LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 56, 29 November 1919, Page 8

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The following cases of influenza were reported between noon on November 24 and noon on November 27Auckland, 39 mild, 1 pneuinon/'c, 4 severe; Wellington, 26 mild, 1 pneumonic; Canterbury, •11 mild, 5 pneumonic; Otago, nil.

An impudent theft' was successfully practised on a ferry steamer passenger who arrived in Wellington recently. The traveller handed his luggage to a carrier with instructions to tako it to Thorndoh Station, and beforo passing it over received from the carrier a card with his name and address. Since then tho luggago has not been seen. A carrier was found to live at tho address given, but denied 'having received the luggage, nnd stated that some one must luivo used his card and impersonated him. Tho traveller could not swear that tho carrier was the man to whom he had given the luggage, and the police 60 far have failed to tracc any of tho missing goods. It is evident from this experienco that travellers will bo wise to make sure of' tho genuinoness of" persons to whom they hand over piopcrty for delivery. The Department of Agriculture has received tho following cablegram from the Director of Quarantine at Melbourne: "Imrortation of potatoes for food under modified conditions is no longer permitted. l'lease infoi'm all exporters and shippers^"

A Press Association message from Wcstport states that tho Hinemoa has arrived there from the Sounds. lhe vessel called at Milford; where it was found, that Mr. Donald Sutherland was dead, having dico' of dropsy 'thirty days previously. Mrs. Sutherland _ n\et tho 6teamer. She had been quite alone since her husband's death, and tho body had remained in tho house till the Hinemon's arrival. Tho Hinemoa carried three guides from tho Bluff to clear the Te Anau-Milford track for the openof the tourist traffic on December 1. Thev will inter the remains. Mrs. Sutherland's experienco was very trying during tho period of waiting for the Hinemoa. She refused to leave, Captain Bollons vainly enoeavouring to persuade her. Sutherland was an old sealer. Ho settled in Milford in the early seventies. 'The. discovery of Sutherland Falls perpetuates his memory.

A striking tribute wiw paid to tho work which was performed by Sir James Allen as Minister of Defence during tho war period by Mr: 1!. Kellctt, Independent Labour candidate for Duncdin NoTth, in the course of his election '■speech at Rnvensbourno on Tuesday night. "While I was a, member of the Otago and Southland. Military Service Board," said MrKellctt, "t ciime Under the administration of the Defence Department, and although Sir James Allen is on tho opposite sido of politics to myself, I want to pay him mv humble tribute of praise. During the darkest days of the war the Minister of Defence .6tood by his guns courageously, and when the critical period arrived of calling up the men of the Second Division, ho never flinched for a moment.' It took a strong man to stand where ho stood, and I admire him for it." The speaker's remarks were endorsed by tho hearty applause of all present.

' "Your wife is a foreigner, too, is she not?" asked counsel of a witness in the Magistrate's Court yesterday. The witness replied: "Yes, I think she is; her parents are Irish, and she was horn in Nelson/' ~

An instruction issued by General Headquarters with regard to sports trophies states that all "collective" trophies won by N.Z.E.F. teams are to be handed over to the National War Museum. Officers commanding districts will arrange for their collection and dispatch to General Headquarters.

The sacrifice by a schoolgirl of her lifo in an attempt to resell? a. playmate from mowning was revealed by the .inquest, as to the death of a half-caste Native girl, Olive Murphy, aged nine (says an exchange). The inquest was held at Matata last week. Olive Mark, a schoolgirl, nine years of age, deposed that a party of live girls, including deceased and 'herself, went bathing at the seaward entrance to the lagoon at Matata. One of tho party, Whangapoa Pita, got into difficulties, and Olive Murphy went to the rcscue, but apparently sank, evidently not being able to swim. Tho girl Pita scrambled on to a rock, and thus reached shore, but Olive • Murphy never rose again. Tho of tho jwrty went for assistance to some boys bathing close by. Further evidence showed that tho boys recovered the body and adult assistance was obtained. Tho •adults tried artificial respiration, but without avail. The jury returned tho following verdict: "That Olive Murphy met her death by drowning on Tuesday, November 11, at Matata lagoon, whilst trying to savo the life of Whangapoa. Pita. Tho jury wishes to synipar.liiso with the parents in tho loss of their child, and commend tho brave action of deceased in attempting to savo her playmate." i

Officers in charge of administrative branches of the Defence Department had been authorised to disposs uf surplus stores and equipment to (a) officers, n.co.'s, men, and nurses ex-service (home 1111(1 abroad), returned soldiers' hostels, and institutions of ft similar nature; (li) Government Departments, hospitals and charitable aid boards, and other kindred institutions; and (e) general public, in the. cases of (a) and (b) prices will be arranged bv officers in charge of branches concerned, and subsequently approved by the General Officer in command of Administration. Sales to the public will bo submitted to l.he Supplies Purchase Hoard, if quantities warrant them, and the board will make its recommendations to tho General Officer in command Administration.

Tlio annual prize-Riving in connection with the Girls' College will take place in the Opera House on December 10 at 2.30 p.m. The boys' prize-giving will bs held at the college on December 11, at .1 p.m. "Don't call me 'Yer Honour,'" snapped counsel "to a Native witness at the Opunalie Court. "Well," replied the. Native, quite unabashed, "yon to biggest; speaker of the lot: you talk te hijj talk, and I think- it all right I call you to Honour. Yon seem to be the biggosl sprinter amongst le lot of lis." Later he alluded to counsel as "My dear friend." A final review of the accounts in connection with the f l rentiham Art Union shows the net result of the fund to November 8 as t £Jir,'2s9 !)s. ,Bd. For some time past efforts have been made lo obtain a tiger or tipcers for the Wellington "Zoo," but so far without success. The Wellington Zoological Society. in the prevailing uncertainty as ? lo when the tigers could be secured, resolved at its annual meeting to placo 4 JSD in the P.O. Savings Bank so as to have in readiness a smn for the purchase of a pair of young tigers, if they could be obtained. The meeting agreed that the City Council should try once more, and, in event of failure, give the society an opportunity of seeing what it could do. His Honour the Chief Justice (Sir Eobert Stout) will pass sentence on two prisoners in the Supreme Court this morning. The annual prize-giving in connection with tho Girls' College will tako place tn the Opera Houso on December 11 at 2.30 p.m. The boys' prize-giving will' be held at the.Collego on December 12, at 3 p.m. The pitch of the Sydney Town Hall organ is to be brought down from tho English pitch to the Continental. Speaking at a deputation' to the Lord Mayor on the question, Mr. Vorbrugghen submitted that the time had come for Sydney to placo herself in line with tho other great cities of tlie world. If the Lord Mayor looked sympathetically on tho matter he would earn the gratitude of the art section of the community. Mr. Joseph Bradley, conductor of thb "Royal Philharmonic, said that as tho Stiito Orchestra bad adopted the normal pitch it would be impossible to perform works requiring the organ with the Town Hall instrument. Sydney was the only exception in the world in retaining tho high pitch. Mr. O'Brien, secretary of the Professional Musicians' Union, pointed ont that lowering tho nitch of the Town Ilall organ would entail considerable expense to the musicians, who would have to buy new sets of low-pitched wind instruments. But desnite that, ho strongly advocated tho tuning of the organ to the normal pitch, as the present pitch was a hindranco to tho progress of music. The Lard Mayor said that he would adopt Mr. Verbrugghcn's text of bringing Sydnev into line with tho other great cities of the world. ,

The population of Australia is now' over 5,000,000. exclusive of full-blooded aborigines. This is the latest estimnte of tlie Commonwealth Statistician (says the Melbourne "Age"), nnd it does not go beyond the year 1918, ivhen tho figure was set at 5,030,479. This is a marked increase on the 1900 figure, ■which gave tho popnlnt'on as .1,705,339. It is somewhat remarkable that whereas largo numbers of men were out of the country during the war period, the imputation statistics wero inclined to go up in 1917 and 1918. at a time when tiie icxodus of soldiers had probablv reached its zenith. From 1900 to 1914 there was a steady increase in population, but in -WIS there was a falling off of about 90(H). Again in 1916 the figures went clown further by about 511.000. but in 1917 tliev returned to about the 1914 mart. Thence they jumped in 1918 to over 5,000,000, and aro probably continuing to increase. There was a. steady increase in births over deaths from 1014 to 1918, but in 1915-IG-17 there was an excess of emigration over immigration. ■ In 1918 the position was reversed, the exces= «f immigration over emigration being 19.G78..

The perfect stability of modern aeroplanes and their safety as passenger carriers has just been amply demonstrated bv Flight-Lieutenant W. 11. Treloar and First Class Air. Mechanic H. F. lord, who left Essendon on August 11 nnd returned there on October 28, after completing a tour which covered 3000 miles (says the Melbourne "Age"). During tho tour the 'plane visited Eclnica, Dcniliquin, Hay, , Wngga, and many other towns. It took up at different stages an aggregate of 400 pascngers, and had no mishap whatever, nor engine trouble of any kind. This constitutes a Tecord in Australian aviation. The machine used was a De Thailand G, fitted with a 90 horse-power "Raf" engine. Tho return flight from Benella occupied 84 minutes, the machine being favoured with a northerly wind. Amongst those who took the air wero ftev. Dr. Anderson, Bishop of ■Riverina: Mr. and Mrs. Leigh Falkiner, Mr. Frank Guthrie (who has become addicted' to flying), Mr. Thomas Ellis. Mr. Sugden, anil the mayors and mayoresses of various municipalities. Messrs. Treloar and Trord are taking the machine to Belmont Common, (ipelong, where they intend to flit about tho Western district.

With tho next few months there is likely to ie a "glut" of girl clerks all over Australia, states the Melbourne "Argus.". During the war.the banks and many large business houses trained girls in considerable numbers to take the places of employees who hnd gone to. the war, but in the banks and in (lie great maioritv of other, firm's this process was undertaken on the distinct understanding that the places of soldier employees should be made available for them on. their return, and as men clerks who joined the A.I.F. are now returning to their former positions the girls who "carried on" in their absent arc being retired. Fortunately, the disnlacing of the girls is proceeding gradually, and there are not likely to be wholesale dismissals, resulting in the placing of hundreds of girl clerks in the labour market at one time. Returned men are not '.being hurried back to their desks, and most of them lake several weeks' leave, even after anv hosnital treatment thftt they need has e-nired; and it is probable that a smi'.'i nroport'nn of the girls who have nroyf themselves most efficient will be retained iii Iheir new sphero' tn take ihe places of tho c e men who will never return. Tt is estimated that in Victoria, alone fully 500 girl clerks have been employed bv the bank 1 :—300 or so in Melbourne, and the remainder in the <-üburb=' and tho countrv towns. So far not one nf these girls has bepn disnlaced, and they aro not likelv to lose their employment for some '111110 time, because in nearly all the banks the men who were left, behind during the war were unable to take any leave, and it will be a few months |}efore this accumulated leave has been given. Several of the banks, however, are now beginning to dud their stilts unduly l a "<i P and before lo»g th<> dismissal of large' numbers of girl clerks will 'become inevitable. The outlook .for these girls in the commercial world is not bright at the pre«»nt time', for it is wilerally-re-ported that, the Mipnly of girl olorH exceeds the demand. In ?>cw South Wales linil one or two of the other Stales the banks have already given their girl clerks a month's noticc.

The red tape of officialdom was denounced in emphatic tones by the Hon. (!. J. Garland. M.L.0., at the meeting ot the Auckland Education Hoard on, Timsday evening. "To the mischief with tho regulations! I am pick and tired of these refutations," be ("-claimed, when the nuest'on of the 'Department's rules in respect to the anr>ni"t'i<p«t of a stall for a proposed new school at Devonnort was under eoi>-- ; den<tion. "Tt would W.-o ten men and a bov "xplain many of the regulations." hi; added. "If I had mv way I would sink them all lo tho l )r .'ii«.--i of the deep blue sea!"

There is a probability of another eleetrica"! scheme developing at what is known as the I'iopio Palls near; ptomliati"a says tho Auckland "Herald. Last week a member of the. Government electrical engineering staff visited the falls and reported to the local authorities in-tf-i*cstotl in tho scheme that in the flush of the season the falls would be capnblc of dcvelopina- 2000 li.n-, and in summer 1000 h.p. lie strongly advocated harnessing tho falls, which would enablo f'torolianga, Te Kuiti. and adjacent townships to maintain a steady supply of current the year through, and make an for nnv deficiency in the supplv from TToraliora. A meeting is to be held at Otorohanga shortly to go further into tho question. •-

Mr. C. Ogilvic, a Christchnrch business man, who has just returned from Australia, says that money is plentiful in the Commonwealth, and merchandise of nearly every description is short, ror tho last reason, Australia is endeavouring; to manufacture many lines on her own account. The manufacture of clothing, especially women's clothing, is < evelopii)'' marvellously. Some of the larger firms aro manufacturing no less than SO per cent, of tho goods under this heading. That has become necessary, very largely because of the lact that tho import duty against made-up goods is excessive. The difficulty of Australia and New Zealand will bo to get supplies in sufficient quantities for, the people's needs. The demand on the Continent is already enormous, and it is predicted that conditions in this connection will be accentuated in coming months. Practically every country is short of goods, especially raw material. Tho manufacturers of woollen goods are > in a similar position to manufacturers in Now Zealand—supplies are limited, they cannot meet local demands. Many of tho manufacturers, especially of hosiery, can sell their wholo output at very much higher prices outside Australia altogether, to African and South American iirms especially. _ Boots are being shipped from Australia to London at very much higher prices than the same goods are selling oil tho Australian market.

Owing to the failure of the Wellington Gas Company to arrive at a settlement with their employees with regard to the demaiw for increased wages, the company notifies consumers that it may be found necessary to seriously curtail or even discontinue, the gas supply. The nnblie are advised that all taps of pilot iets, pendants, brackets, coikcrs,. and other gas apparatus should be turned off when not in use, and it is especially desirable that this should bo observed at night.

Tho statements niado soino time ago regarding the physique of-children attending the public.schools in the Auckland province were referred to at,, the meeting of the Auckland . Education jioard on Tuesday afternoon b.y Dr. H. B. Davies, medical inspector. "With regard' to tho physique of . the children in tho Auckland province," said the doctor, "I liavo seen something of the children in tho schools of England, and I can assure you that the children hero compare most favourably with those in other places. The pliysiquo of the children in t'lio Auckland province is excellent. A few arc put down as having » slight degree Of curvature, but too much importance must not bo attached to that. Tiiero are very few children whose backs are absolutely straight, but as muscular development takes place this often' rectifies itself. We note them merely for the purposo of keeping a record, and people must not run away with the idea that tho general physique is' not good." Members of the board generally expressed their appreciation of such a reassuring statement.

Lieut.-Colonel William Temple, Y.C., of. Tunbi'idge Wells, who was awarded the V.C. for gallantry during the Maori war in' 1863, ajud- who.died on February 13 last, aged o5» left estate of tho value of. .£37(14. ' The testator left his Victoria Cross, medals, family portraits, and certain silver and jewellery .to his daughter, Annie Georgina V The Marino Department is at present considering the appointment of four _inspectors of machinery, also the appointment of two. waterside workers lor the nositions of inspectors of cargo working gear.'

Writing to tho Christehureh "Press" under dato of November -i, the Von. Archdeacon Elisor says:—"Very reluctantly 1 write to removo an' impression .that may be uiado by the report in your issue of this morning that 1 ani making a money claim against the Department of Public Health in revenge for tho death of my daughter. My reasons fur taking legal action against the Department are, as follow: —Correspondence between tho Waipu Hospital Board, copies of which, the board have agreed to-furnish me, convince mo that sonio such action is necessary, because .ippeals, protests, personal deputations, etc.. have lnthorto produced little beyond promises, mid tho state of affairs is hidden from public knowledge in the pigeon-holes of tho Departmental office; becauso from Ilicks Bay to Gisborno I was implored by people who mailo it their business to interview mo to take sonio steps to awaken tho public to the state of-tilings that has gone on for years and still obtains; and, lastly, because after the evidence of my Own personal investigation I promised by my child's- gravo that J would force aside all thoughts of tho hatcfulness of dragging personal affairs into tho public gaze, and would take sucli steps as will make it impossible that any nurse shall he exposed to conditions which caused tho death of Mrs. Winglisld and her daughter in the last epidemic of typhoid at-'l'e Araroa, which have now claimed Nurse Elisor .is a victim, and aro responsible for Nurse Jcwiss lying in a critical condition when I left. .Should my claim be successful, no one who knows me will need the .assurance that tho money will go'intact to some worthy object as a memorial to a brave woman of whoso record her loved cues are proud." -

An amusing stoix is in circulation on tho East Coast touching tho advice given by a lawyer (says the "Poverty Bay Herald"). At one of tho townships a lot of driftwood was washed oh to tho beach. Many of tho residents, including tho lawyer, piled up tho wood and sought vehicles to take it away. One man took another's pile, and the man whose pilo had disappeared sought advice from tho solicitor regarding the possibilities of a successful action for the recovery of the wood. The solicitor advised that he had no action, and the man paid Ins fee. Straight away the mail whoso wood stack had been taken got a cart and appropriated the solicitor's pile of wood.

Over 100 gallons of oil have already been secured by Mr. R. G. Bell's launch partv from a whale discovered last week on the rocks at Alderman Bay, near Wailii beach (says the "Poverty Bay Herald"). The party, on Saturday afternoon, experienced rfit exciting adventuro with a large whalo .accompanied by'two calves, which wero attacked by a pair of thrasher sharks. A spectacular fight ensued, the launch giving chase with a view to capturing the larger whale. Olio of the calves' was killed by the thrashers, aiul this the party towed ashore. Owing to tiiD darkness setting in, the chase was abandoned, though tho mother whale seemed about spent as the result of her fight with the thraohers. The party will remain' Oil tho island to try out both whales, and will endeavour to resume the- chase of. tho lost whale if opportunity oilers. Observations show that this vicinity apparently lies in tho route of whales, and that the thrashers 'attack them with a view to stranding their prey on the rocks. Tho larger dead whale is 75 feet in length, 13 feet across the tail,

15 feet wide, and 8 feet high. The calf jj 30 feet in length. Both are of the sperm species. The appearance of schildren of school ago ah public performances was condemned in a letter received.by'the Auckland Education Hoard from the Headmasters' Association. Tho association suggested that steps should be taken to prevent children from taking part in nfght recitals, and that the Education department should lie asked to procure legislation ugainst the participation of children of primary school age in such perform, ances. In' a discussion of tho question tho members of tho board expressed the. opinion that whili tho utilising of tho services of talented children at miscellaneous public performances was reprehensible, there should be no undue interference with assistance by pupils in entertainment for purely school purposes. 'l'lio secretary was authorised to draft a circular to the Department setting forth this view—"New Zealand llerald."