LOCAL AND GENERAL

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 42, 18 August 1925, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Hinemoa is to leave Lyttelton today for Makogai Island with lepers from Quail Island, states a Press Association message from Christchurch. It was expected _to dispatch her yesterday, but there is a shortage in her stokehold crew and alterations have to be carried out to the temporary accommodation built for the patients. An entry into the Farmers' Union Trading Company's buildings in Hobson street, Auckland, was made by burglars some time between midday on Saturday and Monday morning, states a _ Press Association message. The thieves were successful'in securing notes and cheques to the value of about £500. The money was in a safe in the office, 'and this was cut open at the back by some instrument. "Some people think that motor-buses will be the transport of the future," said Mr. Frank Thompson, general manager of tramways, in the course of a lecture at the W.E.A.,' at Christ church, on Saturday night. "Personally, I do not think- they will so far as big traffic is concerned. If no other transport were provided, there would be 140 motor-buses required in the Square between 5 and 5.15 to deal - with therush traffic at that ■hour.' A bus costs on an average as much to run as a car, but it only seats half the number of. passengers. Therefore, it follows that each bus seat costs twice as much as a tram seat." Apart from any question of hospitality that we ought to show to our visitors, writes a well-known citizen, there is the selfish view that to do so is good business. The writer during 1908 was visiting the United States. At the time that Admiral Sperry'a fleet was at Auckland he was in Salem (Mass.), and on it becoming known in one of the largest stores- that he was from New Zealand tho proprietor remarked that New Zealand had been giving their men a good time and sent his visitor around that historic, town in his motor-car. -He was shown the House of the Seven Gables and other buildings connected with tiie life of Nathaniel- Hawthorne, and came back convinced that one good turn earned another.Some good tramway^ stories were told by Mr. Frank Thompson, general manager for the Christchurch Board, in a lecture given before the W.E.A. on Saturday night (states the Christchurch "Press"). "On one occasion," said Mr. Thompson, - "one of 'our motormen ran into a traction engine with such force that the forepart of the engine was broken off completely, although the .tramcar was not as badly damaged as one would suppose. The collision cost the board £100. The motorman, in his repprt, described the circumstances of the accident in detail, and then he added, 'Suddenly I saw that traction engine coming at me broadside on.' That was how it appeared to him." Another similar story : A lady was going to the Show Grounds, and asked the conductor, "Is this car going to the Show Grounds?" "Yes," replied the conductor. "But are you sure?" "Yes." "But it does not say so on the side." "No, madam; we do not travel sideways." • Under the heading "The Scottish Accent" (writes "The Post's" London correspondent) "The Glasgow Herald" publishes the following paragraph: "The first woman to gain a degree in forestry in Great Britain was Miss M. Sutherland. She served during the war as forewoman forester to Sir John Stirling-Maxwell, and afterwards as one of the staff of the experimental branch of the Forestry Commission in England. In 1923 Miss Sutherland proceeded to New Zealand, and is now engaged in sylvioultural work in the State Forest Service. She writes Home, making special reference to the State plantations, and remarks upon the obvious influence of Scottish methods. 'I came across,' she states, "all kinds of English trees scattered about parts of South Otago, .near Invercargill, .which reminded me of parts of Scotland. I heard Scottish accents all round me, and L had great difficulty, often in making them believe I was really Scottish. Even those who had never been out of New Zealand had strong accents, and they thought no one could be Scottish without an accent.' " . New Zealand is not the only country where crowds watch military and navial parades in Bilence. "For instance," writes a correspondent, "there is America." ,1a proof, the correspondent encloses the following letter by Mr. Stanley D. M'Graw, published in "Scribner's Magazine" of April, ■ 1925:—"Stella Beehler Ruddock's article, 'Taggin' Ship,' in the February 'Scribner's' was very human and most interesting. ■ Mrs. Ruddock refers to the lack of cheering when,the men of the fleet marched down from Grant's Tomb after the war. She speaks of this absence of cheering as a_ 'freak' of crowd psychology, and natur-" ally she felt hurt. It was not in fact a 'freak' of crowd psychology, it was crowd psychology—that is, New York crowd psychology. I myself have known scores of military parades in New York, either as a participant or as a spectator, and without exception the crowds have been 'silent staring' ones.. Practically the only thing that will briug ;t cheer or applause is a particularly straight line when marching in column of companies or platoons. Mrs. Ruddock is not alone in having felt hurt, but she may be assured that the crowd really is sympathetic and .grateful, only perhaps too much moved to applaud." ' A plot of 40 acres at Wairoa is being made the centre of all blackberry experimental work in the Dominion, and tho various mixtures which' are sent forward to the Agricultural Department in connection with the bonus of £10,000 which has been offered for a solution which will deal effectively and cheaply with blackberry, will be tested out there under the supervision of Mr. Northcroft. It is, of course, common knowledge that the authorities are not confident that the eventual, solution will be found in any chemical mixture, but rather in a method of dealing with the pest, which will bo evolved when a complete life history, of the plant is available. In addition to the work of testing tho solutions which is being carried out at the plot, Mr. Northcroft is engaged in preparing a life history of the blackberry. In tho past efforts to eradicate blackberry, have been more or less spasmodic, and no attempt h?is been made to tackle the problem from the source, and deal with the history of the weed. Contrary to expectations, there have not been a great many : solutions forwarded to tho Department I by persons anxious to claim tho £10,000 bonus, but thoso that have been sent havo already been partly tested at Wairoa.

It is. three months to the opening of the New Zealand and South Seas Exhibition ,at Logan Park, and this is what the. general manager '(Mr. Hainsworth) said when asked yesterday by "The Post's" Dunedin correspondent how things were getting on : —"The whole of the undertaking is progressing at a very satisfactory rate. So far as can be foreseen wo are well in hand, but wo are not relaxing pressure, because we are desirous, and I am hopeful as to the desire being fulfilled, of setting up a" record in regard to exhibition openings." According to a Press Association message from Palmerston North, the Manawatu Gorge Road Board of Control has decided to cease all expenditure on the big improvement scheme which has been jiroceeding for the last two years on 14th September next. . This decision is the result of the impossibilities of securing further promised Government assistance, and the unwillingness of contributing bodies to raise further funds, tho limit of expenditure having now been reached. New Zealanders will be' interested to hear (says "The Post's" London correspondent) that the King has been pleased by letters patent to confer the dignities of Viscount and JEarlof the United Kingdom upon Admiral of the Fleet John Rushworth, Yiscdunt Jellicoe, G.C.8., 0.M., G.C.V.0., by the names, styles, and titles of Viscount Brocas, of Southampton, in the county of Southampton, and Earl Jellicoe. Early in July, Earl Jellicoe presented medals and certificates to- members of the London Fire Brigade at the annual display afc Bethnal Green. . Hundreds of firemen served with the Naval. Forces during the war, and there are a number of officers and men in the brigade who were among the crew of Lord Jellicoe's flagship. "The Post's" London correspondent, writing on 9th July, states that "The World's Children," the journal of The Save the Children Fund, makes sympathetic reference to the death of Mr. W. F. Massey. . It is said: "In 1921, j when visiting England for the Imperial Conference, he contributed to these pages a -striking message on the Save the Children Fund's 'beneficent work in a great Christian cause' to which. New Zealand has so generously contributed. 'One likes to think,' ho wrote, 'that your movement typifies the spirit of the British people, and I trust that the success you have so far achieved in the alleviation of the distress of innocent little ones will be an encouragement to continue the work.'" A member of the Empire Press Union who has a particular interest in his visit to Auckland is Captain Anthony Eden, M.P., who represents the "Yorkshire Post." He is a member" of the family which gave Auckland its name.. When Governor Hobson named the city that was to be on Tamaki Isthmus, he selected Auckland as a compliment to Lord Auckland, who as First Lord of the Admiralty had given him the opportunity that enabled him to make history in this distant. outpost of the Empire. The, family name of Lord Auckland ' >was Eden, and Captain Anthony Eden belongs to the older branch. His brother at the present time lives near the town of West Auckland in Durham, from, where Lord Auckland took hie title. This is the first occasion that Captain Edeu has come to the Dominion, and his interest as he drove up Mount Eden yesterday and surveyed the city that has appeared in less than 100 years upon the waste of fern and 6crub selected as the site by Governor Hobson had somewhat a unique character. An amusing incident occurred in the Magistrate's Court this morning when an elderly man named Peter Butler pleaded guilty to a charge of being found in an enclosed yard by night, in circumstances which did not disclose any intention to commit an offence. Sub-Inspector Hollis stated that accused had been in town- for two or three' days, and had been found afc 1.45 o'clock this morning sleeping in a packing case in a yard of! Abel Smith. street. Accused sai? that he had been working near .Masterton for some time, and he pleaded to be given another chance. The Magistrate (Mr. W. G. Riddell, S.M.): "Very well. I will give you a chance. How long do you think it will take you to get away to Masterton?" Accused .(fervently) r "As soon as I can get;- out of this dock." (Laughter.) Mr. Riddell: "How will you get there?" Accused: "Oh, I'll get I a lift on a lorry. I'll get there all right." (Laughter.) He was convicted and ordered to come up for sentence within three months, a condition being made that he left town fit and returned to work at Masterton. "These offences are becoming very prevalent, in spite of tho_ substantial fines which have been inflicted within the past two weeks, one of £20 and two of £10," said Mr. C. R. Orr Walker, S.M,, at the Magistrate's Coirrt yesterday' afternoon, when Leslie Thomas Lean (32) appeared to answer a charge of driving a motor-loiTy while in a state of intoxication. "Thoy do not seem to deter a roan from driving his car while intoxicated, and one must carefully ~consider the question of imprisonment. I have -taken all the facts of the case into consideration, and I think that a fine, if imposed, will ha-ve to be a substantial one. I will make it £20, in defaidt three months' imprisonment. I have also to consider the question of cancelling his driver's license, but I won't do that. The license will have to be endorsed." On a further charge of using obscene lano.'uage, Lean was ordered to cohre up for sentence when called upon withiu sis months, and for wilfully damaging a- canvas curtain, the 'property _of Joseph Doherty. he was fined £2 and ordered to pay the cost of tho damage, amounting to £3. Ho was convicted and ordered to pay costs on a charge.of failing to stop when requested to do so by a police constable." At the last General Synod, which sat in JDuucdiu in February, a. commission •was appointed to inquire into the 1 work among the Maoris and to make any recommendations to the Standing Committee of tho synod that might load to its better organisation. After a conference at Rotorua in June, at which the leaders in the work, both pakeha and Maorp were present, the commission drew up its report which it presented to theStanding Committee which, sat in Wellington last week. The Standing Committee accepted the main findings of the commission and appointed a. commission, consisting of the Archbishop, the Bishops of Wellington and Waiapu, Archdeacons Williams, Simkin, and Hawkins, the Hon. A. T. Ngata, and Mr. C. J. Tunks, to draw up legislation' for presentation to a special session of the General Synod. The order of reference is 'that the commission is to prepare legislation that shall ensure that the work shall be unified. In the past the work throughout' New Zealand has been carried on as a separate mission in each, diocese, and'thus there -has been no common policy and no concerted action in connection with the Church of the province as a whole. The method by which the work in both the North and South islands, including Stewart and Chatham Islands, is to be brought about is by forming a diocese of the Maoris, with a bishop, who shall bo a diocesan bishop and not an assistant, at it-B head. The necessary legislation to give effect to this is being prepared, and a full meeting of the commission will sit in Auckland on 2nd SopU'inber. ,-lt 'will be for tho commission to suggest Id ■ the Archbishop "when (ho ({(moral Hynnd should meet, this, of course, depending \ipon when the legislation is ready for presentation tothg s^no.d»

A meeting of the Wellington Technical College Board of Governors was held last evening, Mr. W. H. Bennett presiding. The director reported that Mrs. J. Hannah had been elected as the parents' representative on the board, • and that Mr. Barras's position as a representative of the Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners had been filled by Mr. H. Mitchell.' The following contributions have been made by the - Technical College :—£B 8s to the Plunket, Karitane Fund ; £6 6s' to the late Prime Minister's memorial; £2 11s to the Day Nureery (second donation). "An elderly lady puffed along to a tram stop, but the matorman did not notice her, and the car passed by," said Mr. Frank Thompson, general manager of the Ghristchurch Tramways, in telling stories at a gathering on Saturday night. "The conductor, however, saw her, and stopped the car some little distance from the proper stop. The lady clambered on board, and started slanging the conductor for not stopping before. The conductor remained absolutely silent, and the longer he remained silent the more angry and voluble the lady got. Finally, she said, 'Do you know I am Mr. So-and-So's mother?' mentioning the name of a well-known resident. Then the ■ conductor broke silence. 'Don't worry about that, madam,' he said, 'I won't tell anybody.' "