NEWS IN BRIEF.

Otago Witness, Issue 3400, 14 May 1919, Page 29

NEWS IN BRIEF.

It is said that if 300 or 400 decent cottages were built in Dunedin they would be snapped up like hot cakes. The proposed visit of the Japanese squadron to New Zealand is cancelled. A strong effort is to-be made to have H.M.S. New Zealand brought up to Port Chalmers on the occasion of her approaching visit. A demand is being made for a Wage of £1 per day for first-class engine-drivers on the New Zealand Government railways and corresponding rates for lower grades. An Order-in-Council iixes the maximum price of rico when sold wholesalo, ex store, upon the usual trade terms at 30s per cwt, and the maximum retail price at 4d per lb. ' At the Wellington Court Charles Edward Rossiter Ruddick pleaded guilty to a charge of stealing a motor car at Wanganui, and was committed to the Supreme Court for sentence. Boring operations arc about to bo resumed by private enterprise at Wanganui Hill, the site of the Gisbome Oil Company's bore, in order to thoroughly test the oil flow struck at the 665 ft level. __ > Mr H. L. Tapley has been elected chairman of the Otago Harbour Board, with Mr N. Galbraith as deputy chairman. Appreciation was expressed of the services as chairman of Mr W. Wilkinson. The objection raised by invalid soldiers to wearing the blue hospital uniforms was brought to a bend by the patients at the Auckland Hospital Annexe, who refused to parade to receive their issue of blue clothing. The vote taken by the New Zealand bank clerks on the question of the formation of an association shows that 1009 voted for the proposal and 76 against it. Two hundred and forty-eight votes were unrecorded. The waterside workers have refused to commence discharging the Northumberland until Wednesday morning, owing to eight cases of typhoid fever bein# on the vessel on arrival —six members of the crew and two soldiers.

James Arthur Pollard., a native of the West Indies, charged with breaking and entering a shop and stealing therefrom various musical instruments, valued _ at £125, was committed for trial at Wellington on the 7th inst. The Hon. T. M. Wilford will inspect the Burnham School property this week, with a view to ascertaining if it is suitable for a reformatory or an inebriates' insitution under the Reformatory Institutions Act passed last year. The Gazette, announces that the conditions recently imposed on the sale of standing timber and on the granting of licenses, to cut standing timber shall not apply in respect of timber intended for exclusive use for mining purposes. The railway working account shows that the revenue for the four weeks ended March 31 was £489.432.. and the expenditure £319,787. The figures for the corresponding period of last year were £4*9,387 and £283.286 respectively. . The Wellington Tramways Union has agreed to the City Council's suggestion that a full service to be run on three days of the peace celebrations, the men to be paid time and a-half and to have three days added to their annual holiday. . Patrick Michael Murphy was charged at Wellington with personation at the recent licensing poll. Defendant's counsel said his client was* muddled at the time, and went from one booth in Tinakori road to another. He was fined £3, with costs (13s). As a sequel to the recent two-up raid at Devonport, 12 men were each fined £5 and costs in the Auckland Police Court on the 7th. Twelve others were not convicted, as there was no evidence to show that they actuallv took part in the game. In the early hours on the 6th inst. the grand stand at the Pahiatua A. and P. Show Grounds was totally destroyed by fire, together with the contents, valued at £IOOO. To erect a new building will cost over £IOOO. The only insurance was a policy for £3OO. The men held a meeting instead, and decided not to wear the uniforms, and requested that blue stars or armlets, to be worn on khaki uniform, should be issued instead. They handed a petition to the medical superintendent- for submission to the officer commanding the district. Further news received concerning the wreck of the steamer Awanui show that the vessel was lying at anchor at Alofi on January 7, when the cables parted during a hurricane, which swept tho vessel over the reef. Tho crew, realising the danger, left the Awanui when the cable parted, and got ashore with considerable difficulty. The coal shortage is causing some uneasiness in Dunedin, Christchurch, and Wellington, and the outlook for the winter months is far from promising. The shortage is said to be largely due to the scarcity of miners. The Westport Coal Co.'s mines are 300 men short, and at Kaitangata work could be found for 150 men. Mr Banks, chairman of the Education Board, reports officially that Whakatane is the fastest-growing town in the dominion. Discussing this report, the head master stated yesterday that ho admitted 23 newpupils iast week. Tho _ housing problem _ is serious, one teacher living in a tent, while another has been six months trying to get permanent lodging, and is still homeless. At tho Westport Harbour Board's meeting on the 7th objection was taken by two elected members representing tho town and country respectively to proceeding with tho election of chairman until tho Government had made tho expected fresh appointment of a nominee member or members. A motion to attain that 60 d wag defeated, and. Mr W. T, Sleo [retiring chairman) was re-elected, on a majority vote of four to three, Sir William Ifraeer, Mlmetor of Public Works, informed th« SeJhvyh Plantation

Board that bark and pieces of wood from trees in the board's plantations did serious damage to the electrical transmission lines from Lako CoLeridgt. The letter added that the Government was advised that it had power to compel the removal of trees. The board decided to write to Sir Francis Bell, Minister of Forestry, asking him to meet a deputation on the question. The annual conference of the New Zealand Pharmaceutical Society adopted the following remit from the Hawke's Bay division:—"That should prohibition becomo established at any future date orders from the medical practitioners calling for intoxicating liquors be not supplied by chemists." A number of the delegates'declared that if they accepted the position of dealers in liquor, abuses would be sure to arise, and there would bo endless difficulties.

The annual meeting of the Napier Returned Soldiers' Association passed the following remits to the conference: —"That the Government be asked that the aggregation of land be checked; that the pensions to permanently disabled soldiers _be increased ; that matriculation be dispensed with; that Anzac Day be made a statutory holiday; that "a sole Minister of Repatriation IK) appointed, not necessarily an M.P.; that the mufti allowance be made retrospective." Messrs G. P. Adridgo «nd B. Malono were appointed delegates to the Christohurch conference. At a meeting of the executive of the Returned Soldiers' Club it was resolved to accord Mr R. S. Black a hearty vote of thanks for a donation of £IOO. An art union is to be got under way at onco, many valuable prizes having been received. The Otago, Harbour Board has declined to accept the only tender received for a new boiler for the tug Dunedin—namely, that of Messrs John Chambers and Son, and to call for fresh tenders. It was considered it would be inadvisable to put in a boiler to cost about £IO,OOO, members being of opinion that prices would go back shortly. Tho Dunedin branch of the Returned Soldiers' Association at a meeting last week appointed Major M'Crae, Captain R. P. Jones, Messrs M : Manus and C. L. Calvert a to confer with the Repatriation Board regarding a modification of a scheme drawn up by the Auckland Association for establishing a Soldiers' Land Bureau. The idea is to appoint a representative returned soldier versed in all matters pertaining to land, farming, houses, etc.; to advise in all matters relating to land settlement; to get cheap and reliable valuation and practical investigation of property before purchasing: to negotiate on behalf of members; to obtain reliable legal advice, etc. Mr J. Begg, of the Repatriation Board, who was present by invitation, thought there wa3 the germ of a good idea in the scheme if a qualified man were obtained. A good business might bo established, for if sellers were satisfied that the agent was perfectly fair to all parties, trust in him would be developed.