NEWS OF THE DAY

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVI, Issue 10688, 7 September 1920, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

Lectures at Victoria University were resumed jfsasrday, it being the commencement aS the third term.

The annual conference of directors and boards representatives of technical tchools will be opened by His Worship the Mayor (Mr J. P. Luke, £sq., C.M.G., M.P.) to-day at 2.30 p.m.

"How do you como to remember the date so accurately?" asked counsel ol a witness yesterdav. "Because I was reading a book called 'Friday the 13th' at the time and thought it was unlucky, so wrote it down," naively responded the young- lady.

The new regulations regarding travelling expenses for members of education boards increase the allowances per day to a membor when away from homo from 15s to 17s Cd, which certainly is not extravagant under existing conditions.

A Wanganui resident has received a letter from a. friend in Manchester, in which the latter stated that at the time of writing fresh meat was being retailed at 3s per lb, and there was every possibility of it being increased to 4s.

There is a serious outbreak of sepsis' in cows in many parts of South Auckland and King Country. The symptoms aro.akin to milk fever, except that cows which to all appearances are normal fall- suddenly dead. Farmers are verv much concerned, and officials of the Veterinary Department are very, active in supplying advice.

One of . the finest warehouses in Christchurch is the new building in Lichfield street for the Wellington 'Woollen Manufacturing Company, which is nearly completed. East week the ceremony of placing the copino- stone (a • handsome piece of marbfe) was performed by the chairman of directors (Mr W. H. P. Barher). ,

Mr X. R. Devereaux, of Christchurch, writes to the "Press" with regard to the value of the magpie in ridding the ground of grubs and caterpillars. He refers especially to the North Canterbury district, where the disappearance of the pest ie due to the magpie; hundreds of birds iii that district living entirely on grubs.

At the nest meeting of the "Wellington District Educational Institute Mr Graham will move: "That this branch protest • strongly ; against the proposal to establish an. intensive course of training of three months' duration, as tending to lower tbe standard and status of the teaching profession, and as being extremely unfair to those who have passed through the ordinary course of several years' training." There will also bo* a discussion of the proposed grading ballot.

•That .some people have more money than sense was brought home to an offending "drunk" who appeared at the Napier Police Court. Accused had come to Napier on a visit, arid had been/imbibing freely, and as a result had made many acquaintances. On Bobering down, the folly, of his ways had been brought home to him. * He had immediately to communicate with his bank to stop the payment of cheques amounting .to £286. His possessions- in hard cash ..when arrested only amounted to.Bd, and no fine was inflicted.

It was agreed at the recent Acclimatisation Societies' Conference, that £l5O of the funds of the associated societies should be devoted to the purchase of new game birds. The birds when they come are to be placed in the most suitable surroundings that can be found, irrespective of local • representations, and if - they breed the j-oun? .ones will be thereafter distribute, ed. ■Mr-'G.-W. Mcintosh, in reporting thismattef to the Otago Acclimatisation Society, said it was understood that the selectors were thinking of cliikor and blackcock as likely to suit, but the choice had not yet' been made.

In view of the agitation in New Zealand a review of the pensions of superannuated civil servants, it is in-tea-eating to note that the Imperial Govereument has decided to increase the pensions of retired civil servants. clementarv school teachers, police, and other public servants, in order to rneet the increase in the cost of living. Tho increases, it is said, are "not generous." Pensions nob exceeding £SO a year will be increased by 50 per cent; pensions between £SO and £IOO (£l3O for married people) will be increased by 40 per cent; and pensions between £IOO and £l5O fl£2oo for married peo-i pie) will be increased by 30 per cent. Some hard things are said in tho heat of an election, but Mr W. Parry, Auckland Central, paid a neat tribute to his vanquished opponent in speaking on the proposal to increase members' honorariums. In making a strong plea for a, superannuation scheme, the same to be retrospective, he said that he had in mind his predecessor, who had nut in some fifteen years in the Housb. "Though I do not agree with his political views, I think that such men should bo placed beyond anything like want, and receive adequate pensions. I trust that the superannuation scheme will be extended to include men who have rendered long; service in the Parliament of this country," he said.

From the inception of the Wellington Returned Soldiers' Club the staff of the Bristol Piano Company have do-: nated to the clubhouse society towards tho upkeep of tho institution. The monthly subscription was discontinued at the request of.the society, when it was decided that the soldiermembers should take oyer the club and make it self-supporting. At the time, however, there was still m hand by tho company's staff a sum of £8 ss, and tho. secretary (Mr W. Gordon) has now handed this amount to tho secretary of the Wellington Returned SoldieTs' Association to be used for the benefit of military patients at Porirua Hospital. This act on the part of the Bristol staff is much appreciated by the executive of the association. The election of the delegates to tho triennial conference of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants is to bo conducted on the basis. of proportional representation. This is, it is understood, the first time in the his. tory of New Zealand that represent a tion at a labour union conference has been based upon the proportional system For the purposes of the election each island has been divided into two electorates, returning four delegates each, making sixteen in all. ' It is hoped hv the officers of the society that tho members of the A.S.R.S. will enter into tho spirit of the election seriouslv, as in that case it should be an object lesson, not only to tho workers, but probably to. the Government, also as to the working of this system of representation. Mr t P. J. O'Regan* and the Hon. .Tohn T?iRS have been invited to act as returning officers, and have acceded to tho request.

The postal authorities arc advised that the mails -which left Wellington on July 24th per R.M.S. Tofua via San Francisco, a , / r >od in London on the sth instant.

About 1600 tons of lime per month aro at present being sent out from tha Maurice vill© lime-kilns. The lime is. being used in all parts of the North Island, but chiefly in the Wellington province.

"It is a disgrace for tho council to propose to spend £25,000 on a pavilion on the Basin Reserve when people want houses," said a ratepayer at a public meeting at Newtown last night.

Over £IO,OOO has been deposited with the Napier Borough Council in response to the council's decision to accept money on deposit at 3i. per cent, with a view- to saving the interest charges on the overdraft. The saving to tho council in interest on that amount will be £2ol> per annum.

"Don't you talk to me in that saucy way," said Mr J. S. Evans, S.M., yesterday when an indignant witness would persist in impudently answering His Worship's questions. "If you persist in answering so saucily," continued the magistrate, "I will make you realise where you are."

"If the men on co-operative work for the council at Wainui-o-mata construct the tunnel in two and a-half years they will earn 36s 5d per day, and if it takes three vears they will earn 30s 4d per day." So said Councillor J. M. Dale at a meeting of ratepayers at .Newtown last night.

The gas supply of the city of Auckland returned to normal yesterday morning in consequence of anticipated supplies of soft coal having reached the. Auckland Gas Company (says a Press Association telegram). Sufficient coal, to last for several weeks is now. in" hand.

Speaking at a meeting of ratepayers at South Wellington last night, Councillor W. H. Bennett: ''Citizens should consider loan • proposals from the point of .view of the city jib a whole. It was deplorable, but a tact, that Jin order to keep a. loan proposal alive a little had to bo offered here and there. This should not be necessary."

Qold work was experienced on Banks Peninsula, when," in connection with the Lake Coleridge reticulation system, the. lines were being laid from Motukarara to Devauchelles. Most ot the work was-done at an altitude of orer 2000 ieSt and the line laid was a carrier of '33,000 volts. At times snow was present during the whole of a day's operations.

At the reception .ceremony in Christchurch in' connection with Captain Euan Dickson's return flight from the North. Island, Captain Dickson said that what appealed to him in connection with the. "stunt" was that a victory had been. =won-. by the South Island, which ■•could not' be taken away. * His aeroplane carried two bags of mails for the Postal Department.— Press Association.

"Very good and. God 'bless him," exclaimed an old woman in the court yesterday when the magistrate ordered. Charles Gfurate to serve three months' imprisonment for disobeying a maintenance order. The arrears totalled £l5O and covered a period ot four years. 'The"magistrate, Mr J. S. Evans, 5.M.7 "ordered :that the man be released on payment of the sum ot £26.

Mr R. E. Hornblow, Mayor of Dargaville, who is at present-a visitor to Masterton,- stated that land values in the north of Auckland district have not yet reached anything like their limit.- A great movement is taking place towards the north. The kauri gum industry is exceedingly profitable, and many"syndicates are taking up land with" tho object of exploiting the gum resources. •

Joseph Kelly (aged 22), Horace Naismith (19), and Hanry Nevin (18)_ were charged yesterday at the Opotiki Poli<;e Court with the theft of £1 and a blank cheque book, and with/forging and • uttering a cheque for £8 15s. The accused men pleaded guilty. " They' were sentenced to three days' ; imprisonment with hard labour for the theft, and were,committed td the Supreme Court for sentence on the forgery charge.—Press Association.

A ratepayer who' attended the meeting which was Wblcl at Wellington South last night to discuss the city loan proposals, said he was in favour of the water extension scheme, but it was a crying disgrace that a body ot men ' should' be given the -work of constructing a tunnel for the laying of tho pipes without competition: The men would icceive 4g 6d au hour Ana £3Q,000 he said if the tunnel was completed in two years.

Councillor R. A. Wright informe4 a meeting of Newtown ratepayers last evening that if the M.angahao hydroelectric scheme was to be linked up with Wellington to-morrow, tho present electric plant in Harris street would be useless without extensive and costly alteration. That was the reason 1 he supported th* erection of a power -bouse at Evann Bay. Th» city plant was a non-descriptive one, whue the Government was what was known as the* "standard frequency" system The two systems would not connect without parts of the old machinery being replaced, and even then there tvould 'be a big. loss in power.

Tobacconists in England are be. coming perturbed over tho rapid decline in tlie consumption of tobacco in all forms. Men are smoking less. In Mav home consumption showed a drop of. nearly 2,000,0001 b compared with May, 1019. Sales of cigars are stated to have dropped heavily, and tho demand for cigarettes also had diminished very considerably. The "Cigar and Tobacco World" speaks of "a difference, of nearly . 8,000,0001 b between the tohacco imported'in May last and that brought in during the samo month last year. The bonded warehouse account now stands at tho enormous and unprecedented figure of 330,900,0001 b!" .