LOCAL AND GENERAL

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 35, 10 August 1923, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

iJ t i t h rlate p«*H«>t Harding takes place at Marion, Ohio, to-day and the American Consulate-General in Arlington mil remain closed throughout the day. Flags on offices of representatives of the United States throughout the world will remain at half-mast until 3rd September, as a tribute to the memory of the late President, and memorial services will be held Tho commander of the New Zealand members of the American Legion, Mr. J. Marshall Mays, lias requested the Keturned Soldiers Association to assist in the arranging of such services in the Dominion, and in the case of Wellington the service will probably be held on Monday, 20th August.

The Department of Internal Affairs has decided to extend the opossum trapping season in the Wellington Acclimatisation district for one week. The season will, therefore, close on Saturday, 18th August.

When the wood-blocking of Customhouse quay is completed a. very much better entrance- to the tfei-rv Wharf wjlj be provided, for not only is the blocked surface to be carried down' part' the' north corner of the Customs buikiir,-.-, tut th.railway siding is to be lifted at that point, leaving the approach dour and level. The work is being carried out in the usual wood-blocking plan, a concrete.foundation, blocks,-and a ici-di-e«s-mg of asphalt. ' ' '

lie need of the registration by Aa of Parliament of all musical societies in Aew Zealand was stressed at last nights meeting of the Wellington Society of Musicians. By the registration of societies, it was pointed out the public would be protected, and the standard of music-in New Zealand ultimately raised A suggestion was made that a central representative body of musicians be established with power to conduct^ an examination iov musicians and to issue diplomas to successful candidates. The matter is to be further considered by the society.

While waiting at the Mount Albeit terminus, Auckland, • on Tuesday afternoon, a tramway conductor saw a woman running along the roadway. ' It was obvious that she was an escapee fi-onv the mental hospital, and the conductor, sizing up the situation, asked her to board tho tram (states the "Star"). "I havo no money," was tho reply. '"That's all right,' said the conductor, "I won't charge you anything." The woman then boarded the car and the conductor kept her under observation till the top of Symonds street was reached, when he handed her over to the policeman on point duty, and a few minutes later she was on her way back in a taxi, i'l felt pretty mean about it," remarked the conductor to a passenger, "but it was the only safe thing to do from the public point of view."

"This is a marriage, and yet it is not a marriage," said Mr. H."Y. Widdowson, S.M., when he had heard thn facts in a maintenance case which was before him at the Magistrate's Court. Christchurch. A woman was seeking to have separation, maintenance, and guardianship orders made against her husband tin the grounds of habitual drunkenness. "Are you a widow V asked her counsel. "No," said witness, "but I hadn't seen my first husband for seven years' when I got married again. T came to the Court here, and they said it would be all right, so we were married in the Registrar's office." The Magistrate said that by waiting for seven years the woman had protected herself from a criminal prosecution for bigamy, but she was not divorced from h\ first husband, and so he could not make the orders against the second man. Complainant stated that her first husband, Olliver, was in Australia, re ports the "Press." The man to whom she had been married in March, 1916, was at present giving her £4 per week. The case was allowed to drop. According to the Act, if the first husband is dead, the other two parties are legally married, but if Olliver is still alive, the children of Ujb second union arc illegitimate-

The Fire Brigade has received a donation of £3 3s from Messrs. C. and A. Odlra, Ltd., for its recreation fund in appreciation of services rendered.

A civic welcome will be tendered the members of the New South Wales Ru»by team in the Concert Chamber, Town iiaJl, on Wednesday afternoon, at 5 o clock.

Wellington is shortly to embark on another Health Week, and a preliminary meeting is being held at the Town Hail this afternoon at 5 o'clock to consider the programme to be followed and the personnel of the various committees.

Ihe Whangarei harbour engineer, Mr. w. Fraser, visited the Marsden Point beach on Tuesday to inspect the strange spectacle of a shoal of stranded black nsh ; They were 63 in number. Fully half of them wero adult males and females, ranging up to 20ft in length by lilt in girth. The theory is that the shoal followed the leader ashore in making for the harbour exit at-the turn of tha tide.

Very eulogistic references were made, at the Counties' Association Conference this morning, in connection, with the Hon. J. B. Gow, M.L.C. (Opotiki), and his work as a member of the executive. Several members regretted that he had not been nominated this year for a position on the executive. It was decided to appoint Mr. Gow the Parliamentary representative of the association, and an associate member of the executive. The conference recorded its appreciation of the services of Messrs. G. M. Hall (Christchurch) and S. T. Spain (Otago), who have retired from the executive for personal reasons.

.Two hundred and fifty-sis cocksfoot growers and dairy farmers of Banks Peninsula have forwarded a petition to Parliament asking for a protective duty on importations of cocksfoot. They state that as the present price of cocksfoot is below the cost of production there is a danger of the industry being lost to the Dominion unless the growers are protected against importations from foreign countries. As the Government has already given protection to the wheat, timber, and other industries, they ask for a duty of 3d per pound to be imposed, to be operative when the wholesale price is Sd per pound, the price to be diminished automatically as it rises to lid per pound, at which price the duty will disappear. '

"The Mohammedan Ilosary," said Miss Lucy Owen, in an address to Canterbury College students on "Palestine." contains ninety-nine small beads and one big bead. The camel alone knows the on e hundred beads. Man can count only ninety-nine. That is why the camel looks down upon the man." When a Mohammedan went to "the market he would pick up his rosary and begin to <:ouut: "Adam. Eve, Devil"—"Adam. Jive, Devil," and so on, until he reached the big bead. If, when he reached it, he had.come to "Adam," the transaction would be fortunate, reports the Christchurch Press." If he were saying "Devil" when he reached it, the transaction would be a hapless one. If he had arrived at the word "Evo" when he came to the bead, he. would defer his purchase till another "day. it would, he thought, be wiser to wait, for a woman could never make up her mind quickly.

The right to challenge jurors was fre«ly exercised at the Supreme Court criminal sittings on Tuesday at Dunedir., when a jury was being empanelled in connection with *he charges, against James Reynolds Hayne and" Elizabeth bimpson Inglis, "states the "Otago Daily limes.' An exceptionally large number of jurors was sgpoenaed, the panel consisting of 72. Counsel for accused had the right to challenge six jurors with, respect to each accused, and iii this instance Mr. Hanlon exercised his full right, 12 being challenged by him. The Crown, too, availed itself of its challenging privileges, and had ordered 27 to "s'lud aside" before "twelve good men and true" were empanelled to try the case. The subpoenaing of 72 jurors _ for a calendar of three oases is probably unparalleled in the history of the Supreme Court in Dunedin. What is also quite extraordinary is the fact that the. whole of the 72 answered to their names, and only one asked to be excused from serving

It is probably not generally known, cr, perhaps more correctly, it" has been forgotten by most people.."that the Public Health Act of 1920 contains a section, No. 22, which provides for "loans without polls," though the intention of that section is very diiierent in spirit from clause 5 of thl proposed Wellington City Loans Consolidation and Empowering Bill. The latter clause, if put into operation, either with a liniit'"'as to the amount which may be raised in any one vf? r or without such limitation, will enable the City Council to raise money for tramway or sanitary works without first appealing to ratepayers for their sanction but section 22 of the Health Act deals merely with sanitary works, though the wording of the section allows of a very wide meaning being attached to the term, and is put into operation only when the Board of Health, a body presided over by the Minister of Health and comprising medical men, representatives ot certain local bodies, and experts in such departments as are concerned in the administration of sanitation, considers that certain improvements should be earned out in the general interest of the health and well-being of the residents of any town or district. When the board makes its requisition the local body served has no option but to proceed to raise the necessary money, should a loan be necessary, and, as stated above, a wide reading is given to the sub-sec'tiou setting out the works which may be so ordered; and consequently the board has very wjda powers indeed, no limit being stated in the Act as to the amount which a body may be called on to provide for works considered necessary at any one time. The intention of the inclusion of the section is to provide a means for the carrying out of works necessary tor the improvement of a particular district in a larger district, possibly in one section of a town, which work would not be generally supported by a majority of residents in that larger district or town for the reason, to put it bluntly, that the majority were not particularly interested whether the little cliap got the sanitary services he should rightly have or not.

There was quite a touching scene at the Dunedm railway station oh 1 Tuesday morning prior to the departure of the express for the north," says the Dunedm ''Star." "Sir Francis Bell, Attorney-General, who had come to Dunedin to participate in the diamond jubilee celebrations in connection \vit|\ the Boys' High School, was a passenger on his return to Wellington, aim a large number of the present boys 01 the school and the Jubilee Executive assembled to bid him farewell. Dr. Fulton briefly addressed Sir Francis in affectionate terms, thanking him for the part he had taken with them during the past four days. They all appreciated the fact, he said, that Sir Francis had travelled all the distance from Wellington in the middle of winter in order to be present at the celebrations, which showed the love he had for his old school. Sir Francis Bell presented a striking figure as lie stood on the carriage platform, and replied with emotion, he being deeply touched with .Dr. Fulton's remarks and the fact that he was saying farewell to many old com. rades. The present boys gave two faakas and then rousing cheers as the cxpresri moved 0i1..".

A cable message from Sydney report* the departure of the two trawlers Gunandaal and Brolga, recently purchased by a New Zealand buyer from the New South Wales Government's Trawling Department.

The danger of mattere, which are too important for the Washing-Up Bill slipping through in the Bill,' was mentioned as the Counties Conference this mornin* Members considered that the Washing Up Sill was becoming too unwieldy, and some of the legislation should be dealt with in another manner. The Counties' Association Executive was asked to go into the matter.

They are always seeking to throw their responsibilities on to people whose Toads and drains they have traversed " remarked Mr. A. E. Jul] at the Counties' Association Conference this morning, referring to clause 7 in the Public Works Bill, now before Parliament, which clause seeks to place the responsibility of the maintenance of drains on railway property on the local bodies concerned The conference decided to enter a strong protest*

Ihere is an acute shortage of coal at Auckland for shipping purposes.. All the stocks have been depleted, and shipping companies are borrowing coal from one another for present needs until moro comes to hand. The principal cause of the shortage ig the recent labour trouble at Newcastle, which has stopped coal coming direct from there to this port for some months, states the "New Zealand Herald." .Another contributing factor is the epidemic of influenza on the West Coast of the South Island. About half the miners in the Westport Coal Company s mines are off duty, resulting m a corresponding reduction in output! Greymouth is affected in a similar manner.

Farmers, were strongly advised to grow wheat during the coming season by Mr. K. E. Alexander at s. meeting of the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association. He considered farmers would do well by growing wheajt, and he hoped they would not be humiliated by having to import the grain (reports the "Sun"). Mr. J. D. Hall'spoke in support, and said it was essential that farmers who had land prepared should put it in wheat. Ho hoped all farmers would give regard to the appeal by the president. As to the financial side it could not be said, as yet, what would be obtained, but the Wheat Board, which would go out of office in February, hoped to make an announcement soon. He thought farmers would get a little more and possibly a good deal more than they had got in the past. The "Day of Work" scheme for Canterbury College students, to take place ? n Saturday on behalf of student relief in lomsk, is arousing a great amount of enthusiasm in Canterbury College (states the Chrjstchurch "Press").. In the quadrangle reposes a "clock." the two hands of which indicate respectively the progress of the demands for the supply of jobs. At present the students applications exceed the supply. This "clock" is supported by cartoons and rhymes which vary from day to day. The whole scheme is attracting considerable interest. The jobs offered so far to students have been mainly men s jobs: cutting hedges, mowing lawns, chopping trees, digging gardens, etc. Work suitable for women would be greatly appreciated. There seems to he a great desire among the students at Canterbury College to do what they can for student relief in Tomsk University (Siberia), where the winter is about to begin and much hardship will ensue. The plan for a students' day of work has been tried at other universities and found successful. All wages (5s per half-day) will go to assist the relief of students in Tomsk.