NEWS OF THE DAY

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVII, Issue 10811, 29 January 1921, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY

The Blenheim Borough Council, by ! 6 votes to 3, voted in. favour of Saturday 1 for the statutory half holiday.—Press Association. A proposal to run a sports candidate at the Christchurch City Council election in April is not being taken up with enthusiasism by the Canterbury Cricket Association. • At a special meeting of the Dargaville Borough Council, 'Saturday was appointed as the statutory half-liulidlay. Wednesday was the previous half-holi-day. The Wanganui carpenters’ dispute came before Mr W. Newton (Conciliation Commissioner) this week, and a complete agreement was reached on similar lines to that of the Palmerston North carpenters. . Professor Murphy, of Victoria College, recently gave a lecture at Trentiharn to the military patients there. The subject of the lecture was socialism, and Professor Murphy was greeted by a large audience, the members of which took a keen interest in the lecturer's discourse. Yesterday morning a party of voca-' tiom! trainees from Trenthanu Hospital were motored over the hill to Whiteman’s Valley. The patients were shown through the Daybreak Cheese Factory by Mr Bond, the manager, who explained in detail the process of cheese making. Vernon Winfield Linkhorn was, at Qis borne, aammiitted ’for trial cm a charge of bigamy. The evidence Was to the effect that accused was married recently to a Gisibome girl whilst his wife, a native woman, whom he married ait Opotfciki two yeans previously, was still living. The “Poverty Bay Herald” reports that the Maoris at Kuis settlement at iMangapohiatu had the misfortune recently to lose a well-equipp ed sawmill and! three dwelling houses, which were swept a way by a bush fire, which spread from a clearing they are making,: The Minister for Education (Hon. C. J. Parr) met yesterday afternoon the departmental conference of medical inspectors of schools, being ; held in Wellington this week; gave a brief address, and discussed with the conference health questions, so far as -they related to school children. The Farmers’ Union exeotuive art a meeting in Wliangarei resolved to call a representative conference, of co-opera-tive bodies amd others- interested to consider the possibility of erecting cool Stores in connection with the new wharf which the Harbour Board proposes to construct at Kjoreroa. Owing to the destruction of • the freezing works it was suggested that the wider question of buildang Carmens’ freezing might be considered. ■ Same uncertainty has existed whether "the Government had decided to charge for the grading of dairy produce. The Prime Minister stated in Auckland this week that a charge would be made, but it would be so small as to be negligible. He did not remember the exact figure, but he believed it worked out at something like a farthing, a box, which was not a very heavy change for butter at 2s 6d per lb. “I cannot help bulb thank,” writes a correspondent from British Columbia, “that some time in the dim future Canada, and not England; will be the centre of the British Empire. The Labour troubles andhigh coat of living are driving people away from the Old Country, and many great and' wealthy firms of British manufacturers are opening uip works and factories over 'here or buying up loaal industries. It ia the some all over the plaice.”A young woman, Anna' "Woodward (Mr H. F. CLeairy) has been remanded until February 4th on a charge of having received : from Florence Sargent thirty-six sheets, six table cloths, two counterpanes, sixteen towels, and two serviettes, of a total value of £2O, the property of the Union Steam Ship Company, well knowing the said goods, to have been dishonestly obtained. The accused Was .liberated on a hail' of £SO. This season’s fruit yield! in the Auckland district; speaking generally, will be on the light ado. A- rather bad pollenising period Was experienced, . wet weather bei mg' respontahl e. Provided no high winds occur before, the fruit matures, the crop of apples will probably be up to' the average, but the yield of pears is certain to be below the usual. Auckland apricots were badly affected by ripe rot, and are now practically off bhe market.. The peach crop is poor. Fairly large, supplies of grapes are being pilaced on the market, but the price, remains high. A remarkable case of over-population is. that of the Island, of Bukara, in Lake Victoria Nyanza, described by H. L. Duke in the “Corn hill Magazine. ’ ’ This island, with an’ area of 36 square miles, much of which is bare granite, though isolated from the rest of the world, supports a population of 119,000. The small garden plats are carefully marked off and! rights of ownership are rigidly observed. Trees are. valued more- than the land on which they grow. In. some coses one man owned tine trees and another man the ground, A man must not "steal bis neighbour’s leaves, stacks and rubbish. A father may even divide a tree among his children, allotting certain, branches to each. The wool-sorting class ait Tremtham Military Hospital, through the courtesy of Mr W. S. Bennett, manager of Messrs Dalgety and Company, Ltd., were shown the wool clip, which w£H be offered at auction on Monday.. Mir Moody, auctineer, to the firm, took the visitors in charge, explained Hie nature of the different classes: of' wool, and how necessary it was for careful classing in order that the best results may be obtained at auction. The patients were greatly interested in vrhat they were shown, and bfore retiming to Trentham they were entertained by the management, of Dalgety and Oompany at tea. By invitation the members of the vocational wool class will he present at the wool sale in the concert chamber, Town Hall, •on Monday. Reserved decision in respect of the action brought by the police- against William Hall on of having driven a motor-car in a dangerous manner in Constable- street on October Bth last, was delivered by Mr F. K. Hunt, S.M., at the Magistrates Court yesterday, the defendant being convicted and fined £3, together with costs amounting to £7 lls. The magistrate remarked, that because an accident had occurred it did not necessarily follow that a motorist had been guilty of negligent driving. However, in the present case he considered that Hall had been negligent in crossing over to the wrong side of the road, where he struck a boy who was riding a bicycle, and inflicted serious injuries. There may or may not have been contributory negligence on the part of the cyclist.

On Monday afternoon members of the City Council, in conjunction with those of the Miramar borough, purpose inspecting the Miramar district, which comes into the city at the beginning of February. It is estimated that about 400 acres of pasture on the Waihi Plains have been cut for hay this season. The rapid growth of the dairying industry on the plains is also much in evidence. It is reported by a Katikati farmer that the price of pigs in has district is od per pound, which shows a substantial drop. Up till recently porkers were fetching lOd per pound in the district. The Public Works Tenders Board has reviewed the tenders received for the supply of truck wheels and axles for work on the Otira railway. The quantity required w-as not large, and the successful tenderer was Messrs Chambers and Son, Ltd., the contract price being £159 lls 3d. On a charge of failing to comply with the terms of his release on probation, Thomas Pickles (Mr A. B. Sievwright) was yesterday remanded by Mr F. K. Hunt, S.M., to appear at Auckland on February 4th. Bail was allowed in the sum of £IOO. The Returned Soldiers’ Association is now established in the lately-acquired premises in Brandon street. It was thought that it would take some time for members to become accustomed to tile change, - but upon inquiry being made it was learnt that the attendance is keeping up to the averagd. A fine of £1 was imposed on Mary Johnston by Mr F. K. Hunt, S.M., at the Magistrate’s Court yesterday, for two breaches of a prohibition order. The magistrate cautioned the offender that she stood in danger of being sent to Pakatoa Island if she continued the practice. Elizabeth Wilson was similarly penalised for, a like offence. Owing to the fact that the rent was in arrear, Mr F. K. Hunt, S.M., was obliged on Thursday to make an eviction order against the defendant—a man with a wife and eight young children—in a tenement case. The magis-" trate has now received a donation from an anonymous writer towards the support of the family. The city engineer’s department is being transferred from - the Town Hall building to premises recently purchased by the council in Mercer street. *l l he new premises, which were formerly occupied by the . New Zealand Dental Company, have been altered to suit requirements and the city engineer and his staff expect to he installed in their new offices within the next day or two. One of the difficulties of road-repair-ing is the fact that tar can only be laid during dry weather with the appliances at the. disposal of the corporation staff. During his tour of America • and Great Britain, Mr W. H. Morton, city engineer, purchased a special tarring machine, and it is expected to arrive in Wellington shortly. The machine in question has been designed for the purpose -of treating maoadam with tar so that the tar can "he placed upon the roads in practically any weather. This, it is confidently anticipated, will facilitate the work of road construction and repair.