CITY AND SUBURBAN

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 133, 1 March 1929, Page 13

CITY AND SUBURBAN

HAPPENINGS IN AND ABOUT TOWN

In connection with the local elections, to take place on May 1, Mr. R. Tait, Deputy-Town Clerk, has been appointed returning officer.

A remand until March 6 was granted to Percy William Solly, a labourer, aged 41, and Frank Blackham, a labourer, aged 35, who appeared before Mr. F. K. Hunt in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday charged with forging a cheque for £25.

In connection with the city milk roundsmen’s competition No. 16, authority has been granted by the City Council for the payment of prizemoney amounting to £lO6 10s.

The city solicitor has been instructed to prepare legislation to enable the City Council to satisfactorily deal with storm-water drainage and sewer extensions in connection with subdivisions of property.

The fact that one may not ride through the Kilbirnie tunnel, except by tram, was impressed on Stanley Williamson, who was charged before Mr. F. K. Hunt, S.M., in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday, with riding through the tunnel. A fine of £1 was imposed.

A suggestion to offer portion of the quarry' reserve at Oriental Bay for sale at public auction and utilise the proceeds for the formation of children’s play areas was not approved at last night’s meeting of the City Council.

A special meeting of the City Council is to be held next Monday night to consider the notice of motion of Councillor G. Mitchell dealing with western and eastern suburban access.

The City Council last night referred back to the Reserves Committee for further consideration its recommendation that requests from the surf clubs at Lyall Bay for permission to erect additions to the present buildings used by them on the beach be not approved.

It was decided by the City Council last night to make a 50 per cent, reduction in the charges for the lighting and installation in connection with the National War Memorial pageant.

The Mayor (Mr. G. A. Troup) stated at the City Council meeting last night that he had been informed by the Commissioners appointed that they could not meet before March to hold the inquiry into the Island Bay Wharf question.

A charge of stealing a flexible lamp stand, and about one and a half pounds of tin-copper wire, of a total value of £1 10s. 6d., the property of A. S. Paterson and Co., Ltd., was preferred against Edgar Brown, aged 19, who appeared before Mr. F. K. Hunt, S.M., in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday. On the application of Chief-Detective Ward, accused was remanded until this morning, Mr. Ward stating that other charges would be preferred. Bail was allowed.

It light not be generally known that if a ratepayer owns a vacant section and has not water laid on, he still has to pay a water rate. This point was made clear by the Mayor (Mr. G. A. Troup) at last night’s meeting of the City Council, when replying to a deputation. Ho pointed out as the reason for this that if a house was remotely situated above a reservoir, it still had to be provided with water, and at considerable cost, and so all were taxed.

The Conference of the New Zealand Manufacturers’ Federation yesterday passed a special vote of thanks to the Christchurch Association for its work in connection with the preparation of a suitable trade mark. The president (Dlr. F. Campbell) said that the design was to be referred to the various associations. Dlr. J. S. Ross (Dunedin) considered that excellent work had been done by the association, and that two flue designs had been submitted.

The City Council last night granted authority for the electric lighting at the Central Library to be improved and brought up to date when the change-over to the new voltage is being effected, the estimated cost of the work being £4OO. provision for which is to be included in the estimates for next year.

John Joseph Lander, alias Launders, alias Purcell, appeared before Dlr. F. K. Hunt, S.DI., iu the Dlagistrate’s Court yesterday morning on a charge of using obscene language in a public place. Accused pleaded not guilty, but after evidence had been taken, the Magistrate told the man to get out of the town, and imposed a flue of £2 in default seven days’ imprisonment.

The Wellington Hospital Board yesterday resolved that an agreement for one year be entered into with the Hawke’s Bay Hospital Board, the Wellington Board undertaking the evaluation of pathological specimens and ■Wasserman tests. The Hawke’s Bay Board is to be informed that the work is exclusive of routine bacteriological work. The Hawke’s Bay Hospital is to pay £l5O per annum, the position to be reviewed at the end of 12 months.

A male witness at the Supreme Court yesterday had been unable to recall the date of his marriage. When his wife entered the box in turn, counsel asked if she could remember the date better than her husband could. “It was on March 27,” she stated confidently, then stopped. “I forget the year,” she added. (Laughter.) Counsel: “I thought that was one of the things a woman never forgot.” His Honour: “I always understood so, but apparently there is an exception to every rule.”

A deputation from residents of Mitchell and Karepa Streets waited upon the City Council at its meeting last night urging that the present conditions of drainage and water supply in their district be remedied, and that street'lighting and footpaths also be attended to. With regard to drainage, it was stated that there was imminent danger of an epidemic. A petition "to the council had been signed by 128 rate payers. The Mayor said that the number of ratepayers in the area might not warrant the expense of a water supply, but the engineer would again go into the question. The result would all depend on what the cost would be.

When the Hospital Board yesterday decided to send an English family who had been a charge upon the charitable aid fund for the past seven years, back to England, fears were expressed that “the cat might come back.” A member reminded the board that such a thing had happened before. “Yes.” replied Mr. J. Petherick, chairman of the Social Welfare Committee, “but that individual, after reaching England, received a legacy of £2OO. and thought so nmcl of New Zealand that he immediately returned to the Dominion. He is now importuning us to send him back $£ England, again.”

Inquiry is being made as to the suitability of double-decked buses for the run between the Hutt Valley and Wellington. The New Zealand Manufacturers’ Federation conference yesterday passed a remit urging the New Zealand Institute of Architects to have a clause inserted in all contracts giving preference to New Zealand-made goods, where prices and quality were equal. The fact that Easter Is not very far off is already being brought to the notice of the public. A glance at the windows of most of the confectioners’ shops show that the time-honoured custom of buying Easter eggs is being maintained. The New Zealand Manufacturers’ Federation yesterday passed a remit resolving to endeavour to co-ordinate the efforts in regard to New Zealandmade shop weeks throughout the main centres in New Zealand. With a view to ensuring a supply of house surgeons for next year, the Wellington Hospital Board yesterday decided that four students be allowed to reside in the hospital. The Manufacturers’ Conference-yes- ’ terday passed a resolution expressing appreciation of the extra half-hour of daylight, experienced during the present summer, and urging the Government to introduce legislation next session providing for a full hour. “New Zealanders are not proud enough of their own country,” said the president (Mr. F. Campbell) in his concluding speech at the New Zealand Manufacturers’ Conference yesterday. “We look to England as home too much, and I say that with all respect to the Mother Country. Australians and Canadians seem to be much * prouder of their own countries. I

would like to see such a national sentiment grow here, and with it a national pride in the production and use of New Zealand goods.” The following result was passed by the New Zealand Manufacturers’ Federation at its conference yesterday:— “That the Minister of Internal Affairs, or such Minister as may be in charge’ of the Government Publicity Department, be approached on behalf of the federation with a view to enlisting the Department’s sympathy and help towards secondary and manufacturing industries; and that the officers of the federation confer with the Minister and his officers with a view to increasing, if possible, the number of publicity films covering secondary industries, and for the showing of same throughout the Dominion.”

“The Magistrate told us that he was not going to close the boiling-down works for the sake of a few fish,” said Mr. J. Anderson, Hawke’s Bay delegate to the hatcheries’ conference when referring to a judgment given by the Bench in an action brought by his society against a factory owner for pollution of a creek. Mr. Anderson told how he took a bucket of fry up to where the ‘offal from the works entered the water and submerged them in the liquid. Two survived for 40 seconds and one lived 90 seconds. Mr. A. E. Hefford (Chief Inspector of Fisheries) said that an appeal against the Magistrate’s decision would probably have succeeded. Pollution was contrary to the law and a serious offence.

At the hatcheries conference one of the delegates proposed that in order to allow the societies to keep a tally of the fish taken from the streams annually, each angler should be provided with a small card on which to enter up his catches. The proposal met with a moment’s consideration. It died in uproar, however, when somebody suggested that if each fisherman entered up his own catch it might be found from the returns that about 50 times as many fish were being taken out of the rivers as were being put in'.

The other day a disconsolate conductor stood on the tram lines opposite the Midland Hotel watching his car receding fast up Lambton Quay in the direction of Willis Street. The motorman had restarted before all the passengers had alighted, and, seeing an elderly lady forced to make a jump for it, the conductor went to her assistance, and found himself left. Fortunately one of the passengers noticed his predicament—and there were not the free rides there might have been had the tram continued on its way through the city.

What the Rev. H. Van Staveren described as “very near the millennium” was proposed at the monthly meeting of the Wellington Hospital Board yesterday by Mrs. J. K. Preston. This was a suggestion that the Government should establish a State farm of 100 acres, upon which the physically unfit who were at present a burden upon the State could engage in farming pursuits, dairying, tree-planting, beekeeping, poultry-raising, and like pursuits, and thus inculcate a spirit of sturdy independence. Unfortunately for Mrs. Preston’s ideal, some practical criticism was launched against her proposal by the male members of the board. Mr. C. B. Robinson was afraid that 100 acres would prove all too small for a communal State farm. Mr. J. H. Helliwell ventured the opinion that the loafers and wasters who would not work upset such an ideal state as Mrs. Preston pictured. This roused the ire of Mrs. P. Fraser, who declared that Mr. Helliwell should'be ashamed of himself for passing such a remark. She knew of many unemployed who were anything but wasters and loafers. Other members of the board considered that the last place for physically unfit men was a farm, and Mrs. Preston’s motion only found the support of herself and her seconder, Mr. A. J. McCurdy, who held that the root of the unemployment trouble was strong drink.