LOCAL AND GENERAL

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11762, 28 July 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Amended legislation is now receiving the consideration of the Government, the Minister of Education states, dealing with- tho regulations under the Teachers' Superannuation Act, which prohibit ex-teachers from supplementing their pension by undertaking other work. " Switzerland is, nest to Germany, tho largest producer of chemical products in the world, and that with small natural resources," stated Professor Easterfield at the Wellington Philosophical Society, in an address on scientific research as applied to industry. Tn the House of Representatives on Wednesday, the Prime Minister wai asked by Mr L. M. Isitt whether he was bearing in mind his promise to give members a day for the discuwiou of the cost of living problem. Mr Massey: "Yes, certainly. My word will be kept. I am simply waiting to get one or two of tliese important Bills out of the way-." Speaking on the necessity of spending money on scientific research at the Wellington Philosophical Society's meeting on Wednesday, Dr L. Cockayne, F.R.S., 6aid. "You can't have applied science until you have scicr.co to apply. One of the glories of tha British race has been tho rcsu!t? heaped up by scientists who worked gratuitously." At the Farmers' Conference in Wellington on Wednesday, Mr D. Joros (Canterbury') protested against investments in the war loan being free of income tax. saying it was a most iniquitous measure. At the present timo rich men and companies were money from tho banks to invest in t 1 o proposed new lean. It was most unfair that such people should escape income tax on these investments.. Information received by mail n Auckland on Monday showed a furtl'.c? r:se of 17s 6d per ton by racaurerac't in the freight from Great Britain vi New Zealand. This brings the fkrr* up to £6 per ton. One firm, writirg to its representative in Auckland, states that, having heard of er.rer freights to an eastern port, they preyed for a reduction to New Zealand, but to their amazement later were no tified of an advance to 120s per ton. The Suva correspondent of the " X> Zealand Herald" reports that a. firo in Fiji- has been granted a license " ) send a cargo of copra to the Br:t : i Consul in San Francisco by the sr.hoo *- er James H. Bruce. This was i" response to an agitation that F:ishould be put on the same footing Australia, New Zealand, and s m.n' :, particularly, Samoa, with regard

the despatch of copra. The sekcon *v took nbent COO tons of copra* Iv.i general henw has yet beon i.^ur?d. The trouble experienced by ir. securing space on Home-going bents for goods to be exported has frequpr.tlv been the subject of comment, sr. 73 the xUickland " Star." Gum and 3:: x stocks have accumulated, farm prcdvro has blocker! the .stores, all because th-* requirements for war purposes nnt c t have first call. _An idea of the lo§3 'involved by waiting for shipping spaco may be gathered from the fact that some tan bark has now been in stove over twelve months because no mea?3 have been available to send it direct to Bristol.

Tha thirty-fourth annual report of the North Canterbury Educational Institute, which will be presented at tli3 annual meeting to be held in the Normal School to-morrow morning, states that owing to the war no great reforms have been urged upon the Government, bur efforts have been maintained in guard the interests of teachers. Several discussion centres have 'been initiated. Congratulations are offered to Mesr s T. S. Foster, J. Caughley and VT. Brock on their recent appointments. The effective membership of the institute is 330. The balance-sheet show:; •that the receipts for tho ve?.r amounted to £226 12s Sd, and the expenditure to £l4l 16s Id.

" A very determined effort is being mads to link np the Public Service with outside Labour organisations/' said Mr E. Newman, M.P., in th? course of an address at> the Farmers Conference in Wellington yesterday. An endeavour was being made to embrace the railwny servants, the Educ tion Department's servants, and ot'--r branches of the Civil Service., Ther;> was, lie said, a great danger in timt, and it was only right that- tho farmers shrmld b 0 aware of it. because :i big organisation would be a powerful influenco in tho land. Ho did know how the Government would vew it. Perhaps it would result in tha disfranchisement of civil servants, and. as an alterantive, giving them separaw representation in Parliament.

The annual meeting of the congregation of the Papanui Presbyterian C'ui-ch was held on Thursday evening, the Rev D. I>. Rodger pres'ding over a frood attendance. The reports showed~that the Presbyterian Woirten's M:ssionary Union, the Sunday School. t)-<3 You-tg Women's Bible Class and tho Ycu'ig Women's Junior Bible Class were each in a very satisfactory position. There were one hundred names nn the communicants' roll, and during the year twenty-nine children and one adult had been baptised. In conseqenco of -'ncreased attendance at the Sunday services the church had been enInrtreil to seat fifty additional worshippers. The sum of £42 had been raised for home and foreign missions, and the general account of the church had closed with a cred't balance of £64. All the reports were adopted. A strong c( mmittee was elected for the cominj; year. It was agreed to increase tho minister's stipend and to pay £4O towards reducing the debt incurred in enlarging the church. Captain E. Bower, of the steamor Paparoa, which arrived in Melbourne recently from New York, by way of tho Panama Canal, received a surprise early last month, when he found, shortly after leaving Balboa, L..at he had on board forty negrp stowaways, for whom tho Pmiani.-. zone apparently hnd lest its charm. The Paparoa returned to port, and forty crestfallen negroes, whose v sions of a kinder country beyond the sea had been sadly shattered, were handed over to the authorities. Apparently the negroes had succeeded in stowing themselves away while tho. vessel was bunkering. Despite th« search, some time after the vessel left Balboa, two negroes managed * rem iin on board, and these were ex£ ployed for the rest of the voyage. Of. account of the dearness of commodities and the low rate of wages to r.o groes, which is said to be 6Jd an hour, the common desire is to leave the lo* cality, and many vessels have had simila. experiences; though, as a sailor aptly commented, " Forty was making it a bit too willing."