LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17269, 19 September 1919, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

A fine sight was to be seen on the harbour early yesterday morning. The sixmasted barqttentine E. R. Sterling left the Central Wharf just after sunrise, and in tow- of the tug Te Awhina went down the gulf. As she rounded , the North Head the wind caught her fine spread of canvas and in a few moments the tug was able to cast off, leaving the E. R. Sterling bound for Sydney under full tail. The reduction of the gas pressure at night, though having a serious effect in many ways, is proving the truth of the old adage, " It is an ill wind that blows nobody any good." So dim has the gaslight become in many houses that the occupants have made a point of going out. Thus tie picture theatres have reaped the benefit. It is stated that that benefit is by no means an inappreciable one. The acquisition of a suitable site for a new library building at Parnell was the subject of a report by the Library Committee to the City Council last evening. The committee recommended that portion of the land on which the library stands at present be acquired as a permanent site, and that a building of an up-to-date character, comprising a lending department and a small hall, be erected on it. The recommendation was adopted. Regulations for the organisation, examination, and inspection of public schools and the syllabus of instruction are gazetted, states a Press Association telegram.

The order of civil business to be heard at the Supreme Court, is to be arranged by Mr. Justice Cooper to-day. A sitting in Chambers will be held at ten o'clock. Large cargoes are going up and down the coast, and the available shipping appears unable to dieal with the quantity offering. Wellington and every port in the South Island is full of cargo waiting opportunity for shipment to Auckland, some of it having been delayed for months. As for cargo from Auckland aroing south, the experience during the loading of the Mokoia must have surprised those spectators who are not aware oi the large trade now going on. Waggons at.d lorries were lined up with goods for trre steamer, in a long queue from the Mokoia's berth on the Queen's Wharf right across the waterfront and well into Hob-' son Street. This continued for a good part of the day, the vessel eventually leaving port a full ship, with hundreds of tons still waiting an opportunity for shipping.

A gorse fire occurred shortly before 6.45 p.m. yesterday, in a property bordering Lake St. John, Remuera. The Remuera Fire Brigade answered the call, but its services were not required. No damage was done.

The proposed municipal housing scheme was mentioned at the City Council meeting last evening, when the Deputy-Mayor was asked if any report on the matter had been received from the members of the council who had attended the Municipal Conference at Wellington. Mr. Entrican stated that a report on the subject would be presented at next meeting of the council.

An appeal for funds for propaganda work is to be made by the Auckland Railways' League. The council of the

league yesterday decided to make a canvass of business men for not less than £1000, for the purpose of propaganda work in advocacy of the early completion of Main Trunk railways in the Auckland Province, and in other parts of the North Island.

Dampness in the city library and art gallery buildings was the subject of a report by the city engineer to the City Council last evening. The dampness in the building was attributed chiefly to soakage from the Albert Park to the lower walls of the building,- and the engineer recommended the carrying out of certain excavation workfi and the construction of concrete walls and drains. The cost of the proposed work was estimated at £492. The Library Committee recommended the adoption of the report, and this course was followed by the council.

The seven transports now on their way to New Zealand, of which advice has been received by the Defence Department, are bringing a total of 4467 soldiers, 836 wives, and 205 children.

Owing to the curtailment of the gas supply, electric light has been installed temporarily at the railway stations at Auckland and Newmarket. The City Council last evening received from the Palmerston North Borough Council a request for support of a resolution that the Government be recommended, when making grants to returned soldiers to enable them to purchase houses, that such grants shall only be given on condition that the money is utilised in the establishment of newhomes, and not for the acquisition of dwellings already in existence. It was stated that this would result in considerably relieving the present shortage of houses. The letter was "received,' the Deputy-Mayor remarking that, in view of the extremely heavy cost of building, it would be a dangerous policy to advocate that assistance should only be granted to soldiers who desired to erect new houses.

Objection was taken by counsel for defendant in a maintenance case, called at the Magistrate's Court yesterday, to the action of the plaintiff in having his client arrested while negotiations for a settlement were in progress. He stated that %s client was about town, and counsel himself had undertaken to accept service of a summons should this prove necessary but the wife,"without the knowledge or consent of her lawyers, had obtained a warrant for her husband's arrest by stating that the defendant could not be found. The magistrate said he always required persons desiring such warrants to make sworn statements, but in future they would be called upon to make a sworn written statement that the defendant could not be found, and if such statement* proved false, trouble would follow

The scheme for the proposed boat har bour was discussed at the annual meeting of the N Ponsonby Cruising Club last evening. The general opinion was that no reflections had been passed on any member of the Harbour Board or its officials, and it was unanimously resolved : "That the action of the Boat / Harbour' Committee in bringing the scheme before the public be endorsed, and that no exception could be taken to the article which appeared in the press."

The practice, apparently by no means rare, of writing to magistrates concerning cases before the Court, was referred to bv Mr. J .W. Poynton, S.M., at the Magistrate's Court yesterday, prior to delivering judgment on an important case. Hn said he had received a letter from one of the witnesses, who had given evidence in the case, obviously written with the intention of prejudicing the Court against the other side. He said that despite warnines from many Judges and magistrates, such epistles continued to reach them. Such documents were most improper. " I intend in this and in all subsequent cases," he concluded, "to forward the letter to the person attacked. This course will probably tend to stop the sendirg of such mischievous and unfair documents."

During the year 1918 the finger impressions of 2223 prisoners were received, classified, searched, and filed by the police and 153 prisoners were identified as previous offenders in the Dominion, Australia, Britain, America, and elsewhere. A total of 1153 photographs were taken by the photographers attached to this branch. The portraits of 1042 prisoners were dealt with, and 368 photographs of discharged prisoners were reproduced in the Police Gazette. On March 31 last the finger-prints collection consisted of the impressions of 22,332 offenders, being an increase of 1350 over the previous year. '*