MISCELLANEOUS.

Otaki Mail, Volume XXVIII, 19 April 1920, Page 4

MISCELLANEOUS.

At a record annual meeting of the iS'.Z.' P. and T. Officers' Association, Duaedin branch, the following resolutions were carried unanimously: —(1) That the executive committee be asked 1o demand immediate payment oi! the bonus, and that the members who were absent with the Expeditionary; Force bo included. (2) That this meeting expresses discontent with the present scale of salaries, and asks that an allround increased remuneration be granted immediately, in order to cope with the increasing and alarming disparity between the present day salaries and their purchasing power. (3) That fcJiO be accepted as a basic living wage tor a married officer of the Department.

The Auckland "Star" relates that during the Easter golf tournament at Mtddlcmore links (Auckland) a ball from one player rested in another's sleeve. A rather remarkable incident occurred also when H. - Morpeth was driving. A line ball had just commenced its flight when a fantuil flew uul of some neighbouring li-tree, and was struck by it. The bird came fluttering to the ground with a broken wing, but curiously enough thy ball continued its course and landed on the green. The fautail was taken home by one of the players with the object of nursing it to recovery.

Dr. Ethel Williams says: "I spent a great, deal of time among the children, but could not lind a normal child in Vienna. They were children of skin and bone —while, emaciated, suukeneyed. In the poorer parts 1 never saw a child of less than two or three years walking. 1 was live days in the city before I found one attempting to Hay."

The three lallest trees in the world no believed in lie a sequioa near >tockton, California, which is 320 feet ligli, and two eucalypti in Victoria. Australia, estimated to be i'oo and -150 feet respectively.

A most, extraordinary photograph, showing a wedding party in which all the ladies wore knickerbockers, was thrown on the screen by Dr. Truby King, in his lecture at the Auckland Town Hall. The doctor, explaining that it was the only humorous slide he proposed to show, said, that while hunting for photographic material on diild welfare in America, a couple of years ago, he came across this picture, which bore the title. "A Kcform Wedding in New Zen hi ml." He was informed that it, had been shown in various parts of the country as typical

,i- life in. this country. To judge by j-UC bridegroom's beard, which was of ~ j;hui now seen only in the. far backblocks, the doctor's comic picture was taken in the late eighties or early

nineties so that tbc word "reform" a the moaning could have had no political meaning at the time. For that matter, the bridegroom could not be identified for curtain with any past or prosevi supporter of Mr Masscy,

At a meeting of the Mastetton branch of the dinners' Union a resolution was carried: "That the Government he urged to do its utmost to supply farmer.-! with the necessary fertiliser, espf-cially stiperphatcs and basic slag, otherwise the production of foodstuffs will be seriously curtained." 3ft was also decided Iha I a deputation wait on the Prime Minister on 'lie subject.

It .is quite evident that some thieves arc operating in the Awapuni district at present. Lust week a well-known settler had his potato patch raided, a horse and dray being used to take away the spoils. Another resident hud the misfortune to lose 1200 feet oi

timber from a stack required for the erection of a nev, house. The thieves on this occasion used a motor lorry to

carry away the timber. Another farm had 15U pullets stolen from a run near the river. ■ . . .a.^

"The Railway Department now appears io bo taking on the business of the Defence Department and the Magistrate's Court.. 11 stated Mr M. J. Alack, fc-neral secretary of the amalgamated Society oi' Hallway Servants in Wellington. "As shown by the latest, punishment sheet." he added, •<trui Department is fining men from 5s to 10s for not appearing at territorial parades in uniform or for failing ro attend parades. This seems to be militarism run riot." * * * A Christehnreh man passing through Palmerston said that the boardinghouses at Koton-.a had now put up their tariffs to £2 ner day. Seats on the n-randstand being erected on the racecourse for the Maori demonstration were to cost £2 2s a day. The Government was'making an extraordinarily lavish expenditure in connt> tiou with Retails of the visit. The visitor remarked that the over-staffing at the rrdlitarv hospital was still a topic of r-omment. The staff and atteiuismts were litorallv falling over one another.