LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVIII, Issue 17873, 30 August 1921, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

The matter of leave of absence for the director of the Technical College, Mr. G. George, was discussed in committee by the Board of Managers last evening. The subject was introduced in a letter from the Education Board requesting definite information as to the director's intention. After some discussion it was decided that the following reply should be sent to the Education Board:—"This board has no official knowledge of the intended resignation »t the director, and in view of the terms of his appointment requiring six months' notice before termination, it is not felt that there is any need for further action at present."

"This country has no money to waste on strikes and lock-outs," said Mr. C. E. Statham, M.P., in his speech last evening, on the platform of the new political party. For the benefits the workers would get under this platform the party wanted them to forego the right to strike. This remark created an uproar among a section of the audience. Mr. Statham then spoke of agitators whose aim was to create strife, and there was more noise and some hearty applause. Quoting someone, he said that the strike was a perfect nightmare to the workers. This time there was decidedly less opposition. The speaker declared that disputes should be settled by compulsory arbitration. Sime of those interjecting, he said, believed that wars between nations should be so prevented, therefore they shou'd agree with the principle in industrial disputes.

Prohibition of the publication of th*> names of three youths, charged with theft, was ordered by Mr. J. W. Poynton, S.M., in the Police Court yesterday. When application was made to the magistrate by counsel for an order for the nonpublication of accuseds' names, Mr. Poynton said he intended to abide by the rule that names should not be published in cases where the offenders were under the age of 21 and had not made a previous appearance before the Court. In accordance with this an application bv counsel for the prohibition of the publication of the name of another of his clients failed on the ground that the youth had previously appeared before a magistrate on a trivial charge.

" Are you aware that your successor gets all his milk from the copper?" was a question put to a witness by counsel in an action in the Supreme Court yesterday. The jury laughed heartily at the question, and there was further amusement when the solicitor corrected himself by saying he meant water, not milk.

A conciliation council has been summoned by the conciliation commissioner, Mr. T. Harle Giles, to sit this morning to consider the dispute between the coalmine owners and their employees. The union having failed to appoint assessors to represent them, the commissioner has done so. Should his nominees fail to appear at the proceedings this morning, leaving the men unrepresented, the dispute will automatically go to the Arbitration Court.

Swimming plays an important part in the sporte curriculum of the Auckland Technical College. Last year every boy in the school, except a few exempt by medical certificate, passed the swimming test of a minimum of 100 yds. Forty-seven boys gained silver medals for swimming continuously a distance of three miles, and 30 boys were awarded bronze medals for swimming two miles. The school championship was won by the senior agriculture class, with an average distance of 4021 yds. per student'. The first year agriculture class carried off the first year championship with an "average distance of 3257yd5. The school swim, ming average for boys last was 2213yd5., or just over 1£ miles per pupil, the average being determined by dividing the total of the longest distances swum by each boy by the number of boys in the school. The school swimming championship for girls was won by the third vear business training class, with an average of 1769 yds. per pupil. The school average for girls was 505 yds. Four girls won silver medals for swimming a distance of two miles and 12 girls gained bronze medals for swimming one mile.

The proposal for the adoption of a uniform motor tax throughout the counties of North Auckland was discussed yesterday at a preliminary conference of North Auckland local bodies convened by the Hobson County Council. The Waitemata County Council was represented by a subcommittee appointed for the purpose. It was resolved to circularise other North Auckland bodies acquainting them with the proposal and the advantages that would accrue from its adoption.

The subject of agricultural training was dealt with in the annual report of the director of the Seddon Memorial Technical College. Each year showed more emphatically than the preceding one the need_ for a farm of 50 to 100 acres in connection with the agricultural course. "Our agricultural course is undoubtedly one of the most successful in the High School," stilted the report, "but it could be made many times more valuable if we had a small farm within reasonable reach of Auckland."

" You said just now that the defendant ' whipped rne cat ' about an agreement, but isn't it a fact that yon whipped the cattle ?" a solicitor asked a witness in the Supreme Court yesterday. He added that his client would give evidence that the witness wore out two whips in a couple of months, and that he struck the cattle with buckets, and threw milk over them.

Tentative arrangements in connection with the unveiling of the portrait of the late Mr. R. J. Seddon at the Seddon Memorial Technical College were discussed at a meeting of the Board of Managers last evening. A letter was received from Mr. T. E; Y. Seddon, M.P.. stating that he would endeavour to fall in with any arrangements the board might make. It was decided that the date of unveiling should coincide with that of unveiling the college roll of honour and the laying of the foundation-stone of the new workshops block. The GovernorGeneral is to be asked to perform the unveiling ceremonies and the Minister for Education the laying of the foundationstone. The function will take place some time in November.

" Six calves died through eating Mrs. 's washing," said a witness in a sharemilking case in the Supreme Court yesterday. " Did they die because Mrs's washing was particularly virulent," the Judge asked, amid laughter, '< or was it merely a natural consequence of eating clothing?" The witness said the latter was the correct reason, and added that the calves were particularly fond of handkerchiefs and articles of underclothing.

In a notice of the catalogue of the Auckland Art Gallery and the Mackelvie collection, the Connoisseur (London).says: The gallery includes a number of examples by or attributed to Continental old masters, a few English eighteenthcentury pictures, and a representative collection of modern English works. There is also a good collection of water-colours, and a number of local pictures, the reproductions from which show that New Zealand art is a factor that must be reckoned with in the near future.

A jury of 11 members is something of a novelty, but at the Supreme Court yesterday it happened that two juries were each one man short. The first occasion was in a civil action, for which, owing to many summonses not being served, there were only 24 common jurors present, and of these 10 were challenged and three were excused. The registrar suggested a "tales," or roll-call, of those present in Court, but this was averted by the counsel engaged agreeing to proceed without a twelfth juror. On the second occasion, when an action was to have been heard before a special jury of 12, .no fewer than 13 of 24 men notified failed to attend, probabiy because there had been two or three previous adjournments. Another juryman was hastily telephoned for, but he was not required, as the p&ties reached an amicable settlement