LOCAL AND GENERAL

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 108, 8 May 1923, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Nearly all oversea berths are occupied at Wellington to-day. The liners include four completing loading, the Earanga (7956 tons), Port Nicholson (8402 tons), Hurunui (9266 tons), and Mahia (7914 tons). The Port Nicholson sails to-day for London, and she is to be followed by the Raranga on Wednesday, Hurujmi on Thursday, and Mahia on Friday. Oversea ships discharging include the Eotorua (12,184 tons), Kaikorai (3151 tons), Tremere (8047 tons), Erroll (4465 tons), Pinna (6121 tons), and the schooner Forest Home. The Dorset is due here to-morrow to coal, and within the j next few days the liners Tainui, Opawa, Orari, and Waipara are all expected here to load for oversea porte. The following have bean elected as the Taita School Committee: Messrs. A. Burgess (chairman), V. Pemberton (secretary), D. M" Arthur, F. W. Kitchener, A. W. Kilminster, F. Eales F. Feri retti. j Ratepayers . of Silversteram, Heretaunga, and Trentham have decided to form a Ratepayers' Association, and a strong and representative committee has been elected to draw up rules, etc. Thirteen cases of diphtheria in the Wellington City area were reported to ths Health Department last week. This shows a substantial increase compared with the previous week. No cases of pneumonia were reported from any centre in the Wellington Health District. " The dairy farmers awakened during the slump; they were the people who came to the top and saved this country from ruin. The Dairy Farmers' Union is going to be the most powerful union | that has yet had existence in New Zealand," remarked Mr. N. Campbell, vicepresident, in responding to the toast of "■ The Dairy Farmers' Union," at a i meeting at Palmerston North. The Wellington Ministers' Association has agreed to set apart 24th June as "Citizens' Sunday" in the churches. The decision is the result of an appeal made to the association by Mr. G. A.: Troup, who represented the Young Citi- j zens' League, and who sought the co- i operation of the Church in the movement, in which he is interested. Ser- I mons will be specially directed to young women and mothers, who will be urged to take an interest in civic matters. "The directors of a. dairy company represent the brains of the people who put them there, yet they are damned with destructive criticism every morning of their lives," forcibly remarked a director of the National Dairy Association, at the Dairymen's Conference at Palmerston. reports an exchange. "That is the spirit ■ which, depreciates the good work they do accomplish, yet everything they do to their credit is forgotten. Constructive criticism is not given as it should be, and that is the rotten part of our co-operative companies," he added. Considerable consternation has been caused among residents of the Epsom district by what appears to be an or ganjsed campaign of poisoning waged against pet dogs, cats', and kittens, says an exchange. A resident of the district stated that he recently secured the names of no fewer than twelve residents who | had suffered in this way. Within a i radius of one mile and a quarter of I Greenwood's corner Pomeranian pet dogs, Persian cats, and other pet and house animals are alleged to have- -been maliciously pouontdA peculiar case of delay in delivery ! of a letter occurred through an unusual incident at Eltham Post Office, says the Wanganui "Chronicle." A letter addressed to Wanganui:-in a, small envelop^ was slipped accidentally into the fulds of a large envelope which had been doubled back and pasted down to rei duce it to the desired size.- The small ! enyelqpe fitted exactly into the larger j and was sent unobserved through the j post to the latter's destination in Italy. I There the addressee, the mother of an I Eltham lady, found the strange missive | enclosed, and returned it to her daughter. It was taken to the postal officials at EUham and forwarded to Wanganui, reaching there four months overdue, after an unusual serial of wanderings. "Regulations are killing education in New Zealand," said Mr. A. Peverill at a. meeting of the Christchurch Technical College Board of Governors. The remark was made during- a discussion opened by the chairman (Mr. C. H. Opie), who had objected to the passing of any legislation affecting general education without the educational authorities being first consulted. Mr. Peverill said that it was not the politicians who were to blame in the matter, but the people who were passing regulations in the office at I Wellington, reports the "Press.". Even the Canterbury Education Board found that measures affecting it were passed I without its being considered or consulted. It was decided to recommend that no regulation affecting national education should be passed without the educational authorities being first consulted. "This man is verj fortunate to be able to answer the charge at all," said Mr. Wyvern Wilson, S.M., at the Magistrate's Court at Christchurch (reports the "Lyttelton Times"), when Reginald Dobson Adams was charged with failing to keep a proper look-out when approaching the Chapman's road railway crossing. Senior-Sergeant F. Lewin said that the defendant, driving- a motor-cycle and side -chair, had endeavoured to beat the Lyttelton-Christchurch train at the crossing, but had failed. The side-chair was struck and the man wais thrown about twenty feet. Mr. C. S. Thomas, who appeared for Adams, said he pleaded guilty, and had learned the lesson of his life. The Magistrate : "I should think .he had." It was stated that the defendant at the time of the accident was riding against the sun, and could not see the train approaching. There was a high wind blowing and he could not hear the whistles. There was a bank of trees along the line which also obscured the line of vision. The Magistrate said it was very unlikely that the defendant would ever try to beat the tram again. He was fined £10 and ordered to pay costs, £2 15s. A ceremony of civic interest was held at Oarlaw Park, Auckland, on Friday afternoon, when members of the Management Committee of the Auckland Rugby League met the Mayor, Mr. J. H. Gunson, for the purpose of presenting, through him, to the citizens of Auckland, the freedom of Cariaw Park as a breathing space and recreation ground. At the pleasure of the League, the grounds may be used as a park reserve, I except on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Mr. W. J. Hammill, chairman of the League, referred to his history of the purchase of the park and the improvements carried out by the League. He said that including the present extensive alterations and improvements, the sum of £8000 had been expended, making the park one of the finest playing areas in New Zealand. The terracing alone, from which an excellent view of the playing area was obtained, cost upwards of £4000. Accommodation was provided for more than 30,000 spectators. The ground had been thoroughly drained, and what only ten weeks ago was a bare field was now a- sward of green turf (reports the "Herald.") The League had already granted the children attending the Parnell and Technical schools the use of the park. The citizens were being presented with the freedom of the park in recognition of the public patronage to the game, without which the purchase of the reserve w,Quld have been impossible.

The fact that many returned soldiers were breaking down in health through being dunned for debt by business firms was stressed by a delegate at the Dairy Farmers' Conference at Palmerston North, last week, when speaking on the question of returned soldier settlement, sayg the "Manawatu Times." He went on to state that something should be done to alleviate the position until the "Digger" saw financial daylight again. It haa been reported that the New Zealand Swimming Championships, which have been allotted to Wanganui for 1924, may be handed over to Napier, which has a larger swimming pool and; better facilities, for .running the New?' Zealand "Swimming Olympiad" than Wanganui, says the "Herald." The matter was mentioned to the president of the centre, who stated that the suggested change had not been discugssd by the centre, and he felt sure that strenuous efforts would be made to hold the championships at Wanganui. Three junior attendants at the Auckland Mental Hospital have been dismissed and one senior attendant suspended as the result of a complaint made by one of the patients, who alleged he had been assaulted. His. complaint was first made to. the Superintendent, and on being referred to tha District Inspector, an investigation was carried out. with the assistance of th« official visitor. It was discovered (reports the Press Association) that th» patient was badly bruised, though suffering no permanent injuries. Independent reports containing the finding and recommendation were submitted to" the Inspector-General of Mental Hospitals, and the authorities of the hospital dismissed the juniors. The case of the senior attendant will be finally considered by the Public Service Commissioners. The conditions under which the annual school choir contests at the Wellington competitions have been conducted in the past have permitted many choirs to compete that have the advantage of professional instruction. This has imposed a handicap on sehjols leas fortunate in the matter of instruction in singing, and the executive of the Competitions Society has therefore decided to provide a separate contest for State schools' choirs, in addition to those f.-r choirs from denominational and otner educational institutions. The retail music sellers of the city have subscribed_ towards a shield for annual competition between State school choirs which has just been finished by Messrs. Mayer and : Kean. The shield is enclosed in an oaken case, with gla,ss front, and consists of a handsome circular piece of turned oak about twenty inches in height, upon which is mounted a heavy'silver lyre with gilt strings, standing out in bold relief. Other conspicuous features are silver fern leaves and a representation in the same metal of an opened book of music. An inscribed silver plate records the fact that the trophy was presented by Charles Begg and Co., Ltd., the Bristol Piano Co., Ltd., B. Lewis and Co. Turner's Music Store, and Andrew Williams, music dealers. In neat silver lettering around the lyre appear the name of the Competitions Sooiety, and the event for which it is awarded. Inside the circumference are sixteen smalf shields for the recording of the names of winners of the shield. The trophy will be exhibited in shop windows in the course of a few days. Mr.. Justice Reed gave his reserved decision yesterday afternoon in the case of John Frederick Catley against Edgar Joseph Harrison, a claim to recover principal moneys due under a memorandum of mortgage^ given by the defendant to the plaintiff. At the date of the issue of the writ, said his Honour, the interagt was twelve months in arrear. The interest was tendered to the plaintiff after the issue of the writ, and' refused. The defendant filed a statement of defence pleading the tender and his continued willingness since to pay the interest. He further pleaded that the plaintiff was stopped from bringing the' action on the ground that, some" montlus before ths issue of the writ, be BUed;. for interest in the Magistrate's Court, but withdrew tlie claim. Plaintiff filed a motion to strike out the defence and enter judgment for' the plaintiff upon the ground that the defence was frivolous and vexatious, and no answer to the plaintiff's claim. The motion came before the Chief Justice, who made an order that the following question of law should be argued before the trial of the action:—"Ought judgment be entered for the plaintiff on the ground that by the mortgage the principal money became due before the action commenced?" After reviewing tlie argument placed before him, his Honour ruled that the statement of defence should be struck out, and judgment entered for the plaintiff for £1320 principal, £109 17s 2d interest to 10th March, 1922, with interest on the principal sum. At the hearing, Mr. W. Matthews appeared for the plaintiff, and Mr. C. H. Treadwell for the defendant. Mr. Justice Chapman, writing to Mr. Alexander Bathgate, of Dunedin, confirms the latter's observations concerning the decline in the number of sparrows in New Zealand. The sparrows are, he says, only a fraction of what | they were in numbers 40 years ago. In 1879 the noise they made in the country in Canterbury was simply harassing. In that year they reached Palmerston, and were still practically unknown in Dunedin. In IS3O they came in a flood to Dunedin. Now they are thinned down to a shadow of their former army. The decline in their numbers in Otago is, in Mr. Justice Chapman's mind, absolutely striking. The place where thejr were the greatest nuisance was Green; Island, where they rose in dense crowds from, the crops. Their depredations were always worst near the road, and not so bad in the middle of the crop, where they had .no landing place. Another place where they were in enormous numbers was CotJ«sbrook. Other foreign birds have, as weir as the sparrows, been enormously reduced in numbers, and .Mr. Justice Chapman thinks this must be largely attributable to the eating out of virgin food. The decline of the trout in the Lee stream is, he Bays,- due .to the same cause. The stream food wa6 eaten out, and about the same time the enormous supply of grasshoppers was wiped out by starlings, causing immense loss to the trout. Another striking case is that of the large trout in Lake.Wakatipu. They simply exist no longer. Mr. Justice Chapman remembers, in the winter of 1880 or 1881, seeing three packs of them sunning themselves off Queenstown covering at least a quarter of an acre, shoulder to shoulder.