NEWS OF THE DAY

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 11292, 18 August 1922, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

A mild form of measles is very prevalent about Dunedin at the present time, and the attendances at both the, Boys’ and Girls’ High Schools have been seriously affected by it. Thirtyeight cases of measles are reported from the girls’ school and two teachers are down with it, another being absent through, influenza. There were 81 absences from the boys’ school, the majority being away on account of measles. In the days of hiß youth,, said the Mayor (Mr R. A. Wright) at the presentation and farewell to Mr F. Bennett, headmaster 6f Berhampore school, he had been a schoolfellow of Sir John Findlay, the brilliant New Zealand lawyer. Sir Wright had been a bad boy at school, and on one occasion when he was unable to work out a sum he had copied it from Sir John, who, as fate would have it, had done the sium but had obtained a wrong answer. 'Hie schoolmaster discovered that both, although they had the same answer, were wrong and serious consequences naturally followed. He had, therefore, come to the conclusion that it was a bad policy to copy, and that individual work was by far the best. There was no easy road to success, which was attained by hard work. There does net seem to be any change worthy of mention in the unemployment situation at Dunedin (says an exchange). Great difficulty is still being experienced by the various organisations whose object is to place men in work, and so far, at least, no indication has been given that the progress of the spring is likely to give any definite relief. The men out of work are by no means all artisans or labourers, there being quite a number of office workers engaged in the perpetual search for “a job.” Many of this class of worker have been glad to turn their hands to labour of a very different type from that to which they have been accustomed, and it is remarked as a tribute to those taking the step that they are seldom grumblers.

The demand that has been made for coke at the Masterton gasworks ceuid not be met last month. The sale of coke for July totalled 4731 sacks. The distribution of fry from the Mas- ' terton fish hatcheries commenced on Wednesday, when 18,000 were dispatched to Mangaweka, During the past two years 587 houses have been erected at Hamilton. The value of the buildings constructed during the pa6t three years i 6 £735,780. Some men boast about being selfmade, when many of them had made themselves so by the sweat and blood of their children and wives, remarked a public speaker at New Plymouth. The body for the new electric ’bus which the New Plymouth Council has decided to procure is to be built at Christchurch. The accepted price is £360, the other tenders received being £440 and £525 respectively. The Sarjeant Art Gallery at Wanganui contains many valuable pictures, and is a great asset to the town. Recently the borough council was asked to insure the gallery and its contents, but the request was refused. The Hamilton Chamber of Commerce has elected all presidents and secretaries of branches of the Farmers’ Union in Waikato honorary members of the chamber. The object is the cementing of the town and country. An electrical disturbance visited the Rotorua district on Monday afternoon. It was particularly heavy in the vicinity of Okere, and the authorities at the power station deemed it prudent to cut off the electric current, as a precaution against damage being done to the machinery. “It makes a wonderful difference to an old person if there is something to dispose of in the way of estate after death. The difference in attentions received from friends if there is something to he left is truly marvellous,” drily remarked His Honour Mr Justice Reed at the Supreme Court at Palmerston North. The Crown Theatre at Eastbourne was crowded on Wednesday evening when the community “sing” was hol<L Mr 0. A. Marquis was leader, and the accompaniments were played ,by Miss Nixon. Two little Soots children. Master and Miss McLean, sang “Annie Laurie,” and Master Moore also contributed a solo. A four days’ refresher for Anglican clergymen is in progress at St. John’s College, Tamaki. The course includes a series of lectures, and is being attended by clergy from various parts of the Auckland diocese. There are also visitors from Wellington and Christchurch. The course will conclude this afternoon. A wireless telephony broadcasting of the proceedings of the Otago University Musical Society concert at the end of last week was probably the first exriment of the kind in Australasia. was carried out by Dr Jack, and every note of a song, and even a _ murmur, was heard by those possessing a receiving apparatus. At June Ist, 1922, there were 1300 tons of butter and 2637 tons of cheese in store in Canada and 5659 tons of butter and 6851 tora of cheese in the United States. In 1921, at June l6t, Canada had 1400 tons of butter and 1242 of cheese in store, and the United States 9679 tons of butter and 7952 of cheese. It is said that there is nothing new under the sun. A well-known Wanganui native remarked to a “Chronicle” reporter that the Maoris have always had community singing. “In the old days,” he said, “thev used to all sleep in one big whare. Hie first to wake ttp in the morning would start to hum, and the rest would then join in.” A statement that there are quite a number of men sleeping out in Dunedin was made to a “Daily Times” reporter by one who is closely in touch with the unemployment situation. According to the informant, the sleeperaout do not lie down “under the wide and starry sky,” refuge from the nip in the air being sought in various deserted buildings about the town. Some under-cutting is being done in coastal cargo freights. The Glaucus, a vessel owned in Melbourne, which is usually engaged in the Islands, phosphates trade, is at present carrying general cargo between Canterbury and Auckland. Its rates are 4s per ton below ruling charges. To meet this competition the Union Company has reduced the rate of freight on the Kakapo by 4s per ton. “The average man develops only about 10 per cent, of his mental energy.” So said Mr James Wylie, in an address he gave at New Plymouth. “Therein lies the source of a tremendous amount of inefficiency,” he continued, “for allowing that your mental energy is developed twice as much as that of the average man, you see there is etill plenty of room to operate upon till you are 100 per cent, efficient.” “Sales have stopped, but, values have not receded,” stated Mr V. G. Day, S.M., at a sitting of the Assessment Court at Auckland, in reference to properties in Queen street. Mr H. J. C. Coutts, of the Government Valuation Department, remarked that values in Queen street to-day were probably higher than in any other street in Australia or New Zealand, a fact which he attributed to the remarkable and sustained volume of pedestrian traffic along the city’s main artery. He further postulated that values were dependent on the number of people passing a particular property, a number which was very large on most parts of Queen street. In the House of Representatives yesterday afternoon Mr J. Vigor Brown, M.P., called the attention of the Minister for Railways to the high charges made for refreshments at the Paekakariki railway station. He himself had been oharged Is for tea and 8d for a milk and eoda. The Minister replied that it was the first occasion on which such complaints hod been made to him. If the hon. gentlemun would give him an idea of the date he would look into the matter. Mr Vigor Brown: “The case of the milk and soda was yesterday; and they admitted the overcharge.” The Minister: “Then, I will have the matter inquired into at once.” Some difficulty was shown by Mr W. T. Young, secretary of the Seamen’s Union, in the Arbitration Court yesterday, in correctly pronouncing the Maori names of some of the Richardson Shipping Company’s vessels. One Bmall steamer to which frequent reference was made was the Tuatu, which Mr Young several times referred to as the “Too-a-too-a.” At last Mr Justice Frazer came to his assistance, and by way of impressing on him the correct pronunciation, remarked: “Mr Young, that word is ‘too ’ard to’ say:” Thereafter the union’s representative had little difficulty with the word, though he still laughinglv referred to the ICawau as the “cow.”-

In reply to a unanimous invitation the Auckland Savings Bank has decided to start, a branch at Hamilton. “On this silver plate, there is a kiwi which is also the emblem of the chib. Now, ladies and gentlemen, the kiwi is a very old bird—l hope it is not symbolical of the recipient.”—Mr I. Salek last evening, when accepting a presentation at the Wellington Bowline Club. A deputation of dairy farmers of the W r ellington district, introduced by Mr W. H. Field, M.P., waited upon the Prime Minister privately yesterday morning, to discuss with him the question of their relations with the City Milk Supply Department unde* the Act of 19ll}. “I am proud of the fact that after ten years’ service I am on speaking terms with every member of the club. When any member of a club, especially if he happens to be treasurer, can say that he must he very proud.”—Mr I. Sa’rek, when thanking the members of the Wellington Bowling Club for a presentation last evening. A suggestion was made at the last meeting of the Wanganui Borough Council that the council should embrace the Guernsey system of finance. This provides for the issue of debentures or credit notes which are honoured at face value. The system amounts to the establishing of a municipal banking scheme. The stock division of the Department of Agriculture is taking more drastic steps than for some time past to enforce the regulations relating to cattle tick. It is stated that cattle have been removed without permits from the gazetted area of North Auckland, and this practice is to be stopped. The Mayor and town clerk of Eastbourne waited on the Minister for Lands yesterday to try and arrange for the use of a portion of the Eastbourne reserve for the council’s purposes. The Hon. D. H. Guthrie promised that before coming to any decision on tile matter the Under-Secre-tary for Lands and himself would go over and discuss the matter with the council on the ground.