LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 72, 18 December 1919, Page 8

LOCAL AND GENERAL

"The 'go-slow' policy is simply killing ,the coal trade," remarked a coal dealer to a Dominion reporter y:slerd.i.v. "I have not an ounce of- coal and don't know .when I shall get any. Peoplo are wanting coal to do their Christmas cooking, but I don't know how they are going to get on. It's really very hard." Although-the'State Coal Depot is taking orders no del ! very is guaranteed until at least the middle of January.

A parly of "joy riders" "borrowed" a new touring cor belonging to Air. C. E. Aldridge, of the Grand Hotel, on Tuesday evening, nnd afterwards left the vehicle iuAitken Street much the worse •for its ■ rough handling. The body of the car wa< deeply scratched, a step broken, and a dashboard light badly smnsfel. Under, the'new legislation the offence of "borrowing" cars is a serious one, and the polieo are now looking for the culprits. '

The polling nt Wellington East yesterday—one of the largest electorates in NewZealand—was very good, there were 12,192, names on the Toll, and 97G7 votes were recorded yesterday without counting the absentee votes. Dr. Newman's majority over Air. A. L. Monteith was 82S votes.

.' The next conference of the United Fire Brigades' Association of New Zealand will" be held at Hastings some time in February. It. is expected that the question of reviving the bi-annual competitions will bo discussed at the conference. These competitions, which were suspended during the war period, create considerable interest amongst the members of brigades affiliated with the association* especially the volunteer brigades, 'throughout New; Zealand. "1 don't think the Public Works policy should be administered by politicians." said Air. H. -11. Smith, of the Canterbury Chamber of -Commerce, at a fathering 'at Waiau. "I think that the Public Works should be taken out of political control, -and placed in the hands of a Board of Public Works, consisting of. capable men and experts, which should have an amount allotted by Parliament each year to bo spent in the bestinterestsrof the people of the Dominion as a whole. Public works have not been carried on 'in the best interests of the Dominion." If the public Works were b?ing run by a private company, Air.' Smith added, there was no general manager or managing director who "would be kept twenty-four' hours who would carry some of them on on tho present, system. ■ He' would like to draw their attention to a railway, which had been in course of construction for thirt'v'years, and had not been finished .vet-the West to East Coast line through the Otira tunnel.

At a meeting on Tuesday attended by over one hundred and fifty local traniwaymen, the following resolution was carried: "That the proposal submitted by the -Mayor that the present rate of tramwaymen's pay be increased by Id. per hour bonus be not assented to; that this union is of the "opinion that the propoKil is- inadequate to meet the increased cost of living of men who now receive Is.- Id. per hour: and that it seems regrettable-that the retrograde method hatched by . the Arbitration Court should lie supported by the Mayor."

Amongst the old hoys of the Petone District High School who gave their lives for Empire-was a. young man named Jack Jl'l.'oniiell, who represented bis school at cricket.- In the-desire to perpetuate his'htemorv aiitl encourage cricket his brother, Air. Robert. Al'Connell, himself air old Petone boy, who was then practising law in Auckland, offered to mesent his brother's bat. with the annual sum of .£2 25., to the school, tlie bat to be held bv. the best cricketer, and to be called the Jack Af'Connell memorial bat. . Beforo Ihe bat could be presented. Af.r. Robert Al'Connell himself lost his life duriiur the epidemic last year. The Voiiiig men's mother has since presented 'the bat to the school, and two comrades of the boys, Jlessrs. A. Pere and R. Collins, have undertaken to donate annually to tlie fund M Is. each.

A general, meeting of the Gas Workers TJ'von will bo held on Thursday in the. Trades Hall, when the position in regarr] to the conditions of labour, and the demand for an increase to meet the high cost of living, will be fully gone into.

Several appointments .to the staff of the Auckland University College were mado on Monday by the council. Air. Alexander C. Owen, A.J1.1.E.E. U'-ng.), \ M.I.E.E. (New Zealand). A.A1.1.E.L. (\merica), was appointed lecturer in electrical engineering. Air. Owen is. at presenl - attached-to the Public Works Department, at the head office in Wellington The lectureship in accountancy was given to Mr. A. M. Seaman, F.T.A. (New Zealand), and A.P.A..(Ncw Zealand), of Auckland. Mr.' N. 1•. Sinclair. 8.A., of Auckland, was appointed assistant-lecturer in classics Air. G. A!'B. Salt, B.Sc, of Otago Lmveiaty, was appointed demonstrator in physics.

Toys of German manufacture are on sale in the citv to-day (says tlie Christchurch "Sun""of Tuesday), However, tho quantity of these is extremely limited and it 'is claimed that these consist of old pre-war stocks, for merchants seen all deny that there have been importations from Germany. . One tradesman stated, and this opinion was one .'iven bv others, that the toys now in the 'shops both in quality and selection 'have never, generally speaking, been poorer. In addition, prices it may bo said, have never been; higher. He claimed that the countries, now contributing to tho market have no chance of holding their position, save m a few lines, once the persistent German is given opportunity to place his goods. The General. Headquarters school at Ticiitham Camp is expected to break-up for its Christmas, holidays to-day.

At the Pc-touo Magistrate's Court yesterday morning -Mr. E. Page. S.M., delivered iudament in the case in which the Petone Borough Council proceeded against 'Rebecca Love for failing to install the new sewerage system. The defence offered was that the present sam-ta-y arrangements were sufficient, but His Honour decided otherwise, alio' gave iudement in favour of,the council. Tho penalty was held in abeyance.