LATE DOMINION NEWS.

Mataura Ensign, 26 April 1913, Page 2

LATE DOMINION NEWS.

POST AND TELEGRAPHS. |

INTEREST L\"G INFORMATION. I'EB UNITED PBESS ASSOCIATION DUNEDIX, April 25. At the opening of the post office at Ravensliourne to-day Hon. R. Heaton Rhodes (Postmaster-General) made some interesting remarks on the work of the Department oi' the Post and Telegraphs. Touching on wireless telegraphy, lie j said that the station at Awanui (North j of Auckland), which was now completed, was of 35 kilowatts power. Tests had I for some time past been made to and | from Pennant Hills Station, Sydney, in ] accordan6e with the contracts, and ] would he continued for some time. They j had been fairly satisfactory so far, but he was making special arrangements tor ■ a. series of searching tests of so sen- j ous a character that there should be litde tear that the, station .would fail on I any point when opened. The station at ; j Awarua Plains (near Bluff)' would be similar to that of Awanui. Ho expected , that the station would be completed in j about two nu.aiths, when similar tests, would be carried out. These two high- I power stations, it was anticipated, would be capable of carrying on wireless i communication with Australia at any , hour of the day or night. He did not, know how far wireless would be used for j commercial purposes. The PostmasterGeneral of Victoria, who visited New Zealand some months ago, was anxious] that the wireless stat'ens should be used j commercially, and if possible he would | arrange* a scale of fees s i that it might bo so used. i Tenders had been called for lull auto-; matio telephone exchanges at six places in the Dominion, viz., Auckland, Wellington, Blenheim, Hamilton, Masterton and Oairiaru. The system would be extended to other places later. The Department had now under consideration the question of providing a submarine cable across Gook Strait, especially adaptable for telephonic purposes. The providing of this cable, in conjunction with the modification and extension of existing land lines, would render practicable a telephone conversation from Auckland to the Bluff. Attention was being given by telegraph experts h' other countries to the direct printing telegraph apparatus. The Department was obtaining full information in regard to the matter. PUBLIC TRUST COMMISSION. - WELLINGTON, April 25. The report of the P/oyal Commissioners (Messrs J. H. Hosking, K. 0., and J. Macintosh) who were appointed to inquire into and report on the working of the Public Trust Office, has been submitted. The Commissioners find that all the trust moneys, unless expressly forbidden to be so invested, are invested indiscriminately. This common fund earns interest at from 4| to per cent, per annum, and the estates wliose money make it up are paid at a somewhat lower rate, without break for any interval of non-investment. If trust moneys are to go into the common fund they are guaranteed by the State, but if specially invested neither the Public Trustee nor the State is responsible. The Commissioners express the opinion that the administration with respectto the methods in making investments and collection of income and revenue is eminently efficient. The number of well-founded complaints received is exceedingly small in comparison wn)h the number of estates administered. At the same time, having regard to the insufficiency of the staff and to the varying business capacity of the agents, they cannot say that the administration is as efficient as it could be made to be. Subject to these remarks, the Commissioners find that tho office system and methods provide the greatest care for «nf""uarding, controlling and scrupulously accounting for any estate placed in it® charge. By far the greater portion of the moneys controlled by the Trustee is invested on mortgage of freehold security. The position of the funds at September 30 last was as follows:—Total for which the office is liable to account, £5, '07,356; less funds specially invested. .<;173,948. Of this amount £4,411,393 i s invested in mortgages, £122,758 •) Government securities, and £155,146 i ■ La id Settlement Finance Act deli nturea. .'he Commissioners express the opinion that the Board should be strengthened by the addition of a vahier-general and /two members of wide business knowledge and experience, who shall deal not only with such important matters a« advances, investments and acceptance of trusts, but with questions of general policy. The Solicitor-General may. they think, be omitted, and they recommend that one of the additional members should be a person experienced in matters relating to farming and stock. The Commissioners find that the office staff is undermanned and overworked, and that the salaries require readjustment. One remedy proposed for the congestion is decentralisation. The Commissioners also recommend the building up of a stronger reserve fund, the amendment of the Act to permit of the appointment of advisory trustees, that the office solicitor and staff should be confined to the indoor .work of the office, and that third parties and others requiring legal advice should not be allowed to seek it from the office staff at the expense of the ©opinion fund. Hon. A. L Herdman, the Minister in charge of tho Department, says the recommendations will receive the immediate consideration of Cabinet.

PUBLIC TRUST COMMISSION. -

THE MANAROA WRECK.

WELLINGTON. April 25. Dr McArthur, S.M., held inquiry into the circumstances of the wreck of the Manaroa Last week. Captain Gilbertson said that he followed the usual course, which provided plenty of deep water, and woukl keep nim away from the Beef Barrels. When tJhe ship struck neither a rock nor any other object could be Been over the side. The Red Pine was lost near the same spot. He passed the Beef Rarrek 'half a mile distant. Archibald Walker, Lloyd's surveyor, said that he examined tihe vessel. The forefoot was knocked away, but there was nothing to show that the ship struck a rook. The court's findings expressed the i opinion that, the Mararoa struck a submerged :ing object, for which the captain not responsible.

GRIEVANCES OF THE POLICE.

AUCKLAND, April 25. Members of the local police force were paraded before Commissioner Oullen to-day. Mr _ Cullon asked them ii they had complaints to make, and if sc invited' them to Lay them before luim. i Some of the men, acting as spokesmen, laid beforfe tihe Commissioner certain grievances. Mr Oullen will' forward the complaints to the Minister.

A LABORER KILLED.

HAMILTON, April 25. A laborer named Kirby, single, aged about 27 years, was killed by a fall of earth at Leslie's Gully this -afternoon, w'horo excavation work was progressing.

RAILWAY APPEAL BOARD.

DUNEDIN, April 25. The Railway Appeal Board sat this morning to consider two appeals. The first case was that of George Andrews, 'chief cUa'k at Oa.niuru, who complained jthat in a vacancy occurring in tho olIfice of traffic clerk at Invereargill, he | was i>assod over in favor of a. man I three months his junior in the service. ! Mr Davidson, who appeared for the j Department, said that tho general man- ! a.ge.r .had exercised his discretion con- ' nciontiously, and to the best of liis i ability, in selecting ,\lr J. ]!. Mitchell , for the position. Mr J. M. Matheson, for tho appelI laut, saidi that he was prepared to corii vend that the general manager had not .acted conscientiously nor to the best of his ability in making tho selection. A j comparison, of the records would show , I that Andrews had had a. wider ox- ' | Derience, and on every ground was entitled to the appointment. ,; Tho Chairman (Mr Hazelden): There ' are two gentlemen, Ixyth very good' 'men. A vacancy has occurred in an ;; important office. 'l%) general manager says that ho may bo wrong or . I right, Ixut using his host judgment, and , j acting conscientiously, lie has appoint- ' led Mr Mitchell. [ I The next case was that of Hairry L. . ! Gibvson, stationimaster, Seacliff, who ' I complained that ho had been passed j ! over when the appointment of ticket i ' i inspectors were being made. He mainr i tained that he was particularly quali- ' ! fied to fill such a position, i j Mr Davidson said that it was not necessary to bring evidence of ability. I Tho Department was quite satisfied "ithat Mr Gibson had an excellent reicord. Mr P. Gaines pointed out that when; tho ticket inspectors. w< re appointed 1 they were given £IBO a year, but it j became reoognised that an injustice was done to them, because guards got " ! more money through getting overtime. ; Inspectors were then given £2lO, which put them ahead again of Gibson, and 3 on Division; 1, although they (the ticket 3 inspectors) were taiken firom Division " 11. Mr Haselden said that in a vast service like tho railways anomalies were bound to occur. Ho did not think that it was right to try to exact logical rights as long as the spirit of the Act "; was justly administered:. *i TV* Board mot in the afternoon to 5 ! consider its decisions, -and unanimously 5 j decaied to dismiss both appeals. l t ARMY MOTOR RESERVE. T - , WELLINGTON, April 25. I! The Governor has approved of -the r ; formation of a New Zealand army motor J; reserve of officers. The establishment r 1 consists of a colonel and 177 other of- [ ficers. t | . i.ii. lj DAIRY ASSOCIATION. 3 j QUESTION OF HEADQUARTERS. " i The following (states the 'Southland t: Times') is the text of a circular letter 3 addressed to all the dairy factories p (both proprietary and co-operative) in ' Southland, calling a meeting for May " 10 to consider the matter of transfer--5 ring the headquarters of the South } Island Association from Dunedin to In- " vercargill:— " | Th§ feeling has been voiced for some ' ' time past among many persons closely 1 identified with the welfare of the dairy > , industry in Southland that it would be i in the interests of the industry were the "' headquarters of the Sotfth Island Dairy 1 ; Association of New Zealand, Ltd., re- [ i moved from Dunedin to In vercargill. | Among the reasons advanced in favor I, of such a step being taken are: 1. That upwards of two-thirds of the 1 whole amount of cheese exported from the South Island factories is graded at and shipped from Bluff. 2. That with the headquarters of the association- situated at Invercargi'l more satisfactory control could be exercised over the bulk of the said export cheese. 3. That the factory directors would also become more closely in touch with the practical work of the dairying industry were the association's headquarters at Invercargill instead of at the present location. 4. That it is reasonable to assume that, were this proposal adopted, valuable concessions would be obtained from the shipping companies, particularly in the matter of the Home steamers making Bluff a regular port of call and thereby eliminating much of the vcxatoius handling of cheeße in rexatious handling of cheese in > eoastal transhipment. For these reasons, and others which . will doubtless occur to those interested, i a meeting of directors and proprietors representative of the whole of the dairy [ factories in Southland is hereby oon- > vened to be held in Allen's Hall, Inver-

I ARMY MOTOR RESERVE.

M - , WELLINGTON, April 25. 1 > The Governor has approved of -the r ; formation of a New Zealand army motor J' reserve of officers. The establishment r 1 consists of a colonel and 177 other ofl ficers. U | . 1.11.