HEWS OF THE DAY

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVI, Issue 10632, 3 July 1920, Page 6

HEWS OF THE DAY

All civil appointments in the Defence Degiarttnent are now controlled by the Public Service Commissioner.

The liner Waimana. which left London laati Tuesday, is bringing some aeroplanes for discharge at Lyttelton.

Thomas Crass, at Masterton, was fined £25 in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday for bringing a pared of liquor to a no-license district without it bbing labelled.

Direct taxation per head of population in Britain now amounts to £ls 3s (against £1 11s in* 1914), in Franco £2 7s 6d (13s 6d in. 1914), Italy £2 3s 3d (12s 6d), and the United States £5 8s (3s in 1914).

“Are you aware,” asked counsel during a cross-examination yesterday in the Magistrate’s Court, "that you have the reputation of being a champion liar?” ‘‘Probably I am—in tho sumo manner in which lawyers have the reputation of being champion thieves,” retorted the man.

During the hearing of a case which centred round a disturbance in Tory street, plaintiff was asked if he was afraid of the accused. “Not in a good old British way,” ho l said, ‘‘but when a man picks up two half-bricks to defend himself you never know what he will doi next.”

The Auckland Tramway Officers’ Union met tho Public Service Committee of ,thc City Council in support of a demand for increased pay. No agreement was reached, and the offl cers withdrew. They meet to-morrow to consider further action.—Press Association.

M M. J. Mack, general secretary of* the A.S.R.S., addressed a special meeting of the Thorndon branch last night -on the report of the board recently set up. A resolution was carried recording an emphatic protest against the hurried nature of the ballot, and censuring the council for not, supplying members with the claims of the union.

From July 10th the registry section of the Ordnance 1 now located at the Ordnance Stores, Buckle street, will cease to exist, and its duties will bo carried out in the central registry, at General Headquarters. All communications intended for Headquarters,. Ordnance Department, will bo addressed: “General Headquarters, New Zealand Military Forces, Wellington.”' 1 <

At the fortnightly meeting o/ the Y.M.C.A. Debating Club several impromptu speeches were given by members of the club,' and one prepared spepch was made. The Rev. Mr Burridgo gave an interesting talk on public speaking. He expressed himself as impressed with the standard of the speeches and the size of the audience. Mr Harry Hart (president of the cluboccupied the chair.

As evidence that the world supply of foodstuffs hap fallen greatly below the demand, it may be cited that whereas before the war France pror ducer about one million tons of sugar annually in 250 beet sugar factories, she is now expected to produce less than 150,000 tons in the 100 factories which remain after the invasion of her territory. In Germany the area under sugar beet cultivation has declined nearly 20 per cent. During the month of June 02 seek.ers for employment were assisted by the Dabour Department einplovmenr l bureau out of a total of 101 applicants. Thirty new applications were received during the month from employers in search of hands. ' During the past week, out of IS applications, 15 men were placed, four in Government and six in private jobs; five men were assisted by reduced fares.

The extreme north of Auckland was the warmest spot in the Dominion yesterday, the thermometer reading 5S degrees. Auckland showed 5-1, Gisborne 57, Wanganui 56, Wellington 53, Greymouth 50, Christchurch 64, Dunedin 55, and Bluff 52. Six degrees covered the variations throughout the whole of Now Zealand yesterday. In the North Island the barometer ranged from 30.35 at Wellington to 30.58 in North Auckland. In the South Island the barometrical readings wore from 30 to 30.42.

In the House of Representatives yesterday the Wanganui Borough CquncJi Vesting and Empowering Bill, intro, duced by Mr W. A. Veitch, was read a first time and referred to the Local Bills Committee. The preliminarybusiness was completed by 2.50 p.m.,j and Mr W. D. Lysnar (Gisborne), who had moved the adiournmeqt the night before, then continued the debate on the no-confidenco motion. He was fol* lowed: by other speakers, and the House rose at 10.60 p.m. The debate will be continued on Tuesday. In its first annual report the Onslow Progressive Association refers to the refusal of the Railway Department of the request that season and return tickets from Khnndallah and Ngaio to Wellington should be available for return to Kaiwarra on the Hutt line. It ‘is pointed out by the association that this would bo an advantage to residents who desire to walk part of the way and could not possibly mean any loss to .the department. The association still hopes that this reasonable request may yet he secured. Onion growers in Victoria are pressing for protection against the importation of onions from Japan. A large deputation of growers pointed out to the Acting-Minister for Customs that Japan is sending extensive quantities of onions to Australia (the value of -the imports last year' was something like £34,000), and asked that the duty pn onions, which was recently increased under the new tariff from Is to Is 6d a cwt., should be fixed at £6 a ton. The protection was asked for only with regard to onions imported from Japan, end was not to ho applied to imports from New Zealand or other countries employing white labour.

At the annual meeting of the Onslow Progressive Association, Sir David Hutchins gave an interesting account of the steps taken by- a deputation to the reserve committee of the City Council to secure adequate fire protection of the domain; unquestionably a very beautiful and valuable asset to the district. Many speakers also referred to the Railway Department’s, now village at Kaiwarra, and the general feeling was that the Government experts were not helping forward the general health of the community and the higher ideals of townplanning by erecting the typo of cottages that were now under course' of construction. The department’s action in placing dwellings between the lino and cliff beside, the Hutt road was roundly condemned.