LOCAL AND GENERAL

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 74, 28 March 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The postal authorities advise that the s.s Riverina, which sailed from Sydney on the 25th ins).., for Auckland, is bringing Australian mails, also an English mail, via Naples. The Wellington portion is due per Main Trunk express on Monday next. Mr. Massey mentioned to a Dunedm reporter that in respect to the Board* of Agriculture, sorre twelve nominations will shortly be <übmitted to the Governor for approval. Customs revenue coltectwl at ilie port oi Wellington to-day totalled £1448 14s 3d, and the beer duty "taken was £9 10s. 4 ' The new municipal bath& in Morayplace, built at a cost of £12,000, are (telegraphs the Dunedin correspondent ot .Tub -Post) to be opened to-morrow night. As to the cost of the recent strike tbe position, so far a 6a 6 the Prime Minister knows, showetf (states a telegram from Dunedin) that the State expenditure was a. little over £100,000. The officers' councils in connection with the Salvation Army Congress opened to-day, in the Baptist Church, Vivian-street. Some 350 officers are in attendance. Commissioner Richards, who - is conducting, gave an address in the morning dealing with various phases of the Army's work. The meetings are private. Several schools of porpoises were seen at play off Lyall Bay yesterday afternoon. In all it is estimated' that there must have been sixty or seventy of those creatures gambolling in the briny, and the majority of them came right up to the' edge of the breakers. The antics ot the porpoises were watched by a large number of interested spectators. Wellington "old boys" of the Ota S o Boys High School should find much to please them in the jubilee number of the hchool Magazine. The story A* the half century is well told, and there- are* many pictures to suit the chronicle. The compilers have done their work in a manner which fairly deserves worthy recognition by^all well-wishers of the old school. At a meeting of the Overseas Club at Oamaru last nighl a motion was passed endoising the resolution of the Royal Colonial Institute tha-t a person naturalised in one part of the Empire be * Held to bo naturalised in all, and that f support be given to the measure being introduced by the Imperial Government in this direction, and favoured by the dominions. The resolution is to be forwarded to the Prime Minister. We have been asked by the editor of the New Zealand Free Lance to state that a, paragraph appearing in this weeks issue of that journal which has been construed as reflecting on Mr. George Shirtcliife, of this city, in connection with the light area incident, should not have appeared, for the editor has satisfied himself that any imputation contained in the paragraph is entirely without foundation. In the next issue of the Free Lance there will appear a full statement of the facts and a complete withdrawal of any imputation against Mr. Shirtcliffe the paragraph in question conveys. , Great concei-n at the spread of the drug habit in the United States of America was expressed by the Rev. Dr. Hughes at the Anti-opium Association's meeting last night. " God only knows," said the speaker, "how much drugging goes on." Doctors did not know, politicians did not know ; workers in the underworld of the great cities knew more than others, but they did not know the full extent. Drugs were contained in food, in flowers, in aerated drinks. He himself had been drugged. Great Britain was becoming alarmed lest the evil should be introduced into the United Kingdom, and we ourselves, quickly assimilating the habits of Britain, had also reason to be warned. He suggested that when the China opium traffic question was disposed of the Anti-opium Association should be organised as an Anti-drug Association. There would soon be a gieat field for work in this direction. Another Labour publication (a monthly) has appeared at Auckland, with Mr. Thomas Walsh (much disliked by the Red Federal 'leaders) as managing editor. The "foreword" is:-— " 'Reason,' the name of this paper, was suggested unintentionally by one of the men who. loyal to his union, was forced out on strike during the ridiculous and futile Syndicalist revolt last November. After detailing the unnecessary burdens which he and other workers' had to shoulder, he summed up by forcibly remarking : ' What we want is reason, not treason !' When the dauntless and untiring band of Arbitration supporters who have launched this paper set about choosing a name, ' Rea-son ' was the one which seemed to express most cogently and succinctly the greatest need of tho trade union and labour movement and was adopted unanimously for the title of the paper." The policy of the paper is emphatically against Syndicalism. The scarcity of boy labour for industrial pursuits has become specially marked throughout New Zealand dm ing the past few years, and in many parts has now reachedvthe stage that the demand is greater than the supply. Some interesting light was thrown upon the subject by Mr. W. S. La Trobe, director of the Wellington Technical College, in a statement to press representatives yesterday. "The demand for boys is not diminishing," he said. "Boys remain, longer at school on the average, and there are therefore at any time fewer for trade purposes in proportion to the population. The large demand for casual boy labour leads to high wages being offered — wages that cannot be offered profitably in the trades, and especially in trades competing with the products of cheaper labour in othjr countries The conditions and prospects in commercial fife are more attractive, if more illusive, than those in trades. ' The 'sporting chance' of advancement looks better in commerce than in the industrial trades. In many trades there seems to be little demand for young tradesmen who have not long finished their apprenticeship, and in any case such boys should seek further experience in larger manufacturing centres, and so drift away from the direct contiol of parents and employers. This cannot but have a retarding influence on parents seeking to make the best of their children. In many cases that have come under my notice in the last ten years it has been apparent that parents have allowed their sons to chooso their own employment, and the boys naturally go for the highest wages they can command, without regard for their own ultimate benefit." Value your furniture? Then get us Ito move it. Packing, handling, removing are an art with us. Oui motor moves furniture into or cut o£ town. N.Z. Express Co., Ltd., 87-91, Custom-house-quay. -~Advt. The winter sports have now begun m real earnest in Wellington, and while standing in the ehiLK winds watching the field sports or the airman in his thrilling glory, wo cannot help noticing between our moments of excitement the winter wind's effects on all around us, and nowhere do we 6ee real 6ports who enjoy the game so much as those who are wearing C. Smith's sports coats. They keep the wearers warm on the chilliest daj, and help that spark of real excitement to kindle all the while. The best BporU coats obtainable in Wellington are at t C. SmitbV, Ltd., 96, Cuba-etrset.— Advfc,

In a report submitted at the quarterly meeting of the Petone, Fire Board yesterday, the Superintendent (Captain C. Lepper) 3tated that there had been more fires, during the past quarter than for a similar period for many years past. Altogether, he stated, the brigade had attended no fewer than ten outbreaks during the time mentioned. "I protest," said the Rev. Dr. Hughes at the Anti-opium Association meeting last night, " against criticisms levelled by The Post against statements made at the W.C.T.U. regarding the white slave traffic." His protest was to the effect that The Post narrowed the definition of white slavery. "We now use the term in a more comprehensive sense. It is commonly applied tp prostitution, because prostitution is such an ugly word." In the course of his address to the electors at Lower Hutt last evening, Mr.,H. Baldwin, who is a candidate for the Hutt Mayoralty, referred to the question of the absorption of the River Board by the council. He had—always been in favour of such a course, he said, and, if elected, would endeavour to take the necessary steps to bring about tha change. A swimmer at Lyall Bay yesterday afternoon' 1 has good reason to regret the interest he displayed in the antics of several schools of porpoises which were disporting themselves off the beach. While the bather and other holidaymakers were engaged in watching the fish at play someone evidently made a raid upon the dressing-shed. The swimmer in question, at any rate, found upon his return to the shed that his pockets had been gone through, and he was the loser to the extent of £3. An important special meeting of the Lower Hutc Borough Council will be held on Tuesday next for the purpose of , considering a notice of motion by the Mayor (Mr. E. P. Bunny) that the consent of ratepayers be asked to raise a loan of £2700 for ihe purchase -of about six acres of land adjacent to the Perreation Ground for the enlargement of that reserve. The council will also be asked to undertake the purchase of a. m«rtor vehicle for fire brigade purposes atfa cost of £420. The annual report of the Petone League Football Club states that the finances of the club are in a sound position, and it is pleaeing to the committee to find that members realised their lesponsibility to the dub and were prompt in paying their> subscriptions. The expenditure was rather heavy owing to the necessity of renting a suitable place for training. This year it is proposed to raise the subscriptions slightly, and the committee feel sure that the members will readily consent to this, and show that i/hey are quite^ willing to pay for their, sport and not be paid for it as some people insinuate. A meeting called by the Northland Municipal Electors' Association is to be held at ITorbhland on Tuesday evening next, to consider the question of appointing a deputation to wait upon the City Council to urge the construction of a tram' line from Molesworth-street to Tinakori-road, thus shortening the journey between the city and Northland and - Karori by over a mile. It is desired that thia work be included in the list of works to be provided for by the general works j loan proposed to be raised by the city this- year. The present tramway route £o Karori is inconveniently " round about, and it is considered by residents of Northland and Karori that the time has come when the line should be'shortened. Mr. A. A. Marryatt, chairman of the New Zealand Olympic Council, has forwarded the following letter to the secretary of the- International Olympic Council, Paris :— "The Olympic Council of New Zealand desires to congratulate the International Committee on the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of the re-establishment of the ancient Olympic games. The council's j congratulations are heartily accorded to Baron Pierre de Boubertin on the successful completion of two terms of office as president. The New Zealand Council trusts that the Baron— the founder of the International Olympic Committee — will, in view of his great services to the cause of amateurism in the world, see his way to take up a third term of office, knowing that in his hands ihe great future of our world wide sport will be ensured. Wishing the members of the International Olympic Committee continued success in their efforts to maintain a friendly rivalry between the nations of the world on the athletic field, and complimenting them on their work in the past in that direction, and on behalf of the New Zealand Council extending them our personal regards." Poetic justice was dispensed from th» Magisterial Bench this morning, and it was not without its humorous side. Recently ten cheeses valued at £1 13s 4d were missed from No. 1 hold of the s.s. Ranga.tira in port. The theft was reported to the police, and yesterday afternoon Detective-Sergeant Rawle and Detective Cameron went into the firemen's quarters on that vessel. Searching the men's lockers, they found cheese in practically every one. They then lined all the firemen up, and after explaining to them that every man in whose locker cheese had been found was liable to arrest, two of the men voluntarily stood out, and said that they were the thieves. Their object was, they stated, to provide all the firemen with extra cheese .for supper during the run Home. The two culprits — Hans Miller and Harry Paulus'sen — neither of whom had ever been in trouble before — pleaded guilty before the Magistrate. The police explained that nine cheeses had been recovered whole, buj. of the tenth only a portion remained. Its fate was obvious. The Rangatira is to leave port on Monday, and not wishing to send Ihemen to gaol, Mr. D. G. A. Cooper, 5.1v1., convicted them, and ordered them to pay the cost of the ten cheeses between them. He added : "You can keep the cheese." (Laughter). This means that the Rangatira's firemen will have cheese, for supf>er after all. _ Should a police constable engaged in directing the traffic at the corner of one of the city's busiest thoroughfares move , out of the way in order to let a motorcar pa6s? The question cropped up in the Magistrate's Court to-day, in a case in which Henry Scott, chauffeur 'or Dr. Cahill, pleaded not guilty to an alleged breach of tne traffic bylaws in falling to keep as near as practicable to the left side of the road in negotiating the corner at the junction of Manners and Cuba-streets. Mr. E. M. Beechey prosecuted on behalf of the Citj Corporation, and Mr. A. W. Blair defended. Dr. Cahill, in giving evidence, referred to "odd constables at these corners'* as busybodies, who thought it infra dig to be civil in the street. In contending th=tt, at his direction, Scott took the natural curve of the strßet in turning tne corner and following the tram track, Dr. Cahill said that the constable stood in the road, and told him to divert his cai out its natural course. This the defendant refused to do. The road was clear ot traffic at the time. As it wa"e, if he had followed nis proper course, he would have run over the constable. The Magistrate stated that there had been a technical breach of the byiavv, but he thought that, seeing there was no traffic on the road at the time, the constable on point duty might have moved aside in order Co let the cai pans. The information was dismissed.

Hie Honour the Chief Justice (Sir R. Stout) will sit at the Supreme Court on Monday at 10 a.m., when the following cases are set down for hearing : — Wilson v. Wilson (in divorce), Dodson v. Parker (motion for writ of attachment), and T. C. Lloyd Cox v. Hayes (claim for £437. alleged loss of 3hares and interest in the newspaper Whangarei Advocate). The hop-picking season in the Nelson district is now drawing to a close, and many pickers are returning to Wellington. The Nikau is to make a special trip from Motueka to-morrow with a full load of excursionists. According to Mr. H. Baldwin, who is contesting the Hutt Mayoralty, there is not a single case of distress at Lower Hutt that requires relief by the Charitable Aid Board. Addressing a number of electors last evening, he stated that the only charitable support required by Hutt wae for two children in a, receiving home and a blind man in an Auckland institution. Professor Prince, Canadian Commissioner of Fisheries, who is to make an extensive report on the New Zealand fishing grounds, will arrive at Auckland from Vancouver by the Marama on 7th April. The New Zealand Government wijl place the Hinemoa at his disposal for experimental trawling round the coast. The cruise is likely to extend over three' weeks. The principal fishing grounds will be visited in turn; also the oyster beds in Foveaux Strait. The Hinemoa will carry out trawling, operations where desired, in order that the investigations may be carried out thoroughly. Professor Prince will be accompanied by Mr. L. F. Ayson, Chief Inspector of Fisheries, and Captain Nielsori, who was in charge of the Nora Niven when experiments were carried out some time ago under the auspices of the Marine Department. At the last meeting of the Wellington branch of the Seamen's Union attention was drawn to the fact- that some of the crews of vessels t fading along the ooast were being paid at sea instead of in port, exception being taken to* this course by the men. - In conversation with a reporter of this journal, Mr. H. acting secretary of the union, stated that in the case of the steamer Moa, which blew up off the Wanganui bar, the men were paid at sea, aofl had no chance of giving their money to theii relatives or families. Consequently, they lost the whole of their month's gay when the vessel sank. The Hon. F. M. B. Fisher, Minister of Marine, added Mr. Smithyraan, had consented to receive a deputation which would urge him to have the legislation amended so that it would be compulsory to pay the men while in port.