LOCAL AND GENERAL

Evening Post, Volume CIII, Issue 141, 17 June 1922, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Probably recent high prices for eggs have resulted in a. falling-off of sales and the accumulation of stocks. Whatever the cause, eggs are cheap to-day considering it is midwinter. They are down tc 2s tc 2s 2d per dozen. Incidentally cheese is down to about the pre-war price of 9d to lOd per pound. It has been aa high as Is id, but for some time past Is to Is 2d.

Proposals are on foot ior the amalgamation of the two local chambers of commerce. At the last meeting of the Wellington Central Chamber representatives were appointed to meet representatives of the Wellington Chamber to discuss a proposal for unifying the activities of the two organisations. The Government has prepared a Bill dealing with the control of fire-blight, and, according to speakers at the Fruitgrowers1 Conference yesterday, orchardists could not ask for anything more drastic. The conference decided to urge the Government to bring the Bill before the House at the session which opens this month.

"I feel at home in New because I like New ZealandI—because I like New Zealanders. They hay© the same ideals as I have. Thank God that the Department of State was sensible enough to send me into congenial surroundings."—Mr. D F. Wilbur, American Consul-General, at a luncheon in his honour at the Warehousemen and Conmercial Travellers' Association yesterday.

A tribute to the work of membeTs of the Warehousemen and Commercial Travellers' Association during the wax was paid, yesterday by Mr. D. F. Wilbur, American Consul-General. He said that the world, over commercial travellers were recognised as the best of fellows, generous, and always ready to help in any worthy cause. It W£B generally conceded in his own countiiy, said Mr. Wilbur, that there was no better baixwneter of public opinion than ( the commercial traveller, who had to study, all classes of men, in order to be successful in his line. .

The divorce action, Florence Lucilla Mills v. Adam John Mills and Mrs. "J." was,, referred to by Mr. Justice Hosking at the Supreme Court yesterday, when the question of costs for Mrs. "J." was disposed of. The petitioner alleged misconduct between Her husband and Mrs. " J.," who then asked leave of the Court to be joined as respondent-inter-vener. His Honour held that the allegations made had been disproved, and allowed Mrs. " J." costs on the highest scale as against the separate estate of the petitioner.

The future of university control in the Dominion was referred to on Wednesday by the Minister of Education, the Hon. C. J. Parr, in the course of his address at the ceremony of conferring degrees on graduates of the Auckland University College in the Town Hall (reports the New Zealand Herald). A question that would have to be settled very shortly, he said, was whether there should not be four independent colleges which would conduct examinations and confer their degrees. The question would have to be faced in three of the'centres, where the feeling was strong for independence so far as government was concerned.

The following letter, dated 29th April, has been received by Mi. D. Colquhoun, secretary of the League of Nations' Union, from Sir James Allen, High Commissioner :—"With reference to my letter of the 27th inst., I am pleased to be lble to state that I^r. A. W. Chappie has written informing- me that he much appreciated the honour of being asked to represent the New Zealand branches of thfl League of Nations' Union at the conference to be held in Prague in June, and will make arrajigeinents for being present. I am writing the secretary of the League of Nations' Union in London, asking him to cominiuiicatt with Dr. Chappie '.n order that the latter may ■be informed of all that is taking glace.-'

The Postal authooritiet have received cable advice from Sydney that the Manuka left at noon on the 15th instant for Auckland. She carries for Wellington 75 bags of mails from Australia, 3 from beyond, and 82 pared receptacles.

No fewer than ssventy-on* "clearing Bales" are advertised in a New Flymouth paper.

The commission get up tot inquire into " the question of the construction of the railway between Eotorua and' Taupo opened its sittings in Auckland yesterday.

The Associated Board of the Royal Academy and Boyal College of Music, London, held theory examinations at all centres throughout New Zealand to-day. Wellington candidates, to the number of 160, sat at the Sydney-street room. The New Zealand railway oncers' annual conference concluded yesterday. The' following office-bearers were elected for the ensuing year:—President, Mr. J B. Robertson (Wellington); vice-presidents, Messrs. R. S. Skinner (Auckland), C. R. Bell (Danriev&rke), and F. K. Mackay (Dunedin); treasurer, Mr. L. Barclay (Wellington]; auditors,. Messrs. H. Valentine and P M. Muir. The executive committee, in addition to the president, vice-presidents, and treasurer, was selected by ballot as follows: —Messrs. M. J. Forde, F. E. Hunt, W. A. Finlayson, C. W. B. Watson, A. N. Longton, J. Leydon, and E. W. Barnes.

A long-standing grievance held by th» fruitgrowers against tHe railway aut-Hor-ities was ventilated at the annual conference at Auckland, -when a remit was passed urging- the Government to provide properly ventilated Iruit-trucks in tha railways. "We ask for a fruit-truck and we get a coa-1 wagon," declared one member. "I went to the traffic manager, and lie actually told me to my face than an. 'L' wagon with a, tarpaulin over it was quite good enough for fruit. There is a properly ventilated fruittruck in Auckland, I believe, but it is sent to Hastings at the beginning of the season, and that is the last we see of it up here."

The Omahu followers of Ratana, th» Maori faith healer, being very anxious that they should be represented in Parliament by one of themselves, convened a meeting of all Natives last week, and requested Mr. Taranaki te Ua to contest the East Coast Maori seat at the following General Election, says the Hawkes Bay Herald. Mr. Tarana'ld te TJa consented, but the meeting was not unanimous, as the supporters of the Hon. A. T. Ngata, the sitting member, were not in accord with the proposal. It had been reported that Mr. Ngata had decided not to seek re-election, but a telegram from him was read at the meeting, asking the Natives to disregard any statements to that effect.

Some observations on perfect posture were recounted by Mr. H. E. Longworth, chi«f physical instructor in the Eaucation Department, in the course of a lecture to Auckland teachers (report* the. Auckland Star). He h*d stood, he said, for half an hour at prominent points of the four centres, Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin, and of the individuals who passed that spot only two per cent.. could b» said tc carry, themselves well. "Isn't it a fact that if you observe a person- walking with, chest out «nd headl in ths *ir you turn and look at him, as at an uncommon sight. That supports my estimate." He added that in sw«d«> the people had! known the benefit vi physical training for over eighty years, and though he was not qnite so optimistic as to hope that New Zealanders would rival that population he was confident that in ten years a distinct improvement would b« noticed] hero, the effect of tkt eOKtw&vg'traamng! in the sclioolv. ' j

It is a peculiar fie? Oaf M fetter 1 posted in Wanganui, will be oarried to any part of the world—except up the Wanganui River, says the Chronicle-^ Till recently any benighted individual on the river could even there have his,' mail delivered by the Government, bub! not now. The picturesque and varied j receptacles, which have for years dotted the banks for the receipt of mails, have' passed their age of usefulness, according to the Post Office, which has now, decreed that every man who wants his maU delivered must have his own mail bagi and also pay the Government £3 a year. The Government presumably^ considers that a man upriver will look upon this as being cheaper than periodic visits to town to secure his papers and bills. In mentioning the subject again, Mr. J. H. Burnefc said that he and Mr.' W Morrison (chairman of the Waiter tara County Council) had just interviewed the postmaster to see what could be done. The River Trust was going to carry all the mails for its own employees, and a post office would be established at AKu Ahu. This, however, did not get over the difficulties of hundreds of other people who could not afford to pay the charges demanded by the Government.

Mr. Justice Adams, in accordance with a decision of the Court of Appeal, at Christchurch yesterday granted another decree nisi under the 1920 Divorce and Matrimonial 'Causes Act in a ;ass fn which the husband petitioned for divorce although his conduct was the ground of the separation order on which the petition was based. The petitioner in this case was Alexander Reid and the respondent was Barbara Reid. A decree of judicial separation had been granted by the Magistrate, on the wife's application, on the ground of the husband's .adultery. His Honour said the principle on which the discretion of the Court under the section should be exercised was laid ■down by the Court of Appeal in the Mason v. Mason decision, where tin Court of Appeal, in its judgment, said that the fact of the petitioner's own misconduct being the cause of the separation was nof of itself a bar to a, decree. The Court of Appeal pointed out that the Legislature had expressly conferred on an adulterous husband the Titjht of petitioning for dissolution of marriage on the ground of the separation brought about by him. In the present case respondent had filed an answer opposing the making of the decree, and' if that opposition had continued at the hearing his Honour would have been bound to refuse the decree. At the hearing, how ever, respondent withdrew her answer and thus removed the only obstacles if petitioner's path. Petitioner, therefore, was entitled to the decree asked for. Petitioner was ordered to pay respondent's costs.