LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS

New Zealand Herald, Volume L, Issue 15269, 5 April 1913, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS

The closing of Grafton; Bridge for a short period in connection with the paving of the approach to the bridge from the 'city side' will probably cause some inconvenience to motorists and drivers of other vehicles. The bridge will be closed on Monday to vehicular traffic, and will probably be - reopened again in about a fortnight. The bridge will not be closed to pedestrian traffic.

It is stated on good authority that business is dull in Wellington at prcsnt, and that! the retail shops are still doing a very. restricted trad© compared with the bustle-of five years ago, during the land and building boom. The city now requires few now, buildings, and it is very difficult to sell a large residence at anything like cost price. Many old residents say that times have not been so. dull for years past, and the .outlook for the coming winter is not encouraging.

An-ungual case came before Mr. & C. Cutten, S.M.,' yesterday, when Arthur Southey .Baker sued William J, Hall for 50 guineas. The plaintiff, had bought and paid for a pedigree Jersey bull belonging to the defendant. The bull was sold as a quiet and harmless animal, but according to the plaintiff it showed that it was possessed of an ugly temper. On the strength of the warranty saying that the bull was quiet, the plaintiff sought to recover the purchase price.. .After hearing much evidence, the case was. adjourned until this morning. .

The St. John Ambulance Association is to hold! an ambulance Saturday on April 19 for the purpose of raising £500 to conv plete the new building in Rutland Street, and, £1000 to procure a, motor-ambulance! A. considerable number of ladies have ex '[ pressed their willingness to assist in- the collecting, but additional helpers will be welcomed by the association. The secretary (Mr. Willianv Rattray) has asked the various Masonic lodges, friendly societies, and labour unions in Auckland to contribute to the fund. In Sydney these bodies contribute annually to the upkeep of the ambulance in that city, in addition to gifts from the members. The association is , hopeful of raising sufficient interest ainongst tho local lodges, societies,v ami unions to cause thain to do likewise*

The supplement issued with ' V BtaaAM> contains the naval budget of-%<K| teresting*. reading matter. It includes •'The Captains of Industry," by To- '■--:£ hunga, and "A Tumble into Asia,'* l»y i § Frank Morton. There is, the usual co£-.".iv amn of ;" a further article by G. 'A.' t U waon, on ".Wonders of the Microscope." "Way. |f farer" describes experiences in "Ascend- : .;"' ing Ruapehu/' " A Story of Bishop Sel- "i wyn" is : contributed by Archdeacon '• Walsh, and C. J. Ellerbeck has an account - of "Hyeres lea Pahniers." A diagramma- . tic illustration of the relative strengths if of the Great; Powers in aerial craft iti in- "4 eluded in the Issue. . Thq annual meeting of householders in - the various- school districts, for the pur-: i pose of electing school committees for the : ensuing year, are to be held on the even- - ing of Monday, April 28. Nominations .y : close on the previous Tuesday, April 22, — and proper forms, which are to be signed-' by the nominator and seconder of the ■•;$ candidate, may be obtained from the"/>-*§ Auckland Education Board and from the jf chairmen of -the present committees, s;|| The new school at Te Papapa, One- | hunga, will be opened next Wednesday by --- the chairman of the Auckland Board of S Education (Mr. G. J. Garland). The speakers at the ceremony will include Mr. :J| F. W. Lang, M.P., and Mr. J. Rowe, ;;- Mayor of Onehunga. Much amusement was caused early yes- - terdav morning in Symonds Street by the •.• - stubborn behaviour of a cow which had strayed from a neighbouring paddock. '.' The animal in question, with great de- ; j termination, took up its stand in the track -'■- of .the trams, and for Borne little time re- ; i stated all efforts to move it. Two trams ; were held up for a short time, the cow threatening with its horns all who felt disposed to dispute its right to the public s road. Finally, amid much laughter, a ; little girl, who was obviously known -to the animal, called it.by name; and the cow followed her peacefully back to its usual haunts. '„"•.-.'' A reply to ; the objections raised by the New Zealand Institute of Architects against the erection of the public convenience in Customs Street West, near Government Buildings, has been handed to the City Council by the engineer (Mr. W. E. Bush). Mr. Bush states that the site was deliberately chosen by the Works Committee after careful consideration had been given to it and other sites, on the grounds that it was the most suitable for serving the needs of the important junc- | tion of .Queen and Customs Streets—the ; most frequented traffic centre in the city. When completed the convenience would have its entrance over 60ft from the entrant to the Government Buildings. The structure would be underground, and the , only portion seen would be the lantern giving light to the steps of the new struc- : | ! ture. The erection of the structure would ■[ I not in any way interfere with the terminus fl for the Herrie Bay-cars or the passengers . = entering or leaving the trams. It is fur--;■-; ther pointed out by Mr. Bush that the « traffic to anS from the Government Build- - - ings- at this entrance is purely pedestrian, : and the convenience would not -therefore ;-/ interfere with the approach of vehicles. In conclusion,-Mr. > Bush states; that ob-; £: iections made to the convenience were iB- ;-? timed, seeing that tenders were called for its erection many months ago, while all the fittings required for it had been ordered, and were now. oh their way out,. :\ The work itself was-now well underway,:and the objections made could not be flupv;-., ported by the example of any other large , • •and 'up-to-date eity, the invariable practice ] ; being to place - such conveniences: in the | mosS public and v important. Examples could be quoted by the~Sooi« s but ■•' they were- familiar to-a^ L who-hM -v; visited other cities and observed what had m been done. ,'„,", . . : j> The first, meeting of the Education C«nmittee set up by the Exhibition Executive .; was held yesterday. Ma G. EHict presided, and the other members present ; ; were, Dr. McDowell and Messrs. J. W. Tibbs, G. J. Garland, and H. E. Milnes. A number of details win connection- withy - the sections open to schools and pupils yi ere discussed, and-there was some con- ; versation regarding; a suggestion to secure space for a definite educational, exhibit, in which educational publications and Sp- ; --_ paratus should figure. It was finally I agreed that a deputation from the com-: roitiee should wait upSioLthe Hon. H. .£■.)'■- Bell, Acting-Minister for Education, this evening, to see if the Education. Depart; ment was preapred to co-operate in the •.; undertaking. One of the strongest,advocates in Australia for anational^olicy .'.-of forest con- - servation is Mr. Elwood Mead, chairman. of the Victorian Rivers and Water Supply;|p Commission. ■; tn a recent address,. Mr. J p Mead,- who is an American, said he was- 1

bora in the largest; and perhaps the most- .r----valuable area-of hardwood timber world, and saw it disappear like a morn- ' mgV mist within the lifetime of generation. In his boyhood every nsigh- i: >» bourhood had its local mill, whera grain / was ground into flour by means of water m power. } The i orestsalomj the streams held /•] the winter rains like a sponge, and their |f flow had little diminution in the whole summer months. But when the forests '. were swept away the streams became tor- | rents in the winter and dry channels in summer, and .-'.the mills and water powers ;, disappeared. .. The Ohio Biver, & ". great waterway, was now almost unnayig- ';.; able in summer,rand the National Govern- ';-/;] ment -was .nearly 100,000,000. .i 1 dollars in the; building of hicks arid weirs to mitigate, in a- meas change v which; unrestricted destruction of forests i: ; had caused. The" benefits which would haws '■;■ ; come, not only-tojthei United States, but to the world, .by the of belts of timber along the head-waters of streams, in the area referred to could not be adequatelystated. Eoßtricting the area cultivated would have hastened the adoption of better farming methods. It would . have saved both the timber and the streams. It was useless to expect forests- \"s to!;be preserved, after the land passed iaio?.Jii| private ownership, because private owners could • not hold these lands except at ; a lOSS.'■'■■:' ■ • : " : "]' -:,Sj

As a means of advancing the claims of Australia, as an ideal country faremi*v-| grants, Mr/ H. C. Smart, of the Publicity :.| Department of the Commonwealth Govern- | merit in London, has hit upon a novel m«r ■ thod of: inculcating among school children ? a knowledge of Australia. The scheme || consists of sending a collection of specimens of Australian produce, illustrative of; ; | her industries and exports, to various schcila throughout Englandj an imposing".-double-sided stand, containing a peries of SO 1 beautiful illustrations, each sft long, om rollers, carries the specimens. A lecturer, who is in charge of the stand, addresses batches of the senior children at intervals, describing the occupations depicted in the photographs—woolgrowing, sheep and fruit farming, dairying, and so forth—and sunuk . taneously drawing attention to the samples of wools, grains, bottled fruits, timbers, and other products. The .interest of. scholars and teachers has' gratifying, and the compositions £$pp?| by the children prove that the lectured •_ words have fallen en g°°3 fl0 &