Untitled

Auckland Star, Volume XLVIII, Issue 142, 15 June 1917, Page 4

The Weather Bureau forecast for 24 hours from 9 a.m. this day is as follows: "The indications arc for freshening northerly winds, strong to pale. The weather appears likely to be cloudy and unsettled. Rain probable. Barometer falling. Tides good. Sea moderate."

The First Medical Board left for the Northern districts of the Auckland province last evening, and will be away for three weeks. From now on one Board will sit continuously in Auckland and two at intervals.

A statement of receipts and expenditure during the British military occupation of Samoa in the year inirJ-17 shows the receipts totalled -74,590 10/8, awl expenditure £7D.SS.I 10/2, the former being £3277 5/10 and the latter £8006 13/1 in excess of the estimates. Native taxes produced £12,553, Customs £41.057. Court fees, etc., £10.655. Post Office £6953, and miscellaneous items ,£3346.

In the course of replying to a deputation of carpenters yeeterdar afternoon the Acting-Prime Minister I Sir James Allen i laid emphasis on the probability in the near future of many workers in the non-essential industries having to turn their attention to industries of an essential character. "I think I ought to say." h<- remarked, "that if the war is going on very much longer I am afraid some, of you who are engaged in industries like carpentering will have to cast your eyes about to see. if there is not some more essential industry for your employment. I am afraid that the more essential industries will have to be given prominence, and that th«re. may not be. much work in such an industry as carpentering if the war lasts for long." The City Engineer reported to the City Council last evening that, after an , examination of the plans o-f the new post office at the corner of Lome and ' Wclles-ley Streets-, he rinds that the j jio ? ting boxes are to be placed in a vestibule at an approximate distance of \ ■20ft from the etreet alignment, which ! vestibule is only reached by a flight of in steps from Wellesley Street; that \ the private, letter-boxes are situated in a. vestibule facing Lome Street, and ap- j proaehed by a. flight of nine ? tcp? ; that j there is also a projection of the win- | dows in Wellesley Street of over a foot, ! which, in the caae of one window, is at the height of only 6ft from the pavement, and that he was unable to obtain n loan of the plans, a* they are not yet made public. On the recommendation of the Work? Committee it was resolved that the Engineer take the matter up with the Government architect, with a view to having improved facfli- j ties provided for posting by letter boxes on the street frontage and street level. The Telegraph Engineer proposes to erect a number of additional telephone eahinets in the city, and submitted the following sites to the City Council: Waterloo Quadrant, at. the corner of Princes Street; Symonds Street, near St. Paul's Church; Gittos Street, near Con-.-titution Hill; Manukau Road, at the corner of Garfield Street; Manukau Road, at the junction of Great South Road; Karangahape Road, near corner of Belgium Street; Great North Road, corner of Newton Road: Great Xorth Road, in front of Grey Lynn post office at the corner of Codvington Street; Great North Road, near Williamson's Avenue: Jervois Road, al junction of Heme Bay Road: Shelly Beach Road, opposite Sarsfield Street; Wellington Street, at junction of Hepburn Street; Hohson Street, near junction of Wellington Street: Victoria Street West, junction of Uobson Street; Albert Street, near junction of Swanson street; Newton Road, opposite France Street. The cabinet at the corner of Garlield Street, Manujkau Road, it was proposed to place in Henley Street, and that Ht. the junction of the Great South Road with Manukau Road in Fairfax Road. The sites were approved. Following upon the application of the Auckland Rugby League lor tho lease of a strip of land in Stanley Street, now occupied by the Chinamen's gardens, and adjoining the Domain, the Auckland Hospital Board wrote to the City Council i last evening stating tiiat it had been proposed that a mutual exchange should be made of two areas of land, each comprising 34,5fi4 square feet, as the most equitable way of getting over the difficulty. Tim Board had agreed to the proposal and if the. Council also agreed would promote the necessary legislation to-.he.ve ar-clause< iwert<id in the. "Washing", l"p" bill authorising the exchange. A recommendation that the exchange be agreed to was adopted. , "Hansard," the Parliamentary record, is being pruned as a war measure due to shortage of paper. The Minister-in-Ctiarge of the printing office (the Hon. G. W. Russell) informed our Wellington correspondent that the number of "Hansards" hitherto printed was 8,000, Hut this session it will be reduced to 3,500. Members formerly had 75 copies for free distribution; now they will have to be content with 25. Ministers included. Members of the. L'ppcr House are only to receive five each. The general free list will also he narrowly scanned for reductions. The Minister was asked if the pruning knife were to be extended to reports of speeches, which are now published verbatim. He laughingly replied that the newspapers ha 4 better suggest it, for he would not. Our correspondent understands from other sources that such a proposa' is afoot. Reports of speeches of minor importance would certainly stand severe condensation, though it would probably lie resented by members. This is a question for Mr. Speaker's decision. The fish supply formed the subject of a report from the Markets Committee to the City Council last evening. It was stated that owing to the increased demand in the city and suburbs and the. insufficiency of fish to supply country orders, it was deemed inadvisable to push the sale of fish in the country at the present time.. A communication was also received from the secretary of the Women's Political League asking the Council to abolish wastefulness entailed by the "limit system.'' Mr. A. J. Kntrican stated that the position -was that they were iiebarred by law from selling fish below a certain size. It wag stated by Mr. >«erhony that undersized fish were sometimes .brought into Auckland. He would like to know what was done with them. Mr. Entrican replied that these did not amount to a basketful per week, and they were usually given to the Sisters of Mercy or some other institution, ft was left to tho committee to bring up a recommendation if thought necessary to do so. An item of information apparently quite formal, but very significant, communicated to the Press to-day is that Mr. G. H. Smith, new member for Pahiatua, will move the. Address-in-Reply in the House of Representatives, and the motion will be seconded by the Hon. D. Buddo. as representing the Liberal party, says our Wellington correspondent. It is usual to secure, if possible, new members to discharge this duty, therefore surprise will be caused by the absence of Sir John Findlay's name from the list, though no official information is available regarding the reason for the omission. It seems as if Sir John Findlay's relations with the official Liberal party are not altogether cordial. His failure to move or second the Address certainly gives him greater freedom of action if he wishes to criticise the Government programme. The question of allowing boys' football matches to be played in Victoria Park and the Domain free of charge between 1 and ,1 o'clock on Saturday afternoon was reported on by the Reserves Committee to the City Council last evening. The committee pointed out that sehool'boys were, allowed to play on the parks on any other afternoon during the week, and on Saturday mornings. There was no objection to the concession being granted to the boys belonging to the Auckland Football Association, from whom the application came, but otherwise the request could not be recommended. The report was upheld by the Council.

A notice in tbe "Gazette" states -that ctilton cheese and Cheddar cheese of the third grade, Cheddar cheese of the • first or second grade of a less size than known export size, and dairy cheese ' may be exported and consigned to other ; than the British Government in the United Kingdom, British possessions and 1 protectorates. Applications must be made locally to the Collector of Cu=- ! tome.—Prcsa Association. I The following significant paragraph ■ from an English newspaper iust to hand 'should be of interest, as lowing pre- ' paratione being made by the Imperial iJovernment for the future: "'The chairman of the West Riding Agricultural ; Committee, reportine on the deputation to the Premier, said that Mr. Lloyd (Jeorge was emphatic that in the hardest of 10]S-m every effort must be made J Ito grow sufficient corn in this country Ito remove entirely the fear of starva- f i tion." i When the war bonus of in per cent j became a statutory obligation in Nnj vmi-her last, the Whangarei Borough ! employee? were receiving £3 per week, I which" was 2/fi abive the award rate, j They claimed that the 10 per cent should j jbe added to the £3. which meant an I i addition of R/. Tt has now been de-| ! cided by legal opinion, after prolonged | j disputaiion."that the. men were entitled to a war bonus of op. per week. The j payment, if retrospective, and the men j will therefore revive a tidy little ?utn j represented by 5/0 multiplied by thfl i numbr-r of intervening weeks. i Much dissatisfaction is being expressed j by the ratepayers of Henderson, who re- | cently petitioned the Waitcmata County ; Council to pass a by-law declaring gorse la noxious weed within the boundaries of > I a proposed noxioue weed area around ! Henderson, including portions of the; jWaipereira and Waikuniete ridings. It I seems that the Council agreed to the' ! proposal at its May meeting by six ' votes to five, hut when the Council's ! solicitors forwarded the by-law for confirmation at its June meeting a motion : was moved "That no further action be 'taken in the matter' and carried, an amendment that the by-law be proceeds with being Lo>t by nine votes to two. A i further petition to the Council is now being prepared, "It seemß to mc, from this case and others that crop up here," stated Mr. F. |V. Frazer. P.M., to-day, "'that it is time j for the best brains of the country to tackle the question of the enormous dis--1 proportion of the wages that some people ' earn and thn Roaring cost oi living." The lease in question was the living problem Jof a man with a sick wife and three I children and a wage of 57/6 a week. "I ! don't know." added his Worship, "whether those people who try to commit suicide occasionally have the idea that it jis cheaper to live there. It might be." About two years ago. a paragraph appeared concerning a Dunedin lad named i Waller Broad, who was unsuccessful in 1 passing the military test in New Zea- | land owing to his being below the ! standard height. This young man was i very keen on enlisting. He was then farming, and he left his position, went to Wellington, and stowed away on board the steamer Rangatira bound for I England. This was in August. 1915. lOn arriving in London young Broad en- ] listed in the Bantam Battalion, but was turned down. Ho was determined, however, not to be.beaten, and accordingly went to Leicester, where he enlisted in j the Durham ,Light infantry, and was ac- ] ceptcd. Tie sufequcntly "tferit to France with his regiment. Up to this time his parents had not had any word concerning his whereabouts, hut in November last advice was received that the lad had been wounded and was missing. No further communication has since been received. At the meeting of the City Council last evening Mr. Ernest Davis called atj tention to a letter which appeared in the Press in reference to the St. John' 3 I Lake scheme, over the signature of Mr. •C. .T. Parr. It seemed to him. he said, • that when statements of that kind j were made some notice of tlK>iu should Ihe taken by the Council. He would like Ito know also if the statement made by I Mr. Parr that it would cost £10.000 to I make a road round the lake and £20.000 'to convert the lake bottom into a park, j was true. Mr. .T. Warnoek. chairman !of the Reserves Committee, stated that ' the land had not yet been surveyed or ' the road line laid out. It was impos--1 sible. therefore, to say what the cost j would he, but the engineer's estimate of I the cost of the road was £6000. With regard to the statement that it would cost £20.000 to form the park, it was absurd for Mr r"arr or anyone else to j attempt to say what the cost would be. jA ■ suggestion from Mr. Moore-Joneg j that they appro- h the Church of England trustees with a request that they j should donate, at the end of Mr. .Vbbott's lease, an additional area of 100 acres in consideration of the expenditure for which the City was ren- | dering itself liable was ruied out of I order by the Mayor. j On Tuesday evening trie Mayor of i Wellington (Mr. J. P. Luke) was adI vised that 120 returned soldiers would j arrive from Auckland, including some thirty odd men for Wellington. With I his usual assiduity Mr Luke, taking into i consideration the bad state of the I weather, set about making arrangements to make the men comfortable durj ing the day. He arranged that four tramcars should he in waiting at the railway station, and Mrs. Luke and her committee of ladies made preparations of a hospitable character at the Town Hall. The Mayor, with Sir James Allen was at the station when the train arrived, and gave the men an informal , welcome, and let them know what had J been done to provide r place and the I opportunity to fraternise with their ] relatives and friends. There, were, how- , eve,-, many friends to meet the men. and j a couple of the cars were used to conI vcv the men np town. The Mayor him- : self travelled in the second car. but on arrival at the Town Hall he was informed that the men had scattered to J the four winds of the heavens, and as j those who arrived by the second ear showed no inclination to be entertained I the reception fell through. The Mayor J said that it was ev,dent the men did I not want to be entertained. His only . object was to afford a convenient place !in the town for friends, who were no? sMy strangers to Wellington, to and chat with the men in whom they were interested, bnt after being received in Auckland and possibly elsewhere t he" vere evidently "full up" of £*£ The Scotch concert given by the Hirii and I nit National Reserve" and "uck SiLr rti - h • «« >™ able only one wire via Opotiki. Half-priced ladies' and children* millinery sale starts to-day at tho R«r, i March* Karaagahape B ° B

An error in the spelling of hie name •with two letters "m" when sendine in Mb registration was officially reported to be the- cause of Victor E. Sommervilie, a returned soldier, being called mi in a recent ballot. His appeal came before the First Auckland Military t-ervica Board to-day, when Sommervillc objected to being called up as a conßcr.pt. He went away with the Main Body and after being wounded at GallipolV returned invalided in the third lot which returned to New Zealand. Appellant emphatically stated that hie name uas epelt '-Sommervillp." and said'it wag ap. parc-ntlv a common mistake to spell his name with one "m," and this had led apparently to the official blunder. Appcl. lant also said that he was not working at present, but he intended to. take another turn at soldiering with the forces. The Board decided that Sommerville was not a reservist, having been discharged from the Expeditionary Forces after serving beyond the seas. A visit to the Soldiers' Club wae paid by the Minister of Defence, Sir James Alien, accompanied by Colonel G. W $ Patterson, O.C. District, and staff. They were received by the chairman, Mr. A. G. Lunn. and Mr. C. Bhodee. After visiting the various rooms, and chatting Witt the soldiers, the Minister expressed himself very pleased with the club and itd arrangements. He particularly expressed hie appreciation of the voluntary services rendered by the Ladies' Committee in preparing and serving refreshments ta the eoldiere day after day. Mr. J. Rolleston. licensee of the. Grand Hotel, has forwarded to Sister Esther a cheque for £21 9/, representing contributions by guests to Sister Esther's fundi for the aged and needy. Half-priced ladies' and children* millinery sale starts to-day at the Bon Marche, Karangaiape Road.—(Ad.) Half-priced ladies' and children's millinery eale starts to-day at the Boa Mart-he. Karangahape Road.—(Ad.)