NEWS OF THE DAY

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVII, Issue 10951, 13 July 1921, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

Nearly 2000 firearms have been registered with the police for the Masterton district. Very few of the owners have troubled to collect their certificates. which remain in the hands of the police.. Most of the weapons are pea rifles and otiler sporting guns. 'Bus-driving apparently looks good to many people as' a means of earning a .livelihood (says the “Manawatu Times”)- When applications closed with the Palmerston North borough engineer for eight drivers for the borough ’buses, no fewer than 125 mep had applied.

‘‘l see that there is some dispute in progress as to the ownership of Hagley Park,” said Dr. Blackmore, in the course, of his lecture on “The Welfare of the Child,”, given before the Workers’* Educational Association at Christchurch. “It would be a good thing if ’ho park were*utilised for open-air schools, while they are settling it.”

The writer of football notes in the "Wanganui “Chronicle,” commenting on a recent match, has probably suffered from the carelessness of a proofreader When' he is made to say: “Improvement was also 1 effected by the playing of Williams at centre-three; quarter, where his face was a great asset.”

At the Magistrate’s Court at Christchurch, Mr Wyvern Wilson, S.M., commenting- on the fact of a witness calling his occupation “a trade,” said he was pleased to hear reference to ‘j»trade,y as the modern tendency was to have all occupations termed professions. Only recently a butcher had come before him claiming that he “could cut a pound of steak with any man in the profession.”

Speaking at Christchurch, Mr D. G. Sullivan, M.P., stated thdt the Labour party did not now accept nationalisation as its ultimate ideal, and, to prevent the evils of bureaucratic administration of industry, the party supported a form of administration based upon the co-operation of the State and the workers employed in the industry, each having representation on the committee of management.

“It is staggering to see the number of Hindus who are conning into this couintry,” remarked Mr A. G. Foddy, when speaking for a deputation to the Palmerston North Borough Council. Mr Foddy especially mentioned the largo numbers to be seen on the streets of Auckland and in the small towns of the Main .Tfunk. A great many were finding their way to tho timber mills, one mill near Ohakune being full of them.

The timber market at Dunedin ia much easier than it was six months ago, and tho West Coast mills are now looking for orders. The South Otago and Southland mills, says the “Otago Daily Times,” are also able to execute orders, and in some cases where a company owns several mills one of these has been closed down and the others are not working full time. The high rates of wages which are involved both in the production of the timber and in the building of bouses will probably cause the prices of timber to maintain their present level for some time to come.

The value of sunlight and fresh ail* was emphasised by Dr. Blackmoro in his lecturo to tho W.E.A. at Christchurch- Ho gave an instance which proved that a freely circulating supply of fresh air acted as a preventative of infection. Guinea-pigs were .most susceptible to tuberculosis, and some had been kept near the bedside of a man who was in the advanced stages of the disease. The patient was in a proper ."belter, which admitted the sunlight and fresh air, and the guinea-pigs, although they were kept near him . for weeks, did not contract the disease, "hut niter being kept in a room with the patient for one night they became infected and suhsmiiwn.uk died.

Some 968-1 acres of land are to be opened for during the present month; and 1097 acres in August.

Sixty-five operations were performed at the Napier Hospital last month, of which 29 were major and 36 minor. No fewer than 125 men applied for the eight vacancies of ’bus-drivers for .the Palmerston North borough ’ buses. It is reported that 20 objections have so far been lodged against the recent valuation of the Mastertpn borough. There are 59 persons in receipt of old-age pensions, and five in receipt of widows’ pensions, in Mastertpn. . Unguarairteed maintenance fees owing to the Hawke’s Bay Hospital Board that were outstanding on June Both totalled £26,080. The total sum sued for in the Masterton Magistrate's Court during the past quarter was £4620 16s lQd, and the amount recovered £l4Ol 18s 2d. The .Mayor’s appeal for the advance payment of rates before dispatch of the demands, lias realised to date between £4OOO and £SOOO. Amounts of varying magnitude aro reported to be coming in daily. The Postal authorities have received advice from Sydney that the s.s. Moeraki sailed on the 9th instant for Wellington. Slie carries 1470 bags of Australian and United Kingdom mails, including 3.5 from the East and 4 from Africa.

The contents of a post office letter box. attached to a. shop in Newmarket, Auckland, were destroyed by fire one evening recently. It is conjectured that the fire was caused by a match or the lighted end of a' cigarette being thrown into the box.

“I look upon the W T orkers’ Educational Association i movement as ono of the best things that has come forward in this generation,” said Dr. Blackmore, of Christchurch ,recently. -‘To me there is only one thing better in life than education, ana that is health.”

A Press Association telegram states that Mr T l . B. Williams, Mayor of Wanganui, was knocked down by a motor-car when proceeding to a council meeting last night. No hones were broken, but Mr vVilliams was badly knocked about. * He was taken to a private hospita.l A later message stated that Sir Williams broke one of his arms

\a curious coincidence in the names of three consecutive applicants at the Labour Department Employment Bureau in Ghuznee street was noted by the officer in charge last weekj The names of the callers, in the order of their appearance, were English, Gentleman, and Justice.

The Acting-Minister for Railways (the Hon. D. H. Guthrie), and the general manager of railways j(Mr R. W. MoVilly) met in conference yesterday representatives cf the Railway Officers’ Institute, for the purpose of discussing with them certain matters relating to the staff. The proceedings, were of a private character.

‘ ‘lt has been suggested that we should eat margarine/’ said Dr Blackmore, in a public lecture at Christchurch. “It is undoubtedly inferior to butter, and I think the suggestion that we should eat and give our children to eat margarine while this great butter-producing country, exports butter to the rest of the world deserves nothing hut tho strongest condemnation.”

Some excitement was caused on the Devonport (Auckland) wharf by a fight between twp intoxicated sailors, one receiving a knock-out which sent him reeling against- the side guard rail, with the result that he fell over into* the water. Luckily the tide was dead low at the time, and pot being out of his depth he was easily hauled back on to the wharf by means of a lifebuoy. Then the set-to was resumed, but was summarily ended by some comrades intervening before further trouble arose.

A tea room, under the control of the Students’ Association, has been added to Canterbury University College. Professors, lecturers, and students attended its formal opening on a recent afternoon, in the top story of the physios building. Professor H. Stewart, who declared the room open far use, congratulated the committee .on its enterprise. He said the room would prove particularly convenient to those students who could not get homes between afternoon and evening lectures.

“The position regarding some rents is an extremely difficult one,” remarked Mr F. K. Hunt, S.M., to a “Times” reporter yesterday, after delivering judgment on some applications for permission to increase rentals. “Take the case of a man who buys valuable property in a central situation ip the hope that it will increase in value. The house on the section may not be-,in the best of repair, sometimes it may he little better than a shanty, and yet the owner may be paying £3O per annum in rates. Under the Act he ig allowed 7 per cent, interest, which for "iis case is absurdly insufficient- That is the position to-day.” 0

In the “Lancet” C. Cowdroy writes on “The Danger of Athletics for Girls and Women.” He says“ Unwillingly, I have been • convinced by the logic of experience. Strenuous games, I believe, are had for women and worse for the girls, and. the sooner it -is realised that the differences between the sexes are profound and vital, and that •these differences are accentuated and not lessened by evolution, the better for humanity. Let it he recognised that the present cult is a retrogression, and the young girl have placed before her the ideal of true womanhood of all the qualities that make for motherhood; so that whether she has her own family or finds happiness in , some other sphere, ‘she may realise it is her gift of ‘mothering’ that makes her of value in the world-”

At the meeting of the Petano Borough Council on Monday evening the customary motion for the oxxnfirmation of the minutes was net carried, their accuracy being challenged. Subsequently, Councillor Bedingneld gave notice to move at the next meeting that a letter be sent to Mr Martin, informing him that tile Mayor’s ruling on various motions moved by • councillors are such that they feel they are not in a position to discuss freely the affairs of the borough, and that consequently they' cannot accept responsibility if such affairs are maladministered. They desire his advice ag to Which steps, if any, they can take to put them in a position to exercise fully the powers conferred on them by the Municipal Corporations Act, and, further, whether the Mayor can refuse to put a motion that the council disagree with the Mayor.

Mr A. W. Martin, Rupture Specialist and Sole Controller of the Dr J. A. Sherman Method of Treatment, without operation, may he consulted at the Hotel Cecil until July 14th, when he will leave for Auckland direct, on his way to the Commonwealth. Consultations Free. Hours, 10 a.m. to 12; 2 p.m. to 6.—Advtb

A shortage of sugar was experienced in Taranaki lastjjveek. ft is reported that at present the district of Pongaroa is without the services of a chemist or a medical man. About one hundred intending subscribers are waiting to be connected with the Gisborne telephone exchange. Several interesting divorce cases will he heai-d^at the next sittings of the Supreme Court in Masterton, to open on September 6th. Building permits for seven houses of a total value of £7625, and alterations, etc., costing £733, were, issued by the Palmerston borough engineer’s office during June. “A Cambridge farmer made £7OO in one season, olf 15 acres, by raising pigs,” was a statement made by a representative of the New Zealand Bacon Company when speaking at Paeroa. At the monthly meeting of the Hutt County Council yesterday it was reported that during the past month building permits to the total value of £3125 had been granted,, the fees paid on 1 the same amounting to £8 os.

The inspector to the Hutt County Council (Mr J. W. Cudby) reported yesterday that the heavy rainfall on the 4th inst. had not been attended with any serious results. Various small slips bald, however, to be removed, the largest of these being at' Hutt, near Haywards and Vairiri.

General lines of chemicals are getting short in New Zealand as a result of importers holding off in a 1 falling mar ket. This applies particularly to tartaric acid, cream of tartar, citric acid, caustic soda, borax aipd alum. , Sulphur is in better demand. Saltpetre is selling well. Salt is rather scarce, and English brands are almost unobtainable. i

In his, annual address, at the New Zealand Trotting Conference yesterday, the president (Mr John Rowe) made feeling reference to the deaths during the year of Messrs ■M. B. Edwards, C. S. Howell and J. S- , Williams, who had each keen prominently identified with the, sport. Conference decided that letters, of sympathy should be sent to the relatives of the deceased.

“The fetish of the cold bath has caused quite a large number of deaths, and has maimed quite a number of people,” said Dr. G. J. Blackmore, of the. Cashmere Sanatorium, in a lecture on child welfare before the Workers’ Educational Association m Christ, church. “If a warm glow succeeds the bath all- is well,” he added. “But if not, and especially if blueness succeeds,’ harm has heen done.”

The Palmerston North architects requested the .Borough Council to withhold confirmation of the by-law in regard to frontages to building sections (writes the ' “Times” correspondent), and stated that the matter of fixing widths of frontages was antagonistic to the science of town-planning. They offered to meet the council in the matter. —It , was decided 'to discuss the question with the local architects at a date to be fixed-

The Christchurch. “Press” says: “For many years the Christchurch Show occupied a position of unchallenged superiority over every other show in the Dominion.. Of late its supremacy has been threatened by the Palmerston Show, but we are’ convinced- that it ■only needs some vigorous work by the committee to place rt once more beyond fear of comparison with any similar fixture in New Zealand,. and to make it fully worthy of being appointed in its turn a Royal Shaw.” £

The Hutt' -County Council decided yesterday to serve a legal notice upon the owner of a- property at Paraparamk, calling upon him to clear off all trees and other obstructions to the drain flowing through his land. It was stated d-uring the discussion on the matter that the drain was choked with willow trees, which the owner refused to cut out himself, and he had threatened anybody else who attempted to do so. He had even refused to allow the giant fescue growing on his land to he cut down. He called it his “golden grain,” and said that the spirits would walk if it were cut down.

The inspector (Mr J. ”W. Cudby) reported to the Hutt County Council yesterday that the new iron-bark stringers have been placed in Black ! Greek bridge at Wallaceville, and made quite safe -for years to come. The decking of the bridge was at present quite sound, having been renewed where necessary while under general overhaul. The inspector added that- a 30ft by 42 inch concrete culvert had been placed at the point on the Akatarawa road, where the Government was widening the road, and application had 1 beeijf made by the Public Works Department for the council to supply the necessary timber for a 4 foot culvert at Blue Rock, which would be a great assistance to the department in the work, and would keep the road clear of slush. On the recommendation of the it was decided to supply the timber.