NEWS IN BRIEF,

Otago Witness, Issue 3512, 5 July 1921, Page 25

NEWS IN BRIEF,

The selling agents of the Brist/I ana Dominions Producers Association at nounce that the association has gone into liquidation. -it Dannevirke, on the Ist, Herbert Cnote, a postal employee, aged 24, admitted the theft of two letters containing sums oi money. lie was committed to tne Supreme Court for sentence. The Chamber of Commerce, on the representation by booksellers, passed a resolution strongly, protesting against the proposal of the Minister of Education to establish stores to, supply stationery and school requisites. Hie New Zealand Honey Producers’ As-o-siation has made arrangements for an expert to proceed to England to report on the market, accept consignments, and make the necessary arrangements to have honey placed on the market. Ino decision ot the recent conference of the New Zealand Returned Soldiers’ Association as to the disposal of surplus canteen funds, amounting To £BO,OOO, was Strongly condemned at a general meeting of the Dunedin Returned Soldiers’ Association last week. The trade of the port of New Plymouth for the past half-year shows a remarkable growth, as compared with the first, half of 1920, the imports being 56,292 tens, the exports 17,236 tons, and the tonnage of vessels 179,080 tons, against 37,773 tons, 11,109 tons, and 122,136 tons repectively. The Minister of Agriculture stated he had brought before Cabinet the request of the Nurserymen’s Association for compensation to those who had. young trees d< -stroye-:! <m account of tiro blight. It has been decided to refer the matter next session to the Agricultural and Pastoral Stock Committee for consideration and report. Colonel i 4’ey berg, Y.C., was accorded a hearty reception at Wellington by a large gathering of returned soldiers. The club room was crowded with people anxious to renew or make acquaintance with the famous soldier. Mr Perry, president, welcomed Colonel Freyberg. The guest responded, but, by special request, his remarks were not reported. A lire broke out in Denton’s buildings, Wellington, on the Ist. The seat of the Mazo was in the rooms occupied by Foster Brown, engraver, whence it worked its way to Denton s store, beneath the building, which suffered damage. The stock of the occupants were damaged by water, but none seriously. The insurance on the building is £2OOO, and on Denton's stock £IOOO in the Sun office. The Public Works Department has completed arrangements for calling for tenders for plant in connection with the Mangahao hydro-electric power scheme. The aggregate amount involved is in the vicinity of £250,000. Tenders are expected from Great Britain, America, Switzerland, and France. The plant in which tenders are to be called consists of water wheels, generators, transformers, insulators, lightning arresters, and switch boards. The Minister of Internal Affairs advises that an arrangement has been made by the Governments of the dominion of New Zealand and the commonwealth of Australia, whereby the subjects of Allied countries of European birth and parentage, who have been naturalised in New Zealand or Australia, may travel by intercolonial vessels without being in possession of the permn: required by the regulations. The agreement becomes operative immediately. The Minister of Public Works (Hon. J. G. Coates), has replied to the representations made by the Otago Expansion League concerning the necesstiy for going on with the building of a new post office in Dunedin and providing a building in which all Government departments could be housed, intimating that as the cost is estimated at something like £150,000, the present financial position is such that he thinks the Government would be justified in proceeding with rho work at present. A demonstration of the “Enzed” fire ancl smoke alarm, the invention of Messrs C. A. Simpson and (A C. Mark!and, given in Dunedin last week, proved very satisfactory. It is understood this is the first instrument put into practical use that. would give an alarm in the case of smoke. It would thus detect an incipient fire before it had generated much heat. A company is being formed to acquire the patent rights throughout the world. In a short talk on his experience.- as a social worker given at a meeting of the Overseas Club, Mr Axelsen said that with 20 years experience he could say definitely there were very few of the really criminal class in the Dominion, and statistics showed that the proportion of juvenile offenders v. ho again conte before the courts was really infinitesslmal. Taken on a- whole the young people of New Zealand were of the very highest class and he urged his hearers to do whatever they could for those who were likely to get into difficulties. The seventh annual conference of the Legion of Frontiersmen was held at Gisborne under the presidency of Sir Andrew Russell. About 16 were present from ail parts of the North Island. In his opening address Sir Andrew Russell referred to the legionary’s work in the war and the value of preparedness. He paid a tribute to the late Major Twisleton, Turning to the present world wide unrest. Sir Andrew Russell said that the people had not vet found their feet after the chaos of the great war, and instead of drawing together there was a splitting up, not, only of the people but of the nations. There was a tendency for sectarianism to grow. It was one of the worst elements of society when class set itself against class. As frontiersmen they believed in patriotism and love of country, unitv of Empire, and the maintenance of the Anglo-Saxon traditions.. It. was decided that an official dominion list of. ihe legion be compiled and printed for circulation. Various remits were carried.