CURRENT TOPICS

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVI, Issue 8187, 31 July 1912, Page 6

CURRENT TOPICS

PRIZES FOR SKILL. There are a great many bidders for the big skill prize advertised in to-day’s issue. As the competition closes on Saturday the chance of taking a share of the jBSO offered is steadily decreasing. The more it decreases the greater number of entries will be received. There are only four days bo go. HIGH COMMISSIONER. Some excitement wae caused in politial circles yesterday afternoon by the circulation of a rumour that Mr J. G. Wilson, president of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union, and an old Parliamentarian, was well dn the running for the High Commissionership. The Prime Minister is to make an announcement to-day. PLEASANT INTERLUDES. During their stay in Wellington, the auxiliary Parliamentiarians in conference on municipal government are not spending all their time in dry deliberations. After business yesterday they wore treated to an enjoyable half-hour’s organ musio by Mr Maughan Barnett, who showed delegates that Wellington is pos-, sessed of a fine well-toned organ*

day the conference will take lunch iu the Concert Chamber, at the invitation of the city council. After this the visitors will adjourn to witness the evolutions of cadets under training. General Godley having extended an invitation. At 4 this afternoon a pleasant interlude will be spent at Government House, where the delegates will take tea with 1 his Excellency. The conference has now disposed of most of the business on its order paper. PIPES OUT! One or two smokers were disagreeably surprised in AVellhigton yesterday when a woman who objected to pipes walked up and knocked the offensive ornaments from their frontispieces. One gentleman is said to have shed a tooth in the process. The active resistor was eventually lodged in tho police cells. PRESENTS FOR WEATHER PROPHET. The other day- a bride, delighted at • glimpse of sunshine vouchsafed for the great event, sent a piece of wedding cake to tho Government Meteorologist. Yesterday came a present of another sort from a fair but disgusted Wairarapian—> a box of liver pills! Nevertheless there was no dust blowing about Lambtoa quay yesterday. MUNICIPAL CONFERENCE. Of outstanding importance in the pro* oeedings of the Municipal Conference yesterday was an eloquent appeal by lord Islington for a system of town, planning in the Dominion. He urged his hearers to check in time the growth of slums, and he approved the Mayor’s suggestion for papers on tho latest scientific methods in tho multifarious activities of modem municipalities. Tho conference approved a suggestion that travelling allowances be made ,to Mayors and councillors on public business; and passod a remit that .contributions up to XIOO be made to bands supplying music in public places. It endorsed a motion thafl municipalities establish systems of traction in addition to trams. Other recommendations were: That people who lay out now" streets should bo compelled to make drainage and water connections i that councils inspect gas meters of private companies; and that second-hand - ,' timber bo inspected and approved before its* use for building. A proposal to increase publicans’ fees on a population basis was rejected. The conference agreed that regulation of picture shows was desirable, and that owners of unsightly hoardings, fences, etc., bo compelled to remove such eyesores. Several important recommendations were also made in regard to valuations of borough * properties. CULTIVATING AUTISTIC TASTE. ■ Four specimen framed pictures of the series which tho Wellington EducationBoard intends to place in the schools df the province were on view at tho board meeting yesterday. These wore roplicas of “Lady Hamilton as Diana," after the painting in oils upon canvas (coloured) by George Romney; "Portrait of Man," after tho painting in oils (coloured) by Titian; “The Night Before Trafalgar," and ‘‘A Nameless Dell" (coloured). The chairman, Mr Robert Lee, explained that some time ago the board agreed to put into the schools—the larger ones at any rate, with tho others to follow—pictures representing something in art, with a view to cultivating the artistic taste. The idea had taken them some time to develop, but when Mr J, S. Tennant, one of their inspectors at that time, went to England he, was asked to pay a visit to tho producers of these pictures; and, as a commencement, he made a selection of suitable subjects. The frame work >was made so that the pictures could be removed and replaced by others from time \to time, and _ interchanged amongst the schools. Their aim was to have something in each school worth looking at. In tho country the schoolroom,- utilised as -It was for so many objects, was regarded as everybody’s home, and parents would no doubt be os much interested as tho children in’ the attempt to make the schools attractive.