LOCAL AND GENERAL

Evening Post, Volume XCVII, Issue 93, 22 April 1919, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Visitors to the wharves during the past few days have been disappointed at'not being allowed to obtain a close view of the steamer Bessa, which struck a. rook at the Wellington Heads on Friday evening last. As the work of salvaging the, steamer's cargo is proceeding, it is not considered advisable to have the work hampered by visitors, and consequently that portion of the wharf where the Bessa is lying has been roped off. The steamer has now only a fairly pronounced list, otherwise there is nothing unusual about her appearance.

The annual conference of the United Commercial Travellers' and Warehousemen's Association of New Zealand is to open in Auckland on the 29th hist., and will be attended by representatives of the four centres. The Wellington representatives will be Messrs. C. W. Rushbrook (president), M. A. Carrand E. A. Phelps (vice-presidents), and P. W. Cuthbertson (past president), who; will leave for the North on Saturday. - It is noteworthy that* the Auckland, Wellington, Canterbury, and Otago Travellers' and Warehousemen's Association have raised during the war period over £600,000 for various war funds.

The statement was made to the Parliament of Industries Committee at its sitting in Auckland on Friday by Mr. .J. S. Dawes, of the Twigg Engineering Company, that his firm was inundated with applications from boys wishing to learn engineering. This industry, however, was, he said, severely handicapped by labour unrest and difficulty in raising capital, limited markets for manufactured products, inadequate protection against outside competition, and lack of cooperation and efficient organisation in the trade itself. Mr. Dawes urged that the Government might grant assistance by arranging a conference «fc which the Government, the workers, and employers were represented, to consider trade conditions, means by which the industry might be assisted in the direction of solving labour and wages difficulties, and the question of financial aid from the Government toward establishing new industries and encouraging technical research from a practical viewpoint. Assistance might also be given, by the Government arranging a tariff to give adequate protection to industries, by allowing bona-fide manufacturers to import, duty free, all raw materials, accessories, and tools required, encouraging by transport facilities, cheap power and light, and bx co-operation in promoting sales of locally-manufactured articles.

"We may well be encouraged by the fact that the New Zealand Government has established an Industries Committee," remarked a delegate to the Coachbuilders' Convention in dealing with local industries. "The evidence accumulated by this means, from a very wide source should soon be available, and will no doubt prove of benefit to those interested. Now.that a new era is dawning, affecting the whole-" world, the time has arrived for us," he continued, "to abandon all petty jealousies and grievances, and by co-operation, patriotism, and energy, strive to build up • our local industries. There are many articles in every day use which are being imported into our Dominion that could, with a little enterprise and co-operation, be locally manufactured and placed on the market if sufficient encouragement was given." The very fact, he pointed out, that an article had been locally produced should command admiration and loyalty. Eeferring to the Labour aspect of the question, he% said : "We cannot blind our eyes to the position Labour is taking in the Old World, and how labour is demanding and obtaining considerably higher wages than formerly; in fact, higher than was ever considered possible to be paid." This country, urged the delegate, should be better able to meet other countries in competition. In addition to the labour aspect, this country had a decided advantage in being ttkU> tp HBtsuiro tha aw*, up-to-date

Members of the Poneke F.C. played a match against a Palmerstoh North. team (Pirates) at Palmerston on Saturday afternoon. Poneke played a man short, and were outclassed by the local team, the final scores being: Pirates 27; Poneke, 3. Morris scored a try for the Wellington team.

An extensive gorse fire on the Town Belt at Brooklyn caused a deal of trouble yesterday before it was beaten out by members of the Central, Newtown, and Brooklyn Fire Brigades, about twelve in all. As a result of the blaze, which lasted about an hour, five acres of goree and grass were burnt off, but no damage was done to property. The cause of the fire is tin-known. .

John Middleton, a waterside worker employed by the Harbour Board, sustained a fracture of the right ankle while stacking salvaged cargo from the Bessa near the King's Wharf last evening through a heavy roll of paper falling on his foot. Middleton, who is a married man, aged 47 years, and resides at Han-Bon-street, Newtown, is being treated at the Hospital.

The last meeting of the present members of the Wellington Hospital Board will be held on Thursday, when the estimates for next year will be presented. Among the items is one for £20,000 tc meet contingencies in the event of the influenza epidemic recurring. Rev. H. Van Staveren has given notice of his intention" to move as follows:—"That the Belmont Home be handed to the Macarthy Trustees to realise, and that the money therefrom be devoted to any charity they deem fit." The hoard is understood to have lost about £700 on the home this year.

The prosperity of the dairying industry, which had made Taranaki, was evident by the fine class of cows seen and the substantially-built factories, which were met with in all directions. This was the opinion expressed by the Hon. W. D. S. Mac Donald to a Manawatu Standard Reporter. The prices of land simply astonished him, as he was shown one property which had just changed hands at £107 per acre. It was evident from the prices paid for land that there was money in dairying at the present time, and in this industry Taranaki led, as was evidenced by its exports.

"Sport" writes to The Post to protest against the council in not giving more help to the Boys' Institnte tepid baths. "The good work the instructors do in teaching the small boy swimming and life-saving," he says, "should be encouraged, and I believe the Institute holds the record for the number of boys who have passed through these tests. The baths were opened when the war was on, and, now it is over, I am sure a largß number of returned men will take advantage of being able to use them." "Sport" suggests that the swimming clubs and public should take the matter up, so that something may be done to keep the baths open at a time of the y-ear when they are mostly required by swimmers.

Captain Warwick Smeeton, M.C., Royal Field Artillery, of Auckland, who returned to New Zealand recently, enlisted in England with King Edward's Horse, as a trooper, on 9th August, 1914. He received a commission in the Royal Field Artillery in December, 1914, and went to France with the 37th Division, in July, 1915. He was promoted to lieutenant in January. 1916, and received his captaincy in tfie following September, attaining his actingmajority in September, 1918. Captain Smeeton was wounded at Henin, in May; 1917, after having participated in the battles of the Somme, the Ancre, and Arra«. He also took part in the third battle of Ypres and in the remainder of the last campaign. He gained the Military Cross at Trescourt, and is entitled to the 1914 Star

When charged before Messrs. I. Salek and D. Keir, J.P.s, at the Magistrate's Court to-day with drunkenness and having cruelly ill-treated a dog, James Kennedy Mooney pleaded guilty, but stated that he was so drunk that he remembered very little about the dog, and nothing whatever of having ill-treated it after it had been given him by a friend. The police statement was to the effect that a lady and gentleman both saw Mooney in the act of twisting the dog's legs so severely as to almost break them, and causing the unfortunate animal, hardly more than a puppy, to howl wiwi agony. Apparently the man's idea was to get the dog to follow him, for hp varied his tactics by pulling the dog along by a string round its throat. The man was convicted and discharged for drunkenness, and was ordered to pay a fins of £3 or to go to gaol for a week on the more serious charge.

An angry denunciation of the cadet training scheme was made recently by a correspondent of the Minister of Defence. The correspondent contended that the training given to the cadets' taught them "Thou shalt kill," instead of "Thou shalt not kill," and to serve the Minister of Defence instead of the Lord their God. In his reply Sir James Allen wrote: "It is evident from what you have written that you have placed a wrong interpretation on the principle underlying -the training of cadets. There is nothing in the scheme which teaches them 'Thou shalt kill.' It is true that one of the purposes of cadet and territorial training is.to teach a man to defend himself and the_ women of his country should others wish to kill them ; but, beyond this, is the desire to make our young people physically fit; thus making them more capable citizens in civil employment. Nor is there anything in onr training scheme which teaches a lad not to worship the Lord liis God. On the contrary, the churches are represented in all our camps, and their ministers are encouraged to do all they can for the moral welfare of those who attend. There is abundant proof that this influence has been exercised for good. Your suggestion that cadets or territorials may think they are to serve the Minister for Defence is entirely wrong. The principles inculcated teach service to fellow-men and conntry."

Fortunately firearms seldom figure in the Wellington Magistrate's Court as exhibits, for Idaded firearms and serious charges are only too often closely connected. However, the case against a watersider named Robert James Christopher Seal centred round a loaded revolver placed' on the police desk. There were fouV charges in ■ all against the manr— carrying firearms in contravention of the War Regulations, assaulting James Smith Vial, being on the licensed premises; of the Grand Hotel after hours, and a similar offence in regard to Barrett's Hotel. In asking; for a remand till to-morrow, Acting-Sub-Inspector Emerson said that for some renson Sea) went to the Grand Hotel after hours and said that he want-, ed to gee one of the members of the staff. The licensee met the man on the stairs and ordered him out, but the man declined to go, and attempted to strike the licensee. One of the barmen appeared on the, scene, and Seal drew tho revolver, which was loaded in each chamber. In the struggle that followed the chamber was-thrown open, and three of the cartridges fell out on the floor. Seal secured them and went to Barrett's Hotel, where he was arrested a little later by Constable R. Smith. The bullets in the cartridges were filed down level with, the cases, but quite enough was left to inflict a fatal wound. Seal stated that he had used the revolver to start races at a picnic. Messrs. I. Salek and D. Keir, J.P.s, remanded the man to appear to-morrow. Bail was feed nt J66Q and two sureties of like iuuouat.

Dr. J. M. Scott is in charge of the Eotorua Sanatorium until a permanent appointment is made. He was medical officer of the institution about six years ago

A suggestion-was made at the ineej> ing of the Taranaki War Belief Association that a "baby bonus" might be instituted by the association to assist soldier fathers whose earnings were not very large (reports an exchange). Something may possibly be done in adopting the suggestion at the next meeting.

The North Canterbury Hospital Board, in pointing out the difficulty of getting the assistance of capable nurses for senior positions in hospitals, is inviting other boards to join in the representations to the Defence authorities that some of the nurees returning from active service be released for these positions in civilian hospitals.

The boisterous south-westerly wind od Sunday brought to an- end thg career of one of Nelson's oldest and most widely-known cherry trees (reports the Kelson Mail). For over 50 years the tree has stood in the garden attached to Mr. L. Pitt's house in Harper-street, and during the whole of that time has rendered good service to the owners of the property—and others. The stem, which was over 12 inches in diameter, was snapped off like a, carrot just above the ground. It is thought the tree was planted by the late Mr. Jackson in the early days of the settlement.

Giving evidence befpre the Industries Committee in Auckland, Mr. Thomas D. Smith, representing the Wine Growers' Association, asked that the Government facilitate the manufacture and sale of New Zealand wines, and that the industry be removed from the sphere of prohibition. The industry had been established and fostered by the Government 20 years ago, he said, and ifc was then the intention to make it a national industry irrespective of the Prohibition question. At present the demand exceeded the supply. The industry would offer ideal light employment lor returned soldiers, and could^ readily be established on the Birdwood Estate recently purchased by the Government for the soldiers. The industry required less capital than any other, said Mr. Smith, and returns were • quick. Land that was no use for other purposes could be made valuable as vineyards after the gum had been taken out. Witness suggested that the Government should impose legislation requiring- that wine should be kept three years before being sold. Under present conditions the demand was such that it was frequently sold after nine months' storage.

Snce the war operations ceased material for automatic telephones has been coming in with a greater degree of reliability, and it is hoped within a brief period to be able to- announce that the whole of the material for the Masterton Exchange and of two Wellington branch exchanges (Courtenay-place and Newtown) has arrived in the Dominion. This will relieve the telephone situation to a very great extent. Some of .the material is being manufactured in Great Britain and some in the United States, and it is hoped that before long the manufacture of certain portions in Antwerp will be recommenced. It is interesting to recall that as soon as the war began Belgium hurriedly packed up the telephonic manufacturing machinery, and sent it to England. There it was reassembled in part, and the manufacture was partially resumed, only to be again interrupted by the demand for munitions. Some of the machinery was sent to the United States, and the work was carried on there, only to cease when America joined the Entente. Now prospects are more hopeful, and automatic telephones may be looked for within. a. comparatively brief period.

One of the motor-car owners, who provided the means of conveyance in Dunedin for the soldiers of the Kaikoura's draft to their homes, has complained to Ota-go Daily Times of the senseless action, of youths in striking matches on th^ sides of the oars. A similar complaint was heard after the arrival of the Hororata. draft. On this occasion the motor-cjtr owner gave chase to the man who had by his action (Jamaged his property, and caught him. He held him for some time in the hope that he might be able to hand him over to the police, but he was jostled by three or four persons in/ the crowd, with the result that Ms captive escaped. He expresses the opinion that the presence of a few plain-clothes policemen on such an occasion would have the effect either of preventing such damage to valuable \^ars as is caused by the striking of matcjies on their sides or of rendering the detection of the offenders a 'more simple matter than it has hitherto, proved to be. What is more necessary still is the general recognition of the stupidity—to put it mildly—of such an. act as the 'striking ol matches on the sides of motor-cars, and of the ingratitude that is involved in the _ .disfigurement of valuable cars- that are being used by their owners in th© performance of a public service.

There was much adverse comment at last week's meeting of the Waikato Hospital Board at the failure of the Defence Department to redeem promises made with regard to accommodation for the treatment of soldiers. The chairman (Mr. Bailey) said the Health Department had promised to build an annexe, but had done nothing. Then the Defence Department had made other promises; these had not been redeemed. The whole responsibility was being thrown on the Board. Dr. Douglas stated that while no complaints had been lodged by the soldier patients, the accommodation provided for them was absolutely inadequate. The position in regard to the outpatients was most unsatisfactory. Mea came in each week, many making a journey of 50, 60, or 70 miles, and these long trips frequently did them more harm than any benefit that could accrue from the treatment accorded them. Many, at their own request, had been boarded and discharged. He urged that the men should be sent to the military hospitals at Trentham and I'eatherston. It was hard lack for the men to be sent from their homes, but they would get the best of treatment at those- institutions, and the local conditions were most unsatisfactory. Other members of the Board caustically criticised the parsimonious spirit displayed by the Defence Department, and a motion was'adopted, drawing the Defence authorities' attention to the present overcrowding, and the inability of the board to deal with the situation. .

Mr, F G. Ewingtpn, on .account of failing health, has retired from the | position of honorary official visitor to the Auckland Mental Hospital, after 33 years' service.

The unveiling of a roll of honour is to take place at Island Bay Presbyterian Church at 7.30 o'clock to-morrow evening. Lieutenant-Colonel J. G. Hughes, C.M.G., D.5.0., will perform tho ceremony, to which returned men are specially invited. After the unveiling there will be a musical programme, followed by a "welcome" supper

The memorial obelisk erected on the slopes of Mt. Egmont, a little above the North Egmont Hostelry, to commemorate the heroic act of Arthur Hamilton Ambury, of New Plymouth, was unveiled on/ Good Friday in the presence of about one hundred people. Ambxiry lost his life on the 3rd June, 1918, in attempting to save William E. Gourlay, of Christchurch, who had slipped on the ice.

During the w.eek the Joll Dairy Company is paying out to its. suppliers the fine sum of £32,000 (states the Eltham Argus).- Of this amount £14,000 represents the payment for March milk, while £18,000 represents an additional payment of 3d per lb butter-fat on the season's milk supplied from Ist July last tt, the end of March. This represents a pay-out so far of Is 7d per lb butter-fat tor the whole season. ;

The medical evidence at the inquest in Auckland on Miss Joyce Lankshear, who died on a launch on the way from the Great Barrier to Auckland last Thursday, showed that she had evidently been suffering for some time from tuberculosis. Her mother stated ■ that their home was at Wadestown, Wellington, and that on account of the daughter's decline she had taken her for a trip to. Auckland, and thence to the Great Barrier, but witness said she had no idea her daughter had tuberculosis. They had been only a few days at Tryphena when the daughter became weaker, and a start was made last Wednesday for Auckland by launch to reach medical aid, but ■ the patient sank and died on the way just after midnight on Wednesday. The Coroner found that death was due to heart failure caused 'by pulmonary tuberculosis.

The police committee of inquiry, which commenced its sittings at Wellington on 7th inst. proceeded to Dunedin on 11th April, and commenced ite sittings there on the following Monday. During the Dnnedin sittings representatives of both the detective and uniform branches of the service from Dunedin and tnvercargill gave evidence, and on Thursday, 17th.April, the committee adjourned to Christchurch, and will commence its sittings there to-morrow. Mr. W. G. Rjddell, S.M., is chairman of the committee, and with him are Superintendent Keilly (Auckland), Superintendent Wright (Dunedin), Inspector M'Grath. (Np.pier), and Sub-Inspector Broberg (Headquarters Office, Wellington). The sittings of the committee have been attended by the Commissioner-of Police (Mr. J. O'Donnvan). ■ . . ■ .