LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 71, 17 December 1919, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The following cases of influenza wero reported between neon on December 11 and noun on December. 15;— North Auckland: 1 mild. Auckland: 57 mild, 3 severe. Wellington: It mild, 1 pneumonic. Canterbury: 12 mild. Otngo: 5 mild. The Secretary of Ihe G.P.O. advises I hat Ihe Pacific Cable Board /and Eastern Intension Australasia and Chin;i 'tclegwph Co., I,td., will withdraw as I rem Decembir 1)1 the privilege accorded during Ihe war of the frco transmission of three' inquiry'telegrams .(W.S.M.) regarding the condition of wounded soldiers.

Thc> Now Zealand Overseas Shipowners' Conimilto? has (slates a Press Association message frimi Xapier) received advice of ton insulated steamers for February loading. Affer allowance for dairy produce shionif-nl. these steamers should lift approximately 015.000 sixly-p.';;ind carcasses of meal. The January lilting will approximately be 477,000 six'.yniiund making a total for January and February of 13,'.120,000 eixtyuound carcasses.

Arrangement® are to be made to bring j New Zealand into lino with other c:mn- > tries in rc-.-pecl; to wireless eomniun'ca- j tion with vessels voyaging to New Zen- I land (says the Auckland "Herald"). ' Comnlaints have been made that (he wireless syste.m between New Zealand : and approaching vessel'; is very nnsatis- j factory. It has frequently happened :hat vessel.--.ha vp reached a -New Zealand lort w timid their whereabouts havingbeen aniiou:' ,~d. The system in oprrl- - in Amir-ilia makes it compulse-. for every vps-p 1 boiu'd to an Australian ' part, when within range, to report Imposition and the health of o' 1 ' hoard at noon each day. Complaints j have also been made that 'n New Zea- ! land there is no regular system whereby v.»'o!s within wireless range can receiv'■i ■:u!ar time signals, so iliatv the f-hi,-' ; ■>!tk-or; ear. check their chronometers. 1 .'i Postmaster-General, tliQ Hon. J, G. ("nates.- stated on Sunday that the matter of adopting in New Zealand a system s'milar to the Australian one had been under consideration by his Department for some time, but certain obstacles had to l>e overcome before the contemplated improvement! could be adopted. As soon as possible a satisfactory system would b; inaugurated.

With reference to the cablegram to the Government Astronomer from Suva concerning Mr. Clement Wragge's predictions, and the comments of Jlr. George Hog ben, Government Seismolog'et, thereon (states a Press Association telegram from Auckland), Mr. Wragge writes as follows;—"I never used the word 'violent' in inv advice regarding possible seismic action. If people must go into hysteria because I performed what I considered was a simple act of kindness, that is not my fault; but I distinctly added that nothing might occur. With regard to Mr. Hogbcn's views the proof is all the other way, and neither his dicta nor those of anyone else ca.n upset the mathematics of cosmos. A report is current, among other foolish talk. I licit T predicted the end of the world. Such an idea was never conceived by me."

"T have boon informed that as far as this city is concerned fanners and fruitgrowers are sometimes aghast at the m'ie.es they get for their produce after it ha? been transported to the markets," paid Mr. ,T. P. Luke, Reform candidate for Wellington North, when addressing the electors at the Masonic Hall last night. Ho considered that produco should 'Jjo brought to tlio markets as p1i!""i!v as »o=siblo, in order ili.it il could be sold to the public at low rates. The people should liuvo the benefit of cheaper food, instead cf the whole cost being eaten up in transport charges.

Tho Eastern Extension Cable Company notify: "Our London office advises live main' line cabins in Bay of Biscay mv interrupted. Cannot accept full rale leleuuitns for United Kingdom, but telegrams at deferred rate may now he acccptal."

"If this country is jjoinj; to rstablish scholarships mid free places for the children, then I thinl; it is our boundcu duly lo nrovide the necessary schools and playim; areas for the children attemlin:; .-chonls," remarked Air. .1. P. l.ukc in Ihe course of his address at the i',las:)n> Hall last ijjjlit.

During tlie week ended December 1:1 (lie number of war gratuilv claims naid was (&■!. representing a value of .£:|~l,-I3!I lid. The average daily payments numbered 1017. The total value of the «jratuitii s paid up lo December 13 was l':!.ll.'d,lit!) 15s. 3d.

The Waiinairi County Council has dotided (slates the "Lyttellon Times") to rnnil all rales for one year in the easo of the totally blind soldier, who has commenced business as a poultry farmer and marke! cardener in Tananui. The matter was brought up at the last merlin;; of (he council by a letter from the Can. terhurv l'alriolic fund Executive, which said' that the soldier am! Lis wife would lie relieved of all anxiety in connection with reeuiTiii',: obligations on I lie properly with tho exception of rates and taxes. The executive fell that the council would interest itself in the welfare of this deserving couple, and that tl'.c matter would receive kind and sympathetic consideration. The council nlso decided, on the motion of Mr. C. W. TTervey, that Ihe cioinle -hinild he allowed free light; that the charges should be made on (ho general fund, and that next year's council should be rccomwondcd to adopt a eimi. lar course,

A new disease lias appeared amongst the apple and pear trees in Tauranga distriot. It kills tlio young fruit and leaves surrounding the fruit. Mr. Paynter, orchard instructor, says during his twenty-five years' experience ho lias never seon anything ' resem'bling this disease. He is having tho matter investigated by tho bacteriological division of the Agricultural Dopartmenl.

Tho family which can "sporty it turkey ns Christmas fare can certainly say that they are celebrating "regardless," says the Christclnirc.h "Sun." It is nlmost impossible to 'obtain these birds in the ordinary way, and Ihen ohly at an extraordinary high price. Indeed, all classes of table poultry an> extremely scarce, and prices' show an advance of about 40 per cent, over last season's. The reason for the scarcity Is that providores of vessels have securc.il large quantities of poultry, and tho special festivities- since the spring also have liiadc inroads into the suppb. One largo deuler states that, usually he has about 501) turkeys for the Chnstmas season. So far, he has none in hand. They certainly would not retail at less than 30s. apiece.

When dealing with tho subject of education in his address at the Masonic Hall last night, Mr. J. I'. Luke mentioned tlmt negotiations had been successfully concluded for the acquisition of a property on Wellington Terrace for the purpose of providing increased playing area for the Terrace School. Tli'o school would thus liavo a further acre of ground attached to it for recreation purposes, the laud being one of the hospital leases that had fallen in. The property was that formerly occupied by .Mrs. Blundell.

Speaking op Sunday at the unveiling of a roll of honour, bearing the names of tho Jews of Auckland who took part in the great war, tho Hon. A. M. Myers said that Jewry was proud of tho distinction won by General Sir John Monash and other members of the race. Britain was now reaping tho harvest of tho sympathetic treatment that had been extended by her to tho Jews of tho world. The fact that tho Jews did not possess a country of their own was an olcment that strengthened their attachment to the country of their adoption. They not only appreciated the privileges of citizenship, but demanded to carry nut the duties of citizenship. More than 10 per cent, of tho Jews of Now Zealand and Australia had answered the call of Empire during the war. In Auckland 70 had enlisted, and seven had paid tho supreme sacrifice. The speaker concluded by expressing the hope that the example of those whose names appeared on the tablet would, for all time, bo an inspiration to those who looked at the roll of honour.

A Melbourne paper lias the following: It is regarded as not improbable that Australian tobacco companies may be forced in tho near future to increase their prices for manufactured goods. A recent intimation gave the price of tho raw material at the high figure of 60 o. pov lb. at tho plantations, and from that quotation it is thought probable the factory product may be raised in price next year, although uncertainty as to tho result of any move in that direction is entertained, in view of tho experiences of recent applicants for tho sanction of tho authorities for increased charges.

At tho Magistrate's Court at Palmerston North yesterday (says our special correspondent), William Hoare was brought up .">ll a number of charges of breaking and entering the premises of twelve firms in the town. He was caught red-handed in the premises of the Premier Drapery Company on the previous evening, a'.id evontunlly he pleaded guilty in nil the charges, and admitted that he alone was responsible, having worked entirely by himself. Tho police stated that, although very little had lieen taken from the various premises entered the llama™ done to glass windows and doors and slmn fixtures bad amounted to over GO. The father of the lad stated that, the liny was one of a family of eight, and that on the night 011 which ho was arrested 110 had left home with some of liis brothers and sisters for the purpose of attending tho services of the Salvat.ion Army. The charges were eventually reduced to comnutfi theft, in order to'allow of the lad being .dealt with smmnarihv and Mr. J. Logan Stout, P.M.. entered a conviction and ordered the hoy Uv be.font to the Nelson• Boys' Training Farm for five years and ordered that he should receive six strokes with t' 1 " birch rod.

The Secretary of the Pest and Telegraph Department advises that the Pacific Cable 1 Board notifies that the delay on deferred traffic to the United Kingdom is now nine to ton days, and liable to increase. Further deferred traffic can only be. accepted subject to heavy delay. The delay 011 traffic to America is over three days.

"This port will not bo ■up to date until wo have a dock," remarked 3lr. J. P. Luke in the course of his add-ess at the .Masonic. Hall last night. "Whether it is a floating dock, or a sraving dock, is immaterial, but it is absolutely imperative that- we should have a dock il? soon as possible." Mr. Luke suggested that it might be possible to obtain one of the floating docks which Germany was being compelled to hand over to the Allies.

As a result of the Victorian system by which the Licenses Reduction Board, established under the -licensing Act of 1!10(!, dccides each year what hotel licenses shall not be renewed, there had been up to .Tuly of this year 1282 hotels closed, while 42 licenses nad '.apsed. Altogether in 19C0 there were SitS W tels and Gil roadside licenses in tin l . State, and of these there remained at Hie end of July last 220J, the reduction effected being considerably over one-third of the total. Tho total "amount nairt ill compensation for closing the 1282 hotels was .£(>72.591. the average compensation per hotel being .£.'521. Tt is "stated that the average has increased in recent years, but is still much below the cost—..£oßo per hotel—of closing hotels un<!"r l'cal option. The number of hotels closed in the year ended July last was. 101. and the compensation paid was .J0t,520.

Reports from the back country, says an Oamaiii paper, are that the lambing season lias not turned out nearly so well an was expected. 'Indeed, in many directions it is poor. On some of the runs, including the small grazing runs, increases of about GO per cent, are counted as good as th'ngs have turned out, many returns boiii:; very much lower and descending to about 35 per cent. The position is made worse by the fact that tho ewe? are in poor condition and the lambs mnall and weak. The late season and the frequMt recurrence of wintry conditions are the causes of a situation that it is not pleasant to contemplate.

Thirty New Zealand cadets who have been attending the Royal Military College, Duntroon, Australia, has returned to New Zealand. Of theso eleven, liav- [ ins completed their four-year courses, I have graduated, and will be posted in due course t'o the New Zealand Rtaft Corps with the ra'nk.of lieutenant. Tllie I nanus of these eleven are:-Lieutenants fl. W. Buttorficld. A. de T. Nevill. J.'T. Bioofco S. C. V. W. Kiigdon. K. K. Hnborlson, E. O. Pleasants, A. W. Grovillo, , C. 11. G. Davis, A. IC. Lambly, W. li. j Gentry, and S. V. Allen. The balance, jlwho have mine to, New Zealand for the Christinas vacation anil will rrtuim to 'Duntroon in six weeks" time, arc:—Cad--1 ets A. G. Peholes. 1). T. Maxwell. U. MM'Caskill. C. S. I. Dull - . SI. .1. A. Dili. 1". C. Kwen. ('.. A. D'A. Ulnckburii. S. 11. Gillman. .1. A. M. (.'lndian. A. .1. T,. Whvle. IT. 11. Goss. K. K. Crisp, I. |{. Witholl, D'A. IT. Moir, ami V. V,. O. llavlev.