LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17183, 10 June 1919, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Tlio Australian mail which left Newcastle by the Ngakuta last Wednesday is duo at Lyttelton to-day. The Auckland portion, consisting of U bags, will probably reach here on Thursday morning. A slight outbreak of fire occurred at Macky Logan, and Caldwell, Ltd's., - bedding factory, Lome Street, at 12.50 " p.m. yesterday. The fire, which originated [ in the looso kapok lying about the kapokteasing machine, was extinguished by the city brigade before any material damage had been done. j. Two New Zealand anniversaries fall to- s day. Tho Tarawera eruption, which re- h suited in the loss of 101 lives and the 8 destruction of the famous pink and white J" terraces at Lake Ilolomahana, occurred on j Juno 10, 1886. To-dr.y also is the 13th j, anniversary of the death of the late Mr. R. J. Sed'don, Premier of Now Zealand. / Mr. Seddon, who had been on a visit to Australia, left Sydney on his return by the steamer Oswestry Grange, which was bound for Auckland. He died when the vessel was 140 miles from Sydney on the evening of June 10, 1906. * A conference between tho representatives of tho Auckland Tramways Company and the Tramways Officers' Union t will take place to-day in regard to the die- °. ptito which resulted in the union giving ' 14 days' notice of its intention to strike. n The notice, which was given on May 27, J will expire this afte/noon. A well-known coach proprietor of , Rotorua, Mr. Quintin James Bcresford, I died in a private hospital there on Sun- 1 day afternoon after an operation for ap- ' pendieitis. Mr. Beresford was a man of l middle age and was highly popular oil account of his kindly and genial disposition. Ho was a son of the Rev, John Beresford, vicar of Wells and prebendary of Wells Cathedral, and he leaves a widow and one child. Tho congestion in the cable service be tweon New Zealand and England, still continues, but the Auckland office of the ( Pacific Cable Board states that it has been t reduced to some extent during the last ton ! days. The delay in messages from Eng < land is now about eight days. Some time { ago the lines of the Commercial Company, ( between the Ear East and America, were ] interrupted, but it was announced by the < ( Pacific Cable Board yesterday that this 1. gervico has been restored. This restora j Hon does not directly affect New Zealand,' 1 but it has an indirect bearing on the Do-1 ( minion's cable traffic, inasmuch as a great j, deal of the Commercial Company's work |, has been handled by the Eastern Exten- ( sion Company during tho interruption. The Pacific Cable, in turn, has been taking part of the Eastern Company's traffic, and as it may now expect to be relieved of a considerable portion of this extra work an early lessening of the present congestion may take place. > Three cases of influenza were notified to the Auckland district health officer during < the week ended noon yesterday. Each ' ' one was reported from tho country— ' ' Wailii, Whangarei, and Waiuku—' each was of a mild type. The number of ■ cases is very favourable when compared i with the previous week, when nine noti- j ' fications were received. During last week two c.".?os of the new brain disease, lethargic encephalitis, were notified, one from Parnell and one from Mount Eden. Two cases also occurred during the preceding week. The question of labour for New Zealand mills and factories is one which for a long time past has been a source of difficulty and worry to employers, A few years ago factory work was eagerly , sought utter by the girls end boys of t the community, but nowadays, notwith- I ( standing incomparably Letter conditions c and pay, it is rapidly crowing as unpopular among girls as domestic service. I J The difficulty of securing workers lias j t Ir.tcly been engaging the earnest attention | r of Auckland industrialists, and the neces- , t sitv of making strong representations to 11 the Government with regard to a more i \ forceful imigration policy will be con- |v. sidcred by the committee of the Auckland I c Industrial Association at its meeting to- J < day. t One of the matters occupying the alton- [ tion of Brigadier-General G. S. Richard '. son in Auckland is that of repatriation, particularly the repatriation of disabled men. He has been looking into the question of the re absorption of disabled men and their training, and yesterday he vwited the vocational training clas.ies which are being conducted at the Tech nical School, General Richardson stated that he thought Auckland was now doing , i well in this direction. I \ Regarding the development of the de- , 1 plcted gum lands, the commissioner of tho ! < North Auckland Land Board, Mr. R. P. j i Greville, discussing the old Kapiro kauri I', gum reserve, stated that it had been sug j gested that it was tho intention to locate soldiers on this area. There was no such ■. intention. He knew the land well, and ] > it was quite unsuitable for settlement. I | The old Kapiro kauri gum reserve contained I 14,000 ares, and Mr. Greville thought i ( the best use it could be put to was to ( utilise it for the purpose of afforestation. . Mr. Greville's remarks did not apply to the Puma block, as previously indicated. ( The Puma block was one of the best areas j j in the North, and would be well adapted j } for settlement purposes when properly treated. , The reopening of the Business Girls' Club, in the Union Buildings, after it had been dosed for three months, owing to the enlargement of the premises, has been celebrated by the holding of a sale of work. . Mrs. A. 0. Knight, honorary president. I acted as hostess, and in the absence of Mrs. John Burn.-', the first president of the club, the premises were formally opened by Mrs. A. M. Ferguson. About £50 was realised by the sale, and this money , ■ will be devoted to the furnishing fund. j The r.embership oi the club is steadily increasing. I Strong protest against the limitation of the number of pupils who may sit for the junior national scholarship examinations was made in a resolution passed by , the Parnell School Committee last evening. The resolution requested that the, Auckland Education Board forward the, protest to the Education Department. | Owing to the severe outbreaks of rabies I in England and Wales, the importation I of dogs from Great Britain has been proj hibited until further notice. i By an Order-in-Council gazetted last i i week authority is given for the payment I out of the net surplus profits of the ' Public Trust Office of a bonus ennui to j one-tenth of the interest received during ' the year ended March 31, 1919, from the l common fund by each estate or account ! (other than investment agencies) that was i not finally closed and distributed before 1 the end of the year. The total profits j of the office, after retaining £20,000, were : £50,155, and the total bonus is not to 'exceed £33,100. | ; The issue, of the home savings bank-* j boxes has been temporarily discontinued j iby the Savings Bank Department. Since I jtl>c commencement of the war new sup-j ; plies of the boxes have not been obtain- i 1 able, and eventually the position became ' i si. acute that when an account was dosed I ; and the box handed in there were j ' generally about 20 applicants for the. I right to use it and open a new account, j Considerable inconvenience and annoyance ! were caused by the inevitable refusals, land, iii the circumstances, it has been 'decided to discontinue all new issues of i j savings bank boxes until a sufficient | supply can be secured. J Suggested sites for the proposed new ! school at. Parnell are to be viewed by I members if the Auckland Education I Board, with delegates from the Parnell j School Committee, to-day. The suggestion I in- the building of ,i new ached is the ; outcome of a resolution pa.-red at the | hi iiu.il nwth-g of householders in April. ! The committee, at it.-- meeting last even-I | ing, carried a further resolution that, in I i the event of uo definite site being chosen I by the board, a meeting of householders I be called to consider the matter.