LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15496, 1 January 1914, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS

The supply of , fruit on the local market is reported to be considerably in excess of the demand. The "result; jb a temporary glut, as the outcome of which retailers are obtaining remarkably cheap supplies. At yesterday's sales peaches and plums, mostly of excellent quality, were sacrificed wholesale at virtually nominal "figures,' in ' some instances as little as 4d per case being accepted under the hammer- One of the principal fruit auctioneering firms disposed of a large' number of cases of soft fruits at prices averaging Is per. case.. The supplies causing the present overplus are coming in from all parts of the.district.

The 40th annual and Exhibition prize meeting of the Auckland Rifle Association begins to-day, on the Penrose range. Competitors will be present from all parte of the Dominion, and some keen shooting is anticipated. Prize money and trophies to the value of close on £700 are to be shot for,- and the programmes have been so arranged that the moat spectacular events will take place in the afternoons, when-the public will be more likely to attend.

A piece of ' advice to Northern local bodies was given yesterday by the Hon. W. Fiaser, when replying to a deputation with a grievance about roads. " You should prohibit heavy traffic on your roads during the winter," he said. "In the South they do so, and also insist upon a vehicle of a certain weight using tyres of a proportionate width. Your l£in tyre on'a soft road is as bad as putting a plough over it." Mr. F. Mandcr, M.P., referring to»the road which-had been particularly referred to by the deputation, said that there was little use in restricting the weight of loads on it, .for it was so bad that the coach was the only vehicle which used it 4 in the - winter. The Minister, speaking generally, said that most local authorities waited too long before thinking about, restrictions, and .when their roads, became very bad it was, to some extent, their own fault.

Tfte entries for the military tournament, which takes place on Saturday am* Monday next, show that . the- senior cadets of the Dominion are as'keen, and in some cases' keener, than the territorials. Judging by the number of entries received, the obstacle race is going to be the most popular, event,, the exacting sport of threading, the needle being a good second. If it were legitimate to gamble on the result of any of the competitions, there would be something in, the veterans'. race to attract speculators. This race is open to those holding the 16 or 20 years' long service medal. One Maori War- veteran, from Dunedin, 70 years of age, is amongst the competitors. The race" is'a. handicap one, each veteran- receiving a yard for. each year's • service. This veteran has served for ' over 50 years, so he will have less than-half the 100 yards' distance to-run, .'. ■ . .

■ There' are -times'! when •* it might be almost ; .excusable,for a, taxirdriver to.express himself in unparliamentary language. Such -was the case-yesterday, when an old 1 ladyT-from T , the ; ; > .country, ;> Obviously— planted 1 herself'firmly-in 'the middle of Queen. Street. An* approaching taxi was forced to apply. its 1 brakes,' hard, and -to come to a -dead stop; Without Being the least perturbed,: &e old lady explained that sh%.was.waiting for. a tram, although she happened to? be exactly between two" stopping-places. , The.amusing part pt the epfebde immediately followed- hen explanation.- The taxi-driver found -himself unable to start his car for iteseral'taiantes; and'asit was o'n the tramlhiißs'he' ffliQieedeid' ihiholding: up.";several' tranls'. the old lady, wandered, offiinto, the ci-owd. ■

?.The, Exhibition tournament, organised by--, the Auckland jLaw;ni Tennis Ajseoci*tion w a ? conihienced , on ''■' the Remnera Club's courts ;yesterday, 'morning,' «.. Ideal tennis . weathf~r .prevailed,: .'and - 'consequently /there > <sa /goodj attendance -of spectators, and -a* •especially' large "number of- competitors, mcludhig; many -well* known: Southern ! playt~«." The'' *w>gramm«i for- the tournament incinC** ; a men's J and a ladies* Exhibition, donbles championships,' and also singles and doubles, handicaps, and 'a- conlbined doubles handicap. The matches yesterday were-aU 'preliininarv founds,'and were i got off with remarkable promptitude. " adjournments were made,- and the , nine courts were occupied all' day, no less .than -85 matches being played. . ; The tournament r will he '•, contihued!"toid4y ,l and to-morrow,' and also on Saturday. , : %il ■: ;.- V '.',',-, >■ ' :; ' '.■'-'-

._' Very;stringent precautions '. are ■ being taken by>the, new arbitration Waterside Workers'. Union ■ in admitting new members. . Applicants for membership have vto be : , examined personally by aV committee, and One of the first questions with which they ,are greeted is, "Are you anjarb'it|a-. tionist or a federationist 1" ' About :2Qojpf the ex-strikers appeared before the-com-mittee - yesterday, and when' they - , " were asked what'. Was their attitude: in relation to industrial matters, many of.thWmdicatedthat they were supporters of a system of :■ arbitration, and' were ■ not "red-hot federationista'' -However, clost •inquiry showed that a ( considerable cumber of them v were • sympathetic '. towards syndicalism, . and. their applications were promptly, rejected. Forty-eight men .were absolutely refused admission to the union and the requests of the. others are to''be further .considered. I' ' 'TC •. IJI-

Boring operations have .been abandoned temporarily at the' Bonithon Company's bore, the. workmen" being employed in ".fishing"' operations , (telegraphs our' Wanganni correspondent). A part of the' casing has become 'stuck in the bore, and some trouble is being experienced-in recovering it, but it is expected that boring will be resumed shortly. The depth of the bore is 2500 ft.

Thirty-nine new officers.of the Salvation Army;will receive their commissions in Wellington on the evening of January 12. Formerly cadets in the organisation have been commissioned in Australia, but 'in future they will be given rommissions by Commissioner W. T. Richards, the principal officer of the army in New Zealand. The new officers will be the first admitted to the training college now being erected as a memorial to the late General William Booth.

Some time ago the Australasian Society of America wrote to Mr. Carmichael (Minister, for Education in the State of New, South Wales) drawing attention to the many errors • about Australia in the geographies used in the elementary schools of the United States •of America. Copies of geographies in use in the public schools of New South Wales have, now been forwarded to the Australasian Society of America, in order that the erroneous impressions, at' least as far as New South Wales is concerned, may be removed. Mr. Caratichael has also forwarded photographs of natural scenery, agricultural, and industrial views, indigenous fauna and flora, together 'with geological and climatologies! data. •

About 23,000 tons of coal are now being dischargeo>»t Wellington. Three hundred men were engaged. on Monday in working these cargoes, Iffid-of this.number two. in every'three" werel' S>ld' hands." . I

A young; man,named Alfred Cur: '.*. -« arrested in the'city about twelve o'clock last night by Detect> De . Norville aid '" Powell, on a &**>;,- »i Dreaking and' en- " tering the : premises; of. Herbert Rowiai&i|| draper, Karangahape Road, during CbHsvlP mas night and stealing a portmanteau agtflll goods valued at about £8. • -.;3p y-:Wm ■ . , . . -Vm Threepence' represented the only financial "fl means remaining to a woman who landed Si in Wellington from the Mamari on Mondav If with three children, and.the necessity tf'W travelling to Lyttelton to join her hue- m band. She had £5 when the steamej iff arrived in Wellington, but excess dues on 'If her luggage amounted to £4 19s 9d. The |S assistance of officers of the Labour Depart. M ment was readily enlisted, and the farej I for the woman and her children to Lyttel. A ton were advanced, so that the party was I able to proceed South without delay. Th» m husband will refund the money when ha .=§ can, and the woman says she will see he ■f does so at the earliest opportunity, for she ''M admits she "would have been nowhere" :jf without the Department's timely assis- : ,1 tance. aJ "'i The members of St. Anne's Seniop,.'| Cadets, Wellington, who are to compete aV:-.J the military tournament, which commences ;yf on' Saturday, arrived in Auckland yester- " day, under the command of Captain R. E.V : j£ J. Martin, officer in charge of the corps, "jf: The number of the competitors from the % company. is 24, and they participate in the VI rifle ■ exercises event. For two years •*; running the St. Anne's Cadets have held | th;> distinction of being the champions of i New Zealand in the senior cadet rifle | exercise competitions, and for some time = past arduous training has been done | towards bringing the team to efficiency. "It ] is '.anticipated that the lads will give a ? good account, of themselves. . .-• I In November last a young German residing at Kaewieng (German New Guinea) in* i serted an advertisement in the columns of "' a Sydney paper desiring someone to correspond with him, and thus reliev« the .] monotony of his isolated existence. TJ» | result of his application, he now writes, | was that by the last mail he received | two large postal bags full of ' letters, 1 papers, and books sent by 650 different. 1 people. " How can T express my grati- I tude to the. senders," he writes. "The S letters are a splendid manifestation of the I Australian character. They came from all '§ classes of the community, and were fullflt''J sympathy and encouragement." The | writer concludes by stating that he .will Pi endeavour to reply, to the letters, ■ but as t> ? it will take some- time, he asks the writers A to realise the magnitude of the task" and m excuse any delay. - v 'M 1 A good deal of comment has been made m recently in regard to the proposal to iin-, : port locomotives for lise in connection with [ the trans-Australian railway. The-Assis - . [ ant-Minister for Home Affairs (Mr -Kejw,) m said, on December 23,.that the situation :/ M which faced. him upon his .' taking ' office ;: was that engines were required almost ira- ;- mediately, or else the construction of the .* | lice was .liable t0... come to a standstill, i He' invited \ Australian manufacturers ito •-' quote, and found that none of them were %} prepared to do so for anything like early j delivery. s He was not surprised at this, '% because; he ■ knew "that the New South '■,/;- Wales -Labour * Government had . recently, I in the face of strong local opposition and _ lack of suitable | Australian tenders, been . j obliged "to import "no' less than 80 loco- ; I motives; while. the j Victorianbeing unable to meet their own requirements ior "obtain Australian tenders/ had also to.go outside ,the country,.;and ini; port 40 locomotives.. "The"Coinmonwealtn Government ' had,'-'theiefdre, ;. no 'alteraatiwa,b.pt to import a limited numberor locomotives, and" call for tenders for a. : ; . further supply '.the hope that the Aril-. tralian manufacturer, would -respond." T7b- ... fortunately, .however, . in • the • tender recently .receive not one Australian man a- , facturer was represented. One Australian firm had since written /intimating that if-an order -A < about 20 engines would be '■'■ given for j?rst ; delivery in about IS months -~ or two yearß>'"the firm would be prepared ! to'tender.. ■'■''.■,.- ; " v -: - '".'■'■:■■'■'. i ■:?--■:I ' m - Speaking recently at the Presbyterian - Ladies* College; in Sydney, '.Principal Marden said:—"lf there is one-lesson Aus- ~ tralian 'parents need.'to learn, it. is the folly, of allowing their girls to leave school too. early... The consequence is that marry or them are only half-educated -. and : they spend j . the five or six years between leaving *sc'tool and their marriage in a sortof haypy-go-liKky idleness, which.is most injurious to, their character. Many of j the'n become ,quite blase i before .they, are';' 21, having es>,3Usted, 33 thay thinkj eyerv avenue of pleascre.'- '.If parents wdu\d\ only be wise, and not listen to their'daughters', coaxing, to .leave- school, the girls' : would be -far- batter : educated than -- the> :; are at present; at would-be greatly for.th*-» advantage, of their intellectual and phys'cal'.health,'•; and . She', nation' would >~b e 4 : greatly the gainer hy having a better edu, v' cated upper -and middle, clals." - • • § ■> : "i.•;'.'. ■"■..,■-:■; '.■;*'•■., ■:■■:{:'■ :iJ.i ;■-?■'i'Vu" ;.'"' v fl : The .formation of'the habit .-of thrift by .' children.i attending; the Victorian : Stale :■ schools is receiying consideration from the g Education Dep_artment:i In «"memoraTidf,ni ;' •wMch.Jwlasf'ifsucd,- Mr/i 1 . Tate, tha :| director-of education, has 'dhected ' ' tho V attention of le.ach;rs to the advantages of -$% penny sarags "banks. Pupils : who: ac- .ih quire .accounts: lose their zest for lollies,,marbles, {cigjjjette cards are considered; an M excellent substitute, and . can* be ; cajoled |?; : o-ot of smokers), and other luxuries, and w fihd a pleasure in watching their, pennies /: v grow into shillings, and the shillings into;K pounds.. In 1912, a penny savings- bankm was established .at the Tooronga Road 9 State East Malvern, and the en- J terprise has befsi attended with success. ■'. The. depositors now number 318, and their "?J savings have amounted to £183 3s. Other schools followed the Malvern lead, and pennies have been ringing into the bank?-; with jfra(ifyijig fegiilarrty. Officers of the-;. Department express the opinion .that . the . banking movement has " caught on," arid.--4. will notecase ""til all the schools" he've). their little banks. , . .' . '~; . ^ The Australian squadron, in command - of Rear-kdmiral Sir George Patey, arrived at Hob|-t on December 20, and was given r l a great* aquatic welcome. The squadron .; arri at three o'clock at the month of. | the river, and was there met by a. flotilla;, of river steamers, crowded' with passengers, and with bands playing. The-lAraJ||| traliafled the way, and. was followed ism the cruisers Sydney and Melbourne, a: . ■■ the destroyers Parramatta and Wairegn:;,. At Che-Tree Point, the squadron was met v-:. by apout 130 yachts and motor-boats. The-: Sydney and Melbourne moved up to the:';;: Australia's quarters, and in that forma-?;; tioni they steamed into the harhour.-iTheSs wej» accompanied by the whole of thft 4 J f yachts and several fishing boats •- v/itii^4 : full sheets running before the '.. si •■ breeze. The spectacle was a magnificent one, ami was viewed by crowds '\ every headland, while many thousands gathered in the Domain. Rear-Admiral'.'-:-; Patey expressed himself as , being - d*.'-i'': lighted with the welcome, andveompSv",.';mented the harbourmaster on his sdca-"i in controlling the flotilla of yachts vV fishing; boats. The warships will c i w Derwent for a fortnight, and? will itijtffim proceed to Norfolk Bay -for gmauiy aWri' other .training. . ~■- '\