LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXVI, Issue 18206, 17 June 1921, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wellington is shortly to have a Chinese newspaper. The paper will be called the "Man Sing Times.” The first number is to appear on July 11, and the paper will contain news of affairs in the East and also a record of events elsewhere.

There are so many week-end trav. ellers by the air-way between London and Paris (says a Home paper), that it is necessary to duplicate some of the “expresses.” Londoners in growing numbers are acquiring the habit of catching the noon air “express.” They have Saturday evening, the whole of Sunday, and practically half of Monday in Paris. “ Please send to me one daily Chronicle. I want to read one newspaper. 1 will ask you about one daily Chronicle. You will fold one newspaper to me. You will be a good man. You want to write a letter to me.” The above is neither a communication from a prospective native subscriber up the Wanganui river nor from a Japanese Chamber of Commerce. It is a letter received by the “Chronicle’’ Offioe from a resident of Hutchinson, Kansas, United States. The etiquette of the Supreme Court so far as it applies to the members of the Bar is fairly strictly defined, and the matter of dress is not the least important of its requirements. In Invercargill recently when a solicitor appeared before Mr. Justice Sim (Acting-Chief Justic®) in a light grey suit and tan boots, he was informed that his garb was not suited for the occasion. His Honour pointed out that a dark suit should be worn before the Court.

There were many complaints among patrons in the Opera House last evening concerning the meagre character of the opera programme for winch a. charge of 3d was made. Patrons would not object to pay for a really informative programme, but they felt somewhat chagrined When they'opened up an advertising leaflet and found nothing but the barest caste of characters, and that not sufficiently defined to make it possible for the uninitiated to distinguish the performers.

The vocation officer tells of a pathetic incident which occurred recently at Pleasant Valley Sanatorium, Dunedin. Among the patients are a number of soldiers who contracted tuberculosis as the result of active service, and the Defence Department provides them with instruction in suitable subjects, such as poultryfarming, leather work, and basketmaking. Great interest is taken in these occupations, even by the worsl cases. One man, although in the last stages of the disease, insisted on finishing a basket he was making for exhibition at the Dunedin Show. The basket was finished, but the maker died before he could learn that a special prize had been awarded his last effort.

During a discussion on motor traffic at the Horowhenua County Council on Saturday, Cr. Harkness said he took particular stock of the motor traffic on the coufity roads during the recent Otaki races, and said ho was greatly surprised to find such a large number of motor cars, on the roads. There was no doubt at all about the amount of damage that was done on these two days “ Why not get something out of these people on race days,” he asked, “to compensate for the damage they do?’’ Cr. Harkness suggested putting ■up toll gates on race days. He was not in favour of toll gates as a principle, but kc did think that temporary gates should be’ put on the roads on race days. He instances the railway cut some time back when very heavy traffic was thrown on 'kihear roads, and n had cost the county £lOOO in actual cash to put them in repair. The .engineer stated that it would cost £2OO to repair the roads after the two days’ races at Otaki. An Auckland watersider, Oscar O’Brine, writes as follows concerning what he describes as a “comical” item reprinted by the “Star” from a Wellington paper: It—the comical item—relates how a brawny young man was carelessly lifting bags of cement, “first with the right hand and then with the left,” on to a motor-lorry, when a watersider worker “sidled” up to him and impertinently suggested “two men to a bag. mate!” The heedless young enthusiast calmly took the cheap trash of the waterfront “under the armpits,” calmly dropped himinto the harbour, and then pursued his interrupted exercise. Now, as most people know, a bag of cement weighs 1261 b., and the height of a motor-lorry is about 4ft. A young man juggling things like that first with one hand then the other, would no doubt be glad of even the slight diversion of slinging a waterside into "the ditch.” As to this literary production, opinion on Auckland waterfront is somewhat divided, but the majority hold that it is part of a serial, and they are quite anxious to read the sequel. They particularly want to know what happened when that care-free young Colossus woke up. Hoping you will be able to enlighten us. A most enthusiastic meeting of the Southern Schools Committe, in conjunction with a number of parents and sympathisers, .was held on Wednesday evening, and committees were formed to catty out the various duties in connection with the forthcoming effort to raise £lOOO for the ground improvements at the Avenue and Central Infants’ Schools. The children will give a concert at the Opera House on Thursday, 28th July, and the next day, Friday, a monster procession with tableaux and bands will be held. In conjunction with Friday’s effort various stalls will be held for the sale of cakes, produce, etc., while the sporting community will be particularly catered for by the sale of envelopes 'entitling the holder to a partjcular parcel from the Surprise Packets. These Surprise Packets Will contain useable articles, and every purchaser Is guaranteed good return for his shilling, while the luckier persons will receive the special prizes, which will be announced later. There will also be a street collection to assist the funds, and knowing Wanganui’s proverbial “give 'ability” the committee feel sure that it will not appeal in vain, particularly as all moneys collected will help the children to better conditions, and every pound raised carries equivalent Government subsidy. Asked what steps the Land Department is taking to alleviate hardships of soldier farmers due to the slump in prices, the Minister of Lands (says j “Quick March”) had a good deal to 'say, much of it not for pubication. Each case, Mr. Guthrie said, would be Considered, and was considered, on its merits. Some of the settlerfe (such as dairy farmers) did not need any assistance, and others again had means, but for obvious reasons it was not advisable to enlarge on what was beng done, as this would .perhaps only lead to a large number asking for concessions when they were not really in need of assistance The Minister gave one instance of this kind. A man whom he knew had been a frequent patron of the race, course, and who also, he knew, was staying at the most expensive hotel in Wellington at the time, came to him asking for assistance. He had to warn the man that he did not think it was playing the game to act like that. The attitude of the Minister is distinctly sympathetic to the soldiersettler, but while farmers generally are struggling under burdens due to the slump he does not think anything should be done by the Government to cause the soldier settler to relax his efforts in meeting the same difficulties. The Minister seems to be sincerely out to do his best for the soldier on the land, and in genuine cases of hardship where the settler is doing his best, steps will no doubt be taken to ease the burden in various ways; but there again every case must be considered on its own individual merits. .

The chairman of the Wanganui Harbour Board (Mr A. G. Bignell) stated last evening ' that arrangements had been completed for the steamer Hawera, recemly damaged at Patea, to be put on the slip at Wanganui next Monday. We understand that the Board and the owners of the vessel have reached an agreement regarding charges.

Mr John Farrell, business manager for J. C. Williamson Opera Co., informed, a “Chronicle” representative last evening that if the Opera House had been available on Saturday, the Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Coy. would have staged "The Yeoman of the Guard,” in the afternoon and “The Pirates of Penzance” in the evening. The extraordinary feats of memory which the text of the Bible was preserved through the ages without being committed to writing was described by Dr. J. H. Hertz, Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew* Congregation, during his lecture at the Auckand Town Hall on Monday evening. “I myself know hundreds *of men,” he said." who not only know the five books of Moses from end to end, but the entire scriptures, the whole 39 books, in Hebrew. There are hundreds of men alive who know the entire Talmudic literature by heart, a much more marvellous feat of memory.’’

; Heartrending inquiries, said the Government Statistician, Mr. Malcom Fraser, in a lecture in Wellington, were sometimes received by the cen. sus office from fathers and mothers who have lost sons or daughters and hoped to trace them through the census schedules. Inquiries of this kind could not be answered, said Mr Fraser, since the census could not be used for any other purpose than that for which it was taken. All personal information was kept secret, and after the details of the schedule had been transferred to the cards for classification purposes, and the names had become mere numbers, the schedules were destroyed under supervision and not referred to again.