NEWS OF THE DAY

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVI, Issue 10609, 7 June 1920, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

Workmen discovered near Chagny (Franco) spine fossilised bones, and scientists declare they boloim to a pro-mammoth 'mid-European elephant, 13ft in height, with tusks Bft long.

Yesterday, so far as tho Church of England is concerned, was in Wellington a double anniversary. It was nine years (6-6-1911) since the Rt. Rev. Dr Sprott was coucccrated as Bishop of Wellington, and 54 years (6-6-1866) since tho consecration of St. Paul’s Pro-Cathedral, Thorndon.

The Victorian Attorney-General, Mi Arthur Robinson, states that lie has received several hundred applications for the position of Chief Commissioner of the Victorian Railways. Among tbo 'number arp several from leading railway managers iu tbo United Kingdom, and he ia hopeful that within a few weeks an announcement can bo made that the' position has been filled, iu time for assumption of the duties by September Ist at latest.

. Messrs John Rigg and Co., the New Zealand representatives pf ‘ Messrs llowutree and Co., have received cable advice that Home factories have increased tho price of nil chocolate goods by 171, per cent., and that confectionery has increased in price, roughly, 3d” to Id per pound. There arc short supplies,’ .and very firm at Home. Rowntrcc’ and Co. have forecast that during the next four months supplies will be particularly light, and prices hard.

Covont Garden, London’s great fruit and vegetable market, which is now proving too small for the needs of the population, was onco a convent garden belonging to the abbots of Westminster, and was used as pasture well into the eighteenth century. The beginnings of the market were very primitive; just a few tumble-down sheds and shops. Some of these sold crockery, and at others snails, then employed to make broth for consumptive patients, wore vended.

The Repatriation Department is pooking employment for some returned men at tile present time. The arrival of winter has caused some decline in the demand for labour, and the department is asking employers to supply information regarding any vacancies on their staffs. there ia special need of light work for some partially-disabled men. ‘The icpatriaiton authorities are anxious to get all men of this class into permanent positions as quickly as possible.

One result of the Waihi strike was that the employees of tho Borough Council lost their positions because the gold -revenue was cut off. Tho question of reinstating such of tho borough employees as the financial position will permit is to be discussed. Practically tho whole of the members of the staff were thrown out of tho employ during the strike, which resulted in a temporary cessation of the mining industry and the cutting off of the principal source of revenue to tho borough. The little town of Morrinavillo intends to "get real busy” on its housing scheme. A poll to raise £IO,OOO to build workers’ dwellings was carried. It is intended to build ten dwellings immediately. The site chosen is a portion of the recreation ground, which wan purchased on mortgage, the mortgagee releasing five acres from his security in order to facilitate the board’s housing scheme. It is probable that tho houses will bo built of hollow concrete at a cost, excluding the sections, of 41750 each.

Inquiries made by the Hospitality Bureau (says a London writer) have led to the conclusion that visitors to that country between May and September -may be fairly estimated at 124,000, anil those between May and December, at 160,000. After that wo have heard of the coming American invasion, these figures seem to mo surprisingly small. I believe that they will he exceeded. Before December there will be vessels running which are not running now. Foreign countries may take a hand in bringing hither the hordes of people from America, Canada, t and Australasia which wish to come, and I hope to see some 50,000 from Australia and New Zealand alone. The floating population of Loudon, on tho . estimate mentioned above, is put for the coming months at 40.000. This figure again, with full allowance for the fact that visitors do upt stay in London all tho time, but travel, appears remarkably low, if it is given as an average from May to the end of the year.

It has been tho custom, ever since Now South Wales possessed a railway system, to pay distinguished visitors, or investigators of the conditions for report abroad, tho courtesy of providing them with free railway travelling. These visitors are comparatively few. and as their passage by rail involved no extra trains or accommodation, tho courtesy practically coat tho State nothing. ’ But the State Treasurer has decided to refuse the concession iu future. Commenting oa the details of a sheaf of accounts submitted to him by the Railway Department for the conveyance of visitors in January, Mr Lang said he is determined to make nn end of all suoti expenditure. “It is not the duty of any Government,’' he says, “to spend a considerable amount on tbo entertainment of u section of the community, and providing a special class with free train trills, motor-riding, and other diversions, paid for out of the common purse, when the most rigid economy should be exercised by the Government, ns well as by the individual.”

Tlie annual session of the Wellington Diocesan Synod is to open on August Gth.

A considerable amount of building i.s proceeding in the Hult Valley, but Uie dennmd for houses still exceeds the supply.

# Tho latest “Gazette'' contains notice of the authorisation by Order-ln-Counoil. of a. loan of £3CO by tho Johnsonvillc Town Board.

• A memorial service for the late Mrs jM. A. Williams, the founder of tho Sailors’ Friend Society Church and Institute, was held in the institute last evening.

Tho iiiter-Colonial steamer Moeraki, which left Sydney for Wellington with passengers and mail* on Thursday, is expected to arrive in the stream tomorrow morning,, afterwards berthing at the Queen’s wharf.

A complete report of the senior Tt-ngy football matches which were played on Saturday, will be found under a special heading in this issue.- Association and League games, as v> ell as hockey, are also described.

Tho conference between the Minister for Education and representatives of secondary schools was continued on Saturday afternoon, when consideration was given to tho questions of tho grading of schools according to the average attendance and salaries.

Complaint ha* been made that the footpath along the Hurt road is being extensively used by motor-cyclists. J Tho action of the police some time ago in bringing a number of offenders in this respect before tho court stopped the practice for a while.

The hearing of the libel action ron Zedlitz v. “New Zealand Times’’-was concluded on Saturday, the jury finding for the plaintiff, to whom was awarded £IOO as damages. A detailed report of tho Supreme Court proceedings will be found on page 6.

A notification is contained in this issue stating that recess .privileges in connection with the .Ooneral Assembly Library will cease as from Saturday, June 12th. All books must be returned on or before that date.

The preparations of the site for the now Technical College at Mount Cook, which is being carried out by prison labour, is nearing completion. The construction of - tho building is to I>o pushed on with, and the first wing is expected to bo completed within 12 months.

A sad illustration of tho moral tone existing in some circles at the present time in Auckland (says the “Star”) was given in two affiliation eases called at the Magistrate’s Court. In one instance the putative father was 16 years of age, and in the other 17 years. In each case the mothers were older than the, youths.

Tho question of tho grading of teachers was discussed at the meeting of the Auckland Headmasters’ Association. A resolution was passed embodying un expression of regret “that the” Now Zealand Educational Institute at its recent conference in Wellington did not express tho opinion that the Auckland teachers wore justified in the action they took in the interests of the teachers of the Dominion in connection with departmental interference with the grading of teachers.’’

At Christchurch, •in the case in which Hugh McLean Urquhart, by his guardian', Alexander Urquhart, sued the Board of Governors of the Ashburton High School for £IOOO damages, the jury awarded £BOO. The circumstances under which the claim arose were that the teacher of chemistry at the school was making an experiment before a class, when au explosion took place through powdered charcoal being used instead of manganese dioxide, the bottle being wrongly labelled. «. result of the explosion, Hugh Urquhart received a serious injury to an eye.

In connection with the special meeting ot thp Mew Zealand Employers’ Federation, to be held in Wellington on Wednesday, for the purpose of considering the industrial situation in the Dominion, to which have been' invited representatives from the Industrial Corporation, tbo Associated Chambers of Commerce, the Barmens’ Union, and the Welfare League, it is explained that the Welfare League’s representatives are attending solely for the purpose of explaining and asking support fo.r their proposal that the Government shall call a National Industrial Conference, consisting of employers and workers.

Apropos of loans, a correspondent forwards the following extract from tho American paper, “The Saturday >.'lvoning Post," on the methods being adopted by tho German Government to raise money:—“So difficult will bo the problem of raising money that the German Government’s next loan—it is proposed to raise five billiqn marks — V’ill bo a lottery loan. It will create ten now millionaires yearly for the next eighty rears. Elvery person who buys a bond will have a chance at drawings held twice a year, at each of which there will he twenty-five hundred prizes with a total prize money of twenty-five million marks. There aro five maximum prizes of one milion marks each. England, by the way, proposes to adopt this same scheme with her next national loan.” Our correspndent adds;—“As racinappears to be unpopular with Mr Massey, why not close the racecourses abolish the tote, hold dispersal sales of all blood stock, and have a gentle flutter in tho national loan sweepstakes ?”