LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 21 May 1938, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Mystery Military Button. The original use of a military button —one of a collection at present on display in the Hawke's Bay Museum and Art. Gallery building is mystifying the officials. In spite of wide inquiries, the type of regimental uniform which the button originally decorated has not been discovered. The button bears a centrepiece of a winged wheel with six arrow heads reaching out from file rear of the wheel. Under this design appears the lettering, “N.Z.A.S.M.” Footballer With Wooden Leg. The remarkable case of a man with a wooden leg who played football wa.wralled in the Auckland Supreme Court on Wednesday by Mr Justice Callan, when the limitations in sport imposed on a man by a stiff leg were under discussion. “As I remember it," said His Honour, “objection .was taken by his opponents to this man because he had a big advantage in the scrum. I think that must be regarded as quite a freakish case.” Mr West, who was appearing in the case, remarked that for a one-legged man to play cricket was quite common. Farmers and Defence. Alarm at the state of the New Zealand defence forces, as revealed in the report of senior territorial officers, was expressed at the Auckland provincial conference of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union. A remit was passed urging the Dominion Conference to request the Government to enquire from the British Government as to the way in which New Zealand could best contribute towards the defence of the Empire. It was also desired that the general purport of the British Government’s reply should be made public. Damages Awarded. General damages amounting to £3lO, and special damages amounting to £BO 4s Id, were awarded Gwyneth Elder Jones, bookkeeper, Dannevirke, against Joseph Godfrey Long, detective, Wellington, in the Supreme Court yesterday. The claim for £5OO general damages and £BO 4s Id special damages for injuries plaintiff received in a collision on New Year’s Day on the Waikanae bridge between a car in which she was a passenger and of which Hugh Allen Carter was driver, and a car driven by defendant Plaintiff alleged negligence, which defendant denied. Te Kooti and the Law.

The views on law of Te Kooti, the Maori rebel leader of the last century, were mentioned by Mr Te Ari Pitama in an address to the Christchurch Business Men’s Club. When Te Kooti was being sentenced by a magistrate, said Mr Pitama, he was asked if he had anything to say. In reply he stated that he had been told by the missionaries that the laws of Moses were written on stone; escaped convicts had told him that the laws of England were written on bars of steel, and he thought the laws of New Zealand were written on indiarubber, “because they could be pulled any way you like.”

Labour Loses Seat. The official recount of votes for the 13 city seats on the Wellington Hospital Board has resulted in the defeat of the Labour candidate, Mr R. Holland, who occupied on the night of the poll the last position in the tentative list of successful candidates. His place has been taken by the Citizens’ candidate, Mr J. C. Crawford, who has moved up from the top of the original list of rejected candidates. On election night Mr Holland was credited with 18,774 votes, which was 40 more than the number received by Mr Crawford. As a result of the recount, Mr Crawford has 19,119 votes and Mr Holland 19,000.

Shortage of Teachers. “We are deplorably short of teachers, and the position is becoming more acute,” said the chairman of the Hawke’s Bay Education Board, Mr G. A. Maddison, at the monthly meeting of the board yesterday, when advice was received from the Education Department that it had decided to abolish the training college entrance examination. Mr Maddison said that because other avenues were more remunerative there was a possibility that there would be fewer young women entering the teaching profession. Unless salaries were raised the position would not be overcome. All could not teach in town schools, and it appeared to some better

to get £2 a week and stay in town than to go into the country and receive £3 a week.

Toll of the Motor. Motor vehicle accidents caused the death of 236 persons in New Zealand between March 15, 1937, and March 31. 1938. This information is given in the Abstract of Statistics for May, issued last night. The total number of such accidents during the period was 3968. involving no fewer than 5251 persons. Apart from the 236 deaths, serious injury was suffered by 1055 persons, and 3060 received minor injuries. Pedestrians who were the victims of road accidents had the greatest proportion of fatalities, followed by drivers, passengers and motor-cyclists in that order. On the other hand, motor-cyclists injured had easily the greatest proportion of seriously injured among their number. with pedestrians second and pillion riders third.

Manufacturers Instructed. The Auckland Manufacturers’ Association recently tendered the Minister of Industries and Commerce, the Hon D. G. Sullivan, a complimentary luncheon, and in his post-prandial address the Minister essayed to advise and instruct the manufacturers in their duties to themselves. We believe few people would object to Doing advised and instructed, provided the person tendering the advice happened to be in a position and competent to give sound and acceptable advice. Applying this test to the Minister, we are amazed at his attempting to advise the manufacturers of New Zealand. The Minister's knowledge cannot be more than theoretical and superficial, and at all times he must subordinate his theories to fit in with the policy of the Alliance of Labour. —"Mercantile Gazette." Housing Problem. The situation created by the FailRents Act. the Government’s housing policy, and the acute shortage of dwellings in Wellington, was commented upon by a number of the city’s leading land agents yesterday. It 'was stated that there is a fair market for house properties, provided possession can be given. In many cases, however, there is difficulty in obtaining possession because tenants, protected by the Act. will not vacate the dwellings. Speculative building is practically at a standstill, and while a number of sections have been sold to purchasers with sufficient finance to build, few people, if any are now looking for investment in houses. "The Fair Rents Act lias killed the business, and people will not invest in houses.” said one agent.