LOCAL AND GENERAL

Evening Post, Volume XCVII, Issue 74, 29 March 1919, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

"The City Council and the Reserves Committee, as at present constituted, are composed of a body of men who are seized with the fact that sports grounds should be provided, for the young, and for the old as well. "—Councillor G. Frost at the meeting of sports bodies last night.

Speaking at tho meeting of sports bodies last night, Mr. C. G. Wilson condemned the methods adopted in the past in making sports grounds. It was not a question of two little money being spent on them, but rather, lie contended, too much money. "If there is any place in New Zealand," he exclaimed, "where steam *shovels should be used, it is in Wellington."

A meeting of the members of the Anti-German League was held at the residence of the secretary, 28, Bidwellstreet. ■ Miss Holmes, president, was in the chair. It was decided that the meetings be held on the first Wednesday in the month. The following motion was unanimously carried : "That this meeting places on record its appreciation and thanks for the very generous support given to the league by Mrs.; T. .H. Lowry and Miss Holmes, president." A hearty vote of thanks, was also passed to Mrs. Moore for her work as secretary. The work of the league will be carried on as usual. Information useful to the league will be attended to, and tho members wish to urge on the general public to renew their determmation'not to purchase German goods.

The Harbour Board elections will be held at the end of next month. AD the members (fourteen in number) will retire, with the exception of Mr. J. G. Harkness, the Government nominee, whose term of office Will not expire for another year. The only member who has so far decided not to seek re-election is Mr. A. Macfarlane, who, with Mr. C. E. Daniell, the present chairman of the board, represents the Wairarapa combind districts. The other members of the board are: Messrs. R. A Wright, W. T. Hildreth, W. Cable, and C. B. Norwood (reprersenting the city), Messrs. J W. M'Ewan and M. W. Welch (suburban districts), Messrs. J. G. Cobbe and M. Cohen (Manawatu), Mr. W. Wallis, and Captain C. M'Arthur (payers of dues on ships), and Mr. R. E. Sinclair (payers of dues other than dues on ships).

The Militarjr Court of Inquiry into the disappearance of Private George Mould, who returned by the Oxfordshire and disappeared from the Maori on the night of 3rd February, between Wellington and Lyttelton, was opened in Dunedin yesterday. Sergeant-Major Little deposed that he gave the man a steerage ticket at Wellington, and -saw him on the Maori, and a chum told him that he had put Mould to bed. Mould had been drinking, but not sufficiently to impair his mental faculties. Lieutenant M'Carthy, military landing , officer; narrated steps taken, to clear up the mystery, and said that on 22nd or 23rd February the assistant purser of the Maori told him he saw a soldier jump overboard with a handkerchief wound across his eyes on the trip which carried the Oxfordshire's men. The purser added that he took no steps to have the man recovered, as there was, quite a number of persons on the d?ck and he thought action had been taken. Lieutenant M'Carthy further added that on a subsequent trip with a draft by- the Matatua, troops of that draft said the Matatua passed the body of a soldier floating at sea on 16th February. The Court adjourned till nert Tuesday to take further evidence. The colonel president said ah endeavour would be made to secure the attendance of the assistant purser of the Maori.

A few days ago a deputation from the Wellington District Fruiterers' Association waited on the By-laws Committee of the CSty Council and urged that the issue of street licenses to fruit barrowmen should be discontinued, as the barrowmen's competition was unfair. Yesterday, however, a deputation from the Fruitgrowers' Association waited on the committee "and put. forward their view of the question. It was urged that the hawkers did a certain trade, and that they were able to supply fruit at less cost than the shops were "By educating the people up to eating fruit they are driving customers to the fruit shops," said members of the deputation. The quality of the fruit sold from the barrows, they said, was good, and by encouraging the fruit habit the hawkers increased tho sale and distribution of fruit. The chairman (Councillor W. H. P. Barber) said that the committee would consider the representations made by the fruit deputations. In reference to this matter a correspon-dent-(W. T. Coad) writes as follows: — "It is sincerely hoped the council will not bar the fruit hawkers from supplying the pebple with fruit at reasonable rates. But for this sensible, arrangement hundreds of families whose income is limited would have to go without— why make the cost of living more expensive than it is already? Obviously 'the greatest good to the great number' should be tho policy of a public body elected by the people .. . Why should the whole community be debarred from obtaining unoh »n ebwcua necessity &t rewsonible rates?"

In the Divorce Court yesterday, Annie O'Brien applied for a disolution of her marriage with James O'Brien, on the grounds of misconduct and desertion. Mr. H. F. O'Leary appeared for the petitioner. The parties were married at Kaikoura on the 15th November, 1913, and the respondent left the petitioner about a month later. The case was held over pending receipt of evidence.

Teachers have and have had many grievances, and still another was aired at the annual meeting of the Wellington branch of the New Zealand Educational Institute, last evening. The question raised was in regard to the payment of war bonuses, and a motion moved by Mi*. H. D. Pritchard ran as follows : "That this branch of the N.Z.E.I. protests against the action of the Government in depriving teachers of the increase in the bonus received by other Civil servants, _an action which renders the recent rises to lower-paid teachers almost nugatory; and, in view of the fact that it was authoritatively stated that the double bonus would be paid, requests the Government to redeem its promise. Mr.' M. Kean moved as an amendment, which was carried, that the matter be referred to the management committee to inquire into, and to take action if necessary.