NEWS OF THE DAY

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVII, Issue 10851, 17 March 1921, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

The Mayor of Auckland (Mr J. H. Gunson) paid a flying visit to Wellington this week to interview the Minister for Finance regarding the City Council’s finances in connection with the electricity extension loan of £500,000, for which the tenders are being held over pending satisfactory financial arrangements.

The Auckland Prices Investigation Tribunal recently received a complaint against a country doctor, alleging that, charges made by him for services rendered were excessive. Another complaint was in respect of a storekeeper’s charges for kerosene. These matters Will be investigated in due course by the tribunal’s officials.

At an extraordinary general meeting of the South British Insurance Company, held at Auckland, the shareholders confirmed the resolution passed last month increasing the directors’ remuneration to £4OOO a year, or such other sum as may be fixed by the company in general meeting, the money to be distributed among them in such manner as the directors shall from time to time determine.

Sounds of smashing glass from the direction of the Christchurch Cathedral at about one o’clock yesterday morning aroused the attention of a few people in the vicinity at that lonely hour. There were several crashes, suggestive of a window being broken. A few minutes later a policeman escorted a woman and a girl from the shadow of the Cathedral to the central police station. It transpired that the woman had apparently thrown bottles at the Cathedral, for some reason undisclosed. The girl, aged about 16 years, was her daughter. While giving evidence before a sitting of the Canterbury Land Board, a returned soldier, a T.B. case, who was applying for assistance to enable him to take up poultry farming, stated that he was at present in receipt of £8 10s a week. Being a married man with a wife and two children, he was receiving a pension and allowances of £5 10s a week, and since he was receiving instruction on a poultry farm at the Cashmere Hills another ‘£3 was allowed him as sustenance money. The applicant was about 26 years of age, his occupation being given as that of a gardener.

Could the Finance Minister do something in the way of providing a pension allowance for a Mrs Perow, a widow with ten children, resident in the Hutt electorate, asked Mr T. M. Wilford (Leader of the Opposition) in the House of Representatives yesterday afternoon. Mrs Perow, said Mr Wilford, was a New Zealander, as her husband had been. Seven of the children were bom here and three in the Northern Territory of Australia. Mr Ptjrow had'died there, and the New Zealand Government had paid the passage money to bring his widow and children back to the Dominion; but owing to her having been seven years away she was not entitled to the widow’s pension, and the family was in very straitened circumstances. Mr Massey said that he believed he remembered the case. , He did not think that anything could Nbe done by way of pension, bun we oould not allow the family to starve, and he thought it was quite possible to make provision from the immigration fund. These were immigrants, though not ordinary immigrants, and he hoped and believed that they would be valuable citizens. (Hear, hear.) He would see what could be done. (He.ar, heart

A cable mes-sage states that -T. H. Kirkwood, tile Australian golf champion, has arrived at San Francisco on the Sonoma. The Davis Cup, which was won by America, was also aboard the vessel.

Three charges of indecently assaulting a male were preferred against Leslie Benjamin at the Magistrate’s Court yesterday. After evidence at considerable length had been heard the accused pleaded not guilty, reserved his defence, and was committed to the Supreme Court for trial. Bail was fixed at £IOO and one surety of £IOO.

Replying to Mr 11. A. Wright (Wellington Suburbs), the Minister for Public Health (the Hon. C. J- Parr) stated in the House of Representatives yesterday afternoon that there would be no legislation introduced this session to give relief to unregistered dentists, as recommended by a committee of the House last session.

Watermelons are realising high prices at auction this week in Auckland. This is no doubt due to the fact that the supplies from Sydney were not available owing to chipping being held up by the strike. The result has been very beneficial to local growers, as lots sent in this week averaged 3s 6d each, which, pays handsomely.

The Hon. E. P. Lee, Minister of Industries and Commerce, has telegraphed to Mr Albert Spencer, Auckland, chairman of the Building Advisory Committee to the Board of Trade, acknowledging receipt of the resignation of the members. He sfates: I ‘l shall be glad to go into and consider the whole matter and reply later on.”

A draft of 35 Territorial and Senior Cadet non-commissioned officers have come down to Trentham from Auckland to attend a voluntary course of instruction for two weekis. Their work will include phiyeticrril training, musketry, infantry drill, and machine gunnery. The enthusiasm manifested by the non-commissioned officers of the various companies is a valuable factor in maintaining efficiency in the unite.

The fortnightly meeting of the S.P.C.A. took place at the secretary’s office, Customhouse quay, last evening. The president (Mr F. Meadowcroft) was in the chair. The inspector’s report dealt with several cases of cruelty, two of which he was bringing before the ' court. Subscriptions received amounted to £5 19s, including £1 Is each from Mrs C. H. Savile, Mr EL Headland, and the New Zealand Meat Packing Co.

When completed there will be 1200 military and Imperial overseas soldiers’ cemeteries in France and Belgium. They will be along the front held by the British and overseas forces, and two of them have been completed. One of the completed cemeteries is situated at Forceville, about 5J mileß northwest of Albert, and the other at Louevencourt, three miles further away in the same direction. Each grave has a permanent headstone.

“I have just returned from Central Otago, where sheep were selling at 9s a dozen,” was the remark of Dr J. P. Frengley, Assistant-Inspector of Hospitals, when faced at Ashburton with a hospital-building programme to cost £25,000, to which the Government was asked to contribute half in the form" of subsidies. Apparently the Hospital Board did not require to be told that this was another way of asking: “Where is the money to come from P”

A curious occurrence was related to a Christchurch reporter on Monday night. It was stated that at about 8.30 p.m. a girl was 6een apparently in the company of a man on the Oxford terrace bank of the Avon, near Churchill street. The man rode off on a bicycle, and the girl either fell or E imped into the river. Miss Daisy ochore, who lives in Oxford terrace, and who was by the opposite bank of the river, jumped into the river fully dressed, and brought the other girl out.

That the case of children burnt in the North recently was due to badlymade and explosive matches was suggested in the House of Representatives yesterday afternoon by Mr E. J. Howard (Christchurch South), who asked the Minister for Industries and Commerce to have samples taken of the matches now on sale and test them as to their explosive character. He knew of a case in which a woman had been burnt through matches exploding; and he had had a box explode in his own hands the other day. The Hon. E. P. Deo said that he would he pleased to look into the matter.

That returned soldiers and other settlers should be given the opportunity of acquiring transport service wagons, was suggested in the House of Representatives yesterday by Mr G. Witty (Riccarton). The Minister for Defence (Sir Heaton Rhodes) said that arrangements had been made for the wagons to be exhibited in the four centres so that farmers and others could see them and tender either to buy or to hire them. He hoped that they would buy them right out, because if they were ever wanted for war purposes, and he sincerely hoped they would not, they could always be commandeered.

Great Britain and Australia have given war medals to the Y.M.C.A. secretaries who did good work at the front, stated Colonel Mitchell, M.P., in tlie House of Representatives yesterday; and he expressed the hope that New Zealand would follow the example thus given. Sir R. H, Rhodes (Minister for Defence) stated that so far no medals had been issued to any but members of the N.Z.E.F. He knew the good service that the Y.M.C.A. secretaries liad rendered to the N.Z.E.F., but there had been objections at Home to men who were not under fire receiving war medals. He would, however be glad to look into the matter, and see whether New Zealand could follow the example of the War Office. He would acquaint the lion, member during the recess lvith the decision of Cabinet. He knew that many of the Y.M.C.A. workers were under fire, and that some, unfortunately, lost their lives.

• That the Government should prohibit the importation of egg-pulp into the Dominion, was strongly urged in the House of Representatives yesterday by Mr L. M. Isitt (Christchurch North). A poultry-farmer in Christchurch, who had 2000 fowls on a three-acre suburban garni, had told him recently that he had an incubator that would hatch 4500 chicks at once, and had just imparted another of the same capacity, so that he could now hatch 9000 at once. By the way, he complained that he had topay £63 in duty on the incuba-" tor. This poultry-farmer had informed the hon. member that if the importation of egg-pulp was stopped, he would in six months double tne number of his fowls; and he (Mr Isitt) believed that if it was prevented coming in the poultry-farmers of New Zealand would rise to the occasion and supply at a reasonable price all the eggs tnat were required in the Dominion. (Hear,-hear.) The Hon. W. Nosworthy (Minister for Agriculture) : What about the cost of living? Mr Isitt: I have just been trying to show that ultimately it would not be increased at all.

Tlie Wellington United Services’ Officers' Club is entertaining its patron, His Excellency the Governor-General, at the Empire Hotel on Monday next. The attention of officers who have not received invitations is drawn to an advertisement elsewhere in this issue.

Mr E. J- Howard (Christchurch South) gave notice yesterday to movo in Parliament for a return showing the number of letters being carried weekly between Christchurch and Timaru by aeroplane, and the cost to the country per week.

A witness during the hearing of an appeal before the Railway Appeal Board yesterday said that many tradesmen thought it a fair thing to take the railways and shipping companies down by understating weight of goods for transit.

“I never did bother much about the price of native land,’’ remarked tlie Hon. A. T. Ngata, in the House of Representatives, yesterday, “because the price only made a difference as to whether it was a longer booze or a shorter booze.”

In the case of military wagons, stated the Minister for Defence yesterday, an arrangement has been in operation for some time past for their hire by otlher State departments at £5 a year. This privilege has now been extended to municipalities and other local bodies, and also to private citizens.

The jregjmenttal identification discs that are being found in the graves of sold id's in Belgium and France are being forwarded to their next-of-kin. This is being done principallv to set the minds of relatives at rest that their dear ones resting places have been located and the bodies removed to concentrated cemetries.

One locomotive fitted for burning small coal is already on order, stated the Minister for Railways (the Right Hon. W. F. Massey), in the House of Representatives, yesterday, in reply to a plea by Mr Isitt (Christchurch North) that very great economy would result, as Mr Thomson, of Dunedin, had shown, from -the use of small coal on our railways.

Teams of bowlers from Wanganui intend visiting Wellington next month to play teams selected from clubs in the Wellington centre. Last month a party of howlers from Wellington journeyed to Wanganui and played games there. They were entertained most hospitably, and an effort is to be made to return the compliment. The opening games will be played in Wellington on April 7th.

The Imperial War Graves Committee is still engaged in recovering the bodies of soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice in the Great War in France and Belgium. From recent advices 130,000 bodies have been removed to military cemeteries. The work can only be carried on during the spring, autumn, and summer months. The bodies buried in isolated graves are being removed in order that their memories may be perpetuated.

Hie Commissioner of Taxes draws attention of taxpayers to the notification appearing in to-day’s issue that returns of land must be furnished not later than April Bth. Forms of return may be obtained at any postal moneyorder office; they will not be sent to taxpayers from the office of the Commissioner of Taxes unless written application is made for thorp. Lessees in occupation of land owned by natives are now required to furnish a return of land so occupied.

“Why not sit all the year,” interjected the Hon; C- J- Farr (Minister for Health and Education) last night in the course of Mr H. Atmore’s protest in the Address-in-Reply debate against the lengthy prorogation of Parliament. Mr Atmore: “It might be necessary, if the hon. minister speaks so much.” Mr Parr: “I haven’t spoken yet in this debate.” Mr Atmore: “You have made quite a big speech in interjections. (Laughter.) You are building up your speech a s the British Constitution was built lip by many bits of mosaic.” (Laughter).