LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16266, 27 June 1916, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS

Ax English and American mail, comprising 166 bags for Auckland, 214 bags for Wellington, and 209 bags for other centres, arrived by the R.M.S. Makura yesterday morning. The Muritai, which arrived from Sydney yesterday morning, brought 42 bags of Australian mail for Auckland. This afternoon 46 bags of Australian mail will arrive here by the express, having been carried to Wellington by the steamer Moeraki, from Sydney.

The jurors in the Rua case are not quite satisfied with the amount of remuneration they are receiving, which is the statutory allowance of eight shillings a day. Some of the jurors are business men, and are suffering great inconvenience, while others are ordinary workers who are accustomed to a good weekly wage. One of the latter is stated to be paying another man ten shillings a day in order to keep his position open until the problematical time arrives when the case will conclude. It is understood that the jurors will make representations to His Honor Mr. Justice Chapman on the question.

The official opening of the Salvation Armv Home at Heme Bay, for girls whose fathers have fallen while on active service, will take place next Monday afternoon'. Among the officers of the organisation who will be present will be Commissioner H. C. Hodder and Mrs. Hodder, Lieut.-Col. A. Powley, chief secretary, and Mrs. Powley, Brigadier Bray, Brigadier Hoare, and Mrs. Brigadier Glover, women's social secretary. The key of the home will be turned by Mrs. W. H. Smith, from whom the property was leased. Invitations have been extended to the Mayor, Mr. J. H. Gunson, Mr. George Elliot, and Mr. Robert Laidlaw to address the gathering. The home will have accommodation for 40 girls. Though intended primarily for girls whose fathers have fallen on active service, if there are any vacancies, consideration will be given to the children of widowers who desire to enlist, and after them to other orphans and needy children. Staff Captain E. Roi, who has been in charge of the Army's home for girls in Wellington during the past 13 years, ha s been appointed matron of the new institution.

A report upon the operations of the Waikato River Board has been made for the Lands Department by Mr. Ashley Hunter, of Auckland, and has been forwarded to the Minister for Lands, the Right Hon. W. F. Massey. The report deals with the effects of the board's work on the navigation of the river, on the adjoining lands, and on the drainage of swamp areas.

A married man Mr. H. Burridge, residing at Church Street, Onehunga, was admitted to the hospital yesterday morning with the fingers of his right hand badly lacerated by machinery. The injuries were sustained whilst Mr. Burridge was engaged in his work at the Westfieid Freezing Works.

The retiring matron of the Mount Albert Industrial School, Miss Jackson, who has occupied the position for 34 years, will relinquish her duties at the end of this week, when her successor, Mrs. C. J. Brooke, of Roslyn, will take charge. Mrs. Brooke, who arrived in Auckland on Saturday, has a record of, 20 years of public life, and has been in the Postal Department for the last 12 years. In addition to the position as matron of the school, Mrs. Brooke will also act as inspector under the Infant Life Protection Act for the districts of Auck-1 land and Taranaki.

Inquiries are being made by the police as to the whereabouts of Mr. David Weir. 80 years of age, who is missing from 84, Victoria Street, where he lives with his son, Mr. William Weir. The missing man is absent-minded and apt to for"et his way home. He .was last seen by his son at 10.30 a.m. yesterday. In height he is about sft 7in, and he is of stout build, with grey hair, grey whiskers, and grey eyes. When last seen he was dressed in a dark-blue coat and vest and brown trousers, and was wearing heavy black boots.

Skilled machinists in America, according to Mr. Luke Manor, a glass-making expert, of Pittsburg, are earning wages at the rate of between £2 and £3 a day. He instanced the famous Westinghouse Company, which employs 27,000 workmen. 60 per cent, of whom are engaged in shellmaking for the allies. He said that the Westinghouse Company had so systematised its plant that one skilled machinist could attend to 10 automatic machines without neglecting any part of his work. That meant that he was able to attend to the cutting of 10 shell cases at the one time, and his wages were, in consequence, considerably increased. In other countries the rule was : one machine, one man.

In view of the large number of soldiers who have been discharged and are not able to find suitable employment, it -was decided last night by the Returned Soldiers' Association to try and establish some better system whereby employers could be placed in touch with discharged soldiers and more readily secure them suitable positions. The secretary of Ihe association was instructed to obtain a list of all members who are looking for employment. It was decided to ask the managers of the various picture theatres who grant free admission to returned soldiers to admit men on the association's badge only.

A protest against the granting of a 10 per cent, war bonus to the workmen employed by the Mount Albert Borough Council "was made at last night's meeting of the council by Mr. J. H. Bradney. He said he was disgusted with those who objected to business firms and others profiting as a result of the war and who asked for a war bonus to benefit themselves. He added that, according to a circular issued by the Employers' Association, the recommendation of the Arbitration Court on the subject was to the effect that a war bonus should be paid only to workmen who were earning less than £2 12s per week, or Is 3d per hour, in order to raise their wages to either of these rates. The council ultimately decided to grant the 10 per cent, bonus.

The following was the state of His Majesty's prison, Auckland, for the week ended June 24 last On remand, 6 males; awaiting trial, 9 males; sentenced to life, 7 males; sentenced to hard labour 180 males, 20 females; sentenced to imprisonment, 5 males; default of bail, 4 males; received during the week 24 males, 2 females; discharged, 31 males; total in prison. 211 males, 20 females.

" In all the large cities of America the people are keen for war with Mexico, but in the interior the feeling is lukewarm." Such was the opinion expressed yesterday by Mr. Luke Manor, of Pittsburg, in discussing the prospects of war between the United States and Mexico.

Three boys, two aged 15 and one aged 14, were charged before Mr. E. C. Cutten, S.M., yesterday, in the Court for Juveniles, with stealing from a shop in Albert Street, two boxes of matches. They were remanded until Saturday, pending further inquiries.

The Minister for Lands states that Crown lands in Waitomo County, particularly the Mangaoronga and Rangitoto ■Blocks, will be placed on the market as soon as possible, and other areas in the county are to be reported on,, with, the object of opening them up for settling returned soldiers on them. The stock, school and metal reserves in Waitomo County are to be vested in the County Council.

As is usual at this season of the year the amount paid out to suppliers by the Cambridge Co-operative Dairy Company for the month of May shows a shrinkage. The payments for cheese total £1179 13s 7d, representing 18,6881b at Is 3d, and for butter £121 9s 7d, representing 22441b at Is Id.

A small area of native land, roughly three-quarters of an acre, in Otorohanga ■was recently sold to the Government. Some ten or a dozen sections in the township have been freeholded, and residents are looking forward to further extensive purchases by the Government.

A cheerful letter from a New Zealand soldier in France states that the troops are comfortably billeted in houses, and that the people are very good to them. He says: "We are not far from the front. We can hear the big guns from where we are. This country is quite different from Egyptall green fields; much cleaner, and no niggers to worry you. . . I enjoyed the soup tablets very much; we had them coming up in the train. Wine is very cheap here; I suppose on account of its being made in the country. I hope to get leave to go over to England after we have done our time in the trenches. I suppose things are very quiet in New Zealand with so many men away but they are all wanted, every one of them."

At last monthly meeting of the New Plymouth Harbour Board, the chairman, Mr. J. B. Connett, said that he wished to publicly correct an impression which had been spread abroad to the effect that further work was .required at the port before ocean-going, ships could visit New Plymouth. He said local residents could disabuse their minds on the matter, for the works in hand would be completed in a month or six weeks.

A case of apparent hardship was brought under the notice of the Hon. W. D. S. Mac Donald, when on a visit to Gisborne a few days ago. Mr. G. Stock, on behalf of a local native, who, with his son accompanied the Maori Contingent to Gallipoli, said that the son was killed in action by his father's side on August 24 last, and the father was wounded. O* returning hime the father claimed £69 arrears of pay, and, further, contended that his son's allotments to his relatives on the East Coast had never been paid. The Department's reply was that no sucn casualty had occurred, and that the identification number was that of another Maori hailing from Mahia. Against this, however, the father was able to produce the transport receipt for his son's kit, a telegram from the Minister for Defence announcing his son's death, and the actual identification disc removed by the father from his son's body on the battlefield. The Minister took possession of the papers in the case ,and stated that he would personally investigate the matter.

"Certain it is that we cannot keep going on in the ceaseless round of raising wages, shortening hours and imposing further restrictions, and I respectfully suggest that the better course is to call a halt before the inevitable smash comes " said Mr. W. Pryor, representing the employers before the Arbitration Court in Christ church a few days ago.