LOCAL AND GENERAL

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 3 December 1927, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

It was mentioned by Councillor Neale at the Council meeting last evening that motor cars were using the- track now being constructed at the sands reserve. It was considered that vehicles should be prohibited from this practice, and it was decided to place a rail across the track. The well-known corner site in Cuba street, Wellington, occupied by Te Aro House Drapery Coy., has been sold to. Hannah and Co. for £65,000, states a Press Association telegram.

The sanitary conveniences and the dressing sheds at the Sandsi Reserve are to be proceeded with immediately, stated the City Engineer at the Council meeting last evening. Two deaths on the Oronsay and a suicide as well did not altogether make the voyage from England to Sydney a very pleasant one. Unfortunately this was the experience of Mr G. F. Henry,,an old Aucklander, who arrived by the fJlimaroa this week (says the "Sun"). It was 38 years since Mr Henry was last in England, so necessary he saw many changes. The fates were not kind to him from a weather point of view, however, as he did not have one fine day during the several months he spent in liis native land. Indeed, Mr Henry is of the opiaion that a rather serious period is ahead for the English farmers this year. It was the wettest season on record for nearly half a_century. The consequence was that tHe crops had been ruined, and the prospect, generally, for the man on the land was not too hopeful. Mr Henry saw stocks burned in the field. Others had simply rotted. On the other hand he was impressed by England's industrial revival, and the general return to a more normal existence. Travel in Italy -convinced Mr Henry that Mussolini was "the right man in the right place." There was hardly an acre in all Italy,'" he said, which was not under cultivation in some form or another.

When formal notification was received by the Cityv Council last evening of the acceptance by the Tahuna, Sands Association to carry out the work tff removing spoil from the Rocks Road for the construction of a roadway, there appeared to be doubt in the minds of some councillors as to the correct meaning of a resolution passed at a former meeting. This led Cr. Neale to remark that it was a strange thing that it appeared that no communication passed between, the two bodies without it being.twisted. This, was unfortunate, as all were anxious tb see the work go ahead. Cr; Gibbs, as one of the sub-committee, said the resolution referred to empowered the committee to "supervise the carrying out of the work." He was not an engineer, and if the committee had to supervise the work he would sooner be taken off the committee. Both the speaker and Cr. Neale considered the committee's duties were only to consider the advisability of certain work, and not to supervise it. The Mayer hoped no misunderstanding would arise, and his suggestion that the sub-committee should first discuss the matter with the Sands committee before any action was taken was agreed to.

A memorial to the late Mr Malcolm Niccol, of Auckland, who was grand master of the Grand Lodge of New Zealand Freemasons in 1892-3, and grand secretary .from 1900 to 1921, has just been erected over his grave in Hillsborough Cemetery, in pursuance of the resolution passed by the Grand Lodge last year. Forty years ago Mr Niccol was one of the leading shipowners in Auckland, largely concerned in the Islands trade. For many years he was Mayor of Devonport, and at another period chairman of the Auckland Harbour Board. He was one of the founders of the Masonic Grand Lodge, and its second grand master, and in his career as grand secretary did ranch for the advancement of the institution. The monument takes the form of an obelisk of Scotch granite, and bears a suitab'e inscription surmounted by a Masonic symbol.

The cold snap experienced last week was responsible for heavy losses in lambs and shorn ewes in' the South Island. One case in particular is reported in mid-Canterbury of 05 deaths and of 150 newly-shorn ewes. A small boy at the Waikato school was asked to write all he knew about a Mayor. This is what he wrote: "Mayors are people created" at the poles every three years. Their duty is to push the town along and also to tell business men when' to shut up. They sometimes lay foundation stones. Some Mayors belong to the horse tribe, but, you spell them different so they" don't' get mixed up. A Lord Mayor is the same thing, but'more stuck up."

The sale of a. eider factory and cool stores, as a going concern, situated al Appleby, is advertised in this issue. The sale will be conducted by the Commissioner of Crown Lands, at Nelson.

A reception to the Rev. G. A. Crossman will be held in St. Thomas's schoolroom on Tuesday next, as advertised. All parishioners are heartily invited to attend. .Presbyterian services to-moirrow in the Wakefield Public Hall at 3 p.m. Waimea West Schoolroom, 7 p.m. Preacher at both services, Rev. D. McCosh, M.A.* Emms Motor Service are advertising an afternoon service (in conjunction with Newman Bros., Ltd.) between Nelson and Takaka and vice versa. Passengers for Takaka can now leave Nelson at 4 p.m. and arrive in Takaka about 8 p.m.*

Arising out of a communication from the Department of Internal Affairs as to whether the City. Council had any spare war trophies, which it was stated wem wanted for certain towns that were without them, and it was disclosed, that a number had disappeared from the Municipal Chambers and could not be traced. The Town Clerk stated that they were littered about the floor and had been shitfed elsewhere preparatory to a civic function. It was stated that v a Held piece was at the tiphead, and on the suggestion of Councillor Gibbs it was resolved to offer this trophy to the Boys' College. . ■ The irises on the western bank of the Queen's Gardens pond are now in full bloom, and make a glorious showing. There are dozens of different varieties, and are well worth inspection.

Masonic benevolence is the thing that attracts most public ' attention on the rare occasions when the affairs of the Craft get into'the newspapers during the annual' communication of Grand Lodge, comments tho Christchurch "Star." ft is, indeed, another striking evidence of the wave of humanitarianism that is sweeping the world to-day that lodges under the New Zealand Constitution, with a membership of 25,579, should have raised by voluntary subscriptions in the last two years the sum of £21,026 for the annuity fund for the maintenance of, -widows, orphans and aged Masons. But, of course, Freemasonry never was merely a benefit society, and its members are not even banded together for their . mutual interests, as many people believe. In its deepest sense it is a religion that binds the spiritual nature of man to the supernatural Being on Whom, he is conscious that he is dependent.

The Commissioner of Police (Mr W. B. Mellveney) has announced for publication that* the parents of Gwendoline Ellen Scarff, have written to the Police Department a letter of appreciation of then* services in connection with the murder. It is staled that, the police left no stone unturned to unravel the mystery. "Please convey to the men concerned our warm appreciation of the courteous way they treated us al all times, more especially Detective-Ser-geants Young and Bickerdike and Detectives Laugeson and Thomas," states the letter.

"When I went to school, there were two classes of speakers who came there. There was one class which gave a very long address and {hen left without Going their duty. There were also those who remembered 'England expects every man to do his duly.' They came and gave a short address and did their duty. They asked for a half-holiday for the school*. Tam going to do my duty and ask for a half-holiday."—Mr L. S. Arnery, at Christ's College this week. The. Wanganui River Trust recently decided to impose a tax of 2s 6d on tourists travelling on the river, but this decision has now been rescinded. ,At a meeting of the River Trust, Mr A. S. Burgess said if the trust imposed a toll of 2s 6d it would cause a lot of trouble, and would only irritate tourists. He read letters from Messrs Thomas Cook and Sons and the Tourist Department, expressing the opinion that such a step would be detrimental to the river tourist service. A Greymouth paper remarks that there are evidences ot some improvement in the Australian demand for white pine and a substantial shipment is going forward by the steamer Ihumata. The trade in red pine and white pine, however, is not expected to show any great improvement till about February, when the demand is likely to come nearer to the supply. Great hopes are entertained for the success of the newly-establjshed ' beef canning industry in Fiji. Residents of Suva who arrived from the islands by the Tofua this week said the promoters of the venture had adequate herds to draw upon. An interesting feature about this embryo industry was that it was found necessary tb employ a Mohammedan butcher because the natives of that faith would not eat the product unless if.s preparation was .supervised by one of their own faith. "I fancy we will have to get a huge farm on which to put all these men who will not support their wives,", said Mr W. R. McKeari, S.M., in the Magistrate's Court at Auckland, when'a number of maintenance capes were heard. "Yes," agreed the maintenance officer (Mr W. J. Campbell). "Many of them do not care, once they aro free of their wives. They simply refuse to work or pay anything to them."

The growing of rubber is becoming an important feature of the production of Samoa, according to Mr H. Bates, collector of customs at Apia, Samoa, who arrived at Auckland by the Tofua this week. [He said rubber was being cultivated in a small .way now, but shortly a large plantation would be opened. The conditions were very suitable for the growing of rubber, and from now on, the quantities for export were expected to increase rapidly. Last year 36 tons of-rubber were exported, while this year there would be at least 160 tons. 'so tar as we can judge Samoa will have a record trading year," said Mr Bates. "Wo anticipate there wilt ,be 13,000 tons of copra, compared with 12,000 last year; and 800 tons of cocoa, as against 360 tons." The direct service which would be maintained by the new Government steamer, Maui Pomare, was being eagerly looked forward to. The cultivation of fruit was expected to increa.se greatly as a result. /

The authority of the Education Board is not to be increased further by legislation Oris session. The Minister of Education has advised the Auckland Board that it was not possible to promote legislation this session to include discretionary power over married women teachers and authority to hold conferences of However, these two suggestions would bq, reconsidered before the next session. In view of the strong opposition already encountered tot the clause giving boards power to penalise teachers for wilful disobedience and neglect, the considered that it would be futile to attempt to seek power of suspension. The Department considered that- the maximum, penalty of £lO would be adequate for the minor offences. Hawke's Ray, Olago and Wellington Boards wrote supporting the representation that boards should be allowed in convene conferences without authority from the Minister. "You must not say that/'' said Mr Justice Tlorridge, in the King's Bench Division, London, recently, when Mr Richard Levy, a barrister in a case, prefaced his address to the jury with the phrase, "Ladies and gentlemen of. the jury." Mr Justice Horridge said that the subject was considered by the judges long ago and reconsidered by the judges, and they came unanimously to the conclusion that the proper way to address the jury was "Members of the jury." The jury was a composite body.

For the first time in years (says tho "Sun") AucklarirTs building figures 'nave, since April, been surpassed by those of Wellington, where there is at the moment a minor boom in bisr city blocks. while on the contrary Auckland appears to have passed Ihe crest of its frantic construction wave—a wave that etched for the city a new skyline, altered the appearance of its streets, and endowed it with modern office accommodation (list for tfie present serves more than adequately tho needs of the business community.

A meeting of the Buller Progress Leaguo committee appointed to consider the compiling and publication of a book relating to tho early records of the Buller, was held this week. Mr D. Bryan was elected chairman. Mr P. J. O'Kegan, the well-known barrister and historian of the West Coast, was present, and gave an excellent lead to the meeting, which listened to him with great interest. He promised to broadcast the'request for historical records as' by such means it will enable many persons to send along valuable information to tho committee. A definite proposal was arranged to place before the league in respect to procuring the probable cost. of publishing the book. It was further decided to appoint Mr Bryan and the secretary to call on the business people and others to ascertain from them what support they would give either by way of guarantees or subscriptions so that the work can be commenced without' delay. The Press Association states that in the message from Wellington yesterday regarding Elliott's case, Baume's\name should be Sidney Ei'ne Bourne, not Eric, as telegraphed. The trophies, medals and other prizes presented at the wind-up dance of the Port Miniature Rifle Club were donated to the Club by the following: Messrs P. Kilchingman,*E. B. Moore, T- Brown, T. Field, Berthelson.Egan, B. B: Jones, Chittenden, and Captain Moncrieff. Other -trophies were given by the secretary, the committee and the club. An indication of. the progress that the poultry-keeping industry is "making in Marlborough is provided by the fact that, for the four-week period just ended, no less than one thousand dozen eggs have been marketed by the local Egg Circle on behalf of its 200 suppliers. Prices, for this period of the season, have been excellent, and the Circle has been able to make its record pay-o'iit —a sum of £785 10s 8d for the month. When the above figures were referred to a well-known poultry-keeper by an ."Ex--press" reporter, lie remarked that they simply went to show the value in hard cash that the industry already was to the place; and he predicted that, in \iew of the practically unlimited export demand and the ideal conditions in Marlborough for poultry raising and egg production, the industry was* destined to become a very big thing indeed. .Blenheim and surrounding country together with the climate were especially well suited for poultry keeping—the speaker doubted if the place had its equal in the Dominion for the purpose—and he was pleased to state that the flocks were being founded on high-class stock for which Marlborough was already-earning a reputation in distant parts of the country. Wellington constituled a ready and payable market where eggs could be offered fresh and in first-class order. In addition, the producer had the advantage of living in the district where most of his poultry feed was grown. The prospects were that there would be considerable accessions to the ranks of keepers of poultry for commercial purposes in the near'future.'- It was, however, an industry which should not 'be entered into without a good deal of preparatory training and study.

There is great dissatisfaction among the native population of Tonga at the present time, according to' Mr J. A. Crosby, who has been secretary to thr/ Premier, Prince Tugi, for the past fived years, and who arrived from the Islands by-the Tofua this week. There had been an increase in taxation, including an 'increase of ,5s a ton on the exporti levies on. copra. The price was now £1 a ton, which was equal to the rate ruling at Fiji. The long-standing difference between the riiembers of the Free Wesleyan Church and the Free Church was still present. A solution appeared to be likely because it had been decided to send to Tonga a European clergyman who would work in the cause of the Free Church. "Another source of dissatisfaction is the liquor question," said Mr Crosby. "All white men are permitted to have liquor, but each year only 100 licenses are issued to natives to enjoy the same rights. When it i.s remembered that Tonga has a native population of some 26,000, one can readily understand why the 25,900 who do not get a licence have a grievance. Mr Crosby has terminated his appointment with the Tongan Government and will shortly proceed to, Australia. The tedium of a legal argument in the Supreme Court at Auckland this "week was relieved by counsel's reference to an infringement of the law of trespass,' which must surely be a classic instance of that type of offence best described as. "technical." The barrister quoted a case in which a farmer claimed, and was awarded, damages against his neighbour for injuries caused to a horse which was killed by another equine on the other side of a fence. The fact that the offending animal had thrust his hind' leg through the fence in the act of delivering the kick was held to be a "trespass" in substance and in fa-ct, and the decision formed the basis upon which the judge had found for plaintiff. A kick through a broken, fence must surely be the shortest trespass on record.

Commenting favourably upon the Bishop of Nelson's plea in a Rotary address at Blenheim .for a- systematic compilation of local historical records throughout New Zealand, the "Express" says: We think that the Government should accept this responsibility without delay, and we suggest that an engagement be offered to Mr T. L. Buick, who possesses Outstanding qualifications for such a commission. If the writer of "Old Marlborough" and "Old Manawatu" could be" persuaded to undertake . this service, New Zealand *as a whole could depend on a most suitable and timely appointment. Whoever took up the task, it would be greatly facilitated by local co-operation. A considerable amount of organisation from one end of. the. Dominion to the other would be in- , volved; and we should say that one of the first steps of an official compiler would b.e to secure the help of . an his-torical-records association in every province. The "Express" has frequently advocated the establishment of a historical bureau in Marlborough,- and, indeed, this community may appropriately be urged to aim at such an institution without awaiting the Government's intentions.

At the meeting of the College. Board ol Governors this week it was resolved to include a commercial course in the syllabus of the Girls' College. Applications arte to be invited for a teacher, who will take up duties at the, commencement of the new term.

An advertisement of interest to the thrifty appears elsewhere in this issue. The Government, is issuing Post Office certificates for £l, £lO and £IOO denominations, repayable in one, two or five years, obtainable at any post office money-order office within the Dominion. Tho interest on the investment works out at 44 per cent., 5 per cent, and per cent, on the purchase price, according to (he currency desired. The opportunity may be regarded as an exceptional one to invest even small sums at interest, and is an attractive proposition for young people and small investors as an incentive to thrift..

On Saturday evening next, 10th December, the Nelson Harmonic Society will render Handel's Messiah for the Christmas concert, when no doubt ttie School of Music, will have a packed boiise as usual. The soloists will bo Misses Jacobs and Martin, Messrs Farmer and Short.

"The Arcadians" will be staged at Blenheim this evening by the Nelson Operatic and Dramatic Society.