NEWS OF THE DAY

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVI, Issue 10563, 14 April 1920, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

On account of .the inability to secure sanitary fittings, the completion of the Petone -sewerage system is being held up.

Over 790 tramcars were utilised to convex- the huge crowd of people who visited tho Royal Show in Sydney on Good Friday

Tho Petone Borough Council has "ranicd a request of the Municipal Bowling Club for an extension of its season to April 34th.

During last week s storm at Petone the electric cable which supplies poa - er to the sanitary pumping stations beci mo defective with tho result that pumping stopped .At one station where there was no by-pass tho sewer filled with water, and some inconvenience was caused. The defect has boon remedied.

The question of the augmentation of stipends which arc less than -£240 ■ a year, was raised at last evening’s meeting of tho Wellington Presbytery, and was referred to a committee for a report. It was stated that tho only Wellington district places affected are Levin (±1225), , Brooklyn (±1170), and Island Bay (£210).

Lower Hutt, which obtains its supply of gas from Pctono, is becoming a very large customer. During -March 0,2911,909 cubic feet of gas were manufactured at the Petone gasworks, and tho quantity purchased by the Hutt totalled 2.141,000 cubic feet. In March, 1919, the Hutt purchased 1,768,000 cuoic feet.

Tho Hutt County Council received yesterday a letter from the Minister for Public Works stating that the Government would build two hardwood bridges on the Upper Hutt-Waikanao road provided tho council would do all tho other work necessary. On the motion of Councillor Whiteman Uio council accepted the offer.

A bazfiar has been opened at Petqnc by the Mayor (Mr J. IV. M.cwan). the proceeds from which are to be placed to the credit of the funds of the P.etone Rowing Club. Mr F. Mothes is chairman of the general committee, and Mr M. Ford is secretary. Tho bazaar is being well pationised, and special entertainments are being provided each evening.

It has beer, reported to the police that light-fingered persons have been operating in Wellington for some time past, and many complaints have bopn_ made recently by people whose pockets have been picked while they stood waiting in queues at places of amusement, at trains, 'coal depots, and tbe like. A number of complaints have also been received by the police from shop-owners whoso tills have been robbed.

In reference to tho orders which are being sent abroad for rolling stock, the General Manager for Railways (Mr R. W. McVilly) states that it was not because of sliortage of labour in the New- Zealand workshops that the purchases were being made outside the . Dominion. There was a shortage of material, and in view of this concentration had been made upon rolling stock repair work,-and this to a considerable extent bad limited tho output of new vehicles during the past year or two.

A (Reward, George Cursey, who in employed on the liner Corinthie, was brought before Mr E. Page, S.M., at tbo Police Court yesterday, charged with having assaulted two co-workers, Charles Francis and ’John Connor, so as to cause them actual bodily harm: In applying for a remand until this morning. Sub-Inspector Emerson said tho accused had bitten one. of tho men on tho nose ond the other on tho leg, but ho did not know any. thing as to the seriousness of tho injuries. Tbo request was approved, bail being allowed in £SO, and one surety of a similar amount.

Speaking at*tho New Zealand Club luncheon at the■ Y.M.C.A. yfcstcrday, Dr. Guy Scholefiold said that wt, would do well not to believe the repeated statements that England is full of Bolshevism to-day. In a Derbyshire miners’ village some timu ago, he added, the miners had met and decided to form a Soviet Republic. Then, to conform with the rules of public meetings, they adjourned the meeting for a week, and next week they decided not to form the republic. " (Laughter.) That, ho thought, was about ns far ns they would got with Bolshevism in the Old Country. (Applause.)

Relies of a bygone age have been discovered at various times in tho Wairarapa district. Recently Dr. A, Thompson and two members of Ins staff (Messrs H. Hamilton and Phillips) proceeded to that district and excavated and hauled by hand from « deep fissure in some limestone rocks, about seven tons of Mon bones, and other valuable fossils. Tho remain* have all been removed to-. Wellington, and arc at present being cleaned, sorted, and classified. Dr. Thomson believes there may he collections In other coves between Pallisor Bar and Napier, and particularly asks that any discoveries be reported.

A memorial to fallen soldiers, which has been erected in the Dream t;eHistory, will be unveiled by Mr W. 1Jennings, M.P., on Anzao Day.

A little girl named Gwen Mairal w!u> took necond place in' the girls’ swimming championship* at Westport, contracted a chill, and died a few days later from pneumonia.

Claims by Mr F. C. M att and Mr L. C. Fama, for the remission of ai> rears of rates accumulated while away on active service were allowed by the Hutt County Council yesterday.

I'ho Hutt County Council resolvc.fi yesterday to support the demand of the Waipa County Council for a vigorous immigration policy combined with a progressive housing policy

'l'he Bluff Borough Council has decided to put 'before the ratepayers a loan proposal involving £12,300, of which £IO,OOO will be for town improveraenta, £2OOO lor a town hall, and £3OO fo» baths.

On the motion of Councillor Calloway. the Hutt County Council decided "yesterday that metal-crushing for the" Makara County Council should eee.se at the end of the present month till otherwise ordered

In a short secret session the Belgium Chamber of Deputies decided provisionally to raise members salaries from 333 francs to 800 francs a month (about £l3 10s to £o2 at prewar rates }on account of an amount hereafter to bo fixed by the Constituent Assembly, which will probably bu 1000 francs.

The clerk to the Hutt County Council w(ti« instructed yesterday to inform the Featherstou Automobile Club that the council does not in;cad to make any deviations in the lliinutaka Hill at the present time, so that the club can proceed with the fencing of tile road aa soon as the necessary wire comes to hand.

The old Spread Eagle Hotel at llugby (England), immortalised in ‘‘lorn Brown’s Schooldays,” is to disappear. The property has been bought by Lord Lcverhulme, who will use the ground [loor lor one of his fish shops. The rooms to be built above will be let out in flats. Already the work of reconstruction has 'begun.

Influenza is more widely prevalent than over in Westport (says tho '“Nows”). Whole families are down with the epidemic. Some of those who were attacked last year have been victims again this year, and in a worse form. Not a few of them have passed through a state of delirium and are left in a very weakened state.

A complaint was received from the Railway Department hy tho Hutt Comity Council yesterday that the dust and flue ,screenings from the council’s crusher near the i’ackakariki station were causing o mutancc, and requesting that, the crusher should' either bo removed or a protective screen erected, 'I bo clerk was instructed to reply chat a screen "as being erected.

Advice has been received from Nelson to the effect that a shortage of fruit cases is seriously interfering with tho gathering of the apple crops. In the Moutere hills thousands of case® of apples are going to waste. Mills were running at top speed to cope with the demand for cases, and complaint was made that the Railway Department was holding up logs at country stations. .

A transaction described as ’‘tho biggest deal that has over taken place in the whisky trade,” is reported Irom Glasgow, where I). P. O’Brien and Co., Ltd., distillers and wine merchants, have purchased the Business of Bulloch, Lade and Co., distillers, the sale including the- three distilleries and large stocks of whisky. The purchase price is stated to have been considerably ovefi- a million pounds.

Mr W. E. Butler, Sunshine Hill, Day’s Bay, wrote to the Hutt County Council yesterday complaining that a gorse fire started hy motorists on the City Council’s property at Mahina Buy had destroyed some fencing and a plantation of pine trees, etc., on his property, doing damage to the extent of £>lso. He asked that the council take steps to keep- its land free from gorso. The totter was received.

The Hutt County Council received yesterday a letter from tho Health Department calling attention to «. nuisance —-an overflowing sepunc -Sunken Mr W. J. Ewart’s property at Day’s Bay. Notice' had previously been given of the nuisance, but it had not been remedied. Mr Ewart also wrote, stating that ho was returning to Wellington at the middle April and would then attend to it. 'l’he matter was allowed to stand over till then.

Sir James Allen, when asked at Dunedin on Saturday whether appointments to the Ministry had yet been made to fill the portfolios of Defence and External Affairs, replied that- they had not, and that he did not definitely know who would ho the new Ministers. Ho added: “The Hon. .C G. Coates took over the administration of Defence whilst I was away on the trip to the Islands, but I don’t know whether ho can keep it on—l have a doubt about it, for ho has had too much to do.”

A deputation from tho Dannevirko district, consisting of tins chairman of the County Council (Mr J. W. Kllingham), and some of its members, laid before the Minister "for Public Works (the Hon. J. G. Coates) yesterday urgent requirements of the district in the matter of bridges. Subsidies worn asked for to tho amount of £16,000. It was stated that some of the bridge* in tho district noro in a very bad state and two at least would bare to bo renewed without delay. Tho Minister said ho would give tho request his fullest consideration.

The “go-slow” policy is spreading in Wellington, and it is apparently being adopfed by tho younger section of the community. An instance occurred at a Wellington college yesterday when a. certain form found out’ that they had a change in mistresses. The girls resolved to give the new arrival a hos. tijc reception, and began “going slow’’ with thoir studies and by making a considerable noise with desk-lids and anything that would send forth sound. Not successful by this, they formed a deputation to tnc lady principal, but, to their dismay, wore informed that “it was tho first time she had heard of a form assisting the bead mistress in arranging the staff. ’’ This brought a Bud. den end to the demonstration and the “go-slow” policy temporarily intro duedd.