LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 16672, 17 October 1917, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

• L. j The suggestion was made recently by I thai Inspector-General of Hospitals, Dr. Valintine, that in appointing masseurs and masseuses to its 4 - staff the Auckland Hospital Board should give preference to students of the Otago University training ] school. At last night's meeting of tho board a report was received from tho ' i medical superintendent, Dr. C. E. Maguire, j stating that there was no need look ' , outside for masseurs and masseuses for tho ' institution, since all the nurses there were ' j instructed in massage in their fourth year. I There were at present upwards of 150 patienta being treated in the massage and electrical department by the hospital nurs- '. ing staff. It was decided to so inform tho Inspector-General. , . The seconder of the motion proposed by ; the Rev. Howard Elliott at the meeting j of the Protestant Political Association, i held at the Town Hall on Monday evening, ( was Mr. Reginald G. Clark, and not Mr. < A. McCosh CI V, who is at present in f camp at Tauberenikau. ' ; < Thi effect on the work -md adroinistra- ' | tion of the Auckland HarLour Board by ' , the calling up o'. L.e Second Division %m .< i-H'intly considered by the board in com- J rr tee. At yesterday's meeting of the < bo. id the committee* recommended that ' employees who aie members of tho Second ( Divii'on bo granted, half-pay when absent a on ac'we service, or such si.in as to bring < their total yvj un to their preatot 1 salaries. Tho reoamaendat'on wus ] I« uopt'id The chaJri/uu, fc&a authorised!, < i after consultation with tile head of tho t department concerned, to appeal for tho ] exemption of any employee of the board, i I In regard to the men who are contributors j \ to the board's superannuation fund, it was, agreed that members of the Second Divi- : £ sion accepted for active service shall be ' allowed to continue their contributions to. the fund whilst on leave of absence. 1 -' An unusual nonsuit point was raised in <; a civil action in the Magistrate's Court J yesterday. Th<; Dominion Hardware Com- t pany, merchants, of Auckland (Mr. (ire- : c gory), sued lan S. Sanson, agent, of To , Aroha (Mr. Durham), for £16 7s 7d, being the balance of an amount alleged to be [ owing by the' defendant for goods sold and delivered between April 26, 1915, and i November 15, 1915. Counsel for defendant • l moved for a nonsuit on the ground that the plaintiff company were the assignees 1 of the debt, which was alleged to be owed ( by the defendant to another person. He l said the plaint note and'summoiis did not i show that the company were suing as ) assignees, as required by the Magistrate's t Court Act. Mr. Cut-ten, S.M., allowed the ( application, with £1 Is costs against the i f defendant. j A petition from the trustees of the Auck- } land Museum was presented by Mr. C. J. t Parr to the House of Representatives yesterday. It was referred to a Parliamentary fc Committee for consideration. The trustees F allege that they have paid £912 to tho Treasury during 14 years in taxation on 1 the mortgages belonging to the museum, i and that this sum should not have been j paid, because the museum is an educa- v tional institution, and a refund from the a Government is now sought. ;, A donation of £10 10s toward the * gymkhana which the Auckland police'are 9 arranging in aid of the "Our Day" !j appeal, was authorised by the Auckland ? Harbour Board yesterday. i i

> A further selection of official photo- . graphs dealing with the doings of the | Now Zealanders in Flanders forms a very , interesting feature of to-day's issue of the ! Auckland Weekly News. Other war . illustrations show a German concrete 1 shelter smashed by British gunfire, gun--1 iters taking cover during a heavy bom--1 bardment on the western front, gymnastics in the air, a village in France heavily bombarded, a discharge of liquid fire froir ' a line of hoses to cover a British bayonet ' charge, and several other very interesting ; subject?. A handsome frontispiece en- , titled "Somewhere in New Zealand" and ' "Somewhere inFrance" will immediately ' rivet attention. Among other subjects there is a splendid panorama of the > Hornhora rapids, which are of special in- ( terest just now owing to the prominence given in Parliament lately to the neces--1 sity of utilising the wasted water-power < of the Waikato River and other waterways [ in the North Island. Cartoons and a 's- ({ cellaneous subjects are also included in the . I excellent publication. ] A regulation .comes into force to-mor- ' row providing that no alien is to be engaged, except under license, in the work ' of loading or unloading a ship, or engaged in any manner of work' whatever , on or about any wharf cr ship. As far ias can be gathered :o instructions have ! been sent to Auckland with regard to the ' regulation. The regulation will affect a large number of men on the Auckland , wharves. I A deputation from the Devonport , Borough Council jvaited on the Auckland ' Harbour Board at a recent meeting in ' reference to the proposed widening of I Queen's and Kins Edward's Parades to 1 100 ft. The deputation represented that in 1 1878 the board agreed to grant sufficient • of tile foreshore to widen the road, but , that certain lands then under 'lease were , excepted from the area granted. These I land? the council now sought to have I vested in it, as it desired to proceed with the k'rmation of the road. At the meeting cf the board yesterday a recommendation was received from the board in committee to the effect that the chairman and the member representing the district Mr. Wallace, be empowered to negotiate with the council respecting tho proposal and -eport to the board. The recommendation was adopted. Judgment was given by Mr. E. C. Cutten, S.M., in the Magistrate's Court yesterday, in an action brought by D. C. Frazi?r, trading as the Tropical Fruit Company, merchants, of Auckland (Mr. Inder), "against McDonald Bros., fruiterers, of Auckland (Mr. Hall Skelton), to recover the sum of £12, being the cost of a quantity of fruit purchased by the defendants at the ship's side. Mr. Cutten said the defendant's request for a reduction in the cost, because the fruit was not what they expected, could not be entertained. They had had ample opportunity of inspecting the fruit at the time of the purchase. Judgment was given in favour of plaintiff, with costs. A temporary tenancy of the reclaimed land to the east of tho electric power station was granted by the Auckland Harbour Board to tne City Council yesterday. The chairman, Mr. H. D. Heather, was authorised to negotiate with the council regarding the annual rental to be paid. .The council intends to use the reclaimed land, when completed, for coal storage. The bravery displayed by Mr. Hugh W. Brown, of the Devonport Ferry Company's staff, in rescuing a boy named Valeria) from drowning off Victoria Wharf 6ome months ago, was publicly recognised last night. Mr. Brown was the recipient of the Royal Humane Society's certificate and of a gold watch from Mr. and Mrs. Valeria. The presentation was made by the Mayor of Devonport, Mr. J. Henderson, in the presence of the members of the council and Mr. A. E. Eagleton, local representative of the society. Reserved judgment was delivered at Hawera on Friday by Mr. R. W. Basel I den, S.M., in a case involving breaches ;of the Licensing Act. There were seven I informations against Arthur Benjamin i Crawford, trading as Wendel and Co., of I Karangahape Road, Auckland, the I holders of a New Zealand wine license, 1 for bitches of the Licensing Act, and i four informations against Frederick I Challis, the firm's agent, for assisting in I the committing of an offence. After re viewing the evidence, and stating the , law, the magistrate said: The defendant Crawford will be convicted and fined £1 for assisting in a place not authorised to sell, and on the information with selling 24 plions to one person at one time, being' more than he is authorised to sell by his license, he will be fined £1 on each of the informations, with costs. The defendant Challis will also be convicted and fined £1 with assisting in the foregoing 1 offences. All the other informations are adjourned sine die. The opening of the new premises of the sub-provincial district of Te Awamutu today is an event associated with a widespread scheme of organisation undertaken by the Auckland Provincial Executive of the Fanners' Union. Sub-provincial districts are being established throughout the province, and the president of each subdistrict has a seat on the provincial executive. Te Awamutu was the first sub-' district constituted under the scheme, and subsequently Hamilton and Gisborne were established. The organisation of the King Country, with Te Kuiti as the centre, is now almost completed, after which Thames Valley and North Auckland are to be organised on similar lines. A statement as to the sale of the debentures that were issued to pay off the Auckland Harbour Board's loan of 1882, when it fell due, was made to the board yesterday by the secretary, Mr. H. B. Burnett. lie reported that of the worth of debentures issued on account of the loan only £5800 remained unsold. As inquiries were still being received it was anticipated that the balance would be disposed of in the course of a few days. The amount of brokerage paid to the bank and to brokers was £653, or an average of less than 4 }e r cent, on tho total sales. D«bentuf>« t ounting tn £1->6,000 oi '.he old loan were held in O'pn". Britain. .-. v this .'i.ncunt nad been remiiled to !.<.,..■,;. tr..'"igh '!':■' Bank of iNeT' Zealai"-.. V e >«knee, £.XkaJ, was Me! in New Zoaland, and was paid on due date. The difference between the amount of debentures sold and the amount of the loan had been advanced from the board's general account, and would be re paid when the remaining t'eh,- ; i'res 9:■<;•« d sp"-sed o. The chainui.." -i-d t'lat tin statement illustrated the fuc*. Lint the public had confidence . tne board and its administration. The report was approved. A claim for £14 Is 8d for goods sold and delivered was brought by F. Collins, farmer, of Waiuku (Mr. Inder), against W. H. Andrews, milk vendor, Mount Albert (Mr. Glaiater), in the Magistrate's Court, yesterday. Mr. E. C. Cutten, S.M., presided. A counter-claim for £18 12s 2d set. out that tho plaintiff agreed to supply to the defendant daily 14 gallons of milk, at B£d a gallon, (or a period from. April 25 to August 31. The agreement had not been kept after May 21, in conseouence of which defendant was compelled tj purchase milk elsewhere at higher cost. After hearing evidence, His Worship reserved judgment. The decision of the Auckland Harbour Board to shift the berths for sugar lighters front King's Wharf to Albert Wharf was confirmed at yesterday's meeting of the board. The matter had been under discussion between the board and the Colonial Sugar Refining Company, which objected to the removal of the berths. The Minister for Education stated in the House of Representatives last night that the matter of making a grant to the Workers' Educational Association would be considered by Cabinet when the Supplementary Estimates were under review. Notice of his intention to move the following motion was given by Mr. J. S. Bond at the meeting of the Auckland Harbour Board yesterday:—" That, in view of the cessation of important works and the prospect of no resumption thereof in the near future, a committee comprising the members of the Works Inspection Committee and the mover be appointed to inquire into and report on the engineer's department, such report to be submitted to the board in committee, which should have power to act,"