LOCAL AND GENERAL

Evening Post, Volume XCVI, Issue 141, 11 December 1918, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Yesterday brought the session to a close. The Licensing Bill had another brief appearance by the help of a Governor's Message, which made two small amendments. The Ministers of Finance and Education had a little difference on the excision of ah education clause from the Appropriation Bill. The Legislative Council insisted on its amendment (tho rejection of the Jury-Estate clausoj of the "Washing-up" Bill. The House decided, on the Prime Minister's motion, that it would not further dispute the matter. Mr. Massey and Sir Joseph Ward gave the usual congratulations and thanks to Mr. Speaker (Sir Frederick Lang), Chairman of Committoefl (Mr. A. S. Malcolm), members of tho House, officers of the House and the Hansard stuff. Sir Frederick Lnug and Mr. Malcolm, after thanking the Leaders and the House, gave their good wishes to the Leaders. Tho National Anthem was aanj; at 10.10 p.m., and the Bouws rou..At 10.15.

The Wellington District Methodist Synod, at its meeting yesterday, passed a motion unanimously protesting against the holding oi secular Sunday concerts in the City, and., that the Council of Churches Be approached withi a) view to united action.

Another Bad case arising out of the epidemic is reported from Waihi. Mr. and Mrs. Rouse, of East End, died from influenza within a. few hours' of each other on Sunday night in the Waihi Hospital. The whole family, including several young children, were m the hospital together.

Recently the Wellington Society for the Prevention oE Cruelty to Animals approached the City Council with a view to having a lethal chamber established for the despatch of unwanted cats. Yesterday the society received a reply stating that the council regretted it could not accede toHhe request.!

The Otago Education Board yesterday considered a suggestion by the Department that the schools shoufd reopen on 21st January. The chairman said the Department apparently overlooked the fact that the teacher/had been working very hard during the epidemic, and that the younger teachers would be going through examinations till 20th January. The board decided to reopen schools on 3rd February.

Warm prak& was given in the House of Representatives yesterday to'the Min--ister of Defence by Mr. G. Witty, in regard to the provision made for soldiers and dependents. Mr. Witty said that he had criticised' the Minister at times, but he felt that it was due to the Minister to give him credit for good work. •Messrs. M'Callum, M'Combs, and Payne also congratulated the' Minister on his statement of poiicy for the benefit of soldiers and dependents. Replying to a question by the Hon. G. J. Garlan3, Sir Francis Bell seated in the Legislative Council yesterday that the matter of dealing by release or otherwise with the interned, prisoners of war was not one with which the New Zealand Government could properly deal, without consulting the Imperial Government. "We must to some extent, be guided by the decision of the Imperial Government, and partly, also, by the ultimate terms of the Peace Convention.^'

Some far-reaching proposals in connection with the Methodist Central.Mission at Wellington were placed before the Synod at Wellington yesterday. The scheme embraces the purchase of a property fronting Cuba-street, at a cost of £19,300, and the erection of & large block of gymnasium and games rooms, kitchen, etc., together with four large shops, the whole scheme to cost £35,000. The scheme was heartily approved by Synod, and was recommended to Conference for favourable consideration.

"I hope later on," said Sir Joseph Ward in the House of Representatives last night, "that we shall find the Minister -of Defence utilising the transports returning to the Old Country to have the members of Parliament come there too, and utilising the transports also to convey the fathers and mothers of soldiers a< cheap rates to those never-to-be-forgotten fields where their sons have fought. And why should they not'? It was not such a great distance, and they had sent 100,000 men, on the journey— a-performance thought impossible "before."

"I may say," said Mr. J. O'Shea, 'City Solicitor, at the Magistrate's Court yesterday, "that the City Council has an arrangement with the police whereby they are paid £500 per annum, in return for which they undertake the administration of the bylaws and also post three constables on point duty, at the corners of Cuba and Manners streets, Manners and Willis streets, and Willisstreet, and Lambton-quay. The result has been a wonderful improvement in the administration of the bylaws, especially as regards street accidents and collisions with tramcars. If, however, persons are going to disregard the directions of the police on point duty, the whole administration will fall to the ground. Action will be taken against all persons who ignore the signals givan ,them."

The Mayor of Karori (Mr. B. G. HI Burn), at last night's meeting of tne Borough Council, referred to the epidemic and the strenuous times experienced in the borough, and paid a. tribute to the very excellent work that was done by Dr. Platts-Mills and j^urac. King, who workedl early and late in fighting the disease. .The voluntary workers were also commended for tho good work done. The borough lost by death one child and five adults. In his report the Borough Engineer, in. dealing with the epidemic, stated that an increase of sickness appeared about sth November, and 1 the epidemic reached its height between 16th and 26th November. There were in all 185 adults stricken and 95 children, _ a total of 278 cases, ar.d there were six deaths, five being adults. In Makara there were 21' adult cases'snd two children, and no deaths. In Beautiful Karori there were 73 cases and only one death, that of an infant.

Foolhardy "stunting" on motor cycles, equivalent to looping the loop and fancy nose and other dives in the air, is not, encouraged by the city by-laws. Action was taken yesterday in the Magistrate's Court against Archibald G. A. Gledhill for having ridden his machine along the Oriental Bay-parade with both hands off the handle-bars. Sergeant Martin stated that Gledhil] careered along the road lying right back on the carrier. Gledhill answered that ho was an expert-rider, and was really rnnning nolrisk, but the Magistrate, Mr. S. L. Pl.' Free, S.M., was not impressed, and imposed a fine of 5s and 7s costs. Gledhill was also fined 10s and 7s costs for failing to stop when requested to do so by a constable on point duty. In extenuation ho said that he was on his way, on Armistice Day, to call an ambulance to deal with a street accident. He had been asked to do so by the police, and said that .he felt hurt that immediately afterwards he should be prosetsjted for doing what he could. "I was ahaost an ambnlance myself," he conclnded. "And you might have caused another aase for an ambnlance." said Mr. O'Shea.

Further evidence of tho urgent necessity for sending medical supplies to tli-e 'Tongan Group is given by Mr. E. F. ■Warren, of the Public Trust, Auckland, in a letter to the Auckland Star. He says: "When I left Vavau, at the beginning of October last, considerable sickness was prevalent amongst the natives, and Bovetal cases of typhoid and influenza had occurred. There were then only two doctors in the group, nnmely, Dr. Bailey at Nukualofa and Dr. Semmons at Vavau. Such drugs as aspirin and phenacetin were unobtainable, and I was fortunatoly aible to supply the Wesloyan missionary at Vavau with a few tabloids from my pvivnto stock, as ho and his wife warn both ill. Instead of waiting for the Taiune, I would suggest that tJio Government consider the advisability of sending the Hinemoa to Tonga, Soimoa, and the Cool: Islands groups with airiplo supplies of medical necessaries, having no doubt in my own mmd 'that tltoy will bo urgently iicwjod. If Uw Tahuio' should go, then I «>coiiimend that tho ves>sel bo thoroughly fumigated and diainfoetwil boforo blip loaves •port, to destroy all rats niul cockroaches. Further, that on this trip the corryiitj? of natives, fowls, horms, eatUo, and "pigs beUvocm l.lio jii'onps should bo proliibitrsl. Whon 1 wont to iho Island.* in Mny la«t, t-ho Tiihuio in this rosprot. rwrmrjliHl >» pilgrim ship to Mor.ea. Tho. iitmosplipvo in the ship's quarters must Imvo been imbvontlmliK and only capable of being "rusticated like ohowu^g gum."-

An election yesterday to fill a vacancy on the Otaki Town Board resulted:— Tiemi Eikihana, XO9 votes; Charles Kilsby, 70; — Edwards, 38.

Mr. Henry Ford, who wag recently defeated for the United States Senate, has announced his retirement from the active management of his automobile business. A cable message from Vancouver states that he has bought a newspaper in Dearboon (Indiana), and will become the editor of it.

The house on WeUington-terrac& for many years occupied by the late Dr. T. Cahill, together with the section of land fronting tho Terrace' and Bolton-street, was offered at auction by Mr. A. L. Wilson yesterday afternoon. It was passed in at £2600, but it was subsequently announced that it had been sold privately to Mr. A. A. Gellatly as agent for £3060.

Mr. E. W. H. Hose, who for some months past has been engaged placing before members of the Presbyterian Church throughout the Dominion the Assembly Special Appeal for increased capital for the Beneficiaries' Fund, has practically completed his task, says ii Press Association telegram from .Christchurch. The result of the appeal is very satisfactory, for the fund will benefit to the extent of over £25,000.

By a clause in the Appropriation Act an amendment is made in the Civil List Act so that where only one Maori or half-casto is a member of the Executive Council not holding any of ( the Ministerial offices, his annual salary shall be £700. Sir Francis Bell explained to the Legislative Council that the provision was previously for £800 a year for two members. The Maori members by deputation had asked that the salary of a single Maori Minister should be increased; and this was only reasonable, a» the Minister had a great deal of work to do.

Alleged damage to a dwelling, of which the defendant had been the tenant, was the basis of a defended action heard by Mr. W. G.Riddell, S.M., at the Magistrate's Court ■yeeterda.y afternoon, in which Edith Florence Taylor, for whom % Mr. J. J. M'Grath appeared, sought to recover £27 10s 9d from David A. EbeTlet. who was represented by Mr. T. H. pill. Defendant counter-claimed for £4 11s 6d. After hearing evidence, the Magistrate gave judgment for plaintiff for £16 13s 9d, and costs £3ißs 6d, and on the counter-claim judgment was given for Eberlet for £2, 135, with costs £1 As:' ■ ,"■■ ■

Mr. F. Meadowcroft presided at a meeting of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals yesterday afternoon. A lettec from the City- Council stated that the City Engineer was unable at the present time to take in hand the matter of erecting water troughs in the Thorndon end of the city. Since his last report the inspector lias dealt with foij,r cases of overloading, two of dirty stables, one cose of ill-treating sheep, and two -of ill-treating cattle, five dogs had been destroyed, and the inspector had also found other cases of cruelty. He had put ten horses off ■work. The subscriptions amounted to £17 13s 6d;

Referring to the recent influenza epidemic the Mayor of Karori, at the meeting of the council last evening, pointed put that if the city wished to relieve the that had been found to exist it should endeavour to provide a shorter tram route between the city and Karori, instead of worrying about going to Kaiwarra and other places. There was plenty of good level building land "in 1 Karori to meet all the requirements of the city. The cramping in the city waji entirely the fault -of the City Council; If a and more direct tram'Bervice/were provided, and several schemes had been submitted to the City Council, settlement would progress in the direction of Karoril t

A labourer named Joseph" Brown, aged 35' years, residing at Bristol-street, P.etone, was knocked down by a trolley at the Hutt Shingle Company's works yes-* terday .afternoon, and suffered severe injuries through a wheel of the trolley passing over his foot. He was admitted to the Wellington Hospital about 5 p.m. for treatment, and was to-day reported to be progressing very well. At 8.45 this morning a man named John Mlntosh, residing at the Coffee Palace, Willis-street, was admitted to the Hospi--tal suffering from injuries to his ehoulder, sustained through falling heavily in attempting'to alight from a moving tramcar at the Miramar boundary. His injuries are not serious.

"Although this charge is of a class that has been' frequently severely commented on, the actual theft was not a serious one," said Mr. P. J. O'Regan this morn' ing when' he.appeared at the Magistrate's Coifrt on behalf of David Wild, a watersider, who was charged with having' stolen a quantity of tar, valued at 2k, tlie property of the Wellington Harbour Board. Mr. O'Regan went on to say that Wild had yielded to a sudden impulse when the theft was suggested by seeing other watersiders sniffing at small pieces of tar as a preventive against influenza. Wild-followed their lead and took the tar for the purpose of disinfecting, his home.' Mr. W. G. Riddell, S.M., imposed a fine of 20s, the alternative to payment being fixed at a week in gaol. > t

The suggestion is made by Mr. Walter S.; Snodgrass, in a letter to the Nelson Mail, that a-s outsiders are >trying to make contracts for the purchase of apples, some combined action should be taken to inquire into the coining season* prospects and the position be put definitely before growers. He says: "If outside buyers come in on anything like last year's basis they Are going to make a, big lot of money. Taking the local, nrop at 250,000 cases (a very conservative estimate), if the local growers can get 2s more than last year (and they should do so easily; it is even rumoured on'good authority that overseas shipment will be available) it would mean £25,000 into the pockets of the growers, j and that sum available for circulation j in the district. The position shouid be j worth consideration and discussion. But it is only about six weeks before picking starts,' so there is no time for delay. In th.c meantime, may I suggest that growers should well consider the position before .entering- into any contract sale*."