LOCAL AND GENERAL

Evening Post, Volume XCIX, Issue 77, 31 March 1920, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Pacific Cable Board .notifies that conditions in Canada are now normal. The delay to fully-paid traffic to the United Kingdom is about five hours; from the United Kingdom, seven hours. Canadian lines are practically clear. Suva has a block of American and deferred traffic, the latter showing' a delay of eight days. The Dunedin proposal to raise a loan of £162,000 for augmentation of the city water supply by bringing in the Lee stream, was defeated by 2472 votes to 794. Over 12,000 persons were eligible to vote.

Mention of the effort being made to send a New Zealand team to the Olympiad was made by Mr. B. Keesing at last night's meeting of the Tennis Club. Mr. A. G. Henderson assured -Mr. Keesing that the movement ■would have the heartiest support of tennis playera.

By a recent change in the incidence of taxation, landowners must pay landtax irrespective of the amount of mortfages. For instance, £50 deposit on a 110,000 land deal compels the purchaser to pay the whole of the land-tax involved Intending purchasers are warned by the Manawatu Times to take this factor into account in the transaction.

Red deer are reported to be fairly numerous in the Paraparaumu district this season. Mr. C. H. Bould, of Levin, reports the Chronicle, states that there are more red h,inds to. be seen just now than has been the case for four or five seasons past. The presence^of the hinds means that equally large numbers of bucks are in the vicinity, andl sport should be good' at the opening on the Ist of April.

As an indication of the acuteness of the paper shortage in America, a Wanganui bookseller and stationer yesterday showed a reporter a circular letter received' from a, big firm of news-agents, announcing that quite a number of American monthlies were publishing only once every two months, whilst several, including the Ladies' Home Journal and the Saturday Evening Post, had been entirely cut off from Australian circulation.

While the North of Auckland was being flooded with torrential rains, doing great damage and., causing loss of life, Hawkes Bay was much benefited by the fall which continued over the week-end. The district suffered a- good deal through the spring and summer, from drought, and the outlook for winter feed wa-s not too bright. Now, however, the countryside has been substantially refreshed, and the pasture should come away in- fine condition.

. For shooting competition purposes the Wellington companies of the N.Z. Post and Telegraph Engineers have been divi-. ded into three grades, A, B, and C, and the numerous troplftes donated have been allocated to the respective grades. The grade competitions will be one match for each grade conforming to four practices of the 1919-20 musketry course. In addition the championship belt will be decided on the aggregate obtained in the four matches, together with the firing of a) further five rounds an<l one optional sighter at 500 yards. Only the leading twenty in the grade matches will be eligible to compete for the championship, and the belt wiH be .held by the winner until the nest annual competition. The present holder of the belt is Lieut. G. B. Williamson. A teams matcn competi-' tion, "The Waters Cup Fire Fight," eligible to teams of five a-side from company sections, including teams from the 107 th P. and T. Cadet Company, has also been arranged for. ■ . Mr. D. Souter, chief clerk in the Mental Hospital Department, after thirty years' service, has retired, and is succeeded by Mr. J. Russell, who has forty years' service to his credit. Yesterday afternoon Mr. Souter was farewelled by the members of the staff- ab Government Buildings, and wa.* reminded of the fact that, during his long period of service (during which time ho had been chief clerk for twenty-eight years) he had earned the regard and; esteem, not only of his associates in the Department, but of Ministerial heads and the very many people with whom his duties had brought him in contact. Eeference was also mad© to the great growth of the Department since Mr. Souter first became associated with it. On behalf of the staff,' Dr. F. Hay, In-spector-General of Mental Hospitals, presented Mr. Souter with two Morris chairs, one for himself, and one for his wife, and paid a high tribute to the excellent work done by Mr. Souter, and to the fact that he had continued in the service of the Department during the war period until those members who had gone on active service' had re- 1 turned. Mr. Souter intends to take up his residence in Christchurch.

Court proceedings are usually marked with a gravity of mien and anything but a huraoroUiS spirt, but a prosecution made by the police at the Magistrate's Court yesterday afternoon against Henry Westgate, manager of the Empress Theate, for permitting an occurence which resulted in a blockage of the traffic in the footpath in Willis-street, had its decidedly bright moments. Some few days ago, while the picture "The Man From Kangaroo " wa-s being screen, ed at the theare, the management arranged a decoration of alleged Australian foliage at the entrance, and also placed on view a cage containing parrots of true Australian parentage. 1 The police held that the birds proved such a, draw that the footpath was badly blocked, but Mr. G. G. G. Watson, who appeared for the defendant, and the witnesses called by him, said that.the.picture was the draw and that the people who blocked the footpath were endeavouring to gain admission to the theatre. "As a matter of fact," said one of the witnesses, "the only time-that the birds could be seen was when they were flying about, and by that time they were all very soundly asleep. as they should have been." Other witnesses stated that permission was specially obtained from the City Council for the placing of the decorations and birds in the entrance, and as a big crowd was expected on the Saturday night in question a request was made to the police for assistance in the handling of the people. Mr. B. D. Hanlon and Captain Hennah, J.P.s, who presided, said that it seemed to them that the birds were not the attraction the police considered they were—the picture was the draw—and they therefore dismissed the information.

Brigadier-General G. S. Richardson, General Officer in Charge of Administration, who has been indisposed for some time past, is now convalescent, and is expected to resume his duties after Easter.

The third course of instruction for members of the New Zealand Staff Corps and Permanent Staff and candidates for same, which has been in progress since the beginning of the year, concluded yesterday.

The out-patients department of the Wellington Hospital will be closed on Friday, Monday, and Tuesday next, 2nd, "sth, and 6th April (Easter holidays). Urgent cases will be treated at Main Hospital.

A young man named Joseph Lewis Alfred was charged at the Magistrate's Court this morning with having, on 13th March, conspired with another to defraud Patrick Sarsfield Ford of a sum <of £200, but •on the application of Chief-Detective Ward Mr. B. Page, S.M., remanded the accused to appear again next Wednesday. The new Defence scheme, states Sir James Allen, has already been drawn, up in fairly complete detail, and will probably bs made public when Cabinet has fully approved it. Asked by an Auckland reporter whether the scheme iwould be embodied in a Bill and submitted to Parliament next session,, the Minister said that he was unable to make a definite statement, but it was possible that special legislation. would not be necessary.

Electrical illuminations in the city during the visit of the Prince of Wales will; be permitted, providing that no building is illuminated beyond its ordinary kilowatt allowance. That is to say any firm may decide to transfer aD its lights inside the building to the outside, providing that interior lights are kept switched- off. The power station is running too close to its capacity to permit of any large increase in the demand upon its resources. Illuminations will not be permitted before 6.30 p.m. Only a jew applications for illuminations have been received so far.

By-law cases were considered by Captain Hennah and Mr. E. D. Hanlon, J.P.s, at the Magistrate's Court yesterday afternoon. For speeding in Riddi-ford-street, a motor cycle rider, James Taylor, was fined 40s on each of two charges, and a similar offence on the Hutt-road cost a car driver, Guy Johnston, £3. Johnston wae also fined £3 for having driven on the wrong side of the road. Ernest Moore was convicted and ordered to pay 7s costs on a charge of having failed to have a proper tail light on his car. Thomas Hitch; cock was fined ss, and 13s costs, for' having allowed a horse to wander.

The Commonwealth Treasury ha 6 decided io reduce very considerably the quantity of gold coinage whicn passengers from the Commonwealth will ~be allowed to take with them to Eastern countries. In future Europeans travelling from Australia- to Japan, India, and the East will not be permitted to take with them more than £15 in gaid, instead of £30 as hitherto; while passengers for other countries will not bo allowed to take with "them -more than £25 in gold. Formerly, the- i^axiniuni, was £50. Tn the case of Hindus,,"Japanese, and Chinese travellers^ • the-:amount at gold coin which, they can take away from'the Commonwealth has been Jirited to £10. • • '

That the public is once again taking an interest in swimming was proved on the occasion of the recent carnival at Wellington, and the Wellington Centre, thus encouraged, has decided to hold another gathering, this time in the Tepid Baths, Tasman-street. The centre will again act in conjunction with the Royal I/ife Saving Society and the Wellington. Surf ■ Association. Among the contest^ to be decided will be the Wellington provincial school boys' and schooi girls' championships, -under the direction of the New Zealand Council, the Royal Life-Saving Societies' competitions for the Schools Shield Life-Saving Championship, and the Coltman Cup school girls' relay race. It has also been decided to reswim the 100 yards junior New Zealand championship, owing to an appeal having been upheld by the New Zealand Swimming Council.

Preparatory to taking up the portfolio of Minister for' Education, Mr. C. J. Parr is continuing his inspection of the schools of the Dominion. To-day he is visiting primary schools in Wellington. in company with Dr. A. K. Newman. M.P., and Mr. T. Forsyth (chairman of the- Education Board). In the course of some remarks yesterday upon things he had observed, Mr. Parr said that the Wellington Girls.' High Scht>ol was overcrowded, as a result of which 200 girls had to be'taught in temporary, overflow buildings. It had been decided that a subsidiary Girls' High School should be erected in the eastern suburbs, and the High School Bos<"d was at present endeavouring to find a-suitable site. The most favoured, locality was a high knoll at the back of the general hospital; but though in situation this was an excellent place there wero against it the facts that it abutted on the present newf Infectious Diseases Hospital and consumptive ward, and that it would be required by the hospital authorities eventually for hospital extension purposes. These, objections Mr. Parr considered insuperable, and he had asked the High School Board to nominate another site without delay.

Can a bone setter of proved reputation b« officially "recognised" by professional medical men? For years the doctors of the British Medical Association have fought strenuously against the idea of granting professional status to any such exponent of this kind of manipulative -curative work. A few weeks ago it was pointed out in an article in the Melbourne Age that 300 members of the House of Commons had signed a petition to the. medical faculty, urging that professional recognition should be given to Mr. H. A. Barker, who for the past twenty years has enjoyed an international reputation as a bone setter, and throughout this period has been the subject of much fierce controversy, owing to the refusal of the British Medical Association, to admit him in any way to the professional ranks. English mails recently to hand give some interesting details of this petition, in which a point is made of the fact that Mr. Barker was tha means of removing the disabilities of many men whose services would otherwise have heen lost to the nation during the war. It is suggested that the case is ons for favourable consideration, in view of the services Mr. Barker has. rendered to science through a "long period ol opposition, contumely, and persecution." All sections of the House of Commons were represented among the signatories, those on the legal side including the Lord Chancellor, Sir Edward Carson, liord Cave, and others; while among the Labour members who signed the petition wero Mr. J. H. Thomas, Mr. J. B. Clynes, Mr. Havelock Wilson, and Mr. Will Crooks.