NEWS OF THE DAY

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVI, Issue 10685, 3 September 1920, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

On account of the increase in the cost of postage the price-lists of many Wellington establishments have been revised.

Information has been received from the Acting-Secretary, General Post Office, to the effect that the exchange of money-orders between Germany and New Zealand has been resumed.

The Post Office authorities state that there Is no apparent decline in the number of letters and packages dealt with at the General Post Office since the coming into operation of the higher rates of postage.

Holding that every one of the items on the 'big loan schedule will be essential within the next five or six years, the Town-Planning Association is urging its members to vote for the complete list on September loth. A general meeting will probably be held Shortly before polling day to further stimulate interest and to explain points to ratepayers.

There were 951 cases of infectious diseases reported to the City Council during the year ended March 31st last. These were as follow:—Scarlet, lever 58, uichtheria 311, tuberculosis 91, meaFiies 20, ophthalmia noonatorum 4, cerebro-Bpiral meningitis 11 ,t enteric 61, piiciueral septicaemia 2, erysipelas 9, lethargic . encepthalitis 12, influenza 312, pneumonia 54.

''ls a two-foot rule a tool?" asked the city engineer (Mr W. H.' Morton) during the nearing of the dispute between the Wellington electric linesmen and the Wellington City Corporation yesterday. "It, is certainly a point," said the Conciliation Commiscioner (Mr W. Newton), "but I think it can be classed as a tool, as it is used on every.job."

Tauranga and Russell yesterday enjoyed the warmest weather in the Dominion, the thermometer recordUig 59 at each place. Auokland and Wangaaui were btut three degrees lower Wellington (53) was warmer than usual, while in the South Island cities and towns the thormometer ranged from 54 at Greymouth to 50 at. Port Chalmers and Dunedin, 49 at Christchurch and 48 at Stephen Island.

Unless a consignment, of benzine of correct specific gravity arrives in Taumarunui' before to-morrow the municipal gasworks will be compelled to cease operations. The authorities are in communication, with Auckland and Wellington, but have so far been unsuccessful. Good stocks of kerosene and candles are held locally. .. The council recently refused a permit to a private individual to supply electric light to a number of , shops.

Residents of Shoal Bay (Auckland) had-<a'-good haul from the waterfront one morning this week, when the shore was found to be strewn with clothespegs in hundreds, if not thousands. Children who happened on the find went home with as many as they could carry, and their mothers will be well supplied with this particular commodity for some considerable time. This ivhblesalo distribution "was probably the result of a case being broken and falling overboard when being landed from some vessel.

The Auckland Price _ Investigation Tribunal has been occupied in making inquiries On a'" number of complaints about excessive charging, among other articles of. inquiry being cream separators. The tribunal discussed at some length complaints before it respecting the amounts showing on hills received .by complainants • for consumption of gas. T,he tribunal ;s now obtaining information from the Gns Company on certain points it is investigating in connection with the complaints before it. ■'■■ ',

Speaking 1 at' the Friends' yearly meeting-' in'" England/'; Mr Maurice* Rountree, in introducing- the question of "Domination o>f Industry"" as a religious rather than an economic question, said: "However kindly and generous the capitalist may be, his nttitudo does not affect the fundamental antagonism under our present system between employer and* employe!*!. There' can be no solution until we get a moral background. Men must be put before goods, and the dominating note_ in industry throughout must be service." ."". . .''

Tilt! taking of evidence and addresses by counsel in connection with the two civil actions whereby Patrick Mun«;avin and Ernest K.'Mexted. both of Po-rirua, farmers (Mr M. F. Luckio), proceeded ag-ainst Charles Edward Greer, also of Porirua, farmer (Mr T. M. Wilford), for specific performance of two, agreements in respect of the sale of certain properties, together with ' ;&100 damages in each case for tho non-compliance of the defendant with the terms of the contracts, wera concluded, before tho Chief Justice (Sir Robert Stout) at.the Supreme Court yesterday. Judgment was reserved.

The recently-formed Advertising Institute held its first business meeting at the Y.M.C.A. last evening, when the provisional committee's suggested constitution was unanimously adopted. There was a representative gathering 'of men connected with the advertising interests of the city. The following officers were elected: —President., .Mr W. Simm; vice-president, Mr Rusdcn Salt; secretary-treasurer, Mr F. McComisky; committee, Messrs Harper, R. Hill, J. M. A. llott, Newton, Sexton, and Piatt. It was resolved to cable greetings to tho Australasian "ad." men now assembled in convention at Sydney. . There have been few instances in Canadian history of a more rapid rise in political life than that of the new Minister from New Brunswick, the Hon. R. W. Wjgmore, Minister for Customs and Inland _ LeBB than 10 years ago he was driving a milk wagon in St. John. To-day he is filline an important Cabinet position with a galary of £BOOO a year. In the interval he has become' associated with Thomas Nagel, of St. John, in the Nagel Lumber Company, and has other large interests in New Brunswick. Ho was an alderman for many years, and City Commissioner when elected to the House in .1917.

During the discussion at the Conciliation Council yesterday in the matter of the dispute between the Wellington electric linesmen and the Wellington City Corporation, one of the. assessors for the employees stated that in the case of the telophono ond telegraph departments, all men reported at the station before the commencement of work, whilo electric linesmen were at present required to report on the job. "Yes. but you don't hold up the Telegraph Department as a model of efficiency, do you 9 " remarked Mr S. I/aughlan, one of the assessors . for the corporation. "No, not bv any means," was the reply, and considerable lauehter followed th« sally-

A donation of £5 was granted by the City Council last night to the Wellington Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

The Defence Department has receiv. ed the sum of £5 conscience-money from some person unknown. The money was received by the war expenses branch.

In the Magistrate's Court, at New Plymouth yesterday, J. G. Geitch, waa fined £2O for selling milk deficient in fats and solids. The analysis showed 31 per cent, of added water.

The Mokoia arrived at Suva at 1 p.m. on Wednesday • from Auckland. She sails to-day for Tonga and Samoa, and leaves Fiji on September 16th with a full cargo of sugar for Auckland.

The poll yesterday for the Manaia Town Board water and drainage proposals, to raise a loan of £36,000, was carried by 145 votes to 111. Out of a total of 301 on the roll 257 votes wore cast. One was informal.

In July, 2 i inches of rain fell at Seatoun, nearly . 3 inches at the Karon reservoir, and 5 inches at the Summit. During the month the heaviest * rain in the North Island fell at Waitomo, where 7i inches were recorded in nine days.

Keen appreciation of an act of public spirit on the jpart of Messrs Cadbury Bros, and Fry'a Ltd., was expressed' by the Town-Planning Association the other evening, when it was announced that these firms, through Mr F. Meadowcroft, had made a donation of £IOO towards the funds of the association.

A party of 22 Chinese arrived from Sydney this week by the Maheno. Of these only 16 applied for admission into the Dominion, and were allowed to land here. The remaining six were through passengers for Tahiti, and will leave for their destination by the- Taluhe on September, 11th. The total number of Chinese who have landed at Auckland since the beginning ot the year is now 581.

The Auckland City Council called on the New Zealand Rugby Football League to donate £25 to charity, on account of having mad© an, overcharge for certain scats in the Domain when the test match England v.. New Zealand was played. The council of the league has accordingly decided to-give. £ls to the St. John Ambulance Association >. and £lO to Sister Esther's Fund.

The word ''Rumford" recently came before the reiiistrur of patents for registration, but an opposition was lodged on behalf of Rumford Chemical "Works,, who were represented by Buddie, Anderson and Kirkcaldie. The application was made by Baldwin and Rayward on behalf of'Clifford Love and Co., and -the • registrar has decided to allow the with costs against the opponent.

In the House of Representatives, Mr J. Vigor Brown (Napier) gave notice to ask the Prime Minister, whether Cabinet .would . T.econsider the question of granting a bonus or allowance to ex-officers of the Public Service who were at present in receipt of a small superannuation allowance. He understood, he added, that Cabinet had decided to take no action regarding such an allowance.

It is stated that recently two far-. triers in the "Mnn'aia' district, on kindness bent, put in a day top-dressing a field for a neighbour, who was tinfortunately laid up in hospital, obtaining tho manure—as they thought—from the farmer's barn. All appeared well until tho owner of the farm was discharged from hospital, _ when he discovered he was minus six bags of cement, and tho manuro was still in tho shed—and cement is scarce.

■' At n mooting of the Canterbury Egg Circle it- -was- -decided. to guarantee tho summer' supply at two shillings per dozen. The meeting expressed the appreciation of the- action of tho Wheat Controller in setting aside a certain •quantity of ,wheat for poultry. It was stated that if it had not been for the provision made by the Government the poultry industry would have been 'ruined, : and eggs "would have been so scarce as "to command three shillings a dozen for the summer.

A flask of gunpowder and a number of cartridges were recently forwarded' with refuse to the Wellington city destructor, according; to a report placed before the City Council last evening by the finance and property committee, and an accident which might have been of a most serious character was narrowly averted. Tho committee desires to impress on the public the p;rave danger that may arise by tho thoughtless placing of explosives • .and highly inflammable materials in rubbish receptacles.

Tho House of Representatives yesterday granted two days' leave of absence to Mr A. Harris (Waitemata) on account of illness in his family, and four days' leave to Mr J. Horn (Wakatipu),. on account of illness. Four days' leave of absence was allowed to Dr. Tbacker (Christchureh East) on account of urgent public business, and for the same reason two days' leave each was granted to Messrs G. W. Forbes (Hurumii), T. E. Y. Seddon, (Westland),' F. F." Hockley (Rotorua), and the Hon. A. T. Ngata (Eastern Maori).

A number of recommendations in regard to taxi-stands in the city were approved by the City Council last night by the bylaws committee, as folio^: —That authority be granted for all positions on taxi-stands to be balloted for, the places allotted by ballot to be held for a period of three years; that the number of cars to be allotted to the stands in the city be 130, as '>• ?:nment Printing Office, 10 Ciii'j; xjrovernment Buildings and AVhitmore street, 12; Ballanco, street, 7; Public Trust Office and Stout street, 16; Brandon street, 16; Featherston 6treet, 16; Customhouse quay and Hunter street, 16; Lower Cuba street, 14; Gkuznee street. 7; and that the Telephone, Department be asked to allot new telephone numbers to all stands. Had- the Prime Minister seen the recent cablegram with regard to the immigration conferenoo to be held at Geneva under the auspices of the League of Nations? asked Mr P. Friser yesterday afternoon; and would an opportunity be given to New Zealand, to appoint representatives of the Government, the employees, and the employers to attend "that very important gathering? Mr Masseys When is.it to be held ? Mr Fraser said that a reply to the invitation to the conference was requested before November next. Mr Massey stated that so far as ho knew* no communication had come to the New Zealand Government in regard to the conference. He would have the matter inquired into, because New Zealand, as a member of the Leagu* of Nations, was entitled to be communicated with in regard to the matter.