LOCAL AND GENERAL

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 100, 24 October 1924, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Poultry Bill and the Petone Borough Empowering Bill wore put through their final stages, and passod by the Legislative Council yesterday afternoon. Meat prices in Germany appear to be low. Tho Now Zealand Meat Producers' Board has collected them from Berlin, Hamburg, Frankfort on Main, Leipzig, and Munich. The Berlin prices were as follow:—Cattle per pound, 2s 2d to 5s 9d; calves, 5s 5d to 10s Sd: sheep, 2s 7d to 7s; pigs, 8s to 10s 2d. A recommendation was made b'y the Finance, Property, and Policy Committee at a meeting of the Wellington Hospital Board yesterday, that tho board agree to become a, member of the Hospitals' Association, provided that the annual subscription does not exceed one twentieth per cent., in place of one tenth per cent., of the amount of its maintenance requirements for tho year proceeding. It was pointed out that if tho annual subscription was to exceed at ono tenth per cent., ,the yearly cost of tho board would be £107. Tho recommendation was adopted, members expressing tho opinion that one twentieth per cent, was quite a. sufficient subscription. At a largely-attended luncheon yesterday, given at Dunedin, by the Methodist ministry and laymen to the Rev. A. A. Bensley (Solomon Island missionary), and Mr. Frank Thomson (vice-pre-sident of the New Zealand Methodist Conference), the following- motion was carried unanimously: "That this meeting of ministers and laymen of the Methodist Churches of Dunedin, representing 1500 members and 5000 adherents vigorously protests against the ignoble effort to force the Gaming Bill through Parliament. Economically, socially}' and morally* it will injure the Dominion. Wo urge that the Bill bo immediately withdrawn." A Press Association message states thnt it was decided to forward copies to Mr. Massey and Jocal members of Parliament.

The out-patients' department of the Wellington Hospital will be closed on Labour Day (Monday). Urgent cases will be treated at the General Hospital. The Wellington Hospital Board yesterday expressed its thanks to Mr. William Chegwidden for his donation of a wicker pneumatic tired invalid chair. Members stated that the board could well do with many more vehicles of this type. A "Gazette" notice declares that benzine consigned from Auckland to Hamilton, itf* lots of not less than 1000 cases will, after 21st inst., be charged £2 5s per ton. The former charge was £3 3s Bd. It is understood that the reduction has been made in order to meet the competitive freight rate by road transport. It was reported by the Fees Committee of the Wellington" Hospital Board yesterday that of nine cases of defaulting debtors which were brought before the Magistrate's Court on 16th October, five paid in full, two confessed judgment, and judgment was given in one case by default. The ninth debtor was'stated to be in ill-health, and the matter was therefore not proceeded with. Having long lost confidence in members of Parliament, as watchdogs of consumers' interests, Victoria established its Housewives' Association. This body recently insisted upon representations on •■.the wheat board. It also passed the following resolution:—"That the executive of the Housewives' Association desire to bring before the State Parliamentary Country party the fact thab they owe some responsibility to the consumers as well as the producers, and would y remind them that they -represent generally in their constituencies a larger number of consumers than wheat growers. We therefore urge them to give due consideration to the consumers when discussing and voting on the Wheat Bill." Several members of the committee of the Wellington Provincial - Industrial Association visited the Newtown Public School y«sterday afternoon, when Misses E. Gaston and N. Green were presented .with first and tihird prize's respectively, won by them in connection with the association's essay competition on "The Superiority and Advantages of New Zealand-made Goods." Mr.-L. R. Partridge, who made the presentations, congratulated- the school on its success, and aJso the two scholars personally, on having written such splendid essays. He was pleased 'to note that1 two girls had won the prizes, as the prosperity of New Zealand's secondary industries depended a great deal on the present and future housewives purchasing goods made_in this- country. With a view of maMng the full and best use of the sanatoria in the North Island; the Director-General of Health, Dr. T. H. A. Valintine, has written to the medical superintendents of the Otaki and Pukeora Sanatoria suggesting that they visit certain localities in their districts as opportunity allows, with a view to getting into touch with patients in the early stages of the disease. By this means they would also be able to get in touch with the medical men and generally make known the purposes arid ideas governing the institutions. The Wellington Hospital Board yesterday received from Dr. Valintine, a. letter in which ,he asked the board if it could help in the matter, and do its best to impress on those in the. early stages of consumption the necessity of seeking early treatment in a sanatorium. A request that an increase be granted in the salaries of resident house surgeons was made yesterday at a meeting of, the Wellington Hospital Board, when a letter on this question was received from Senior House Surgeon, Dr. VV. H. B. Bull. From the point of view of the house surgeons, it was stated in the letter, the year had been a particularly hard one, due chiefly to so many and frequent changes in the personnel. of the staff'. Surgeons felt that their present salaries were not a just return for their services. It was decided to reply that the present scale of salaries of the resident medical staff waa fixed by the hospital .boardß of the four centres, which were acting in comformity. Until such time as these boards could agree to any change, the present scale of salaries must continue. Under the Trustees Act, neither hospital nor harbour boards can legally accept the investment of trust moneys, and in this direction, the Wellington Hospital Board has been considerably hampered in its endeavours' to secure funds by the issue of debentures. At a meeting of the board, yesterday, tiie matter waa discussed, and Mr. A. B. Hornblow suggested that a letter bo sent to the' Government with a view to having the position altered. Mi\ Apploton pointed out that there was at present before Parliament an amendment to make logo! investments of trust moneys in electric power and road boards. One member suggested that the letter should/include a .request that the matter be dealt with this session, but other members felt that this could not bo done. It was finally decided to approach the Government in regard to legalising the investment of trust moneys in hospital boards. The value of city properties in Christchurch has increased greatly during the past few years, and many owners who have sold such properties recently have made handsome profits- states a Press Association message. When interviewed on the subject, Mr. C. E. Jones, the well-known auctioneer, said that in spite of the increase in values Christchurch, as far as city property was concerned, was the lowest valued city in* the Dominion, taking into consideration its site and position. By this he meant that a property in Colombo street, the main artery of Christchurch, was lower valued than a similar property say, in Queen street, Auckland. During the lust seven years he hnd handled a good many city properties, especially by public auction, and he could say without fear of contradiction that where owners had elected to sell they had sold at a great advance, and in some instances had made as much as 400 per cent, on the capital they had invested. Ho considered that' there were sufficient shops now to meet present requirements. "One hears it said that if members of the City Council travelled more often by tram the council would be more sympathetic towards . the tram-using public. We are reminded- of this b"y the fact that the English Commission, which is inspecting the Now Zealand railway system, is travelling everywhere by special train (states tlio "Auckland Star"). This train is faster than oven expresses, and we presume it is as comfortable as a New Zealand train can be. Wo do not wish our visitors any .harm, on the contrary, we expect something from them in the way of a valuable report, and we hope they will enjoy their stay. We cannot help thinking, huweyer, that they would get a better insight into railway methods—at least from the point of ,view of the public— if they spent a few days on ordinary trains—especially those "mixed" affairs that meander along .all day—took the rough' with the smooth, mixed with the travelling public, and tried to see things with the eyo of the intelligent train-user. A trip on the Knipara line, for example, might be an education in itself. It is nearly always a drawback that inspections like these are made in conditions that are not normal."

For the six months ending 30th September, the following comparative return of maintenance fees was received by the Wellington Hospital Board yesterday from'the Patients' Fees Accounts. Committee :—1923, £6401 11s lOd. 1924, £8799 0s Id. The Secretary to the Treasury in this week's "Gazette" "acknowledges the receipt of the following amounts, forwarded by persons unknown, an conscience money to the Government: £1 5s 6d and £1, forwarded to the Railway Department, Wellington; 15s, forwarded to the Mental Hospitals Department, Christchurch; 2s forwarded to the Railway Department, Dunedin. The contractors of the Dunedin Exhibition are well ahead of time with the buildings, on which 105 men are now employed, states "The Post's" Dunedin correspondent. The Hotal area of the buildings that are partially erected, exclusive of the concert hall, is twelve acres. Last evening's "Gazette" contains notification of the proposed cancellation of registration of the following unions under the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act:—Ngakawan Coalminers' Industrial Union of Workers, Australasian Institution of Marine Engineers' Industrial Union., of Workers (Wellington district), and 'the' Point Elizabeth and Liverpool State Collieries' Employees' Industrial Union of Workers (other than engineers, engine-driv-ers, firemen, and winchmen). • At a meeting of the Wellington Centre of the Royal Life-saving Society last evening, the principal business concerned the appointment of a custodian for Lyall Bay Beach. Several members were of opinion that the custodian should b'e capable of saving life, and should have passed the surf test. ' A recommendation to this effect is to be forwarded to the City Council. A "Gazette" notice issued last evening amends the regulations in regard to military registration and enrolment. "When any person liable for military training changes his place of residence, he shall notify his change of place of residence as follows :—(a) If serving in a Territorial or Senior Cadet unit, by informing his commanding officer within fourteen days of such change. (b) If posted to the Non-effective List, by notifying the nearest Defence Office within fourteen days, if by reason of such change his place of residence is within five miles of an established training centre Every such person who fails t 0 notify his change of place of residence as herein roquired is liable, on summary conviction by a Magistrate to a hne not exceeding £10."