LOCAL AND GENERAL

Evening Post, Volume CI, Issue 66, 18 March 1921, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Hearing of the action brought by a number of shareholders in the Dominion Portland Cement Co., in liquidation, against certain directors, wag concluded before Mr. Justice Sim in the Supreme Court at Auckland yesterday. The sum of £19,000 was claimed for alleged misfeasance. Counsel concluded their addresses, in the course of which iigal authorities were quoted. The Court reserved decision.

The question of house-building is cna that has been, and is still, occupying the attention of inventors. Mr J ODea recently submitted a scheme of his for the building of concrete houses to the Building Trades' Federation of Victoria, and has just received a tetter from that body, wishing him, every success.

A petition is being circulated, and will be presented at the meeting of the Oity Council thia evening, asking that Durham-street and Mortimer-terrace (off Aro-street) should be linked up with a, public thoroughfare. It is considered that this will be of great benefit to residents in the locality

Sitting in Chambers at the Supreme Court to-day, the Chief Justice (Sir Robert Stout) made an order for a decree absolute, in the divorce case, Morris Roche (Mr. P. J. Q'Btfgan) v Ettie Roche. An order, for a decree nisi wa6 made on 11th November on the ground of desertion. His Honour ordered that the petitioner should have the oustody of the youngest and eldest children, and the respondent the custody of tha daughter of the marriage.

Improvement of all the secondary streets and roads in "the Wellington city area is likely to result from the operations of' the new tar-sprayer for surfacing macadam thoroughfares. The machine, ordered some time ago by the C% Council, is understood to be on board the Corinthic. Economies in road maintenance and wear and tear of vehicles, and the dust nuisance on windy days, are anticipated from the operations of the tar-sprayer.

Answers to the resolution of the Executive of the Bible in State Schools League requesting opinions from associated religious bodies are being received by the .Rev. R. Wood, acting-secretary. • The Auckland Presbytery has appointed a committee to, consider the question. The Salvation Army attitude is as follows: "As far as the Salvation" Army is concerned, we are not at all anxious regarding the point as to whether the ministers are to have access to the schools for the purpose of teaching the Bible, but strongly contend that it should be one of the school books, and added to the curriculum, all children being examined on it as on other subjects. There should be no expounding of the Scriptures or doctrinal teaching incorporated. Our attitude would be that The Book should be taken on its own merit, and let its own teaching have its effect upon the moral and spiritual welfare of the children."

Reserved judgment wag given in the Supreme Court in Chambers to-day regarding an application made by John Somerville Jones (Mr. W. N Matthews) for relief against forfeiture of a lease. Jones had had a lease of premises at 73, Manners-street from the Catholic Supplies, for whom Mr. J. Scott appeared, but in October last, owing to his having been involved in trouble, his' rent fell into arrear, and the lessors re-entered and determined the lease, which right they possessed under the terms of tho •lease. His Honour the Chief Justice (Sir Robert Stout) cited various authorities on the points raised, and refused the application asked for on the grounds of tho delay in making application to the Court, the tact that there had been no tender of rent, and the rights of the third party affected. He expressed the opinion that the lessors had re-entered the premises rather promptly. Two guineas costs were allowed against the petitioner. •

Interesting facts and figures relating to the work of friendly societies were given in the course of a recent social gathering of the delegates of 1.0.0. F. Grand Session. t Mr. L. D. Ritchie, Grand Treasurer, praised the wise supervision exercised by the Department over the financial side of societies' activities. The Department had laid it down that expenditure must be kept within the limits of the contributions paid by member*, and made- actuarial tables on that principle which were of great value in the guidance of societies. Much of the success of the Department was due to tho excellent management of the Registrar. Mi-. Hayes, in reply, noted a tendency in societies to add benefits rather beyond their legitimate scope and needing careful watching. During the war one form of benefit incurred in respect of the 12,000 brethren who joined the forces amounted to about £1,000,000, * riik chared betw«sa tha GoTaramtnt ♦ad. »wi»ti«#i

Messrs, L. Glover and J. Roberts, president and secretary respectively of the Alliance of Labour, have resumed their organising tours, which were interrupted by the waterfront trouble. Mr. Glover has gone North and Mr. Roberts South.

Fishing at the mouth of the Rangitata Eiver during last week-end, Mr. A. Oates landed a quinnat salmon • which scaled just over 211b. It was a female fish, in perfect condition, and was greatly admired when on view at Ashburton. Mr. H. Arnst landed one weighing 201b. Salmon are now plentiful in the Bangitata, and also at the mouth of the Bakaia Eiver, and a few good ones have recently been caught by Jlakaia anglers.

"Wanganui exports for 1920 totsJled £4,037,116, a record for the port, the amount being considerably in excess of that' for the previous year—£3,976,354. The poTt is now fourth in the Dominion so far as exports are concerned. Notwithstanding record shipments of meat and wool the stores are practically full, approximately 3000 bait* of Imperial wool being still in store, in addition: to last year's clip. '

A holiday-maker, just returned to Invercargill from Stewart Islandy comments on the need for sitting accommodation along Half Moon Bay, and in other places. He also states that many of the tracks are almost impassable in places owing to wandering cattle, and a&o to the prolific growth of thistles. Such neglect should be seen to, says the Southland' Times, as the tracks must nob be permitted to fall into disrepair.

The annual muster of red deer was made at Paraparaumu daring last weekend by Mr. C H Bould, the honorary ranger (the Manawatu Standard reports). Thirty-six head were mustered, including stags, hinds, and fawns. Of the latter, 16 head -will be distributed at Lake W&ikaremoana, Taihape, Eotorua, and Palmerston North, and the balance will be left at Paraparaumu. The season promises to be a good one foi, stalking, and several fine heads have been observed. This' season will ba an open one for opossums, which are reported to be very numerous.

A witness in a. land valuation case heard at the Christchpch Supreme Court gave it flatly as his opinion that it was impossible at the present tinw to say what land values were. On Saturday last his firm put up several properties and never received a bid; while the previous Saturday some £50,000 worth of property was sold under the hammer. His Honour said the present condition of the market was no criterion at ail either as regards stock or land. People ■were holding, and did not know what was going to happen. The witness said ne_ had never before experienced toything like the present position of affairs.

In view of the world-wide prevalence of pilfering of goods in transport, a iiuggeetion recently made by th* Shipping Department of the- Federation of British Industries will be very welcome (fays the Sydney Shipping List). The Department proposes that goods should be packed yin wire netting, the parcels being formed into bales as usual, with hoopiron bands on the outside. With this arrangement the parcel would have to be entirely opened up before any article could be extracted, and it is reckoned that the delay and difficulty of this prooes» would seriously discourage pilfering. The extra coat and weight involved would be trifling in comparison with the additional protection afforded.

Paul Freeman, apparently the individual who became a semi-permanent passenger on a Pacific liner some tim» ago because the Commonwealth would not have him and the United State* did not want him, U now appropriately enough in Moscow (says Sydney Daily Telegraph). A letter from Freeman was read at a recent meeting of the A.M.A. in Broken Hill, pointing out-the advisability of the workers of Australia being represented at the International Confer* ence of Trade Unions to be held there next May. It wai decided to refer the letter to the Coal and Shale Federation, with the recommendation that "the request' contained therein be complied with-" It is this International Conference of Trade Unions which the, American Federation of Labour has just declined to be associated with on the ground that it^is *' revolutionary body Naturally the A.M.A. recommends an opposite course, and the Coal and Shale Federation may perhaps be considered likely to take the same view as the A.M.A. To certain Australian unionists anything with a suggestion of the ravolutionary has a very delectable flavour. If delegates are appointed to the Moscow Conference it might occur to the Federal authorities to refuse them passports. On the contrary, as many deletes as are willing to attend at Moscow should be allowed to go on condition that really prominent and representative men among the extremists were chosen as delegates. It would be very eaey to name a round half-dozen of well-known people here who should be more at home in Russia than in New South Wales, because the former country is their political Mecca. The unfortunate part is, that none of them seem willing to go there, being more intent on bringing Russia here than in betaking themselves where they would 6ee their own political principles in application, a little over-bloodied, perhaps, but still entirely recognisable.

A moat interesting series of discoveries has been made by a settler in the Motuhora district, revealing apparent signs of ancient habitation which are worthy of the attention of persons versed in the archaeology of this Dominion (says the Poverty Bay Herald). The settler, Mr. F. W.'Peddle, proceeded or Bth October last to effect a clearing of the forest on a site which he had selected for the erection of a dwelling, not far from the Motuhora railway station. A short time after he cut over a grave in this clearing, its dimensions being 14ft to 15ft in length, 4ft to sft high, and 3ft wide. Later, on further clearing the ground, he came across two ■ Maori kopas, or stone ovens, and a stone for sharpening axes which was buried a foot in the ground. Further on in the clearing he came across twenty or thirty of the Maori kopas, • including a large one twelve or fifteen feet across, the burnt appearance of the stones indicating their use. On removing the stump of a hinau tree 2ft in, diameter he found 4ft deep in the ground another Maori kopa, the tree having grown right over the top of it. Later on he removed a large ripiu stumn sft ip diameter and beneath that also there were the same indications of Maori ovens. In one place a kaiwhaka tree had grown and rotted and a rimu had sprung from the top of it and here also, under mounds of earth, were found further kopas. The indications reveal extensive settlement in a by-gone age, but what is pu2zling Mr. Peddle is how the discovery can be made to tally with the records which we have of the Maori migration. There is tindoubted evidence, which he will be pleased to show anyone interested, that huge trees have grown over the ovens—trees which cannot be much less than a thousand years old. At what period did people live there, and who were they? Investigation by someone who has special knowledge is highly desirable in ,the interests of scientific research.

An epidemic oi typhoid fever ha* broken out among the Natives at Paroa, Bay of Islands. Two deaths have occurred recently and several serious case* are at present under supervision.

Members of the Lyall Bay and Maranui Life-saving Qlubs will give a demonstration of life-saving at Bays Bay on Sunday. During the "day a collection will be taken tip in aid of the Boyes Relief Fund

An inquiry made by the Auckland Prices Investigation Tribunal regarding a complaint as to the charges made by a local firm for painting materials had an unlooked-for result. It was discovered that instead of an over-charge the firm had really mad-, an undercharge, the transaction showing an actual loss according to the figures disclosed by the investigation.

A considerable amount in rentals for school buildings is expended annually by the Auckland Education Board. A return presented to the board this week showed that the number of privatelyowned buildings in use in the Auckland district for school purposes was 180. Of this total no rental was paid for 45 buildings. For the remaining 135, rente ranging irom 5s to £2 a week were paid, the aggregate annual amount being £3373.

An unusual case came before Mr. J. W. Poynton, S.M., in the Magistrate'^ Court, Auckland. Sidney Ernest Chappell (Mr. Tuck) sued the Seddoa Memorial Technical College Board (Mr. Durham) for £18 10«, value of a bicycl« entrusted to defendant for safe keeping by plaintiff's son, a student a* the college, and lost, it was alleged, owing to defendant's negligence. This wan the •econd bioycle which plaintiff's eon had lost from the school. After the first had disappeared plaintiff interviewed the director, Mr. G. George, and suggested that student's bicycles should be placed in an adjoining enclosure in the evenings. This was agreed upon. The gates were kept locked. After the second bicycle disappeared, plaintiff again, saw Mr, George, who explain ad that the gates had been left unlocked from 8 p.m. It was usual to lock the gates at 7.10 p.m. and open them at 9.20 p.m. Planitiff stated that Mr. George did not say the board could not take responsibility till after the second bicycle had disappeared ThtTiicycle was missing when plaintiff's son went for it after 9 p.m. The defenco was a denial of responsibility George George, director of the college, said ho had told plaintiff at the first interview that there was no provision for students' cycles or funds to provide it. The board could 1 not accept responsibility. On ths evening the second bicycle disappeared the gates were locked at 7.10 and unlocked at 8 o'clock. Decision wag reserved.