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Evening Star, Issue 15478, 28 April 1914, Page 4

The Hospital and Charitable Aid Board at last night’s meeting estimated the sum necessary for carrying out the purposes of the board for the year ending April 31, 1915, at £33,000, proportioned thus: Capital account, £3,500; other expenses, £29,500. The estimate is the same as passed last year. The Butchers’ Union held a special meeting last night in connection with tho matter of appointing a new secretary in place of Mr R. May all, who has resigned. Nothing was clone, tho question being held over for a month. There aro a good many applications to be considered-

The generosity of the Dunedin folk, which is %o well known all over the Dominion, was demonstrated again last night when the trains with the cadets who took part in this morning’s parade arrived. People who had offered to billet one cadet took two, and soon most of the lads found themselves in comfortable homes. The remainder took advantage of the generous offer of the Union Steam Ship Company, and spent the night on board the s.s. Monowai, where they were well treated.

-Bluff Harbor, said Sir Joseph Ward, speaking last night at Queenstown, on behalf of his candidature for the board, is destined to be the cheapest port in the South Island.

The Public Service Board of Appeal— Messrs P. Barr (chairman), J. H. Richardson, and F. J. Mouat—concluded their sittings in Dunedin yesterday. The board eat for 10 days, and heard the appeals of 67 local Government officers against the provisional - classification of the Public Service by the Public Service Commissioner. Tme members of the board left lor Christchurch this morning on their way to Wellington. “ Our Own ” wires from Invercargill:— In response to information received by the ponce that sly grog selling was being carried out on Stewart Island, two constables in plain clothes were stationed at Halfmoon Bay during the Easter holidays. A fishing cutter was raided, and, a quantity of liquor (including a five-gal-lon keg) secured. A prosecution will follow.

In accordance with the suggestion we made in our ieene of Monday, the chairman of the Electric Power and Light Committee placed himself in communication with Mr F. J Williams, 0.E., who has charge of the repairs to the hydraulic portion of the works at Waipori, and has received through tho electrical engineer a letter, the concluding paragraph of which should be eminently satisfactory to the ratepayers as a whole. Mr Williams says ; “It is, of course, impossible to state niy charges in connection with this matter until the works are finally finished, but I can at this, stage state that they will not exceed £IOO,

Mr Paulin’s forecast:—Strong N.E. winds; rain showers, and mist on the East Coast; fine inland.

The business at the Police Court this morning was light. Two first offenders for drunkenness were fined 10s and 5s respectively. John M'Cann, who was found drunk on the railway station, was fined 10s. Euphemia ATNutty, for whom Mr Scuit appeared, was charged with stealing, on or about April 2, poods of the total value of £4 ss, the property of Mrs Mary M'Robie, and also with stealing, onMarch 17, ladies’ underclothing, valued at £2 ss, the property of Mary Christie. — She pleaded not guilty, and was remanded till to-morrow,, bail ’ being fixed at £2O for herself and one surety of £2O.Elizabeth PoUock was charged that, on April 8, she uttered a counterfeit coin—an imitation half-sovereign—to Mrs Dreaver.—Mr G. N. Scurr, who appeared for the accused, said he understood that a remand was desired by tho prosecution. —Chief-detective Herbert applied for a remand, to suit the convenience of the Court.—-The Rev. F. G. Gumming, J.P., who presided, remanded accused till tomorrow.

Members of the legal profession and those members of the public who must attend courts of law appear to believe that the Reform Government are practising false economy in the matter of magistrating tho provincial district of Otago and Southland. This large district is being worked .by five Magistrates, who have little time for leisure. Formerly, when there was less legal work requiring magisterial attention than there is to-day, there were seven magistrates. The result of the under-nmgistrating is said to be considerable inconvenience to the public and the legal profession. Possibly the legal- pro-, fession will not lose financially through delayed litigation, but -there is a possibility of loss to litigants, and certainly no compensation. During the past fortnight the inconvenience to litigants and lawyers has been most marked. Cases have had to be adjourned, and men who have had to lose wages in order, to attend court have been instructed to wait until a magistrate could hear their cases. Justices of the peace can deal with very formal matters only. The present pressure on the magistrates has been largely due to the lengthy inquiry in respect to Tainui and Sunshine, but members of the legal profession seem to think that conditions generally warrant the appointment of another magistrate. Harvest festival services were held on Sunday in St. Martin’s Church, Northeast Valley. The decorations were strikingly effective, corn and autumn leaves being a marked feature of the. scheme. .Although the weather was unfavorable, there were good congregations throughout the day. Tho pulpit at each service was occupied by the vicar, the Rev. W. H. Roberts, who preached excellent and appropriate sermons—in the morning on ‘The Harvest of Life,’ and in the evening on ‘Thanksgiving.’ The choir, under the direction of Mr H. Drake, very effectively rendered the anthem ‘Yo Shall Dwell in the Land 5 (Stainer), and led the harvest hymns and service settings. Miss Drake presided at the organ. The special offertories amounted to about £ls. At the Dunedin Photographic Society’s club rooms last evening, Mr G. J. Fei], on the eve of his departure to the Old Oquntry, was entertained by a few of his clnbniates The secretary, Mr Dickison, presented Mr Ftil with an album suitably inscribed, and his remarks in reference to Mr Foil’s connection with tho society were supplemented by a number of tho other members, all bearing testimony to the high esteem in which the recipient was held. After the toast of Mr Fell’s health had been honored, a flashlight photo of the group was taken as a souvenir of tho occasion. Mr Fei! suitably responded, thanking the members for their expression of good fellowship, and stated that during his stay in the Old Country he would get into touch with the very latest and_ best methods of the art, with a view to introducing them to tho society on his return. The annual report of the North-east Valley School last evening, mentioned that, with two exceptions, all the pupils in standards attended Bible Classes every Thursday morning, which were conducted voluntarily by laymen representing the Anglican, Baptist, Presbyterian, Salvation Army, and Church of Christ faiths. The teachers were present while the lessons were given, and the children took keen interest in tho instruction imparted to them. In the course of later remarks the Chairman (Mr Arnold) said, while attention was paid to the physical, intelligence, and educational departments of the school, the morale of tho school had largely benefited by the Bible reading. He also stated there was no such thing as sectarian teaching in this school. “It is very hard that a grandfather should be made to contribute towards the support of his grandchildren,” said an old man, aged 66, in the Auckland Magistrate’s Court last week, when asked to contribute 2s a week. Inspector M l Grath said that the position was somewhat peculiar. The father and mother of defendant’s three grandchildren had been divorced, and the three children were now costing the State 10s a week each. The father, it had been decided by a Christchurch magistrate, was not in a position to pay more than 8s a week, consequently action had been taken against the grandfather, who in law was responsible. After going carefully through defendant’s statement of expenditure and receipts, Mr F. V. Fraser, S.M., said that an old man, whose net income was only £73 per annum, and who had an invalid wife, could scarcely be expected to provide for his grandchildren. No order was made.

The chairman of the Canterbury Cbllcge Board of Governors announced yesterday that the Government intended in future to appoint engineers required for the Public Works Department from the graduates of the School of Engineering in connection with Canterbury College.

“ New Zealand is not behind other ■countries in many respects, but in providing scientific agricultural education for its young mon it is behind,” said the Prime Minister at Auckland. “We must have an institution similar to that at Hawkesbury, New South Wales, which is supposed to be tho best agricultural college south of the line, and the people of New Zealand should not rest satisfied until they have an institution iusk as good, and as extensively useful. New markets are opening up for our produce. Though I do not say that the Panama Canal will be of great use to us in our trade with Europe, it will be of great uso in opening New York and polls of the eastern seaboard of America to our produce. In these markets we shall come into competition with the people of other countries, and if wo are not educated as well as they are and just as well equipped for the battle of life, wo shall suffer for it. Britain,” he added, “ will always remain our principal market for our products, but that is no reason why we should not endeavor to extend our markets in other directions.”

Though no municipal policy issue is involved, considerable interest is nevertheless displayed in the Port Chalmers mayoralty contest, and a fairly heavy poll to-morrow is anticipated. There are three aspirants for the position. The present Mayor (Mr D. M. Mawson) is standing for a second term. The other candidates are Or J. Powell and Cr T. Scollay. The former has the longer period of service in the council to his credit, and unsuccessfully contested a previous mayoral election a few years ago. The latter councillor, though he has done a shorter period of service on the council, has represented the borough on the Harbor Board,- of which body he is still a member. All the- candidates are looking forward confidently to the result of to-morrow’s poll. In the Magistrate’s Court at Milton yesterday M. E. Paul applied for exemption from military service on the ground of undue hardship, stating that he was the Simplex operator for the ‘ Bruce Herald,’ and being the only one capable of working the machine, it would mean the paper could not be published if he had to attend camp. Constable Fox stated he had received an intimation from the Defence Department that they did not wish to opEose the application. After formal notice ad been given by the proprietor that he had given 14 clear days’ notice of his intention to apply for exemption, the Magistrate granted it,.

Inquiry at 3.15 to-day elicited tho fact that there is no improvement in the condition of Mr Alexander Smith, injured, in the motor cycle collision on Sunday last. The other victim, Mr M'Donald, is progressing favorably. The ‘ Hongkong Daily Press ’ recently received the following communication from the secretary of the Cartier Centenary : —Montreal, July 17, 1913. The Editor ‘Dally PreJfe,’ Hongkong, Straits Settlements. Dear 'Sir*—-I would be very much obliged to you if you would be good enough to furnish me with the names of the principal social clubs in Christchurch and Wellington, N.Z.—Yours faithfully. —Evidently Hongkong and the Straits Settlements are assumed to be somewhere in Now Zealand. Wo desire to state, says the editor of the ‘Daily Press,’ for the information of our Canadian readers, that though ’ typhoons may continue to rage, Hongkong and the Straits Settlements will never bo moved from their moorings in Asia. The Western Taieri Drainage Board yesterday received a deputation consisting of Messrs Lyall and Scott, in support of a petition from nine ratepayers who asked for the replacement of the drainage boxes through the embankment on the Maungatpa side of the “Little Lake,” whichwore .removed some time ago. After discusfelon it was decided to defer consideration of the question, and that meantime members should visit the, place before committing the board to any heavy expenditure such as this work would involve.

In reference to Territorials attending the Matarae encampment, the Port Chalmers Council passed a motion yesterday evening regretting that attendance at camp should have operated to disfranchise the Territorials in respect to the forthcoming municipal elections, and concluded by expressing tho hope that tho Government would take steps to ensure that in future the performance of military duties should not entail disfranchisement. A branch of the Commercial Bank of Australia was opened in offices in tho Empire' Buildings, Princes street. Mr R. E. B. Franklin, from Hawthorn (Melbourne), is in charge. The bank has already established branches at Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch.

Our Christchurch correspondent wires: —lt seems scarcely possible that after some 40 years’ practical experience of the benefits of free, secular, and compulsory education there could be found in New Zealand a native-born adult of 30 years of age unable to cither read or write. Yet such an exceptional individual was discovered by a court case heard yesterday. A taxi driver who had had “ judgment by default ” given against him applied for reinstatement on the‘grounds that he had been in the other court at the time. When asked by the Magistrate why he had not read his summons, the amazing reply was made that he could neither read nor write. In answer to further questions from tho amazed Bench, the man said he was 30 vears of age, and had been bred and born at Kirwee, but had never been sent to school. “Why didn’t you go to school?” the Magistrate asked, “It was my father’s fault,” replied the man. “I wouldn’t have believed it poes b!e in these dare,” retorted the Bench. “My advice to you is to go to a night school even now. It is a dreadful thing for a young man to through, life in tli’cso days without being able to read or write.” Tho case was reinstated as asked. At the annual meeting of tho North-east Valley householders last evening the Rev. W. H. Roberts pointed out very forcibly what ho termed the ver ysevere limitations and powers of school committees. There was a tendency to curtail their governing powers even further, and put the business in the hands of Education^ Boards to discharge. Sometimes ho was inclined to think it would be just as well to have a commissioner to do committees’ work, which was often no more than mere formal, there being no option given in some matters. They ware losing the control of their own schools.

■The Tainui Commission sat again this morning—the ninth day—to hear the last of the addresses by counseL Mr Tonkin-, eon, who represented the petitioners, spoke Last, aJid he finished just before 11 o’clock. The neople who went to the Oval this morning were verv much interested In General' Sir lan Hamilton. The. famous soldier is an average-sized man, short alongside General Godley, with a keen Scotch face that is said to be of tho characteristic Hamilton cast. He is very quick and active, and he passed from company to company so rapidly as tb almost force his attendants t» a run. Both the generals and the Hon. James Allen left town for Matarae as soon as the parade was over.

If you wish the services of Mr Morris personally, he now makes portraits at Ms home or garden studio, 554 George street; telephone 859. —[Advt.l

Watson’s No. 10 is a little dearer than most whiskies, but is worth the money.— [Advt.] Mr T. K. Moody, who offers Ms services to the electors of First Ward, Mornington, has an advertisement in this issue.

A glass cf Speight’s beer at lunch and supper is better than all the tea in China.— [Aavt.j

A public meeting in> connection with the North-east Valley Public Library is to be held ou Friday evening.

Made-up cigarettes cost money. It’s cheaper to buy Red Jacket tobacco, and roll them yourself. Besides, “Bed Jacket” is infinitely superior.—[Adyt.j

Anyone who likes good whisky will appreciate the fine mellow flavor of Watson’s No. 10.—[Advt.] The Otago Mutual Starr-Bowbett Society will dispose of two appropriations of £SOO each ou Thursday, April 30. Applications for shares in new group are now Being received.

Mr J Steadman (Acme Photo Co.), George street, would like you to look at some superb enlargements on the new Acme and other paper Telephone 965. —[Advt.] Ladies recommend Martin’s Apiol and Steel Pills. Sold by all chemists and stores. Sea you get the genuine. —[Advt.] Mr A. H. Wallace, a candidate for the vacancy in the Mornington Borough Council, lias an advertisement in this issue.