NEWS OF THE DAY

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVI, Issue 10523, 26 February 1920, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

The Australian mail which is being brought to Auckland from 'Melbourne by the Kauri nil), not arrive there until early to-day, according to a wireless message from the vessel.

The Karori Borough Council has decided to write off the debt of £123 owing by the Hockey Association for the use of the ground at Karori Park. The debt, it was pointed out, was incurred during the war period.

At Tuesday’s meeting of the Karori ■enough Council reference was made by tho town clerk to a rumour that when the borough amalgamates with Wellington city at tho ond 1 of next month tho tramway department will make Hatton street, instead of the Borough Council Chambers, the end of the Karori section. There was, bo far as ho knew, ho stated, no truth in tho rumour. No arrangements had been made on the lines indicated.

Tho suggestion has been made that a medal should bo presented by H.R.H. the Prince of Wales to Mr H. S. Alpo, of Christchurch, a South African veteran, in recognition of his performance of walking 1(300 miles, in. aid of the various patriotic funds, during the Great War. This modal will be from athletes of Christchurch. The Mayor is approaching" the Governor-General to ascertain whether it can be presented) by the Prince of Wales.

“This year has been one of strenuous toil and anxiety, owing to the fact that the general elections were taking place,” states the annual report to be presented at next Wednesday’s meeting of the Wellington North Group of the Protestant Political Association. “But (adds the report) the efforts of the P.P.A. were not in vain, as in almost, every .electorate throughout the dominion the candidate having the backing of this association was returned to Parliament, and in one case the P.P.A.’» official candidate holds the Dominion record majority—namely, Mr J. S. Dickson, Parnell’s representative. With this fact before us, wo can confidently look forward, assured of the success of the causa for which this association wa» inauguiated,” The annual meeting was to have been held last night, hut it had to bo postponed on account of the heavy downpour of rain. It is expect, cd that the Rev. O. Knowles-Smith (president of the Wellington Provincial Council of the P.P.A.) will be pro* sent next week and take the opportunity of replying to Sir Joseph Ward's Winton sneech.

The R.M.S. Moana loft Wellington at 11.50 o’clock yesterday morning for San Francisco via ports.

Tho Wellington builders and labourers’ dispute will bo hoard before a Conciliation Counoil at 10.30 a.m. today. To-morrow the council will bo occupied with the hearing of tho case of the metal workers’ assistants.

The Board of Trade is now in Dunedin, whore inquiries arc being made into several matters of importance to trade and industry. Tho board will probably return to Christchurch at .tho end of the' week.

Mr A. E. E. .Hardcastle. of Scatoun, writes: —“The schools wore not open until February 19th, and yet tho City Corporation charge me for concession tickets the full" faro as if children were attending the school a whole month.”

A “Times’’ representative was informed yesterday that, in consequence of Itho adverse rate of exchange, a loading Wellington firm spent some £2O the other day in cabling to trm United States to cancel a number of largo orders for goods.

The Wellington Rugby Union, which had written to the Karori Borough Council, asking for the use this coming season of the two Rugby grounds at Karori Park, has been 'advised to make application to the Wellington City Council, as the borough merges with- tho city at the end of March.

It is understood that the Eastbourne Borough Council is to confer with a naval architect early next month, with a view to the wbrking-plans and specifications of a steamer for the harbour ferry service being drawn up. It is the intention of the council to have one of the finest boats in Australasia built for this service.

Tho conference of military district commanders unci other senior officers ot tho New Zealand Defence staff was continued at the Garrison Officers’ Institute yesterday and will resume today. The business, which principally is confidential matter relaving to the administration- of the Dominion defence forces, will probably be concluded early to-day; it is understood the officers will visit Trentham.

The energetic Mayor of Christchurch is annoyed. As bearing on the refusal of the Railway Department to run ’a. special Sunday train to Alotukarara for the railway employees’ picnic, Dr. Thacker states that a special Sunday train was recently run from Lower Hutt to Upper Hutt, to enable the Wellington Jewish Social Club to hold a picnic. About 250 auv reported to have travelled by tins train, which connected with the Sunday “ordinary’’ at LoWer Hutt. Dr. Thacker maintains that one of the Lyttelton Sunday trains might have been similarly used for the Christchurch picnic.

Tuesday marked tho anniversary of historic importance to New Zealand, being the fiftieth anniversary of the departure of the last detachment of Imperial soldiers sent by the British Government to aid New Zealand in the Maori war. On February 19th, 1870, the steamer Hero left Auckland for Australia with the headquarters staff of the:2nd Battalion, ISth Royal Irish Regiment, and on February 24th the evacuation was finally completed by the departure of the City of Melbourne with several officers and 120 of tho rank and file of tho battalion, after a period of more than six years’ service.

More figures prepared and published In the Government Statistician convince that the cost of living is still climbing higher, f ood, rent, fuel, and light are tno four necessities he- combines, and ho proves by tho general average for the Dominion that ever since July, 1914, except on two occasions when the increases were not apparent, the cost of these four combined materials have increased montti by month. At tho beginning of 1917 the four had advanced 17 per cent. They dropped slightly for a month, then started soaring again with renewed vigour. Similarly in the middle of last year the average was stationary for two months, then it fell a very little, and then ilew up between July and f December from a 32 per cent, increase to one of 38 per cent. Last December the shilling’s worth of groceries cost Is Bd, tho same value dn dairy produce was obtainable for Is 6d, moat Is 4d, and, taking these three food groups together, the average increase upon pre-war prices was just over 10s in the pound sterling.

In regard to the present shortage of labour for construction of hydro-olec-trio plants, a prominent Wellington eii>'ihcer stated yesterday that the whole point was that it was well worth . while to pay a good man a good wage. So long as the capital cost showed that in a, certain number of years, with energy supplied at a certain rate, the plant would pay for itself, wages were a minor factor. Tho thing was to keep the men on the job satisfied that they were getting a square deal. Moreover, there were a groat many ex-Army and Nary men, trained in the handling of materials, men and machinery proverbially handy men—who would help to form a team, who would put tho job through in record time, provided they were given tho chance to cam good money) and had. prospects of continued employment on other works of a similar nature. As energy became available, largo opportunities would open up for . tho employment of men so trained on installation and maintenance work, and in carrying on various amain industries themselves, wherever cheap and convenient powei; was available.

Discussing hydro-electric power supply proposals as affecting Wellington, a well-known city engineer stated yesterday that it was quite clear that Mangahao, even when completed, would not supply the district of which it was the centre with anything like the power needed. Wellington could take 24,000 h.p. itself. Both the tramway and lighting stations to-day were desperately overloaded, and no extensions of service could bo expected without new sources of supply. Wellington must look* to the Hutt River, which, apart from any consideration of necessity, offered distinct advantages in the lower initial cost and the much shorter transmission lines, with tho consequent saving in current. “The City Council,” urged that the engineer "should follow tfib example of the Christchurch City Council in regard to the Wairnakann proposal, and seek powers from tho Government to develop the Hutt River project. The work shoukl bo tackled vigorously, and completed at the earliest possible moment, so that it could bridge over the interval 01 shortage before the general development of the main North Inland schemes,’-

The Workers’ Educational Association, which had applied to the Kurort Borough Council tor its support in a proposed expansion programme, is to ho advised that since the borough is to amalgamate frith the city at the end of next month, the support desired canno be given.

Two English mails are duo at Wellington next week —one by the Athenic from England, and one via San Francisco by the Tofua next Thursday. The latter vessel has an American and Canadian mail. The next English mail expected at -New Zealand arter -tho two mentioned will bo by the Makura from Vancouver, duo at Auckland about -March 18th.

A special meeting of the executive committee of tho Wellington Unturned Soldiers’ Association will be held 6n Friday evening, when the subjects of tlie establishment of a permanent local soldiers’ club, the Prince of Wales's visit, and Auzac Day will bo discussed. These matters were on bho order paper a-t hist night’s executive meeting, hut through pressure of other busintss had to be postponed for consideration at a special meeting.

„ The Dominion executive of .the Returned Soldiers’ Association lias decided to sot up a lands committee in ■Wellington to assist soldiers in the acquisition of suitable sections. Tho committee is desirous that all ox-sol-diers who desire land will forward their names to the local association, also supplying particulars as to the class ol land required and full address of applicants.

The 'Wellington branch of the Returned Soldiers’ Association is cncdaturned Soldiers’ Association is endeavouring to get into . touch with all returned /soldiers in the Wellington district, that is, from Gisborne to Nelson, who are suffering from c.p.ij.i. (chronic pulmonary disease indeterminate) and T.B. with-the idea of ensuring their getting the necessary rr eat aren't. Any men aifcctcd by the disease are advised to communicate with the local secretary.

Eire broke out in a cargo of coal in an American concrete ship _ lying && anchor in the harbour at Lisbon, Portugal, a few weeks ago, and in halt an hour it had gained such headway' that other shipping was endangered and it'' became necessary to sink the vessel. At this seemingly simple task a' Portuguese gunboat worked ' all night firing tho astonishing total of 189 shells into the 3000-ton stone hull before it listed and finally went down in the deep water at th<j mouth of the Tagus River. The glow of the burning vessel, and the warship s desperate bombardment, made a spectacle that kept thousands of excited spectators in suspense for hours.

In view of the inability of the Public Works Department to carry out hydro-electcric schemes expeditiously, a local engineering authority considers that an opportunity should he given some of the larger firms in Great Britain to tendVtr for complete installation on condition of employing a fair proportion of cx-scrvico men and paying a minimum wage upon which the capital cost could be based, with a substantial bonus for the delivery of the energy' within a stated time, all concerned to share in the bonus. The great thing was to got the work done quickly, under conditions fair to all. If present methods failed in that respect, then the Government should be prepared to allow ■ others to be tried