LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXVI, Issue 7565, 8 May 1919, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Westralia, which arrived at Wellington from Melbourne on Monday, after being declared a clean ship berthed yesterday morning.

We understand that under the terms of the will of the. late Mrs. Eliza M. Sarjeant, the Dublin Street Methodiat Church will benefit to the extent of £25.

The vote taken by New Zealand bank clerks on the question of the formation of an< association, showed u«j for and 76 against, 246 votes being unrecorded.

Lord French's history of the campaign in 1914 reveals that Lord Kitchener went to Paris on the Ist September and adopted the tone of supremo commander. He announced his intention of taking the field. Lord French refused to accept Lord Kitchener's orders, and Lord Kitchener yielded.

A correspondent writes to the Dunedin "Star" to deny tLat the 2200 guineas paid by Mr. Moore for a Hereford bull at Feilding Is "the highest price ever given" for such an animal. He quotes the "Stock Breeder and Farmer" as reporting that 9000 guineas was given for a Hereford bull in England recently.

We have received from Mrs. M. A. Enderby a contribution of £1 Is towards the Returned Soldiers' Building fund.

The Mayoral installation was held yesterday, when congratulations were extender! to Mr. Mackay by Crs. Luxford and Williams. The Mayor gave an address on civic progress, on the linea of his pre-election speeches.

Last evening the Gonvjlle Town Board was asked to support the Co!----lingwood County Council in a request to the Government to acquire the Jfuponga coal mine, Golden Bay. The Board received the communication only, ono of the members expressing the opinion that the first step would have to be the acquiring of the Union Steamship Company.

The Commissioner of Taxes draws attention of taxpayers to the notification, appearing in to-day's issue that Returns of Income must be furnished not later than the 2nd June. Forms of return may be obtained at any postal moneyorder office; they wil^not be sent to taxpayers from the office of the Oommis. sioner of Taxes unless written application is made for them.

Recently the Gorivill© Town' Board supported a resolution by the Deveouport Borough Council in regard to the disposal of enemy aliens. Last nigh* the Gonvillo Board got a letter from Sir James Allen in which the ActingPrime Minister said: "There ar« many persons interned in the Dominion who at the tune of their internment were enemy aliens, but it, is certain they will have a distinct nationality on tiie final declaration of Peace and will t>e recognised as of the Allied Powers.

Tho inttinct of the wild duck is remarkable. Since the opening of the shooting season hundreds of these birds have sought Virginia .Lake as 8 haven of refuge where-they are safe from the attention of the shot-gun enthusiast. Jk% night the ducks take wing to their feeding grounds, but at daylight they return to vheir sanctuary. Aquatic bird life is quite a feature of the lake lust now. One interesting sight is two Mack swans with a sturdy young family oi six cygnets.

Letitia Lrouls McKay applied at the S.M. Court, Wellington, on Monday for a maintenance order frjm her husband, George McKay. The parties were married in 1903, anl the husband went to the front in, 1915. He came back in 1918, aul since his return.-hart hot supported her. The magistrate said that it appeared to be a case of jealousy on the part of both parties ana apparently with no foundation. The defendant was obliged to support his wife, and maintenance at tho rate of £1 5s per week would be granted.

The annual conference of the New Zealand Pharmaceutical Society, held at Wellington, has adopted th*> following remit from the Hawke's Bay division:—"That should Prohibition become established at any future date, orders from medical practitioners calling for intoxicating liquors be not supplied by chemists." A number* of chemists, declared that if they accepted the position of dealers in liquor, abuses would be sure to arise, and there would be endless difficulties.

A note of caution was sounded by Mr J. C. Arn6ld,\ehairman of the Gonville Town Board, last evening, in .regard to that local body's finances. He said the Board was over its borrowing limit, and they would haye to curtail expenses in oraer to carry on until they could strike a rate. One solution would t)e to raise a loaji and do the necessary work, a» it was impossible to do ifr o)|t of, ordinary revenue. A reyamatioii of .the district was awaited, and they were hopeful it would take place it the same time as the Cast|lecliff Board's area. It was decided to await the*! engineer's report on work to be completed, and the Board will then consider the way to finance them.

At the S.M. Court, Wellington, on Monday, Susan Miles said she was the mother of six children, the eldest of whom was fifteen and the youngest three years of age.. Her husband had delirium tremens more than once, and was seldom sober. When living in Wanganui her husband gave her £2 10s per week, but since coming to Wellington the allowance had been much less. His * conduct towards her had been such that she was compelled to leave him and obtain employment to suppdrt the children. An order, with maintenance at the rate of £2 per week, was granted.

In conversation with an "Age" representative recently, the Hon. A. M. Myers outlined a scheme for licensing reform which he thought might appeal to the people of the Dominion. He was of the opinion .that the hotels should be run more on the Continental lines than at present. The first consideration should be accommodation. Then provision should be made for open bars, where men and women could assemble in the public gaze, and partake of light wines and beers. The sale of spirits should be restricted, and adulteration of liquors should be rigorously suppressed.

At a meeting of the Wanganui I Presbytery held at' Marton on Monr I day, the clerk laid on the table a call from the Taihape congregation to the Rev. J. C. Loan, of Owaka, Otago, to be their minister. Mr. Munro,- commissioner from Taihape, spoke in support of the call, and started that the salary would be £230 per annum, with manse and glebe, and £40 per annum for motor-car allowance. On the motion of the Rev. Mr. Evans, the call was sustained, and is to be forwarded to the Presbytery at Clutha. It was decided to forward to the Home Mission Committee a recommendation from Ohakune-Rae-tihi, namely, that Mr. Morton, of Rewa, be appointed to that charge, as they had failed to secure an ordained minister.

A communication has been received by local bodies from the Minister ot Internal Affairs (Hon. G. W. Russell), that Cabinet has decided to take no action in regard to the suggestion that General Sir Andrew Russell should ikj appointed Governor-General of the Dominion in recognition of his war services. I'he proposal originated with the Hastings Borough Council when Mr lan Sinison was Mayor, and was convoyed by circular letter to all the Dominion local bodies, "Hie movement, however, did not- catch on as far as the majority of "local bodies round these districts are concerned, as there appeared to be an impression abroad that there was a possibility of (leii'sral Russell and Mr Simson being rival political candidates tor the Hawke's Bay seat at the next general election, it may to some exten* have accounted lor the solicitude on General Russell's behalf.