Page 6 Advertisements Column 6

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 71, 20 September 1912, Page 6

The Mayor requests that, where convenient, citizens will decorate their premises with flags on Dominion Day. Flags will be flown from the public buildings and Town Hall. Law offices in the city will be closed for the day. Patients under treatment at the Wellington Hospital on 16th September totalled 302, as against 252 on the same date last year. The numbers of batients in the various hospitals are: I—Victoria,1 — Victoria, males 20, females 19 ; Seddon, males 16, females 5 ; Infectious Diseases, males 10, females 12 ; Children's, males 38 ; females 18 ; General, males 81, females 83. Statistics for the Otaki institutions for the month of August were:— Hospital, admitted 10, discharged 9, under treatment 4 males, 5 females; Sanatorium, admitted 6, discharged 7, under treatment 14 males, 10 females. On the recommendation of the Finance Committee, the City Council decided ast evening that the Government should be requested to review tho whole of the exemptions under the Rating Act, in consequence of tlie recent decision an the case, Wellington Hosypital and Charitable Aid Board v. the Wellington City Corporation. The Miramar Borough Council decided last evening to take the necessary steps to compel a passenger to pay hfa fare. The facts of tho caße as submitted by the Tramway Board wero that a paßsenger handed a conductor a Miramar resident's ticket and asked the conductor to take two fares off. The conductor pointed out that tho ticket was hot transferable, and he could not take two fares. The passenger contended that if he could '< buy two tickets off the conductor, and was quite at liberty to give one to a friend, he should be able to do the came with a card. He refused to pay his fare. The Mayor said that this was a ease in which the council should uphold the action of the conductor. Wood-blocking is the very best kind of pavement for city streets, and, though expensive at the start, is cheap in the upkeep. The City Council authorised the City Engineer last evening to purchase a_bout 16,500 super feet of wood blocks in addition to those supplied in the last contract. The streets in tho vicihity of the General Post Office are to be wood-blocked. Mr. Arthur Batchelo'r writes to The Post :— •"! am somewhat surprised .at tho attitude taken up by some of your correspondents against a Bmall charge being made for admission to the Zoo.' In other parts of the world the, Zoos are more or less self-supporting. Some time ago we hnd Mr. Lo Soeuf, of the Sydney Zoo, imported here to give a report and assist to frame a policy, t opposed that through the columns of this paper as being another waßto of money; and I claim we ore little or no better off for that report now. It is not a fair thing these times to ask the ratepayers to pay a sum of JS2OOO a year foi 1 the upkeep of a Zoo. As a matter of jfact, they will not stand it._ On the other hand, the Zoo. with all its faults ac ,to it* extensive laying out and past bad management, is a credit to the city— bo much credit to Messrs. Bates, Crewes, and •Co. What is wanted is some weeding out of some of the exhibits, and no more to find their way to the Zoo for the time being. As far as I can see. the fate of the Zoo depends on these lines. If it is made more self-supporting it will stay. If the ratepayers have to stand the whole cost, it will certainly in time go out." It will be welcome news to thosa whose favourite walk is from Oriental Bay round Point Jerningham, that the City Council has decided to place six additional seats round the Queen's Drive at the point where such a beautiful view,, may be had of the city and harbour, especially at night. An illustration of not-thought-of consequences of taxation is reported from ■ Hobart (writes The Poet's Sydney correspondent)^ The golf links of the Taßmanian capital are one of the prime attractions of the place, but they are likely to be shut up, as the result of the Federal land tax. A few years ago the pro- • gerty was bought for £10,000 by a company, all of whose shareholders must be members of the Hobart Golf Club. In the articles of association it ia distinctly laid down that the property must not be used except for the ancient game. Now the company^ or the club which rents the property, is faced with a valuation for Federal land tax purposes of £19,000. It seems that the valuer has a sy&tem of his own. He looked at the property, and then, shutting li?s eyes, imagined it with macadamised roads running through, with gutters nnd footpaths, and with . pleasant villas or an occasional larger house. Then he imagined what the unimproved, value would be if all his dream were true, and fixed it at £19,000. The club is going to appeal, but members are taking a gloomy view of the chances. Some say that they cannot understand this taxation at all. seeing that the Prime Minjstpr has himself become a golf enthusiast. The following extract from a report of remarks made by Professor Flynn, of Hobart University, on the subject of opossums will be read with interest apropos of the recent announcement by the New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs that the restriction regarding those animals in the Dominion had been removed :•— Professor Flynn said that "the animals in the State that were deBtroyed for the sake of their skins were marsupials, with the exception of the platypus. Last year it was calculated that nearly three-quarters of a million marsupials were killed for skins alone. Of these 100,000 were opossums. If the present law was carried out these would be killed during the winter months. During that time they were breeding, and they only brought forth one young one ,in the year, or, at any rate, only one young one grew to maturity. Of the 100,000 opossums 50,000 would be females, each with a young one in its pouch. What chance was there' of theso animals surviving when not only the females were destroyed, but their progeny as well T A» far as opossums were concerned, it might be impossible to prevent their destruction altogether, but it would be possible to do so in certain well-defined districts, which couia be used as nurseries. The present Act was not administered thoroughly, as there were no rangers on the watch to see that it was earned out. An Act should be framed to give powers to a certain body to carry out tho work of protection, and they should bo enabled to raise funds for the purpose. 1 ' , An extra charge nurse for the Children's Hospital and the out-patient*' department is to be appointed by the Wellington Hospital Committee. Do you want storage for furniture, goods, or baggage. It's «>afe, dry, convenient, dean—in brick-built buildings. The N.Z. Express Company, 87 91, Customhoufie-quay.—Advt. From the trend of recent events. Heoiprocity is now in view, and, indeed, if nn exchange of products can be arranged between tho colonies and the Homo Coun> try on fair and equal terms, it would no doubt, be welcomed by nil British people, not only ns a business exchange, but bo the means for other considerations in time of peace or war. An itislnnco may bo quoted by C. Smith, Ltd., Cuba-street, who are now opening up now goods direct from English manufacturers, including i\ Bhipmoht o£ Knglinh Axminster carpet runner, 27in wide, hard-wearing quality, in a wide range of colours and designs to select from. 6s 9d, 7s 6d, 7b lid, 8s 6d. At C. Smith, Ltd., Cuba ■etroot.— Advt.