LOCAL AND GENERAL

Evening Star, Issue 18736, 11 September 1924, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Loan proposals for amounts aggregating nearly £1150,000 for permanent street work, electricity improvements, mothers’ rest, and parks and batlis improvements were approved by the ratepayers of Napier yesterday by substantial majorities. Mary Ann Cashman, widow, was charged at the Magistrate’s Court, Christchurch, with having, by moans of a false statement, obtained a pension certificate to which she was not entitled. It was alleged that she had defrauded the Government of £7B. Chief-dctectivo Gibson said that the accused was a widow with five children, and in 1822 she was granted a pension of £7B a year. , She was then entitled to it. In August of that year she commenced work at 9s a day, and she failed to give a return of her earnings. The magistrate said that the woman appeared to be of good character otherwise, and siio would bo admitted to probation for three years on condition that she repaid the £7B at the rate of 6s a week.

At a well-attended meeting of the Wairarapa section of the Post and Telegraph Officers’ Association, held at Mastorton lass evening, the following resolution was unanimously carried: —“That this section of the association strongly resents and protests against the expression 1 disloyalists ’ as recently used by the PostmasterGeneral in the House of Representatives when referring to the service. We emphatically declare that this imputation is an injustice in that it stigmatises a section of the community which is rendering conscientious and efficient service to the country; also that this section has every confidence in the executive, and wholeheartedly approves and endorses the policy adopted by the executive to obtain a just and reasonable reclassification such as would permit of a decent standard of living.”

In the Hamilton Supremo Court yesterday Hannah M'Kenr.ie, a married woman, claimed £I,OOO damages from the Waikato Hospital Board for alleged negligence. Plaintiff alleged that she was binned by a hot-water bottle while a patient in hospital. After much evidence had been taken the parties conferred and arrived at a settlement. Plaintiff withdrew her allegation of negligence against the board or its servants.

Between £70,000 and £BO,OOO worth of worn silver has been collected by the banks, and will be sent to the Royal Mint in exchange for now* coin (says a Wellington message). Those most worn are shillings and sixpences. There are seventy to eighty orowns also*

A Wellington message states that the following warning w T as broadcasted by radio from Suva at 8.10 p.m. yesterday “ The three-masted wooden * auxiliary schooner Dorncrane left the Gilbert Islands for Fanning Island on June 50. She has not arrived, and is now overdue. Report any news of this vessel.” To help Victoria College to obtain agricultural students, Sir James Wilson has sent £1,056 for the purpose of establishing an annual scholarship (says a message from Wellington). This, Sir James explains in a letter to the council, consists of a sum which has been placed in his hands for the furtherance of education. It would not be proper to name it as coming from himself, and he suggested that the scholarship should be named the Farmers’ Union Scholarship, the power of administering the fund to be loft in the hands of the council. He had received a letter from Mr Massey stating that the Government would supplement the amount to the extent of £I,OOO, !

Misfortune befell a former Gisborne resident who had arranged to sail for England by the Ruahino yesterday with his wife and baby (relates an Auckland message), and last night he was disconsolate in Auckland while his family were on the hteh seas. The vessel was scheduled by the board at the gangway to sail at noon, and the passengers were all aboard when the passenger in question inquired of the steward when the boat would sail Ho was informed “ Not before 5,” so he went ashore to obtain medicine for the baby and to transact other business. Juat after 1 o’clock he learned casually in a business establishment that the boat had sailed. He burned to the wharf, only to find that the vessel had sailed an hour earlier.

A concert in aid of the Green Island Presbyterian Church and Sunday School funds was given in the Kirkland Hall last night by the members of the Bible class. A good programme of songs, recitations, choruses, duets, quartets, and a playetto entitled ‘Beauty and the Beast* were given, the following taking part:—Misses Watson, Johnstone, Kane, F,. Kane, Steele, Blaxham, Orange, and Christie, Messrs M'lnnes, Bulger, Murtagh, Adam, Lindsay, and Logie (assisted by their tutor, Mr A. E. Borley). Great credit is due to Mr Borley. Mr R. Orr presided at the piano. Mr Kilpatrick proposed a vote of thanks, and explained .that the excellent piece of scenery on the stage was painted by Master Fred. Borley, a Green Island schoolboy. The singing of the National Anthem brought to a close one of the best amateur performances seen in the borough for some time. ,

At Tuesday night’s meeting of the Otago Institute, presided over by Dr Benham, Mr W. Martin summarised, in the absence of Mr W. G. Howes, a paper by the latter on ‘ The Entomology of the , Chatham Islands,’ and exhibited his collection of insect specimens. Almost nil were New Zealand forms, and Mr Howes confined attention to one area—that where the swamp, hush, and rock formations met. The number of varieties secured was small, and only 122 species had been collected by him. Most of them were exactly similar to those on the mainland, and sixteen species were of the large moth, twenty-five of the small one, and ten of the dragon-fly family. Forty-five were flies, eleven and nine bugs. The writer mentioned only two butterflies, hut the speaker had seen one not spoken of—the yellow admiral. Two other addresses were given, and at the close of the meeting a vote of thanks was passed to the lecturers.

"America as a whole Is not friendly towards England, except tho people to bo met with among the educated classes who know something about history and know, also, what England has done in tho way of furthering civilisation,” said Mr S. W. Fitzhsrbert to a Manawafcu * Standard ’ reporter. “ The man in the street thinks that England is a small reactionary country ruled by a king, but they forget that everything that is good in their institutions came from England in the first place. As far as I could see, most of the Intellectual work was being done by the foreign element—that is, by the imported Englishman, Scotsman, and Polish Jew.” Some people will do anything for, a wjagier ((says the Wellington ' Times ’). There is a case on record of a man descending tho Niagara waterfalls in a barrel, but this foolhardy, act deprived the winner of an opportunity to collect the stakes. One night last week, at a ball in Wellington, a young man wagered a few friends that he would walk from Government Buildings to tho corner of Willis street and Lambton quay smoking a cigar, wearing a yellow Tam-o’-Shanter, and wheeling a perambulator. On Friday night ho duly appeared, and dared the gaze of the crowded streets. Of course, many- of those on tho footpaths at the time put their tongues to their cheeks and made pointed remarks as to the sanity of the young man, but all enjoyed the joke. After a rather trying ordeal bo reached his destination, and was given a hearty Welcome by his friends. Tho wager did not include amusement tax. At the Supreme Court, Auckland, by consent of the parties, a decision was given by Mr Justice Herdman for tho payment from tho estate of the late Mr 4ames M. Mennie of £l5O yearly to his widow instead of an income from the fund of £5,000, the latter clause in tho will being cancelled. The estate was valued for probate at £93,000, and after payment of all tho dues the net value was £63,000. Counsel for the executors and counsel for the Presbyterian Church Property Trustees did not oppose the application.