AROUND THE DOMINION

Stratford Evening Post, Volume II, Issue 237, 8 May 1933, Page 8

AROUND THE DOMINION

Eel Submerges Ducks Mr. Harry Atkins and party, when duck shooting on a lagoon on Ml. Hannan’s properly, Levin, on Tuesday morning, were surprised to see the ducks they brought down disappear under the surface of the water. On investigating the matter from a boat the cause was found to he a huge eel, which was dispatched with a shot. The eel was subsequently brought to Levin and on being weighed turned the scale at 271 h.

The Seddon Ministry Forty years ago last Monday on May 1, 1893, Richard John Seddon took office as Premier of New Zealand, following on the death of Mr. John Ballance. Ho had been Minister of Public Works, Mines and Defence in the Ballance Ministry, and was acting Premier during Mr. Ballance s last i - ness The Seddon Government held office longer than any other in New Zealand, and was terminated only » Mr. Seddon’s death at sea on June 10, 190(5 Mr Seddon’s record of just ovei 1?, years was closely approached by Mr. W. F. Massey’s term of slightly under 13 years, reaching from July 10, 1912, to May 10, 1925.

Expenses Not. Warranted The protest of the Finance Committee of the Christchurch City Council to the Minister_ot Health the Hon. J. A. Young, against the decision to hold over the adjustment of the city’s representation on the Hospital Board has drawn a reply Hem the Minister, states the Times. He stated that the council doubtless understood that if the city was to he given additional representation the expense of a special election would very probably bo thrust on a group of counties. Under the’ present conditions it was not considered desirable to incur this expenses. In these circumstances the matter would he deferred until 193... in which year both county and municipal elections would he held.

increase in Private Schools According to the annual report ot the Wellington School Committees and Educational Federation, one refrain the State schools has boon an suit of exclusion of five year olds increase in the number of pi lV !\, G schools and kindergartens, says the Evening Post. “It is to he hoped, remarks the report, “that the education or some other department of the State will see to it that these private kindergartens are conducted on lines beneficial to the child in regard to accommodation, sanitation, teaching, etc. and not permit them to be used only for financial benefit to the conductors. Time alone will tell whether the present growth of private kindergartens and schools (mainly due to the policy of economy practised by the Government) will not have a permanent offset against the national system of education.”

Only a Rumour An indication of how_ a rumour can spread and be convincing was given in Wanganui this week. A well-known business jnan wired a friend in Wo lingto as follows: “Are the H.M.S. Hood and the H.M.S. Nelson in Wellington harbour?” He received a prompt wire in reply to the effect that they were not. “Why?" was tacked on to this message. The Wanganui man wrote his friend staling that he had heard it on “the best authority’ that when the Diomede sailed for Samoa recently it was with the intention of meeting the scouts of the British fleet in the Pacific. As a result of that meeting the Hood and the Nelson had turned up suddenly in Wellington. He heard also Hint the first battle line of the fleet was steaming full speed from Suez, ostensibly for New Zealand or Australia. Now he knows that the whole thing was a rumour.

Child Rescued From River Only prompt, action on the part of Mr. R. Luff, of Tay Street, saved Joyce West, a child aged five, from drowning in the Wanganui River on Thursday afternoon. She had been playing on the pontoon used by the Wanganui Motor-boat and Sailing Club’s members, near Culver’s Corner, when she fell into the river, which was flooded. Mr. Luff, who was gathering wood nearby, saw the incident and jumped into the river fully cleihed to rescue the child, who was not injured. Mr. Luff’s action was particularly plucky in view of the sw.ltly running river. It is the third owiaion upon which he has rescued people from the Wanganui.

Candid Comment, In returning thanks for Ins < had ion to the Tar am a Power Board Mr. W. Simpson, Mayor of Eke!allium, said he would work for a, reduction in the rates if the finances permitted. He criticised the remarks of “some ignoramus that had been writing to the paper” in respect to the work of the old Borough Council. He did not. know what ho was talking about. The borough was in a better position than over before, and there would possibly he some reduction in the rates during its present, term. The Power Board wiis a different body to a council in that it was composed of experienced men, who were hard to shift on any matter. He could tell them they had elected the right man for he was “prepared to have a go with any of them’.’ His policy was that the consumer should pay for electricity and not the ratepayer.

Douglas Credit Inquiry At a recent meeting of the Auckland Douglas Social Credit Association the following resolutions were passed: “That the Douglas Social Credit, Association, Auckland, desires to flatly contradict the Minister of Finance in his recently _ published statements (1) that there is no general public demand for a Parliamentai y inquiry into the monetary system, and (2) that the principles of Douglas Credit have been disproved in any part of the world. Many tens of thousands of persons all over the Dominion have asked for a full, open inquiry into the present monetary system There has been only one inquiry into the Douglas Credit principles and that by the Economic Council of the Church of England, presided over by the Bishop of Winchester, and this resulted in the fullest acceptance of those principles.” The following resolution regarding unemployment was carried: “That it is a disgrace to New Zealand that there should be any able-bodied persons of a working ago unemployed in a land glutted with wealth, and that New Zealand is well able to maintain all her inhabitants on an ever-improving standard of living.”

Third Party Risks The fees for compulsory insurance under the Motor Vehicles Insurance (Third Party Risks) Act have been amended, and the new scale was published in the Gazette last week. The annual fee for private motor-car not used for business purposes remains at £1 and the £2 rate remains for cars used in the pursuit of business. The rates are eased in respect of (axis, service cars and omnibuses. In place of the former annual fee of £7, taxis will pay £0 10s. Vehicles of laigei capacity will pay £7 for the first ten persons and !is for every additional sent up’ to a total of 20 seats. The former rate was £ll 10s for (he first ten passengers, and 10s for every additional passenger. Omnibuses to scat more than 20 persons will pay a minimum of £ll, with an addition of 2s for every scat in excess <■£ au. alio previous rate for this class of vehicle was £l9 10s, with an add,( on of 5s for every seat, in excess of 20. The rate for fire brigade motors has been reduced from £2 to £l.