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Evening Star, Issue 17710, 11 July 1921, Page 4

The usual meeting of the Sunday morning branch of the Workers’ Educational Association was hold at tho locomotive sheds yesterday, when again there was a very good attendance. ‘ Currency and Banking,’ under tho development of the lecturer, Mr G. M’Cracken, proved most instructive and of real educational value. The following arc some of the chief subheadings : —(1) Evolution of paper money through bad and debased coin of Middle Ages; (2) dangers of over issue; (3) the cheque only possible in a community where honesty has reached a high level; (4) bill of exchange between foreign countries; (5) banking system; (6) Bank of England and its history and functions; (7) credit system ; (8) problem of inflation. After the lecture the usual discussion by the members- of the class on tho questions raised showed that the subject had been carefully studied by a considerable number.

The Canterbury Education Board recently received from the Secretary for Education a letter which, says the ‘ Sun/ was virtually a charge of misappropriation of its funds. The letter read (in part): “I have to draw attention to the fact; that the board has expended £9,353 12s 8d on the maintenance of buildings, etc., more than it had in hand for the purpose, and that for this expenditure there was no authority in law. An attempt has been made to justify the expenditure by showing as a cash receipt the sum of £13.385 from tlie workshops account—a sura which is understood to represent the value of the workshops, plant, and material in hand at .the end of flic year. The department cannot agree that this is any justification for the use of other funds for maintenance purposes or for workshop and material, and 1 have to inform the board that the question is now being considered' as to what steps should he taken in the matter, -and that it has to be decided' whether the members of the board are personal!/ liable for what appears to bo a misappropriation of its funds.” The comment of the chairman (Mr E. If. Andrews) was “bunkum.” And be added: “If money is to be expended on workshops, and there is a debit in the maintenance account, the workshops must stand to our credit. Boards were urged to build these workshops. The only thing to do is to realise on the workshops. This can be done at any time and the money can ho paid. The department cannot have it both ways.” It is reported that the Mastcrtnn Dairy Company advanced the sum of £26,861 to suppliers during the late season, as against £13,326 for the previous year.

Charging a lifo as worth £3OO in money, the loss to the community by death from diphtheria in Ijospital only comes to the largo amount of £IS,CCO for year. This striking statement appeared in the Hospital Committee’s report presented to a meeting of the North Canterbury Hospital Board. “Do you always find-places you let in as good order when the tenants go out as when they took the premises?” asked counsel of a witness at the Wanganui Court last week. The witness replied that sometimes he found them in a better condition. The Magistrate : “ You arc lucky. That is not my experience.” A now scale of costs under the code of civil procedure is published in the ‘Gazette.’ Witnesses’ expenses in civil actions in the Supremo Court are also revised, according to tho_following_ scale; Expert and scientific .witnesses giving evidence as such per diem, £2 2a to £5 ss; professional men, bankers, engineers, surveyors, merchants, auctioneers, accountants (certificated), commission agents, and other gentlemen not specially mentioned, per diem £1 10s to £2 2s; masters of ships, fanners, clerks, shopkeepers, hotelkeepers, accountants (uncortificatodh master tradesmen, contractors, commissioned officers of police, per diem 15s to £1 Is; officers of police of inferior grade, shop assistants, petty officers of ships, journeymen mechanics, per diem 12s; police constables, laborers, seamen, per diem 10s 6d ; Interpreters, if engaged for any time not exceeding one hour, 12s 6d ; for cverv additional hour or fraction of an hour he"may bo actually employod beyond that time. 7s 6d, but not exceeding one day, £2 12s 6s; female witnesses, if earning salary, or wages, according to foregoing scale, hut if not earning salary or wa"cs they shall bo paid according to their rank at rates not exceeding twothirds of tho said scale for male witnesses of similar degree. Witnesses to be allowed a refund of travelling expenses if able to travel by railway, steamer, or other conveyance. Where there is no public conveyance, witnesses will bo allowed Is per mile, calculated one way only. If witnesses attend to'more than one cause they will be entitled to a proportionate part in each cause only. Witnesses wifi also be allowed in addition 5s for every night’s necessary absence from their o\mi homes, except "when travelling by sea. Tho next improvement to be undertaken by the Ocean Beach Domain Board relates to the St. Clair sandhills. It is proposed to fence above and below tho face which boys now run down and plant it with marram, of which there is an abundant supply in and about Chisholm Park. Tho face is somewhat steep, much steeper than slopes previously planted by the board. That is owing to the fact that tho sand recently uncovered by tiio sea assaults is more consolidated than that which was washed away.

Letters received by Mr J. 11. Hancock from Mr D. Taimock relate that he thoroughly re-explored Kew Gardens, spent several days in seeing the sports grounds, parks, and public gardens' in and about London, and made close l observation wherever he went of the results of treeplanting in city and suburban streets. He mentions that in Bushy Park and Richmond Park the grass is eaten down by cattle and deer, and nobody complains about defilement} also that on the Kew and other playing grounds whereon important matches* aro played, drawing thousands of spectators, the grass is animal cropped so far as the field in general is concerned, only special spots, such as ,jthe pitch for cricket, feeing mown. Mr Tannock declares that the Dunedin playing grounds receive more care than is bestowed on similar grounds in England. Ho has taken special note of city tree-planting in all its bearings, and has como to the conclusion that in France it is overdone, since, whilst the streets are made very pretty in summer, they suffer in winter, being too cold and ovorshaded.

Mr Paulin’s forecast, communicated at 1 p.m.: S.E. to N.W. winds and heavy rain showers. The sitting of tho Arbitration Court in Dunedin commences on Wednesnay week. The matters for heaving are : Four compensation cases; throe complete and two partial recommendations of the Conciliation Council • three disputes; four applications for bonuses; and thirteen miscellaneous applications. Next month there is to ho a public meeting in Wellington of the friends and supporters of tho National Party—the first of its public meetings—and tho occasion ia to be regarded as tho official launching of tho party. A private assemblage called for this month is but a preliminary, but it will probably be attended by many members from all districts of tho Dominion.

On Saturday afternoon a young man amused himself by testing his _ pea rifle amongst the lupines at St. Clair. Tho evidence of his amusement is that one of the swing posts which he used as a target is solinlcied.

It should be explained that tho investiture to be held by the Governor-General at tho Town Hall on the morning of the 25th inst. will not be a public junction. It is an investiture of honors awarded to New Zealanders (military and naval) during the late war. Tho recipients of (ho honors are each allowed to invito two friends.

The Mayor (Mr J. S- Douglas) has received a letter from tbo Governor-General’s private secretary stating that Lord Jellicoe has now arranged to unveil tho Sawyers Ray memorial on the afternoon of the 2dth inst. Ho also mentions that evening invitations have been received from the Dunedin Male Choir and the Orphans’ Club. Tho programme as drawn up by tho Civil Committee has been forwarded to tho Governor-General, and when his reply is received tho official programme of functions will then be announced. Mails which left New Zealand on May el (per Tahiti via San Francisco) arrived in London on July's. Mr W. H. Gummcr, of Auckland, has been chosen by the Invercargill War Memorial Committee as solo adjudicator on the competitive designs that it is proposed to invito for a suitable Southland memorial. The first prize will bo £IOO and tbo second £SO. In tho event of an architect securing first prize, he will be engaged to carry out the work. A touching instance of tho poor helping the poor has conic under tho notice of Christchurch 1 Sun ’ in relation to an appeal for a, woman left destitute with four young children. Ttfo inmates of tho Jubilee Home, old folk, who are in receipt only of their old age pension moneysonic of whom, hi fact, are unable to leave their beds—read of tho plight of the widow and her children, and received to send their mito towards a fund for her relief. An old lady of ninety years, accompanied by an old man, went the rounds of tho wards and collected altogether the surprising sum of £4 2s.