NEWS IN BRIEF.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 19986, 28 June 1920, Page 2

NEWS IN BRIEF.

A public lecture, illustrated with' lantern slide*, nil] be given in the Navv League Hall tins evening by Mr Aubrey AVillioms, on ‘‘Russia under the Can*, Kerensky and Lenin.” Mr William* is an" authority on the subject, baring lived in Russia during soma of tlio darkest clays there. During the week-end the following made passenger lliglvts from the Canterbury Aviation Company's grounds at j Smelt burn : —Mcsdames L. Cooper and M. Soivdea, Misses M. AVroble, P. el Laren, AL Rrooks and Norton, and Messrs H. Gowdcn. W. H, Bush, 11. Stmlholme, IV. B.‘ Tfipo, H. Annstrong, N. 8. Tboraas, AV. H, Jobb, P. Smith and If. Young. A meeting held tinder the auspice* of the New Zealand Workers’ Union at Sheffield on Friday was an ended bv about thirty men, who were addressed by Mr 0. E. Baldwin. Canterbury organiser. Ha explained the position and objects of the union. A motion was passed endorsing the objects, and urging workers in the district to join the union. One minute before midnight on Saturday the Fire Brigade received a call Irom 4, Carlton Street, St Albans, and on arrival found that a small hedge was burning. Tho outbreak was soon extinguished, little damage being done. 1 At o.l? p.m. yesterday tho brigade- rej reived a call from Ollivcr’s coalyard, Colombo .Street, Sydenham, where aome lignite coal was burning. Little damage was caused. A Government loan of £IO.OOO has been, sanctioned for the City Council’s housing plan, and a start will bo made will) tho erection of houses on the council’:; section in Huxley Street as soon as plans arc approved. To put nine houses on the section would give an area of 22.2 perches to each house, with o frontage of 36ft, and to avoid brick walls between the houses there could only he a house frontage of 21ft. Probably some other arrangement will be adoptedA discussion took place at the meeting ot Ashburton farmers on Saturday on the question of what was stated to ho unfair speculation an'd gambling in oats by certain North Island dealers. Air G. W. Loadley said the question was a most difficult one to deal with. There was no question tho practice was a t vicious one. but they could not stop forward buying, ar, they sold their butter for iorward delivery as well as sheep. Tho Government should he. asked to in'iiko an amendment in the Commercial Trust Act whereby a person should he prevented from offering for sale an article that ho did not possess. Mr F. G. Evans expressed tho opinion that someone had evidently been badly bitten. It would lie absurd to ask the to stop speculation. They were all speculators, more or less. Mr G. Reid was oi opinion that tho farmers were being exploited in every possible shape and form, and on his suggestion a sub-commltteo was appointed to go into tho matter. " Tin? return of all ex-members of tho N.Z.'E.F. suffering permanent disablement exceeding 20 per cent has. ■hcon revived from the printer,” states ;he Applications Committee of the Wellington War Relief Association. 11 It discloses that tho "Wellington society is responsible for approximately one-third oi tho total number of disabled soldiers in the Mellington Vrovince, namely, 324 out of a total of 1060 men. There are, however. 23,000 men receiving temporary pensions, a considerable number of whom will ultimately become permanent pensioners, ami after allowing lor some 25 per cent who probably will not be suffering economic loss, there rornains a minimum of not fewer than 150 partially or totally disabled soldiers for w-'hom the committee ia responsible p whilst its linaneial resources are, not, one-lifth of the total existing funds in the Wellington Province. These facts are referred to as evidence of the necessity to carefully conserve tho maximum portion of the society’s funds for tho'benefit of our disabled soldiers and their dependents, who null require assistance for many years to come.” i In addressing the annual meeting at Hamilton of suppliers of the Now Zealand Co-operative Dairy Company, Ltd., Air A. J. Sinclair, nssisliint-ni.au-ogcr, submitted iigurcs which he said showed that tho butter suppliers had a haul row to hoe at tho price now being received for their produce. One typical instance was of a, man who was a practical farmer, milking fifty-four cows on 160 acres, a portion of which was in scrub. Iho Government valuation was “ri 1 ‘ hcr ? 'T a of .UU.O. I lie only charge this farmer demtod against hi s farm for himself was b per cent on his equitv. He kept lik accounts accurately, and the following was a summary which he. prepared on the assumption that Im would receive about Is Hd a pound, for Ids butter-fat. Ihe receipts wore: Butlcr-fat L'GTI calves and pigs £230, total £021.’ The t f, x ,l ie,i 7*' lire IViIS: Rotes and insurance £45, interest on mortgage £ll7, 0 pncent on equity food and foodstuffs £tjf, one man’s wages £l6O, repairs and _ maintenance £23. freights'ami cartage £32, manures, tacks, pTc., £94 horseshoeing and sundries £2l, total’ £b26. I hat anoint that the fanner was left uilh £OB to pay lor Iho sei vices of hmiscli. Ins wife and throe children all helping m tho milking. Tim man worked Irom daylight to dark, and his wife .had broken down through overwork. Ho was only able to make both ends meet by tho fact that lu> bought Ins farm ten years ago when the price , " as lll ' l ch Wow the present Covern--1 ment valuation. That ease, said Air •Sinclair, Avar, typical of many others, and it was a mystery how tho dairy farmer paid £SO and £6O an aero for his land and was a Ido to make a success at the present prices he received fo/hV bu liter. The ceremony of planting the first trees at the bog-guvdon, established r"fr to . 10 n,v "' ‘Section in the V'blm Gardens, was conducted by Air G. Harper (chairman of the Domains hoard) on .Saturday afternoon. Tho bog-gamon, after several monirs of preparation. is ready (o receive plants, and will hpautiiy about an acre of old travel pit. Tim paths and pmuk, maiTdv, are m circles. Botanical students tor whom rho garden has been made, vrill he able from the. paths, to draw to hem plants that grow iu tho ponds mid to examine them. Steps will bo •alien immediately to collect plants for the garden, and the collection will he increased from year to year.. Effort : 'HI bo made to obtain suitable plants : rom many other countries. In ruldi-I Don to these exotics, there nil] be sne i onU J Tu r l ,° M , Zealand > deluding ; f-nm the i lo ,"'7 lanrl bo fi s and other's -lOin he siib-alpmajjogs of the South- i >-'n Alps, The ire* planted on the 1 werfeA r thc R! ”T len 0,1 Saturday ' "ue exotics or natives. M r j v nim ;, ; Sred to tii aUd his staff pared the ground, and trees were 1 planted hr Afessrs G, Harper, J. yy j Beanlancy.one a= deputy-Alayor and an ‘ i M KeHar ,: r UU Tr lo, u , Councillors' 1 ..y ’ • llellai. ijr. H. Andrews and R c Karpov, Afr A. D. Ford (Mavor of Pc carton), and Afp-c-c r * ot . (chaimoa of the t ) oard , s' l -ardeTcT n nut lee), H. IVdcreme re. Wln ‘ Wnghl. W. hj. Win.;” amIPT Herrey (member of the board), F \v Scott ’and k ! ry" gfej l ard > of the board,, we're unable’ and trees were planted for them After 'the ceremony Air Young conduct l Y f ’ en V hrough the hothouse find piopagatir.g liouses, and afternoon tea uas seived in the pavilion.