LOCAL & GENERAL

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXV, Issue 163, 26 June 1935, Page 4

LOCAL & GENERAL

Tobacconist Robbed. Practically the whole stock of a tobacconist, Mr. B. W. Willoughby, who commenced business in Dominion road, Auckland, only a few weeks ago, was stolen by a thief who broke into the shop early yesterday morning. The missing goods are valued at over £l7.

Okawa Riding Rate. There appears to bo a misunderstanding as to the position with regard to the Okawa riding rate. The present rate is 1 5-16ths. of Id. in the pound. The suggested rate is Id., being a reduction of 5-16ths. of a penny in the pound.

McConachy and Lindrum. Advico to the effect that Clark McConachy and Lindrum, the famous billiards champions, are to visit Hastings on July 4, has been received by a Hastings sportsman. It has been arranged that they shall play an exhibition game at tho Heretaunga club on the evening of their visit. Highways Contracts.

The Public Works Department’s Tenders Board had accepted the tender of W. 8, Goosman and Company for sealing the Great South road between Hamilton and Ohaupo. Tho firm’s price is £21,000. The board has awarded the contract for a new concrete bridge over tho Waimakariri river, Canterbury, at Bealey, to W. Clark and Sons, of Kaiapoi, whose price is £5OOO.

War Relief Association, At the fortnightly meeting of the Hastings committee of the Hawke’s Bay War Belief Association there were present Messrs. W. Hart (in the chair), F. J. Hull, L. J. Mackersey and F. Perrin. Leave of absence was granted to Mr. H. Holderness. Fortyeight returned soldiers’ cases were considered and assistance was granted in various ways including grants amounting to £6l 15/- and loans amounting to £75.

Court of Review, With the object of relieving the pressure arising out of the accumulation of district applications under the Mortgagors Relief Act, a special sitting of the recently-constituted Court of Review will be held at Palmerston North on Friday. There are reported to be 350 applications awaiting attention by the Wellington District Mortgagors Commission, though some of these will probably be settled or withdrawn before the date of hearing.

Opossum Skins. Last season some 5000 opossum skins were taken in the Hawke’s Bay Acclimatisation Society’s district. The annual report of tho society states that an open season for the trapping of these animals was declared from July 20 to September 15. The W’hakarara range proved the most happy ground for trappers. The royalty paid to the society upon skins taken and stamped in tho Hawke’s Bay district was £26 4/11.

Air Mails in Australia. “Ono of the most remarkable features of Australia is the au-minded-ness of the people,’’ said Mr. J. Hoy Smith, secretary to the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce, when interviewed on his return from the Commonwealth. “The post office department dealing with air mails is crowded on tho day a mail is due to leave. Regular air services are being pioneered and built up between the main centres. Kvfcryoue seems to think in terms of air mail.”

Military Training Ban, That a section of the Methodist Church holding extreme pacifist views had been responsible for the discontinuing of military training at Wesley College, Auckland, was a statement made by the Rev. Clarence Laton, past-president of the New Zealand Methodist conlerence. Mr. Eaton said the action taken at Wesley College had no significance as applying to the church as a whole. It was entirely the action of the board of trustees of the college and did not express the attitude of the church.

A Good Beginning. Yesterday afternoon every patient in tho Hastings Memorial Hospital was able to hear eveiw word spoken at the opening of the’ extensions by the Minister of Health, Sir Alexander Young. This was brought about through the agency of the public address system which is incorporated in the radio installation presented to the hospital last week. The system worked splendidly, and was an earnest of the good result which has come through the generosity of those who contributed towards the installation.

The Missed Census. “I think that in retrospect the elimination of the 1931 census will bo regarded as ono of the most ill-consider-ed economy measures of the recent depression,” said Dr. E. I’. Neale, when lecturing to tho Auckland Economic Society on some aspects of. population changes. “Certainly we could less afford to dispense with the fundamental figures provided by the census than almost any other of our statistics.” Dr. Neale went on to show how the census figures provided the basis for many other necessary calculations, how they controlled political representation, gave accurate data for public policy and gave a regular standard of comparison through five-yearly periods.

Fixed Easter. The Associated Chambers of Com merce desire to have an Act passed at an early date which would enable a fixed Easter to be brought into operation in the Dominion whenevei it was adopted in England. Some critics of the chambers have apparently been under the impression that the Churches in New’ Zealand are hostile to a fixation of Easter, but the fact is, states Dr. E. B. Neale, secretary of the Auckland chamber, that before any representations were made to the Government by the Associated Chambers, the views of Bishop Sprott, of the Wellington Ministers’ Association (comprising all the Free Churches and the Salvation Army) and of the Roman Cutholic Church were obtained. All were agreeable to a fixed dale for Easter,

Air Mail Reaches London, Air mail dispatched from New Zealand on June 6 arrived at London on June 24. Whaling in the North.

It is reported that the steam whaler Hananui 11. has been sold, and after she has been overhauled and refitted at Auckland she is to proceed to Bluff, where she will bo used in the oyster fishing industry. With the withdrawal of the Hananui U. from the northern whaling station, whale fishing off the north-east coast of the North Island will cease, after being carried on for more than half a century. National Characteristics,

After spending several months in New Zealand and Australia, the Rev. Dr. C. W. Gordon, the eminent Canadian divine, better known to many as “Ralph Connor,” the author, passed through Auckland by the Niagara on his return to Canada. Dr. Gordon discussed national characteristics of New Zealand and Australia and compared them with the Canadian outlook. Generally, he has found Australians and New Zealanders insular to a certain degree and more interested in the essential British rather than the international viewpoint. But in addition ho has found them hospitable and friendly to an extent which ho had not thought possible.

Interest Reduction, A test action to determine whether the Victorian State interest reduction legislation should apply to New Zealand loans domiciled there will shortly be commenced by one of the largo Australian insurance companies against a New Zealand local authority. Tho case will be heard in the New Zealand Supreme Court, or before tho Court of Appeal. Many of the local bodies in the Dominion with loan debentures held in Victoria are interested, and it is expected that the decision in the test case will be accepted as their ruling for their own transactions in Australia. Tho Hawke’s Bay Electric Rower Board is one of tho bodies interested in the case.

New Railway Guide, Fresh evidence of tho progressive policy of the Railways Department in anticipating and meeting the needs of the travelling publio is seen in the free issue of a strongly-bound 48-page book, which is a guide for the reservation of seats and sleeping-berths cn the principal express and passenger trains throughout the Dominion. Plans of the carriage accommodation are clearly printed so that intending passengers are able to take in the whole situation at a glance. The information accompanying each plan includes details of time-tables and fares between principal stations and a list of the stations at which refreshments are available Election Cards. Information charging five Auckland residents with a breach qf the Local Elections and Polls Act, 1925, have been laid by tho police, following the distribution of printed cards bearing tho names of candidates, in tho vicinity of polling booths on the day of the municipal elections, May 8. No date has yet been fixed for the prosecutions, which will be conducted by the Crown solicitor’s office on behalf of the police. Under section 41 of the Act, every person is liable to a fine not exceeding £2O who, at an election, in any way interferes with an elector, either in the polling booth or on his way there, with the intention of influencing him or advising him as to his vote. With a view to emphasising the law in this connection, detectives and uniformed officers took the names of a number of persons on election day.