LOCAL AND GENERAL

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 1, 1 July 1922, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

.Unemployment, returns-.submitted 'to the last- meeting of the executive of the Wellington ■R.S.A. sHowred 'that thirty callers.had been-in during..thWpast week,, the;.falling oft- in numbers being.'due to. the relief works started in the city, which have absorbed most of-the married men. There is, still a.' number of single men ■on. the books, including a fair percenta-ge of partially,'-.disabled' men,, for whom the E.S.A.; would like to. find .suitable...employment. V In the past week, temporary jobs were; found for .five men .and two.1 were permanently, placed.; ■; '■;.:'....

The strength of. the Note' Guarantee Fund of Fiji was emphasised by 'the Treasurer of the , colony in -a, recent speech. He stated that the fund consists of over £80,000 in gold, and securities which, if realised to-day, would, with the gold,. be sufficient to'- redeem every currency note in circulation, and still leave a credit balance on the fund. "There are, I think, very few countries to-day that have so adequate a gold reserve as this little.colony, or are in. a position, if called upon to do so, to re-deem-all their 'notes-and 'still'- have 'a credit balance." The Treasurer ,added that this very satisfactory position was largely due to ,the able-work and; constant attention of the Hon.' Miv Marks.

At a luncheon tendered ito him iri.New Plymouth yesterday, 'Mr. T.C. List, president of the Taranaki Chamber 'of Commei-ce,-who has*just returned from a,visit to Australia, intimated.that he had made arrangements for an excursion next March..direct from New Plymouth to Sydney..-• In the following year the New South Wales' Millions Club had undertaken' to send direct, to -New* Plymouth a party of 100 leading business men to visit Taranaki and the .rest, of the North Island. For .'these .trips the usual intercolonial . vessels .'would' be employed; When, going' to Australia, the steamer would proceed from Wellington to New Plymouth, and thence to Sydney. /Coming to New' Zealand the route would be from Sydney ]■ to New Plymouth, and then on to ■ Wellington. The ■ itinerary would coyer three weeks.

■ A number of. silver and other coins, al] British, '.have been 'found lately in .crevices at the; base of tKe Cave.Rock, Stunner. .' The coins .(states, the'•■.Christ-' church Press) were very much blackened and otherwise discoloured,. evidence .of having been submerged in. the 6ea for some protaipced period.'and as)they were all of early Victorian issue ifc is surmised that they were,lost diiring clisnalties on the bar.in'the'. first few years of the 'Canterbury settlement^ when a considerable sea-borne traffic passed over. ■ The. following streets 'at . Broadway Estate, Miramar, are to be: taken over as public.streets, the City Engineer having -reported, that1 they have been completed, and that the maintenance period mis. expired :—Miro-street,- -KiUui-Btreat, K^ta-eU'ect, aud Nikau.itr««t, . ; '..

A conference of local bodies was Hatd at; ,-iNapier/"yerierday' to connder Mr. Nelgon'a scheme to reclaim 10,000 acres.round Napier by. means: of the Holland dyke.tsy.stem. It was decided to request the Prime Minister to permit Mr. ! Thompson,: of the Lands 'Department, to investigate and report as to the feasibility of the ; scheme; and also that ••a topographical'planr be obtained. ■ The Sunday School Union has'received '1092 entries for the' scholar's Scriptur* .examinations, which is being held this -afternoon. ; ; About .five-sixths of. the schools are using the Australasian graded (lessons. The teachers find this course (preferable. to; the International, as . the '"helps'* are preparedly those who are (familiar with conditions in Australia and New Zealand, and.the illustrations used tare betteKunderstood by. colonial scholars than are those, used in the, American Ipublicatiqns. ■;..;. ■ ■■'■"-.'. ...

;The, Post's . London■.-.' correspondent mentions that the Bristol Times- and . Mirror , refers with. appreciation to the address in the; Upper House, of Sir T. Mackenzie, on ttie Meat Export Control Bill, and describing his speech as long and important, the remarks conclude: "The Docks Committee and the citizens of Bristol are under a debt to Sir Thomas Mackenzie for many a good word. In; this speech he referred to Cardiff and Liverpool as having recently added to their cold storage. The Cardiff people claimed that they could place a million' carcases of New Zealand meat yearly.; But it was evidently Bristol which had most favourably impressed Sir, Thomas."

"The lot. of the returned soldier is rather different from that of the civilian," remarked Mr. G. H. M. M'Clure, in addressing the Crown Lands Board yesterday. -The soldiers returned from ther war,: whence they went', in many cases little-more than boys, and to■ add to the normal vdiffieutlies of getting settled on the land (always a hard time for the first few\years)j many of. the men. had disabilities contracted through active'service. The way these men have buckled to and improved their holdings, despite the unprecedented slump, augurs weir for the country' as a whole, and I, feel sure that the time is' not" far distant when they will look back on their hardships in jthe same spirit' as do the early pioneers ,bf this Dominion.."

In connection with the proposal of the Auckland Yacht and; Motor-Boat Asso-' cjatioi; to alter the.plans and specifications, of 14-foot yachts (Jellicoe class) in future ■ competitions for.-' the Sanders' Cup, the v Otago - Yacht and Motor-Boat Association discussed the. question:' and decided to send the following- resolution to the Auckland body:—"This association, .being of opinion, that boats'cannot be built strictly according to the plans and specifications submitted by the Auckland Yacht and Motor-Boat Association and retain their measurements, and being of the further opinion that Boatß built to such plans and specifications would be slower'than many of the boats already built, it is satisfied that enterprise in building will be killed, and this association therefore declines to challenge again to race,for the Sanders Cup. It is wilhng, however, to-chal-lenge the Auckland Yacht and MotorBoat Association to race for ..the championship of Nevy Zealand in the 14-foot restricted', class,' sailing dinghies, under the plans, and specifications "submitted by the Auckland- Yacht and Motor-Boat Association dated \ -Ist June, 1921, with the amendments-submitted by this association on 16th August, 1921, a copy of which,. is" attached hereto.": It.was also decided to send a > copy,, of ;,the above, ■resolution to the. other' provinces .infer: estedj.Lwho,. it is understood, ,have-re-jected, the Auckland plans and ;specifica tions.'.. ;.'■'. ; V ' V; ; ] ■'■„• ' '.■'-"• "; '.-.-•

The secret of perpetual' youth appearsto be.. possessed by,Mr. .Joseph Hatch,. an octogenarian Invercargillite, who is, constantly on the move between N]ew Zealand, .Tasmania, and. Australia h> the pursuit: of business (remarks the Invercargill ;"Daily! News).',, Mr. Hatch was' for many ; years lessee of the. Macquarie Islands, where he was engaged in the penguin oil industry until the .Tasmanian Government, which '■' owns. the islands, terminated the lease. Chancing to be in Tasmania during the.recent election, Mr. Hatch, whose enthusiasm age can-' not stale, embarked once more on the stormy sea of ■; politics as a candidate for Denison.r His ''dodgers" are embellished with a Macquarie Islet snapshot labelled ,"Mr. Hatch" teaching the king, penguin how to talk." The document; also mentioned that the. aspirant 'for' favour -was Mayor of Invercargill for 1878, ' and a r " member/ of; Parliament -for Invercargill ? from 1884' to 1887. Whether these qualifications sufficed to win the seat for' the irresponsible, loquacious, and remarkably energetic aspirant is not... yet known; but it is safe to assert' that if. Mr: Hatch -'secures:, a place in the- Tas : manian: Legislature he will not prove a silent member, despite the fact that he has' already'seen eighty-f<fir ;summers. Brought up: as a wholesale . druggist,. he arrived in Melbourne in'lßs7, and settled in ■ Invercargill six years .later, establishing the . first chemist's -. business in Invercargill. .: Sheep-dip manufacture, ■oil-getting,:- sealing, 'and other;; enterprises have engaged his _.' attention ■ at ■ various times, and if the rewards had been commensurate with the pluck and energy he .evinced, Mr! Hatch should be' a New Zealand Rockefeller.;:;;,.5, ';.■-,

Never has Fiji shown such unison as: it has in. a movement,, which in two months has swept the colony from end to end, demanding the inauguration of: a scheme to settle small farmers of.Brit-, ish origin in the colony, states the Suva correspondent of the New Zealand Herald.. Eight through the colony largely attended public meetings ■'. have been held, where affirmative motions weVe passed and delegates appointed to: attend a representative meeting at the capital. This meeting took place in the ■ Suva Town Hall, and never has a more hearty and enthusiastic .gathering taken- place. The Mayor of Suva, Mr. H. M. Scott, X.C., M.L.C., presided, and beside him sat Mr. Solomon, Mayor of Levuka, and delegates from all-over the,colony. . chief motions passed were: (1) "That in view' of the present unsatisfactory ..econ-.: pmic and. industrial conditions' in Fiji,l conditions which we consider could only be improved by European effort, we hope that the Government of Fiji will hot encourage further Asiatic1 colonisation of:, the ,colony ";..- (2), " that this meeting expresses'its appreciation of His Excellency ■ the Governor's■ decision 'to appoint, a committee to inquirei nto the question of the further settlement ■; of Fiji, by .Europeans of British; origin "; (3) "that this meeting protests against the granting of equal political -status to the Indian." ■ It was further decided/to form a European Settlement League, and a committee to draw up a constitution was elected.f It-was pointed .out that the Indian since the strike has«refused to work in most cases, and simply grows enough food to live on; and . does nothing, and if Fiji; is to save "herself economically she must havo'-> settlers of British stock.. '.'".• . ' ■ ''■:■■: ■ ;: A recommendation was.'made to the ■ ■City Council by ■;. the Works Committee (that a request for the construction of a footpath at - Glasgow-street be. not com■plied with, as the estimated cost of the rwork is £2000' and no money has.been placed on the estimates for the purpose. The recommendation' has be^ri adopted.

On th« reoommeDdaiton <rf the Bylavi-s (Jommittee, ths^CSty Ooonatl has resolved that warmng nodcos to moton6ts be v «ieoted at the following pointe in Vogel- ;.'■ town:—W«shmgtonra.Tenue, ConnaughtTerrabe,.MiH»*oad.'. ;. . ;.' : '■'"■• :,;..:;::;;',-■•. Visitors from Sydney report that, the;, : Australian papers axe making a, big feu.'■-•, tare of the earthquakes'": and earthY rumblings which -have been occurring ; ,| lately at Wairakei, Taupo, and the yiJ 1 cinity, but,: unfortunately, the disturbs a,nces' are stated to have occurred sft •„'■■ llotorua., The .disturbed area , is, -of : course, more than fifty miles distant from Eotorua.; The latter town.has no« ,'.-■ experienced, any earthquakes, nor hai'.;'■' there been any unusual activity at th« V thermalregionsthere. : The residents of : Rotorua are under no apprehension what* ? .eyer as to any possible occurrences there.;-1 Speaking at the Land'BoardV farewell' '; to Mr. G. H.M. M'Chire,-who is- re-,' signing^ the position of Commissioner' o&.V'-"• .Crown' Lands, '■ 'Mr... H. •'• .T. :Ellin^hanrj x-') stated yesterday that no .doubt .the sdk •'<"', cliers of New;Zealand'did not.Tealisfcthe : enormous^ amount .of work" the ' Land)'-t Board was putting through on th»ir' beV' :'■■' Jialf.,. Although;"the;,soldierr. , were.;. up(,' against hard times an 4 depression,'• had. ;. it not been for '..the ;libera) -land •', laws •.-■ ■vrhich Ayere passed in the.interests of the... ■'■'■■ soldiersof New ZeaJarid and , for' the V liberal; manner in which the .Government ■'. had treated them, he did- not;" know., whera they would have'beeri'to-day!.";; '.;.;

. While a goodvdeal isheardof the earthY , quakes which' are taking .place. atlTaupo;: v; no*- much has. been said;. of .those taking :f place in|.some,out-of-the-way,, adjoining: 'districts;! across.-' country .(remarks ■■-, the.' ■;'■ Auckland Star).''A lad}'.who was payingVy a holiday,visit to :some.of the settlements r-v: in the .King Country to the: south-west of X TeEuiti says that all the .'time she was raway, and when.much publicityVwais ; given, to the earthquakes at Taupo, there . were"d»ily_ and nightly tremblings of thai v .earth.! which, made..many people 'adjusts t; their.bedroom furniture so that the beds;.would not be within "range of the chim-i ■';..' .neys if the; latter,; fell. Last: Sunday: "',' morning 'the most." severe' shock; pf att ; was felt, whicib;lasted lor'a long-tima,', and- a feature; of it. was. the feeling ot ' ■sickness many, people' felt.after.'it'passed!) ; away v -. The: rocking ■wgs.dif-j . ferent. to the ■ ordinary earthquake, ■ and' ' the ::feeling: of insecurity was intensified]; " because of the peouliar.imotiori. -No less; -; than•'eighteen.-severe i frosts on end ; had ■ beep, exeperienced,... uid ; the ..tension \beJ "■ cam&. sr great that-; those houses whicK depended on- their, water.' supply :,throug-h! ■pipes . from -»ome springy -.when. a. waten ' pipe- burst; : in.tih« middle ,of .the.'nightf ,'; the inmates were greatly .disturbed by" that ■-'.. noise of it, expecting;eyery moment that ■■' . something- serious \ would; happen, ..arid'", always ready, to. nut all. the ti'oub'le down ■ • to; ..the '■ earthquakes".;. ,vOr Monday.-"thel'•'.'■ frostß'eased off, arid as it happened therei V wert rif , ' quaker ■ ■ 'on that day ,of any,i . severity, just a tremble. whic'r showedi' that thing? weie not back to normal^ and make, people.who were visitors ,Ui. the- locality vwish to get .iback.' to a' place where the earth seemed to hav< surer .foundations/ .-', . ' ' - :. ..