LOCAL AND GENERAL

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 63, 11 September 1924, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Loan proposals for amounts aggregating nearly £150,000 for permanent street work, electricity improvements, mothers rest room, and parks and bath improvements were approved" by the ratepayers of Napier yesterday by/substantial majorities. . .

If only the Press would now and again praise us a little, instead of telling us we are no good, I, think we should do much better," said Mr. 3. H. Hutchrngs when seconding a vote of thanks I? H 1?- ,i , >at'!asl. night's meeting of i the Midland Cricket Club. He said that nearly all the harsh criticism was absolutely warranted, but he thought a word of praise here and there would encourage players not to think that they were not altogether "duds" at the game. In tho .Supreme Court at Hamilton JTr e .nmy' J VS- Hmm' l M'Kenzie. claimed £1000 damages from the Waikato HosE, I,**. 1- Board for alleged negligence. I laintift alleged that she was burned by a hot water bottle while a patient in the hospital. After much evidence had been taken the parties conferred, and arrived at a settlement. PJMntiff withdrew the* allegations of negligence against the board or its servants.

A Licensing Amendment Bill was'introduced in the House of Representatives by the member for Otaki "(Mr \V. H. Field) yesterday. Its object is to restore licenses of the Porirua and Pahautanui Hotels, which were lost, without a vote of the people by the Boundary Commissioners taking • I them, from the Otaki district (a wet one) and. putting them into the Wellington Suburbs (a dry one) in 1908, there not being legislation to restore the licenses when they were subsequently put back into Otaki. The Parliamentary Licensing Committee, which was set up several years ago, recommended that this anomaly be rectified.

_ In order to see for himself the potentialities of the large tract of land lying between Putaruru and Taupo, the Minister of Lands, the Hon. A. D. M'Leod, yesterday consented to visit the district next December, accompanied by the Commissioner for Crown Lands in South Auckland,. Mr. Marsh. The request was conveyed to the Minister by Messrs. J. Campbell, of Tokoroa, and K. S. Cox, of Ongaroto, who presented a petition signed by all the settlers in the district. The Minister was requested to make a personal investigation of the class of land with a view to impressing on his departmental officers that the country commonly called pumice land is capable of being successfully -and profitably farmed. -

Misfortune befell'a former Gisborne resident, who had arranged to sail for England by the Ruahine from Auckland yesterday with hie wife and their baby. Last night he was disconsolate m Auckland, while his family were on the high seas. The vessel was scheduled by the board at the gangway to sail at noon, and the passengers were all aboard. When the passenger in question inquired of the steward when the boat would sail he was informed not jefore 5 o'clock, so.he went ashore to obtain medicine for.the baby and transact other business. Just after 1 o clock (states the Press Association) he learned casually, in a business establishment that the boat had sailed.' He hurried to the wharf, only to find the vessel had sailed an hour previously. While expressing his pleasure at act-' ing as 3udge. of the instrumental sections of the Mr. Robert larker remarked that he was satisfied that the Competitions Society was doin<* splendid work in. helping to bring out the best in students, and that it was working on right lines. He had not always been of that opinion, but as a philosopher had said, it was only a fool who would not change his opinion The testival was admirably conducted- the society was doing much for -the development of talent. He went on to say that he was more than satisfied with tho talent shown. He had been connected with the musical life of Wellington for nearly 60 years, and" it was very "ratifying to him to see. that there were so many promising young musicians in the city. "It has afforded me the greatest pleasure," concluded Mr. Parker "to be brought into contact with 'these young people, who have both talent and enthusiasm. I wish to congratulate those who "have won prizes, but wish to say that it is not the prize alone that constitutes the value of the' work."

"There is a misapprehension in certain local body quarters," remarked the Minister of Internal Affairs (the Hon. R".,F Bollard) yesterday, "that the bent of the Government in introducing the Motor Vehicles Bill is to swallow up all tho motor traffic revenue of a, council for the maintenance of the main highways. That Ms not so. Take Christchurch as an example. Last year the fees collected'in Chnstehurch for the registration of motors amounted to £996 10s. The new charges proposed in the Bill would mean that £10,500, approximately, would be collected in Christchurch, £1500 of which would be retained by the local body as fees for drivers' licenses on a basis of 5s for each, driver, so that even on the present basis the city would be receiving £500 more than it did in 1923." Mr. Bollard added that Dunedin was practically m a similar position. "The 'Otago Daily Times,' " said Mr. Bollard, "was correct in its comments that many of the proposals submitted 'by the Conference of Local Bodies held at Auckland are not relevant to the Motor Vehicles Bill. They concerned the Main Highways Act. Criticism on the Bill is courted, but I agree that in the multiplicity of suggestions _ that are being made quite outsido of its scope, a risk is being engendered in the passage of the Bill, which, whatever its faults, is undoubtedly essential for the control of motor traffic."

In connection with a request by the Victoria College Council for assistance to the Professor of Education, a letter-was received from tho Minister of Education, Hon. 0. J. Parr, at a meeting of the council last evening. The Minister stated that when the appointment of professors of education in the four training colleges was approved, it was expressly stipulated that the cost should not be thereby increased. The Department was satisfied that it would not be necessary to pay fees for students, and as the staff of the Training College would be relieved by freeing the principal from taking the major part of the work in education, the savings would be sufficient to meet the cost of the Chair of Education. This position was reinforced by the fact that when a full-time Professor of Education was appointed at the college, there would not need to be as much assistance given to him as was given to the previous lecturer in education, who was .both principal of the Training 'College and lecturer in education. Tho Minister, therefore, regretted that as th» approval of Cabinet was obtained on the conditions stated, he could not approve of any additional payment being- made. Inquiry would be made in regard to tho number of students taking the subject of education at Victoria College. it was possible that a number of these might more suitably take the simpler course 3in education at the Training- (College. The Minister pointed out that the provision made for lecturer in education at Victoria College was the same as fchat made at the other colleges., where the number of students was as great, or greater.

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Mr. T. M. Wilford's- Agricultural Bank Bill was JLtroduced in the House of Representatives yesterday. In reply to_ the Prime Minister, Mr. - Wilford said the Bill was the same as the one he proposed last year.

An appeal to the public to subscribe the remainder of the £8000 required to purchase radium for the proposed radium department has been decided upon by the North Canterbury Hospital Board.- v

iThe congregation of the Vivian Street Baptist Church, on Sunday last, passed a resolution protesting strongly against the passing of legislation to remove the restrictions against liquor being allowed in the King Country. It is urged that such legislation would mean "the breaking of a solemn compact with the Maori race. . .

About three months ago Dunedin confectionery manufacturers decided to make substantial reductions in the prices of various lines of chocolates in order to meet competition from British and foreign concerns. That their decision was a wise one; says "The Post's" correspondent, is proved by the fact that the local demand for the imported article is practically non est at present.

According to advice.received from San jJrancisco by the Union Company, the hew Zealand members of the crew of the oil-tanker Orowaiti, which went ashore at the entrance to San Luis Obispo (California) on 12th August, and which has since been given up as a total loss, are returning to Wellington by the R.M.S. Tahiti, which is expected here on 29th September. It is understood that they number about six. . *■-

A letter was received ab a meet-in? cf the Victoria College Council last evening from the joint committee of the Graduates and the Students' Association, asking- that steps -be taken to determine whether a residential hostel should be provided in the college grounds or elsewhere; and, further, that data should be obtained respecting the cost, size, etc., of a hostel for about 100 students. Secondly, it was asked that if.the council saw fit to obtain the data as suggested, then steps be taken to determine the best methods of raising funds. A special sub-committee was appointed to deal with this matter.

Mary Ann Cashmere, widow, was charged in the Magistrate's Court, at Christchurch, yesterday,, with having, '->y means of a false statement, obtained a pension certificate to which ehe was not entitled. It. was alleged that she had defrauded the Government of £78- Chief-Detective Gibson said the accused was a widow with four children, and in 1922 she was granted a pension of £78 a year. She was then entitled to it, but in. August of that year she commenced work at 9s per day and she failed to give a return of her earnings. . The Magistrate said the woman appeared to be of good character otherwise, and she would be admitted to probation for three years on condition that she repaid the" £7& at the rate of 5s per week.

"Nine-tenths of the cheap and trashy novels that are offered to the public as reading matter to-day are not fit for boys or girls, men or women, to read" declared Mr. Bransby Williams in addressing members of the Auckland Rotary Club. "There is more harm in the so-called 'sex novel than you can possibly .imagine.. Boys and girls can go and inde themselves and read things that should never have been allowed to stand in print. Thank God, i not one novelist m fifty, in the Victorian period could have .written the stuff that is being turned out .to-day, and when we read the great works of Lyttori, and Dickens, and others, -we may well feel proud of the literature of that period. IE we can only teach boys and girls of the present, day to read and enjoy good books, we shall be doing a great work." The Sunday Fishing Bill was introduced, by Mr. L. M'llvride (Napier) in me Mouse of Eepresentatives yesterday Mr. M'llvride stated that the object of the measure was to prevent fishing on bunday for trade purposes. The Napier hshermen, he said, went out to fish on Fridays, and the fish they caught were ! sent to Wellington on Saturday. The hsh were left-in the raihvayVuc'ks from Saturday night until Monday morni InS- Ijie fishermen stated that there would be no inconvenience if they reI sumed work' on Saturday morning, and the fish were kept in ice at Napier on b™day, being railed' to Wellington on the Monday. Fishermen who were working for themselves„did not work on Sun-' days, and they did not have any difficulty in placing their catch on the market in a fresh state.

At a well-attended meeting of theWairarapa section- of the Post and Telegraph Officers' Association, held in Masterton last night, the following resolution was unanimously carried:—"That this section of the P. and T. Association strongly resents and protests against the expression of 'disloyalists,' as recently used by_the Postmaster-General in the House ot Representatives when referring to the service. We emphatically declare that this imputation is aii injustice, in that it stigmatises-a section of the community which is rendering conscientious and efficient service to the country; also that this section has every confidence in the executive, and wholeheartedly approves and endorses the policy adopted by the executive to obtain just and reasonable reelassification as would permit of a decent standard of living."

It is reported that good progress is being made with the negotiations between, the Government and the Tauporotara Timber Company with reference to the proposals for the construction of a. railway from Taupo to Putaruru. At a conference yesterday afternoon between the Minister of Railways, representatives of the Railway Department representatives of the, Putaruru-Taupu Railway Board, and Mr. F. G. Dalziell (chairman of directors >of the Taupo-To-tara Timber Company) an offer was made on behalf of the company that if the board could; show that the construction of its proposed railway would serve the other timber interests in the district better than,' the Taupo-Totara Company's line, the company would raise no objection to the issue to the Railway Board of the necessary Order-in-Council for the construction of the railway alongside the existing section. This proposal is expected to pave the way towards tho carrying out of the project.