LOCAL AND GENERAL

Evening Post, Volume CII, Issue 34, 9 August 1921, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Aa announced by the Minister of Lands last week,' negotiations for the consolidation of Native and Crown interests iv the Urewera lands are proceeding satisfactorily.- Other Natives are now offering to sell to the Government, and these offers will be accepted. As their contribution to the roading of the Urewera, the Native owners have agreed to rive the Government 20,000 acres of land. It is anticipated that the Government holdings will provide for 600 or 700 settlers on areas of 300 to 1000 acres. ■ . ' •

I'lie rates for the year 1921-2 for the Lower Hutt Borough were struck last eVening. The total rates will be 5 2-5 d in the S, being an increase of 49-200ths of a penny in the £ upon last year. The Mayor, Mr. E. P. Rishworth, remarked that it was satisfactory that no increase had been made except on'matters outside the control of the council.

"I don't care tuppence whether the {Jerks have a union or a. guild; the only thing wo are interested in .is: Is there a bona fide dispute?" said the President of the Arbitration Court (Mr. Justice Frazer) -at Ohristchurch yesterday t to Mr. ;R. P Martin, who'was supportingan application for am Arbitration Court Award for the warehouse section of the Clerks, Cashiers, and Office Employees' Union. The digjwte-had previously been before a Council of Conciliation, and there were no recommendations to the Court. After hearing considerable argument, Mr. Justice Frazer said that the Court would give its decision later. ,

/ The result of one of a.*'number of investigations made J>y €l;e Department of Industries and Commerce for the benefit of, New Zealand industries has been disclosed. Recently a sufficient quantity of North Island clay was- sent to ah English firm to enable it to make reliable tests, and the result is a report, accompanied by samples of bricks and tiles, showing that the material is suitable for roofing and flooring tiles as well as for bricks. The report includes Retails of the cost of pjant for the making of bricjcs and tiles. Altogether the infor-' mation 15 comprehensive enough to enable the persons interested to estimate the approximate cost of manufacture on a. commercial scale.

Strong aversion to granting adjournments in judgment summons cases was expressed by Mr. A. M. Mowlem; S.M., at Hawera. A solicitor said it was the practice to grant' adjournments. Mr. Mowjem replied that the practice in Auckland, Wellingtin, and Dunedin was not to grant adjournments in such cases. He pointed out that a man who issued a judgment summons undertook to prove that since the judgment haov been given against defendant the latter had > been in a position, to pay the debt. He '■ also pointed out the seriousness of keeping a sentence of gaol hanging over a man's head by means of adjournments. He would not that day strictly carry out 'the rule not to grant adjournments, but counsel must be prepared, if one was, granted, to proceed on the date to which an adjournment was made.

Comparison of prices in Sydney and Wellington was made by the Hon. EJ. P Jjee, Minister. of Industries and Com--merce, who was in, Sydney for a few days on his \way to New Zealand from Samoa. He said yesterday that it was a surprise to most New Zealanders who go to Sydney to find many goods there, especially wearing apparel, ticketed in the windows of,- the large shops at prices much higher ( tha.n those ruling in New Zealand. In some ipstances the -prices were about the same. Fruit, of which Avstra-liq. produced a good deal, was dearer in Sydney than in Wellington. Some_ New Zealanders in Sydney had complained of the price of cut pipe tobacco there. In the Dominion, they said, the very best pip* tobacco could be obtained at Bd'o^9d per ounce, whilst in Sydney there^was only the one price for standard brands —Is per ounce.

At the weekly'v meeting of the executive of the Self-Determination for Ireland League, held last week, several letters were received asking that arrangements be made for a series of' public meetings, but in accordance with the decision previously arrived at to suspeiifi all active work pending the~" result of tho negotiations now in progress between the British Government and the Sinn Fein leaders, it was revived to reply that in the meantime no public meetings should- be held. It was' agreed, however," that this decision had no application to the coming general meeting of members of the league, and it was decided to call this at an early 'date, A report was received from the. Ladies' Auxiliary Committee to the effect that satisfactory arrangements were in progress in connection with the concert for the relief of distress in Ireland. With regard to the coming National Convention of Delegates, it w<as resolved to . communicate with other provincial executives suggesting that no date be fixed for the convention at the present stage.

"This appears to have been a drunken affair," remarked Detective-Sergeant .Andrews to Mr. P. K. Hunt, S.M., at the Magistrate's' Court this morning, in. a case in which a young man named Daniel O'-Keefe pleaded guilty to stealing at Lower Hutt, on 11th July, a sum of £4 18s, and a purse, belonging to one Lily Parkinson. Mr: Andrews said that on the date in question O'Keefe and. a woman, who -was a new arrival in tile country, had been drinking together in the city". They went out to. Lower Hutt in the evening, and later the woman missed her purse. She complained of her loss to the Lower Hutt police. On the following day, O'Keefe called at the city police station and handed .over a sum of £4 Ss 6d which he said he" had found at the Hutt, not in a purse, but wrapped up in a handkerchief. Later on, in a statement at the detective .office, accused stated ,that he' had picked up a purse, taken out the money, and then thrown the purse away. Mr. Andrews said that the acoused had not been be,fore the Court for pome time. He was in work, but sometimes his behaviour was peculiar. O'Keefo was convicted and ordered to come up for sentence when called upon. "Will you allow witness's expenses for the complainant?" inquired Detective^Sergeant Andrews of his Worship after O'Jfeefe had been dealt with. "No," replied .Mr. Hunt, "she is as bad as be is. SHe is lucky Iq get any of her money back."

Ttte w_ark of beautifying the. Lower Hutt Railway Sta^ou )ias been QOinmenoecl' hy the Lower Hutt Borough Council. Garden plots have been laid out and the work of forming and filling them is well on towards completion-,

A conference of delegates of the Hutt Valley local bodies will be held at the Hutt County Council Chambers' on Thursday, 11th inst, in connection with the formation of an Electric Power Board. ... r ■ , • The main points Connected with the Kelburn tramway dispute, which wag before the Conciliation Council yesterday, have been referred to the Arbitration Court for settlement. The hours of work remain unaltered, and the council agreed to overtime being paid for at the rate of time and a-half.

An anonymous well-wisher of the borough, of Devonport has expressed his willingness to promote that suburb's welfare by lending the council £1500, at 4 per cent, interest only, to meet the cost of the new motor fir© truck. An announcement to this effect was made by the Mayor of Devonport, Mr. H. S. W. KHig, at the, annual smoke concert of the local fire brigade on Saturday evening. The announcement" was greeted with loud applause. '

The borough engineer of Lower Hutt 'reported last evening that for the month •of June 2,187,000 c.f. (2,379,000 c.f.) of gas were purchased from Petone. Of this .mount 1,70i,900 c.f. (l; 984,700 c.f.) were sold for - domestic purposes,; 167,500 c.f. (162,500 c.f.) for power purpose* and 89,700 c.f. (91tfOO c.f.) for street lighting. The unaccounted for gas amounted ■ to 10.42 per cent. (5.91 per cent.). The figures in brackets; are the amount for the corresponding period last year.

. At the Pan-Pacific Scientific Congress, held at Honolulu la*t year, it was unanimously decided that the next meeting should be held in.New Zealand if the Government of the Dominion would extend an invitation to that effect. , The gathering was timed to coincide with the next meeting of the Australasian Association for. the Advancement of Science, which is to be held in Wellington in January, 1923, and it would hare attracted scientific delegates from most 'countries bordering on the Pacific. The New, Zealand Government has turned down the proposal, and the consequence ■is that the congress will be invited to meet in Japan, where the authorities are much alive to scientific advancement.

."There would appear to be a barrier existing between Australia and New Zealand in trade and many other matters," said the Hon. E. P. Lee yesterday, referring to inquiries and interviews which he had'-while in Sydney. "By invitation I gave an address to the senior students of the Sydiiey University, where, I was entertained at luncheon, and the incidental references made at that meet ing to the relations between Australia and the Dominion were very favourably, commented upon by those taking a deep interest in the two countries. /There is, scope and need for doee reciprocal relations in trade, Customs,\ pensions, and .in other important directions) and I feel that negotiations between N«w 'Zealand and the Commonwealth should be opened up." . ....... It is a common belief that ichoblmaeterg enjoy a good deal of leisure^ and that all they have to do is to go to school at 9 o'clock in the morning atjd go home at 3.30 in the afternoon. That this view is fallacious was stated by headmasters at laft "night's "conference between the Headmagterg Associa* tion and the Wellington School Committees' • Association • with reference In the question of ' the distribution of v »eh6ol requjgites. One master stated that teachers voften had to remain at the school after'; half -past 3' to 'correct pupils' work, , and, in addition, to that, many junior teachers had to at. ■tend the University for study. For his parti he did not believe in working more than eight hours per! day, and he did not think it a fair thing to add to a headmaster's duties by making him responsible for the distribution of school requisites, as wag proppsed in the scheme framed by the Education' Board recently.

An endeavour to establish^ the fact that there are many men working on the wharves under assumed names was made by Mr. H. P. O'Leary during the hearing of a case'at the Supreme Court this morning. The witness, Mr. J. G. Bruce, secretary of the Waterside Workers' Union, paid the', union took it for granted that the name given by a member was his correct one. Frequently, however, where there were several Smiths, for instance, the ; men might drop or odd an initial for identification purposes at'the pay office. "Well," said, Mr. O'Leary, "I struck one the other day." "And did he hit back?" broke in Mr. Justice Reed. Mr O'Leary indicated that he had not been rash as his Honour's comment would suggest. "But this man," he added,! "told me his name was Casey, and, thinking he was not of us, I asked him whether it was his right name- . He replied that his proper name • was Casigilari—an Italian really." "Oh, well," suggested Mr. Bruce, "a name like that would not be acceptable to a foreman, would it?" ThW foremen who happened to be in Court smiled widely.,

A gradual decrease of disease amongst; cattle and pigs killed for human consumption at the municipal abattoir* and Messrs. R. and W. Hellaby, Ltd., is revealed iv figures compiled by Mr ,0. Grosvenor, secretary and treasurer, in connection with the _ Auckland Condemned Stock Insurance Fund (states the Auckland ' Star). TJhe period covered is from 1916 to 1920, the respective figures being as follow : Steers, from 1.284 to .646; heifers, cows,'bulls, and stags, from 2.886 to 1.546; and pigs, jfrom 2.138 to 1.827. The total nunVber-jOf cattle and pigs insured last year .' aggregated 48,681 f , as against 36,498 during thr previous year, an increase of 12,1?3. The total revenue for the year was £3255 11s lid, and the expenditure, including £2907 paid on account of claims,for compensation, was £8171 17s 9d, leaving a credit balance of £83 14s 2dyto be carried to the reserve fund, the credit balance of which on 31st /December, 1920, waa ij\lsi 7a 3d.. The fund, whicK has been in cxiv tence eleven years, is a mutual arrange-" inent "between, the farmers and the butohers'to insure against loss in connection with stock slaughtered at the. .abattoirs and Messrs. R. and W. Hellaby's. Ltd., slaughterhouse.

A young nian named John J. Allan pleaded guilty before Mr. F. K. Hunt, S.M., at the Magistrate's tlour.t this morning to stealing a sum of £i, the property of Harry flubbard. He was remanded for sentence until Thursday