LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LV, Issue 16833, 25 April 1918, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Pricks at the Westfield fat stock sales yesterday were slightly easier than at last week's sales. Choico ox beef sold at £2 lis per 1001b, ordinary and cow and heifer beef realised from £2 to £2 iOs per 1001b. Steers fetched from £12 to £20 15?, cows and heifers from £8 to £15 10s. There was a large yarding of calves, runners reaching from £5 to £8 17s 6d, and heavy vealera from £3 12s to £4 10s. Sheep were penned in average numbers, but no heavy weights werei included. Wethers realised from 22s to 37s 9d, ewes from 24s 6d to 36s 3d. There was keen competition for lambs, which sold well at prices varying from 15s to 37«, according to weight and quality. Pigs were in fair demand at prices equal to late rate?, choppers and heavy baconers realising from £4 7s 6d to £5 7s 6d, smaller baconers from £3 10a to £4 6s. The following scholarship awards to pupils of the Auckland Boys' Grammar School were announced at the meeting of the Grammar Schools Board yesterday :— John Williamson Scholarship, £10 each— K. Munro, H. E. Rchofield, P. Price, J. M. Stevenson, and G. K. Clark. Smeeton Scholarship, £10 each— F. M. Keesing, J. B. D. Beaney, and E. L. A. Macdon aid. Reporting upon his visit to Wellington with the advisory inspector, the chairman, Mr. J. P. McKenzie, informed members of the Education Board yesterday that the Minister for Education bad congratulated the board on appointing a domestic- science instructor, stating that ho was much impressed with the necessity of this instruction. In connec- 1 tion with the suggestion of increasing the salaries of pupil-teacbers, probationers, and training college student?, he had been given to understand that steps to that end had already been taken. The Minister had remised to consider the proposal of the board to lend the Department £8000 at 4 per cent., to erect immediately workshops on the college site.

Nominations for candidates for the vacancies on the One-tree Hill and tho East Tamaki Road Boards closed at noon yesterday. For the four vacancies on the One-tree Hill Board the former members, Messrs. d. Dykes, C. Grosvenor, H. B. MacDufF, and T. H. Rowe, were reelected unopposed. For the three vacancies on the East Tamaki Board four candidates, Messrs. E. Luke, H. Sharp, R. C. Wallace, J. P. White, the three last the retiring members, were nominated. An election will be held on Wednesday, May 1. Inquiries and experiments are in progress, states the Hon. A. M. Myers, to ascertain whether fuel alcohol can be produced economically in New Zealand. According to Mr. T. W. Rhodes, the member for Thames, who questioned the Minister on this subject during the short session of Parliament, alcohol can be produced from waste products by the Classen process at a cost of oightpenco a gallon. The Education Department, replying to the Auckland Education Board's suggestion that arrangements should bo made for releasing school teachers now engaged on homo service, stated yesterday that the Department was in no better position than the board, so far as its knowledge of teachers so employed was concerned. The difficulty would, however, be refened to the Defence Department to see if it would he possible to ascertain tho names of i school teachers on home service, and to ! supply a list for the Department's information. A meeting of creditors in the estate of Harold Leighton Admore, pastrycook, of Auckland, was held yesterday at the office of the official assignee, Mr. W. S. Fisher. A number of creditors attended, and Mr. Fisher, presided. It was explained that the first meeting of creditors, held on March 26, had been adjourned to enablo the assignee to make investigation:! concerning the legal position of the bankrupt. Mr. D. R. C. Mowbray, who appeared for the latter, slated that there was every likelihiod of bankrupt's father making an i ffei to the creditors, and the meeting was adjourned til! a date to be fixed by the official assignee. Illustrating what a fall in the rate of 1 exchange between Britain and the United i State* means. Mr J. It Eraser, in his Y.-ture last night to the Society of Accountants, quoted some startling figures. He pointed out that with the prewar rate cf A 86 dollars for £1, the sum of! £100 would purchase 486 dollars' worth', f American goods. Now, with the cx- 1 , hange rate down to 4.76 dollars for the £1 the same amoui t of English money | would purchase only 476 dollars' worth' thus increasing the cost of American goods I to British consumer*. During the three. years to the end of 1917 the United States exported goods to the value of i £16,000,000,000 in excess of imports. The ] majority of this vast quantity went to • Britain, and, owing to the fall in the I exchange rate, the British were paying j an extra sixpence in each pound's worth. ! as compared with pre-war rates, for which , they received no value. The total sum thus lost to Britain was approximately £400,000,000.

The executive of the Auckland Provincial centre of the Protestant Political Association has written to the Prime Minister, urging reconsideration of the decision of the Minister for Customs prohibiting the circulation of certain imported Protestant literature. Dr. J. S. Reekie, who signs the letter, says :— If this literature were in any way unpatriotic in tone, or were seditious, the reason given by Mr. Myers for its seizure would be a perfectly justifiable one. and my executive wuuld be the first to approve of his action. But, on the con trary, it is admitted that the literature is not in any way unpatriotic or seditious. In fact, it is purely historical This could not. therefore, be the ground for suppressing it." The letter concludes: " Will you be pood enough to bring this matter before Cabinet, with a view to having Mr. Myers's decision rescinded?" The need for allowances being paid by the Government to the parents of children who have to ride considerable distances to school was emphasised by Mr. R. C. Smith at yesterday's meeting of the Education Board. He said that at a northern school he recently saw 14 horses used by children, and two of the animals had to carry six children. The cost of maintaining the horses and keeping them shod was a serious tax on parents, and he maintained that the Government should meet this expense. The chairman said that recently he mentioned the matter to Departmental officials, and their view was that the granting of allowances for horses might lead to abuses. Mr. Smith replied that if teachers kept records there would be no chance of fraud ; being practised. In the Police Court yesterday, before Mr. E. C. Cutten, S.M., Eva Sayars admitted being the owner of a dog which rushed out and attacked a lady in Shelly ligach Road, but said the animal had since been sent to the country. She was ordered to pay 188 6d costs. Daniel Lindsay (Mr. Moody) was charged with owning a dangerous dog. M. F. Bovle said he was riding a horse when a yelping dog caused it to fall, witness breaking his arm as a result. He could not say whether the dog brought the horse down accidentally, or whether it attacked it. The charge was dismissed without the defence being called upon. An appeal was mado to the Military Service Board yesterday by Mrs. Agnes Gillard, East Tamaki, for the exemption of her son, Thomas Gillard, who has been on active service, and who returned on leave to the Dominion recently with a wound in the right shoulder. Appellant, a widow, stated that she had a family of eightseven sons and one daughter. Five sons, all volunteers, had gone on service, and one had been killed at Gailipoli- One of the remaining two would reach military age next month, and intended to enlist. Appellant had a farm of 130 acres, carry ing 25 dairying cows, and could not carry it on without the assistance of one of her grown-up sons. The appeal was adjourned for a week.

The physical instruction classes for teachers will be held at Cambridge and ■ Paeroa, instead of at Te Aroha, this year. The classes will last for one week, and the schools in the districts will be closed for that period. ' A lied Cross bazaar, which was held in i Mr, McCleau's Hall, Kahvaka, on Wed--1 nasday of last week, resulted in the sum of £220 being raised, despite the unfavourable weather and the state of the , roads. In the evening a concert and dance was held, a feature of which was the sale of supper-baskets containing supper for two. Good prices were obtained for these baskets, the highest going for £4 10s. ' As to how a shower of rain was responsible for the catching of a thief was related to Mr. E. C. Cutten, S.M., in the j Police Court yesterday. James George, a wood and coal dealer (Mr. Graham), pleaded : lty to stealing lead piping valued at 15s, and to damaging washlubs and piping. Senior-Sergeant McNamara said Constable Barrett was on the verandah of an empty house in Olipha-nt Street, sheltering from the rain, when accused came from the back carrying some piping. When spoken to he gave a false name, dropped the piping, and ran away. The constable found the pipes had been torn from the wash tubs. He subsequently traced accused, who was stated to have been under the influence of liquor at the time, and to have acted on the spur of the moment. He was fined £10, and ordered to pay £2 damages. It is not often that the Bible ii referred to as an authority in the Court of Appeal. The other afternoon, however, Mr. W. J. Napier, in arguing as to the construction of a will involving a bequest of £8000, upon a point arising as to whether a sentence commencing with the words, " And then to pay," etc., was a "clause" in a legal sense, referred to Exodus, is. 22, to show that a " clause " could commence with the conjunction "and." The verse referred to says : " And the Lord said unto Moses, stretch forth thine hand to- | ward heaven that there may bo hail in I all the- land of Egypt." A charge of being In tie Municipal Library by night, without lawful excuse, ! was preferred against Edwin Fowlds yes-1 terday in the Police Court before Mr. | E. C. Cutten, S.M. Senior-Sergeant ' McNamara said the man apparently went into the library under the influence of liquor and fell asleep. The library was closed without him being noticed, and in ■ the morning ho was found there by the ! caretaker. The magistrate said it ap- ' peared to be an involuntary offence, and dismissed the charge. " The public does not know the powers , and privileges of school committees," said Mr. A. Burns at yesterday's meeting of the Education Board, " and this accounts for a great deal of the lack of interest displayed! Many people, including members of school committees, have an idea that the usefulness of committees begins and ends with having the schools cleaned." He suggested that the secretary should prepare a guide for committees as a means of obtaining greater and better interest in the work of schools generally. The sug- i gestion was adopted. ' : An inquest was held by Mr. F. V. ! Frazer, S.M., yesterday concerning the death of David Clarkson, a married man, 56 years of age, who resided in Sussex ■ Street, Grey Lynn, and who died on Monday, after falling from a ladder in the , Town Hall. Alexander Robinson said he I was called by deceased to hold a ladder for him in the entrance hall of the Town Hall Witness was holding (he ladder, • and deceased was up ahcit eight or ten feet, when the laddci slipped sidewavs on the smooth v.,11. and deceased fell on to the tiled IV ■;•. He was rendered unconscious Witness sent tor ,i doct. i • dames I.ovell, hallWper, said deceased . was a steady, sober man. [)r. R. ,]. IS Hall, junior house su.geon at the h<« j Dial, said that, death was due to shock following injuries to the brain. A find ing was returned in accordance with the medical evidence. A request for the further development of the Minna hot spring-, j, the Bullet district. was recently made to the Minister in charge of tourists r.'s..rt>. the Hon VV 1). S. MacDiiimld. In a demit;;!,,.:: ~f ' members representing the adjoining districts. In replying. .Mr Mac Donald said j that up to the present t! ,■ Tourist Liv ' partment had hud nothing :,, dc with the ' administration of the Maruia springs, m- I they were not under its control The ' Government had, however, provided sinai! sums from time to time for improvements to the buildings. The position so far was i that no reservation bad been placed on I the land for tourist or health purposes. '< ' The Department had had an analysis made ] of the water, which was reported to be of high curative value. So far as the treatment of returned soldiers was concerned, Rotorua would necessarily have to continue to be the place of treatment for soma serious cases, as it was fully equipped with a properly trained staff and other requirements lor comprehensive treatment,, but. as far as simpler cases were con ' , cerned, there was no reason why other . health resorts should not be made use of. 1 He would bo pleased to lay the deputa- j I tiou's representations bofore Parliament,