NEWS OF THE DAY

New Zealand Times, Volume XLII, Issue 9621, 29 March 1917, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

During the hearing of an alleged indecent assault case at the Magistrate’s Court yesterday, Mr L. 6. Reid, S.M., warmly congratulated a lady witness for her prompt action in laying tho information before the police. The Education Department has advised tho Wellington Education Board that on a re-examination of the marks it was- found that H. N. Burns was entitled to a place on the list of winners of Senior National Scholarships... * •.'■■■ The tenders of Mr‘J.' Deslie, Blenheim, were accepted by the Wellington Education Board yesterday for a new sanitary system and painting at Ward school, and for the overhaul of the Taumarunui teacher’s residence. Tenders by other contractors for residences at Pirinoa and Saunders road were rejected, being very much over the estimate.

Yesterday afternoon a boy named Shaw, aged eight years, while playing on the wharf at Petone .fell into the harbour. Mr H- foung, who was passing at the time, was informed of the accident. He dived in fully clothed and brought the child to the wharf, but it was some time before the rescuer and rescued could he pulled out of the water.

At a meeting of the Wellington branch .of tho , Educational Institute to-morrow night Miss E. M. Rowley, M.A., will move: —“That as the provision for continuing the education of pupils who have passed through the primary schools is inadequate for present requirements, it is advisable to establish a second-grade or vocational high school for girls in the city ot Wellington.” At the meeting of the Wellington Education Board yesterday, the secretary (Mr G. L. Stewart) reported that there had been an attempt to burn tho main school building at Pahiatua. A member of tho board said that ho was surprised that anybody should have at. tempted to burn down a nice school like that at Pahiatua. If they had come into town and tried to burn down some of the schools here there would have been some excuse for them. (Laughter.)

Tho conference between representa. tives of the various waterside workers’ unions of New Zealand and tho employers, which commenced three weeks ago at Wellington, has not yet reached tho final stages. It was not convenient for the parties to meet yesterday morning, so the sitting was postponed till the afternoon and continued as arranged- An agreement on tho question of working conditions has not been completed yot. The question of wages is subsequently to be dealt with.

At a, special meeting of the Wellington Harbour Board held last night, on tho motion of Mr C. E. Daniell (chairman), the amendment to by-law No. 271 of the general bv-laws of the board was adopted and passed. The by-law as amended, which is to come into force on April Ist, has reference to Day’s Bay wharfage charges, which are increased from 2s to 3s per call. The Day’s Bay Council agreed to this increase when the Harbour Board' undertook the recent improvements at the wharf, and the by-law now brings it into force. The city municipal roll, which closed on Tuesday, shows that there will be a smaller number of citizens entitled to vote at the coming election than was the case in 1015. This is mainly due to the fact that the _ war is drawing a considerable portion of the male population away from the city for service abroad. The loss is not compensated, from a voting standpoint, by the arrivals from overseas, and from other parts of the Dominion. The main roll contains 26,996 names, which will be reduced bv onwards of one hundred when the niane? o deceased persons and clerical error, ire removed. The supplementary roll not yet completed, but it will contain approximately 2500 names. In 191-5 the main roll contained 32,333 -names and the supplementary 3519.

‘ ‘Practically every old member of Uio club is at the ‘front,” stated the chairman at last night’s annual meeting of the St. James’ .Football Club. Only three or four members remain, and they are in the Second Division.

The Kev. H. Van Slavoren has given notice that he will move at the next meeting of the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board: “That Vio war bonus be paid to any officers of the board who are in receipt of £3OO per annum or over. ’ ’

A proposal will bo made at tho Educational Institute meeting to-mor-ruw night by Mr P. -M. Jackson — “That any 'teacher unlit for active service be re-omployed in leaching; since this is the best homo service such a teacher can render.”

An interesting account of a visit to Paris has been received from France by Mrs W. J. Mummery, Ohiro road, Brooklyn, from her son. Private George Mummery. In his three days’ leave the writer was able to see most of the topical and historical points of interest in the French capital, including Napoleon’s tomlb, tho palaces of past French monarehs.' and the famous Church de Notre Dame. Paris was almost entirely devoid of men of military age, hut he happened across a few English and American business men. The Paris trams the writer mentioned, were driven hy women.

The Minister for Defence (tho Hon. Sir James Allen) has received from General Sir Alexander Godloy a letter expressing warm appreciation of tho work done in tho training of the troops by the officers and others left behind in New Zealand. In view of tho distance that- New Zealand is away and the difiki’.ltiea that had to be met, General Uodlcy stated that he considered it wonderful that tho training should he so good and that it reflected the greatest credit on all concerned. Keferring to the excellence of tho arrangements for training the men, ho added that it was evident that no expense nor trouble had been spared to perfect them.

It is usual when seamen appear in the Magistrate’s Court for their superior officers **to attend and request the magistrate to direct that, no matter ’whai sentence he might impose, the delinquents bo placed on board their vessel before it sails. Yesterday a young seaman appeared in court and was sentenced to one month’s gaol, hut instead of the usual application the ship's officers present in court shook their heads vigorously, and informed His Worship: that they did not want the man. The accused smiled, and as ho left the dock in custody of a constable ho turned and waved his hands gaily in the air to his la** superiors. The two . officers acknowledwed the farewell with broad grins. A resident of 'Onehunga whose income for 1916 was under £IOO relates an amusing experience with the income Tax Department. Ho was astounded recently at. receiving a departmental notification that his income for the year was £IOO9, of which £739 was taxable, and the notification was accompanied by a demand for. £53 income tax. The resident promptly returned the taxation papers, together with a suggestion that the taxation officers were suffering from mental derangement. -He has since received a formal acknowledgment of his claim of an ‘‘amended” rating, , a l‘^.“ l^ ndtlo , n to pay the £-53 pending the usual inquiries. . i:. ,t H 1,,.

“There is quite an ebb in the production of the farming districts at tho'present time,” said a member of one of the local Trustee Boards at a conference at Auckland. In his own. district, he explained, the proper amount of stock was not on the farms. This was due partly to the high prices of stock ruling, and partly to the fact that- as the owners were likely to be called'.up the stock dealing firms were riot disposed to make advances for the purchase of the stock. As a director of a dairy factory, he could see in every direction that the production was falling. Another effect of tho present situation was that so much work was left to the women and children that in some districts the children were being overworked, and were not arriving at school in a fit state, for carrying on their studies. Tho Railway Rolling-Stock Commission sat to hear evidence for three days at Auckland, two at Wanganui, two at Wellington, two at Dunedin,' and three at Christchurch. Seventy witnesses in all were examined, including Messrs T. M. AVilford and W. A. Yeitch, M.P.’s, thirty-six of the witnesses being called hy counsel representing the New Zealand Government Railways and thirtyfour by the Commission. The Commission examined 3762 wagons, or 17.46 per cent, of the whole wagon-stock of the Now ! Zealand Government railways ; 429 carriages, or 29.55 per cent, of the whole carriage-stock; and 84 brake-vans, dr 19.09 per cent, of the whole brake-van stock; a total of 42/5 vehicles, or 18.23 per oent. of the whole rolling-stock of the New Zealand Government railways. They also inspected the repairing and lifting facilities at eighteen centres, and carried out experiments on draw-gear and springs. A meeting of citizens of Petone was held' in the Mayor’s room last evening to consider, wavs and means of raising funds for the purchase of a motor-am-bulance for Petone and Lower Hutt. Mr W. Cox, who presided, said that tho present horse-van had practically outlived its usefulness. The van had done duty for six years, and it was thought that the time was ripe for an effort to procure a motor-ambulance. It was absolutely essential in the interests of many patients that they should be conveyed to the hospital as quickly as possible. The gum of £197 had been received in donations towards the object, and about £6OO more was required. It was decided to form committees to canvass the borough, and a resolution was carried asking the Mayor of Petone (Mr J. W. MoEwan} to confer with the Mayor of Hutt (Mr H. Baldwin) with the object of the two boroughs working together.

There are some cool thieves in the Taihape district. llecontly a wellknown farmer killed a sheep and hung it up in the ordinary' way. On returning to the slaughterhouse some three hours later he found that the mutton had been lifted off the hook and had disappeared. Another case appears even worse. A workman taking a short cut to work one morning was surprised to find a carcase of mutton strung up to a branch of a small tree in the Domain bush. Apparently tho sheep had been killed the night before, and had been left to set. The workman strolled back that way later in the day, but the sheep had been removed and all traces of tho slaughter bad disappeared. The farmer who leases the Domain for grazing purposes has lost a number of sheep each year on these pastures, hut he always put the losses down to worrying by dogs.

A further remand to April 4th was granted in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday in the case of Thomas Silsby, formerly a clerk on the stail of the. Porinia Mental Hospital, charged with forgery, in respect to which it has been slated that same thousands of pounds are involved. Mr H. F. O’Leary, representing Air E. S. Stafford, agreed on behalf ot accused. Detective-Sergeant Cos made tho application for a remand.

Tho engineer to the Wellington Harbour Board (Air J. Alarchbunks) reported at last night’s meeting ot the board that tho plates for repair, ing the doredgo Whakariro had not ,yt come to hand, and there was also difficulties in obtaining skilled labour. Ho recommended, however, that the dredge be hauled up on the slip and painted, and this the board approv. ed the engineer reporting that ponding the repairs the dredge would ,-omo to no harm.

Tho Antarctic regions are well represented in Canterbury Aluscum, and the collection has been increased by valuable presents from Lieutenant E. E. Joyce, a member of Sir Ernest Sliackleton’s expedition, who has given skins of emperor penguins, Adolio penguins, snow petrols, skua gulls and of several species of seals that live in that part of the world. Air H. 13. Sawyer, a member of tho Carnegie Institute Expedition, which visited New Zealand to inquire into tho magnetic conditions here, has given tha skin of an antelope belonging to the Belgian Congo, and seeds of tropical plants, some of which wall bo planted in tho public gardens of this city.

A considerable sensation was caused by a runaway horse in Alanners street about midday yesterday. Dashing madly along from Willis street, the animal crashed into the hinder-end of a four-wheeled milk-cart, belonging to Air G. Nash, dairyman, Wadestown, which had just turned out of Lombard street. Tho driver knew nothing of the matter till ho felt the heavy Jaf of tho impact; hut, fortunately, ho was not thrown from his seat, otherwise ho might, have landed under the wheels of a passing tramcar. Tho runaway was badly cut about tho chest and legs, and as one of its torelegs was broken steps were at once taken to havo it destroyed. A largo crowd very quickly gathered, and hung about tho scene of tho accident for a long time.

According to a letter received in Wellington from a Now Zealand soldier with the Desert Column in, Egypt the ‘‘niggers” there are . great workers in respect to such jobs ns engineering, sapping, etc. Thousands of natives are omjiloyed and got about seven piastres a day (about Is 6d). They live in holy dread of the Taubos, however. At the sight of one hovering overhead they become panic stricken, and instead of separating hock together like sheep. “The Taubos are easily picked out by the black cross ■ under the planes,”: f states the writer, “Our air machines have the red, white, and blue rings under them. The niggers know the difference a long way off. They go for their lives, and you will see some of them waving a bit of a white flag.” It was just a sign of the times—the predominance of the juvenile element at the annual meetings of local football clubs last night. Where in the past Jong-trousered football cn-, thusiasts hare gathered to get h or-and* seriously discussed, the prospects lor the season at the annual club meetings, last night young lads attended in largo numbers, whistled popular airs, worked their jaws vigorously over chewing gum and gave other evidences of the boyish spirit. Nevertheless the youngsters were enthusiastic, and listened attentively to the words of advice that fell from the lips of their presiding elders. And then when a motion was put .to the meeting there was no mild carrying of it on the voices. The boyish spirit prompted whistling and shouting, and in this way the “ayes” and the “noes” were unmistakably emphatic. In a communication received yesterday by Surgeon-General R. S. EHenderson, Director-General of Medical Services, from headquarters of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force iu London, the Deputy-Director of Medical Services made a report on the “unfits” who have arrived in England as 'members of Expeditionary Forces, and said: —“It is gratifying to note that the number of medically unfit arriving from New Zealand is steadily decreasing, and with a moro stringent examination before embarkation this number will be reduced to a minimum. The high standard of medical fitness insisted upon for all troops in France necessitates extreme care and thoroughness on the part of the medical officers. Formerly many rejections on arrival' of troops from overseas were from dental causes, but owing to the splendid work of the staff, men are now going forward dentally as well as physically fit. Some particulars of ; the comet which is approaching the earth, and will tln» year be visible to the naked eye, arc given in the “Daily Express. It is one of the largest over soon, and not expected to be visible from the earth again for 60,000 years after its disappearance. It will bo 1;no«ii in astronomical circles as “Wolf’s Comet, in acknowledgment of its discoverer. Professor Wolf, of Heidelberg, who first saw it on April 27th last. Dr. A C. X>. Cromraclin, the astronomer, says the new comet was “followed” by telescope from April until July, when, oiving to tho fact that the sun passed, in front of it, it became invisible. It was “picked up” a few days ago by the telescopes of one of the great observatories in America, and tho fact was briefly cabled to Greenwich, “It is now observed as a morning star,” says Dr Crommeha, “but it is visible only through telescopes. It will continually approach nearer tho earth until July, when xt will become a faint naked eye object, but not a grand one, owing to im great distance from the sun. Its least distance from the earth is one and two-thirds tho earth s distance from the sun—that is to say, it is far outside the earth’s orbit, and comets that distance away do not make a brilliant display. As the suns mean distance from the earth is about 92 800,000 miles, the nearest point to the earth which tho comet will reach wiTTBo about 164,000,600 miles In July,” added Dr Crommelm. ‘ the new comet will bo getting away from the sun. and nearer the earth. It will he followed by the telescopes for a year after that, until towards the end of 1918. Altogether it will be under observation for about two »» d third vears, Avnereas Halleys Comet was visible for only one and one-third years.” Donnelly’s Hair Restorer.—A real tonic Cures dandruff, stops hair falling. ’ Chemists, stores, hairdressers, 2s 6d. Donnelly's. 65. Vivian street, •