CURRENT TOPICS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 6489, 8 April 1908, Page 4

CURRENT TOPICS.

POSTAL NOTES. OLD AND NEW. A postal note which did duty for many years disappeared from circulation recently, but nobody seems to have troubled about it, or to have pointed ont thjß void. This was the note of £5 denomination. It had long outlived its Usefulness, and the wonder was that anyone overtasked for it, because the commission was threepence, and it was no more secure in transmission than an ordinary five-pound bank-note costing just five sovereigns though the postal note probably carried fewer microbes. Now there is no postal note of a higher denomination than JBI, up to which figure it rangeo from a shilling. When poundage rates were reduced at the beginning of this year, all the notes were issued in new designs, executed by a Government officer, and printed from New Zealand-made plates in the Government Printing Office. MOTORS AND THE PUBLIC. What Mr C. M. Banks says in another column on the subject of motor accidents is reassuring news, and is fair evidence that the element of speed which has been imported into street traffic by the introduction of the motor-oar is not in iteelf dangerous. At. the same time, it still seems probable that a simple system of motor-horn signals might be devised to increase the safety of pedestrians and other users of the road. It would be t simple matter for the Automobile Association of New Zealand to draw up a code of, say, half a dozen short signals to be sounded by motorists to warn others of their approach and their intentions. The ordinary warning hoot of a car approaching from behind might be followed up by an indication to cyclists or others to | keep straight on their course, to take their own side of the road, and 00 on. Another signal for cars to indicate their intention of turning a corner would also save pedestrians a great deal of anxiety. WEEDING OUT DEER. Dper have been established in this province for the past forty-five years, so the action of the Acclimatisation Society in obtaining authority to shoot off bad heads and old hinds cannot be regarded as pre-' mature. It was in 1862 that six red deer were selected from the Windsor Park herd and sent out to New Zealand, three for Canterbury and three for Wellington. Two of the Canterbury animals died on the voyage, so f the third was brought to Wellington. For some time they were kept in Wellington, until the Provincial Council became restive under the expense of feeding them. Then Mr C. R. Carter came to the rescue, and offered to take them to his property in the Wairarapa. This was agreed to, and so the herd was established. During the whole of this forty-five years there has been absolutely no weeding out—a process which ie almost annual in the famous deer parks of England—and a & e consequence there are quite a number of bad heads to be met with. As such deformities are transmitted from generation to generation, neglect to weed out i« likely to have a very bad effect, especially as stalkers will not take a bad head against their license if they can help it. The Otago Society also obtained power 'to weed out its herds this year, and had done some of the work before the opening of the season.

MAYORAL STRATEGY. The correspondent who sends ns the circular addressed to young men from Mr Aitken’e joint secretaries (and which appears in another column) suggests that, although the function is to be held at Qodber’s, it is not expected,!hat refreshments will be provided. Every wellwisher, ho eays, will be expected to bring his own bun. The same contributor (in a letter which is far toe long to publish) wants to know what the young women of Wellington have done that they should not be invited? He suggests the following itineraryWednesday—Young men, to talk of bathing and athletics. Thursday—Young women, to suggest plans and specifications for the now Mayoral robes, and ths new link of the Mayoral granny chair. Friday -Fathers of families, for a discussion on the birthrate and othsr economical problems. Saturday—Children in arms and ether volunteer*. Sunday— Tbs clergy, is discuss tbs esseetion of preaching and ether mforms of Sabbath-labour. Monday— l Tra-

way employees, to discuss "the award.” and the widening of Willis street. Tuesday—Widows without encumbrances, to advocate the establishment of a municipal matrimonial agency. And so on, right round the clock.

NEW ZEALAND CHESS CHAMPION SHIP.

The next tournament to decide the chess championship of the Dominion will commence in Wellington on Easter Monday. It is expected to last for nbou< ten days, and to attract some fifteen competitors from various parts of New Zealand. The present holder of the chainpionship is Mr Viner, of Perth. Pre* yiously the contest had only been open to players resident in the Dominion, but owing to the Exhibition lost year playerf from the Commonwealth were allowed t( participate, with the result that they carried off the principal prizes. The Now Zealand Chess Association has extended an invitation to Mr Viner to defend hi, title if he desires to do so, but it is not known whether he will come across. Entries close bn the 13th inst. The Mayor will preside at the opening ceremony, and arrangements ore being made for the entertainment of the visitors. The tournament will be played af the Town Hall.

A " CUT " IN AERATED WATERS. The reason why we never get “soft” drinks at less than a certain well-estab-lished minimum price is now patent. For several years the aerated water manufacturers of the city have worked to gether in harmony, and made theii charges with exact uniformity, but ii connection with the contract for supply ing aerated waters to Wellington Hospital there was recently a break away from the combine,- with the result that a letter of protest was sent to the Trustees by a firm which failed to get its usual share of the orders. The firm -minted out that members of the Aerat ed Water Manufacturers’ Association had agreed to tender at the same price for Hospital supplies, and the firm was rather surprised to find that the Trustees had extended their patronage to one firm Joiiity. "If it "has been a question of cutting prices," concluded the letter. "U would have been a very mean action on the part of any one firm, after havinf pledged themselves to a certain price, to cut without the knowledge of the other interested parties.” The communication caused some amusement among th< Trustees. It was explained hy the Hon. C.' M. Luke (chairman) that for foni years all the manufacturers had ten dered at the same rates, and the orders were distributed. Any quarrel they might have in their own association had nothing to do with the Trustees. H< jocularly added, as a suggestion for Mi Pearce, a fellow-Trustee. that if h< could manage the Timber Association ir the same way ho would do great service. It was decided to reply informing the protesting manufacturer that the lowest tender was accepted.

HEWS MOTES,

Under the Unclaimed Lands Act, 1894, W. F. Shorfct, Ltd., yesterday sold a section containing 1 rood 7 porches m Liardet street, Vogeltown, for JB9O to Mrs RyUn. "Mounted Rifle Training. 1908" will be out shortly. This manual will supply a want that mounted rifle officers have felt for years.

A conference of veterinary officer© of the Defence Forces, under, the. presidency of Veterinary-Colonel Gilruth, will be held in Wellington at Easter. At the monthly meeting of the Wellington Accountant Students* Society, to bo held to-night, a paper on cedure" will bo read by Dr McArthur. The Wellington Choral Society will give its first concert for the present season in the Town Hull on xueeday, May 26th. The work to be rendered is Mendelssohn's "Elijah." A declaration of insolvency has been filed by Victor AbiUham, restaurant keeper, of Wellington* The first meeting of creditors will take place on the 15th inst at 11 a.m.

Holiday excursion tickets, available for return until May 20th. will be issued on the Wellington-Napier-New Plymouth railways from Tuesday next until Monday, the 20th inst.

The eight workmen’s homes which are b?ing erected by the Government in Coromandel street, nearing completion, and will in the course of a few days be open for competition among people desirous of occupying them. During the last few days ten oases of scarlet fever have been reported from Brooklyn to the District Health Office. Owing to the fever ward at the Wellington hospital being full, frerh cases have to be isolated in the homes where they occur.

A funeral party from the E.N.Z.A., with a gun carriage, has been ordered to assemble* at the Government Railway Station to-day, to escort the body of the late Private Murdoch Gillies, Rost and Telegraph Rifles, to the Queen's Wharf. The body will be placed on board the Southern steamer. ,

At last Friday's meeting of the Wanganui Harbour Board, it was leciied to send a depntation from that body to Wellington, constating of Messrs J. B. Murtay (chairman), C. F. Millward, end A. Q. Blgnell, to interview th© # Minister of Railways in connection with shed accommodation and other matters. Mr J. H. Pollock will move at the meeting of the Wellington centre of the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association on Friday evening a resolution questioning a ruling of the president at a meeting of the council on January 9th, and declining to recognise a set of so-called rules issued by the secretary in January, 1908.

Bathers in the Te Aro baths were painfully surprised yesterday morning about seven o'clock, when they found U large octopus clinging to the fence on the inside of the bathe. So closely did it hang to the palings that all efforts to dislodge it proved vain. It is high time the gaps in the fence at the bath were repaired, when such loathsome imd dangerous creatures can gain access to the baths.

School committees are to be elected in the Wellington educational district on Monday, April 27th, the size of each committee being determined upon the average attendance in the school during 1907. Five members are to be elected where the average attendance has been under 25. seven members where it has not exceeded 200, and nine where the latter figure was exceeded.

A party of tourists stalking in the Haurangi forest reserve, wairarapa, secured some fine heads, including a ten and a twelve-pointer. Owing to the dryness of the slimmer the "roaring” season is unusually late this year. ■ The sixfoot track which marks the boundary of the newly-opened portion of the forest reserve has been cut, and rangers are now making the line more conspicuous by the erection of sign*. A deputation from the Technical Education Board, consisting of Mr T. Ballinger and Mr W. A. La Trobe. waited yesterday upon the Finance Committee of the City Council to _ secure its cooperation in ths acquisition of a site for a Technical School. After disco*, sion of the deputation’s proposals, the committee decided to recommend the Council to assist in whatever seeuns the Technical Board decided span.

It was reported at Neleon yesterday that a vessel was on fir© off Takaka. No details were available. It is considered probable that a mistake has been made. The trawler Nora Niven is fishing in tlrtit neighbourhood, and she uses a large flare light, which may have misled some who have seen her out at soa.

A rearrangement of schools has been effected in the Wairarapa. and ns a result on© building will be dispensed witu. The Wellington Education Board has received a grant of £175, which is to bo expended in removing the Mangatlti School to a more central site. Maku School, destroyed during the recent bush fires, will bo rebuilt in a fresh position. These changes wui enable the Pukohinau distinct to be effectively served educationally, and the school at that settlement will bo closed. The mission which is to bo undertaken by representatives of the Anglican Church from England with the object of evangelising New Zealand church people and encouraging a more aggressive attitude towards the forces in opposition to Christianity, will commence several months later than was originally intended. It has been decided to extend the time for subscriptions until the.end of the year. Arrangements for the special mission will be completed before the Bishops leave England for New Zealand. The ballot for the position of Assistant secretary of the Wellington Wharf Labourers" Union closed last evening. Mr T. Smith, of Newtown, was the successful candidate. -The voting was:—T. Smith 395 votes, J. Bruton 252, W. B. Hooper 28, A. L. Jones 24, R. Winters 15, G. Farland 5. J. E. Bowker 5, informal 13. The total number of votes polled uhs 737, out of a financial membership of 1184, This was the largest poll ever taken in the history of the union. The scrutineers were Meesrd W. Currie and P. Thomas; Mr T. King was returning officer.

Amongst the applicants who appeared before the Benevolent Trustees for relief yesterday were two men —one frtxil and decrepit, 68 years of ago, who hod been a ship's steward; the other a 73 years old Scot, robust despite his 73 years. The latter arrived hero from Christchurch three days ago with «83, and presented himself for assistance. The trustees informed him that they did not encourage the "tourist business," and the best thing h© oould do was to go back to where he came from. The steward did not deny thut he had only just come out of gaol after serving a sentence for vagrancy, but he had nowhere to go and had been, sleeping put at nights, having the previous evening dossed at Oriental Buy. He was sent to the home for a week or two.

A meeting of the council of the Now Zealand Institute of Surveyors was held yesterday. There were present Mr James McKerrow (president, in the chair), Hon. G. F. Richardson, and Messrs Slodden, Fulton, and Garrett. A letter was received from the Queensland Institute of Surveyors intimating that they had decided to support the motion of the New Zealand Institute of Surveyors in its endeavour to bring about some alteration in the present method of preparing and conducting the survey examinations, Mr H. Godfrey wtia elected a Student of the institute. The Hon. G. F. Richardson announced that the preamble to the Bill re reciprocity between surveyors throughout the British Empire, drawn by himself, had been approved by Cabinet. This matter is to be dealt with at the conference of the Survey Boards to be held at Sydney Ut Easter. Mr Richardson expects to leave for Sydney next Friday. Accounts totalling JSXO 17© were passed for payment.