LOCAL AND GENERAL

Evening Post, Volume CIII, Issue 53, 4 March 1922, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

An interesting experiment intended to explore tie possibilities of making better use of the Dominion museum was inaugurated yesterday. The actingDirector, Mr. J. M'Donald, invited the students of the Wellington Girls' College and the Kelburn Tree:;.. College, and'other people, to attend a lecture. Advantage was taken of the presence iji Wellington of Mr. J. Keele, ceramio engineer of the Canadian Mines Depart--ment, and the subject discusaed was "Clay and Clay Working," with special reference to pottery and other fine products. The function of the museum was to supply a range, of exhibits with which to illustrate the lecture, and a capital entertainment resulted. Mr. Keele gave an admirable lecture, and the audience learned in the course of an hour, facts concerning history and art and ceramics that might have represented weeks of reading. Many of those ' who were present expressed the hope that the experiment will be followed up with other lectwes. * :

There was an excellent response yesterday to the appeal for funds made by the Wellington Returned Soldier*' Association. Ov«r £500 has been counted already, and - additional sums still to come in might .bring the total to the figure aimed at—£l2oo. Very brisk business , was done at the (talk, and the street collectors reaped a harvest ol small coin. The copper trail, which extended from the Evening Post office to that of the New Zealand Times, produced £35 17a IDd, and the silver trail' outside the.General .Post Office £30 15s. The president of ttte association (Mr. William Perry) expressed his gratitude at the fine result obtained, and he thanked all who had assisted. He found it impossible, he-said, to express in words his gratitude to the ladies who had part their heart and soul into the "work, not only on the appeal day, but during weeks of preparation for it. The success of the day had been contributed to largely by private firms, who had mado monetary and other donations, all of which were greatly appreciated... Mr. Perry said he wished to express his thanks to those who kindly placed their motor-cars nt the disposal of the committee, and also to the Mayoress .'for the keen interest she had shown in the appeal. Referring to the purpose of the campaign, the president said that the association had been obliged to appeal to the public generosity on account ol the fact that the reserve funds had been dissolved during the war years in entertaining- soldiers who. were leaving with reinforcements and returning from active service. . Altogether, over £1200 had been expended ■ in this direction, nnd the association considered" the money had been well spent. The receptions to returning drafts had made the men feel that it was really good to be back, and that they were truly welcome.

The Postal authorities have received advice from Sydney that the Manuka left at 4 p.m. on the 2nd instant, for Auckland. She carries 602 bags of mails for Wellington and the South.

As an evidence of the prolific growing qualities, of the local soil, excellent crops of young green peas are still being picked about Otaki.

A Press Association telegram from Christchurohi states :' Some harmful agent has destroyed thousands of rainbow and brown trout Tanging from midgets of a, few ounces to fish of four and five pounds in tbo Avon' River. From 11.30 a.m. to 3 p.m. yesterday dead and dying fish, floated down the river. Investigations were made by officials of the Acclimatisation Society, and some of the dead trout ware forwarded to the Government Analyst for analysis. The airatof-'of the Acclimatisation Society advances, the theory that the trouble oame 1 about! through the Christ's College swimming bath, which drains into the riyer, having been cleaned, out with disinfectant. The disposal of the Avpnhead Demonstration Farm, a block of 200 acres near Riocarton, was considered yesterday at Ohristohnrch by the Minister of Lands (the Hon. D. H. Guthrie) and the Minister of Agriculture (the Hon. W. Noswbrthy). It was decided; that the poultry farm should be continued under, the AgricultOTal Department, and that) the rest of the land shouldl be cut up immediately into blocks . suitable ' fori poultry farmers. The Demonstration; Farm would be kept going for the benefit of poultry farmers. '"

Considerable interest is being manifested .by Manakau residents in the future ppssibilities of the beach in the vicinity of the township, and.particularly on the south side of the river near the mouth, which will afford excellent gilding sites. A little further roading is wanted, and when this and other facilities dre'provided; the beach should become a popular resort, both by local residents and visitors; This stretch of beach is one of the best on the coast. • "The daily loss on the railways of the Dominionjias been reduced by £1000," said the Minister of Railways (the Hon. D. H. Guthrie) at Christchurch yesterday. "That brings the daily toss at pre^ sent down to £3000, after allowing for payment of interest on the capital invested. Excluding provision, for interest on the capital invested, the actual revenue for the'hust four-weekly period' exceeded the expenditure by £1240,000." Mr. Guthrie said! that the amounts he had mentioned were in round figures only; he intended making a full statement of the present position of railway finance in a few days.

At the Supreme Court, Napirr, yesterday, the trustees of the ■ late William John Douglas, partner in the Te Mahanga Station, asked, the Court to relieve them;from personal'liability for the payment of. amounts totalling* over £16,000 out of the estate. Counsel «t»ted that, owing to the prevailing conditions, the; estate wa* bedng ran at a low, and the payments, which comprise annuities, etc, under the terma of deceased's will had to bo paid out of capital. Last year the stations's wool clip brought £2a09, andi the land! tax alone was £6916. Jfcdgment was reserved. ,

In.the course of its seventh annual report, the council of the Wellington branch of the W.E.A., complained of the want of financial assistance necessary for the carrying out of the aswciation's ■work. Although the council fully r»abaed the great stringency exiiting it felt that a more generous »pirit should •be shown towards the movement hy those posswsing; wealth. ,*"At the same tune," the report continued, "we do not recede from the position that our work should be financed entirely by the...Government, education being one ofi the most important functions of the St»U." In reply to greetings from tie Welsh Society of Wellington, Mr. J. Tucker, of Kilbirnie, has received the following letter from Mr., N. Hellary, secretary to the Prime Minister of Australia :—"Dear Sir,—l am desired by the Prime Minister to acknowledge your letter of the 2nd inst., and to thank you for the truly, Welsh message of good-will transmitted from the Welsh -Society of Wellington. Mr. ■Hughes has rioted with deep appreciation the statement that Welshmen are ready to extend a patriotic -welcome, should he be given the opportunity to visit New Zealand. As there is no immediate prospect of the Prime Minister being given the opportunity to meet members of your society personally, Mr. 'Hughes sends fraternal greetings to all sons and daughters of Gwalia Anwyl in the Dominion. If you will convey" this message t% the Welsh Society of Wellington, at the annual gathering'on St. David's Day, the courtesy will be appreciated by Mr. Hughes." ' A vigorous rendering of a Maori Haka is an unusual ending for a Ohurch gathering, but the Methodist Conference was (telegraphs The Post's Auckland correj spondent) concluded to the well-known ! strains of " Hupane Hupane " in fullI throated voice, accompanied^ by approi priate gesture. The leader 'of the haka was the Rev. T.Haddon, a descendant of one of the first Maori converts of the Eev. Samuel Leigh.. A number of Maori ministers who' were on the; platform failed to respond to the leader's invita"tion to join in the haka, at the conclusion of which Mr. Haddon, pointing to the non-participants, exclaimed: "These have been civilised by Christianity; we others are only the chips of the old block that are left." Judging by the expression on the faces of the visiting ministers, an.encore of the performance would have been highly appreciated. It was stated by the police at the Otaki Magistrate's Court (states The Post's Otaki correspondent) that some unaccountable acts, involving the damaging of private property, had recently occurred €t a country township in this district. 1 At a flaxmill there two large belts were cut through a little time ago. There had been other sctß of mischief. Every effort was being made to locate the offender. . ~

During the last two days the Otaki district had the best falls of rain that have been experienced for months pest.