LOCAL AND GENERAL

Evening Post, Volume XCIV, Issue 66, 15 September 1917, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

In the House of Representatives yesterday afternoon, Mr. Wilford asked a question of the Minister of Labour regarding/a workers' settlement at Petone. He declared that the Labour Department was endeavouring to sell the property of the settlers. Latterly one of the tenants had received a telegram from the Department: "Have purchaser for house, occupied by you. Please take month's notice to quit." Mr. Ma-ssey : "This is the first I have heard of it. I don't know what the explanation is, but I will ring up the Labour Department, and'communicate the reply to the Bon. member."

It is stated by the New Zealand Herald that the sales of oysters from the Auckland beds are now falling off slightly. ''The season closes at the end of October. The oysters are now being picked only from Kaipara, the local beds having been closed, in order to ensure a good supply early next season. It is stated that the- local beds are in better condition than they have ever been, this being due to the policy of the Department in replanting every season. In 1908, when the Department took over the beds, those at(Coromandel were so depleted that extensive replanting had to be undertaken, and the oysters will probably not be ready for picking for another year or two. This is the first season the Kaipara beds have'been, picked by tha Department, and the supply having been found satisfactory there will be no need to work any of the other beds this season,

Much has been said concerning the, methods of raising patriotic funds by means of carnivals, art unions, and the like, and some time ago the Victoria College Graduates' Association passed a motion calling upon the Government "to abolish the system. Last evening the Wellington branch of the New Zealand Educational Institute approved of the action taken by the. kindred body."

{The planting of the new potato crop in the Auckland Province has been considerably retarded by wet weather (states the New Zealand Herald), and in consequence the first- of the early potav toes are not .expected to be on the Auckland market before November, and the main crop not before January. There is reason to believe that fewer potatoes will be planted in the Auckland Province this year. Some growers have already planted- areas twice over, but on .account of the excessive rain the results have been very. poor. If satisfactory weather'conditions prevail from now on till the end of the year there should be ample local potatoes available by the end of December to meet Auckland requirements. The new Southern crop will not be available until March: There ha 6 been a fair demand for seed potatoes, 'and fairly heavy . stocks are held in Auckland at present.

An extension of the powers of conciliation commissioners was advocated by Mr. E. Kennedy, one of. the assessors for the employees, at the conclusion of the sitting of the Conciliation Cc\unoil in the restaurant workers' dispute (states the Auckland Herald).-' Mr. Kennedy said it was considered highly desirable in many quarters that in cases where claims and. counter-claims had been fully discussed by a-Conciliation Council, and no agreement arrived at, the Commissioner should have the power to give a decision on the points at issue, provided that either aids had the right of appeal to the Arbitra-. tion Court. He believed that if. this were done few appeals would go forward to the Court, whereas under the present j system the breach, between the. two parties I tended to grow 'wider, rather than disappear. Mr. Harle Giles said that during his whole term of office there nevel" had been a case that ho did not tltink he' could have reasonably settled had he j }iad the power. Appeals from a Commissioner's decision might be heard by a Supreme Court Judge, as were appeal* - from the decisions of Magistrates. The Conciliation Oorfjmiesiorter would, of course, give the grounds of any decision .tie- mightLgfoe.. ■•

Speaking in regard to Porirua Mental Hospital in Parliament jesterday, Dr. A. X.. Newman advocated that a special mental 'convalescent hospital should be established in connection with the institution. If this was dpne he was sup "It wpuld benefit, a large number of patients; in the hospital.

The question^ of military pay for school teachers "called up in the Second Division was again before the Welling? ton branch of the New Zealand Educatipnal Institute last evening. 'The Auckland Technical School 1 Teachers'' Associatipn forwarded a resolution passed by that body calling upon, the Government to bring about a scheme whereby the military pay shall Ipe brought vp t to the level of civil pay. It was decided to again support the idea.

A somewhat unusual method' of raising money for .philanthropic purposes was disclosed at the meeting of the Newmarket Borough Council this week, when a letter was read from the Manurewa Children's Home requesting that all used postage and revenue stamps received by the council should be forwarded to the home. It was stated that help in the method referred to had realised for the home during the past year the amount of £15.

Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Moore, 6i Bidwillstreet, have received a letter from their only son,. Mr. Howard Moore, who was fifth engineer on the Vi and 0. steamer Mongolia when she was mi,np.d and. sunk off, the Indian coa6t. : -The mine was struck at 12.15 p.m. $x. Moore's usual hour for leaving the engine-room w^as 1 p.m.;,but on this occasion he left it at 12.5 p.m., thus narrowly escaping the fate of the engineers in the engine' room, all of whom were killed. After the mine exploded he was unable to open his cabin door, and the cabin was filling with hot water and steam. He escaped through the porthole, and made off for his boat, No. 15/ and got it into the water; . but coloured members of the crew had already fijled 'the boat, and he only got into it by jumping on them. "The next thing was to rget her away from the ship's side, which I managed after a good "deal of trouble. No. 17 was beirfg crushed like a match-box just in front of me, • and that's what I thought would happen to us. ..... . ; Getting.clear of the ship, we got up sail and made north, landing about midnight in a raging surf, Without the loss of one. man!" Of the whole ship's complement, about ten. were lost. The Mongolia sank in 23 minutes. After landing, surrounded by jungle, it was" difficult to get food; and for several daye they lived "on biscuits and water, and all—particularly: the women—suffered keenly until succour arrived. ■ ...

Owing to the continued increase in the prices of spirits, ales, and stout, the Auckland hotelkeepers have (states the Auckland correspondent of The Post) decided to advance the ] retail prices gradually. The restriction of ' profits since the commencement of the war has been borne by the hotelkeepers, it is stated,.without any commensurate.recompense in \the sale of liquor. During tho last two and a-half years the various grades and classes' of beers have- increased from 10 to 25 per cent./and spirits from 40 to 185 per cent. The hotelkeepers have resolved to retain the 6d drink for spirits, but by. measure, and to reduce the quantity. For all high grade spirits a charge of 9d will be made. In certain hotels the price of a glass of beer is 6d, and this price will not be altered. In regard to those hotels where lower prices have prevailed,.no advance will be made in the price of small and medium glasses. The new'price of the large glasses of beer will be 5d instead of 4d. The charge for draught beer served in Schnapps bottles will be 7d, an increase of Id, and for "square riggers" .Bd,. an' increase of Id. A charge of 6d will be made for a glass of bottled beer or stout, and the price of a pint bottle will, be 7d instead of 6d, and of a quart bottle Is 2d instead of Is. In regard to imported beer and stout, 3s will be charged for a quart bottle instead of 2s 6d., Pint bottles will be sold for 2s, an increase of 6d, and "nips" for lOd instead of 6d. In future the price of "Three Star" 'brandy will be Is a "nip." ■-...-■

The Auckland correspondent of The Post telegraphs :-^-An extract from a despatch received by the Governor-General from the Administrator of Samoa, referring to trade relations between New Zealand and< Samoa, was yesterday received by> the Auckland Chamber of Commerce from the Minister of Defence. The extract stated, inter alia:— "The excess of exports over imports of £44,000 shows •material gain to the territory, as the book deposits have increased by .£42,577, and the Administration has reduced its indebtedness to the Government of New Zealand for gold and silver coin supplied in 1915 by, approximately, £8600. Although New Zealand is a poor purchase? for the produce of the territory, close on £50,000 is remitted to her by- cash balances for surplus imports, and this is exclusive of tbe value of rations and forage sent from.New Zealand for the use of the garrison." It is remarked that it is unfortunate that the business men- of. New Zealand are so slow. in developing trade with Samoa* which so largely deals with them in sales of produce, and unless more energy is shown by them they will undoubtedly lose the trade, and the United States and Australia will correspondingly benefit. The trade of one Auckland firm will show how the trade of New Zealand is being lost. This firm, although it has no representatives in Samoa, has practically all the native trade in tinned beef, which amounts, roughly,- in value to £12,000 per annum, or more than oner sixth of the total imports, and mor£ than one-ninth of the total of the New Zea-land-Samoan trade. Yet during the last few months this firm has been fulfilling only from 30 per cent, to 70 per cent, of the orders sent. Three or four storekeepers are now endeavouring to procure supplies from Queensland. The Exports Committee of the Chamber will report.