LOCAL AND GENERAL

Evening Star, Issue 19855, 2 May 1928, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

All criticism of tbe Bishop of Waikato was ruled out of order by Dean Barnett, who presided at tho meeting of tho cathedral parishioners at Hamilton. Referring to criticisms of AngloCatholic ritualism, the Dean said it was not within tho province of tho vestry to arrange the services. Ho was absolutely responsible for the direction of the spiritual work and tho arrangements for, the services. In nominating seven members for the Cathedral Chapter, Mr G. Bindon said these candidates were deeply concerned over the present unhappy position. They fell they could not support the present bishop. If elected, they would endeavour to restore harmony in the church and resist the introduction of or a continuance of the ritualistic or AngloCatholic practices. The seven men nominated were elected, with three others.

The weather for the past twentyfour hours has been tempestuous, with very heavy rain. Three inches have fallen, and it is still unsettled (records a Rotorua message despatched yesterday). At Tauranga a north-east gale of unprecedented violence swept the town and district yesterday, with heavyrain. No great damage is reported, although launches and other small craft in the harbour were considerably buffeted, and several came ashore, some suffering considerable damage. The telephone service was considerably upset and the electric current failed fo;* about a quarter of an hour. Slips occurred on the Kaimai road, but the motor service to Matamata is being maintained. Beyond one slip and a slight wash-out, the railway between here and Waihi sulfered no damage, ami the train service was not interrupted. The gale dropped during the night, and yesterday was bright and calm.

The chairman of the Waipiata Sanatorium Committee (Mr John Matheson) and tho secretary (Mr T. Pryde) met tho Hon Mr J, A. Young (Minister of Health) at Gore on Monday to confer with, him on various urgent requirements at the Waipiata Sanatorium, chief among which was the immediate provision of additional shelters for female patients to reduce tho growing waiting list of suitable patients. The Minister was sympathetic, and as the outcome of the representations it is highly probable that tbe erection of more shelters will shortly be authorised. Tho Minister said he was aware of the urgent need existing, and ho would ask the committee" to confer with the Public Works Department and obtain a price for the shelters required. If tho plans were submitted to him on his return to Wellington he would confer with tho Director-General of Health. He trusted that his approval would bo able to be forwarded in a few days. The Minister congratulated tho committee on the good work it was doing at Waipiata. The meeting of the railway branch of the Workers’ Educational Association was held in the goods yard social hall. The subject of the meeting, ‘ Robert Owen and Environment,’ proved a most interesting study, and the character, work, and life of Owen proved that ho was a most remarkable man. The usual class discussion followed the lecture. The lecturer, Mr Lloyd Ross, M.A., gave a brief account of the early life, education, and environment of Owen, and his early entry into business and the success that followed his efforts. The later lifq of Robert Owen, who was born in 1771 and died in 1858, may be summed up in these words: —He was a pioneer in education, in factory legislation, in garden cities, in shorter hours, in kindergartens, in trade unionism, in Socialism, and in many other movements, yet in public schools and universities his name is seldom mentioned. Owen was no impractical idealist, but a successful manufacturer who made a fortune in the cotton mills of New Lanark. He turned the dirty, unhealthy surroundings of the mills into a garden city that was the wonder of Europe. His workpeople had ighcr wages and better conditions than any other mill workers. His great creed was: “If you change the environment you can change the character of the people,” and his life work proved this. The monthly meeting of the Northeast Valley branch of the W.C.T.U. was held in the institute. Mrs Peart (who presided) and Miss Gray (delegates to conference) gave most interesting reports of the doings at tho conference.

At the monthly meeting of the Green Island Borough Council last night it was reported that forty building permits had been issued during the year on '.ed March 31 last, the value represented being £40,911 10s, as against thirty-two permits in tho previous year, when tho value was £9,714 6s. Green Island is fast becoming an important manufacturing centre; hence the large increase.

In the case in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday in which Messrs Wilson and Beattie, building contractors, claimed £36 7s, balance of claim for work done and material supplied under contract for the erection of a dwelling house at Clydchill, and in which the defendant (Kennth Inglis) counter-claimed £2O on the ground that plaintiffs had not built the house in a proper and workmanlike manner, the magistrate (Mr J. 11. Bartholomew, S.M.), in giving his decision, said, dealing with the chimney, it had turned out to bo, an unfortunate affair for defendant, but he could not see that plaintiffs had been in any way at fault, or were responsible. They had carried _ out the work according to specifications and plans, and for the subsequent smoking of the chimney they were not responsible. That disposed of the counterclaim. The position plainly was that the contract stated the price for which the work was to be done, and it was done for that price. Then anything done over and above, or by way of substitution, was to be paid for at the ordinary ruling prices. There was a small amount for the bath that was due to defendant, and there was an overcharge for a few trifles in connection with the fittings that he did not require to go into. < Subject to those, plaintiffs were entitled to recover. Judgment would be given for plaintiffs on the counter-claim, and for £34 17s on the claim, with costs amounting to £7 16s. Mr E. C. Cutten, S.M., in giving his decision at Auckland in a large number of applications by occupiers for exemption under the Shops and Offices Amendment Act, 1927, said that about 200 applications for exemption from the fixed closing hours had already been dealt with, and between 200 and 300 further applications had now been made. He classified the shops into four classes —(1) those remote from main shopping centres, with individual shops some distance from one another; (2) shops in more closely settled suburban areas; (3) small shops in or near the principal shopping areas; and (4) largo shops which could not take advantage of the exemption because their assistants must cease work at fixed hours. Mr Cutten said that exemption should be very sparingly granted to shops in the second class, and still more sparingly, if at all. to shops in the third class. Applications in certain areas would have to bo considered with regard to the business carried on

The monthly meeting of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union was held yesterday afternoon in tho Hanover Street Baptist Church Hall. There was a fairly representative gathering. Reports were received from the Bible-in-Sohools League, the League of Nations Union, and the National Council of Women-, Tho last-named report dealt with the question of women police and advocated, their appointment. It was decided te supply two _ schools with temperance charts, which, with the

sanction of the Education Department, had been prepared by the New Zealand Alliance. Mrs Hiett spoEe on a, few of the salient points in the report of the recent annual dominion convention held in Napier, and dealt specially with the splendid work of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, and the address given by Mr Edmond, secretary of the New Zealand Alliance, on the Licensing Bill, which is to bo introduced into Parliament. The monthly meeting of the North-east Valley branch was hold in the institute. There was a fair attendance of members. The business consisted chiefly of reports of the delegates to the recent conference.