LOCAL AND GENERAL

Evening Post, Volume XCVI, Issue 16, 18 July 1918, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

"There is a great deal of suspicion on both sides. You are suspicious of employers, and employers are suspicious of you/ said the Acting-Prime Minister (Sir James Allen) yesterday to a Labour deputation. He expressed his hope heartily that this suspicion, an obstacle to friendly understanding and good-will, would be removed, and that both sides would work together for the benefit of the country as a whole. He believed that such an ideal was possible. Steps were being taken in New Zealand and in other parts of the Empire to banish that suspicion. "Rightly or wrongly, the Labour movement is suspicious of the Government," remarked Mr. J. Roberts later on, in an exchange of pleasantries. "Go back and tell them they are wrong," replied a Minister. "They would not believe me," answered Mr. Roberts. Teachers' salaries will be considered at next meeting of the Wellington Branch of the New Zealand Educational Institute, when the Management Committee will recommend :—"That the minimum salary of a teacher be £150 per annum, and that all salaries not affected by the minimum salary be increased 25 per cent." 'The following division has been made of the reward of £500 in connection with the arrest ..and conviction of Frederick William Eggers, executed for the West Coast murder :—Detective - Sergeant Ward, Greymouth, £115; DetectiveSergeant Connolly, Christchurch, £100; Detective Abbott, Christchurch, £100; Morgan O'Brien, Christchurch, £50; Inspector Cruickshank, Greymouth, £40 ; Thomas Murray, Greymouth, £15; Arthur Percy Butt, Greymouth, £15; Harold William Webb, Greymouth, £15; Mrs Russell, Greymouth. £15; ChiefDetective M'llveney, Christchurch, £15; Constable Hodgson, Greymouth, £10; Sergeant Folley,'Hokitika, £10; total, £500.

Reference to the compulsion put on Jugo-Slavs to work for the State was made by yesterdays Labour deputation. .The fact that this obligation was imposed under the National Service- clause uf the Finance Act he«med to be 7-e----garded as a beginning of industrial conscription, which might involve, other workers before Labour received the promised opportunity of consultation. Sir James Allen replied that the principle of national service, as understood in the National.Service clause, had not been in the Government's mind in this matter. It'was a question of dealing with enemy aliens. The fact was that these aliens had been prevented from continuing the exhaustion of the gumfields and- had been diverted to the service of the State —the making of railways, roads, and bridges. This service would be to the advantage of all classes of the community. When it became desirable to remove the Jttgo-Slavs from the gumfields and compel them to do other work, it was found that the Government's only power for this. purpose was section 25 (the National Service clause) of the Finance Act. ■

Acting under instructions from the Marine Department, the ■Ja-nie Seddfln left port yesterday afternoon for Cook Strait; where, it had been reported, an object resembling a capsized vessel or a dead whale had. been sighted. The Janie Seddon,' after making a thorough examination of the Strait, returned to port, and Captain Inkster reported that he had not found anything adrift. The master of the Corinna, when that vessel arrived.in port, said that when off Karori Bock a dead whale, white with decomposition, had been sighted. This is probably the whale which was washed ashore in Palliser Bay some time ago, and which. was refloated, during the rough weather. One of the speakere of the Labour deputation yesterday said that certain employers were trying to exploit returned soldiers by taking advantage of the pension as:an excuse for paying less wages than these men earned. Sir James Allen asked for definite evidence of specific cases. He said that the Act was absolutely clear on the point that a. war pension was for disability, and it was not to be taken into consideration in the assessment of wages. The Government was just" as anxious as • anybody elso to protect returned soldiers against exploitation. The Hon. G. W. Bnssell stated that, as Minister in charge of the Public Service, he knew that every returned soldier employed by the Government received the full rate to which he was entitled. The deputationist undertook to submit a written statement to Sir James Allen. ' ' _ Mr. W. R. Haseldcn, S.M., whose retirement from the bench has been announced, -is well known in Wellington and in most parts of the Dominion. He came to Auckland with his parents in the ship Mermaid in 1860. Mr. Haselden was admitted as a barrister in 1872, and began the practice of his profession at Reeftoh and Westport. He took a great interest in volunteering for many years. In 1889 he removed to Wellington, and continued in legal practice here until appointed a stipendiary magistrate, and subsequently a district judge.

"It is not generally known that lightning with its attendant torrential rain partly acts as a natural replenisher of the nitrogen lost by cropping and fire," said Mr. J. Orchiston, in the course of an address to tile Council of Agriculture on the subject of "Nitrogen from Air." "Practically every flash of lightning i burns some air, and this coming "in conj tact with the hydrogen in the drops of j rain, combines to form a dilute nitric acid. It has been calculated that in: countries where lightning is more prevalent than in the temperate zone, no less than eleven pounds of nitrogen are deposited per acre per annum, and this is ftlaimed to be one of the causes for the tropical lands being invariably richer than those of the colder regions." The Rev. F. G. Buckingham, a retired Baptist minister, died on Monday at Tamaki. Mr. Buckingham came to New Zealand about fourteen years ago from Ipswich, Queensland, where he held the Baptist pastorate. Previously he had been minister of the South Melbourne | Baptist Church. In this country he held successively the Baptist charges at Nelson, Oamaru, and Thames, retiring from the latter church about four and a half years ago. It may comfort some people to hear the experience of a young lady in Havelock North. She has- posted 400 letters to soldiers at the front and 40 parcels, and keeps a methodical note of each as ifc is despatched. From communications received she has had the satisfaction of knowing ■ that not one has gone- astray.

The 40th, 41st, 42nd, 43rd, and 44th Divisional Signallers will in future be • known as Divisional Signallers Reinforcements, arid the 11th Wireless Reinforcement will be known as the 12th I Wireless Reinforcement. i Mrs Beck, matron at the Wellington j (Johnston-street) Police Station, has! been appointed chief matron for New | Zealand. She was the first police matron ' appointed in New Zealand, and has acted in that capacity for the past twentythree years at the Wellington Station. J So popular has lha Salvation Army i Hostel at Featherston proved that it ' has been found necessary to extend it. j A new building to contain 34 bedrooms is being erected, and the diningroom is also being enlarged to accommodate 100 people. The new building is expected to be available within a few weeks. ! The following resignations were accepted at yesterday's meeting of the Education Board :—Mrs. M. M. Welsn," solo teacher, Kohin:ri; Miss A. Harrison, head teacher, Mauriceville; Miss E. Nairn, sole teacher, Akitio; Miss A. G. Davis, assistant, Greytown District High School; and Miss G. Flood, assistant at Fernridge. ■ The late Private John M. Ashworth, who died at Featherston Camp on Friday, was buried at Prebbleton on Monday with military honours. The firing i party was supplied by Fort Jervois, with Sergeant Burbury in command. The Rev. E. . Webb conducted • the funeral 'service. Thirty tons of-coal—an annual distribution—has been placed at the disposal of the Wellington Hospital and Charitable Aid Board by Messrs. J. Staples and Co., proprietors of the Thorndon Brewery, for distribution among the poor of the city. A unanimous .vote of thanks to the donors was passed at a meeting of the Charitable Aid Committee yester- ' day. I The following motion in reference to • the death of the Rev. Father Dore was carried at a meeting of the executive of : the Auckland Returned Soldiers' Association last night:—"That this executive has heard with deepest regret of the I death of Captain Dore, late Chaplain to } the Forces. As Captain Dore's sincere • j devotion to lite duty and his sterling I qualities are known so well to all returned soldiers, we feel as an association that we have bst a friend and a com- : rade." • I

The employment of women in the [ Postal 'Department to replace men was referred to yesterday by Mr. R. B. Morris, Chief Inspector of Post Offices, j states the New Zealand Herald. "Wo • I are adopting this course wherever possi- ■ I Me," said Mr. Morris, "and, generally : ! speaking, with success. There are now i ! 1632 women in the service, and we are i appointing more to our staff daily." I Thore were stated to be several hundred i girls employed in the Wellington office, , "j and over 60 in the Auckland Post Office, j | while others were being trained us under- ! J studies in every direction possible. ■-.. j Mr. F. J. Burgess, S.M., who is about j i to retire on superannuation, has been an j officer of the Justice Department for a | great many years. Born and educated j : at Auckland—where his father, Captain i ! Burgess, was at one time harbourmaster j : —he went to the Thames, as a x young j '. man, as a member of the magistrate's and ! warden's staff there. Mr. Burgess was j subsequently appointed stipendiary mag- '■ istrate and warden for the Hauraki dis--1 trict. He has latterly been acting as I | chairman of one of the Auckland Military j Service Boards. Mr: Burgess is an elder ! , brother of Mr. G. A. Burgess, manager j of the Bank of New Zealand at llawera, I ; and formerly at Carterton. j j "It woufil be a huge mistake in this I ; conntry for Parliament to do away with j | the Education Boards," said the Hon. |J. G. W. AiU;en, at the Education :■ Board yesterday. "My opinion is. that I the boards have filled, and are capable i j- of filling, a much-needed position, and I ! would help along education in a very] j useful way if only, they had a little I I more freedom." They were now curbed ] and controlled to such an extent that the control became irksome. If the desire was to put all the control iii the hands of the Department, he did not think that the schools would be so satisfactory, nor would the staffs be as well i satisfied. j The Education Board had before it yesterday reports of two incipient fires which were extinguished just in time to save the complete destruction of school buildings at Hutt and Eastern Hutt. In one ir.riance it was stated that a spark was communicated' to waste-paper m a box in the corridor, and in the other a tin containing live ashes had been left on a part of the floor overnight. The opinion was expressed at the board that these narrow escapes emphasised the necessity for strict observance of the board's regulation that all school fires should bo allowed to completely die down in the afternoon so as to be quite out before closing time. . "Let me s*iy that I think it will be a huge mistake on the part of Parliament if'it ever thinks of doing away With. education boards," remarked the Hon. J. G-. W. Aitken, Chairman of the Wellington Eudeation Board, yesterday. ''My feeling is that they are filling, and competently filling, fully-needed and worthy position in the education system of the country. And they could do much better were they given 'a- little more freedom. Instead of that, their responsibilities are being curtailed by the Department. This I cannot think would be an advantage to the schools^or education, staffs; indeed, under the Department they would not be anything like as comfortable as they have been under the boards."

Hearty laughter greeted an interruption, at tho Municipal Theatre, Napier, on Tuesday evening, during the kitgiving ceremony. Mr. J. W. Poynton, S.M., was at the time addressing tho large audience, and- though disclaiming any attempt to prophecy, he gavo it as his opinion that the war would bs over by Christinas. "Exkhep me," came from ihe audience, "which Christmas do you mean?" It was some time before Mr. Poynton could resume. By the last mail, Mrs. J. Richardson, of Greymouth, has received re-assuring news of her son Charles, who left Now Zealand with the Eighth Reinforcements, and had been a prisoner in Germany since July, 1916, until recently, when ho was transfer-fed to Hblland with several others. Writing from there on 17th May, 1918, he states : Wo were welcomed all along the line, the people giving us any amount of chocolate and icod, and wo received a'greet reception on -arrival at our destination. We are quartered in specially built barracks, with large rooms, arid every convenience a-t our disposal. It is a" treat to be onco more in good beds. Things are different hero from the conditions in 'Germany. JSTo barbed-wire enclosures, rifles, or bayonets. 1 am in good health, and that .is a lot to be thankful for. I doubt if I win be home for next Christmas, but one never knows. Regards to all friends."

The Hon. T. M. Wilford (Minister of Marine) states that the date of the Wimmera, enquiry has not yet been fixed, nor tho chairman appointed. It has been de? cided, however, that Captain Charles M'Arthur, of Wellington,- and Captain R. E, Smith, of Auckland, will be the nautical representatives on the commission. Christchurch'a record frost for this winter occurred yesterday morning, the reading at the Graju'ty Observatory showing 16 degrees. Only on five or six occasions during the past fifteen years have so many degrees of frost been recorded. While the rabbit pest was under discussion at this morning's sitting of the New Zealand Council of Agriculture, Mr J. A. Young, M.P. (Waikato), gave some interesting figures. Referring to ,an area,- say of 70.000 acres with on it five rabbits to the ac*e, that, he said, gave a total of 350,000 rabbits. Ten rabbits were presumed to eat and destroy as much as one sheep, which in the case under review would mean 35.000 sheep. The profit from sheep generally in the, Waikato was from 15s to 25s per year, and tho 15s profit on 35,000 sheep would amount to £26..250. The estimates he had given, added Mr. Young, were conservative. A member of the military, forces engaged on home service was brought before Mr. S. E. M'Carthy, S.M., at the Magistrate's Court this morning to answer a charge of drunkenness He was given the alternative of paying a fine of 10s or going to gaol for twentyfour hours. Ratajjnga Takarangi pleaded guilty to the triple charge of drunkenness, wilfully damaging a constable's helmet, and a. breach of a prohibition order. Acting Sub-Inspector iimerson said Takarangi aiter bein°arrested went quietly,, enough to the police station, but when being searched became very violent, and in his struggle with the constable knocked off the latter's helmet and rolled on it, completely ruining it. For drunkenness Takarangtwas fined 10s, in default, twenty-four hours in the cells, and for wilful damage was ordered to' pay the damage, 13s, together with a' fine of 20s. or go to gaol for fourteen days, the sentences to be cumulative. On the chargo of obtaining liquor during the currency of a prohibition order he wus\ convicted and ordered to come up for sentence when called "upon.

"Nitrogen from Air" was the subject of an interesting adddress given by Mr. J. Orchiston to the .Council of Agriculture. In the course of his remarks he said :_ "Experience, • both scientific and practical, has shown that nitrogen rightly applied to the soil in moderate quantities, is a first-class investment. An interesting series of experiments by I/awes and Gilbert, extending continuously from 1852 to 1883, gave an average annual increase of about 17^ bnsliels of wheat per acre for 861b of nitrogen applied annually in the form of ammonium salts. The equivalent of this in electrically produced calcium nitrate would be 3cwt, costing approximately 303. It is therefore evident that it would be good business to expend this amount to obtain an extra 17^ bushels. Later experiments in America and Germany have given an approximate increase of 201b of grain and 401b of straw for every pound "of nitrogen rightly applied to the soil, and no less than 851b of potatoes. The equivalent of a pound of nitrogen in the form of electrically prodnced calcium nitrate weighs about 7£lb. It is anticipated that this would cost the farmers about 7£d if the Government would allow its manufacture at Milford Sound." Mr. *B. Murphy, M.A., B. Com., LL.B., of the legal firm of Messrs. M'lntyre and Murphy, Feilding, has been appointed lecturer in economics at Victoria College. . :. : : ,