LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 303, 16 September 1921, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Postal authorities have received advice from London that mails for New Zealand were dispatched via Panama on August 31 by the s.s. Waimana, and September 8 by the s.s. Tainui. 4 The Postal authorities have received advice from Vancouver that the R.M.S. Niagara, which left Vancouver on September 10 for Auckland, carries 1128 bags of mail iof New Zealand. The Hon. D. H. Guthrie informed a reporter yesterday that his attention had been drawn to an article* in a recent issue of the Christchurch "Sun” which referred to a reduction in the advances being made under the Discharged Soldiers’ Settlement Act for the purchase of sections and for tho erection of dwellings. The Minister stated that the maximum amounts that may ijn advanced for such purposes had rot been reduced in any way. Tho regulations provided for £250 for tho purchase of a section and £9OO for the erection of a dwelling. He suggested that tho article Height refer to certain reductions Which had recently been recommended to him by tho Advisory Board in! cases where it was considered that the amounts recommended by tho Land. Board were in excess of what was warranted, when the applicant’s income was. taken into consideration. In such cases applicants were advised to modify their proposals both in their own interests and in the interests of the State. Tn no case had a recommendation of ;the Land Board been reduced where it was shown that the applicant was in a[ position to meet liis* obligations.

According to Councillor L. M’Kenzie, pockets are being picked with considerable success in the neighbourhood of tho tram terminus in Courtenay Place. Mr. M’Kenzie stated at last night’s council meeting that during the day he had been told bv a woman of five persons who had had their purses stolen. Tho Afnyor said that the attention of the police had been drawn to the matter.

Colonel J'. Pow and Mr. D. Smith interviewed the Minister cf Publie Works (Hon. J. G. Coates) yesterday on hehnlf of soldier settlers who arc developing orchards in the Moutere Hills. I.hoy presented petition nskini? for fhe metalling of roads in the district. The settlers were not gtble to contribute to the cost of the work, and they asked for a grant. It was specially important for tho success of the settlers that the road from Annleby to Mapua should be metalled. The settlers asked also for telephone facilities. The Minister promised to obtain reports on the matters brought forward by the deputation, and see what could be done to meet tho requirements of the soldiers.| \ General Headquarters instruction issued on Wednesday states:—“ln selectin'' officers and other ranks for retirement from the New Zealand Permanent Forces, due to the need for economy, the following order of selection will, as far :ia possible, he followed:-(!) Tho=e who bz length of service or ago are eligible for a retiring allowance under the P.S.C. and S. Act. 1.2) Single temporary men. not returned soldiers. (3) Single temporary men. returned soldiers. (P Married temporary men. not returned soldiers. UP Married temporary men. returned soldiers. Tn cases where married men are tn he retired, the number of those dependent upon them must be taken info consider-.tio'i. Exceptions mnv he allow'd in the ease of highly t-rnined and effluent men. lint Poreffieient mon will he-'-'ctired regardloss of their status.

. The conference of municipal associations is to be held on Tctober 4. not on September 28 as starred yesterday. Councillor C. IL Chapman tokl the Citv Council last night of o. statement he'had received about the attitude of (he Fire Brigade superintendent on a question, of wages. He had'been led to understand that some of the firemen had inquired abiut rates of pay, and had been told that if they were not satisfied and tho superintendent heard any noro about the matter they would all be discharged. He thought that tho superintendent had hardly the power to execute this, alleged threat. One of the men had given him his information. Councillor M. F. Luckie (chairman of Rhe committee dealing with the. Fire Brigade) said that he had no knowledge of the matter. He deplored Councillor Chapman’s i failure to see tho superintendent or the committee before making a charge that might be totally unfounded. The question would be investigated. The coal trade regulations are revoked by an Order-in-Council published in this! week’s "Gazelle.” Tho Railway Department has arranged with tho City Council for a supply of current to operate a system of electric automatic signalling to 'be installed between Lambton Station and Upper Hutt. Tho whole cost of the plant and its installation, including a high-tension line to Lambton Station, will be borne by tho Department, which will pay for the current at ordinary rates.

The two soldiers who nied at Trentham cn Wednesday 'will be buried at the Karori Cemetery this afternoon. The funerals will noth leave Messrs. ’ Wilson r.nd Son’s mortuary chapel—that of Richard Baghdikian at L3O and that of Stanton Henry Glading at 2 o’clock. In the first, a horse-drawn hearse will be used, and in the second a motor hearse. Tho funerals will meet at the cemetery, and the burial services will be held at 2-30 p.m. Mr. 11. A. Morris, a member of the Petone West School Committee, has been elected to tho Board of Managers of the Petone Technical School by delegates from the school committees within a iive-mile radius of Petone. The City Council intends to seek power to make by-laws requiring the owners of land threatened with encroachment by sand-drift to fence, grass, or plant such land. What is sorely needed in tho interests of personal safety as far as motor or vehicular traffic is concerned is (according to Mr. L. S. Drake, chief motor inspector) a by-law which will prevent owners of property growing tall hedges and trees in their grounds, when such aro situated at the junction of two streets. Mr. Drake said yesterday that the- reason for such a provision was obvious. High hedges acted as a screen which prevented a person driving along a street: from seeing whether there were any vehicles coming towards him at right angles,\ whereas If hedges were kept down to the height of an ordinaryfence the range of vision would bo extended, and the risk of accident lessenRestrictions of tho kind on corner properties had been made in England in tho interests of public safety, and there was no reason why they should not be enforced in New Zealand. "One of our Magistrates fines cyclists fi larger amount for being without lights In the city than for being without, lights outside the city,” said a member of the Canterbury Automobile Association on Tuesday. '"ln my humble opinion, it should be the other way about. Tho real danger is in the outskirts where you suddenly come across unlighted vehicles.” The chairman said that no distinction should be made at all. , At the annual meeting of the Petone Tennis Club on Wednesday evening, it was decided that it be a recommendation io the incoming committee to authorise play on the courts on Sundays. Thomas Britt, lyho was sentenced to fourteen days’ imprisonment for assaulting a little* girl at Arafika. by kissing her, and who was released on Saturday, was assaulted whilst asleep at. Greymouth Hotel, at three o’clock in the morning (says an exchange). He -suffered severe injuries to the face, which was cut, and his eyes swollen. He was conveyed to the Groymouth Hospital, where he is progressing favourably. The police have investigated the case, but Britt, who apparently knows his assailant, refused Io give any particulars as to his identity.

Reporting to the City Council last night, 'the Finance Committee stated: "We have received an intimation from the Minister of Internal Affairs that an amount of .£225 his been granted towards the cost of the memorial wall at the soldiers and sailors’ memorial- cemetery, Karori We regret that the council s' allocation of £5OO towards the work will not be available this year, but the work will be carried out during tho next financial year.”

A taxi-cab driver whose license was suspended by the City Council a fortnight ago approached the By-laws Committee and asked that the suspension (which was for three months) should be removed. The committee, however, decided not to recommend the application to the council.

An offer is to be made by the CityCouncil to the Wellington Education Board to exchange corporation. land at the Ridgway for three sections of land owned by the Education Board at Coleridge Street, Vbgeltown. This will enable the Education Board to retain the land on which it has -been granted permission to erect a temporary school, and which it desires should be afterwards available as a playing area. The Citv Council decided last night to i prohibit the use of iron crossings over street channels in certain of the city streets, and to leave it to the engineer to designate the- streets to which the prohibition is to apply.

A councillor who asked the Mayor last night whether there was. plenty of water in tho reservoirs at present was assured that tho dry season had, not so far had any serious effect on the supply of water available. Authority has been granted by the City Council for .alterations to be made to 'the foopath on the western side or Molesworth Street during the next financial year, by reducing the width by 18 inches, in order to enable vehicles to pass between the tramline and the kerb. The total estimated cost, of the work is £l5OO. It will be necessary for the work lo be carried out 'before the duplication oT we Molesworth Street tramline cuff be undertaken. The By-lffws Committee oT Die council has expressed the opinion that the present single line is a dangel fi) friittic.

4 deputation from the Te Aro Advancement Association recent ly wai led on the Tramways Committee of the City Council and urged the duplication of <ho Vivian Street tramline. The members of the deputation stated that they could probably raise from £MK)O to ~aoo9 towards tho cost of tho work, the amount te ho repaid preferably when the council raised its loan. In its report to tho council last night the' committee recommended that the deputation be that tho council could not undertake the work at present, or see its way to accept the deputation’s very generous oiler. The action of the City Council in building houses at Northland by day labour instead of calling for tenders was the subject of criticism recently, it being contended that the houses wuld ]u © Men constructed more cheaply it tenders had been invited. The Housing Committee thereupon called for tenders for the erection of three dwellings, and Councillor W. 11. Bonnett, chairman of the committee, stated last evening that in each instance tho price asked was considerably in advance of the amount which it cost th© council to build the houses. The policy, of the council had therefore been completely justified. A subsidy equivalent to tho its property has been granted to the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts by the Wellington City Council. Where alterations require the • imoval of verandah poles in city streets, the Mayor has announced, .he council will require the substitution of suspended verandahs for those of the older type. Tho New Zealand Rugby Union has advised the Now Zealand Returned Soldiers’ Association that it has proved impossible to arrange a match between the ex-service men of South Africa and ot Now Zealand on account of the springboks leaving three days after the playing of the third test match. ' It was announced by the chairman of (he Milk Committee (Councillor C. J. B. Norwood) at last night’s meeting of tile City Council that tho committee would bring down at next meeting a recommendation about the supplying of milk in bottles to the public. . Very full information on all aspects of the problem had in the meantime been placed before members of tho council. The Auckland Harbour Board lias been authorised by the Government to pay 7 per cent, interest on a loan of ,1'250,000, to be raised outside New Zealand. Tho money is part of a loan of .1'1,000,000 for harbour works. *

'i’hc City Council decided Inst evening that all corporation employees should cense work at 10 a.m. to-morrow in order that they may/ attend the third Test match, Springboks v. New Zealand.

At the last meeting of th<» Standing Sub-Conunitteo of the Dominion Executive of the *New Zealand Returned Soldiers’ Association, Colonel A. S. Moffatt (Chevalier Legion d’Honuer), a representative of a French committee, was present by invitation. He explained that his mission was to have the New Zealand men adopt the red poppy of Flanders fields as the national memorial flower of the N.Z.R.S.A., in accordance with the action of the American, Canadian, and English' ex-service men’s organisations. After full discussion with Colonel Moffatt it was agreed that lie should prepare a detailed memorandum upon the question for submission'to iho Dominion Executive. It was also agreed that if Colonel Moffatt arrived back from visiting the Australian Returned Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Iniperihl League before September 26 he be invited to attend tho Dominion Executive meeting and discuss the proposition. The views of a critic who considered that tho public halls of Wellington were not adequately ventilated while meetings were in progress were quoted by Councillor T. Forsyth at last night’s (needing of the City Council. Air. Forsyth asked the Mayor whether anything had been done to ensure that during meetings in the Town Hall or the Concert Chamber the windows were kept open. Mr. Wright replied Hint the question whether should l e opened or not rested with those who took either hall for the night. He presumed that those who hired the halls had merely to express fheir wishes in cider to have as much ventilation as thev desired.

Sonic i amending railway by-laws are published in this week’s "Gazette.” Notice is given in the “Gazette” that tho Minister of Finance has, in terms of section 3, New Zealand Inscribed Stock Act. 1911. authorised the conversion of bonds and debentures issued under the authority of the following Acts into inscribed stock and the issue of debentures or other securities in exchange for inscribed stock: —Finance Act, 1916 (War. loan, 1916). War Purposes Loan Act, 1917 (War Loan. 1917). Finance Act, 1918, No. 2, Part IV (Victory Loan). Electric Power Works Loan Act, 1919 (Public Works Loan. 1920). Discharged Soldiers' Settlement Loans Act. 1920 (Soldiers’ Loan. 1920). Finance Act, 1915 (renewal of debentures to December 15, 1930. of debentures matured December 15. 1920). The Minister has also prescribed, to come into force from October 1. 1921. a fee of ss. for converting bonds or debentures into inscribed stock, and a fee of 55., plus cost of printing each bond or debenture. for converting inscribed stock into bonds or debentures. \ On the motion of Councillor C. 11. bliapman, the City Council Inst night resolved, that a return should be furnished showing the average cost p?r unit of electricity sold by the council, the basis to include generation of electricity, distribution of electricity, general expenses, interest on loans, sinking fund, renewal fund, reserves, and any other item which might enter into cost. The council also decided that a statement stionlfl' be prepared showing the net charge to each class of consumer, per unit of electricity sold.

A pair of pea fowls presented by Sir Walter Buchanan, a green lizard, presented by Mr. Press, and a pair of satinette pigeons, presented by Mr. Goer, have lately been added to the exhibits in the Wellington Zoo. ■ The municipal electors’ associations of Wellington are to be invited fry th.e City Council to nominate three, persons from each district to act as honorary rangers in connection with the reserves?** The nominees will be appointed special constables.