LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 15, Issue 11, 7 October 1921, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Dominion freezing works dispute 4/% hnve been considered by Conciliation Council at Auckland yesterday but the union was not represented and tho matter was therefore re fei-red to tho Arbitration Court. lio=>9 Assn.

In the course of a statement te a donutation yesterday regarding telephones the Postmaster-General (the Hon J.’ G. Coates) said that during tho i (■ mnnth 19° telephones had been innnd G 37 Tho Af mister added that last year his Department spent .6100,000 on telephones. This year tho expendituio would run into about the samc. I ho set out to catch up the lecirni an«i provide for all tho people waiting, there were hundreds that weio n • X on the waiting 1 sts-he wotUd have to ask for more than a million pounds this year. ,

"This Act goes back about 40 ; and should bo brought up to date, said Mr. J. A- Flesher (Christchurch) at the Municipal Conference yesterday when’moving a remit to ’ n^as ° XI 15s. to £3 10s. per chain allowed under the Fencing Act for a new• fence It was pointed out that under I lie V Regulations Act various sums were fixed for different kinds of fences, ranging from X2 to X 5 10s. It was decided that the Government should be asked to amend the Act and bring it into line with tho War Regulations Act.

A runaway horse attached to a cart caused a serious accident in Happy A a - ley yesterday morning. A lad named Walter Payne, 1G years of age who was employed by a milkman in the A al ey, was in tho cart with two others, when the horse Wed; Tho vehicle went over an embankment or hill and rolled to the bottom. Payne was admitted to tho Hospital at 10.20 a.m. yesterday suffering from injuries to tho back caused through having been crushed. Late last night his condition was reported to be a little improved. Payne was employed by Mr. Robertson, milkman.

As a war memorial Christchurch proposes to build a "Bridge of Remembrance.’* This is to bo erected by public subscription, but tho City Council want power to borrow X4OO for the understructure. This amount is too small to go to tho ratepayers for as a poll would cost hundreds of pounds. Iheir delegates, therefore, suggested at rn« Municipal Conference yesterday in order to get over the difficulty that the Municipal Corporations Act bo amended to enable local authorities to raise money for war memorial purposes by special order without haying to take a poll. Tho remit was rejected.

"I hope it will not be long before we have ladies in Parliament,” said tho Hon. W. Downie Stewart yesterday >n the course of a speech nt the luncheon given bv tho Wellington pity Connci to the delegates attending Ml ’ nlcl P“’ Conference. lie explained that when the House divided on tho Bill to allow women to become members of Parliament Dr. Pomare, who was voting against tho measure remarked to him. "If this goes through I will have an old Maori wahine elected, and she will sit alongside you all day eating dll shark.”

Charged with causing actual bodily harm to James Doogan on August .7 last, Theodore Woodward appeared before Mr. J. Piper, J.P, at the Petone Court vesterday, and on the application of the police was further remanded until October 13. Bail was allowed as previously.

Tho police business at tho Magistrate s Court yesterday was confined to one offender for insobriety, aid as he failed to appear Mr. F. K. Hunt, S.M, ordered that his bail of 10s. be forfeited. New potatoes are coming to hand in fair quantities from the Auckland district. A fortnight ago they were being retailed at Is. per lb., yesterday they we re selling at Is. for 41b. Sping cauliflowers and cabbages are still ill ample supply, and large slocks of rhubarb are reaching the markets daily. The new nine-hole golf course at Berhamporo has proved a great success. Its very sporting character is attracting a great many players -who prefer newproblems. An instructor is now in daily attendance at the municipal links. The Education Board’s new school at Featherston, erected to replace the one. burnt down pome months ago, is to bo formally opened to-morrow.

Sunport for the State lottery inaugurated by tho Queensland Government is not to be encouraged in New Zealand tor it is notified in the Gazette that neither money-orders 1 nor postal P will be issued by the New Zealand Postal Department in favour of Arthur Lucas Brisbane, or the Queensland Golden Casket Art Union Committee, Brisbane or the chairman, president, manager,’ or other officer of the said committee “because they are engaged in carrying out a lottery or game of chance-”

The Government has consented to the following local bodies raising l° allS: T Cambridge Electric Power Board, .615.060: Morrinsvillc Borough Council, 610 000; Christchurch City Council, X5OOO- Hauraki Plains County Council, JJ4.700; Castlepoint County Council, X 2000; Wyndham Town Board, A.JOO. "I appear.” said the Solicitor-General, in tho Full Court yesterday, "for the Crown” Mr- Justice Salmond looked up sharply. The case was one in which an originating summons had been brought bv (he Otago University against the Minister of Education as representing His Maiesty the King. "Has Ths Maiestv been served .with a summons r asked 'the Judge. For the next few moments there was a short argument as to whom Hie Solicitor-General was appearing for. "The Minister of Education has power to make apidiealmn tor vrant, has he not?” asked the SolicitorGeneral. "If necessary. 1 will wy I appear for tho defendant. )h ' decided to appear for the Minister of Education as representing Jlis Majesty.

Reference to tho forthcoming New Zealand swimming championships, which arc to ho held in AVellington next year, is contained in tho annual report of tho AVellinogton Swimming Centre, adopted at the annual meeting last night. The report states: "This is tho first time AVellington has handled a championship meeting since 1911. The executive has deemed it advisable, in view of the large amount of work entailed in the successful running of the New Zealand championships, to solicit the help of gentlemen prominently connected with swimming, outside the centre, to act on 'he various sub-committees, and replies have been received from the majority that they will bo willing to net in any capacity. So far, practically no organising work has been done, as it was thought fit to wait until the new executive came into office." The dates for the sports arc February 4, G, 8, and 11.

A consignment of 1800 bags of rice and 100 sacks of peanuts, originally from China, which arrived in Auckland from Sydney by the Riverinn last week, were condemned by the Government fruit inspector (states an exchange). The rice was infected with weevil and the peanuts with meal moth. Seventy-four bags of peanuts from China via Melbourne, which arrived by the Whangape, were also infected with meal moth' and condemned. ’J’he rice and peanuts were not badly infected, and were not destroyed, but will be treated in such a manner that the pests will be killed and the rice and peanuts rendered saleable.

Tho Auckland branch of the Navy League at its last meeting stressed the important matter of seeing that tho question of national defence was not neglected (states the “Star"). The president, Air. A. AL Ferguson, referred to lord Northcliffe’s description of New Zealand, "Richest in promise and weakest of all nations." He said that, while it was a most arresting pronouncement, there was good reason to fear that New Zealanders would swallow the seductive compliment, while they failed to lay to heart the solemn warning. The anniversary of Nelson Day on October 21, he suggested, would give the Navy League a siplendid opportunity of arousing the public from the apathy into which he feared they were falling as regards national defence.

No fewer than 3500 of the,New Zealand bowlers’ badges were exchanged by the members of the party during the lour of tlie Old Country (states the "Lyttelton Times”) Mr. F. J. Barlow, one of tho howlers, who has returned to Christchurch, brought back a wonderful collection of badges from the different places he visited, including a 1921 international badge, which ho had obtained by exchange with an international player. He states that the New Zealand badge, consisting of a silver fern leaf, was much sought after wherever the party went:, and he suggests that it would lie an excellent idea for the various centres to adopt badges of their own before the expected visit of the English bowlers.

There is quite a boom in free-planting in Canterbury, according to the departmental "Newsletter" of tho Forest Service. and "it is estimated that in North Canterbury alone private enterprise will be responsible for the establishment this season of fully 1000 acres of exotic plantations. Tho demand has been so great that the State nurseries and a few firms who, as regards prices, are keeping in lino with us, have been unable to cope with tho business.” i

To many people, observes the monthly "Newsletter” of the Forest Service, the mutter of chopping down a tree or two is of no importance, a few blows of tho axe and the growth of years conics crashing to earth. The one thing most needed in our towns and cities is the foliage of trees to relieve the bareness and unsightliness of many of our buildings, and yet one constantly hears complaints about the nuisance, created by trees growing in tho streets In Auckland a few years ago quite a heated controversy raged as to whether a fine avenue of English trees should he allowed to remain as the drifting leaves were voted a nuisance by some people. An echo of tho same nature comes from*Carterton, where two bhieguins have been cut uown; one of the trees was a fine, wellgrown tree over thirty years of age. Whatever the rights of the case were, the net has caused quite a lot of feeling among local residents over the destruction of ■ what was a well-kriown landmark. There is no question but that the judicious planting of trees will transform what may have originally been quite a mean looking street into a locality pleasant to dwell in, besides providing grateful shade in summer and shelter from the cold winds of winter.

“Native plants are fully a month earlier (than usual) in flowering this Beason,” writes Senior Ranger Morrison of the Hanmer Springs District, in the "Forest Service Newsletter,” "and I am led to believe that this is indicative of a dry season following, but hope that Buch is not the case.”