LOCAL AND GENERAL

Evening Star, Issue 18050, 18 August 1922, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The rescue by H.M.S. Chatham of a portion of ' the crew from the wrecked American schooner Columbia River on Sunday Island on October- 3, 1921, _ was officially recognised by the American President. On tho Chatham, prior to her departure for tho Islands, ' Commodore Hotham was presented with on inscribed gold watch and chain from tho President; tho surgeon, Lieutenant-commander Patterson, with a ! pair of binoculars; and Gunner Taylor and Able Seaman Oliver with gold medals. Tho American Consul made tho presentations.

At tho quarterly meeting of tho South Island Motor Union, held at Nelson, the chairman, referring to tho Highways Bill, suggested two boards, ono for each island. Constant work on roads would prevent pot-holes. Money collected in tho South Island should not bo spent in the North. All were agreed that the flat tax oa tyres should bo increased if necessary. It was resolved that tho meeting afllrm tho absolute necessity of two separate boards, ono for each island, and that tho allocation of tyro tax money bo in proportion to tho number of motor vehicles registered in each island. Mr Wright (Dunedin) referred to the hotel concessions scheme, which was largely _• n tho lines of concessions granted to Civil servants and commercial travellers. The next quarterly meeting is to be held in Dunedin in November.

At tho Auckland Police Court yesterday, Charles Murphy (twenty-four years of age), and Archie Taylor (thirty-three years) were charged with the theft of four motor care between July 14 and 20, and with breaking, entering, and theft at Grcenlane, Mount Albert. Auckland, and Pokeno, between July 9 and 20. At Pokeno a safe was removed from a storo and £6O in cash and. goods were stolen, tho total value of the alleged thefts ueiug i 486. A farmer near Pokeno said that he heard three explosions at about ,5 o’clock on Monday, July 21. At daybreak Murphy informed him that accused’s car was stuck on the road, and witness dragged it out with horses. Tho police found a safe damaged by gelignite on the roadside. A garage proprietor at Newmarket said that ho saw one of tho stolen cars in the street, and watched it. Murphy went ufraud began pouring benzine in, but became suspicious, and ran away. Witness followed him into a tramcar, and handed him to tho police. Taylor pleaded not guilty, and was committed for trial. Murphy pleaded guilty, and was committed for sentence.

Before the V.D. Committee, Dr Falconer Brown (officer in charge Auckland clinic) said that ho considered that compulsory notification, while excellent in theory, was open to question. _ Prophylaxis, which proved of great value in the Army, was a thoroughly desirable measure, but at present public opinion would probably not countenance it. Clinics should be installed* in all moderate-sized towns with accommodation for in-patients. Dr Hilda Northcroft, representing the National Council of Women, said that the causes wore lack of homo training and parental control. Suggested remedies were compulsory treatment of all infected persons, the prevention of treatment by other than qualified medical practitioners, making it an offence to communicate disease to another person, and, a wide extension of educative measures: also, as a measure of desperation in the meantime, prophylaxis. Dr Frank'Mucky, venereal disease specialist, was of opinion that the provision of the Social Hygiene Act forbidding other than medical practitioners to treat the disease was 1 non-effective, because of the publicity in the event of a prosecution accruing to witnesses. Ho considered the use of prophylaxis an extremely efficient preventive, but the public would! not tolerate open advances of tills method at the present stage. Slum conditions and_ unsatisfactory housing facilities were discussed at a meeting of Christchurch social workers, and the following resolutions wore carried: “(1) That the Health Department bo asked to use the powers it possesses under the Public ' Health_ Act to insist on all, insanitary houses in Christchurch being put forthwith in a sanitary condition; (2) that the health authorities be informed that children are ■ being born and bred in these insanitary dwellings, that the children themselves are indescribably filthy, that attention has been drawn to those matters for some time past, but that, whatever steps may have been taken by the authorities, little improvement has taken place in cither the conditions of tho houses or children dwelling therein; (o) that whereas in some few cases parents mentally subnormal are living together, and mothers are giving birth to subnormal children, constituting large families the care of which will in the near and distant future cause considerable expense to tho State, it is advisable that power bo taken to separate such parents and. segregate each sex in special institutions, such as farm colonies, or that prevision be made for surgical treatment.”

An action for £I.OOO damages lor alleged breach of a promise of marriage was brought in the Auckland. Supreme Court yesterday by Emily Stewart, of Parawai, against Thomas Edward Tasker, an hotelkeeper, of Thames. The jury, after twenty minutes’ retirement, found' that there had been a contract, and that defendant broke the contract, but no damages _ could be awarded to nlaintiff, Tor plaintiff, it was alleged that* after becoming engaged, defendant cooled off and became engaged to another woman. In cross-examination, complainant admitted that sho had eight children and eight grand-children. Defendant had proposed to her in her homo in -March, 1919. She laughed at him, be cause she had known him only a week. It was too soon. Counsel: When next did ho propose? Complainant: Oh, ho proposed every day. That’s tho kind of man ho is. In evidence defendant admitted that he had become engaged to complainant, but when ho asked her to bo married she did not appear to take any notice of it. Ho bought her rings costing £lB, £25, and £SO. Towards tho latter part of tho engagement he went to sco complainant several times, but she was not at home, .so ho left. was not wanted, and stayed away. There was another man she apparently preferred. He admitted that certain letters were written by him to other women, and that bo was engaged to her. Ho also admitted, that he had been engaged to several women. His Honor reserved leave for complainant’s counsel to move for a new trial.

An account of tho history of tho Order of St. John, from tho Crusades to the present day, was given hy Captain J. L. Bono at tho meeting of Officers Club. Commencing at tho‘year 1014 with the Amalfi Brethren’s work in the Holy Land, ho dealt with tho reinstatement of the Knights of St. John in 1099. tho many vicissitudes which followed, until the reconstitution and 1 modernisation of the order in England in 1831. In 1877 the St. John Ambulance Association was founded to carry out the foundation of cottage hospitals, convalescent homes, ambulances, transport, and instruction in first aid, homo nursing, and sanitation. In conclusion, Captain Bono detailed the war service of tho association and the history of tho Ambulance Brigade from its inception, in Dunedin in 1897 to its disbandment in 1921. At tho close of his address the speaker was accorded a heayty vote of thanks by acclamation.

At tho monthly meeting of the Board of Directors of the Otago Boys’ and Girls’ High Schools, held yesterday afternoon, tho’ secretary reported that out of oightysix absentees from the boys’ school sixty were away with measles, and out of fiftyseven away from the girls’ school thirtytwo were absent because of tho same illness.

Gold coinage of tho realm has become quite a rarity these -days, and it is seldom indeed that any is found in circulation. It is hardly to ho wondered at, therefore (says the 'Nelson ‘Mail’), that when_ a half-sovereign was paid into a financial institution the other day a junior clerk was rather nonplussed, and had to seek tho advice of his seniors as to • whether tho coin was a half-sovereign o? a sovereign.