LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 90, 10 January 1919, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Telegraph Office advises that the following steamers will probably be within wireless range to-night :—Maori, Mararoa, and Devon, '

The District Health Officer announcts that there has not been a fresh case of influenza reported to him since the New Year came in. The last of the convalescent homes to be closed was at Oriental Bay, and this was closed immediately after tho New Year. For' a week the last remaining visiting district, nurse engaged in'connection with the epidemic has ceased her duties., There was no to require her attention. The official weather summary for the month of November 6tates that anticyclonic conditions ruled between the 11th and 15th, and during this period fine weather was experienced generally. On various other days the weather was fair in different parts of tho Dominion, but as a whole the remainder of the month was characterised by unsettled conditions, the result of numerous atmospheric depressions which passed over or within effective range of New Zealand. Tho worst storm was an intense westerly lowpressure area which was in evidence between the sth and 9th. On the 7th the barometer at tho Bluff fell as low as 28.77 in., and at this time heavy northwest gales were experienced in and southward of Cook Strait. Tho total month's rainfall was'generally considerably above the average over the South Island, and also in the middle portion of the North. The northern and southernmost districts of the North Island recorded less than the average. > Sir James Allen stated at Christchurch this week that the Hon.. J. A. Hanan, Minister of Education, had consented to Mr. Pitcaithly, a school inspector in the Auckland district, being allowed to tako ttie position of vocational officer in the Auckland military district. The appointment has not. yet, however, actually been made.' The'duties'of the position will be. to ascertain the wishes of soldiers up to the time of discharge as to training for vocations in life. This, of course, will bo done after tho men hnve been passed as • fit by medical officors. The Minister was asked if vocational officers will be appointed to Canterbury and other military districts. He 6aid that it was quite possible that they would be; but it had to be remembered that the Auckland military district was a very large one, and included tho .largo Rotorua military hospital. Separate flights in one of the Now Zealand Flying School's seaplanes were made by tho Hon. A: M. Myers, Minister of Customs, and Mrs. Myers at Auckland on Tuesday. On each occasion the machine toured the harbour for about twenty minutes and both passengers expressed themselves as, delighted with their experiences. N An increase in the wholesale price of southern bottled ale and stout has been announcod, consequent upon the advances in the cost of commodities and wages. The increase is caused by the abolition of tho usual 10 per cent, discount to hotel-keepers and. is equivalent to a rise of 6d. per dozen bottles. Hotel-keepers in Auckland have decided to bear the increased cost and not pass it on to consumers. Auckland manufactured or locally bottled beer is not- affected by the increase in the price of the southern article. It is reported that there is still a very great scarcity of bottles, and it is almost impossible to procure pint bottles, chiefly owing to the embargo on exportation still prevailing in Australia, whence the main New Zealand supply is secured. A fishing party from Havelock, which visited the Marlborough Sounds on Saturday and-Sunday last, claims to bava caught ninety sharks—ranging from flformidable "14-footer" to "babies." In addition twenty hapuka and a few 6chnapper were landed, and the sport generally was of an exoiting nature.- The largest shark was caught by one of the party when fishing oft the launch. It became entangled in one or two other lines, and was eventually hauled up en the beach. Another exciting incident was the beaching of a. 12ft. shark.

The Haunui correspondent of the Ekeiahuna "Express" reports that a man named John Edwards committed suicide a few days ago by shooting himself at a neighbour's place. Deceased, who was a widower, was 56 years of age. Ho had met with an accident about three months ago and was an inmate of the Masterton Hospital. At the inquest a verdict was returned that deceased committed suicide while in a depressed state of mind.

The total receipts from the Jlasterton Patriotic Shop amounted to £13,026 lis.

The rainfall at Westport during the, month of December was 4.00 inches, and during the past year 82.71 inches of rain fell on a total of 224 days.

In order to be sure of a supply of milk sufficient for the needs of the city, the City Council has, as part of its milk distribution scheme, acquired the lease of . a dairy factory at Otaki. I: is believed that it will bo possible to get sufficient milk nearer at hand than Otaki, but in the event of a shortage the milk can be diverted from the factory and brought into town. In the meantime the council is making cheese at the factory, arid selling the cheese in the open market. There was a proposal that if tho council found it difficult to dispose of the product of the factory the Minister of Public Health would take over the out--but for the use of public institutions, but this wi' l not be " ece?S!irv - !t i s not'anticipated that there will be any difficulty in selling the cheese in the market'in the ordinary woy.

The register of medical practitioners nnd the register of dentists are published in this week's Gazette ■

Tho annual meeting of the New Zealand Women Teachers' Association yesterday carried a motion expressing the opinion that the number of school examinations should be curtailed. Somo speakers upon the subjec 1 . of examinations held the view that tho present system of examining tended to promote "cramming," and did not provide a true test of the examinee's capacity..

A letter conveying New Yenr greetings from Captain J. T. Marshall, late Queen's Bays, has been received by the secretary of the local Returned Soldiers' Association. Captain Marshall was first commissioned in 1858.

The employment bureau established at tho local Ketwrned Soldiers' Association rooms is meeting with considerable success. Already quite a number of eases have been dealt with, returned soldiers well realising the advantages of such aninstitution attached to the association.

An open season for godwits (curlew), extending from the beginning of January to the end of Maroh, is announced in the Gazette this week. It does not apply to the Southland and Opotiki acclimatisation districts.

Councillor A. E. Budd writes:—"ln your report of the meeting of theOnslow Borough Council in reference to amalgamation, it would appear that there was a discrepancy between the Mayor's figures and my own,' but this is not the case, as the calculations are made on different - figures. Tho Mayor takes as a basis .CIOO unimproved and ,£6OO capital values, whilst my deductions are based on .£2OO unimproved and .£3OO capital values, tho figures supplied by the special commissioners appointed by tho City Council to inquire into the question of amalgamation. The result is the same in both cases, viz., a considerable reduction in rates. I would also like to 6tato that it was not my intention to infer that values would be decreased, but simply that rates would be reduced."

"In a country like Now Zealand, whore the population is small Compared with the broad acreage, it is pitiful that so much short-sightedness' has been displayed with regard to school grounds," 6aid Miss Chaplin, B.A. (Canterbury), in her presidential address to delegates of tho New Zealand Women Teachers' Association/yesterday. "In most ca6es when the ground was first required for a 6ch001," Miss Chaplin continued, "little thought was given to the school's probable growth and to the need of extensive playing grounds. At that time the ground could be bought at comparatively small cost. Meanwhile, the school buildings have been enlarged till they take up much of the playing space—a town has grown up round the school, and the poor children aro crowded to play in a barren yard. Owing to the erection of buildings surrounding the school, and tho high price of land, it is practically impossible to add to the playground. Yet even with 'the knowledge we have gained by bitter experience, the mistakes of. the past are tonlay being repeated." Miss Chaplin gave a local point to her remarks by observing that- the provision for playing grounds in some Wellington schools was so meagre and inadequate that it was a "positive reflection upon the intelligence of the community."

mill roiereiicu vu tfao donation by the Hon. A. M. myers, Mimsier 01 Cumins, oi a. Hum or *mj us nucleus ol a prize lor a iiight Dy seapiana lwim Auciutiuu to tyeuiugoou, Mr. L. Wuisu, ruauagmg director ot' tjie . i\uw Zealand Jj'iying boJiooi, 'Koniniaraina, iniormed a "xterwu" lupurix-r tliut aucu u mgnt Had been projected tor some time, out nothing tuvuu bo done until u suitable machine Had been built, buck ainacniue was now Hearing completion at' tne scbool, and it was lioptd to have it in readiness:hi. time to lake advantage of Mr. Myers's olfcr. This machine would bo equipped with, a IUS horse-power engine, ami, it was hoped, would be capable at undertaking tho 'journey. ISo definite route had been mapped out yet, but it was certain that tho trip would be made by way of tne West Coast. That would mean an aggregate flight of approximately 400 nines.

Tho shortage of labour on the Islands, due to the ravages of the influenza epidemic, is seriously affecting,tho trade of the various groups, as vessels aro unable to get their cargoes aboard. When the steamer Talune, which arrived at Auckland on Tuesday morning, was at Nukualofa.there were four vessels loading copra for San Francisco, but the rate at which the cargo was being handled indicated that nono of them would get away for some weeks. One of tho ships concerned was the Auckland-owned schooner Northern Chief, and tho other three were American owned. Tho best day's loading dona on any of these boats was a little'.over, thirty tons. When.at Apia, there was no shore laboui available to discharge the Talune, and. the saloon' passengers formed themselves into a labour gang, with a well-known flourmillor of Sydney as foreman. They assisted to get the merchandise ashore, stacking heavy oargo such as bags of cement, and cases, in the wharf sheds; and enabling tho vessel to resume her voyage without delay. "Tho spirit which the people, of Britain have shown throughout the v.-r, and their steady perseverance and ('.cvot'on to duty are beyond all praise,"-says the High ' Commissioner, Sir Thomas Mackenzie, in the course of a letter, vritten in October, to Major H. IV Lnsk, of Auckland. "As for our New /raJand men, they have continued to light as they fought at the beginning, and their conduct both in the field and in hospital, or on leave, have brought respect for themselves and honour to the Dominion." A good joke, which one of Oamaru's leading doctors gleefully tolls against himself, states the "North Otago Times," was recently played upon * him by a canny Scotchman, who accosting the doctor, asked him what his.,fee would be to visit a 6ick man living in a certain country district. "Four guineas," was the reply. , Agreeing, the pair motored out, and on arrival the doctor was informed that the patient was his passenger-inquirer. "Hon," 6aid ho, "they taximen be fair robbers, they asket me five guineas, and I, thoct maybe ye wad come cheaper." 'The possibility that after peace'has been declared German toys and other goods will once more find a,market in New Zealand is frequently hinted at by pessimistic folk, who declare that the public memory is very short; but, judging by the present attitude of Auckland dealers, there is not much danger of German-made toys regaining any et (heir old-time 'popularity for many Christmastides to come, says the "Herald." "I can safely say that so far as mist of U3 are concerned, there will lie. N.i Ger man goods shown in this, city for a very long time to come," remarked a wellknown dealer. "English, American, and Japanese toys have improved wonderfully during the war years, and I do not think there i 6 much fear that the terrible. lessons that the world has had to lecrn will be soon forgotten when there is so much that will keep the memory alive. The whole question of economic boycott, of course, will be settled at the I'tace Conference, but I think it will ie a long time before loyal New Keakiiuhrs, .either sellers or buyere, will again tolerate the old mark, 'Made in Germany i'"