LOCAL AND GENERAL

Evening Post, Volume XCV, Issue 40, 15 February 1918, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

With reference to the notification in the New. Zealand Gazette of 10th January, 1918, l'egarding goods--which are prohibited to be imported into the United States except under license, the Hon. Arthur' Myers (Minister for Customs) state 3 for general information that in cases where such goods are required to be consigned to an ' association no special form oi consignment is necessary. In such ca&es it will be satisfactory if bills'of lading are either (a) drawn to the order of the association concerned, or (b) endorsed to such association. •

The Prime Minister is in receipt of cabled advice from the Imperial Government, in response to repeated representations, that the Ministry for Munitions is now prepared to increase the price for. New Zealand acheelite, delivered ex warehouse London or Liverpool, as from Ist January last, to 60s per unit, less the customary reduction below 65 per cent. WO3 and. 1 per cent, brokerage. In addition the Ministry for Munitions will also allow compensation to producers for increased freights, war risk insurance and charges, estimated to equal 3-10 d per unit. This compensation is being paid in connection with the present price, but the effect of the new arrangement will be a, net gain of at least five shillings per unit. to producers, equallingnearly £18 additional per ton of scheelito containing' 70 per- cent. WO3, which is about the average quality produced.

Some weeks ago (says the Christchurch Sun) Mr. E. G. M'Cullough, owner'of His Lordship's Hotel, issued writs against the Canterbury Licensed Victuallers' Association, members of the. Defence Committee of the licensed victuallers and brewers, and-Mr. E. Nordon, secretary io' the association, claiming £1000 as damages for alleged stoppage of supplies of' local beer, ales, and stout. The case, however, will not come to trial, as a friendly settlement has been arrived at and all legal action discontinued.

I Captain P. Baldwin, Military EepreI sentative, told the Third . Wellington Military Service Board this morning that at least one bank in Palmerston North is carrying on its operations entirely with women, with the exception of a manager and one teller

A tribute to the interest taken' by adult Maoris ■ in the estblishment of Native schools, was "paid by Mr. .T. Caughley, assistant-Director of Education, at the Third. Wellington Military Service Board to-day. He said that in the first place they often gave the site for the school, and, later take a big share in the.matter of repairs, etc. Mr. Caughley added that the work of the Native school teachers and their wives is of great value in the civilising effect it has on the Maoris.

The market gardeners in Nelson have grievances. At a meeting which they held this week the following, motions were passed:—(l) "That this meeting enter a protest against the injustice of putting up property values while pro"perty owners are not allowed to raise rents during the period of the war. (2) That the meeting enter a most emphatic protest against a system that compels: Britishers of military age to go to the front and leave their business, home, wife, md family, while single and married aliens of military age are allowed to carry on their business as usual. (3) That this meeting considers there should be set up a- body to which an appellant whose appeal hag been dismissed by the Military Appeal Board canappeal for a further review of his case."

■ Harvesting may now be said to be in full swing in South Canterbury (cays the Christchurch Press).. During the past fortnight there has been very little rain, and with a succession of bright, hot days farmers have been able to work from early morning till late at night in the harvest field. It is probably safe to say that never before in the history of South Canterbury have the crops been gathered in so expeditiously. They unfortunate part of it is that the yields.are not going to compensate for the'great amount of labour involved in handling so much straw as there is. Early in the 6eaepn there was every reason to suppose thai the grain yield would be abnormal, but it is now cerjtain that it will not come up tc the average. The yield of wheat is expected to average about 23 bushels.'

The value of a receipt as proof of payment of a debt was the subject of remark by Mr. E. C. Outten, S.M., when giving judgment in an action heard in the Magistrate's Court, -Auckland, on Tuesday, says the Herald. In the case in question it was shown that 'after some trouble between the, two parties, plaintiff gave defendant a clean receipt as settlement of an account owing by the latter. Subsequently plaintiff discovered thai he had not charged for 64 bunches of- bananas that had been delivered to defendant, and he therefore -claimed the sum of £12 16s lOd as owing for them. The Magistrate, in his judgment, said that most people thought a '"eceipt proved that payment Had been made. As a matter.of fact it was only priraa. facie evidence of payment, and it was open to be proved that payment had not been made. He gave judgment for. plaintiff for the full amount Claimed, with costs.

The question of the defective sight of children attending the primary schools was the subject, of a report submitted to the Auckland Board of Education by Dr. Elizabeth Mac Donald. Dr. MacDonald said: "There appears to be no doubt that defects in eyesight are increasing amongst children attending the primary schools, and.it appears from the somewhat scanty investigations already made by the-medical inspectors in New Zealand that these- defects increase as the children proceed from Standard I: upwards to. Standard 1 VI. It is therefore natural to conclude, that the conditions under which chlidren use their eyes during these years have some direct bearing on the production of defects' of eyesight. School conditions must bear part of the blame. The increasing attendances at picture shows probably is another important factor, especially where children under 10, whose eyes are very immature, attend such shows frequently." Dr. Mac Donald expressed the opinion that working 60 much on glazed white paper is probably not a factor in the production of defects, unless the paper used is so highly glazed ac to be dazzling in some degree. . Many class-rooms are wrongly and inefficiently litj and this fact, in her (Opinion, was the greatest single factor in the production, of sight defects. Dr. Mac Donald recommended that children in Standard I. be taught to ■write midway between heavy . guiding lines, thus making it a matter of muscular and nervous co-ordination, rather than purely depending on eyesight, for accuracy. The report also 'suggested that children in the lower standards might profitably be taught knitting, and not sewing, as it trained the hand 3 to fine movements without eye strain.

Several correspondents have written to The Post supporting " Boy Scout's" letter with reference to the postponement in the calling up of married men which was published in our issue of Saturday last. The lettters are framed in a. by no means generous spirit, and do not alter the position as stated by us in our footnote to "Boy Scout's" letter. The age of reservists, 20 to 46 years, was fixed in 1915, and the fact that it still remains is 'largely due to the protests made by Second Division. reservists last year when the proposal was mooted to "reduce the age to 19 years. No one has yet suggested that 20 years of age is too young, or that men on reaching the age of 20 should be put off to a later category than the First Division, in which the Military Service Act places them. The postponement in sending the Second Division into camp has been announced as being due to (1) the reduction in the strength of the reinforcement drafts, and (2) the production of fit mer> from. Cl camp. The first has been caused by the lower rate of wa-stage in the field and the absorption of the 4th. Brigade. Another fact which critics of the Second Division should bear in mind is that three drafts of married men have already been called up and there has been no request from them that they should be put back to a later'date than required. "Mother" raises a fresh point. She writes : ." Men marrying after 'a certain date fixed by Act of Parliament were classed First Division. Men of the Second Division were classed according to the number of children they had, but no date was fixed to keep them in that class. Some of them who have perhapr had only one child and in many cases not any at a-U, suddenly have their family increased, why was there no date fixed for the Second Division to keep them in the same class as at time of classification ?" The answer is that all men who married subsequent to Ist May, 1915, were placed by Parliament in tlie First Division, and that of this division no classification was fixed. The Second Division, on the other hand, has been classified, a. man's status being governed by the number of children he has on the date on which the Gazette is issued calling him up. This counts in both directions. If the reservist's family has decreased he is obliged to notify the fact and he is placed in an earlier class; if there is an increase he is also.obliged to notify and he is placed in a later class, provided the increase takes place before the date of his calling up in the Gazette.

Gate receipts at tho Newtown. Zoo from Ist to 13th February, amounted to £54 9s, compared with" £23, 2s 3d for the same period in 1917. '

Among recent gifts to the Newtown Zoo is a pale-headed parrakeet, presented by My, A. J. Rose, of Northland.

Amended regulations under the Discharged Soldiers' Settlement Act,-. 19115, ■give a discharged soldier lessee of Crown land the- right to vote for an elective member of the Land Board of his dictriot.

By an Order-in-Council gazetted lasi night the Public Trust Office is authorised to lend the sum of £30,000 to the Waikato Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, to enable it to pay off its overdraft to the_ Bank of New Zealand, and to erect.an infectious diseases ward, and a women's and, children's ward, in connection 'with the hospital.

"If a man wants a telephone in Wellington now, he cannot get it, and it has been the same for practically six months. This state.of affairs is'rapidly extending to other centres"—so .'said an official of the Post and Telegraph Department giving evidence before the Military Service Board to-day.

Notwithstanding the statement made by officers of the live-stock branch of the Department of Agriculture that the tick which has infected cattle in- certain parts of the North Auckland district for some time -past is not the destructive Queensland tick, some settlers are convinced to the contrary, and drew the attention of Sir William Frazer to the matter during his visit to that part of the Dominion the other, day. The Minister promised to bring the question under the notice of his colleague in charge of the Livestock Department. .

A few days ago, in answer to a correspondent, it was stated in The Post that no particulars of' the Atrato were available. Since it has been found that a vessel by the name of the Atrato arrived in Port Chalmers about 14th June. 18T4, it is stated, the greatest number of immigrants ever' brought to New Zealand. :The vessel was' of 2000 tons—a large atijp in those days—and was chartered by the Sliaw, Savill Co., Ltd., she "being previously employed as" a tea-clipper. While passing through the Bay of IWscay the Atrato met with a mishap, and had to put hack to 'Plymouth, where she remained for.a month. One of the Atrato's paasengers was Mr. Henry Hall, ■ now residing at 16, Hall-street, Newtown.

The Minister of Internal Affairs is of opinion that discharged" soldiers who are not adapted for farming on a large scale should be encouraged to engage themselves in poultry-farming, fruit-farming, and bee-farming on small areas of ground adjacent to the towns and cities. This opinion will be very largely endorsed (states the Wairarapa Age). But when the Minister suggests that the funds of Patriotic Associations should be devoted to equipping soldiers on these farms, the community which provided these funds will' immediately join issue with him. It is as much the duty of the State to settle soldiers on poultry and fruit ■farms, as if is to settle them upon dairy farms. The Patriotic Associations may feel disposed to render special assistance when it is. required,' bivt they are not going to relieve the State of its obligations, and allow'these who contributed nothing to the patriotic fnndfi to escape Mobility. The sooner the Minister recognises this fact the better for all concerned.

A dispute concerning a set of artificial teeth which were considered to be unsatisfactory was considered at the Magistrate's Court yesterday afternoon by Mr. W. G.Eiddell, S.M. Frost and Frost, dentists. Upper Willis-street, represented byMr.oH. F. yon Haast. sued William Budd, for whom Mr. J. M. Dale appeared, \for the cost of a pair of springs fitted '■ to a set of teeth for the defendant by. the plaintiffs. It was argued that, although springs were very seldom used.; they, were necessary in this case to keep the teeth in position. The Jflefendant said that the. teeth he had had previously had no springs, and fitted properly. He had consulted another dentist, who told him that the teeth would have to be remodelled and the springs taken out before they would be satisfactory. Judgment was given for the .plaintiffs for 16s 6d, with costs 9s, on the grounds that they were qualified dentists, and no expert evidence was called for the defence.

The unique position that lias arisen at Home in connection with, the food rationing scheme hae hardly yet been realised in New Zealand, where there are still ample stocks to carry on. A Wellington resident has received from hie relatives at Home a card which se^s out the restrictions being placed on all ■. menus. The regulations -urge a more ex-'t tensive use of fresh vegetables and fruit, and in particular of' potatoes, which are, it is explained, not rationed. Observance of the prescribed rations without privation is enabled owing to the success' of the potato crop, but wastage must not bo practised. One of the terms of the scheme is the exchange of bread and meat, which allows any' person to tales half a pound of meat over and vbove his. ration in exchange for half a pound of bread, to be deducted from his bread ration. Economy in regard to the coneumption of milk' and cheese is'advised, and it*s pointed out that these foods should "be reserved for persons for whom they are indispensable. In particular, the need for economy Is stressed in the use of the 6taple foods—bread, flour, and other cereals, meat, butter, margarine, lard, and sugar.

Messrs. G. A. Read and G. L. Loriey, of the. Government Printing Office staff, have just completed an enjoyable holiday soent in crossing the Tararua Ranges. They left Bassett's hut, Woodside, on Thursday of last week, but were obliged to remain in the Mount, Alpha 'hut for three days on account of the. misty weather. They resumed their journey last Tuesday, and reached Mount Hector, but had to turn back on account of the fog. The travellers subsequently had a fine view from Mount Hector. Mr. Read secured some excellent photographs during the trip. •

A donation of £5 5s has been made by Messrs. _W. and J. Staples, Ltd., to the recreation fund of the Fire Brigade in "recognition of the smart»way in which the recent outbreak ofvfire in the firm's boot factory in Ghuznee-street was extinguished. ' .

"Conscience money," in payment for "an unintentional mistake," to the amount of ss, has been forwarded to the MinisteV of Finance by some person miknown.

The arrivals in New Zealand during the month of January numbered 3670, and the departures 959. For January, 1917, the figures were 1099 and 1366 respectively.

Two Auckland bakers have oa<|h been fined £5 and cost 6 for selling light weight bread. . '