LOCAL AND GENERAL

Evening Star, Issue 19222, 13 April 1926, Page 10

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Severn 1 companies carrying on business in Canterbury and Otago vcio convicted in llie Magistrate's Court, (Tiristebureli. by Mr U. Y. VCddmvson on eFiargos of not having licenses, and were* lined amounts ranging ftom -co downwards. r l lie iidormatious note iaid by the Commissioner ol Stamp Duties.

The Secretary of the General Post Oilice has received the lollov. ing ladio 1 e 1 1 1 * r raiu 1 1 oni the steamer Maiama. “Passed yacht Psycho 400 miles west of Capo Maria \an Diomau. Psycho reimi’ts all well.”

To the Wellington Automobile Association a complaint was made that a motorist, had a narrow escape I nan float li at a cross! ng through the driver of a train not sounding his whistle early enough, A ropy of the letter has been lor.vnn!ed to (he Railway HcpaMincnt, Air .Jnsliee Sun delivered at Wellington reserved judgment on an application for judgment ami a motion by a ('('fondant, lor retrial in n recent ease in which Eleanor Heap claimed £*!«> damages for slander against _ Elizabeth (Seen, and was awarded £TjO by the jury. An unusual point made on the defence was that the defendant honestly believed that certain statements were Inn', and it was her duty to make them. Air Justice Kim set aside the defendant's claim that the occasion was privileged, ns the jury had found that she dlrf not believe the statements to he true. The judge refused to recognise (lie arguments tor a retrial, a.s sufficient judgment was given tor the plaintiff in accordance with the jury s find-

To have allowed another man in use bis name and to he placed in a .somewhat embarrassing position as a result was the niiplca.-ant experience oi the cricketer Dempster (says a I’re.ss Association message), who was called before the Wellington Cricket Association last night to explain why the Taranaki Association had received a letter over Dempster's signature respecting a cricket maid) at, Christmas time. Dempster had arranged to take a, team to Taranaki to play a mate'll. Cpou finding Unit the. Cricket Association had two matches scheduled at Chnstehiircn during the holidays the Taranaki match had in be postponed. Dempster gave instructions that this information _ he conveved to laraiiaki, and the writer exceeded his instructions. Dempster offered lo reimburse the ffaranaki Association. The mailer was held over. The Government is calling tenders at j Home tor a steamer specially designed lo carry fruit and to suit (lie needs ot New Zealand's Pacific dependencies. She is to he fOOp'r lo"g, 3"ft wide, draught Tilt, with (Kill ions load, and speed' 12) knots. She will carry 10,(100 io fJ.lim) eases of fruit. It has long been felt that some means of eomnnuii--1 cation between these isolated islands! and the dominion must be provided. The ninemoa is unsuitable, and the schooner Countess of I’anfnrly is inadequate for the purpose. Ramon has supplied the central port which was wanting before, and also lacililics lor running an, administration steamer. So far the experiments conducted by the Railway .Department in employing self-propelled railway vehicles on lines where locomotive-drawn trains have not heen a paying proposition have not yielded satisfactory results. Accommodation and other difficulties have presented 1 lieinseivcs. and now the denartmciii is endeavoring to fin! other lines on which iho vehicle may he more .suitable. The Ford conveyance used on the Greytnwn branch line has proved inadequate for the traffic. Similar trouble baa been met with in the Clayton steam rail car on the _ Koxton branch : and file third type of vehicle, the Sentinel steam ear. has been laid up for lepairs after doing service on the Hull line. In view of the disappointing results in respect to the three classes of vehicle referred to, the departmental officers now seem to be more inclined to watch the result, of experiments elsewhere than to risk a wastage) of public fiinds in trying other fypes. ARvimvhile, every endeavor is being made to lind seel ions of line on which the rail cars already in commission may prove satisfactory. The biennial meeting of the New Zealand Manchester Unity was attended at Auckland by forty-seven delegates. The .suggested appointment of a propaganda officer io the society was referred bark to the direetor.s for further informal ion to be submitted to the conference. The report of the parliamentary agent slated that friendly societies were now exempt from stamp duty for moneys (received. Regalia, emblems, certilicatcs, almanacs, banners, and ritual books were exempt from Customs duly. I The elect ion of officers resulted as fol-lows:--Grand Master, Air T. Aitkeii (Auckland); Deputy Master, Mr E. Pritchard (Ashburton): Grand Trusi loos—Messrs I. Clark, W. If. AJadelov i and A. C. lilair, P.D.G.ALS. (Wellingj ton); Directors—Messrs H. S. iM.Quig- ! lev (Hawke’s Ray), C. ([. Anihridge j (Auckland). P. Jl. Smith (Wellington), T. J. Archhold (North Canterbury). F. iW. Walt (Ashburton), W. # Id‘Millan j ( Auckland) ; auditor, Air E. W. Jveli low. It was resolved that the next ! biennial conference be hold at Hastings, | Hawke's Ray. A remit to reduce tbo number of deputies to the biennial ecni ference, moved by Afr 1. Snlek (Wan- | ganni), was withdrawn. An nmend--1 incut on the same subject was lost on I the voices.