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Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 201, 25 August 1919, Page 4

The- Weather Bureau forecast for 24 hours from 9 a.m. to-day is as follows: — The indications are for southerly moderate winds, backing by S. to E., then freshening. Mild and hazy conditions, with increasing haze and cloudiness for t'hang-3 to follow. Barometer failing shortly. Sea moderate. Tides goou. Seven cases, all very mild, of the influenza have occurred in the Auckland province during the la,st four days, according to the Public Health report issued at noon to-day. In the City one patient was found, two were at Onehunga, three at Te Tuke, another at N-garuawahia, and the other one at Waihi. The Health Department confidently anticipates being able to give the soldier flu contacts taken from the Mama-ri -to Motuihi their marching tickets early this week. The one real case, Private J. P. Butler, of Wanganui, has the malady very mildly, and is making good progress. All the others have shown no .eigas of becoming victims.

The Mayor of Christchurch, Dr. Thacker, is apparently not going to spare his brother motorists in his search for nuisances. A Christchurch paper reports that the Mayor motored from Cashel Street through High Street and Colombo Street to the middle of Cathedral Square behind a car which he says "filled the whole street with noxious, stinking smoke, which went into the shops and was most offensive." He took the car's number and has asked the traffic inspector to inform the owner that the smoking car nuisance must be stopped. He will also ask the By-laws Committee to prepare a by-law providing for the punishment of offenders in this direction.

The Australian mail which arrived in i Auckland by the Port Lyttelton yesterday was landed and fumigated this morning, and a portion of it was delivered this afternoon. The Auckland portion of the mail which arrived in Wellington from Australia by the Essex on Friday will arrive to-night by express and will be ' delivered to-morrow. The same express will alio bring Auckland letters among the English mail that arrived at Lyttelton by the Somerset in the middle of last , week, while another English mail ar- ' rived in Wellington to-day by the Giesscn. The Auckland portion of this will probably reach here about Wednesday. When Mr. Charles McGillion, of 134, Harper Street, Sydenham, was taking a stroll about 7 p.m. on Thursday last his attention was attracted to a parcel lying by the fence in Harper Street, near Moorhouse Avenue. He discovered the contents to be a male child about one month old, well clad, and apparently well cared for in the past. The child was taken in by the Salvation Army. The police have not yet been able, to discover anything concerning the parentage or guardianship of the child. , When the steamer Janic Seddon returned to port after a vain search for the mine reported from Waiterangi station, Palliser Bay, it was explained that the mine proved to be a dead whale floating in about two fathoms of water. This is the third time a reported mine in Palliser Bay has proved to be a dead whale. I A largely attended meeting of the returned soldiers of Paeroa and .surrounding districts, held in the County Chambers, Mr. D. Vincent presiding, confirmed the action of -the delegates in forming a Hauraki Returned Soldiers' Association. Mr. -T. Donovan was elected chairman,

j and Mr. J. Walmsley secretary- for the' i en-.-uing term. The retiring officers were i Mr. D. Vincent and Mr. J. Poland. The j balance sheet showed a credit of about £240 for the formation of a club. I | A matter which is agitating the minds [of members of the. local police force just j now is the question of when the aboli- j I tion of the broken shift (5 a.m to 9 a.m., i land 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.) will be triedi locally in favour of the, three unbroken I Shifts of eight hours. The experiment i ' — '-tai for three or four months in Wellington, and as a result ttic t'.dice Commission recommended an 'extension of the experiment to the four chief centres. Generally tiie local members of the force who have to go out "on the beat" favour doing away with the broken shift, for the reason that it entails considerable loss of time for those who have to come from a home in the suburbs and return twice a day in order to make up the day's duty. But it is argued that the change should be introduced before the hot weather sets in, for the reason that a man has to be., gradually hardened up to enable him to j do eight hours on beat in the heat of an ' Auckland summer. The matter was dis j cussed at a recent meeting of the police branch of the Civil Service Association, when members were of opinion that the innovation would have a fair trial if it were introduced before the hot weather set in. The Association is endeavouring to have a move made by the i authorities at as early a date as possible.

In furtherance of efTorts to have the j tobacco-growing industry established on a recognised basis in Auckland. Mr. j Joseph Franich, of Henderson, and his ■ son are leaving for Wellington to-mor-row morning, with the object of inter- , esting the Agricultural Department. Mr. ' Franich has been experimenting for some years with tobacco growing at Henderson. A step towards forming a large and vigorous league to oppose the four months' military camp proposal is to be made at a meeting convened for Tuesday evening at the Oddfellaws' Hall. This is as a result of the public meeting held in the Concert Chamber of the Town Hall about a fortnight ago. In reply to a iiue-stion as to the term of office of the Public Service Commissioner, Mr. D. Robertson, and the assistant commissioner. Mr. A. D. Thomson, the Hon. G. W. Ru.-sell said that.' both had attained the superannuation a-je. and wore entitled to retire. They had asked to be relieved of their duties by the end of the present year. A bill amending the law so that municipalities may purchase and sell firewood on such terms as they think fit has been j prepared by Dr. Thacker. member fori Christchurch East and Mayor of Christ-! church. At present municipalities havcj power to deal in loal. but, not in firewood. Dr. Thacker will endeavour to! get the bill through Parliament this! session. A Christmas tree for horses is a novel idea, but one was held iv Boston Post Office Square, where hundreds of horses were provided by the S.I.C.A. workers each with a box of oa-ts, some carrots, and apples, while the drivers were regaled with hot coffee and dough nuts. This Society has also a rest farm for weary horses. While the Auckland Society for thp Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has done splendid work with' the means at its disposal, it i- evident'; that in the Tnited States they are ahead of New Zealand in some things. In' South America the State rariiiment of j Uruguay has passed a law forbidding any 1 entertainment calculated to cause suffer-j ing to man or beast. For some days last week in Wellington! a number of valueless cheques were I operated upon by an individual who has given the detective branch considerable trouble (states the "Dominiou'"i. The investigations revealed the fact that on Wednesday a motor car was stolen, pre-1 sumably by the same individual, and as a | result of telegraphic instructions to the; country districts a man was apprehended at Eketahuna on Wednesday evening.' He was arrested on charges of issuing! twenty valueless cheques for various I amounts, and also with the theft of the | motor car. His stay in custody, however, I was short-lived, for soon after his ap-pre-' hension he made his escape, and 6o far has not been recaptured. i An evangelistic campaign promoted by the Associated Churches of Christ was commenced yesterday. Special services at all the churches will follow durin" the whole of this week. i Successes gained by pupils of Miss Ethel L-ysaght in Trinity College examinations are announced ibj advextiaemeat. j

A good deal of comment has been passed on the youthful appearance of many of the crew of H.M.s. New Zealand, now at Wellington. There are not many among them (states the "Dominion") who bear the appearance of hard-bitten mariners who have -braved the battle and the breeze over a long term of years. A casual inquiry a* to the age of the youngest sailor on board the battleship elicited the reply that he was fifteen and a-half years old. 1 The civil ca-sc in which the Public Trus-tee is proceeding against James Stewart Clark for the recovery of £425, the cost of forming and dedicating a road through some property at Hamilton, to

have been heard at the Supreme Court, before his Honor Mr. Justice Cooper, this morning, was adjourned till Thursday next on the application of Hon. J. A, Tole, who was* engaged in a criminal ease before his Honor Mr. Justice Chapman. The statement of clam, alleged that defendant had transferred his property to one Carfey, who had since died, subject to the formation and dediea* tion of a road. Subsequently the r/ro« perty was subdivided and sold, and tha -purchaser of -some of the ailotments pre-sed for the formation and dedication of the road. The Public Trustee carried, out the work,' and is now proceeding against Clark for the recovery of the amount plus other expenses, which brought the total to £f>3l>. For the defenceit is alleged that the road was only to have been forme I and dedicated if the property was sold in -small sections. This had not been done when it was transferred to Casey, and consequently it was held that there was no liability. Mr. J. K. Reed, K.C., is appearing for defendant. "He spent £50 in three -weeks, and at one time £20 in two days," stated a father who applied in the Christchurch Magistrate's Court to have a prohibition order issued against his son. The son opposed the order and sought to justify his extravagance by declaring after three and a-half years' service '"in the line," he thought he should be allowed hiss liberty. In reply to the Magistrate he said he did not spend the money in "booze." He gave some of it away to hi 3 "cobbers,"' who always treated him decently when he wanted money. Tha monthly allotments banked by the father amounted to £235, -but this sum had been reduced to about £50. Defendant had been incapacitated while on service, and could not follow his former occupation. The order was issued.

Chief B6"sun Wilkinson, in a- speech! on behalf of the petty officers and men of the New Zea'.and, at a luncheon given them in the "Wellington Town Hall,, said I that the men had greatly enjoyed themI selves, and were pleased -beyond expression at what had been done for them. Referring to tho crew of the battlej cruiser, he said they were not the original complement that had fought the ship during the course of the war, bun they represented every branch of the service from submarines to battleships. The welcome that had been accorded the men by the children on Wednesday, he declared, had touched the hearts of them all. ""I ant not a sentimental man myself."' Remarked the speaker, '"hut when I heard the cheering of those hundreds of children, and saw their waving flags it brought tears to my eyes, and to many , others on the ship."" To be in the Navy, he added, was not to lie on a bed ot roses, for in time of war it meant a. great deal of self-sacrifice, and at most times separation from'their homes, of winch they were all deeply fond. | "When the price for calves went up the : pig had to go," is the explanation given ;by one. interested in the in explanation of the extensive shortage of bacon at the present time in the Dominion. In Wellington the shortage of bacon and ham is so acute that firms are having sides doled out to them and ration their customers. A similar posi- , tion exists in Auckland, as only a j limited quantity of bacon in rashers is sold to each customer. Efforts are bang

made to have the duty of twopence per pound lifted in order that supplies may be imported from Australia Lemons have been ruling very high; in price in Wellington, selling at fouxpence and fivepence eaoh. This fruit is also scarce in Auckland. Lemons from Saa Francisco ex the Paloona were sold wholesale in Wellington at- £4 16/ per case. This high figure was stated to bo due to the usual supplies not having come to hand from Whangarei and. Auckland.