LOCAL AND GENERAL

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 48, 25 August 1923, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

In the House of Representatives last night Sir John Luke (Wellington North) urged ihut a vigorous start be made with tffe new Girls' College. The Minister of Education (the Hon. C. J. Parr) replied that money w<suld be available for tl» building arid that a commencement would soon be made.

The Chief Post Office has been advised from Sydney that the -Kawatiri which left Newcastle ou the 24th mat. for Lyttelton carries a small mail for Wellington.-

The Auckland Labour Representation Committee has passed the following. resolution : "That, in view of the Prime Minister's refusal to allow Labour delegates to attend the Geneva Conference, the executive requests the Parliamentary Labour Party to block .any further legislation unless this p,arfc of the Peace .Treaty is given effect to."—Press Association.

Sstate schools in the city broke up for the second term holidays yesterday, and will reopen on Tuesday, 11th September, bt Patrick s College, which broke up last Wednesday evening, will re-open on 10th. September, and the Boys' and Girls Colleges on 17th September. Pupils of Wellesley College will reassemble on 18th September, with the exception of the fifth form students, who will commence the third term a week earlier. Scots College will break up next luesday, and will re-open on 18th September.- The girls-of • Queen Margaret College, which was closed yesterday on account of the prevalence of 1 colds and influenza, are to reassemble on Wednesday, 12th September. . . v

ii}*u- J j Sutherla.n<i Ross, chairman of the board of provisional directors of the New Zealand and. South Seas Exhibition, to be held at Bunedin, has received a telegram from the Hon. W. Downie Stewart as follows:—"Eegret to inform you that deputation of presidents of industrial associations Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington waited on Prime' Minister protesting against any subsidy while exhibtion remains international. Fear this will prove fatal unless some anucable adjustment arrived.at." After consulting his co-directors, says a Press Association message, Mr. Boss replied as follows:—"Provisional directors cannot decide scope of exhibition, bufr strongly urge that subsidy be granted irrespective of, what decision may be coma to that subject at the statutory ?«£ 2 s °f ,^"holders to be held on 17th September. ■

You/say that you are a carrier?" asked counsel of a debtor, who was givmg evidence in respect to a-judgment given against him, in the Magistrate's Court at Auckland: "Yes," was the apswer. And how many carts or lorries have you got?" "None," replied' the witness. This caused the solicitor who was appearing for the judgment creditor t<v ask how. it was . that the debtor conducted his business -kg a carrier without a cart. "Oh," said the witness, my wife has. a cart; she is the owner, and I work-for her." "Well, how much does .she pay you?" "J us fc Wna t. ever I make," the .carrier replied. (Laughter.) r

M 7S- X- Datta, during his visit to v Ze. a r lan, d ' under the" auspices of the Young Men's Christian Association, and the btudenfc Christian Movement, will deal with a number of important phases of Indian life. A graduate in arts arid medicine, the visitor has a fine grip of the many problems affecting his fellow countrymen, while his educational studies in Great Britain and his experience amongst the soldiers during the war, afforded him a wide field of knowledge in matters of general interest. His fluency and fine command of English' is combined with a happy and entertaining personality. Dr. Datta will arrive in Wellington next week.

" The greatness of-the British Empire does not lie in its armies' or their victories, but in the impartial administration of justice throughout Jts vast collection of States and dependencies," remarked his Honour Sir Frederick Chapman in an address at New Plymouth on " The' Acquisition of the Sovereignty of New Zealand to the Queen, and a Short History of the Supreme Court." '■ In a more complete sense," he continued, ''than in^he ease^of any other empire, that to which we belong is a voluntary aggregation of commonwealths. What has often been styled a conquest is more often, when properly examined, proved to be a liberation from the rule of a tyrannicall chief .or clan. Even those who express discontent with Imperialrule are ready at all times to revert for relief to the Courts of' the British system. The very essence then of British rule lies in the possession of strong arid just Courts administering a just system, in which neither birth nor wealth has any advantage."

"Many New Zealand birds are at the parting of the -way," Mr. E. F. Stead said at Christchurch. "It is a ques-, tion whether they will survive, or go out altogether- Many, ■I am ,afraid, will become extinct during :■ the next century at least. Many . others that have been scarce during the past fifteen or twenty years are returning to districts in which they, formerly lived. The native crow and the saddleback almost certainly are doomed to extinction. The bellbird- the tui, the grey warbler, and other small native birds are holding their own. Introduced diseases are one caiise of the disappearance of native birds. If those diseases are withstood, the birds wi(l become plentiful again. I hope that, when the first stragglers appear in a district, th%y will be welcomed as friends, not treated as enemies."

The introduction of the little grey owl, oi- German owl, to Canterbury and Otago is condemned by, Mr. E. F. Stead.. He said at Christchurch that, even in its native countries in. Europe, it was condemned as vermin; it was the only owl left on the list of unprotected birds. It had been introduced to New Zealand to deal with the sparrows. It might take one or two-spar-rows occasionally, : but it' certainly would have no material effect on the great body of sparrows.

A. writer in the Taranaki "Herald" states that a reader sends him a curious account of a. Samoan legend regarding the pololo of Samoa. The people were promised that they should never want for food, and taro, breadfruit, and bananas abounded. But, like the Israelites, the people doubted tho gods and decided to hoard food, in spite of the warning of the gods. So a great famine visited the land, but for ten moons the hoarded* food lasted. Then they began to be in want". The gods said: "We have 'fed you for many generations, asking merely your implicit trust. You have disobeyed and grieved us. We will try you. To-night ac the""moon rises go to the coral reefs. There will arise sufficient food for one ■week ;j Take enough for, one week only." As the moon rose, there came up from tlie rcei marine animals, like spaghetti, green and wriggling. The people ate their fill, and kept enough for. one week. Again next month came the " pololo " in great quantities. Tho famine ceased; the gods were appeased. So to this dny the Sumoans ; do not hoard "food. To remind them that the gods still watch, over the people, bs the moon rises in its third'quarter'in Octo % bcr and November, up come this pololo^ from the coral reefs, and the natives cat it, ijiid mako soup 6£ it. JSut they do uot huard it or nay food. ' '

At a meeting of the directors of the British and Foreign Sailors' Society, held on Thursday, a hearty vote of thanks was carried unanimously to the trustees of the Macarthy Trust for the generous donation to the society. The South Canterbury War Memorial Committee considered tenders for the erection of a, monument at Timaru, states a Press Association message. Three tenders were received, all from the North Island. On the advice of the architect; that of Messrs. Parkinson Company, of Auckland, at £4500, was accepted. Funds in hand total £4600. It is hoped to complete th« memorial ready for next Anzac Day.

" The Treaty of Waitangi," remarked his Honour Sir Frederick Chapman in an address at New Plymouth, " has sometimes been spoken of with ridicule, and sometimes treated with contempt. It is, however, the basis of British sovereignty in New Zealand, and as an act of justice to a Native race is unsurpassed in the history of colonisation."

"You ""may be interested to hear,!' stated Dr. Clark at tha Hawkes Bay Education Board, "that a flour merchant told me that the orders for wholemeal flour in Hawkes Bay had increased 40----fold since last year. The head teacher of one of the largest schools told me that'toothache amongst the children is almost a thing of the past.' These facts are closely connected, I think."

"Fat bullocks are going to te hard to get in Taranaki during the next' few months at a reasonable figure," said a stock agent to a Taranaki "'Daily News" reporter. He had been scouring the country for a line, and found that he had to pay up.to £14 each for anything prime. The causes were, first of all, the shortage of feed occasioned by the severity of'the winter, and the fact that over 4000 head ■ had been purchased during the past month or two for the Mcl : bourne market. These, of course, were not all bought in Taranaki, but local prices were influenced by the demand outside, and with the number' sent each week to the South Island . markets, it brought about a shortage, and therefore prices were firming for anything showing quality and condition. ;

• "I think the quality of our Southland Border Leicesters is going back," declared Mr. Hugh Carswell, at Winton. "We are not keeping the right ones, but are letting Australian buyers come here and pick out the best of our sheep. Victorian breeders of Border Leicesters attribute their success to their being able to come to New Zealand and pick the best out of the sheep here. We must change.that," said Mr.-Carswell, "and keep the best ourselves or we will deteriorate still further." -

- The West Goast licensed victuallers are trying- to secure later hours for an area extending from Murohisoh to Boss, beyond which points agricuHure supersedes mining (states a^ West Coast paper). In the proposed area there are 143 licensed houses. It is contended that many, of the local mining centres have,-since the regulation curtailing hours, been run at a loss through decline of trade, also that 6 o'clock closing is an inducement to after-hours trading It is being- asked that the hours be altered to 10 to 1, and from 3 to 9 p.m. Describing the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, which he declared was the basis of British sovereignty in New Zealand,, Sir Frederick Chapman, in an address at New Plymouth, said that the Treaty v/as adopted, after much discussion, at a meeting of"Natives at Mr. Busby's station' on sth and 6th February, 1840. Opposition, which was keen, was overcome at the .first meeting on the sth, and an adjournment,until the (th was agreed to, but on 6th February, led by Tamati Waka Nene, who really brought about the consent of the Natives, many Native chiefs signed. After that, signatures came in rapidly. It was carried throughout the North Island by the Rev. Henry Williams, of Paihia, and other emissaries and "some chiefs of the South Island also signed. In all 512 signatures were readily affixed to the Treaty. It bears the date 6th February, 1840, and is written in both English and Maori. ■

'The Christchurch "Sun," dealing with the (census figures and humour, caysOver 3000 folks have returned themselves as haying no religion; 150 as Spiritual-ists;-1209 as Free Thinkers; 726 as Affnostios; 191 as Atheists, arid 169 as "tocertain, lo tlie practical joker the Census paper is irresistible, and we find several, suspicious-looking' entries in the list. There is one Tree Trader, a Good Citizen a believer in "The Humanity of Ireland, tw Oj Puritans/ one gentleiian "Rl n ?f Ye& nofc connected," a Holy Roller," and a "Holy Jumper" (this sounds more like fashionable wearF,P.A. have only/ two avowed supporeis! A new one ''on us," as our American friends would have it, is the "Skvtenan' faith, which claims two supporers. It is possible they are do£f- anciers? And surely the' most ,anfazL. entry m the l ong _ li st compiled by Mr