LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 122, 16 February 1921, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Postal authorities advise that tho 9.6. Kaiapoi sailed from Melbourne at 2 p.m. on February 12 for Bluff. She carries 130 bags of mails, including 2 bags from the East and 4 bags from Africa. The Attorney-General (Sir Francis Bell) and the Minister of Internal Affairs (Hon. G. J. Anderson) are the sole members of the Ministry in Wellington at present. The Prime Minister is to be back here on Sunday, and several important matters, including the appointment of a new Minister, will come before Cabinet next week.

During the voyage of the liner liimutaka io Auckland from London the ship’s writer, Mr. F. Leach, a New Zealander, died from heart failure and was buried at sea. Deceased was a married man 40 years of age, and signed on at Wellington, The passengers subscribed over .£lOO for the benefit of his widow. —Press Assn.

The gate takings for the three days of the crickot match between the Australian team and Wellington totalled ,£BB6 2s. The attendance during the three days was about 16,500.

A case of actinomycosis at Tinwald Canterbury, was reported to tho health authorities at Ashburton last week. The infection of this very rare ease is transmitted from cattle to malt', and the disease is oT a chronic order, and is sometimes called “lumpy jaw.” Jts symptoms are loss of flesh and strength, beetive fever, and other symptoms due to tile pressure of suppurating tumours containing fungus in the mouth, throat, an<! air passages, bones, ami skin. It is tow what similar to the disease known an "landers, which is transmissible from horses to man. The present .case is the first which has been "'notified in Ihe Ashburton district.

An arrangement has been arrived at between the workers’ unions in Wellington and the Wellington Master Printers’ Union by whic'li, in exchange for the payment for the holidays named in the award for letterpress machinists, lithographers, paper-rulers, bookbinders, paper-cutters, etc., the rate, of overtime is to be same as for compositors (time and a half). This alteration is to date from February 9, 1921. the employers’ union having instructed its members to observe tho terms of the agreement from that date. An application will formally lie made to the Arbitration Court to ratify the agreement. At Christchurch yesterday reserved judgment was given by Mr. S. E. M'CaivJhy, S.M., in connection with the charge against Whitcombe and Tombs and M'illiam Ensom of importing prohibited goods, namely, a book entitled “Red Europe.” Defendants were each fined <£2 and costs and the books were seized andorderca to be forfeited to His Majesty. At the request of counsel the fine in Fnsom’s ease was increased to Jl6 so that an appeal mrght be lodged.— Press Assn.

The Hillside (Dunedin) branch of the A.S.R.S. resolved: “Thad this meeting enters an emphatic protest against th# decision of the Wages Board, and Js of opinion that the conference in Wellington showed laxity of judgment in endorsing the finding of t’he board. I*uriher, this meeting instructs the executive council to reopen i'he matter with the Department, and if the council fails to agree to this request, this meeting calls upon it to resign.”—Press Assn. The Uev. Willfam Paxton, Fellow of ihe Royal Geographical Society, preaching at Bradford, England, took Uit>. Asquith’s memoirs into the pulpit, and described them as the greatest contribution'to' English literature in the fifty years—a book that wouhl Live long after the penny-a-line critics of it were dead It K's 1,10 6Tu i' - lrl,p P’ ct ” re the social life of the country during the war and its imprudences might be dismissed with a laugh, lx cause of ihe golden passages it. contained, which had Keen disregarded in ihe newspaper review=.

An Auckland settler, who recently visited a portion of the Urewera Country, says it has enormous possibilities. It contains 620,000 acres, of which the Government has purchased 250,000 acres. Ihe Government has kepi this country closed for years, declaring that it will not nut 'settlers on it till it is rc-ailed. ’l'he visitor to that- region, however, declares that ihe river beds can be used as roads, over which a dray could easily be driven. Travelling is comparatively easy. Ihe country could bo described as hilly and fairly 'steep, but cattle could be driven over’most of it, and. when the bush is cleared, a horse could be ridden over most of iho ridges. The bush is light and fairly open, and cou.d easily be cleared. There is no milling timber at the Whakatane end. though there is a little rimu, matui, and totara. The country is all rubble formation, with plonl of good friable soil, and better watered country could not be imagined. 'l'he place is all in bush, no 1 open country anywhere, with the exception of Maori clearing.—“ Star.”

An Auckland Press Association telegram states that Frederick Banks, second officer of tho steamer Corinna, is missing. Ho had been on shore leave at Onehunga, and did not return to the Corinna when the vessel sailed south on Tuesday last. There is no drace of his whereabouts.

A conference of local bodies’ officers is to be held in the Farmers’ Institute board room this morning.

“A land of magnificent pastures ami poor cows” is the -condensed criticism of New Zealand offered by a South African visitor (says an exchange). Mr. E. M ■ Evans, president of the Agricultural Cooperative Union of South Africa, and Mr. Allister M. Miller, president of the South African Cattle Breeders’ Association, have been touring Australia and New Zealand to study the cattle industry, and to secure stud stock for South Africa. They arc very favourably impressed. with the climate of New Zealand, and express the opinion that New Zealand can lie made tho great stud country of the Southern Hemisphere. The future, they think, will bo very closely associated with the dairying and breeding industries. "But I am surprised." continued Mr. Miller, "that a country with such pastures and such a climate as New Zealand should have, on the average, such poor cows. My investigations lead mo to the conclusion that the. yield of tho dairy herds, with some notable exceptions, is not what it should Joe. and that if New Zealand dairy farmers want io increase their profits all they have to do is to go in for a better class of cow.”

On the question whether or not a conference should precede an application to the Conciliation Council for a neiv award, trouble has developed between the Neiv Zealand Drivers’ Federation and the Employers’ Federation. A meeting of tho executive committee of the Canterbury Drivers’ Union was held on Saturday evening to consider the position. A letter was received from the national executive, stating that the Employers’ Federation refused to discuss the claims made by the unions on the ground that they were too unreasonable and impracticable to form the basis of a discussion. It was decided: "That a conference between the parties must precede any reference’to a Conciliation Council, and that the whole weight of the New Zealand Transport Workers’ Advisory Board and Now Zealand Alliance of Labour should be brought to bear, if necessary, to induce the employers to abandon their old-time policy of procrastination.''

Two prisoners who had pleaded guilty to the charges laid against them appearcd for sentence before His Honour Mr. Justice Chapman in the Supreme Court yesterday. William Joseph , Curtin, guilty of housebreaking, and George H. Kemp, guilty of false pretences, were admitted to probation for three yeais, eacli being ordered to pay T 5 towards the cost of prosecution, at tho rate ot .10s. a month. Mr. P. S. K. Maeassey appeared a? Croivn Prosecutor. On Saturday, at dusk, a motorist left his car outside his residence in Rossall Street. Christchurch, and on going out a little later to see if the tail-light was burning, found that tho car had disappeared. He went to the nearest telephone and informed the police of his loss, and was told that his was the third case reported that night. On his way home he met two friends, and was conversing with them, Avhen a car Avas noticed standing under an electric light in Wairarapa Terrace. Two bicycles were strapped io the back of the machine, and two men were engaged m replenishing the tank with petrol. Drawing nearer, he observed that the car was his own, but before he could take action the men jumped in and sped away. Ono of his companions had a bicycle, and he gave chase. On reaching Bealey Avenue the men left tho car, removed their bicycles, and made oil. A special meeting of the Christchurch Tramway Employees’ Union was held -at midnight on -Saturday to consider what action should be taken regarding the cost-of-living bonus. The union had previously taken exception-to the action of the 'Tramway Board in reducing the bonus from 9s. to 3s. The former sum whs paid from November 1 io Januaiy *•> after which tho reduction was enforced. It ivas stated ati Saturday night’s meetin-- that it was understood that in certain branches of tho service the . board tvas likely to reconsider its decision regarding rvages and the bonus. A resolution was passed by the meeting, it is stated, that tho union should make application at the next sitting of the Arbitration Court to have the existing award amended to make the Christchurch men fall into line with Wellington as regards the basic wage and tho bonus, and a ballot of all members on the matter is now proceeding. It is understood that Hie average wage in Wellington is about Is. per man per day higher than it is in Christchurch.

"An exceptional season for butter-pro/ duction” is the summing up of the agricultural community, which bases judgment on reports now coming in from all over the Dominion telling how the wet days of the last month or two have assider in milk production, remarks t’ne Auckland "Star.” “It is quite likely,” said one authority, “that the milk vield for this province will reach a record, and I think thei same may be said of butter. The weather could not >ave been better from the dairy farmer’s poisi of view. No sooner does the country show signs of drying up than the-weather changes and down come the showers, making the grass fresh and green again. The weather this season has meant millions to the industry as a whole.” Similar reports, as to a good dairying season come from other districts. Tn Taranaki, for example, the quantity of butter received at the factory has already exceeded by no fewe'- than 33,(100 boxes the amount for the corresponding period last year. The export value cf butter per box. it is stated there, is about b£7 as compared with only .£5 for last year. Altogether the value of file cheese and butter in that district to date represents nearly a million and a quarter sterling. Monday is the twelfth anniversary of the inauguration of the North Island Main Trunk railway service. The first two trains had passed over the line between Auckland and Wellington on the occasion of the visit of the American fleet in August, 1908. but it was not until February, 1909. that ; the regular service was begun. The first through train, which left Auckland. o:i the evening of February 14. consisted of five passenger carriages, a sleeper, two luggage vans, ami a postal vjin. It carried about 200 passengers, and its departure was witnessed by about 150’3 people.

Prosecutions rare pending under the Profiteering Act against two Auckland traders (says the “Star”). .Decision to that effect was reached by the Bourn of Trade during its visit, last week, acting upon the suggestion of the Auckland Prices Investigation Tribunal. The cases will be heard in the near future. Investigation into typewriter costs and supplies, brought before tho Tribunal in a case where excessive charges were, alleged, has resulted in the finding that though tho price, was high, it was not unreasonable in view of ihe peculiar nature of Obe business. In two cases refunds were ordered, one being- an express company’s charges, and the other involving the price of drapery goods. Another case was struck out because the complainant did not elect to proceed.

During the past six weeks nine cases of infantile paralysis have occurred in Wanganui (inclusive of Gonville and Castleeliff), and three 'have been report!" ed from outside places. On Tuesday one death occurred at the Wanganui Hospital, and on Thursday four fresh cases were reported in tho tjorough. A number of the eases were under treatment at ihe 'hospiual, and a ward has had to be cleared to make room for the patients.