NEWS OF THE DAY

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVI, Issue 10718, 12 October 1920, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

White Island; is reported to have been unusually active of late.

'Of 220 children on the'roll of the infants' — department at the Napier main school. TSO were absent last week through illness. »

"Why did you lend this Maori the money?" was asked of a witness at the Auckland Magistrate's Court. The answer was probably not what counsel for the native expected: "Because I was foolish."- - - ' :

A conference of delegates of fire boards in the. Dominion, will be held in Wellington this -week, when matters of importance to fire boards and fire brigades in the Dominion will be under discussion.

"We are assured that the prospects of establishing a- School of Forestry in Canterbury are very favourable indeed,'-' said the president of the Progress League at -a meeting., "The whole of New Zealand, outside Auckland, believes that the school should be at Canterbury College.

"It was a land grant I got for the war," remarked a Maori witness at the Auckland Magistrate's Court. The magistrate looked ' hard at the witness, whose age was 75 years, where* upon a lawyer explained that this grant was in" connection with the Waikato war of 1863-6, the witness having fought on.the side of the Europeans.

As a sign of the times, the Wellington Returned Soldiers' Association, which' has for some time past provided for its members at the club-rooms a cold'luncheon at midday for ninepence, has been obliged to increase the price to one shilling. The buffet is patronised by between 150 and 200 association members daily.

"Wo are likely to have a very severe commercial slump about the end of this year," writes a correspondent from England, "mainly owing to excessive wages, which have killed nearly all the foreign _ trade. K% this will have its reflection in New _ Zealand, you can-keep a lookout for it. I understand that several big motor firms, though they have two years' orders on hand, are on tho verge of bankruptcy. The whole position, is very precarious."

The dispute between the Wellington City Licensed Hotel Workers' Union and the. employers was heard before the Conciliation Commissioner (Mr W. Newton) on Friday. The parties were unable to arrive at a sot tlement, <all points except wages and hours being agreed upon. Since the matter of hours is being dealt with by the Legislature, it was decided to leave that clause open, and to refer it, together with that of wages, to the Arbitration Court. Th- of .a "half-way house," at ivliicii ueroiicts of society would be received, formed the subject of a letter from the Minister for Justice, the Hon. E. P. Lee, in reply to representations recently made ito him. The Alinister stated that the matter was one of finance, but be hoped to be ablo to do something in this connection shortly.. It is pointed out that some of -these unfortunates, with no home to go to, are become prisoners, who will be released by death alone. It is frequently a source of much gratification to " the officials' of the Wellington Returned Soldiers' Aaiociation upon receiving expressions of appreciation of the association's efforts on behalf of returned men and their dependents. The secretary has received a letter from the son of a -widowed mother thanking the association for its assistance in obtaining for her an increased widowed mother's separation allowance. "My mother wishes to convey to you," he wrote, "her heartfelt thanks for your kind endeavour on her behalf, and whilst doing «o, I, too, must thank you for the kind attention you have devoted to our case." Many suchcommunications are being received by the association.

The ex-mine-sweeper Veronica left Wellington harbour at 1 p.m. yesterday for Westport.

The innovation introduced into thi children's ward of the Auckland Hospital of teaching the convalescent patients daily lessons promises to give good results.

Two owners of property in Petone whose premises were reported to be in need of repairs by the health officer, have been given fourteen days by th< iJorough Council in which to carry ou< the necessary repairs.

"The Napier Chamber of Commerce, Nax)ier, New Zealand, America," was the address on a letter posted in E.OUmania to the Napier Chamber of Commerce. The letter reached its destination . safely.

In his monthly report to the Petont Council the borough inspector (Mr W. B. Gough) stated that fifty motor-car drivers had been summoned for exceeding the speed limit in the borough. Over forty cases had been dealt with and the defendants fined.

"We are in a most fortunate position with regard to finance," said the chairman of the Wanganui Harbour Board at the last meeting. "We have enough money to enable us to carry pn for three or four years. Other local bodies who are wanting money are finding it extremely difficult to get it."

In compliance with a request, from the Petone Ambulance Van Commit*, tee, the Petone Council has undertaken to provide a driver for the van satisfactory arrangements can be made. The Ambulance Committee has agreed to pay for the time-lost to the councij during the absence of the employee.

JMr ("Cairo") Bradley delivered another interesting and instructive address yesterday, it being the second of the series on 'The Curse of Matrimony, and its Cure." As on previous occasions, (the speaker held the attention of his large audience to the close. The "Wellington session has* been a marked success".

The first engine to be erected of the two which the Napier City' Council sold to.the Wanganui Borough Council has broken down, and cannot be put righj; by the engineers there. It is possible that one of the engineers_from the Napier power-house will be sent over to assist in putting the engine right.

It is stated that Mr Freed (of the Government Statistician's office) and a railway official are proceeding' to America to inquire into the merits of bookkeeping machines in vogue there. It is said that this ia the precursor to the introduction of these labour-saving machines into some Government departments.

A Press Association telegram states that the Christichurch City C'ounci' last 7 night carried the following- • motion:—''That this council strongly protests against jthe proposal Government to compel local bodies to collect' an income tax of 2s 6d' in the £ on debentures issued by local bodies; being of opinion that such a provision would prevent local bodies from raising loans on favourable terms."

"Burning Questions of the Day" wa« the subject of am address delivered ny the ißev. Howard Elliott, organiser for the Protestant Political Association, at St. Thomas's Hall, Newt-own, last night. There was- o numerous attendance/at. the meeting, which took the form' 'of a. Protestant rally. The speaker received an attentive hearing, and at the conclusion of his remarks, several new members were enrolled.

A letter from the Petone a West school committee announcing its intention of again affiliating with the association and that its delegates were Messrs Jay and Reynolds, was read at tJie meeting of the Wellington School Committees- Association last night. The two delegates, vjere , welcomed by the chairman and were "approved. The secretary to the Petone High Sihool committee also wrote, stating that the committee wished to join the association, and asking information u to rules, affiliation fees, etc.

Mr I. E. Manning, contractor for the erection of workers' dwellings at Miramar, writes to the "Times" that the nine men who, it was stated in the House, had left their employment were not engaged on his contract, but were employed on Government buildings. He also states that the eix dwellings which should.have been completed a month ago are being constructed by day labour, not \>y contract. Mr Manning concludes: "I may say that 1 have never had a 6trike or a lock-out on any works of mine, and I have been contracting for many years.''

In reply to a letter from the Wellington School Committees' Association protesting against the penal clause with regard t° parents - who failed to obtain medical or dental treatment for their children as instructed by the medical inspectors of schools, the Minister for Education (the Hon. C. J. Parr )wroto stating thai) the clause in the Health Bill was not a new one, but had been Wie law for the past six years. There had, he stated,_ been no complaint of injustice under it in the past, and the Minister assured the association that there would be no cause for such complaint in the future.

A letter emphatically protesting against the three-months' intensive course for the training of teachers, proposed by the Education Department in order to increase the number of recruits to the profession, was received last night by the School Committees' Association from the Wellington Teachers* Training College Old Students' Association. Mr Patterson t moved that the letter be received. The secretary (Mr White) moved as an amendment that the Students' Association be written to stating that as teachers are badly needed at the present time, the School Committees' Association' supported the proposal of the Education Department. The letter w« received.

A lecture upon "Facts and Fancies of the Fourth Dimension"—the sixth of a scries of free lectures by the me-ni-■hers of the Victoria University College Professorial Board—was delivered by Dr Scmmerville, professor of mathematics, at the Town Hall last evening. The attendance was small. The professor illustrated his remarks by means of «. series of lantern Elides. The lecture was of a strictly technical nature*, the lecturer dealing first of all witj the development' of the solid body, with dimensions of length, breadtli and depth, into a involving a fourth measurement and then referring to instances of the fourth dim£„ sion in well-known objects. The pro. fessor received a very attentive hearing, and at the conclusion of the meeting was accorded a - hearty 'vote of thanks.