NEWS OF THE DAY

New Zealand Times, Volume XL, Issue 9092, 10 July 1915, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY

A request is to bo made to ihe Government to vest a section of land in Orchafft street, Wadestown, adjoining Queen’s Park, in the City Council as an addition to the park. The City Council has decided that the acceptance, of several offers of buildings considered suitable for a wounded soldiers’ hospital, subject to certain conditions,, be loft to the Mayor to deal with. The resolution of the City Council passed on June 10th increasing the rate of pay to corporation labourers will apply equally to the labourers employed at the cemetery. An increase in salary of £l3 per annum has been granted to the officer in charge of the cemeteries. Some excitement was caused in the vicinity of the Ferry wharf at about 10 o’clock yesterday morning, when a young woman of unsound mind either fell or jumped into the harbour. She was recovered from the water not much the worse for her experience, and was taken to the ferry waiting room, where Mrs Cairns gave her the necessary attention until the patient could be removed; !

“I plead not guilty, and in doing so want the constable who arrested me put in the box. I got a violent blow in the back which broke two of my ribs,” asserted a first offender charged with drunkenness'in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday. The constable said that the man was drunk, and denied interfering with him in any way. Mr D. G. A. Cooper, S.M. (to the accused)_: “ You say that you have got two ribs broken?” Accused: “Yes, that is so.” Mr Cooper: “And you can walk into that dock ,in the condition you say you are in? You are a wonderful sort of man, you are. Convicted and fined ,5s or twenty-four hours.” In the Magistrates’ Court yesterday William Baillie, solicitor, was charged with breaking the terms of a m'a'intenanco order, the arrears totalling £7. When defendant appeared in the morning he asked for time to pay. Inspector Hendroy objected. The matter had been adjourned several times. Defendant then asked that the matter stand down till the afternoon, when he might be able to make some payment. ‘ This course was adopted- When defendant appeared in the afternoon ho informed the court that he had paid £1 off the arrears to the clerk of the court. Mr Cooper: “A pound!” Inspector Hendrey : “The Education Departmentwon’t be satisfied with that, sir.” Mr Cooper : “ I must make an order.” Defendant was convicted, and ordered to pay the amount-due, or in default to undergo seven days’ imprisonment. The warrant was suspended until Tuesday. “I’ve got no cattle,” asseverated a man of eighty-five years of age, John Hamilton by name, when charged on four informations in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday with allowing cattle to wander. Mr E- M. Beechey, _ who appeared for the corporation, said it was somewhat difficult to know what to do with the defendant. He had on previous occasions told the same story to His Worship, that the cattle were not his; but although the council could not prove they were, the defendant also could not prove they were not. It was hard to know what to do with the man; he should really be looked after. It was not much use imposing fines, as he would.only go to gaol. Mr D. G. A. Cooper, S.MT, who was on the bench, concurred, and imposed a fine of' 10s upon one charge, convicted and discharged the defendant on ,the other three, and fixed the default at fortyeight hours’ detention.

At the Diocesan Synod yesterday, the Bishop of Wellington 'Bight llcv. T. H. Sprott) announced that it had been suggested that, Wednesday, August, 4th, being the anniversary of the declaration of war, it should be observed as a day of prayer, and it was hoped that it would be possible for all parishes to carry out this proposal. A warning to cyclists—and to users of vehicles generally—was given in the .Magistrate’s Court yesterday by -Mr D. G. A. Cooper, S.M. His Worship said that he had occasion to walk down Adelaide road the other evening l and he observed bicycles innumerable —ail without lights. Apparently the fines of Ss usually imposed upon first offenders in this respect were not a sufficient deterrent, and in future this nominal penalty would be increased. Letters from the islands received by the Biverina contained advice that the Mission 'steamer Southern Cross will not arrive at Auckland until the end of, this month. The Bishop of Melanesia, Dr C. J. Wood, and Archdeacon W. A. Hthwatt, the latter on his way to England on furlough after a severe attack of tever, will be passengers by the steamer. The mail also contained reports that Miss Beohervaise and Miss Coombo have both been ill, but the health of the other missionaries has been excellent, in spite of the exceptionally dry season. At the monthly meeting of the Makara County Council yesterday there were present:—Messrs A. J. Taylor '(chairman), J. S. Haggerty, J. H. Pyle, H‘. J. Monagahan, G. Monk, and S. Bryant. It was resolved to strike a general rate of Jd in the £ on the capital value of_. all ratable property in the Makara riding, and Id on similar property in the Porirua riding. A special rate of fd was struck on the Newlands- special rati fig area. Mr Kirkpatrick, of Ohariu, has been appointed ranger and building inspector. In reference to a letter from the Board of Agriculture, it was resolved to enforce the Noxious Weeds Act throughout the whole of the district.

A letter was received from the Wairarapa Automobile Association at the annual meeting of the New Zealand Automobile Union yesterday, urging that the motorists of the Dominion should boycott Gorman motor goods at the conclusion of the war. It was stated that the value of German motor material imported into this country during 1914 was' £67,362, and a delegate declared that nearly all' the small parts for motors were manufactured in Gremany. The suggested boycott was. unanimously approved of, and the Government is to be communicated with on the subject. A preferential duty was mentioned as the only way in which to make the boycott effective. Following on the appearance of a letter in the “New Zealand Times’ r regarding the provision of tin-plates, etc., for the use of members of the crew of the hospital ship Maheno, it was noticeable yesterday that enamel ware had been substituted therefor. This and other little improvements for the comfort of the crew were much appreciated by the men. In the afternoon His Excellency the Governor paid a visit to the ship, and was warm jn his expressions of approval of the general arrangements. / His Excellency also suggested that until the needs of active service arose the crew might be allowed to Jive in brighter quarters than their own.

For some considerable time the Ncwiands and Papurangi Ratepayers’ Association has expressed dissatisfaction at the manner in which the affairs of these ridings have been conducted, and yesterday a deputation from this body waited on the Makara County Council to voice their grievances. Mr R. Hustler was chief spokesman for the deputation, and requested the council to account for the .unsatisfactory, bar lance-sheet of 1913 and 1914. At the conclusion of a heated discussion on the matter the deputation was convinced that, Us this was the work of a former council and a former clerk, the present council was not responsible. Regarding the position of revaluation and overdue rates, the chairman of the council (Mr A. J. Taylor) observed that the council had approached the Premier on these questions, and he promised revaluation in special cases, and referred the matter to ithe Valuer-General. Other matters of minor importance touched upon by Mr Hustler were already receiving the attention of the council, and the deputation withdrew with the remark that the business methods had considerably improved since the advent of the new council, and clerk.

The King’s Wharf presented a scene of much bustle and activity yesterday on account of the projected departure of the hospital ship Maheno to-day. So far as the ship itself is concerned all the internal fittings were completed in good time, but some difficulty seemed to bo experienced in making provision for the convenient location of a vast amount of sundries in tho surgical and medical compartments, personal' luggage, etc. The ship’s storeroom being fully' occupied, a good deal of unpacking had to be earned out on the wharf. Among the apparatus for the wounded are a largo supply of crutches and deck chairs, and “comforts” which have been donated include two pianos and some cases of books and. magazines- It was originally arranged that the departure of tho ship should take place at noon, but it is unlikely that she will be able to get away before 2 p.m. The nurses have been instructed to be aboard by 10 a.m. So far as the seagoing capacity of the ship is concerned she is in excellent trim. Near the stern she has 200 .tons cf solid rock as ballast, and she catries a full complement of.coal. The first port of call after leaving Wellington will be Albany. The Maheno will then proceed to Colombo and Suez.

A most important judgment was given by Mr'D. G. A- Cooper, S.M., m the Magistrate’s _ Court yesterday, when he delivered his reserved decision in the case brought by the Labour Department against Charles Guy, an employee of the "Wellington Milk Company, for recovery of the sum of £2 being a penalty for an alleged breach of the milk-vendors’ award in that the defendant, being a party bound by the award, did employ a boy, James Martin, at less than award rates. The facts, which were admitted, were that defendant employed the lad for a few hours to assist him in delivery of milk, giving him 4s a week as a recompense for his services. The department contended that,_ by so doing, defendant had automatically' become an employer. Mr A- W. Blair, for the defence, had contended that the practice of employees in securing the services of boys to assist' them prevailed before Kfjo making of the award, and as such they should ‘have been made parties to the award. However, they were not. In the present instance the defendant was not a party to the award, blit he was employed by people who were. His Worship -upheld the point raised by counsel that defendant was not an employer within the meaning of the Act, and dismissed the information without costs.

During an interval at the Otaki stock saio on Thursday, the drawing ot the raffle tickets in connection with the Paniparaumu section' of land, given by the Baumati Land Syndicate for Carnival Queen purposes, took place. Ino winning ticket was No. 2JS, wlii/m bore the name of G. Tattersall, of Otaki.

A man named John Bonsick, a coalheaver. residing in Taranaki street, met with an accident at about -1 a.in. yesterday, while engaged in coaling a vessel in the harbour. A basket struck him on the head, and knocked him senseless. When admitted to the hospital he was in a semi-conscious condition, and Ids injuries are not regarded as serious.

On Tuesday afternon a little girl named Esther Evauglyn Ehitey—-who would have celebrated her second birthday yesterday— met with an accident which terminated fatally. The child bright and intelligent, wandered towards a fire at her parents’ place »t Waitohu, near Otaki, and her clothes quickly caught alight. The father, Mr George Hour}' Elutey, quickly subdued the flames, but the shock to the child was considerable, and medical assistance was called in. The child wn& taken to the hospital, but despite every attention she died on Wednesday evening.

A pathetic case in connection \vi th the war was related by Mr C. HPoole in the House of Representatives last night. A widow woman in Auckland sent her throe sons to the front. One was invalided homo from Egypt and was sent to the Seaclilfo Asylum on account of mental inefficiency having developed through sunstroke. From that time his half-pay allowance ceased and the widow shortly afterwards received a formal inquiry from the Mental Hospital as to her financial resources in order that it might bo ascertained whether she was able to contribute to her son’s maintenance.

* A kinematographic film of historical value has been prepared by the Government’s official photographers as a record of the sending of troops to tho seat of war. The film was tested by a private exhibition this week and was found to be of excellent quality. It records the training of the men at the Xrontham Camp, including both infantry and mounted iufantty, and other features of tho camp. The marching of tho troops through 1 'Wellington, tho farewell parade at Newtown Park, and the embarkation of tho main expeditionary force are well pictured, and a section is devoted to the Maori con-' tingent. There is a fine view of the departure of the first squadron of transports.

In an Egyptian paper, the “AlAhram” (meaning “Pyramid”), dated April 24th, it is recorded that a Maronite priest named Michael Haile was Hung by the Turks after having been kept in prison for six months. . It appears that some time after the outbreak of hostilities between Turkey and the Allies, a letter was written to M. Haik by his nephew, then in South Africa, in which letter tho Turks were blamed for their policy in entering into tho fray. The Government being informed of the contents of the letter by tho postal authorities, M. Haik was' arrested at once and imprisoned at Beyrout for six months, after which hands and feet bound, he was directed, to Damascus for a worse treatment. Two days after his arrival in that town he ended his life in a way peculiar to the Turks. He was made to stand on a, chair underneath two posts erected in the form of a triangle. Tho rope around his neck was fastened to the apex. Ho was ordered by his ■ executioners to say “Long Live Turkey, Germany and Austria,” but to their surprise he cried out: “Vive la France, I’Angi'eterro, et la Russia.” The chair was immediately knocked from under his feet, and the great war added another victim to its already long roll. A deputation representing the Shop Tailors’ Federation waited upon tho Minister for Defence (tho Hon. James Allen) last evening to suggest that the Defence Department’s orders for uniforms should be distributed more widely. Mr F. Cooke, representing the Now Zealand' Federation of Shop Tailors, and Mr Waterworth, secretary of tho Wellington Tailors’ Union, were introduced by Mr J. McCombs, M.P. for Lyttelton. The Hon. J. T. Paul', president of the Federated Factory Tailoresses, was also present. Til deputation told the Minister that there was a considerable amount of unemployment anion,? the shop tailors, due in part to tho enlistment of so many young men. The manufacture of Uniforms was almost entirely in the hands of a Wellington firm, which had been requiriifg its factory girls to work a large amount of overtime. The deputation suggested that some portion of the Defence Department’s work should bo given to the shop tailors, and that the men should be. permitted to secure tailor-made uniforms by paying the difference between tailor and factory prices. Mr McCombs mentioned that the Wellington firm which was making the uniforms had been in possession of a contract with . the Defence Department at the outbreak of tho war. Tho Minister said he would bo glad to assist the tailoring trade in any practical way and advised the denutation to discuss details with the Quartormas-ter-Gencral. Ho stated that the dopartment had contracts with various factories outside Wellington, but.it had no supply cf cloth, the contractors dealing direct with the mills. Tho question was whether the shop tailors could manufacture as cheaply as the factorial were doing. Some of the criticism directed by members of Parliament against th( equipment of tho hospital ship is resented by Mr Menzies, manager ol the Scoullar Company, Ltd., which supplied the bulk of the mattresses and bolsters. To- a “Times” representative last night Mr Menzies stated that tenders had been called for the supply of 600 each of these articles. That put in by the Scoullar Company was accepted, with an instruction to make 558 mattresses and bolsters, the inference being that the balance was presented by the public. The work of manufacture was carried out under tho supervision of an officer appoint, ed by the Transport Board, who had the right of entry to the factory at all times. This supervisor jsaw that the mattresses and bolsters were filled with horsehair, which ho inspected in the hulk as it came in, while being teazed, and also in the mattresses before these were sewn up. The weight of the mattresses was checked by him as well. On delivery a certificate was issued to tho firm by LieutenantColonel Tracy Inglis, second in command of the hospital ship, to tho effect that the articles were made according to specification, contained horsehair to the sample submitted with the tender, were manufactured under the supervision of the Transport Board’s officer, and were finally approved and taken over. In regard to tho allegation that horse-hair was unobtainable, and that a substitute was. used, Mr Menzies said that the Scoullar Compare? had in its factory 12001 b of hair suxuiar in quality to that used for the hospital ship, and it was open to inspection if necessary.