LOCAL AND GENERAL

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIV, 5 December 1929, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

There are a number of large potholes in Milton street where the Wakapuaka road begins and yesterday a motor cyclist was lucky in not getting caught between two cars when his cycle jumped out of its course as it struck a pothole at this portion of the road.

The Wellington City Council has accepted the tender of W. Hodges for the construction of a reinforced concrete structure to replace the Kclburn viaduct. The price is £2l,439.—Press Association.

Interested in the possibility of obtaining supplies of wood pulp from New Zealand for the manufacture of paper in Britain, Sir Herbert Matthews, of London, a trustee for bondholders in New Zealand Perpetual Forests, Ltd., is making a second visit to the Dominion after an interval of four years. He came as a passenger in the Niagara this week. "The excellence of the work which New Zealand is doing in renewing its forests," said the visitor, "was further impressed upon me as I came through Canada, where they are only now awakening to the necessity for afforestation. With little thought to the future, they have allowed their great forests to become sadly depleted and they are now faced with the necessity for doing much to save one of the Dominion's greatest industries. Indeed, 1 was asked while in Canada if 1 thought New Zealand might give some assistance to Canada in establishing afforestation schemes. That, however, is hardly possible." Sir Herbert said that the outlook for afforestation in Britain was bright, a reasonable grant having been made by the Labour Government to the Forestry Commission. In the course of the next few days the visitor will set out on a tour of inspection of plantations in the North Island, and he will be in Now Zealand for five or six weeks.

Tho need for a decrease in taxation was stressed by Mr 11. F. Johnston, Reform candidate for the Hutt scat, in one of his speeches. "Taxation is increasing by leaps and bounds," said the candidate, "and it has of late years been increased to an unjustifiable extent. We have almost reached the taxation capacity of tho people of New Zealand. We have reached the point where the law ■of diminishing returns is found to apply. We have to realise that by increasing taxation we do not of necessity increase revenue, nor do we increase the wealth of the country. (Applause.) To make xsvw Zealand prosperous and to make it a successful economic unit we have to remember that the best course is to decrease taxation and to decrease the cost of living. The immediate effect of the return to power of the United Party, however, was an increase in taxation, an increase in the cost of living, and a lowering of the country's credit. Taxation had been increased through the imposition of the super land lax on farmers and (he doubling of the primary duties on imports, while the country's credit' had been lowered by the rash declaration 1 that borrowing would be embarked upon I (o an extent unprecedented in the history of New Zealand. The Government had been enabled to carry on that policy' only through the support of the Labour' J'arty, which had sacrificed so of the! principles adhered to for a lifetime for the construction of some absurd railway in the South Island, which as far as was known would never return a penny to the country. Was the country prepared to allow that class of legislation fo continue? asked Mr Johnston.

Wonders never i ease al "The Auckland." To-morrow another 10l of surprising snips will be thrown o>.i| ;l t Sale of Wellington Warehouse stock. Lack of lime and space prevent giving details. See the windows and get in early.*

Each year the popularity of the Combined Schools Choir entertainment continues lo grow and the announcement in this issue of tho forthcoming season will be received with much pleasure by ii host of parents and the public generally. Despite the fact that the School of Music was filled to the doors on each of the throe performances given last year, tho price of admission has again been kept low to give everyone an opportunity of being present. The opening night will be Friday of next week, Hi..' 13th inst.

At a meeting of the executive of the South African Veterans' Association at Wellington last night a discussion took place on the intentions nf the Government with regard to the funeral expenses of deceased veterans, us the Pensions Department had stated (her was no authority to expend money lo pay the burial expenses of other than members of the New Zealand contingents. It was decided that a. deputation wait on the .Minister to ascertain the true position on the matter. —Press Association.

Proceedings are to be taken in Christchurch against motorists who make undue use of horns and sirens. At this week's meeting of the City Council .the By-laws Committee reported that it was of the opinion that undue use of burns and sirens was made by motor drivers, particularly in the case of heavy motortrucks, pedestrians being frequently startled at street corners by the noise of these horns, etc. The matter had been referred to the Chief Traffic Inspector with instructions that proceedings were to be instituted against such offenders.

A Christchureh man who owns and runs a motor-car told a '■Times" reporter that the statement on the placards displayed on tram cars, giving the cost of running a motor-car as one shilling a mile, was far from accurate. If the cost were as great as stated comparatively few would be able to run motorcars. His own car was nine years old and he bought it two years ago for £75. lie considered that it had depreciated so much that no further depreciation was possible. If it had cost him a shilling a mile to run he would have paid A 3915 for the mileage run since he got it. Actual cost of running during the period was under £IOO, and in the two years repairs had cost him on a yearly basis, a little over £2O. Another motorist estimated that it cost 3d to 4d per mile to run a light car, and about 7d a mile for a large one.

On Tuesday evening the occupants of a sedan car, two women and five children, had a narrow escape from serious injury. The car was proceeding in the direction of Motueka and when half way up the Muiitere Hill a tyre burst, causing the car to swerve and capsize on to the jrond. The car was extensively damaged, but the occupants escaped with a severe shaking. Had the car swerved in the opposite direction it would have plunged into the gorge.

Interesting news of large developments in petroleum production which are taking place in Irak, north of Bagdad, and east of the Tigris, has been brought by Mr Norman D.' Nairn (of Blenheim), originator of the desert motor transport service, who left Beirut toward the end of September and ar j rived at Auckland by the Niagara this week. Kirkuk, lying about 100 miles to the south-east of Mosul, and 150 miles north of Bagdad, is the present centre of activities being carried on by the Irak Petroleum Company, which is an international concern, British interests being represented by the AngloPersian Oil Company. Four test wells sunk in the Kirkuk area have proved the existence of a very rich oilfield, Mr Nairn said. The How of at least one of them is believed to be equivalent to 100,000 gallons a day. It is capped, pending the provision of means of utilising the oil. Before being brought under control it "ran wild - ' for four days and several lives were lost. A pipe-line to the Mediterranean coast, costing probably £0,000,000, is under consideration, Mr Nairn said. This indicates the huge volume of oil which is expected to bo produced on the field. The distance between Kirkuk and the coast is about 000 miles. A survey is being made to determine the route of the pipe-line, which might have its seaward terminus at Beirut. in Syria, which the French control, or at Haifa, in Palestine, which is under British protection.

An intelligence survey is being made of tlie children of Taranaki schools with a view to measuring the educable capacity of each child. "Mental tests, known as Haggerty's system, are made of all pupils of standard IV. and upwards, and the results are tabulated. The information thus gained is of considerable value to the teacher. The results of tho tests are confidential, but to the authorities they form most useful data in regard to proper child treatment (says the "News"). The tests themsei\es are rather simple and consist of reading involving speed and comprehension of the subject matter, various problems in arithmetic, including addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, decimals, etc., and writing, spelling, and dictation tests. The purpose of the tests is lo find out the "smartness" of each pupil in the respective branches of work, points being awarded both for accuracy and for speed. The junior standards are allowed more time than the higher in which to work out solutions, although the problems are the same for all classes. In tho writing test a simple sentence is written as many times as possible within a given period, the result being judged on neatness, accuracy and speed. In the dictation test questions are asked at the conclusion with a view to discovering whether the meaning of the matter written has boon comprehended and to what extent. The same applies to the reading test, except that speed is also counted as a factor. The results of the test may be said to give a fairly good idea of the mental age of each child, the dull and backward ones showing below the normal standard. In some instances a child is found to be. backward in one direction, but much above the average in others. This enables the teacher to correct the deficiency and strive lo give the child a balanced education. The talk of (lie town. Sale of Wellington Warehouse stock at "The Auckland." More astounding bargains to-morrow in Tea, Cigarettes, Confectionery, Crockery, Cutlery, Dulls and General Drapery.*

A passenger in the Niagara who is deeply concerned for the sufferers in the recent tidal wave in Newfoundland is Commissioner Maxwell, until a few weeks ago director- erf (he work of the Salvation Army in Eastern Canada and Nuwfoundlaml. When news of (he disaster reached him he was already on his way lo Australia. "The Newfoundlanders'are totally different from the Canadians," the commissioner said to an interviewer.

"The majority of thorn are sou-going folks, and us a people they are religiously inclined. In the main they are demonstrative concerning (heir religious faith." The visitor remarked that in the absence of a compulsory system of education most of the schools were denominational, and the Salvation Army alone conducted 80 day schools. To-morrow at "The Auckland. - ' Another 10l of delirious Wrapped Toffees OU\ half pound.* .More choice Ceylon Tea al I 10 lb. tomorrow at "The Auckland."*

"The pity is we don't receive more of thriii," commented Mr T. Hewotsoti at the Hospital Hoard meeting yesterday, when a donation of £5 was received from the estate of the late Mr C. 11. Martin. The secretary explained that tliis was an annual contribution. Later in the meeting I hi? £l] was added to the amount to be spent on Christmas cheer for patients.

The Westminster Glee Singers are expected to- arrive in Nelson this evening. Mr Leo l)u Chateau accompanies the party as manager.

One of the worst examples of petty economy that can be cited was recently placed before the Canterbury branch committee of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants by a member who was delegated to represent the case (says (he "New Zealand Railway Review"). It appears that a work train was completing a job in the district, and the. ganger advised the "banjo swingers" that they were being paid off on a certain date, but, if they liked to proceed to another locality for the week following, that they could be reengaged. The huts and equipment the men had been using for a lengthy period had been forwarded to the new destination, and the men knew that their services would be required to carry on the good work, but they are first dismissed, so that they have to pay their fares and make a fresh start, though they have been in the service for lengthy periods. It is alleged that the habit occurs usually before the Christmas holidavs.

A large steam shovel, working on excavations for the approaches to the Victorian Shrine of Remembrance in the Melbourne Domain, has proved most effective in removing earth for foundations, and it has accomplished even more than was expected of it. Recently it became unusually violent, shivering under the repeated strain of outsizes in moulhfuls. At last, with a triumphant rattle, it unearthed and hoisted aloft the telephone cables of Federal Government llouse, which adjoins the site of the shrine. This served to warn the operator of the shovel of a possible onslaught on the water mains, so they were carefully located. The shovel was steered clear of the mains, but a turn in the pipes had not been foreseen, and a sudden geyser of water indicated the shovel's second success in its campaign against Federal Government llouse. Then again, the next day, with a roar of mechanical glee, the shovel raised a liberal mouthful of pipe, which proved upon investigation to be portion of a special drainage system for Federal Government llouse grounds. Later it added further laurels to its career by unearthing a collection of human bones and dumping them at the foot of a horrified workman. .The incident was promptly reported, and the remains were sent for anatomical examination. It is thought that the shovel had burrowed into an aboriginal burying ground, for the bones were old and decayed. Workmen were speculating as to what next the exploring machine will bring to the surface. "The L T nited Party lias a land policy that will spell prosperity for this country ."said Mr Kerr (United candidate) speaking at Lower Hutt. From the land, he said, came wealth, and every man on the land meant three more employed elsewhere. The United Party believed in closer settlement. All the years Reform had been in office it had nothing to show, except the placing of inexperienced returned soldiers on inaccessible or poor land without proper assistance. The United Partv believed in the land policy started by Sir John McKenzie. It also believed in reading first and giving the financial assistance to the farmer to build his home, stock his farm, and buy his implements. The Reform Party had restricted closer settlement, and under the policy aggregation had flourished, and we had the spectacle of huge tracts owned by one man. Reform had helped the big man by removing his incometax, and had made large landholders a present of £33f),000 a year. This injustice had been removed by the Lmited Party, which was now placing the tax where it could best be borne—on the "wool kings" and on the big landholders.

After spending close on nine months travelling in America, Canada, England and on the Continent of Europe, Mr T. A. Low, of Auckland, returned by the Niagara this week. Connected with the motor car business, Mr Low was naturally keen to see the latest, and he expressed admiration for what he saw at the British Olympia. "They are making great strides in England," added Mr Low. "Trade is exceptionally good, and the whole of the output is being sold." Mr Low stated that, with the exception of two or three manufacturers, car makers at Home were not worrying too much about overseas trade. He pointed out that the Old Lund was only making sufficient cars for her own consumption. For every car exported one was imported. This was proof that only sufficient were being built for Home use provided there were no exports. "The demand at Home for curs is remarkable," he said. "I saw curs that were built very much on lines required in New Zealand, while in other instances I noticed a great deal of improvement on anything that has vet been seen here."

.Mu nv inquiries have been received by the Mount Balloon Hut Scenic Board from prospective visitors during the holidays to the Mt. Arthur district. This information was contained in a letter received by the Waimea County Council fiom the chairman of the Board in a request that the track be repaired before Christinas. The Council favourably considered the matter, and decided to expend a sum not exceeding £3O. Another surprise To-morrow at "The Auckland."' Dainty Lustre Cups and Saucers, dainty shades, 3 for 3/6.*