City and Suburban Items

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 289, 6 September 1928, Page 6

City and Suburban Items

News and Notes of Interest

’There is n slight, increase in the number of unemployed registered at. the Labour Bureau for the week ended Monday last. The total number was 3-19, an increase of 12, of whom 152 without dependants were tit for heavy work and IS for light work, and 146 with dependants lit for heavy work and 33 for light work.

The New Zealand Acclimatisation Societies opened their sixteenth annual conference yesterday, in AVellington, hut as the representative football match was to be played in the afternoon, it was decided to postpone the afternoon session at 2.30, to enable delegates to attend the match, resuming again this morning, ami leaving the revision.of the remits—usually done on tlie second day—in the bauds of the executive.

While working on the steamer Runpebu about half past three yesterday afternoon at the Glasgow AV barf, F. Brooks had a toe of his left foot badly crushed by a falling, frozen carcass of meat. He was taken to a doctor by the Free Ambulance, and then to his home at 45S Broadway, Miramar.

Point Halswcll, as a Borstal Institution, was started three years ago, and up to the end of last year, 89 committals had been made there, of whom 44 had been released. Of tlie hitter, only four have again appeared before the Courts, and as 20 girls had been released for over two years, the small number of failures to retain their place in society is regarded as very satisfactory.

The Wellington Fire Brigade hns received a letter of appreciation aud thanks from Messrs. David McCrae, Ltd., Sturdee Street, for services rendered in extinguishing a lire at their premises or. Saturday. Enclosed xvith the letter was a cheque for £2 25., donated by the firm to the brigade’s recreation fund.

AA’hilc a maximum fine was provided, there xvas no minimum, said a delegate at the Acclimatisation Conference yesterday in advocating a £5 minimum fine for shooting without a license. He instanced an Auckland case where a man pleaded poverty as an excuse for shooting a hen pheasant and was lined 10s. It xvas apparently not such a serious crime to shoot a hen pheasant as it was to exceed the speed limit. A remit in the desired direction was carried.

A concession was given to prisoner smokers last year by the free issue of cigarette-papers. A number of prisoners had previously taken advantage of a concession to provide papers out of their earnings, but the clerical work occasioned by charging up many debits of a few pence was not worth the saving.—Annual report of the Prisons Department.

Au instance was related at the Acclimatisation meeting yesterday of a man who was caught shooting game without a license. He said he had left it behind, but would go and get it. He went straight to a local storekeeper where licenses were issued, secured a license, and persuaded the storekeeper to ante-date it two days. The ranger was too wide awake for him. however, and both the sportsman and the storekeeper were “bowled out.” ,

Dunedin is suffering from drought—a strange and wonderful thing for the end of August and beginning of September. Ten fire alarms were answered on Saturday, seven of them for gorse or scrub fires in the suburbs. People have been asked to curtail their use of water, and gardeners have been imformed that xvatering at this time of the year is more harmful than helpful.

The following interesting paragraph appears in the report of the Inspector of Prisons to the Controller-General: “The absence of complaints by prisoners against officers is, I think, an indication that a better understanding between prisoners and officers exists, and that the former realise that the officials are carrying out their duties impartially. A few" of the ‘old-timers,’ some of whom have had experience of prison conditions in other countries, have a strong inclination to propound new theories in connection with prison administration. The suggestions made by these men are generally in the direction of providing more comforts for prisoners, with a view to making life in prison really attractive. This class, although constituting less than 3 per cent, of those in custody, regard themselves as the appointed representatives of the entire prison population. Whether in prison or at large, they prey upon the susceptibilities of inexperienced social workers, who ar.e often misled by their fantastic stories of prison life. Social workers who act as prison visitors and are suitable for that work do much good, but it is only the experienced and discriminating visitor who can successfully deal xvjth the plausible ‘old-timer.’”

A Feikling delegate was deputed to move a remit at the Acclimatisation conference yesterday in the direction of removing the protection on magpies, but other delegates raised the question of how much harm was done by birds as compared with the good they did. The harm done by the magpie did not warrant its destruction, they claimed, for it was a pretty bird, and people liked to see it about. The weka did harm in eating eggs, but it was protected for the good it did in othefl ways. The remit only found support from Feikling delegates, and was jlefeated.

The provision, by voluntary subscription, of wireless sets, has been greatly apjireeiatcd, and has proved a great boon at Waikeria, Invercargill, New Plymouth, Addington, and Point Halswcll; while at several of the institutions, gifts of a piano or an organ have proved of great assistance in connection with religious services.and the ocasional entertainments provided for the inmates, states the Con-troller-General of Prisons, in his annual report. These instruments are splendid aids towards a more balanced, development, but, in addition, the knowledge that these privileges arc donated by outsiders sympathetically disposed towards the well-being of the prisoners, goes a long way to counteract any tendencies to resentment against society. Visits and let-ter-writing are encouraged to a greater extent than hitherto, as it is realised that (he maintenance of contact with relatives and friends is important in dispelling a feeling of despondency, abandonment, and isolation.

So common is the practice of sparetire stealing from parked cars in Wellington that a new appurtenance _ has come into fail /z general use. This is a short length of chain, which is wound round the spare tire and the holder and kept in position with a padlock. So daring are the thieves operating at times in open parking places that they carry a spanner to loosen the nuts that hold the tire. It must take them several minutes to do this job. Other motorists have suffered the loss of batteries, in cases where the battery boxes are carried on the running-board.

Tuesday saw yet another of, the happy evenings arranged for the sailor guests at the Sailors’ Friend Society, when Miss M. Cho.te was hostess. She was very ably assisted by helpers, who were all encored. Light refreshments were handed round in an interval by the hostess and helpers. The performers were the Misses P. Martin, M. Chote, May Martin, and Anderson, and Messrs. G. Neel, AV. Kitchener, Darcy, Divine. The Misses Martin and Chote were at the piano. "The Cost and the Results” was the title of Mr. J. Moore’s (inissioner) chat on temperance. ; The competition prizes came from Mis. Chote, and went to Port Bowen, Coptic, Cambridge, and Trerorian.

While discussing native birds yesterday Mr. L. O. 11. Tripp, president of (he New Zealand Acclimatisation Societies, stated that while opposum trapping had been going on an enormous number of rats were killed, and the increase in native birds in these areas was attributed to the killing of the rats. The worst enemy of the native birds to-day xvas the rat. which was increasing in the bush. The weka used to kill the i.it, but, stoats and weasels had wiped out the weka.