LOCAL AND GENERAL

Evening Post, Volume CI, Issue 51, 1 March 1921, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

A call has been sent out by Mr. G.W. Forbes, Senior Whip of the Liberal Party, for a caucus of the party to be held in Wellington prior to the sitting of Parliament, when several important matters will be discussed. ;

In an article published^ yesterday's Post criticising recent jury trials, reference was made to the Scottish preoedent of a two-thirds majority. A correspondent point* out that the Scottish raw provides for a verdict by eight man out of a jury of fifteen, not eight out of twelve. In addition there is the safeguard of a "Not Proven" verdict. If there is an element of doubt this verdict is returned, and the accused person is liable to be re-tried if the police arß in a position to supply the missing link in the chain of evidence. "The Scottish law," adds the correspondent, "provides a thoroughly satisfactory safeguard. If a man secures an acquittal by % a majority of one, it can be depended upon that hie reputation is vindicated, because if there was the slightest element of doubt the second verdict of 'Not Proven' would have been returned. Now Zealand will require to overhaul its system, and Parliament would be doing a use.ful service by reviewing the matter." v*

. The necessary' papers in connection with the opening of a magisterial inquiry into the case of Mr. H. H. Thompson, arising out of a court-martial, have been forwarded to the Governor-General for execution, and it is anticipated that the usual notification will be published in the Gazette in the near future. Mr. Thompson's case has been before^ the public for a considerable time, the last occasion being during last session of Parliament, when he petitioned for compensation for alleged wrongful imprisonment by the military authorities, to have fhis name and the offenc* with which he was charged expunged from the military records, and to have the fact announced in the Gazette. The offence for which he was ordered 112 days' confinement was an allegation that a doctor who examined him was noticeably under the influence of alcoholic liquor. Subsequently the doctor's wife secured a divorce on the ground that her husband was an habitual drunkard. Mr.' Thompson was released after 93 days,- and last session the House of Representatives adopted the recommendation of the Petitions Committee that his petition should receive favourable consideration. To .enable the finding of the court-martial to b<> inquired into, it was necessary to amend the Commissions of Inquiry Act. This was done, and the outcome is the taking of the steps for a magisterial inquiry.

Commander A. G. Hotham, of H.M.S. Chatham, padd an official visit ito the •Mayor this morning, and was introdiuoed to several of the members of the City Council, who had an interesting convoraation with him. Mr. Luke will return the call officially to-morrow. The Mayor has arranged that during the present- visit of the Chatham the men will be at liberty to use the trams with- v out charge.

Of parrot stories there are many. The latest, cabled to the Sydney Sun last week by its London representative, is as follows:—"The second mate of the Austi'alglen, which is sailing to-morrow,' i 8 Middled with Ihe fearsome responsibility oil restoring to. the owner Australia's champion swearing parrot, which the crew purloined from a public-lwuse during their last visit to Port Augusta and itowcd hi tho bunkers. Mr. Larkin (manager in England for the Commonwealth steamers) took the bird from the »hip osi: arrival in England, in response to urgent cab!o3 from Australia. Since then he has been burdened with the difficulty of finding house room for the bird, whose language is too shocking for anyone to tolerate. \He tried the Zoo, but tho authorities refused to permit the contamination' of the bird's fellow-parrots, And Mr. Larkin, who is au enthusiastic golfer, despairingly palmed off the parrot on to the golf links caretaker, who.handed it back the following morning, because even the golfers complained of its language. The muyiirt m*t« !i<t# b««n o*d«?s« p««ott*Uy to 4tUv»r tht pjjTot to it* honu,"

In a sermon at Ail Saints' Church, Palmerston North, on, Sunday evening, the Eev. H.G. BJnckburne (states The Poet's correspondent) strongly criticised the playing of games on Good Friday. He said that the-Returned Soldiers' Association had insisted vary strongly on Anzac Day Deing set apart as a solemn day, but, during the last 20 years or so Good .Friday had been gradually changed from a- "holy" day to a "holiday."

The serious slump in the price of moa-t was referred to by Mr. W. J. Poison, Wellington provincial president of the Fanners' Union, at a meeting. of the Fordell branch of the Farmers' Union last evening, whom it was resolved that the Government be asked to confer with, the freezing companies of New Zealand, with a view to some arrangement being made, by which the meat chall be held in New Zealand until the whole of the Imperial meat shall have betsn shipped and, the Congestion at the Einglish end removed.

The Saturday half-holiday seems to have become increasingly popular in New Zealand. A return prepaxed for the Minister of Internal Affairs shows that during the current year 31 local authorities have adopted the Saturday halfholiday, bringing the total to 85. Prior to 1915 only 15 districts had Saturday afternoon as their half-holiday; in 1915 four more adopted it; 1916, "one; 1917, six; 1918, four; 1919, nine; and 1920, fifteen. ■ The return also shows that fifteen districts, after having adopted the Saturday half-holiday, reverted to # Wednesday or some other day.

Of all people one would least expect a constable to stoop^ to petty theft; and, fortunately, few such cases are on record, yesterday afternoon, however, Lisle Douglas Marshall, for the past 14 months stationed at the * Mount Cook Station, pleaded guilty at the Magistrate's Court to a charge of having stolen 22s 6d, the property of the Station Social Club Fund. Chief-Detective Ward stated that .Marshall had handed in 'his resignation from the force on 15th February, to take effect from yesterday, but on 21st February, Constable Dougherty, with whom accused shared a room, found that the money had disappeared from a tin box kept in the room. When taxed with the theft, Marshall admitted his guilt. The Magistrate, Mr. F. K. Hunt, sent the man to gaol for fourteen days, and ordered him to refund the money. The Australian and New Zealand Commissioners for Nauru (Messrs. Pope ami Ellis respectively) have returned to Australia from Colombo, and are preparing to set up a permanent office which will probably be established in Melbourne. Mr. Dickenson, the representative of th? British Government on the Commission, has not yet. reached Australia, but finally the- whojle of the work of the island will be directed from the Commonwealth. Mr; Pope states to the Melbourne Age that under the joint direction of the three Governments work on. ,the phosphate deposits is proceeding smoothly, and the output is gradually being increased, a record having been established in January. An ample supply is expected to reach Australia for. the forthcoming season.

The provision of pictures for the rooms I of. the Technical College has recently been receiving the attention of the Board of Governor^, and in his report to last night's meeting the Director (Mr. J. H. Howell) stated that fine reproductions of the panels in the British Houses of Parliament have been purchased and hung in the class rooms. "A further step in the direction of beautifying the rooms has been taken by the pupils themselves, who have' formed a flower guild, the members of which undertake to supply each of the roomr regularly ■with flowers. This has been thoroughly and effectively carried out. and I hope the effort may lead to the adoption of a wider scheme by which the improvement of the school and of its surround--ings shall be undertaken as far as may be possible by the pupils thernselvess. A school with a successful and enthusiastic • art department should presont great possibilities in this direction."

On Friday aftenoon last the students from the classes m boot-repairing and carpentry respectively under the vocational training scheme at the Military Hospital, Trenthain, carried out two interesting and instructive tours to-works of interest in the city. The former class visited the Equity Boot Company's factory'in Ingestre-street, on arrival being j received by Mr. Moveby, the manager, who conducted it over the works, explaining fully whilst so doing the processes by. which the leather is transformed through the agency of modern'! mechanical devices into present-day footwear. Students from the carpentry class, by the courteey of Messrs. Scoullar and Company's management, apent the afternoon in being shown over the firm's bedding and furniture factory in Walterstreet. The men thoroughly enjoyed the visit, which wa» made interesting and instructive through the courtesy of the factory manager.

The scheme for the grading and payment of teachers and the staffing of technical schools, which was gazetted in December last, marks the most important change since the institution of technical education in New Zealand, and there can be no doubt that it is a great advance and will.tend to promote its interests further," stated Mr. J. H. Howell (Director) in his report to the Technical Education Board last evening. "The change has been accompanied by some compromises between what is efficient and what is cheap, and the additional expense involved in providing less inadequate salaries for the teachers has been lessened by increasing their hours a week and the size of the classes—both most undesirable innovations. . Education, is the essential service of the State, and if efficiency has to be sacrificed in any of tho State services then education should be v the last where it is so jacrificed. There is no demand by the people of New Zealand that our education system should suffer for lack of necessary funds. It is true, that the nominal expenditure oil education ,has , largely grown, but relative to the decreased value of. money there has been little or no increase, allowance being made for the takjng in hand of necessary works postponed during the war."

In .view of the cablegram published recently to the effect that Great Britain, France, and Belgium would probably not ■be represented at the forthcoming meeting of the International Red Cross Committee at Geneva., on the ground of the committee's indifference to German outrages of Red Cross formations, and the absence of a protest concerning the execution of Nurse Cavell, it has been explained that the International Committee of the Red Cross is entirely separate from the League of Red Cross Societies, which has recently been formed. The International Committee of the Red Cross was founded in 1863, with a view to coordinating the action of Red Cross societies in time of war, and in its constitution is purely a Genevese institution. Its existence has been confirmed by successive Red Cross conferences, and it has been charged with the dissemination of the decisions of these conferences regarding the regulations governing the action of the Red Cross in war. The determined neutrality of Switzerland, and particularly of Geneva, renders the committee a very useful one for dealing with war institutions, but it has not the same facilities for a campaign of hygiene and Red Cross organisation as arc at the disposal of the League. The International Committee of the Red Cross is essentially concerned with war conditions, the ttfgtio of Rod Cm* Societies with j)Mce.

Salmon fishing has apparently provided good sport in the South this st^son. '.this morning the Leader' of the' Opposition (Mr T; M. Wilted) received a 141b fish titken from the YVaitaki River.

On boiird the American steamer Broxton on Friday, at Port Chalmers, a greaser had a narrow escape from serious injury, reports the Otago Daily Times. Accidentally dfawn into contact with a cargo winch, his wearing apparel was torn off by the revolving wheels. It took place in a matter of seconds. When the machinery was stopped he walked away, clad in his boots and socks only, and the injuries he had sustained appeared to be limited to a bruise on one of his sides.

The threepenny piece in church collections has become a byword, and an instance occurred recently of church officials giving a strong hint to worshippers that this coin had a diminished—and still diminishing—purchasing power. From time to time a strange miscellany has found its way into church collection bags, including buttons, pieces of chocolate, and various articles of small intrinsic value. Probably the most unique collection in modern times was taken up on a recent Saturday in Melbourne by the Seventh Day Adventists for foreign mission purposes. In addition to the pledging of £1025, the collection included six gold' rings—some set with. ' precious stones—a pair of earrings, three gold bangles, and several gold brooches.

Two samples of a new type of baton have been submitted to the Victorian Police Department for trial by the uniformed and plain clothes members of the force. The baton, which is of loaded rubber, is much smaller than the wooden baton now in use, but it is claimed to be equally effective and more easily carried. At present it is not customary for the plain clothe- police to carry batons, but as the rubber weapons are only 14 inches long and li inches thick they could bo carried without discomfort in an ordinary pocket, and for that reason the plain clothes constables may adopt them.. The matter is still at the trial stage, however, and no recommendations have yet been made. . i

Further 1 warnings have reached, the Federal Government from Mr. Sheldon, the Australian Trade Commissioner in America, of the folly of young Australians going to America in search of fortune unless they have definite prospects. Like those who fall upon bad times in England, Australians who go to America and find it impossible to obtain work have little hesitation in appealing to the Government lib help them, though there is no sane reason why the, public should be penalised. Mr. Sheldon, in a message to the Department of Home and Territories, states that several cases have come under his notice in New York recently. Some of the men were ex-sol-diers, and all were absolutely without funds. He waß able to secure some of them passages to Australia as seamen. The burden of his warning is that it is exceedingly difficult at present to obtain work in New York or any of the other big American cities.

' "I had hoped to have done a good deal this year to overtake the shortage of accommodation, and repair the neglect of past years,' ■ said the Minister of Education yesterday, "but it lookfi as if .this will not be possible. I have had to tell people in the South Island that ex; cept where there is grave overcrowding, with serious prejudice to the health of the children, new • buildings are not likely to. be erected at present. In somo cases we may have to make shift with temporary and rented buildings. A certnin amount of building must proceed oven in bad times. The ordinary growth of the school population requires this. But in view of the financial position I suppose that even education will have to go very carefully this year. I hope that Cabinet and Parliament will agree that a certain amount of biiilding must proceed. One consoling feature of the delay is that in six months or twelve months' time building will he cheaper than it is now, and so the Education Department and the boards will get bet-ter-value for the money spent.

In connection with high price of building in the Wellington district, Councillor Tovey, at the Petone Borough Council meeting at Petone last evening, quoted the following' extract from a Northern paper showing what could be done in the way of erecting cheaper houses:—"Several houses have „ been built for. soldier Kttters on the Hauraki Plains at prices far. below the ruling rates. Mr. C. F. Bennett stated that he had seen a well-built cottage of four rooms and ?. kitchenette, tiathrobm, and pantry which had been erected and finished for £530. The outside dimensions of the struct-ire were, as far as he could remember, 31ft by 26ft. The timber ■used was heart and rough heart of rimu and totara, the kitchenette was matchlined, and the roof was of English iron. The timber had been secured in the North at. a cost to the soldier^ of 31s per hundred. Mr Bennett added that even at this cheap cost of building the soldiers had difficulty in getting comfortable homes, seeinsr that the total advance for all buildings on a faTm was £350. Cheap fencing was being obtained by these settlers, the Government fretting it done on a wholesale basis for xibont £1 a chain."

Ther* are indications (states The Post's American -correspondent) that- Irish propaganda in the United States is being overdone. Mr. Harry Bolatid, secretary to " President " de Vnlera, has been saying things at a meeting in New York, which have upset the editor of the New York Nation, who in hie paper issued 19tb January says: "It is perfectly plain to anyone who knows the American temperament that nothing could be worse for Ireland's cause in America than the giving of advice such asMr. Boland's. Any attempt to carry on the struggle by force here can only react most unfavourably and deprive the Sinn Feiners of most of the American sympathy they now have. It will take only a few more Union Club incidents to do this. The hope of Ireland lies in convincing the world of the justice of her cause and the use of peacable means only to obtain it. England is daily showing that she can beat tiie Irish at their own game of reprisals. . . . Yet every such act as the killing of fifteen British officers at Dublin reacts terribly upon the Irish cause, however great the provocation, and however unfair that may seem to the Irish. America, we believe, ' will respond to the legitimate Irish demand for self-determination, but not if the idea spreads that its proponents in America seek to em-broil the United States and Great Britain in order to have their way. The American people intend to have peace with England." The Nation has been very active in ita support of the Sinn Feiners, even going so far as to set up a commission on conditions in Ireland, most' of the members of which were known to hold unfriendly feelings towards Great 'Britain. This commission has bsen responsible for the visit of a number of Irish separatists to Washington 'as witnesses, among them being the present Lord Mayor of Cork, whose entry into the States as a stowaway has caused ■# difference of opinion between two of the State Departments. The British Government has declined to allow n deputation from this- commission, to visit Ireland.

It is understood that the bakers in Manawatu intend at an early date to inaugurate the cash-on-deliv«ry »cheme for the sale of bread.

A queue formed at S o'clock in the morning at Edinburgh, on Monday of last week, despite the extremely cold Weather, to purchase reserved tickets for the Rugby international match between England and Scotland ob 13th March. Thousands were turned awaj\ one and a-half hours later, being una.ble to securetickets.

The Post's Palmers-ton North correspondent states :—Mr. T. Liddell, of Messrs.- Baixaud and Abraham's staff, has been transferred from Palmerston North to Te Kuiti, where he will take over the duties of accountant. Mr. Liddell has been prominent in athletic activities here, and his departure is greatly regretted.

The fortnightly meeting of the Pekvne Borough Council was held last evening. Present: Mr. J. W. M'Ewan (Mayor), and Councillors C. P. Brockelbank, J. L. Churchouse, J. Kyle, WiUiara Hay, A. -Anderson, D. S. Bedingfield,' 6. Cook, and E. Tovey. Mr. E. P. Bunny applied on behalf of a client for the lease of a strip of land, owned by the council, in the vicinity of the mouth of the Koro Koro stream. It was decided to hold over consideration of the matter until councillors had. an opportunity of viewing the locality. Formal authority was granted for the renewal of a loan of £1500 on the municipal miUdiuga. The Saritary Inspector was authorised to report on structural alterations necessary to make insanitary dwellings habitr able, and also to charge from 3s to ssper room for fumigation. »

Reporting to the Technical Education Board last evening, the Standing Committee stated that it had received a. report from the Director, and recommended that the. Education Department be approached with a view to securing the following modifications of the. new regulations regarding grants and staffing :— (a) That the allowance for incidental expenses be r»ised#from 26 per cent, to 30 per cent. ; (b) that in view of the large number of science and practical classes, the average number of pupils per teacher should.be 25 instead of 28; (o) that in technical high schools as in mixed secondary schools the senior mistress should receive definite status and special remuneration ; (d) that the department be asked to assume responsibility for the insurance of buildings. The committee's report was.adopted.

The kerosene lamp as a social influence has probably cot been much studied since it took its pnee proud place as the chief illuminant in the home, to bo deposed by ga* and electricity. It reigns supreme still in Samoa, and 'Professor Marsden regards it as, to some eitent, a brake on the wheels of progress. He. anticipates an early and extensive use of hydro-electric power, which will abolish the kerosene lamp. The mo?t important result will be that, with the added comfort of fans, one will be ablo to read or work at night. This, he soys, is now practically impossible, owing to the heat of the ordinarj lamp. The result is that people find their everaiurs empty, and rush to amusements. This means not onl\ the i loss of the ) work which every community does in the evening hours, but 'results in weariness for the day's work, and 15 to a considerable degree responsible for -Ehe fact.' that white people find the climate trying, and regard the island'as not fit to live'in.