LOCAL AND GENERAL

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 120, 25 May 1925, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Instructions to discontinue tho use of the name "Australasia" on their New Zealand correspondence have been issued to all agents of tho Canadian Government Merchant Marine, according to advico received at a meeting of the council of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce. A letter from' the London Chamber of Commerce was also received, stating that the question of altering the title of its section representing Australia and New Zealand would bo brought up at the next meeting. Consternation was caused in a Christchurch household a few days ago when active preparation were being made for the wedding of one of the daughters of the house, says the "Lyttelton Times." The wedding cake had been purchased, and all arrangements made for the reception and the ceremony. The bride was in the act of dressing when the bridegroom-to-be arrived at the house and calmly announced that lie was not going to be married. Without any further explanation he departed, and the wedding has not taken place yet. An out-of-date rule of the Supreme Court provides that in the case of every Maori who is served with a process, no matter what his degree of education, a translation of the document must be supplied to him. In a case which came beforo Mr. Justice Eeed at Auckland on Friday (states the "New Zealand Herald"), the non-service of a translation operated to bring about an adjournment until the omission could be remedied. His Honour remarked that the rule of the Court was drawn up before the Maori race had advanced to its present educational standard. It-would be to the interest of the natives themselves to have an amendment made, because the cost of interpretation fell upon native suitors.

Members of the St. John 'Ambulance Lorps have been staffing the Ru»by hockey, and Association football grounds lor many years, attending to injuries received by the players. On Saturday last they were on many fields and had quite a busy day, mostly with minor injuries. One Eugby case from Wakefield Park had to be sent to tho Hospital for X-ray treatment; six Rugby players and one hockey player were reported injured, not seriously, from Kilbirnie Reserve; there was a slight case of injury at Newtown Park, and five Rugby players received attention for minor injuries at Athletic Park. One onlooker was also treated by the ambulance ladies present at Athletic Park, the trouble being stated as acute hysteria. Members of the corps were at six grounds other than those mentioned.

A family squabble which has been brewing for some time in one of Wellington's subnrbs had a sequel in the Juvenile Court on Saturday, when several applications were made against children, seeking sureties of the peace. Sureties were asked for against a. boy aged 13, and one against a girl of 10 years. The complainant in the case of the boy was a. man, who said the boy bid. thrown a missile at him, and had then offered to fight him. The complaint was dismissed. The complainant in the case of the girl was another girl, aged six, and this information was dismissed also. The boy who, it was stated, had knocked one of the girls down, was admitted to probation for one year, his case being adjourned for that period. The proceedings were the subject of some sharp comment by the Magistrate (Mr. S. L. P. Free, S.M.), who said they showed a disgraceful state of affairs as far as the parents were concerned. "I don't propose to_ allow costs," he said, "because I think everybody is to blame." Mr. E. Kennedy appeared" for the defendants, and Mr. A. Free for the complainants.

As may be known the New Zealand Meat Producers' Board has an inspector watching the discharge of every steamer unloading frozen meat at London and other ports in the United Kingdom, and many improvements have been effected by the authorities concerned as the outcome of suggestions made by the board's London office arising out of these inspections. In a recent report the inspector referred to the unsatisfactry condition of railway trucks which were waiting at ship's side for our frozen meat. Their dirty condition rendered them quite unfit; for meat.: The matter was taken up in the proper quarlor, and as a result the board has now received further reports from the inspector which make much more satisfactory reading. Ho.nays: "Tho authorities concerned are taking steps to sco that their insulated vans are thoroughly cleaned before being sent to the ship's sido to load meat, and I have to report a great improvement since wo took the matter up. There is now no room for complaint as to the condition of the- trucks, but I still propose to exercise regular supervision on tho condition of these trucks iv the future."

The agriculturists and pastoralists of the Auckland district are particularly keen to have the Royal Show located at Auckland next year. At a committee meeting of the A. and P. Association on Friday, anxiety was expressed at the fact that there was a probability that the show would not be held here for many years. There seemed to be an endeavour in certain quarters, said Mr. .T. Wood, to keep the show away from Auckland indefinitely. The objection, apparently, was that Auckland did i>nt possess enough accommodation for stock. It was only a matter of money. Mr. S. Hodge said that Hamilton had been objected to because it did not have accommodation for the people. Auckland was going to have the show, and in fact must have it, said Air. Wood. Surely a few thousand pounds could be raised in Auckland to support the venture (reports tho "New Zealand Herald"). Mr. H. Grierson thought the question was of sufficient importance to warrant tlto Mayor being approached and a public meeting called Xho show, were it U> And a regular location in Auckland, would pvovo a great benefit to the city, (.■rreat numbers of visitors would attend the show, and the liolelkeepers and others would prolit. A member : "If we don't get the show next year wu will never get it." Tho committee, on appointing the president. Mr. \V. W. Massoy, and Mossrs. S. Hodge and •I. J.\ Kalaughcr as delegates to tho Uoya! .Show Conference in Wellington on 27tli May. instructed them to actively Riirpori. thn proposal .It. bring the

A grant of £1000 has been made by Cabinet for the extension of the law library at the Wellington Supreme Court. ■" I don't know where the boys and girls are going to land within the next few years," said Mr. J. C. Thomson. M.P., at the Invercargill High Schools Board meeting last week. " The term for their secondary education now extends over four years, and it has to be remembered that a quarter of that time is spent m holidays. Now that the a X e for matriculation has been extended, it will mean that children will spend all their lives at school. Mr. Gilkison- "And a poor look-out for the parent." Some consternation has been caused amongst those connected with shipping owing to the fact that the Union Com" panys cargo steamer Wanaka was allowed to berth at the Dunedin whait tl!r -n1 ay b£"S fumigated,. states to Otago Daily Times." It appears that a fireman employed aboard the ship was taken ashore at Wellin E - ton on Monday last suffering from d ph at Lyttelton and Timaru, where car K o was handled by waterside workers, and members of the ship's company 'went ashore. It .s stated that the Health Department m Dunediu was notified of the case, and instructions were given that the vessel was to be fumigated as soon as she reached Dunedin. Officers Z'° department visited the Wanaka snoztlv after she reached port, and arranged to swab the throats of every member of the crew and to fumigate the steamer. In the meantime several gan K s of waterside workers were engaged to work the cargo, and it is considered that tnis was a wrong procedure, as the men ran the risk of contagion, and there was also the risk of their carrying the disease if it is in existence on the ship, to their homes. The Health Depart--1 mentis officers were not able to carry I?i f ■. f"mi Sation o» Friday owing to j the fact that no arrangement was made tor temporary accommodation for the crew. It is contended that the Health Department, when notified of the facts in Wellington, should have stopped all contact with the Wanaka until she had been fumigated. She was to be thoroughly fumigated before she sailed on Saturday for Bluff.

tt "A ■ n»\ whil? aS° * went to Sir 1 rancis Bell to discuss the question of the importation of tartan serge for Highland uniforms," said Mr. L. T. Wiltkins at the meeting held on Friday afternoon in connection with the re-open-nig of the Dunedin branch of the Department of Industries and Commerce Mr Watkms explained that lie considered the duty should be kept on imported tartans. Sir Francis had replied that tradition required that a Highlander jaust get his'tartan cloth from Scotland. He did not mind if ho p;l id a little more for it. Mr. Watkms said he had replied that that was all right so °n? M £ ?, aid a little more (sports the Otago Daily Times"). He held that tartan could be made in New Zealand the equal of the imported cloth, and he had told Sir Francis that if it were right Paisley shawls sliould be taxed tr.en tartan should be taxed also Sir 1' rancis did not agree with him, however, and he had remitted the duty on tartan cloth. Later on another speaker relieved the sombreness of a meeting which was being inundated with fact? 3i "* figures on the industrial progress of the Dominion by stoutly maintaining that a Highlander was quite justified in sending Home for his tartan cloth for the very good reason that it was a better quality than the N.nv Zealand-manu-factured cloth. This rather staggered the meeting and especially Mr. Watkins 1 roceeding, the speaker went on soil emnly to declare that he knew he wa= correct because he had been informed by a Highlander who had been caught in the rain that New Zealand 'tartan shrank. In the burst of laughter which ensued, Mr. Watkins was heard to protest that the cloth he made- did not'