NEWS OF THE DAY

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVI, Issue 10540, 17 March 1920, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

The amount of the amusement tas for the Dominion shows a steady increase. For tho year 1918-19 it amounted to £40,290, while in tne nine months' period of 1919-20 it has reached £43,700.

In order to facilitate the transaction ,of business, the Hawke's Bay Education Board has decided to have the minutes of its previous meeting forwarded to each member or the hoard before the next meeting. Mr AV. R. Holmes, Under-Secretary of Public Works, and ■ Mr L. Birks, Chief Electrical Engineer, have visitucl Lake Coleridge. Mr Holmes informed a reporter that they found things' at the power-house, and hi connection with the water supply from tho lake, all 'right.

It is announced in tho ''Gazette" that interest on Government Post Office Savings Bank deposits will, from April Ist, be increased by a quarter per cent. . On deposits up .to £SOO, the interest will be increased from 3J per cent, to 4 per cent., and on deposits from £3OO to £IOOO the rate will bo 32 per cent, insitead of 3} per cent.

f Weraroa Training Farm hoys continue at frequent intervals to make good their escape (states our Obaki correspondent), and it has been suggested thalt a strict watch be kept on their movements. The recent m daring burglary in Levin is said to havn been committed by one of their number.

Tho attendance of visitors at the Newtown Zoo during the first fortnight of this 1 month has been somewhat larger than tho corresponding period last year. The amount of gate pioney taken between March Ist and March 15th was £52 12s_ 6d, as compared with £sl 16s during the opening fortnight of March in 1019.

A disgraceful state of affairs at the Muriwai 'school, near Gisbornc, was disclosed in a letter to the Education Board. It was stated that the accommodation was totally inadequate, and during school hours the air -was poisonous, resulting in several children being ill eaoh day. The school committeo reduced the hours of school attendance and effected an 'improvement'.

The Public Works Dcpartmen/fc has signified its intention ot sending ilr Hardinge, engineer sit Greytown, over 'the Mt._ Hector track for 'the purpose of making an inspection in connection with tho proposed track improvement; It has been decided by the Tararua Tramping Club to make tho trip from Greytown on Saturday nexi, if convenient to all parties. The Otaki committee has been asked to send a representative or representatives to go with the party.—(Correspondent.)

Speaking of ithe rise in tho'price of bread, a retired baker says that during an intimate knowledge of the baking trade in New Zealaud for tho last fifty years ho hae never' known bread to be the price it is to-day. Right up to 1880 bread in many parts of tho Dominion was 5d per 21b loaf, then the price gradually declined till it got as low as 3d in the "nineties," the lowest price bea'ng reached about 1899 and lttOO, when southern flour reached its lowest price, being quoted at £G to £7 por ton. when bread fell as low as 2}d in some parts. About 1004 flour commenced to firm up, and it 'seems to have been firming, ever since, reaching the record price of £l9 to-day.

Departures from the Dominion durin<» February exceeded arrivals by 101. In the corresponding: month' of 1919 there was an excess of arrivals of 681.

One judgment summons «--a.se was dealt with by Mr W. G. vKo'ddell, S.M., at the Magistrate's Court yesterday, M. Siegel being ordered to pay ■W. H- R- Tolley and Sons, Ltd., the sum of £4-5 4s id by March 30th, or in default 21 days' imprisonment.

A special meeting of the City Council will be held tomorrow evening for tiie purpose, of considering a. report from the city engineer in regard to 'electric power, lighting, and waiter supply as outlined in yesterday's "Times."

Captains' Charles MeArthur and F/. W. Cozens, both of Wellington, havu been appointed to. act as nautical assessors at tho magisterial inquiry to be held at Wellington on Friday, concerning the recent mishap to (the coastal stea-ner Baden Powell.

Acting on the advice of tjie reserves and forestry committee, the executive of the Greater Wellington Town Planning Association wrote- to the Marine Department suggesting that poliutukawa trees should be planted on Ward Island. The Minister has replied promising that the suggestion will be considered.

Tho War Office, London, has notified New Zealand Defence Headquarters that it has been decided that free passages to the United Kingdom may be granted to widows and orphans of Imperial Keservists recalled to the Colours from abroad on mobilisation, and who have died whilst serving during the war, subject to the following reservations, amongst others: —Each case to he one of proved hardship; tree passages only to be given to children in cases where the mother is returning to tho United Kingdom, or where they are orphans.

So far the Wellington aerated water manufacturers have not advanced their prices to either the public or tho shopkeepers. A few months ago an increase of 0d ptr gallon on beverages and 6d per dozen on bottles was made, but the rise had no effect on the public. In several other centres the price V-t dozen bottles has been increased from 2s 2d to 2s 4d, but so far Wellington shopkeepers have not been asked to pay more than 2s 2d per dozen bottles. They are retailed to the public at 4d a bottle. "If the wholesale price is further advanced, stated a shopkeeper yesterday to a "Times" reporter, "then ws will have to pass the increase on to the putlie.''

The Rev. Father Petrio had _ the misfortune on Sunday to meet with a mishap while c-n his way to conduct service at Waihoanga (reports- our Otaki correspondent). The driver of the vehicle, he was in had occasion to alight to open a gate and on doing so placed the reins on the back of the horse —always looked unon as a very quiet one. The animal, however, took fright at some motor-cycles and bolted up-hill. Father Petrie, fearing a capsize attempted to climb but of the back of ithe vehicle, but the »peed of the trap was so great that he was thrown out. He received slight abrasions and a shaking, despite which he conducted services both at Waihoanga and at Otaki in the evening.

The "Otago Daily Times" says:—Wo have had submitted to us the terms of a caole message received within the past few days from the London office of a firm of warehousemen, in which the English prices of calicoes, drills, prints, and similar goods ' are quoted. The prices show advances ranging from 250 per cent, over prices that were charged early in 1907 to 52-5 per cent, over prices ruling in 1915. They afford a remarkable illustration of the extent to which manufacturers' prices at Home have risen, and go far to explain the advance in the xet-a.il prices of articles of this description in New Zealand. A Wellington warehousemen to whom the aibovo figures wtere ,shown, said he doubted their accuracy. There had been an enormous rise in price, tut he thought the reference to 1907 and 1915 was misleading. "There is no doubt prices are soaring," he added," tout wtih the competition for wool and the frightfully high prices paid, the English prices have been put up on us."

At. the annual meeting of the Woollen Mill.-owners' Association, held _ in Wellington last week, representatives of the Woollen Mills Employees' Federation attended and discussed wages and conditions. Mr J. A. Frostick (chairman of the Kaiapoi Woollen Mills), referring to tho matter in a Press interview, said that they came in the best spirit. The federation had authority from the Arbitration Court to apply for an inorease in wages, but the delegates wished to let the employers hear the reasons for asking that the increase should ho given. "The arguments and the facts/' .Mr Frostick said, ''showed thalt the employees aro entitled to a very considerable increase, and a unanimotia agreement was reached -that the award rates for men should be increased by 2d an hour, and that the wages of hoys under years, and of women and girls, should be increased by .5 per cent. This arrangement will com© into force at once, and will continue until May Ist, 1921, when the award expires.' Tho delegates stated voluntarily that they would use their influence to induce all classes of workers in the mills to put forth their greatest efforts in production, and they expressed a hope that tho mills would • continue the voluntary assistance out of the profits they gave the employees last year."