DOMINION NEWS.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XLIV, Issue 14703, 2 June 1920, Page 6

DOMINION NEWS.

(Per Press Association.) i WELLINGTON, May 31. New Zealand's pension bill for the vear ended March 31 last was £2,/05,160. This fact is contained in the return received by the Minister in charge of the Pensions Department from the Commissioner of Pensions, which details the various items as follow : —War pensions, £1,773,642; old age, £732,966; widows, £146,815; Maori war, £45,085; miners, £16,652. The report of the Trade Commission which accompanied the members-of Parliament on their recent visit to Samoa and the other islands of the Pacific has been completed, and lias been handed to the Prime Minister by the chairman (Mr George Elliott, of Auckland). Jt will. be sent forward to the GovernorGeneral, and in due course wall be dealt with by Cabinet. Dr C. J. Reakes (Director-Gpneral of Agriculture) has been appointed the first commissioner to represent New Zealand in the administration of Nauru phosphate production and supply. He will take charge of the business during the initial stages only. The weather here has been unusually bitter, and such a prolonged spell jf bad weather is not often experienced in Wellington. Passengers by the northern express complain of the bitter cold, and the ineffective heating of the carriages. In consequence of the paper shortage the Minister of Internal Affairs has embarked oh an economy campaign, and for the. present he is investigating the possibilities of saying paper in publications and in stationery. An effort will be made to induce the departments to cut down the consumption of pnpc-r. and some saving will be riiade in publications, at least until the price of paper drops_ a good deal and supplies are more assured. Unless there proves to be'any legal bar to the change the New Zealand Gazette will be brought out in much smaller issues, more after the style adopted in other countries. Another reason for the reduction of publications is the pressure in the printing office. WELLINGTON, June 1. The advisory board of the Transport Federation has given further consideration to the jockeys' dispute, and decided not to withdraw its recommendation that racing be regarded as "black" until the Jockeys' Association is recognised by the Racing Conference. Notice to this effect has been sent to the committee sot up by the Labor unions to handle the dispute. _ The advisory board considers the position has not been changed at all by the conference between the president of tile Racing Conference and certain jockeys last Saturday. These jockeys did not represent the association, though the claims they submitted for discussion had been made already by the association. The advisory board contends that the organised jockeys have a right to be recognised. The International Postal Congress is to be held in MadriU, commencing on October Ist. Cabinet has decided that New Zealand should be represented, and the new secretary (Mr R. B. Morris) is to leave Wellington at the end of the month to connect with the Niagara at Auckland, proceeding to Europe via America. During the absence of .Mr Morris the duties of Secretary of Department will evolve upon Mr Markmann ,the First Assistant Secretary. At the Hospital 'Board's Conference to-day, after opening addresses by the Hon. J. C. Parr (Minister of Public Health), and Dr Valintine (DirectorGeneral of Hospitals), a remit was adopted advocating a provision in thv Act to meet the expenses of the chairmen of hospital boards, incurred in visiting various institutions under control of the Boards, and that • provision be made for the payment of an honorarium to : the Chairman. The Conference suggested £IOO honorarium. It was also decided that a uniform flat rate of payment of £1 Is per meeting be paid to members as travelling expenses, irrespective of the distance in each case. The system of levies and t subsidies was discussed at considerable length, many remits being submitted on the subject. The present system of I 'levying on land values was held to be j inequitable. A flat rate was discussed, as was also the nroportion scheme proposed by the Department, and outlined in the Journal of Public Health for April. The matter was referred to a. committee, to confer with the Department officers, and report to the Conference. CHRISTCHURCH, June 1. A seaman from the steamer Canopus was removed to the Christeliurch Hospital to-day suffering from influenza. Other members of the vessel's crew are being kept isolated until their quarters have been thoroughly fumigated. The polling to-day for the vacant seat on the Citv Council resulted as follows Edgar F. Stead (Citizens' Association) 745. C. Renn (Labor) 364, K. Hoppv S3. BLENHEIM, Juno 1. The Wairau Licensing Committee today carried the following resolution: "That the Minister, be asked to have Section 76 of the Licensing Act amended by omitting the words "six rooms" one} substituting the words 'the numoer of rooms necessarv for the accommodation of the travelling public, having regard to the requirements. of the district, such number to be specified by the Licensing Committee for the'''district; also that the Licensing Committee should be given the power to supervise leases given licensees of hotels in order that they might see that the rentals being paid and the conditions imposed were fair and reasonable." WANGANUI, June 2. At the Supreme Court yesterday Mrs Pparce, wife of Mr G. Y. Pearee, formerly member for Patea, sued for divorce' "from her husband on the grounds of misconduct. No evidence was offered on respondent's behalf, and a decree nisi was granted, with costs on the highest scale. TNVERCARGILL, June 2. The Town Council unanimously carried a. resolution favoring a universal Saturday half-holiday, the opinion being expressed that the optional system should not be permitted. Regarding the cement shortage, the Town Council resolved ,to ask the Government to establish works in Southland, perhaps in conjunction with the Prisons Department. ' HOKITTKA. June 2. The Westland Chamber of Commerce resolved'in view of the paper shortage to invite the Government to disclose its policy regarding the establishment of paper manufactory or to indicate what facilities'will be given by way, of (subsidy and rights to enable private enterprise, to taker up the project. On the West Coast there are large tracts of timber country considered suitable for paper-making, with adjacent water power which ,could be. harnessed "for working paper mills. The Chamber resolved to urge the Education Department- to turn attention to gardening, instructors at schools and to the necessity for instruction of scholars relative to grasses and grass-growing, and to ask "the Agriculture : Department, 1 to carry out special experiments regarding the "most suitable grasses to grow in various districts according to the nature of the different soils.