LOCAL AND GENERAL

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 29, 2 August 1912, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Yesterday was a period of t-emarkabl« contrasts in the House of Ecpr«ii*ntatives. In the first" part of the afternoon Mr. O. Witty's Land Agent* Bill, an old friend, eaid to be designed to protect the public against unscrupulous exploiters, went monotonously through a second reading in a listless House, and then came a rousing and a roaring from Wellington Souths Labour member. Mr. Hmdmarah, who moved tho eecona leading of hio Legislature Amendment Bill, which proposes, among other clauses, to compel the signing of newspaper articles discussing candidates during general election uwnpaigne. Mr. Hiudmarsh, and several other speakers on the Opposition side, were violent and virulent <n their declamation against the anonymity of tho preea. The Government feeling, generally, was against the drastic proposal, but one Ministei, the Hon. P M. B. Fisher, said that he was personally in favour of such a law. Just before midnight the motion was carried on the voices; but it was evident that the suggested interference with the liberty of the preee would not command a majority in the present Parliament. The House rose at 11.55. The Legislative Council had a light afternoon's work with the gentle Killing of Sir William Steward's oft-slaughtered Bill to amend tho Marriage Act (Ilio familiar Bill about widowers and widows, deceased wives' nieces, and deceased husbands' nephews), and after this assassination tho Council agreed to go into retirement till next Wednesday. There is a big football programme- for Wellington to-morrow. In addition to particularly important senior Rugby fixtures, the North and South Island country representatives will meet, and should provide a keen contest. Atter three days of sunshine hopes are running high for to-morrow, as it is necessary to push all competitions ahead in view of the lateness of the season. Full reports of the day's games will appear in The Post's Sport* Edition to be published in the evening. The Postal authorities advise that the s.s. Makura, which left Sydney at noon on the 29th ultimo, for Auckland, has on board an Australian mail. The Wellington portion is due to arrive here by Main. Trunk to-morrow. A scheme of tree-planting by way of assisting tho City Council with the general work of beautifying the city is contemplated by tho residents of Island Bay. A deputation tfroin the lslaud Bay Ratepayers' Association brought the matter under the notice of the Reserves Committee jesterday afternoon, with a request for the services of Mr. Glon, Superintendent of Reserves, in laying out plafls. The committee gavea sympathetic hearing, and informed the deputation that its request would be recommended for the favourable consideration 'bf the council. At last night's "meeting of the City Council^ the tollowiffg motion, by Councillor Tregear, wtts carried, councillors standing :— " That' tho Mayor and councillors of the -City of Wellington hereby express their deep sympathy with the widows and families of those men who lately met their death by accident in tho tramway service of this- city." A motion of respectful condolence with the people of Japan in the death of the Mikado was adopted by the City Council last night, and will bo forwarded to the Japanese Consulate in New Zealand. Mr. J. D. Henry informed our London correspondent on 21&t June' that the first shipment of refinery plant and machinery for tho oil fields at Taranaki would be made at the end of July. Messrs. A. I<\ Craig and Company, of Paisley, were working night and day on the order given them by the Taranaki (N.Z.) Oil Wells, Ltd. The company had also placed an order for drilling plant. This is to be shipped early thie month. Staff appointments are being made. Under date 21et June, the London correspondent of The Post writes :— "Mr. Harold Barlow, . who has a fishing whare in Taupo, has engaged Mr. B. C. Hucks, one of tho leading flying men of England, to go to New Zealand for a year to give exhibition , and demonstration flights throughout tho Dominion. The engagement com mences in October, and meanwhile Mr. Hucks is busy at the aerodrome at Hendon, to which he flew from Paris thie week. In order to fulfil this new appointment, Mr. Hucks has severed his connection with ' Mr. Graha-me-White. Mr. Barlow is not doing any flying himself, but he has placed orders for a 70-h.p. Grahame-White baby bi> plane and & SO-h.p. Nieuport monoplane, both with Gnome engines, for the use of Mr. Hucke In New Zealand." ' Interlude in the tramway debato at the City Council last evening : Councillor Fuller (appealing for bolter terms on behalf of the long-distance residents) : "I don't think you should put the acid on these people, as they cay in the classics." Councillor Uodber (on a point of order) : "That '« a slang expression." Councillor Fuller : "Oh, well, you know slang is a good thing in these dull times. Councillor Barber is making a pathetic appeal for his poor people in Newtown, and when they road his speech to-morrow, •they will be waiting fof him up there with a crown of laurels for his brow ■ the rest of Wellington will be waiting for him with a blunderbuss to blow his brains out. I appeal to you, your Worship—you have a soft heart—you mioht very well grant this slight concebsion— thirteen rides instead of twelve for half a crown. The Mayor :"I should like to explain to the councillor that this is a case where the head must guide the ho «i{ *" d \ don't think my head is* sott. ihe debate then proceeded. Mr. G. G. Farland was yesterday elected aecrettiry of th© Watoiside Workers Moderation, the votine being : -C. O. Farland 668 f H. H. Simmons, i ? , mlormal > 7 - The following were ejected to the local committee :-, Messrs. SJohn Carr, Jan. (690 votes), F,unois M Gann (648), and George Grey (506). Messrs. Chambers and Son, of Wellington, aru the succct-aiul tenderers for the supply, delivery, and erection ol hollers tor the Point Elizabeth Stote Coal Mine. The contract price is £2186. Other tenders wore :— Dwpulch Fouti dry, Greymouth, £2290; John M'Gregor and Co., Dunodin, £2400 ; .Stevenson and Cook, Poi-t Chalmers, £2429; Andersons, Ltd., Chrislchurcb, £2553. Kirkcaldic and Stains, Ltd., havj scored a remarkable success with thoir winter s>al<\ Foi tomorrow y forcrioon grnafe bargains will bo avaikblfc.~Advt, Furniture removals and packing-under-taken by the Colonial Carrying Company. Only cx|ioiJenced and careful men employed. Agent 3 everywhere. 100, Cttstomh.ouse«quav, opposite Bank ol' , N«w Z«fcUnd.~AdYts

It was mentioned at last night's mooting of tho City Council that the tramway workshop staff had boon reduced by tho dismissal of somo mechanics. Tho Trades Council has eet up a deputation to wait on the Mayor to protest against tho discharge of theßo men, and to suggest, in viow of recent accidents, tho alterations to the care nhould be continued without interruption, and that tho department should proceed at once with the building of now curs. The Rev. D. C. Bates made the Faiinors' Union Conference laugh yesterday, when ho bold that an old skipper came into his office tho othor day, and observed, "Oh ! Thin is where you ate, eh? You ufeed to bo a parson onet, 1 bohevo?" "t was," replied the weatner wizard. "Well, your business then wa« to cave bouIb?" asked the shellback. Mr. Baton agreed. "Oh, wall," the old sailor added, "you c«n save mwe rouib in this way than you were ever Imely to do as a parson. For th* month ot June WollingWi lias lost the enviable position of having tiio lowest death rate in the Dominion. Christchurch now occupies tho ip.Rt place, with Wellington nuxl. AuilUiui third, and T>unedin last. Tho proportion of deaths per thousand were as iollow :— Auckland. 0.87; Wellington, 0.82 ; Christchm-ch, 0.76, Dunedin, Ll4. There wore 201 births and 73 deaths recorddd nt Auckland during the month, 158 births and 53 deaths at Welling ton, 172 births and 49 deaths atChriutchurch, and 146 birth and 72 deaths at Dunedin. A meeting of creditors in the bankrupt eetftto of Harold Kill Telford. warehouseman, Wellington, w«6 called for thie morning, hut no quorum wafl obtained. Bankrupt's statement showed tho liabilities to be a number of debts to tradesmen in Christ-church and Wellington, totalling £85 18s Id. Thoro were no assets. Bankrupt stated that ho got into debt in Chi'Mtchurch through aickne&a in hie family and uru employment, and, being a married man on a salary of £2 10s and, later, £3 Be, a Nyeek, ho was unable to get frfo again. He had an interest in a house »t Christchurch, but it was sold by tho mortgagors for l«a than the mortgages. The meeting v?oa adjourned sine die.There has (states our London correspondent, under date 21st June) been a protest, which fcui-ns out to be groundless, against the inclusion of the young Now Zealand swimmer, C Atkinson, in tho British team for the Olympic Games at Stockholm. Mr. Atkinson was born in Lancashire in 1892, and he only went to New Zealand when ho was sixteen years old, a«d remained there three years. He was taught swimming by his father, who was caretaker of the Ourwen Baths in Lancashire, and he had won many races before ho, appoared in the swimming world in Cahterbury, where he had such a distinguished career. . Besides being a swimmei, ho has won prizes at running and walking. Handling of artificial manure* wan 4 question that caused considerable discussion at the Farmers' Union Conference to-day, when it wa« urged that manure packed in paper-lined bag* was not in tno intercuts of the workers. A 44in corn sack was recommended to be usod ; also that artificial manures be packed in bags containing 1121b, with "lugs" at the four corner*, and no hooks bo usod. Captain Colbeck described what had been done in Auckland to meet, watersido workers' viewrt with respect to handling artificial manure*. If, however, tho workers became unr«a«ouab|c,;> theti farmers weio quite ready to unload such cargoes themselves. tu consequence of the- floods during the month of July, a special report was submitted to the Hutt River Board at its monthly meeting last evening by tho overseer, Mr. E. Fisher. Tho river, ho stated, had been subject to eontirtuoub flooding for the greater part «f tho mouth, the highest level being itcorded on the 16th hist. — Bft above luntnal. This level, extending over sixteen days, was unprecedented since the installation of the river protective works?. Despilo the severe strain the river-bank protective works and groynes had been subjected to, so far as tho lower district works were concerned, no damage of a. serious nature had occurred. There hail been a slight settlement of some bark fillings. Considerable erosion of unpiotected land had occurred in several places, and some of the works had also boon damaged. The groynes from While'sline to Melling bridge had given good lesults. Mr. Baldwin (chairman) remarked that practically no damage had been done to the banks of the- river, a thing which spoke very highly for tho protective works. The new works, ho added, had suffered a bit, but this was only natural, us they had hardly hud time to sottle. In an article on the Salvation Army's Inebriates' Home at Roto-roa (Hauraki Gulf), the Herald states (telegraphs our Auckland correspondent) that the good results obtained aie uaid to be proved by the fact that out of 250 discharge* nob a conviction or word has been heard of over 200. It is to be regretted, howover, that there has beou no record of discharges arranged for, mid no suitable provision made in tho Act for their annual appearance boforo a responsible official, or else an enquiry by tho so^i.il work officers of tho Army. Commit sioner Richards and Adjutant Hsiinns (the officer ih charge) iin> tit pio-k:it entfjigod m organising a recoi'il fur f-vinro referenco. The writer adds; "With Bueh a syctom. and without guklo of experience, it is only mi/tural that leul grievance should Hjisc. . . . One is that some inmates who have had politician friends and influence have secured a great remission of their sentences, which others have sought for in vain. While this may bo a kindness on the part ot' inebriates' friends, it in frequently nn ill-pl»ced kindness. ( But, more lmpuitant, it is v great -injustice to those who can obtain no such influence, and htu> frequently, been the causo of much discontent and insubordination. In tho opinion of officials competent to^ judge, it i« folt that it might oventually'impcril tho scheme-. Whether Mr. Mnssey ,« Government will continue this weakness of their predecessors is an open question, but Adjutant Hatnes hopes that such procedure will be publicly and firmly discountenanced for all time, 1 ' Says the Pastoralists' Review :— " Tho ! Commonwealth stamp design is undor,going amendment. The tuft of gra«jb, which hm been variously likened to a turnip and a rabbit, ie to be diminak'd. The stamp printer is engaged in nial<iii';' n new die, which, when flnis-hed, will dicdoee a kangaioo sitting wilhi'i tho bare outline of Australia, truly depicting what fiocialhitie legislation will Ining Australia to." To all parts of the xlobo wo forward parcels, £&ods. \V<- ellcrt insnronces, collect invoices against, delivery of goods. TT.Z. Express Coy.. uY 91,* Cue-tomhouse-nuay.—Advt. Reciprocity is now on t)io horizon, and indeed if uti exchan^o of product" (an bo arriuißed biHweou Australia mwt ?? T o\\ Zcalur.d on fair ur.d equal tomu<, it. should bo welcomed by all, not oiily ;i« gooj buninoM o\chrngi', bat as a pawtur ot thu way tor othur consideration.! oi a ii/uiu. ally bunefieiul character to bod I'ou.u-.-ioni. A utronir examp'e of Uii'r mutual spirit may bo otacrvoil in Cuha-vh-eet. \Vollin«to.i. Tho firm of C. Sinitk L.d. uftiir a very successful Mile, nra ck.»iiijf this week with hoi»o M>»rial odduionl. o, I . foriiiffti in the dro«» dona«m':nl. Tl.o o oddments, together with th« whelu b,|. unco of drew lcnuanU, will bo oft'oml nt half their sal'j pviitii fov ontuv clearance. You know what tbal moo m, to iv () advice you to gU ia curly for bargains.-,