LOCAL AND GENERAL

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 150, 29 June 1925, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

"Members will note with gratification that the Citizens' Committee, although unsuccessful in collecting £25,000, have in hand well over £20,000. Next Anzac Day we hope to see the citizens of Wellington attending the services at the permanent memorial. "-^Paragraph from the annual.report of the Wellington Keturned Soldiers' Association.

"We should feel thankful when we go home to our cotnfoxtabls beds for the good fortune that is ours," said a. speaker, at the annual meeting of the Social Welfare Guild • at' Okristchurch. "For the conditions prevailing in some homes in /Christehurch to-day, are appalling. One family I recently came across did not have a blanket in tiie house, and coal sacks alone covered the beds. There are many similar cases .in the city at the present time, although everything possible is •' done to alleviate their distress." ' ■ . ■

The garden suburb proposal at Orakei Reserve, abutting on Auckland Harbour, will probably take definite shape very sono. A plan for the development of the reserve has been accepted tentatively, but is to be modified by the Lands' Department, and the Minister of; Lands intends to have the reserve subdivided and sold in building allotments as/soon as possible. The Government has been buying the land piece by piece, from the Native owners for several years past, and the purchase is not yet complete. -The Government has yet to decide whether it will itself carry out the complete road formation, including kerbing, channelling, etc., before it offers sections for sale, or whether it ..will do only necessary work, and leave the purchasers'to rate themselves for whatever else is required as time-goes on. Another matter yet to be settled is in,regard to the distribution of the cost of the esplanade as between the Auckland 'City Council; the Government, and the property-hold-ers. ■ • , " . •■...;■■ ■.-.'■

Not much-has been heard so'far this •winter about want of work in Dunedin (states The Post's" correspondent), put seasonal - interruption 'in '. certain primary industries such ■ as ■ shearing slaughtering, and harvesting has this year been followed by a slackening off of operations by public bodies in regard to works that are necessarily carried on under disadvantages in the period' of short days. Various irrigation .schemes 'in Otago are still being actively proceeded with by the Public Works Department. J-he mam job is at Tarras. An endeavour is being made, to get this .work as planned out-of hand by the spring time, but it is. probable that some extension of operations will be found advisable ion" S£, nS o» the present job: numbers 122. Forty men are occupied on Manuherikia works. They are putting in the third pipe line.; The Ida Valley scheme is giving employment to thirty, and a party of _ sixteen is engaged in further construction at Teviot, improving existing races. . . : ■ ■ .

"The new metal limbs referred to in the last report are now being worn by large numbers, of returned soldiers." states the annual report of the Wellington Returned Soldiers' Association. They have been satisfactory in the case of 'below-knee amputees, but such is not the case with above-knee amputees'owing to wooden buckets still being used. Ihe weight remains the ■ same, . and in some cases the metal leg weighs more than the old wooden leg. To carry round a heavy leg weighing from 71b to 101b is °, serious strain, and long before! five o clock on a summer's day most of the Limbies have, lost their punch and struggle wearily home. It is high time the Pension Department realised they must make the distribution of an- allmetal leg an urgent necessity. Under present condiWmany of the,'Limbies' wiil be 'used up' before attaining middle age, and it „ poor consolation offering a.M t.}jI?b t(> a man who has lost to vits-iity, . * . - ■ . .'■ .

Mr. B. J. Glancefield, traffic manager I ™91 lu7?TW U te"™^, would ifke a good old-fashioned winter with snowstorms and blizzards. Then, he says, the position regarding revenue, "Which shows a general falling-off at present, would record a big improvement. Mr! Wajicefield, referring to the reasons • for tho general falling-off in revenue, said that th Sj motor-cars and the exceptionally mild winter weather were responsible. "On warm mornings," he iafd, people prefer to walk to town, or to pycle. This warm weather, however, has been general for three years now,-and a really stormy winter is needed to allow the tramways to obtain a good financial footing. Tlie motor-cars, he stated, were, of course, on the increase. They would, however, not be such dangerous competitors if people were not so generous in giving rides to friends who would otherwise have used the tramways. "I am satisfied," he continued, "that the trouble does not lie in the amount of the fares. About 62 per cent, of the revenue comes from concession tickets. These give a very trifling reduction, and the inference is obvious.".

Lecturing at Dunedin on experiences at Gallipoli, the Rev. Dr. Merrington told at some length the story of the convoy of the Main Body in 1914. He was with the Queenslanders, who were firn to depart from any Australian port. They got as far as Port Phillip, and then were ordered to stay a while, for the ieason that theiv vessels had to -join the convoy, and wait for the New Zealandere, whose Government had wisely decreed that as the Schamhorst and other German ships wero roaming the seas the colonial troopships ought to be efficiently 'escorted; When the whole_ fleet assembled at sea. it consisted of tliirty-eiglit troopsliips, accompanied by four war vessels—the Minotaur, (he Ibnk) (.fapanose). the Sydney, and the Me boui-ne. "Since the. world'began," said Dr. lUerrington, "there never was such a. convoying voyage—others there have been as big- or bigger, but none for a ■journey of such length." The lecturer related how, when the Sydney dashed off to tackle the Emden at'Cocos lsland,_ the Ibuki also commenced to spurt in the same direction, but was recalled to take her part in tlic- policmduty Ihe address (reports the "Star"! nil thvoujsh V - 11S or ..(jsopbi,^ ii.tVi-r-Ki-, ■mgde. plain by moans of pholonraphs, lliosl. of wlii.-h WBi-q UIiSU ly Qi UttHtigtoM liiuasd^

.-• A contract has been secured by an Auckland freezing .company for the supply of 4900 cases of canned meats to the Nauru Island Administration, for the labourers on the phosphate workings. This business, which represents over a year's supply, was secured in competition with Australian firms.

"If we can only maintain the interest of the children in the Anzac Day celebrations and teach them to reverence the traditions of the brave soldiers who gave their lives in the .war, we are laying the foundations for true citizenship. -So states the annual report of the Wellington Returned Soldiers' Association.

The demand for oysters at the Government Oyster Depot in Auckland has been greater this season'than in any previous season (states the "New Zealand Herald'>). As is always the case at the-beginning.of the season, the demand exceeds the supply, but the authorities axe doing their best to cope with the position. Up to Friday a total of -2317 sacks had passed through the depot, while the total number-of sacks for the same period of last year was 2138. .

The rolling stock of the, South Island railways will shortly receive" a welcome addition (states the "Sun"). At the present time nine of the large AB class engines which the; Railway Department imported from England are being assembled at Addington/ and they will be used on th 6 South Island railways Ten new carnages, which will have electric light installations, are also being built at the shops, and more of the same class of carriages are being built at the Hil!s;de shops.. '..■■- .■ . .-. ."■ ,

Last week was a very busy one on the waterfront, : there being a large amount of tonnage in port for this time of the year. . Saturday, was a big day for the Harbourmaster and his staff S?s overseas liners had to be handled" and alrrequired the services of a pilot. The rain and mist made the task : of handling the vessels all the more difficult. However, the six liners were dealt with with despatch, and without mishap. 1 he. Harbourmaster- ("Captain J Dawson was on the job' at 5.30 a.m., taking the American oil tanker- Agwipond out from her berth at thsMiramar Wharf. ■•• , ' '■;

Accommodation for all sports bodies using the reserves in the vicinity- of Dubba street, is_ to be provided by the City_ Council, 'in one building. "The" Chairman .of the Reserves "Committee (Councillor W. J. Thompson) informed a, . ?°?}" reporter to-day that the building T will.be large enough to give the much needed accommodation to- footballers, .cricketers," and golfer?.. -Tea-' rooms will be placed above, and these are expected to be thronged, both: ,by players and spectators, and if so it. _will help to pay cost of the building. The 'caretaker's house, will: be within convenient distance, .and : the' whole arrangement will,be a great improvement upon present. conditionis. ■/.',.',-.'.. i

Mr. Bruce Levy, Government Agrostologist, whose exhibition of grasses at the recent Palmerston' Show attracted so much attention from', pastoralists and dairy: farmers, contributes .an interesting and informative article to the June number of the.:'' Journal of .the Department of Agriculture." - Ho .' .classifies.- "the commoner pasture • plants of New Zealand, -and deals with;; the seven main factors that govern or subject species in the pastures. 'His.idea is to set out. an outline guide. to beVainplified; and remodelled as asperimenial work, of an exact nature is performed. The" article occupies premier place' in the "journal," ■ Its economic value lies in the facfthat it has-; been.written ...by an expert" fe assist the farmer.-in::learning more cqncerrung: his pasture* plants. -.:'.' '„;. '.'.'

The . annual -1 report. of the Wellington Returned: Soldiers' Association makes 1 the following "reference' to Poppy 'Day • ' 'There is a small balance in > hand from' the Poppy Ejay collection in April, 1924,: due to their being less unemployment last winter. Poppy Day for 1925 has just been held, and we are glad to say: we beat last year's total by over £200 —in fact, the amount collected'this year is a record for our' association since Poppy Day was, instituted. The total amount realised was'£l34o.- The emblem of tho poppy has retained its hold on the popular imagination' in < a remarkable 'manner, but the credit for the wonderful achievement in 1925 must be given to the 160"splendid .women who helped. us on the day. Some of them were selling poppies at 7 o'clock in .the morning,, and- were still selling at 8 o'clock in the;eyening. No words we can write could adequately express our thanks for their magnificent work."