LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15659, 13 July 1914, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

A large quantity of oversea mail matter will reach Auckland this week. The Manuka, which arrived from Sydney yesterday, brought 596 bags and hampers of European, foreign', and Australian mails for New Zealand, the Auckland -portion of which will be delivered in the city and suburbs this momnig. A small Australian mail is being brought, by the steamer Star of England, which is due at Auckland this afternoon from Sydney. The Mokoia, due at Wellington on Wednesday from Sydney, is bringing a large quantity of Australian mail matter for New Zealand, the Auckland portion of which should arrive on Thursday morning, Mails from Europe, America, and Island ports are due to reach Wellington by the Willochra from San Francisco on Thursday morning. the Auckland portion of this mail should arivo on Friday morning. Under a new arrangement, these European mails will ho j delivered in New Zealand two or three days earlier than is usual. Formerly these mails were brought to Sydney via Suez, but 1 a quicker delivery has been secured by , I sending them via San Francisco to Wellington. ' The Emigration Department of tho High j Commissioner's office is first in the field ; with an excellent advertisement to attract I domestic servants to tho Dominion, says i our London correspondent. The device I consists of a flash-light mirror, on which | there appears in succession a familiar I pillar-box in red, then tho figure of a j neatly-dressed female in white apron and cap, posting a letter addressed to the High Commissioner's office, and finally tho words. "New Zealand wants domestic servants. Rich country; fine climate: good wages; work waiting. Fare £2 16s. Advanced if required. Enquire within." The mirror is worked by electricity, and tho cost of the current will be only 2d a day of 10 hours. The advertisement will I be displayed in agents' windows in England and Scotland. I

A new Caudron biplane, fitted with a 60 horse-power Le Rhone engine, lias been shipped from London in the Kaikoura for Mr. J. W. H. Scotland, the young New Zealand aviator, whose machine was wrecked in Wellington. Mr. Scotland is now residing in Christchurch. He states that the new machine is larger and more powerful than the first, and is fitted with seating accommodation for one passenger. A few weeks ago, the French aviator Poulct. on a similar machine, established a world's duration record of 16£ hours' continuous flight. It is Mr. Scotland's intention to make .series of flights with his new machine from Christchurch.

While riding a bicycle in Newton Road on Saturday afternoon a telegraph messenger named Arthur Bestie, 15 years- of age, was thrown heavily from his machine owing to a passing horse colliding with him, and his thigh was broken. He was taken to the hospital by the police. The force of the collision also caused the rider of the horse to be thrown, but lie quickly remounted his horse and rode away, leaving the lad lying on the road. The police, are now endeavouring to identify the horseman.

The treasurer of the Remuera Children's Home, on behalf of which a number of people are at present collecting funds in various parts of the city, has reason to believe that certain persons, representing themselves to be authorised collectors for the home, are illegally obtaining money from householders. Cases have been reported of authorised collectors, when applying to householders, being informed that "collectors" had already called there and asked for contributions towards the home, and in some instances the latter were given money. The authorised collectors for the home wear a badge of bluo ribbon, with the words " llemuera ' Children's Home printed upon it in black.

A request was made to the Minister in .Charge of the Inspection of Machinery Department (the Hon. F. M. B. Fisher) on Thursday by a deputation representing the Timber-workers' Federation and the Enginedrivers' 'Federation, that full effect should be given to a promise made a year ago that notices would be posted, in mills and other places, making it clear that enginedrivers could not legally be required to do any other work than attend to an engine and boiler. The Minister said that tho decision was that a man, to. be in effective control of his engine, must not leave it to do any other work. Instructions had been given to all inspectors of machinery to enforce these conditions, and not a single complaint had come in from the unions on the subject. The Minister promised to issue instructions that notices setting forth tho working conditions of enginedrivers should be posted in enginerooms, stokeholds? and similar places.

' With the object of promoting and assisting any movement for the advancement of the district, tho North Canterbury Pro'. gross League was recently formed by a few enthusiastic citizens in Christchurch. The organisation is to be entirely nonpolitical and non-partisan. Rules have been drafted providing for the formation of branohes of the league in every town and borough or country district in Canterbury, north of the Rangitata River. A "city and suburbs improvement society" has been formed in Wellington "to cooperate with the municipality in plans of work designed for the enduring benefit of the city and district." A committee has been appointed to draft a constitution and rules for the society.

That the title of "referendum" as applied to the submission of the Biblo-in-adiools question to the vote of the people is a misnomer was contended by the ltev. D. ('. Bates at the sitting of Wellington Synod on Wednesday. Mr. Bates said that " referendum'' refers to the ease of a Bill which has been passed by Parliament and then submitted to the people for sanction before becoming law. " Plebiscite," on the other hand, meant gaining the opinion of the people without the opinion of Parliament having been first given. In the present caso a plebiscite and not a referendum was sought.

Last year Mr. Leslie Tate, of Waitara West, found half-buried in the sand what at first appeared to be a huge log, but on being uncovered was seen to be part of the mast of a ship, says the Waitara Mail. It is supposed to have belonged to the brigantine Kate, which was wrecked near the Waiongona about 50 years ago. The mast was dragged up to the house. and the. timber, being found in a perfect state of preservation, is now being cut up into lengths for posts. The fact of the mast having been buried in the sand probably accounts for the soundness after this period of years.

The retailing of fish by the municipal market in Wellington is growing into a considerable business. During the first six months of last year tho sales numbered 10,517, and the total revenue was £665 2s lOd. During the corresponding period of this year there ha\c been 23,927 sales of a total income of £1690 15s ' 7d. The largest number of sales in a month was 5051. in June. The fish has all' beer* sold in small parcels.

Donations in cash and promises repr*' •"'" ranting a total of £1301 have now bo*^ - '.' received by those who arc seeking to rah* V a total fund of £1500 for the new biiildjj. for the Remuera Children's Home. Th ; amount previously reported as having bee collected was £1114, and tho additional £187 was obtained by teams led by Hi following ladies: Mrs. F. W. Gaze £69 <• Mrs. ,T. C. Spedding and Mrs. Long £m' Airs. W. R. Woolley £15, Mrs. F. Jf' Hay £15, Miss Prangwell £13, Miss g' Davits £12, Miss Sodding (Whan garc j) £11, Mrs. Howe and Mrs. Rodgers £7 Mrs. T. Cranrh £6, Mrs. J. Ings £4, Th' Rev. 8. Jenkin's team collected £17, aii those who took any part in the collect;,,, will be entertained at a social j n «... Y.M.C.A. buildings this evening.

Chemist? in Dunedin are desirous rf shortening the hours in which their 'premises are open for business, and the majority of them has signed a requisition i to the City Council asking that the (Joj. ] ing hour should be 6 p.m. ou four .| a y | of the week, the shops being opened a;ain J from 7 to 8 p.m. on the half-holiday J instead of 7 to 9 p.m. as at present, and I closing at 9.50 p.m. on Saturday. ArI rangements arc being made, for the eatab- ; lishment of a central night dispensary I in charge of a registered chemist, for the ; supply of urgent medicines after tho shops | are closed. Schemes similar to that pro. I posed in Dunodin have been established I in Napier and Tasmania, and the arrange. I ment is said to be working very satis. I factorily in both places.

Considerable difficulty is still being ej. perienced by numerous vessels in obtain, ing supplies of coal at Newcastle, owing to tho strike, at the Maitland mine. The big steamer Fiona, belonging to tho Colonial Sugar Refining Company, which has a carrying capacity of over 7000 tons, was able to obtain only 3181 tons of coal at the Nciy South Wales port recently. The vessel wan to have loaded a full cargo for the company works at Fiji, but owing to the shortage, she was ordered on to Auckland to fill up. The Fiona arrived hero on Saturday morning, and after discharging about 200 tons of acids, she will ship two largo oil-launches, which have been constructed at Chelsea for towing sugar barges at Fiji, and a large quantity of bran. She will then go to an anchorage in the stream, and mi the arrival of Use liamoiu from West-port will load over 2000 tons of coal from that vessel. The Fiona will then proceed to Lautoka, and after dis. charging her coal will load a full cargo of raw sugar for the Chelsea works.

Relief crews for H.M.S. Psyche, Pyramus, and Philomel will arrive in Wellington from London by the Arawa to-morrow morning. Altogether 204 officers and men are coming out to join the three cruisers. The lonic, which will leave Weilington for London en Thursday, July 16, will take Homo 122 officers and men.

Giving evidence before the Tariff Coramission in New South Wales, last week, -Mr. F. W. Hughes, of the well-known firm of woollen manufacturers at Botany, told of the disadvantage he was under at the wool sales. He told the commissioners that the largest buyers were given the best seats it the sales. A member of the commission said that he understood' that a stentorian voice and a high bid were essentials to success. Mr. Hughes said that hediad been eager to make himself a good wool-buyer, and had gone to a , teacher of elocution and singing to have his voice trained, so that it would carry better and roach the ears of the auctioneer more effectively. He sat in the third seat \ from the front, but even with these aids he was at a great disadvantage. He ' reckoned his disadvantage at |d per lb as'compared with those who sat in the front row.

The importance of correct standing and sitting postures in childhood was urged by Dr. Reuter Roth in a lecture given before the Sydney Health Society last week. Ha said that about 90 per cent, of the spinal deformities were developed during the" time of education, roughly speaking between the ages of six and 20. Curvature of the spina was very rare among uncivilised people. The stately walk of tie African, Asiatic, and Island peoples was very noticeable. The people of those countries did not use chairs, but eithei squatted or isat tailorwise. .It was possible that among European people the spines of children were injured by the use of chairs at too early an age. In the kindergarten the greater part of the time was spent on the floor, with good results, and he thought that it might perhaps be' better to have no seats for school children under eight years of age. When one noticed the way infants were propped up in perambulators instead of lying flat, it was easy to understand how many a weak back was started,

"Military training, and its accompanying physical development work, should go hand-in-hand with sports that are in themselves conducive to the physical development of our sons," said Mr. Lionel Bridge in an address in Sydney last week. He added that the cricket and football field should dovetail in with the drill-ground and military duties, if at all possible. This great national movement was one that necessarily demanded the sacrifice of leisure, more or less, on the part of the trainees; but, to minimise such discomfiture, the sporting authorities might assist the movement by so regulating cricket, football, and other sports that, instead of electorate matches, a happily dovetailing substitution might be found in tho establishment of military area compatitions.

Day baking of bread has only lasted a week in. Melbourne, and by arrangement between the employers and the operating night baking is to bo resumed, says tha Sydney Daily Telegraph. Baking by day there was attended with all the trouble picdicted when it w<u< resorted to in Sydney about two months ago. The hy<?ad could not be delivered fresh on the day it was made, and, worse than that, many people could not get it next morning hi time to cut it for that day's lur.cn. Hence while master bakers report a sort of general backflow of loaves returned " becauso they're stale," they have found the wives of working men quite vehement. against bread that is not fresh. Id a few days baking was becoming a losing business and some employers reverted to night work, for which they paid the operative.) as much as 3s 2d per hour, a rate which will have to be maintained, at least for ■• time.

There was general laughter in the No* South Wales Legislative Assembly when Mr. Dooley, the member for Litfigo"'.' gave notice of nmtior. objecting to th wearing of wigs by the officials of tha House. The principal culprits in, this. matter, says the Sydney Morning Herald, are the Speaker and the Clerk of the House, who, on ceremonial occasions especi- ;> ally, wear wigs of a pronounced order. Mr. Dooley's motion was to the effec'. that. the wearing of "horsehair on the he-ids of the officials of the House be discontinued.' One member, running his hands over - bare pate and looking at the flowing locks of the member for Lithgow, declared that j : the motion was not chivalrous coming, from a member with such hirsute advantages. .'■ '. v «