Local and General.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XII, Issue 239, 21 September 1922, Page 4

Local and General.

The Ruahine arrived at Colon on the 16th inst., and sailed from Panama on the 17th en route to Auckland. A Press Association message from Christchurch states that counterfeit florins of “excellent” design are in circulation. Probably not since 1914 has there been so much doing, so much money being spent by the municipality of Wellington as at the present juncture. The population of California is over 3,000,000, and in that place there are 700,000 registered motor-car owners. The labourer goes to work in his own motor-car. No change is reported in the condition of the man, John Wilson, who was admitted to the Napier Hospital on Tuesday, from OLrig station, suffering with a throat wound. A large dealer in stock predicts that excellent prices will be obtained for lambs this season, and he considers that farmers would be well Advised to keep their stock for freezing instead of selling to the butchers.— fN.Z Times) Mr. J. W. Poynton, S.M., at Auckland, said that some men laugh at probation when it has been granted them by the court, and it was being brought into contempt. In future, Mr. Poynton stated, he intended to impose more severe penalties for breach of probation. A dispute concerning every branch of the printing trade in New Zealand will be heard before the Arbitration Court in Wellington next week, on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The dispute is a Dominion one and will cover all branches of the tr.ade, several branches of which were previously incorporated under separate awards. These will be co-ordinated and new conditions will be laid down for several other classes of workers. Asked on Monday night at the meeting of the Council of Christian Congregations at Christchurch whether he was in favour of certificates of health being compulsory for persons about to marry, Dr. Fenwick said that every doctor would answer in the affirmative. Thousands of people contracted venereal disease through (innocence. When his own daughter grew up. he would not allow her to marry a man who was not straight and clean. A carnival, which it is hoped will bo on a scale larger than anything previously attempted in Auckland, is being promoted oy the Advertising Club, which has set down March 3rd to 10th. 1923, as the occasion for the effort. Sub-committees will lie nopointed immediately to organise different functions, which it is proposed to hold on every afternoon and evening for a week.. Any funds remaining over from the carnival will be devoted to advertising Auckland, after conserving a certain amount for the promotion of a similar series of functions in the following year. “Los Angeles has run to earth a “grafter” who has been selling Bibles to dead men. He gets the death notices from the papers, and sends a Bible to each name, with a letter. of thanks for the esteemed order, hoping for prompt payment. When the parcel arrives the relatives open the letter, and think how nice it was that the last thing the lost one did on earth was to order a fine leatherbound Bible. The Department of Justice got wind of the trick, hut for a time the grafter defied them to touch him, as they could not prove that the order was not actually given, except on the word of one person — who was dead.

Owing to Dominion Day holiday being observed un Monday, the Waipukurau sale will be held on Tuesday next as usual. At the Supreme Court in Auckland Eric Robert Burnett, a ship’s steward, aged 17, was sentenced to six weeks’ hard labour for the theft of a purse containing £3l during a prayer meeting. Mr. Justice Herdman declined to entertain a plea for probation. Following are the awards in connection with the competitive designs for the Auckland War Memorial Museum: Grierson. Aimer and M. K. Draffin (Auckland), first. £600; R. W. McLaurin and C. H. Mitchell (Wellington), second, £300; E. L. le Petit and C. E. Downer (Auckland), third, £lOO. The entries included designs from Britain, America, Canada and India, totalling 74 The number of persons who used the priviliges of the Hastings Mothers’ Rest during the month of August totalled 1074, marking the first month in which the numbers reached the thousand mark. The Rest completed its first year of service, in its present quarters, on August 31st last, and during the twelve months 9479 women and children availed themselves of its accommodation. Members of the Wellington Education Board find themselves called on by the Audit Department to refund £1 Ils 7d each. The board paid a teacher whose books were destroyed in a school fire £lO to enable her to replace them. The Department condemned the payment as improper,' and demanded a re_fund. The chairman said members had better pay up. One member said he had already done so under strong protest. —(Press Association.) Following on the visit paid to Hastings recently by Dr. E. L. M. Morgan, organiser of New Zealand Red Cross Peace Timo Activity, a vigorous membership enrolment campaign has been embarked upon throughout the Wellington district, and for the purpose of furtherance of this object, Mr. Bowden, the official canvasser for the society, is in this district. This gentleman will conduct a thorough house-to-house canvas of the town in addition to visiting the business firms. “The dairy industry is our greatest industry,” said Mr. C. I. Harkness. Independent Reform candidate for Otaki, in an address to the Ohau electors. Ho thought, however, it was capable of great expansion. One way was to make production oven throughout the year instead of for a period of about seven months, as was the case just now. There was no reason why that could not be done, and he maintained that it would secure a better level of prices and stimulate the industry, and return a much larger income to the country. The Hastings Boxing Association intend holding their next contest on Nelson Grounds, provided they can obtain the use of them, on some Saturday afternoon in November. It is proposed that the boxing contest will he a part of a sports programme of varied events, commencing at about two and concluding with the boxing, the whole finishing up at about 5.30. The seating accommodation, fixed as a stadium, would fulfil all requirements for the glove display and the other events, whilst the sporting bill, generally. will lie one calculated to attract a big crowd, not only from Hastings, but from Napier and other outside districts. The Legislative Council yesterday agreed unanimously to confirm the action taken by the Government in regard to tbe appeal made by the Imperial authorities. The leader of the Council, Sir William Fraser, stated that the British nation faced a great crisis, and only by showing a bold front could it prevent the tearing up of the Treaty of Sevres. The present situation showed the impotency of the League of Nations, and the need for strengthening the League until it became an association which could force its will upon the world. The housing problem seems to be nothing new in Auckland. The Auckland “Star,” in noting the death, of a lady, aged 97, who landed there in 1854, says that her husband shortly after their arrival bvflt a two-roomed cottage at a cost of £lOO, borrowed from the late Mr. Edward Costley at 20 per cent interest. Before the building was completed he let it to a tenant for 30s a week. It was out of the estate of this same Mr. Costley, who was a recluse ot miserly habits, that Auckland charitable and philanthroDic institutions ultimately benefitted to the extent of some £60,000. Our Parliamentary correspondent reports that Sir George Hunter asked the Minister in charge of the Police Department whether he will authorize expenditure of £l5OO, voted last session, for the erection of a police residence at Onga Onga. For some considerable time past the police constable has resided in a house rented by the Justice Department. The Hon. E. P. Lee replied that the question will receive consideration. The work is not, however, considered a particularly urgent one, as the department is occupying rented premises, which will meet requirements until the financial conditions improve. In the opinion of the Wellington city engineer the tarred macadam in Dixon street laid last December, is wearing splendidly, and a surface of the same kind has effected a wonderful improvement in Featherston street. During the appro<aching summer the Wellington council intends to give Tarqnaki street a surface of tarred macadam, which it badly needs. Lower Taranaki street is also to be attended to, but there the city engineer may experiment with bitumen. Plans and specifications are being prepared for the 20ft bitumen roadway that is to be laid along the Hutt road, between Wellington and Petone. for which work tenders will be called for shortly. “This is a pitiable case, one which shows clearly that something would be done to compel the production of a medical certificate by both parties before marriage.” stated Mr. H. Y. Widdowson, S.M.. in the Christchurch Magistrate’s Court on Monday. He was dealing with the application of a man aged 50 to have varied a maintenance order regarding his children. Applicant said he was working only two or three (lays a week. His wife used to drink at one time. The Magistrate said that nine out of the 10 children of the parties were mentally affected. Thus it cost the State £16.000 to rear the children. The police stated that man and wife wore weakminded. A recent remark by the Chief Justice, Sir Rolx»rt Stout, deploring the lack of truth on the part of witnesses in New Zealand courts; was commented upon by Chancellor Holbrook at a Roman Catholic ceremony in the Mount Eden district on Sunday. He stated that this scant respect for the truth was due to the secular system of edmation in New Zealand, which Sir Robert Stout himself had lauded and supported for 50 years, and of which ho was now simply reaping the harvest. No amount of secular knowledge could teach man’s duty to his God and his neighbour, and. realising this, the Rotary Chib and Young Citizens’ League were endeavouring to supply the lack by teaching boys gojxl citizenship when they left the schools. This was all very well, but it was beginning at the wrong end.