LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 230, 23 June 1920, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Cabinet decided yesterday that 55 workers' hbmes be erected by (he Government in the city of Christchurch.

• The Prince, of Wales will foe 26 years of age to-day..

In order to remove the difficulty at present occasioned to men in hospital through the necessity c,f having the period of availability of their i:5 ss. civilian clothes warrants extended from time tp time where they have not been able to negotiate them within the specified time, it hns been decided flint the pay accounts of all those still entitled to the privilege of these warrants will bo credited with the sum of <£5 ss. ill'lieu of such warrants,

Retail grocers do not accept the statement of the chnirman of the Board of Trade that tho shortage of sugar is duo to hoarding by the consumers in anticipation of the rise in price after the end of this month. A reporter mentioned tho matter to two retainers yesterday, and got virtually the same answer in each case. "How can the public be hoarding when it has been kept short of sugar all this year?" said one retailer. "Every grocer in Wellington lias been doling out 6ugar in quantities far short of the customer's normal requirements. Many people were una'b'.e to make jam because they could not get sugar. This shop is handling a greatly reduced quantity of sugar. The subject has .been diecussed again and fgain, and we do not seem to get any nearer the exact- facts. We shall all see presently whether or 'not t.li© rise in price brings increased quantities of Sugar into the niarket. That will be the real test."

■ It. will be of interest to those who are in the lmbit of sending small parcels of food to Eng'and or Scotland to know that butter wilP. not be accepted by tho postal authorities. A Dunedin resident, who took in two 21b. packages of butter to tho Dunedin parcels' office, was referred by the postal officials to tho Control I .or of Customs, and from him lie learnt that owing to the extent to whicli the export of butter by parcel post ; had grown, it had 'been decided not to rccept butter in future.—"Otago Times."

A party of Natives at Te Kumi ate wild honey, and later all became ill. Ani adult and n child developed convulsions, and the adult lost consciousness. Medical aid was summoned, and the patients are now improving (reports a Press Association telegram from Te Kuiti).

"I don't think that Lincoln Collego is doing the work it snould do in regard to agricultural education," said Mr. W. A. Banks, speaking as a member of a Canterbury deputation Co tho Hon. C. J. Parr on Saturday. "They say they are turning out practical farmers. . . . There is no continuatiei to the University, and no correlation between institutions. There aro, about fifty students in the college, when there should be at least double that number."—'"Lyttelton Times."

Tlit) Fahiatua branch of the Teachers' Institute passed a motion of. confidence in the present Dominion grading'scheme, and congratulating the Assistant Director of Education on evolving a scheme in which previous anomalies liavo been reduced to a minimum. It vas also urged that tho, present system- should bo given a fair trial, and thai, protest be main against any attempt to discredit or retard tho operation of the scheme.—Pr«3 Aesn,

From July 1 .next the War Expenses Branch) and Base Records Office will 1)6 amalgamated and designated N.SS.E.F. War Accounts and Record Office. This office, will be under the control of Colonel J. Hutohen. who.is at piesent holding the appointment rf officer-in-charga war expenses. All communications in connection with records, pay, and accounts of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force will, from June SC, be addressed as under:—Officer-in-Charge, N.Z.E.F. War Accounts and Record Office, Lambton Quay, Wellington.

A molee, in which three men are stated to have been involved, occurred about 6.30 p.m. yesterday in Cuba. Street. The proceedings led to the smashing of a plftte-gj'.ass window owned by C. Smith, Ltd., and valued at iCO. One nrrest was n;ade.

An inquest was Iveld yesterdav morning by Mr W. G. Riddell, into the cause of death of James Grogan, a painter and paperhanger, who died suddenly in the Masonic Hotel on Saturday evening. Dr. Gibbs, who had attended Grogan, stated that hb suffered from epileptic fits, which were the (ause of death, find the Coroner found accordingly.

Lieutenant-Colonel 14. B. Smythe, D.5.0., N.Z.S.C., has beeu appointed to l'epresont the Defence Department on the committee appointed to deal with bull; oil fuel storage in New Zealand.

The present stock of Mark VI small arms ammunition, amounting to 5,000,000 rounds, has been reserved for the uso ot' the Dominion Bide Association and defence rifle clubs. 'When this quantity is exhausted, no further supply of Mark VI, S.A.A., will be available, its manufacture having been discontinued.

The Marlborough Progress Committee, which! aims at bringing Marlborough into closer touch with Wellington, is arranging to have a- "Marbnrough Room" in Wellington, Mr. Will Lnwson, the committee's organiser, is in Wellington at present making the necessary arrangements. In the room will be displayed views of Marlborough scenery and samples of Marlborough p-.oducts. It will bo situated in Sussex Chambers, and the committee's. Wellington rep:esentative will be Mr. T. R. Lawson.

Last week at a meeting of residents of Kel'burn the necessity was emphasised of more adequate playgrounds for the children of the neighbourhood, and as the outcome of the meeting a deputation will wait upon the Hon. C. J Parr (Minister of Education) to-day at 2.30 p.m. Thie deputation will be introduced by Mr. J. P. Luke, M.P.

It is tho intention of the Shop Assistants' Federation of New Zealand, states Mr. A. W. Croskery, secretary of tho Wellington branch of the federation, to make a further attempt during the coming session of Parliament to secure certain amendments to the Shops and Offices Act. The federation will rsk for shorter hours, better heating and seating accommodation for its members; Easter Saturday as a statutory half-holiday; compulsory Saturday h/alf-holiday; 5.30 p.m. closing, by statute, of all shops; elimination of the late Friday night; repeal of tho provision limiting the payment' of overtime to assistants, in receipt of more than £3 17s. Gd. per week; repeal of the provision allowing two late nights to be worked at Christmas f.nd New Year; and other important amendments which have been before the' Minister, of. Labour through thie federation for some years, past.

Mr. J. L. Mulholland, local representative of the Amalgamated Wireless of Australasia, Ltd., is to leave, New Zealand shortly in order to take up a higher position in Sydney in the company's service. His place in the company locally, will be taken by Mr. G. Robertson.

News reached Auckland rn Sunday by the Otarama that a small schooner, built' and owned by the inhabitants of the lonely island of Pitcairn, vas Inst in a galo June. The 6chooner was bound fircone of the islands in the Pacific, and Encountered very l.eavy weather, which j-cftused her to spring a leak'and founder. ' The. crew took to the Jifeboat and wero picked up by an American steamer 20 ■■miles off Pitcairn and landed at the island.—"New Zealand Herald." A sale of rare New Zeaand books held at Auckland last veefc attracted a goon attendance, and liighl prices wero secured for. many of th« valuable, volumes offer-1 ed. Bidding for'well-known and rare works .was keen, and a number of them fetched prices considerably higher than those catalogued. Buller's "Birds of New 7,oaland," in two volumes, which was one of the prizes of the sale, brought .£l7; "Cook's Voyages," in eight volumes, and with atlas was another kec-nly contested prize, finding a purchaser at ,£24 10s. Other volumes which found ready sale at a good figure were: Hochstetter's "New Zealand," £2 Bs.; "Manners and Customs in New Zealand," in two volumes, XI 16s. fid. per volume; Brno's "Pictorial Illustrations of New Zealand," ,£2; Nicholas's "Voyage to New Zealand," ill lis.; Ivirk's "I'orest Flora, il Is.; ShortlandV New ; Zealand," 35.; Meade's "New Zealand," «tl Is. i "Diffenbaclil's "New Zealand," in two volumes, lis. each. The voyages series also sola r well, the principal volumes bfc ing Nicholas's VVoyage to New Zealand, «£1 lis.; "Bligbs,Voyages, 1792,'<£1 10s.; "Dampier's Voyages, 1799," .£1 Is.; and "Flinders, 1814," £2 ss.

The Municipal Choir, '-recently formed in Auckland, gave its tat public performance on 'Saturday, evening, when it formed a feature of Hio weekly organ recital in the Town Hall (says the "Her. aid"). Widespread interest was taken in the event, considerably more than twlcs the usual number fttonding tho recital. The choir was under the control of the •city organist, Mr. Maughan Bnrnett, and the renderings- of four ["art songs ty the choir aroused 'considerable enthusiasm, culminating in hearty recalls. Eighty-five singers occupied tho platform. In acknowledging the onerous. applause of the audience Mr. Bnrnett mentioned that the choir was the first municipal choir to be formed in Xew Zealand, liegarding thlo future, a feature would bo made of unaccompanied singing, and tlift ultimate size of tho choir would depend upon the number of •male voices coming forward. A yronerlv balanced choir must be 'maintained.

On the largo station which Mr. F. J. Lvsnar hap acquired at Waiouru, it is supposed that two military deserters are living as hermits ia tho bush (says the Auckland "Star"). The police have not succeeded in running them to earth, although several endeavours have been made; The occupants of a shepherd's hut saw on© of them with a bushranjer-like beard, looking through the window of the hut. The fugitives are apparently living on trout caught ill tho streams. Some little time ago residents cf Seatoun and Miramar found themselves very short of milk, and the Mayor took the matter in hand. Lust night Mr. Stone said he had been able to compete arrangements for supply of milk and that 107 applications for milk had been received. "These are receiving milk—a little," he added.

. At last night's meeting of the Miramar Borough Council the Mayor reported that Hie Tramway Department had agreed to make tho s'toppinß-p'.aee at Matni and Binni Streets, Miramnr, a compulsory stop for outward-hound cars only.