LOCAL AND GENERAL

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 123, 25 May 1923, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The intention of the Government to relinquish the control of New Zealand's sugar supplies within the nest three months was announced by the Prims Minister (Mr. Massey) in Auckland yesterday. He said (reports the Press Association) that Government control of this commodity would cease not later than the beginning or middle of August next. The necessary arrangements for the change were being made.

A successful application for bail for Mrs. Martha Elizabeth Cooper, who was acquitted by tha jury on Tuesday on a charge of murder, was made before Mr. Justice Chapman yesterday by Mr. T. M. Wilford. Mrs. Cooper entered into a recognisance of £1000, and sureties for £500 each were found. The Crown Prosecutor's report on the trial, and in connection with the other charges against Mrs. Cooper, has been forwarded to tho Attorney-General, but no pronouncement has yet been made as to what action is proposed.

A Press Association telegram from Blenheim states that Mr. T. F. Bull, accountant for M.F.C. Motors, has been appointed Town Clerk of Blenheim. There were 42 applicants.

The Hon. C. J. Pan 1, Minister of Education, stated in Auckland yesterday that the appointment of four professors of education at salaries of £850 per annum each would not involve any increased expenditure by the Department, as tho rearrangement of the duties of the staff in the Training College would result in compensating savings.

An offer for the purchase of about 11| acres at Nairnville Park was approved by the City Council last night for tha purpose of a public sports and recreation ground. The cost of the purchase, including legal expenses, will be £2970. The .Reserves Committee reported that it had inspected tile area, and that negotiations would be opened shortly for the acquisition of an additional area in order that the boundaries might be straightened, and a small area, included which would add to the beauty of the Park.

The heai'ing of the application for restitution of conjugal rights in which application Alfred Tew (Mr. A. B. Sievwright) was petitioner and Florence Emily Tew (Mr. C. G. White) was respondent, and which occupied Mr. Justice- Hosking and a jury of twelve all. day yesterday, was concluded last evening, so far as the jury was concerned. A question was submitted by his Houour which the jury answered in favour of petitioner. The hearing was then adjourned for legal argument at a later date.

Rejection of the Kelburn tramway purchase^ proposal has opened up the whole question of access. to the high levels that are now so thickly populated. At last night's meeting of the City Council Councillor W. H. Bennett referred to his proposal, made originally some time back, that there should be a lift from Boulcott street to The Terrace. In addition, there was a suggestion from the City Engineer for a cable car from Willis street^ to Mount street. He urged the councilto take these proposals into consideration immediately.

"If it were not for the work of societies such as ours, there would be more cases like the Deans case in Southland and the Cooper case in Wellington, where a man is to pay with his life for the murder of a child," said Mrs. W. J. Hunter, president of the Christchurch Society for the Protection of Womon and Children, in urging upon the Canterbury Members of Parliament Committee the claims of the society for the restoration of tho subsidy of £75 a year that was formerly received from the Government. The Cooper case was also referred to by Mr. S. E. M'Carthy, who eaid it emphasised the great need there was for proper investigation of adoption cases.

"Now that the Kelburn tram issue is disposed of will you pueh on with the consideration of one of the alternative routes _ to the western districts?" asked Councillor J. Burns of the Mayor at last night's City Council meeting. He asked that before anything was done at Roroa, road one of the other route proposals should ba brought before the council for consideration. The Mayor (Mr. B. A. Wright, M.P.) said there was no money available for the alternative proposals. Councillor Burns: "Would there be any trouble in raising a loan?" Mr. Wright,: "I don't think we could raise money at the present time." The Tramway Committee, he said, would have to consider several matters in connection with the acquisition of property at Raroa road, and that would force the committee to come to a definite decision.

The necessity for obtaining a report upon the voltage change-over from Mr. Evan Parry in view of the council's decision to effect the- alteration from 110 to 230 volts was questioned by Councillor (}. Mitchell at last night' 6 City Council meeting. If there was any suggestion of the decision being departed from, he said, the public should be informed of the fact. The Mayor (Mr. R. A. Wright, M.P.) stated that it had been thought advisable to- take advantage of the presence of Mr. Evan Parry to ask him to furnish a report expressing his opinions. The report would be brought down as soon as it was available. Councillor Mitchell suggested that there must bt> some doubt in the mind of the Power Stations Committee as to the wisdom of the change if a further report was being obtained. The Mayor deuied the suggestion. Mr. Parry, lie said, was ar. expert upon electrical matters, and the committee, realising that the . question was one of the greatest importance., wished to be absolutely certain about the fihange-ov.er. "I don't believe there will b« any alteration in the decision," lie said : ''We are hoping to get Mr. Parry's opinion so thai it cannot bo said al'terwavcU that we had failed to get the advice of one of the best-living authorities la ih& Bxitifll: Effifixs*"

The thanks of the Wellington Hospital Board were passed yesterday to Mrs. G. W. Brighani for the donation of a wheeled chair, and to Miss Cost-Williams for tlie donation of a parcel of songs and music to the hospital.

Letters of thanks are to be forwarded &y the City Council to the Marine Department tor tlie donation of two sea lions and a king penguin to the Newtown Zoo, and to Mr. Anderson, of St. John Hill, Wanganui. for a gift of a hybrid pheasant and a fowl.

"Formerly we looked, .on burglary as one of the worst offences. Now all the burglaries and thefts from dwellings are committed by young people- I don't know what the cause of it is. I shall not grant bail." Such was the reply of Mr. Wyvern Wilson, S.M., to an application for bail in a case where a man of 21 years pleaded guilty at the Christchurch Magistrate's Court on Wednesday to theft from a dwelling, and was committed to the Supremo Court for trial.

"A case of revolting neglect came before my notice just prior to our annual street collection," said Mrs. W. J. Hunter, of tlie Christchurch Society for the Protection of Women' and Children, to the Canterbury Prliamentary Representatives' Committee on Wednesday. "It appears that a woman had invited a friend to come round to her home and play cards. While the game was in progress 'the hostess's baby # began to scream. The visitor had asked the women to see to her child, but she said the child was merely displaying temper. The child continued to scream, and eventually the visitor had demanded that the baby be seen to. On entering the room they found a large rat gerchetl on the side of the cob. It had gnawed the child's wrist to the bone."

What his Honour Mr. Justice Stringer termed an absurd anomaly of the Divorce and Matrimonial Causes Act was mentioned at the Auckland Supreme Court on Wednesday. His Honour pointed out that in an undefended. divorce case, in which it may be shown that the petitioner was the cause of the separation, the Court has the discretion of granting the divorce if it is shown that the parties had* been separated for a term of three years or more—prima facie evidence for a divorce. However, by the amendment oE the Act in 192i2, if the respondent defends the action, the Court has no discretion where the respondent proves that the separation was due to the wrongful action or conduct of the petitioner. In such a case the Court had no option but tq refuse to grant a decree.

Tha' walnut crop this year, though far short of the average annual yield of times gone by, is a decided improvement on last season's (writes the Akaroa correspondent of the Christchurch "Press"). The blight, that has played such havoc with the nuts during the past ten years, is still largely in evidence, though there are signs that make one hopeful it is slowly on the wane. One hears of many trees that were barely touched with it, and that yielded fine crops of sound nuts, while there were others that were scarcely worth "thrashing." The blight appears to attack the stalk of the nut in its early stage_s of growth. The nut either falls before long, or, if it reaches maturity on the tree, shows, on being opened, a partially blackened and shrivelled up kernel. So far, a reliable specific has not been heard of.

The importance of encouraging New Zealand industries by advertising locallymade goods is being emphasised by the Industrial Corporation of New Zealand. At a meeting of the_ executive in Auckland on Tuesday, it was pointed out that the sponsors of the Hawera Winter Show proposed to make "British-made Goods" their watchword. While supporting the patriotic intention, members emphatically expressed their preference for "New Zealand-made Goods" as a watchword. Support, they maintained, should first be accorded to New Zealand industries, and support for outside Em-pire-made goods should come second. It was decided to invite representatives of the Hawera committee to attend the forthcoming Auckland Winter Exhibition, where they would be afforded opportunities of examining the way in which Auckland was giving prominence to locally-made articles.

There has been considerable discussion at recent meetings of Hospital Boards throughout the North Island with reepect to the proposal of the Government that the boards take over the control and expense of the Otaki and Pukeora sanatoria. The Wellington Hospital Board agreed at a meeting yesterday to the following resolution: "That, with reference to the request contained in the circular letter of 10th ultimo from the Director-General of Hospitals re Pukeora and Otaki sanatoria for consumptives, this board is prepared to appoint representatives to represent it at the proposed conference of North Island Hospital Boards which it recommends should be held at an early date. At the conference an endeavour should be' made to have the present scale of subsidies placed) on a more equitable basis, it being imperative that this should be done., as this board is of the opinion the subsidy question is a vital one and mnsi be re-ad-justed before boards are asked to take over these two institutions."

Perhaps the day may not be far distant when the horse-drawn vehicle will bs a thing of the past in the thoroughfares of big cities, where tarred macadam or bitumen-surfaced roads will provide splendid speedways for motor traffic. In the meantime, however, it is stated that tarred macadam roads are not popular with horse-drivers, who say that on hot days in the summer time it is twice as hard for horses to draw loads over such surfaces as it ordinarily is to pull similar weights over waterbound macadam roadways. The wood-, blocks on the streets of Wellington are most favoured by drivers because the evenness of their surface makes for smooth haulage in all weathers. Bitumen roads remain to be thoroughly tested in this city, but those thoroughfares which have been so treated appear to give satisfaction to horse-drivers.

At the annual meeting of the Canterbury Jockey Club, held in Christchurch yifterday, the chairman, Mr. J. Grigg, said the members of the club paid tnxation that was quite unjustified at the present moment, in that tho great part of it was put on as a war tax, and must be removed as far as possible. One redjiction members v.-ere glad to see was the 10 per cent, off the stakes won, but country clubs must be relieved to a greater extent, otherwise it would be impossible for them to carry on. Good, solid country clubs, which had given good, healthy sport for fifty years, would be crushed out of existence unless taxation was reduced. He suggested taxation should not in any case exceed a certain proportion of the gross revenue, so that a more or less sliding scale of taxation might come into force, instead of taxation which seemed to suggest that racing clubs were not wanted by the powers that were. In seconding the motion, Mr. G. Gould said he could not see how the club could carry on successfully unless the Government .gave some relief, At present the Government took a large toll of the club's finances, and the toll was equivalent to the whole of the club's stakes for the year, name ly. over £50,000. Tie thought the Government realised it was going too far, and was in danger of killing "the goost 1 that laid the golden eggs." If such iv lief were forthcoming he was sure th<J club, would be ablt to. hold its _qwji.

A winter season ticket is to be issued by the City Council for use on the asphalt tennis courts at Day's Bay. The tickets wjij be available from Ist May to 31st October, and will be sold for £1 each.

The rangers of the Wellington' Acclimatisation Society have now Brought 000 pheasants from North Auckland, with the loss of only one, which was killed by a deck-hand on a steamer at Helensville. This is considered to be a record for the distance the birds had to be transported.

The advisability of appointing a ratcatcher is again being urged upon the City Council by the Health Department. Twehx months ago the council refused to comply with a similar request. The matter is now before the Public Health Committee of the council.

Speaking at the "V" Luncheon Club yesterday, Mr. G. Mitchell, on the subject of "Civic Pride," said: "Those who were not actively working for progress should at least resolve to abstain from criticising the efforts of the rest. (Loud applause.) It was possible for all to give social service in some form. Not large and influential bodies alone preserved the public, welfare. The small bodies that supported them were capable of achieving much."

The removal of the remaining centre poles connected with the tramway system on Lambton quay was advocated by Councillor A. L. Monteith at last night's meeting of the City Council. He described these as a menace to the safety of the travelling public anVi to the tramway employees. It had been stated that the span of the road was too great, but he could not agree with that view. Having regard to the number of accidents which had occurred on the Quay he hoped that his proposal would receive the immediate consideration of the department.

"Where societies and organisations for social semes are few, the burdens are always borne by the same small band of men," said Mr. G. Mitchell at the "V" luncheon yesterday. Continuing he said : "It was desirable that a community should have many organised bodies within it in order that the work of guarding and fostering the public interests should be fairly distributed. A man shonld aim at leaving behind him a, legacy of public services to which his son could point with pride, for such a legacy was finer than gold. The man best endowed had the heaviest obligations to serve his fellows."

"Few persons realise what a huge undertaking the distribution and liberation of one million and a half fry is," states the'annual report of the Acclimatisation Society. For practically three months, the curator and assistant and Rangers Wilson and Bould were working at the maximum; the overcrowded state of the hatchery, the urgent daily task of easing the pressure, combined with a limited railway transport beyond Pal' merston North, compelled the curator to concentrate upon certain available centres. Hence the liberation of the bulk of the yearlings in the Hutt River, and the reduction of the number of fry allotted to Marton, Taihape, and Mangaweka."

"An unusual incident in connection with the deer herd at the Paraparaumu Park has been reported by the rangers," states the annual report of the Acclimatisation Society. "Two healthy wellconditioned stags, born and reared on the place, were four years old in September, 1922, and were carrying crowns Df 16 and 14 points respectively. After casting their antlers they now ' carry heads of 11 and 12 points. Red deer stags have never before, in this herd at least, been known to cast back in early life. A well-known deer stalker from the South attributes the reversion to lack of condition at the period of the growth of the antlers, but as far as known, both' stags have been in splendid condition since first mustered."

Actions were taken against several persons. at Monday's sitting of the Featherston Magistrate's Court by the officials of the Wellington Acclimatisation Society. James Casey was charged, together with two others, with taking trout without a license and with the offence known as "dynamiting" fish. Casey was found guilty, and was convicted and discharged on the first charge and fined £5 on the latter. Two youths . were charged with killing a Paradise duck. Their names were N. Murphy and W. Davis. Mr. Watson stated on behalf of the society that the offence was partipu. larly serious, as everything was being done to try and preserve the Paradise ducks, which were practically extinct in the North Island. A witness said h« 6aw one of the accused go ashore and ring the duck's neck, after wounding it by shooting. Each of the accused was fined £5, and ordered to pay costs amounting to £5 12s.

Speaking at a nurseryman's meeting at Gisborne,. Mr. G. A. Green secretary of the New Zealand Nurserymen's Association, gave some facts and statistics which show the strides that the in-' dustry is making in the Dominion, says tile "Times." The New Zealand Association, he said, was started about twenty real's ago with seven members, and to-day it has over 300 divided into some fourteen district organisations. In plants like heath and baronias 90 per cent, were imported prior to 1917; now New Zealand produces all she requires and could, if required, supply the whole of Australasia. In forest and plantation trees the stocks carried have more than doubjed within the last four years, the quantities at present available running into tens of millions of trees. One specialist alone has over 1,200,000 forest and shelter trees available at the present time. In general fruit trees there has been n slump as a result of the war and after conditions, and the somewhat unsatisfactory results of the export trade. Il is expected that with added information and better organisation the results in future will be better and the trade demand for trees will gradually assume the old proportions.

A resident of one of the Auckland marine suburbs had occasion on Tuesday to approach the mate of one of the ferry steamers to ascertain whether he had either seen, or had handed to him, a lady's purse containing, besides other things, a sum of money, that had been lost on one of the boats (states the "Auckland Star"). "It all depends who picked it up," said the mate. ■"There are very few honest people about these days, and you will be lucky if you receive it back. Of course,"/ he explaiued, "we- are frequently handed 1 articles found by passengers, but in some cases they are not given up. 1 will give you two instances. The other night I laid a trap. I packed an empty chocolate box with small pieces of coal, and wrapped it in brown paper, addressed to a lady in Rotorua. I watched near a window of the ladies' cabin, and presently a lady passenger cajne in, saw the parcel, looked around, and quickly placed the box under her arm. I waited to see if she would hand me the box on arrival at Auckland, but she walked off hurriedly, and did not even leave it at the Ferry Company's office. The following day she again camo on board, when I told her 'that the price of coal had gone up.' This sally met with no response, save a deep blush, which suffused her countenance. On another occasion some fish offal was neatly wrapped up and left on the seat, and was taken by another lady. Her surprise on opening the parcel on arrival home can be more readily imagined than described. But," of course," the mate added, "the 'majority of passengers who' find' left parcels hand them to us when leaving tils bosk-

Dr. H. W. Cleary, Roman Catholic Bishop of Auckland, will return to Auckland, by the Manuka, which leaves Sydney next Friday. Bishop Uleary lias been abroad about eighteen months.

Authority was granted by the City Council last evening for the renovation of the Town. Hall building at an estimated cost of £1486.

It was stated by Mr. C. M. Luke, chairman of the Wellington Hospital Committee, at a meeting of the' board yesterday that Messrs. Appleton. Homblow and himself had been deputed) ac a sub-committe* to furnish a report with reference to the policy of tha Dental Department of the nospital and the recommendations concerning an addition to the mechanic branch and a new modern gas machine

"I am afraid that it would be inadvisable to make any reductions this year. We are up against it financially." So said the Mayor last night when Councillor B. G. H. Burn suggested that subscriptions to the Public Library should be reduced. The price of books was down nearly to the pre-war level, and there did not seem to be any reason for maintaining the present, high subscriptions. The chairman of the Library Committee said that the matter had not been overlooked, but fiiuil consideration of the point involved was postponed for a year.

Expressions of appreciation of courtesies and attention shown towards the Wellington Boys' Cricket League and the Wellington Football Club have been received by the Reserves Committee. The league thanked the committee {or its willingness in lightening-the task of arranging suitable grounds for boys to play on, and attributing the success it had experienced last season to the treatment o£ the council. The Wellington. Football Club referred to the consider; ation shown by the Director o£ Parks and Reserves (Mr. Mackenzie) in providing grounds for practice in the early stages of the present Rugby season. •

The chairman of the Wellington Hospital Board stated at a. meeting of the board yesterday, with respect to tha holding of school classes in the Hospital, that it would now be unnecessary to wait on the Minister of Education in regard to the matter'because the Minister had agreed that if a temporary school were required he would authorise the expenditure to be made by the Board of Education. The chairman remarked that it would be remembered there seemed an inclination on the part of the Education Department to put this duty on tha Hospital Board. A report would be furnished by the Medical Superintendent) with respect to whether such a school was necessary at present. The matter would therefore remain in abeyance foe a while.

The City Council has received a report from the Superintendent of _ the Fire Brigade with regard to the switchboard which caused the death, at tha Grand Opera House, of Miss Phyllis Porter. The. switchboard was a portable £>ne, and. not under the supervision of the council. It was one which had been carried about by Messrs. J. C. Williamson and Co. in their tours throughout Australia and New Zealand. The Superintendent has had an assurance from the company that it will not be used again. A new type now in uso will prevent a similar accident occurring in the future. The chairman of the Fire Brigade Committee, Councillor Luckie, said that arrangements would be mad a under which the Superintendent would have control over portable fuse boxes.

The Director-Genera! of Health recently wrote to the Wellington Hospital Board suggesting that the board tak'a charge of the St. Helens "Hospital. Tha chairman of the Hospital Board stated afc a meeting yesterday that it wag obvious that if .the board took over the expense of the St. Helens Hospital it meant relieving the . Government of that amount of expenditure. In its future hospital developments the board might be able to provide maternity wards,, if required, in,,buildings on the Wellington Hospital grounds. Taking everything into account, the committee of the x^oard which had considered the matter did not think there would be any advantage at present in taking over tha j St. Helens Home. In reply to a. question, the chairman (Mr. F. Castle)'said he thought the taking over of the St. Helens Home would involve an additional expenditure of about £1500. TII9 report of the committee was adopted.

A proposal that tenders be called for the purchase of the old tramshed site in Adelaide road, as a. whole or in sections, was made to the City Council last evening l)v the Tramways Committee. Councillor W. 3. Thompson moved that the recommendation be referred back to the committee, with a view to an ex* change being effected between the tramways and reserves department. He pointed out that the Tramways Committee was paying a rental of £400 per annum to the Keaerves Committee for the use of the site on which the tram shed at Nowtown stands, and an excellent exchange could be made. Councillor M. M. F. Luckie opposed the sale of the property on account of its value as a children's play area. Other councillors agreed that the section should be reserved for the city, but differed as to the use to which it should be put. Councillor G. Mitchell thought it was a wrong policy for tbo council to dispose of any of its property, in view of possible futuru requirements. The M»vqr (Sir. R. A. Wright, M.JP.) pointed out that no revenue had been derived from the property for many years, and even if the proposed exchange was effected, the district fund would lose £400 per year. The tramways department was a trading concern, and the property would have to be bought by the reserves department if the suggestion was .to bo carried out. It was simply a business transaction. It it was sold revenue could be derived from it by rates, andl if necessary other land_ could be purchased elsewhere. Councillor H. D. Bennett congratulated the Mayor upon his defence of the recommendation, which was unanimously referred back to the committee for further consideration.

Among the matters to be taken into consideration in the framing of the city estimates for this year will be the purchase of material for the erection of a diving-board at Ballena... Bay at an estimated cost of £36, the erection of the board to be undertaken by the residents under the supervision of the City Engineer ; extra accommodation and neces-sa-ry alterations to the Tea Kiosk at ■tfewtown Pavk at an estimated cost of £400; and the levelling of the two acrea «?ast of the main drain at the Basin Reserve at an estimated cost of £400. An. .ither item will be tho purchase of a tiger at an estimated cost of £200.