Captain Nuttall and another. He hoped to do tho distanco in ono day, but tho journey took several days, as they were held up by floods at Damascus. Afterwards he., was forced to land near tho Sea of Galileo, but managod to fix up the engine. The letter carried by the aviator from Bachdad and posted to Mrs Nuttall in Cairo is dated February 24th. 1919, and Captain Nuttall's letter, written in Cairo, giving an account of tb© flight, is doted March 12th, 1919. Captain Nuttall states in this lnot-mentioned lettor that tliero was a largo number of New Zealandors in Cairo Waiting for boats to take them j home. There did "ft appear" to he much prospect that he would be able to cet ■awnv'from Mesopotamia, as the I military authorities were keeping all tit mon, and asking them to sign on for [another year.

"The cost of living will never go down so long as we are putting up wages," remarked an employer at a sitting of the Conciliation Council in Christchurch this week. The Commissioner (Mr Hagger) said he was confident that the cost of living would come down in time, but never to the prewar level.

Consilerable discussion occurred at the Xorth Auckland Dairy Conference on a suggestion that a greater difference should be made in the price paid for varying grades of cream, as an incentive to farmers to strive for the first grade. One delegate said the practice of his company was to make any thirdgrade cream received at the factory into butter and send it back to the supplier. "And it serves him right if lie has to cat it," he concluded.

A well-known Auckland resident, who was with the New Zealand force in the lighting at Passchendaelc, had a novel experience on the first day of the A.R.C. mooting at Ellcralie. In n parcel of one-pound notes that came into his possession as the result of totalisatbr investments, he found one with this inscription on it> back: "This note was carried into tlie frontline trench at Passchendacle, and presented to the Y.Ii.C.A. in France in exchange for war loan tickets by C. W. Reeves, 51193, N.Z.E.F., 21/3/1918." ,

The great demand that exists in yUidkiland at the present ibiiula for increased telephone connections emphasises the tremendous growth of the system throughout Now Zealand in recent years (states tlie New Zealand "Herald"). In March, 1882, there were 116 direct connections to nxchanges; within the next twenty years, the number increased to 92U0. An increase of 22,000 was recorded in the next ten years, the number of connections in 1912 being over 31,000. Within the next six years a still greater increase was recorded, the total number in March, 1918, being 53,501. %

A lad of nineteen years appeared before Mr F. K. Knight, S.M., at Auckland oil Monday on a charge of having stowed away on the s.s. Makura. The circumstances were that the vouth had a. burning desire to go to s'ea, but had been restrained uy his father from doing so, and tried to guide him into the Civil Service. Efforts m the latter direction failed, and the disappointed lad stowed away on the Makura prior to that vessel leaving Auckland for Vancouver. When the ship was clear of the port he came out of hiding, and offered to work his passage, but the skipper had noplace for him, so he was left in Suva and picked up by the Niagara coming hack to Auckland. The expenses involved in the unauthorised trip to Suva amounted to £l6 10s, and sentence was adjourned for -|a month, pending payment of that amount hy the lad's parents.

The appointment of . a bacteriologist for service with the Government dairy division.was urged at the Xorth Auckland Dairy Conference, by Mr T. Bassett, representing the Northern Wairoa Dairy Company, who said that his company, in the course of experiments in by-products, had to send a sample to America for a report. Tho conference.,, agreed that an industry producing foodstuffs; to the value of £8,000,000 a rin'uaHy : Warranted the 'appointment of a bacteriologist, especially as greater attention was being given to the question of public health. It was said to be essential that dairy factorv managers should have the advantage of all the scientific knowledge tvhioh could he placed at their disposal. The conference approved the proposal, and it was decided to send tho resolution to the. National Dairy Association, for consideration a'C'tne forthcoming conferenco at- Palmerstbn North.

A pathetic tale was told of a bright little half-caste Maori boy, "who was charged with being " without sufficient control, before Mr F. K. Hunt, S:M., in the Juvenile Court at Auckland. It was stated that tho child, of illegitimate birth, was the son. of a woman who had been found living in the Domain, and who, for the offence, had been seut to a reformative homo for iwo years. Before she left, however, sho buried a bag of money in the Domain. Upon her release she dug up the treasure, anu agaTu resorted.to her ■wild life. Finally she was dispatched "by the police to her people at Thames. Since then no trace of the woman could he fdund, and her child was loft to the care of a friend. As he grew up, however, he resorted to his mother's way of living, stayed away from school, and one night, not long ago, he was found curled up beside a dog In a sawmill. On the suggestion of a, policeman, the child was committed to the Receiving Home. "But what is his age?" asked the magistrate. Of this some doubt existed, so the magistrate relieved -the situation by saying, "Oh, the court will fix his age." , }

A seafaring man at Auckland, who has spent many years trading in tho Pacific, refers to a message from Wellington regarding the supposed castaways on Flint Island, and the suggestion that they may possibly be the missing men from the barque Aryan, which was burnt some 300 miles east of tho Chatham Islands on Christmas evening. This theory lie characterises as absurd, and points out that a boat could not possibly drift to the Flint Island from this locality, a distance of about 2500 miles, because of th 6 set of currents and the winds. He asserts, further, that the captain who saw the lights had no right to assume that thoso responsible for them were castaways. The island is a copra-Droduc-ing island, and as far as the speaker knew was inhabited. Indentured labour was 'used to produce the copra, and these people always had iires m the .evening for cooking their shell fish. Flint Island, moreover, he states, is in close to Tahiti, and is supposed to bo in communication with the latter from time to time'by means of small boats. There was a possibility, of course, that the indentured labour had been removed, but if so he had not heard of it.