LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 243, 8 July 1921, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The selection of the All-Black football team to play the Springboks has caused comment in every corner of the city. Yesterday, a well-known sporting tobacconist was so tired of talking about the exclusion of Roberts that he hung a sign outside his shop as follows"No football discussed here." Needless to say his patrons did not take tho liint!

The Citv Council agreed last evening: "That tho city solicitor be instructed to prepare a by-law giving power to the council to make regulations from time to time for the purpose of controlling the traffic in the city.”

Educational authorities in Hawkes Bay have suggested to the Minister of Education that. Miss Dorothea Spinney, who has recently given recitals throughout New Zealand, should be engaged by the Education Department to present some of the masterpieces of English literature io the senior ilasses in the State schools. The Minister said yesterday that ho thought the suggestion a good one. aud he proposed to give it consideration.

The By-Lnwsi Committee reported to last night’s meeting of the City Council that it had received a deputation from representatives of the Wellington Automobile Association, with reference to various matters, and would forward its recommendations to the council at a later stage.

Authority has been granted by the Reserves Committee of the City Council for the issue of subscriber’s yearly tickets to (ho Zoo at the following charges:— 10b. 6d. double ticket, ss. Gd. single ticket. The Rev. O. M. Stent yesterday gave notice to the Wellington Diocesan Synod of the following motion: —"This Synod viewe with strong disapproval the extension of the grounds of divorce made by the 1920 amendment of the Divorce Act, as being more subversive of the Christian standard of marriage than any previous Now Zealand legislation on the subject.” At a meeting of the executive of the Canterbury Rugby Union on Wednesday it was mentioned that tho prices tor admission to the match ng«’nst Springboks were fixed by the Now Zealand Rugby Union at 2s. for the embankment. and 3s. or more additional for tho stand. Meinhers pointed out. that 5s was a somewhat excessive charge, especially when it was considered that another’2s. would bo ?]’ ar > re / d „ for o 7 served ebals. The president (Mr. S. 1. Wilson) said that it should be rein embored that tho lour of the South African team would entail heavy expens-. It was estimated that the cost of tho tour would amount to £13,000, and the assembling of the New Zealand topm would cost an additional £1jOO; altogether the visit of the South Africans would involve tho expenditure of a sum of approximately .£15,000. 'Press.

The Hataitai Electors’ Association is to bo informed by the City Council in reply to its request for the erection of conveniences on property in Moxlinm Avenue, adjoining the tramway waiting shed, that provision tor such work has been made on the. loan schedule, but. that at the present time the money is not available to carry out same.

“The first event which seems to call for notice.” stated the annual report of the Maori Mission Committee to the Wellington Diocesan Synod, "is the resignation of the Rev. A. O. Williams who for thirty-six years superintended the work, for the first part of the time in (he Taranaki-Wanganui-Rangitikei and Wairarapti districts, and for the past 17 years in tho whole diocese.. When the into superintendent began hie work; the mission, was still suffering from what penned almost like the death-blow of the Maori wars., Tn the whole distant lying between Palmerston and New Flymouth there were only tour plan's where the natives would tolerate a Christian service; and it is not too much to say that the fact that for the past twenty or twenty-five years regular services have been maintained, and the Lord s Shipper administered to companies of confirmed communicants, in tho thirty different settlements lying between I atea and Palmerston, is mainly the result of his work."

The gate receipts in connection with the Prolxibles-Possibles Rugby game at tho Athletic Park on Wednesday amounted to £320. . The City Council has received an intimation from the Under-Secretary of the Department of Internal • Affairs, stating that a payment of £BO per annum as from April 1. 1920, has been authorised towards the cost of maintenance of the Soldiers and Sailors’ Memorial Cemetery at Karori.

A Press Association telegram sent from Hamilton yesterday reported that the Minister of Lands opened the new' saleyards at Frankton. The new yards displaced thote at Hamilton, winch have been used for many years. The also received several local deputation..

A -new scale of fees under the Ju dlpn ' ture Act is published in this week s Gazette.

An Order-in-Council prohiMtfag the exportation of preserved milk, condensed milk, and dried milk save with the .consent of the Minister of Customs has been revoked.

Mr H. Buddle has been appointed assessor for the City Council in the matter of revaluing Sargood, Son, and Ewen's property m respect to the new jeose about to be granted.

On the recommendation of the Reserves Committee the City Council decided last evening that no increase bo made in tho fees for the use of grounds for winter sports for the present season.

The question of instruction in sex hygiene for boys was discussed by the Auckland Education Board in committee on Wednesday evening, arising out oi the inspectors' recommendation that Air. 11. 11. W. Bligh, of the White Cross League, be given permission to address only those boys whose parents expressed a desire for them to receive sex instruction. It was agreed to refer the whole matter to the Headmasters’ Association for a report.

The woolly-headed Fijians have just seen their first flying machine, and one can imagine the excitement in the palm groves and the shouts of Vinaka ba vinaka sara!” as the excited islanders saw the big strange bird swoop over their villages. Mr. Leo A. Walsh, of the New Zealand Flying School, who was commissioned by the Fijian Government to curry out experiments in the group with H. view of establishing aerial mail services, has cabled to representatives in /Auckland to say that he and Captain A. C. Upham arrived safely with the machine. On July 4 they made a flight round Vita Lew, the island oti which Suva the capital, is situated, doing 280 miles, and flying for 276 minutes, "the machine going well." Two days later they flew round Vanua Levu. the bi* island in the north of the group. The machine they are using is a supermarine four-seater Channel-type flying boat which was seen about Auckland before it was sent down to the Islands on the last trip of the Tofua.—"Star.”

A struggle for possession of children provided a painful, scene in the Magistrate's Court at Christchurch on Wednesday (eavs an exchange). The parents, who had been engaged in a suit against each other, apparently intended to go different ways. By virtue of the law (he father had guardianship of the children but one of them, a little girl, clung sobbing to her mother, in defiance of (lie. legislative', provision, while firn little boy apparently regarded the whole, thing as’ a very strange business. The father’s attempt to pull the little girl from her mother was fruition, and orders by the Magistrate and suasion by the Court orderly were, applied before Hie matter was adjusted in accordance with the Court’s dictates.

The election held to till a vacancy on the Public Service Board of Appeal has resulted in the return of Mr E. F. Hawthorne, of Wellington. Mr. Hawthorns is tho chief clerk of the Justice Department.

A progress report was received at lost night's meeting of the City Council with reference tz> the municipal housing scheme at Northland. The housing superintendent. stated that since his last report the foundations of houses on sections 25 end 26 had been completed, and the frame was now- being erected on section 25.

One of those amusing incidents which sometimes relieve the tedium of court proceedings occurred at the Lyttelton Magistrate’s .Court on Wednesday. A French seaman appeared on e. charge of drunkenness. As the man apparently knew no English, and there was no interpreter available, the Court officials were in it quandary. They could not proceed with the case until the man had hail the nature of tho charge explained to him, and been given an opportunity of pleading. After some flelay a Court official ventured a. little French. _ "VouA avez buvais yeaterday?" he inquired tentatively. The prisoner was plainly puzzled. The official tried again: "Ila dit vous nvez buvais yesterday?" he said. The .Frenchman was still puzzled. Therefore a police constable, with a suspicion of an Hibernian accent, interjected with "Hey! Henri, was you drunk yesterday?” "Oui, yes," he exclaimed, smiling amiably. “Ver droonk.” Amid the laughter which followed he was convicted and discharged.—"Lyttelton Times.”

Most tourists think that the little Maori children of Whakerewarewa, near Rotorua, have nothing to do in life but jump from the bridge and make money by diving for it, says an exchange. But the little dark folk of "Whaka” lead a more industrious life when the tourists are not about, and the recent success of their Native school show that these young people are quite capable of competing with their fairer brotherg and sisters in the matter of scholarship. The Native school near the Maori settlement has won the Makarini scholarship for this year, making tile school’s record up to the fifth year in succession. The Makarini scholarship was founded and endowed bv Sir Donald Al’Lean, and it provides for special educational facilities for one child out of the many hundreds attending the one hundred and twenty Native schools in New Zealand. Having won the scholarship five years running is therefore a great achievement for the colony of children under Mr. Banks, who is headmaster for the Whakarewarewa school. children of this school, exclusively Native, of course, hold one hundred aud forty war loan certificates, which were bought out of their savings. Further, they give 10 per cent, of their diving money to a charity-box, which is drawn on when some outside cause is soliciting support. In addition to the school lessons agriculture is encouraged, and each boy has a plot of ground for which lie is responsible. A few months ago it was announced that every child from the Sixth Standard of the year had gained his or her proficiency certificate. Mr. J. Banks is the headmaster of the Native school, which is built not so very far from the boiling pools and geysers which are the attraction of (his Native village.