REPRESENTATION IN LONDON.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 16, 20 January 1926, Page 6

REPRESENTATION IN LONDON.

Mr. Con tea is making , important changes in the Government's method of handling Imperial business at this end. Does he propose to make any changes in the organisation at the other end? We do not refer to personnel, though it may be noted that the Minister who is generally mentioned as having the beat chance of succeeding Sir James Allen, is still in the Ministry. We refer to the status and duties of the Hisrh Commissioner. In our news to-day will be found the views of Sir James Allen and Sir Joseph Cook, the Australian High Commissioner, on the Australian proposal to divide the functions of the Commissioner and appoint two representatives, one political and one commercial. The Australian Government lias already appointed a "liaison officer in London, whose duty it is to keep the Government in touch with the foreign and Imperial business of the Imperial Government. Both Sir Joseph Cook and Sir James Allen condemn the proposal for separation, and. though they are interested parties, their opinions are not to be treated lightly. They say that it is impossible to separate the functions without causing trouble. Canada tried this system and

it wag a, failure. They do not say. however, what is a fact, that the duties of a Commissioner are more extensive and onerous than they were. To a greater extent than before he is consulted by the British Government on Empire questions. He has to represent his Dominion at the League of Nations. It is questionable whether the Commissioners, with justice to their Dominions and themselves, can do all this and at the same time attend to the many items of general business that come within their scope. Even if it is to be granted that the Prime Minister goes Home for every important Imperial conference, there is need of an officer in London who j will give a good deal of his time to the political side of representation. ' keeping- in touch with affairs and report- i in? to his Government. There may not be enough of such, work to occupy a man his full time, but it should be done well. Perhaps a compromise could be reached on lines suggested in to-day's message, the High Commissioner to continue to be the political representative, and the commercial side of the office to be directed by a commissioner under his control. At any rate the whole question merits careful consideration.

School holidays during 1926 were dis- ; cussed at the Auckland Education ', Board's meeting this morning. It was decided that the vacations should be as follows: One week during May, the date of commencement to be the same as . that on which the secondary schools close. Tlie August holidays will commence on August £1 and continue till ; September 4. • Xo doubt the best way to weather ' the elements in a downpour of rain is : by donning one's bathing togs, but in a main thoroughfare this would look, 1 in fact did look, rather peculiar far away . from any beach or bathing place. A motorist, who was evidently returning - from the beach, got stranded on the • main road near llorrinsville in - a thunderstorm the other day. , He, however, was not a stickler for . convention. One of his tyres was flat and it had to be replaced. He had a car load or passengers, who were impatient L to get home. At least they had no t desire to stay on a country road merely a to witness a lightning display or hear - deafening peals of thunder and wonder a whether the hood would keep out the ' c deluge. So something had to be done, j E He slipped on his bathing costume and ' revelled in the shower-bath supplied by the elements. " " " - t The well-established practice of stealing rides by jumping on to lorries has i , Induced the Wellington General Carriers- j . and Customhouse Agents' Union of j i Employers to take action to prevent it. ! • At a .general meeting of the association j I last week it was decided to communicate ! with the Commissioner of Police regarding; j * the common practice of many people in ! r pimping and hanging on to movino- i vehicles. _ "Such practice/" stated the I ] letter, "is a dangerous one from the '< ! points of view of both, the driver and I T the person jumping or hanging on to ! € the vehicle." The association solicited i 2 the assistance of the Police Department I a m preventing and discouraging "such i * action, and considered that steps should be taken to introduce legislation, to con- t stitute it a. legal .offence. r

I Two boys, evidently members of the ''Grey cap and short stockings brigade.'' j were engaged in the dangerous occupai tion of throwing stones in the vicinity I or" the tramway clock. Great North ' Road lust evening. A youth, who had ' bidden behind a fence was their psirtieu- : lar object, and a battle royal was in j progress when three residents inter- ! vened and stopped the fusilade. Stones I were living in all directions to the ! danger of pedestrian?. Pieces of metal i skipped along the cancrt road and shot \ out at all angls. j A headmaster of a school under the | jurisdiction of the Auckland Education •Board. sent a pupil's parents a aotifica- ; tion that the child's head was affected j with pediculosis.. The parents took the j child to a doctor, who certified that such i was not the case. At to-day's meeting iof the board, the Auckland branch of the i Educational Institute asked that the i board should defend the headmaster in I connection with possible action for apo- ■ logy and payment of doctor's fee. To this request members acceded and it was resolved that should such action be j taken the board's solicitor be requested to act. i The Onehunga Fire Brigade received a ! call to the Onehunga wharf at about i half-past, four this morning to suppress jan outbreak of tire which bad taken ! place on the Northern Co's scow Victory, i The fire was first discovered by Mr. VV. Caldow, night watchman employed on the wharf, when he saw smoke coming from the forecastle. Only one of the crew was on board (Mr. W. L. Laraman). and he was sleeping at the stern of the ship. The fire appeared to have started among some rubbish, and wad extinguished with the hose kept on the wharf before much damage was done. Mr. Caraman could not assign any cause for the fire. The Victory hail been in port about four hours when the outbreak occurred. Indicmation was expressed at a, meeting of the Auckland Hospital Board last evening, when a further report was made concerning the case of a young woman who arrived from England in I December. 1024. and was admitted to the hospital last November suffering from I tuberculosis. It was stated that the I patient had been refused an assisted I passage, but that she had been permitj ted to pay her own fare to the DoJ minion. The board thought that the j responsibility of the case rested with the doctor in England, who had examined the patient before her departure for New Zealand, and tiie authorities at Auckland who had allowed her to land. It was decided that the matter be referred to the Prime Minister and ,to the Director General of Health. | Provided that plans showing how the old Training College building is to be utilised are submitted and approved the Minister of Education has notified the Auckland Education Board that he will hand over the building for the board's offices and for accommodation of Departmental officers on payment of £1000 down in cash and a further payment of £79(i:3 within 12 months. Failing the latter payment interest would j be charged at the rate of 7 per cent. A member thought that seeing that the board had to find accommodation for Departmental officers it was reasonable to charge the Department rent for those (dfiees. The chairman explained that the Department was giving the j board a building for practically half tlie price it was worth. It was most desirable to have the Departmental officeHs in the same building as the board's officers. He thought the arrangement an equitable, one. Swordfish have been hooked on grounds as far apart as Russell and the Bay of Plenty, and now comes word of a big fellow taken in the Hauraki Gulf, practically within sight of Auckland. A local pleasure launch was out the other day. and when about seven miles from Cape Colville, on a line between that point and Kawau. sighted a swordfish. which was "stalked" for some time. At first the big fish seemed frightened of the launch, and made some wide sweeps, as well as a magnificent "breech." during which he went about two hundred yards on his tail. Gradually, however. he became more accustomed to being followed, ami eventually he was hooked, and gave the fishermen plenty of excitement. Unfortunately the heavy swordfish proved too much for the equipment, which was not, intended for such a sporting kind of customer, bun the encounter proves beyond doubt that these fish, I which are getting New Zealand so much talked about, are to be found nearer > I Auckland than some people believe. \ In hits report on the English Hospital I system. Dr. C. Pi. Maguire states that an intierilsting fact reported at the Congress of the \ Royal Institute of Public Health is that sunlight, either natural or artificial, may have a deti uifely beneficial effect on mental activity. It has been found that children, who have ,been handicanued in their schoolwork by illness and who - have later been cured witn tiie aid of | sunlight, overtake and even out-1 distance their classmates. A dental clinic for Ponsonby schools is to be established in a room in Curran Street building. This information was contained in a letter from the Director of Dental Services to the Auckland Education Board this morning. It is hoped to arrange for work to be commenced in March. In connection with the request of the Northcote School for a similar establishment. however, the director intimated that there was little prospect of the clinic being established in the near future. Recently the Post and Telegraph Department invited expressions of views i regarding suggested alterations in the I transmission of code telegrams. At yesterday's meeting of the Council of ! the Auckland Chamber of Commerce it was decided to reply, stating that it was difficult to see wherein there was any advantage in the proposed changes. A cadet appeared in the Police Court this morning in support, of his application for exemption from military drills and parades. '"I see that in your letter you state that you are a Sabbath keeper and that you believe in all gods, and could not do these things." said the magistrate. Mr. J. W. Pcynton. "You will still belong to the company and you can still keep the Sabbath as well. Application refused."' added Mr. Povnton. Replying to a protest by the Auck- < land Chamber of Commerce in regard to the proposed motor regulations the Prime Minister lias stated that every facility will be given to those concerned to place their objections and suggestions before the Government before" the regulations are gazetted. At to-day's meeting of the Auckland Education Board a communication was received from the Education Depart" ment stating that application for* the establishment of a junior high school at Te Awamutu would be considered, along with many similar ones, early this year. The Auckland Stock Exchange decided to-day to close on January 29 = (Regatta Day), and also on Saturday, 30th inst.