LOCAL AND GENERAL

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 80, 4 April 1923, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Speaker's formal notification of the vacancy of the Oamaru seat in the House of Representatives, by reason of the judgment of the Election Court, is given in a Gazette issued last evening.

The Mayor of Petone (Mr. J. W. M'Ewan) said last evening that he did not think many Mayors had a similar record to his, for he could say that during the sixteen years he had held office he had not been absent from one single council meeting.

There is a prospect of Miramar becoming a better lighted district one of these days. At the close of his Mayoral address at Miramar North last night, Mi R. A. Wright, M.P., stated that the Electric Lighting Committee of the City Council was going to bring down a scheme for the improved lighting of Miramar, which was in a deplorable condition. The City Council would also consider the matter of providing footpaths for the district.

A donation of £500 has been made to the Auckland branch of the Plunket Society by Mr. J. L. R. Bloomfield. This is in memory of his wife, who was president of the society for three years prior to her death. Mrs. Bloomfield was an enthusiastic worker and supporter of the Plunket Society, and hoped to see the day when Auckland, like Wanganui, should have a Karitane hospital. With Mr. Bloomfield's approval, the society has decided to reserve the £500 donation for the erection of a memorial ward in the Karitane Hospital which it is proposed to establish as soon as funds are available. It is also intended to associate the name of .Mrs. Bloomfield permanently with the hospital when .it is established.

" This city has no contingency fund," stated Mr. R. A. Wright, M.P.,/at Miramar North last night, " and we should not go in for luxuries until we have provided for necessaries." It was no use asking for various schemes to be carried out unless the money was available. "I think," he added, " that Wellington. City has taken in too many surrounding boroughs too quickly. Before the council can digest .the wants of one district, other district's came along and want things done. Too many of the boroughs want different things all at once, and the council has not the necessary money. But the council is doing the best it can."

Member! of the Victorian police force have expressed satisfaction at the result of the negotiations between the Chief Commissioner of Police and Amalgamated Wireless (Australasia), Limited, to equip police cars with "receiving" wireless telephones, says the Melbourne "Argus." When the jars were first equipped with wireless telephones by the wireless company, as dn ei.epriment, the Chief Commissioner of Police, was unable to a-gree to the terms asked by the company for a permanent installation, and it was feared that the innovation would not become permanent. The Chief Commissioner of Police has, however, announced that he has come to terms ■with the wireless company.

Enlightened New Zealand! Under that heading, the " Christian Statesman," a Pittsburgh (U.S.A.) publication, states:. "New Zealand is pursuing an aggressive campaign for the Bible in the public schools. In this Christian effort, conducted by representative leaders of the Church evangelical, the Minister of Education extends a most sympathetic support. New Zealand has been in the very vanguard for the recognition of human rights. She has established, in so faras-her human wisdom can direct, a just relation between the elements which make up the mass of her people._ She ha-s afforded most admirable educational facilities for her youth.! But herwise men now see, from their observation of the decline of morality in other nations, that she must make religion a part of the public education or she is developing her next generation into anunmoral competency whLh may make them dangerous."

"I have been in the City Council long enough to recognise the danger of making _ promises,' 1 declared Mr. R. A. Wright, M.P., when speaking at Miramar North last night. Mr. Wright's remark had reference to a request from an elector that the pathway from the tramway terminus to Seatoun Heights should be improved and made safe for children. Mr. Wright said that he would see what could be done in this matter, but he would not undertake to make any definite promises. The man, he added, who made definite promises for the execution of civic works invariably found that something came in the way to block the proposals from being carried out.

That the best laid, schemes of mice and men "gang aft agley" is an old Scottish saying, the. truth of, which can be vouched for by most people in the journey . through life in more or less tantalising experience (says the "Ttmaru Herald"). That which has .just befallen a bride and bridegroom-to-be— Thursday is the nuptial day—is of the "more" t"oe. The couple reside half in Dunedin and half in Timaru, but as one will claim one of the "classic" suburbs ot Timaru as the place of abode. Wit!-: delightful accuracy the honeymoon was planned to include a trip to Australia by the Tahiti on Monday next, from Wellington, the week-end to be occupied in the .journey from Dunedin to Wellington. To the horror of the twain, however, the sailing of the intercolonial steamer hae been put forward to Friday at noon —and the many dreams of a bright and memorable five or-, six weeks of unalloyed bliss in "Aussieland" fade in miserable 'disappointment.

As was expected, Mr. R. A. Wright, M.P., was asked a question at the close of his Mayoral election address at Miramar North last night with reference to the proposal to allow the Lawn Tennis Association to construct tennis courts in that part of the district. Mr. Wright was asked whether he thought it wise to permit the tennis people to go on with the laying down of the courts. In reply, Mr. Wright said that the City Council did not have the money, and would not have it for some time, to lay the courts out itself. He thought it would be good policy to allow the Tennis Association to proceed with the work. The association must have a ground somewhere, and the locality suggested was suitable. Moreover, the assocition was willing to provide for people whom the council itself would have to provide for in some way or other at some other time. The proposal would be the means of bringing revenue to the council, and it would also be of benefit to the district.

M. Andre Skalski, the pianist conductor who succeeded Mr. verbrugghen as the conductor of the New South Wales Orchestra, stated on his arrival in Auckland the other day that he regarded Australia as a laud of wonderful promise in music. They had " wonderful voices " there, and very many talented young instrumentalists, but they lacked a sufficiency of proper teaching. Musical education was yet in its dawning, and pupils o? promise must still go to Europe for tuition. However, Australia was very young, and he hoped to see the day when budding musicians would develop their talent in their own land, .for there, was already born the musical spirit and "atmosphere," which only required nursing for steady development. An Australian school would surely arise, but it must first find the "motive," which must come from history and environment. All the great composers had taken Nature as their raotiva.

"You'd hardly believe it, but do you know that the valuation of our land in New Zealand is greater than the valuation of the whole of Australia?" stated a member at the meetin.se of the North Canterbury Farmers' Union.

" Forty minutes is a rather long time to wait for a tram," pleaded a resident of Miramar North at Mr. E. A .Wright's Mayoral election meeting last night. " Do you think that this district will get a better tram service?" Mr. Wright replied that a better service to Miramar and other districts might be looked for when the new power-house was completed. Miramar was growing so rapidly that a better service would be justified.

Statistics prepared by the Melbourne traffic police show that there has been considerable increase in the number of street accidents in Victoria in the first two months of the year, as compared with the same period of 1922, says the "Argus." In January, 1922, there were 124 street accidents in Victoria, but the number this year is 203, while in February this year 181 accidents occurred, as compared with 127 for February of the previous year. Most of the accidents occurred in the metropolitan area, but only six were fatal. For the half-year ended 30th June, 1922,' 88 fatal accidents occurred. This number was increased to 191 by the end of the year. With the exception of -the months of November and December last year, when 207 and 194 accidents were reported, respectively, the figures for January and February of this year are a record.

Instancing what savings had been effected during his administration as Mayor, Mr. E. A. Wright, M.P., stated at Miramar North last night that the change in the night of the organ recitals from Saturday to Sunday had resulted in a saving of, £1000 per year. Formerly the recitals were so poorly attended that insufficient revenue was received to pay for the lighting.

To the lay mind it might seem impossible to devise any means of measuring microscopic strains in steel and other materials. There have been, however, various instruments designed in Great Britain to record strains of the most minute character—mere tremors in the material. \.A notable improvement in this field has recently been introduced by a leading British firm—their machine, unlike earlier types, giving a direct record on, a chart of the strains andi not depending upon photographs. The mechanism is driven by a clock movement, and does not need any battery or electric lamp. So sensitive is the instrument tjiat it will register vibrations taking place at over one thousand times per second. Records are made by a pen on a tape and are examined under a simple microscope. The chief use for this instrument is in measuring the various stresses which arise in bridges when trains are crossing at various speeds.

Another anecdote concerning American soldiers in France was told to an "Otago Daily Times " reporter in the course of an interview yesterday with the "Mother of Blighty/ Miss Lily Butler, C.B.E. It was a source of annoyance to New Zealanders on leave in Paris, she said, that they should be mistaken for American military police because, of the similarity of the hats worn by both. A New Zealand officer at the " Corner of Blighty "was approached by an American military policeman, who observed : " Yon are a New Zealander, are you, old chap?" The New Zealander, who was of Scottish birth, answered coldly, " Yes." Not satisfied with this, the American added: " Did you ever notice, old chap, that we wear the same kind of hat?" "Not exactly the same," said the New Zealander, who, in response to the other's request to point out the difference, explained, " Ours are three years older."

Surprise has been expressed By the statements of witnesses for the Postal Electricians' Union concerning the terrible sufferings of those who work in the Central Telephone Exchange, atate» ,ths Melbourne "Argus." Some of the stories were certainly picturesque. One witness, for instance, told the arbitrator that many of the employees had suffered nervous breakdowns; that some cried ai; their work; that others had been driven into lunatic asylums, and ev«n to suicide; and that the pervading dread was as to who would be the next to suffer loss of reason. If any or all of these stories had been told about telephone U3ers, nobody would have been surprised. Even the most placid man might be excused for having a nervouß "breakdown after a morning spent at the telephone when there is 'thunder or racing in the air, or when the lines are crossed, or when everybody in ths city seems to be engaged in talking to somebody. Why should_ people inside the exchange "cry at their work" or "go mad"? It is the people outside whose health is affected by the working at Central. The keeper of any asylum would probably sup-ply the information that for every mad telephone mechanic there are ten inmates who were formerly telephone subscribers.

Methods of using wood refuse have lately been tested in Great Britain and the result should be of interest to NewZealand. In every timber yard there is an immense amount of sawdust, chippings, and other wood refuse which under certain conditions can be used to great advantage as a source of power. British engineers have lately done a good deal in developing gas producers which can use this material for the production of fuel gas to drive gas engines. Under certain conditions, howevgr, it is still advantageous to burn the refuse under boilers. An interesting installation of this kind was recently set up in a large British timber yard where tho plant was specially designed for economy. The wood refuse is burned in large furnaces fitted with special mechanical stokers and supplying; steam for a "uniflow" ■ engine driving an electric generator of about 400 horse-power.. The sawdust and chips are collected from the various machines by means of a pneumatic removal plant which actually sucks the material into hoppers placed above the boilers. The larger wood refuse is collected on trucks and wheeled to the furnaces. So successful has this plant been that the entire power ■ demands ol the yard have been met by burning the sawdust and chips and without using any log wood whatever.

Australia has enough "white elephants" without adding to the number by building a magnificent hostel at Canberra for Public servants who would not live in it, says the Melbourne "Argus." According to the secretary of the Public Servants' Clerical Association, the employees would prefer, a less expensive dwelling. It is pointed out that most of the Public servants who would be transferred to Canberra are married, and that they would favour an arrangement that would enable them to purchase their own homes under the Credit Foncier, or some similar system. Possibly that would be. a better plan that the one proposed by the Ministry. Boardinghouse life is distasteful to many married people, but they would have additional cause for complaint if they were compelled to pay £2 5s or £2 7s a we.ek for accommodation, which.) it is said, would be equal only to that which in Melbourne or Sydney could be obtained for 35s a week. No doubt the statements made by this official will be carefully investigated before the expenditure on the hostel is authorised. He certainly sounded a note ot warning when he said that ii Public servants had to pay the rates asked they would have to be granted a district allowance. Previous estimates o£ cost were prepared without consideration of possible claims by Conuuor.wealtii officers for more money.