LOCAL AND GENERAL

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 2 December 1927, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dio Legislative Council t commanded most of the attention during the evening sitting of Parliament, yesterday by reason of tho fact that it had t-lio Licensing Bill before it (telegraphs "The Mail’s’.’ Parliamentary’ reporter). The Bill was read a second time on the, voices after a quiet discussion. / I

The fact that on threo nights in succession small fires ihavo occurred in tho old V/ooden wing of Parliament House suggests ,thdt; attempts haye .been made at , incendiarism.’' Tit each case''the outbreaks have been of a minor nature, but had they not been discovered in the early stages tho consequences might havo been serious (states “The Post’’). On Monday evening, at the height of the gale that was raging, a telegraph messenger reported that papers on tlie table in Mr W. p. Lysnar’s room were ablaze, and the flames were quickly subdued. Yesterday morning the charred remains were found in the room of Mr Linklater, in the tower of- the old building, of a roll of paper in tho corner of a shelf. The paper apparently had Burned to cinders some time on Tuesday evening or early on Wednesday morning, but probably through lack of draught, tho flames did not affect the walls, shelf, or tho papers underneath. Last night two more outbreaks of fire occurred in the same building. The first was discovered in a woodshed near a lavatory, and the second in a small room near the old Legislative Council Chamber, a mop being found ablaze. In neither case was material damage done.

There is at present a magnificent display of delphinium at the Nelson Bowling Club's green. Several visitors have expressed themselves as delighted with the wide range of colour and the length of the flower sterna Lovers of flowers should take advantage of the opportunity of seeing such a splendid collection of this popular flower. “Tim Chinese are flocking into Fiji on every ship which arrives there,” said Mr Hart Lewis, a prominent citizen of Suva, on his arrival on the Tofua at Auckland. “At one time all the small store's and businesses were run by the Indians, but now they are being ousted bv the Chinese. An Indian and . a Chinese cannot live next door to each other.” Mr Hart Lewis also stated that there are now about 70,000 Indians in Fiji, and a rapidly growing population of Chinese. A meat-canning industry is making great strides in Fiji. By January the proprietors hope to have their tinned meat on the market. A special Mohammedan is being employed to kill some of the animals so that the meat cun be placed on the Indian market. The proprietors of the meat-canning plant have a very large tract of country on the north side of Fiji, and cattle do very well there. On board the Tofua were 90 boxes of butter. It is on its way to England to be sold on the London market, This is not the first Fiji butter to be sent Home, and it is thought that the dairying industry of Fiji shows great promise of future development. This season in Fi,fi there is an extraordinary good crop of sugar-cane, which will mean a great deal to the Crown Colony. “New Zealand is our big brother,” said another visitor from Fiji who was on the Tofua. “We' look to the Dominion for the most of our trade at present ; we are doing nothing with Australia.”

A leading Wellington Philatelist says that the statement that .there were only 16 copies of the rare first New Zealand stamp in existence was not correct. He says there are at least two others, in addition to the pair obtained by an Auckland collector, and 12 single copies of this stamp in the Dominion. The catalogue price is £6O eacli. The Wellington phitatelist states there are well o'er a hundred copies scattered among the world’s collectors. It is probable that bad .there been only the number stated in Auckland the price would have been nearer £I,OOO than £6O a copy. Two other philatelists concurred ■ with the expert’s opinion.

In his scheme for the extension of the Greymouth drainage system to embrace the newer part of the town, the Borough Engineer plans for an increase of the population to 9000 about fifty years hence. The graph on which he shows the movements of population indicates four periods of inciease since 1071. These’were between 1871 and 1678 (700 increase), 1881 and 1891 (1200), 1896 and 1911 (2900), and 1916 to 1926 (900). The period 1911-16 saw a decline of 500, and that from .1891 to 1896 a decline of 600. lie remarks that the fortunes of coal mining seem to have played an important part in the variations.

“Everybody smolces now—man, woman and child.” Tims said Mr Barry Pain-, the well-known London writer, in the last number of the “Windsor.” Yes, we all smoke—bar cranks. Why not? The habit contributes more to (he sum total of human happiness than any other. It soothes our sorrows and enhances our joys. Never mind what its enemies may say. The worst they can say is that the nicotine contained in tobacco -may prove highly injurious. But that depend? upon, the tobacco. Imported brands it’s true, are often so full of this poison, that their free use may cause nerve and heart trouble. But, what about our N.Z. p tobaccos? They differ in as far as their content of nicotine is quite negligible in comparison. And—note this —New Zealand tobaccos are toasted. They’re the only tobaccos that are. Hence their delightful flavour and fragrance. And they’re so pure you may smoke them with'absolute impunity. ' They don’t require rubbing and they don’t bite the tongue. Even doctors recommend them.-“River-head Gold” is mild, “Navy Cut” (Bulldog) medium, and “Cut Plug No. 10“ (Bullshead) is full strength. Try them.*

A jumble sale will he held at the Cathedral Sunday School tomorrow at 2.30 p.m.

Emms Motor Service are advertising an afternoon service (in conjunction with Newman Bros., Ltd.) between Nelson and Tabaka and vice versa. Passengers for Takaka can now leave Nelson at 4 p.m. and arrive in Takaka about 8 p.m.*

The rainfall during November in Christchurch was 68 per cent, m excess of the average for the month. Nineteen days wore wet. —Press Association.

On the application of the parties concerned the Arbitration Court this morning agreed to amend the Dominion Retail Shop Assistants’ award, and the Nelson Grocers’ Assistants’ and Drivers’ award, the latter in as far as applies to grocery shops situate within a five-mile radius of the Nelson Post Office, making the closing hour on the half-day 12.30 p.in. and on the late night 9 p.'m. Mr K. Black appeared for the union and Mr N. A. Vercoe for the employers.

Considerable interest has been taken in Wanganui in the litigation over the Wanganui War Memorial on Durio Hill between W. J. Poison, Dominion president of the Farmers’ Union, arid Hope Gibbons, ex-Mayor of Wanganui. The plaintiff sought to recover £413 for the land on which the memorial stands, with interest since, March, 1924. Poison contended that the transaction was n straight-out sale, and that in a conversation in March, 1924, Gibbons told Poison lie was acting for the, War Memorial Committee, and wanted to get the transfer of the land through before Gonville amalgamated with Wanganui Borough. Poison asserted that Gibbons led him to believe he Was running the thing himself, without the committee, as it was too slow, and that he would pay Poison, but he would have to wait for the money. Gibbons, on the other hand, contended that the land was a straight-out gift, and referred to Poison’s name being included in the list of donors published in January, 1925. Mr Justice Ostler held that -an oral contract had been proved,, and in consideration of the land being transferred Gibbons would personally pay. the. balance of the purchase money due. Judgment was given for the plaintiff for £567 17,s 3d, which includes interest at 7 per cent. ) . , ‘

’* At the Arbitration Court to-day'the compensation case Hubert Thomas Wells (Mr Fell) v. Henry Wm. D. Harman (Mr Moynagh) which was adjourned from the last sitting, was called on. It was stated by counsel that an agreement had been arrived at, and the case whs accordingly struck out. A further case, Ada Wakefield (Mr Moynagh) v. the King (Mr Fell) was adjourned until the next sitting. i

“There has undoubtedly been a considerable steadying in business circles in Sydney generally, and much relief as a result of the Bavin Government’s assumption of the reins of Government.” Mr Will Appleton, a member of the Wellington, Hospital Board, who has been visiting Sydney, returned to Auckland by the Ulimaroa this week, and spoke in no uncertain terms of the general relief felt by business men in New 'South Wales as a result of the defeat of the Labour Government. Mr Bavin lost no lime, he remarked, in bringing forward this measure, now law, which has placed the city of Sydney under the control of commissioners. The meeting called by the Lord Mayor, Alderman Mostyn, to protest against tho action of the Government, was a fiasco. “The feeling iil the community is that the Government’s move in this matter is essential, and not before time,” remarked Mr Appleton. The Wellington visitor said that there was much unemployment both in Sydney and in South Australia, which State he also visited. “As a matter of fact, I believe there is more unemployment in Adelaide than there is in Sydney,” ho said. In one lot 3,000 men were dismissed from the South Australian Government railways. There was also every likelihood of retrenchment in New South Wales. “I came to the conclusion that they were experiencing over there what we had six months ago here. As for unemployment in New Zealand, I do believe we .are round the corner,” he added. “There is no substitute for the strong right arm directed by an intelligent and well-trained mind.” This was the conclusion emphasised by Mr Norman Gribble, who addressed Auckland Rotarinns on the subject of “Man Power and Horse Power." The speaker took up a somewhat- unusual comparison. He said tli© .Commonwealth statistician estimated the human value of Australia at £lO,000 millions (or £2OOO per head), three times the value of public and private property. Dr. Hubner, of Pennsylvania University, considered that the United States per capita value was double this and was seven times as great as the property value. What, then should be the value• of our nationals per head? Thera was no substitute for human power. Following the theme through, Mr Gribblo touched on the subject, of immigration. *“Wo need more people,” ho said, “but the present system is a failure. We don't know what we are getting, and those who come here don’t know what they are getting.” The position of population in New Zealand was not satisfactory. • Last year the Dominion lost 3181 in the first nine months of 1927. On the basis of the United States calculations we had thereby lest. £12,000,000. What we wanted was a national spirit, a spirit in which people would say: “This is our country.’’ We needed more people and we needed them better trained.

“In your experience does gorse grow better in a shady place?” asked counsel of a witness in the Wanganui Magistrate’s Court tliis week. “It grows well anywhere,” answered the witness. “If it grows better, it grows worse,” added the* Magistrate, Mr J. S. Barton. In view of daylight saving and Hie loss of one hour at night “Father Christmas” Ims found it necessary to make an early start this month on his pleasure-giving round of visits. He lias advised that he hopes to make an appearance to-morrow afternoon and evening at the Hampden street school fair and gala. Last Saturday, at Crown Hill, Devon, England, a silver statuette of a Maori v/drripr was presented on behalf of the Ist Battalion of the Wellington-West Coast Regiment to the 2nd Battalion of the Hampshire Regiment. The 2nd Hampshire's formed part, of the >29111 British Division, alongside whom the Wellington Regiment, N.Z.E.F., fought early in May, 1915, in the attack on Krilhin, Gallipoli, and il was for this reason that the VY.-W.C. Regiment asked to be allied to the llampshires when the former allied' regiment (the 18th Royal Irish) was disbanded in 1923. To cominonmoralo the alliance the Welling-ton-West. Coast Regiment had two statuettes made, one of a New Zealand soldier in fighting kit, and one of a Maori warrior, (he former for presentation to the Ist llampshires stationed in India, and the other for the 2nd llampshires at- Horne. Lieut.-Colonel W. F. Narbey, who in 1916 commanded tiie W.-W.C. company of the Ist Battalion of the Wellington Regiment in Franco, presented the statuette to the. 2nd llampshires, anrl special cable messages of greetings were exchanged between the two regiments.

“I don’t know what-the Department is thinking of when, there are so many New Zealand applicants for appointment as teachers,’’ was remarked by the chairman of the Auckland Education Board (Mr Burns), when an application was received through the Department from a married woman residing in England. The applicant claimed 25 years’ experience, and the Department stated that her application was commended by the League of Empire. “I think we should be careful w.liat we do in this matter,” commented Mr E. C. Banks. The communication was received,

“The fields for research are everywhere being broadened,” said Professor E. J. Tddings, Doan of Agriculture, and director of the agricultural experimental station of the University of Idaho, United States, who arrived in Auckland by the Ulimaroa on Tuesday after making a study of agricultural conditions in Great Britain, France, Denmark Belgium, Holland, Germany, the Channel Islands, Egypt, Italy, India, Ceylon, and Australia. Tho proiessor indicated that the meaning of this development was that agriculture to-day was more closely allied to scientific facts and the trend of economics, the application of which to farming was absolutely necessary for its proper development in the highest technical phases, states the “Auckland Star. ’ til England and Scotland, ho pointed out, there had been an enlargement of experimental institutions, and the establishment of others. Italy under fhe Mussolini regime was developing great schemes of agricultural research and there had been established 30 miles from Romo a 3000-acre farm for the purpose of animal-production study. In .Egypt, India, and Australia agricultural research was likewise proceeding.