LOCAL AND GENERAL

Evening Post, Volume CI, Issue 48, 25 February 1921, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Charges have been laid by the police against Frederick Johnson and Norman Leslie Stevens of having sold copies of "The Communist Programme of the World Revolution," which documents are considered to encourage violence and lawlessness,' conti'ary to the War Regulations Continuance Act. Walter Nash has been charged with bringing into New Zealand the "ijrogra.!nme,":and a second alleged dangerous document, "To the I.W.W. a. Special Message from the Communist 4 International," which is said to advise and advocate violence. . The charges were mentioned at the Magistrate's Court to-day, but oh the application of the police, Mr. F. K. Hunt, S.M., adjourned the case against Nash till Monday, and the other cases till Friday. '

Tho Government offices throughout New Zealand will be closed' on St. Patrick* Day (17th. March), and for the Easter holidays on Friday and Saturday, 25th and 26th March, and Monday, 28th March.

The prohibition against the exportation of glue and gelatine and goods for the manufacture of the same has been i evoked, as has also the prohibition against the exportation of textile piece goods containing wool and all articles made wholly or partly from wooL

The tarnation of a Cottage Garden Society in Seatoun was urged by Mr. A. W. Parton at last night's, annual meeting of the Progressive Association. If they could develop a spirit of rivalry, and competition artiongfit the members, and. have, occasional lectures and shows, he was sure that the district would reap considerable benefit.

Judgment was reserved by IMr. Justice Hosking to-day in the case' of Elizabeth Miller v. -George William Jenner, a claim for rescission of agreement and return of deposit of £60 in a. transaction for the purchase of the furniture, etc., of an apartment house at Oriental-terrace as a(joing concern. The agreement was made between plaintiff and defendant on 3rd August last, the premises beinsc leasehold. For the plaintiff it was submitted that the agreement was made on the understanding that the lease of the premises should be renewed by the owner for a farther myiod of three years. Sir. C. W. Nielsen appeared for the plaintiff,^ and Mr. A. Fail 1 for the defendant.

"To-day, md lightly, our. vision is focussed on tho future," said the Rev. W. Grlgg, President of. the Methodist Conference, during his addr-ess last evening. "But all that has recently happened does not belong to the dead past. Much'of it is of the living present, and must influence the immediate future. Of most, hopeful .significance vas the visit of the Prince of Wales to our Dominion nnd tljq other overseas Dominions of the E/npire. The occasion in 'New' Zealand, ns elsewhere, was marked by the rtu'st spontaneous and -incere expressions of loyalty. Through the Presid-ent an address of welcome and "devotion was presented in your name. We rejoice, that the i noble Prince who stands next the Throne has been so richly dowered with tna.nly and primely qualities of mind and heart. May ever as now, our Throne be 'Broad-based upon a people's will, aiid ci>ini.jass''l by the inviolate sea,' above all., secure upon,; the rock foundation of the will and the word of God."

Nine hundred and ninety-nine persons out of a. thousand look upon thefts from a "church as heinous crimes, indeed, as unthinkable as thefts from a cemetery, but apparently Joseph Kersley, an elderly man, is the odd man among the thousand) and has no such qualms. In November last he was convicted of theft from St. Ann's Church, Newtowfl, aiid this morning pleaded guilty at the Magistrate's Coilrt to charges of stealing-a-table, chairs, an/1 vaaes, Valued in all at £2 15s, front St. Joseph's Church, Boulcbtt-street. Complaints were made to the police of the disappearance of articles from the church, and yesterday afternoon a Constable hid himself away in the church, and shortly afterwards saw Kersley walk Up to the altar, remove sbnie flowers from two vases, and start out of the church with the two vases under his coat. The man had an excuse, certainly—drink. "Very, well." answered the Magistrate, Mr. F. K. Hunt, " you are ffoin? to a place where you will set no liquor for one mouth."

Tho sum' of 11s has be«n forwarded to the Railway Department as "conscience money." 11l the same way the sum of £2 has bean forwarded' to the Collector of Customs, at Auokland.

A Gazette notice states that postal correspondence with- H. Frisenette, Nygada, Copenhagen, Denmark, is prohibited.

At the conference of the Society of Civil Engineers in Christchurch. it was decider! that the next conference be held in Wellington. JMr. V. W. Mac Lean was inducted as president. Members of the society are to visit the Otira Tunnel today, and Lake Coleridge to-morrow.

Letters warmly commending the Wellington Hospital staff, from parents of children recently treated in the Hospital, were read at yesterday's meeting of the Hospital Board. The members expressed pleasure at hearing the letters read, and it was remarked that they were a pleasant antidote to the complaints in which some people found their best expressions of gratitude.

Further mention was made at the Magistrate's Court to-day of the charges of breaches of the. Gaming Act laid by the police against Matthew Livingstone, but on the application of the Chief-Detective, the cases arising out of the alleged issuing of "double cards" on. six occasions, were held over till Friday. An allegation that -Livingstone, a person absolutely excluded from the Hutt racecourse, trespassed thereon during the recent trotting meeting, will also be inquired into on' Friday.

Mr. Charles W. Cooke, whose death occurred at Cta'stchurch at the age of sixty-three years,, was for somes time Deputy-Official Assignee in Bankruptcy, and agent" for the" Public Trustee, in Oama.ru, after which h« was appointed agent of the Public Trust Office and representative of other Stato offices in. Oreymouth, but ill-health compelled' him to retire, and he then went to reside in Christchurch. He -was keenly interested iii out-door sports, being a cricketer, bowler, and tennis player. He is survived by his second wife, a sister of the late Hon. George Jones,' M.L.C.

Says yesterday's Lyttelton Times: — "Two ladies, representing the Imperial Government, la-st year -toured New Zealand to pave the way for an extensive immigration of women land-workers and domestic servants. The delegates were well received, and their visit obtained considerable publicity. Farmers' Unions and similar organisations met the delegates and assured them of co-operation, but so far the result has been disappointing, it being stated at yesterday's meeting of the North Canter-bury Farmers' Union executive that only one woman immigrant had been secured for Canterbury under the scheme outlined. The Department of - Immigration had been written to, but had replied that it had 'no further information to impart meanwhile." •

Mr. John Fraser, a well-known Southland farmer, who has just returned from a trip to. Great Britain and the United States, referred, in the course of on interview with the Invercargill correspondent of the Ota-go Daily Times, to the high' prices that stock is bringing in the;" Old Country. Mr. Fraser states that British farmers .ire ■ oti an' exceptionally good wicket, those with, leasehold tenures finding that their rents have not been "raised to an extent in any way commensurate with tile inflated prices at which they sell their produce. Although a number of farmers were buying in their properties under the rent purchase system, this was not looked on generally with favour, owing to the .hea,vy tax on freeholds. Land, he says, is much cheaper in England than in New Zealand. Fat cattle were-bringing £60 and £70 per head, while ordinary twotooth wethers change hands at £*6 and £7. . ...

Spealting at tho 'Methodist Conference last .evening of social and. economic con-' ditions and unrest, the President (Rev. W. Grigg) said: "We are thankful to have passed as safely as "we have'done through a. second, year of post-war difficulties and pßtils. But we are not out of tho wood yet. What we supremely need, and*by the help of God innst have, is the application of the principles'of the Jftsw Testament to all our social and economic relations, whether We be handworkers, bvain-v.orkers, or capitalists. While greed And selfishness predominate in employee or employer, we shall have the immoral practice of 'grab.' It i 3 only as the porson-d and social justice of the prophets, and of Christ and His evangelists and apostles, enlighten the general conscience, t-liiit We shall have the peace, and prosperity of the people of good-will. In. the meantime, those who have to work the hardest, and live and faro the hardest, will ajways have a good hearing from the Church of J«sus Christ." -

People in Otr.go are probably not fully aware what a wonderful asset the provjiice has in the Rev. Dr. Cameron, Chancellor of the Otago University (says the Otago Daily Times). It falls to the lot of the reverend gentleman to approach the Govei'li.tii-ent, in season and out of season, to obtain mo»etn,ry grants for the Medical School, arid for other branches of the .University activities. Hip efforts are. crowned . with success where other applicants with leas peitinacity and cotirteOUsness would fail. Ths Hon. O. J. Parr (Minister of Education) has a wholehearted admiration for Dv. Caftierton's perseverance. He con' aiders, hdwevet 1; that his Usefulness is to some extent restricted in NeW Zealand. MrVPafr holds that Dr. Oamaron should be invested by the British Govemmeiiit with the oiietous task of s&uirng the war indemnity horn. Gei'^ many. Hft is sitre he would be successful.

The wheat yields throughout North Canterbury a* said to be beyond eai-lior anticipation. At laet- meeting; of .the executive of the 'Farmers' Union, Mr. J.liillholand (Din-field) said that in his district the yi-eld \VB.g quite 10 per oent. better than anticipated. Mr. Sheab (Dunsandel) said the wheat in liis district waa threshing beyond .expectations, and he estimated an average' of 29 bushels per aci'e. little damage ' had bEen don© to crops in view <S* the> amount of rain experienced. Some yields had been up to 43 and 50, and on the other hand some had been as .low as 10 bushels: Another speaker said it was well- to mention the low yields, as they often read of a record yield per acre, but little ,of the "low returns. That caused misunderstandings. Judging by the comments of some present at they meeting, farmers are expecting lower prices for wheat.

The annual conference of the Nexv Zealand Pharmaceutical Society is to be held this year. in. Christchurch; commencing on Bth 'March. ' The Mayor of Christchurch will preside at the opening function. The Canterbury Division (according to a Christchurch paper) anticipates a large gathering of pharmacists, their wives and daughters, from all parts of the Dominion. Many important matters relating to pharmacy matters generally .are to come up for discussion, the nlost important being the question of a School.of Pharmacy. Opinions are somewhat divided vipon this subject. It is evident that there is a general desire to do the best for students, and as to Whether the best interests will be, served by having a school establishment in Wellington, or that arrangements be made with the universities in the four centres, will bo decided at this conference. The work of organising the conference is in the hands of Mr. L. lfcmnington, who lins undertaken tile duties of organising secretary: Complete arrangements have been made lor entertainment of visitors. A reception and ball will be held in the Choral 'Ha!!, and a motor trip will be taken to Kaiapoi in order to accept-the invitation of the directors of. the. Kaiapoi" Woollen Company to view the mills.

Mr. P. K. Hunt, S.M., is gazetted a "Visiting Justice to the Prisons at Wellington, Point Halswel, and Wi Tako (Trentham).

An old and respected citizen, Mr. B. B. Haybittle, is to-day celebrating his 97th birthday. Hale and. in'full possession.^ his mental faculties, he has been able to meet the many callers and discuss the host of memories which bo great an age -laturally calls up.

A petition for the reprieve of Matthews, the Timaru murderer, who is a native of Invercargill,. is being circulated by the Invercargill branch of the W.C.T.U. It is based on the conditions of his early home life and -hett'edity brought out at the trial. The Mayor has been advised by the Minister of Justice that Cabinet will consider the petition before dealing with the sentence.

Delegates' attending the annual conference of the New Zealand Society of Civil Engineers- passed a vote of sympathy with Mr. E. Cuthbert, engineer to the Christchurch Drainage' Board, in his continued illness. Mr.', Cuthbert has a record of over forty years in his profession.

In June last a warrant was issued by the police for the arrest of a young man named Krietian Henry Jensen on a. charge of having assaulted Harold Charles Williams, so as to cause him actual bodily harm, bufc nothing' was seen of him till he was arrested a. few days ago at Auckland. He was called before Mr. F. K. Hunt, S.M_.,,at the Magistrate's Court this morning, but on the application of Chief Detective Ward he was remanded till Wednesday.

The success of the aerial passenger service is unqualified tin far as Ashburton is concerned. From that centre alone the receipts for fares has approximated £150 in the last three weeks (states the Lytteltcm Times correspondent). Bookings are now .very steady. Nineteen passengers have booked from Ashburton for the present week, the majority making the trit) to Christchurch. Six berths have already been booked for next week's runninjj.

Resorting to the favourite contrast of the totalisator and the bookmaker in his address to the jury in the Patterson bookmaking case to-day, Mr. H. F. O'Leary, for the defence, said the legislation was .uni(|.ue in making gambling an offence in one place and not in another. "There are scores of unique things in the statute-book,*" interposed his Honour the Ohirf Justice, with an intimation that the argument was irrelevant to the case, as the jury had simply to deal with the law as it stood.

When the racegoer, without a. ticket, attempts to gain entrance to the Wingatiii 'station, on the Dunedin-Mosgiel railway, he gets an unpleasant surprise. Mr. W. R. Davidson told the New Zealand Society of Engineers about it in Christchurch on Thursday, to. their intense amusement. Showing a view of the station, he pointed to the entrances, and said : "AVhen someone at a race meeting conies along without a ticket, an 3 presents, himself at one of these gates, the porter say 3. to him, 'This Way, sir!' and shows, him in. You can imagine what lie feefs when he walks in and immediately finds himself out again." (Loud laughter.) Mr. Davidson explained hiw the real entrance to the station was jnat alongside the false. . ■ ,

"It is really pitiful to see so often in an account of an inquest, _ that the broken piece showed a flaw," Projessol R. J. Scott said in an address to the New Zealand Society of Civil Engineers, says tile Lytteltori Times. "This apparently •is considered an equivalent to an act of God and eiids the matter. It is seldom or never decided whether the so-caJJed flstw ie due to faulty maim-' facture or 'progressive ' fracture. .The binocular miscroscope has a- great depth of optical penetration, and an actual fracture can be inspected through it satisfactorily with up to 80 diameters. It was originally introduced by Zeiss for' veinous work, was first used by Hem on fractures, was 6ho\vn by him to me and was taken by nje to England." , ■ * ..

The appointment of women house doctors- to the Wellington Hospital was the subject of a letter read by the Hospital Board yesterday from the National Council of Women, protesting against the alleged refusal of the Medical Superintendent to appoint such officers, and asserting that in' this attitude the Hospital was "behind the times." A reply, it was reported, had been sent denying that the board was hostile to the proposal, but that the absence of suitable accommodation and other cireumstwees at present made the appointment of women house doctors inopportune. The Chairman (Mr. F. Castle) said he did not know how the council had received the impression that the attitude of the board whs hostile; the fact, that it was unable to make the suggested appointments did not justify such an inference.

Occasion was taken: at ■ the \V«llesley College yesterday afternoon to farewell Mr. W..T. Foster, M.A., who has resigned h.is position as principal of ill 6 college to lake up lan apponlbtiieiit as French master- at the Auckland Grammar School. On behalf of the members of the staff the old boys and present pupils,, the proprietor- ("Atf. IL AriuK) hapded to Mr. Foster a. solid leather suit case, a eai>& of pipes, and ii.silver cigarette ctes, as tokens of •esteem and g-oodwii). In doing so, Mr. Amos said that all were very sorry, indeed to lose Mr. Foster* but had to congratulate him, upon his appointment to the largest secondary schdol in the Dominion. Mr. Foster joined the college five years ago, when the roll number was about -fifty boys. It was now 150. This wits oils of the finest'testimonial." to Mr< Foster's work. The college, had been very ft>rtuiiato in securing the services of Mr. Foster as principal and ; teacher of languages. He carried with, him the very best \Viiibes for still further success. Mr.' Atkineon would succeed Mr. Foster as principal of the college, and would, assisted by a. new master of languages and Science, Mr. M. C:. GudpS, M.A., M.Sc., _ who had a. distinguished academic and teaching careers Mr. Foster suitably replied.

Mr. J. Glovei-j who returned by the Athenic from a visit to England, rssiitn«d his Seat at the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board yesterday, and was warmly welcomed by the members.