LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXII, Issue 19440, 28 October 1925, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

One of the metal plates on the South African War Memorial in Cook’s Gardens has become loose. The authorities will probably see that it is refastened, otherwise it will soon be wandering far afield.

“The depositors in the banks operating in New Zealand must have much Scotch blood in their veins/’ said Mt Coull last evening, when showing banking figures revealing the public thrift and prosperity of New Zealand.

“Insinuation and innuendo have been often cast Reform Government, but for the last 13 years not one charge of graft has ever been proven.” Air Coull speaking at Gloucester 'Street last evening.

Mr Coull, discussing education, last evening, said the work of school com mitteemen was unselfish work. They gave their leisure time, they did Trojan work, and undoubtedly, i n assisting education, they did a great service to the community.

Air J. Coull last evening, discussing the problem of labour working with capital, said: “Co-operation between employer and employee would relievo more of the industrial troubles than all the legislation that any Government could enact.’

“What man would not willingly pay £2OOO tax if he were earning £5OOO a year?” said Mr J. W. Yarnall, Labour candidate for Roskill, at a meeting of electors on Saturday evening. The Labour Party, he added, intended to tax the wealthy heavily and protect the middle and lower classes.

“For the last three months the Wanganui river has been in flood,” remarked Mr T. W. Downes, the River Trust’s overseer, to a “Chronicle’’ reporter yesterday. The season had been phenomenal, he said, and the heavy raintyll on the watershed had much interfered with the Trust’s work. There had been a great many slips on the river banks, particularly in the upper reaches.

A local resident, who has a good knowledge of native bush, remarked to a reporter yesterday that in the course of his travels around the district he had. noticed that there was an overabundance of rangiora and akeako blossoms in the bush this year, while there was a scarcity of flowering clematis. This was caused, no doubt, by the unusual spring weather experienced this year.

A poser was put to Air W. A. Sheat, Labour candidate for Taranaki, at a meeting the other evening. He was asked: “Has the Labour Party got any scheme whereby the farmer shouldn’t have to work more than the number of hours the labourer w’orks in town?” The reply did not suggest a solution to the problem, but Air Sheat expressed the opinion that there was no reason why in time the farmers should not reduce their hours of work under the Labour Party’s land policy.

Speaking at Masterton last week Mr G. R. Sykes, Government candidate for that seat, related having recently visited the Mangahao construction works, where, he said, there was a splendid class of men engaged. They were doing wonderful work, they were a happy family, and there was not a “grouser” in the camp. This, he claimed, was due largely to the conditions provided for the men by the Minister for Public Works, Mr Coates, who was a leader ot men and respected men. (Applause).

When speaking at the corner of Dominion Road and Valley Road, Mr J. W. Yarnall, Labour candidate for Roskill, was invited by a supporter to step on to the footboard of a motor-car so that, he might be heard more easily. Stepping up from the box on which he had been speaking on to the car, Mr Yarnall remarked: “Ah, that is better. I feel now a bit nearer heaven.” Instantly a political opponent said: “You will need a pretty long ladder to get there.” The candidate enjoyed the joke at his expense as much as the audience did.

“ Is it a fair thing to collect income tax on income!” was a question put to Mr H G. Dickie last evening. The candidate was nonplussed for a moment. He said he thought the income tax was the fairest of all taxes, and he did not see any other way of collecting income tax but on income. The questioner later explained that what he referred to was the department’s refusal to take off from the subsequent year’s income the tax paid for the previous year’s profit. The candidate agreed that this was unfair.

At the Magistrate’s Court yesterday, before Mr J. S. Barton, S.M., judgment for the plaintiffs by default was given in the -following undefended ' cases:—■ Marshall, Izard and Barton v. E. Lonergan, claim £5 4s lOd, costs £1 15s 6d; R. C. Harrison v. G. Dixon, £1 4s lid, costs 10s; M. M. Earle v. C. Somerville, £46 0s 6d, costs £4 2s (id,-J. M. Brennan v. R. Lazarus, £l5 19s 6d, costs £2 17s; R. L. Avery v. J. J. Chelley, £8 2s 6d, costs £1 10s 6d; Westport Coal Company, Ltd., v. S. Grange, £3 7s 6d, costs £1 6s 6d; H. I. Jones and Son, Ltd., v. J. H. Coombes, £1 18s 6d, costs £1 3s 6d; and J. C. Meyer v. R. Guilford, £9 7s 6d, costs £1 Ils 6d.

Some people have a queer ide<a of doing business. A judgment debtor at the Magistrate’s Court yesterday explained that he was purchasing a motor lorrv on the time payment system. While his earnings aggregated only £4 a week, his instalments totalled half of his net income. The Magistrate referred to the utter uselessness of the debtor’s undertaking, and was of the opinion that the investment could produce only one result. It was bad business altogether, and the manner in which the defendant had incurred his debt showed a touch of dishonesty. Debtor stated that he intended to give up Carrying, and go into a wool store. The case was adjourned to enable the defendant to seek other employment..

The small Wanganui contingent that competed at the, Hamilton Competitions speak highly of the treatment received from the officials, especially the secretary, Mr 57. G. Gribble. The Competitions were successful, from both the standard of entries and the attendance of the public. Further successes not already recorded are Miss E. Latham first, and Miss B. Allen third in Junior Shakespearean recital, and Mr W. Mather second in test recital for gentlemen. Miss Betty Allen was awarded the gold medal for girls under 16, and Miss Maud McCormick, the medal for the piano test. Altogether, the five competitors secured five firstprizes, eight seconds and six thirds ami two gold medals, and in addition Miss E. Latham secured the highest aggregate for the ladies’’ elocutionary section.

“I am not a Socialist, “ said Mr Coull last evening. “I support private enterprise.”

If one absorbed a New Zealand State school education it would carry hi hr anywhere throughout the British Empire, said Mr Coull last evening.

“Many of the old Liberals are voting Reform this time, believing that*the policy of Mr Gordon Coates is the most liberal and democratic.”—Mr J. Coull speaking last evening.

Discussing sport last evening, Mr Coull said that horse racing was said to be the sport of kings, and if so, nt appeared to him that New Zealand must be peopled with a very large Royal family, for the public in this country gave racing “a good go.”

Some residents of Wanganui East, who have evidently cast civic pride to the wind in order to gratify their desire to beautify their own homes, have been cutting bamboo from the esplanade that skirts the river bank. It is understood that proceedings will be instituted against the offenders.

Several parties of Wanganui residents took the opportunity to visit Mt. Egmont durnig the week-end. Adverse conditions prevailed some of the time 'and prevented ascents of the mounItain being made. The snow line is re- | ported to be lower for this time of the year than it has been for some years.

It is understood that ti is the intention of the Wanganui City Council to substitute a bus service to Castlecliff beach this summer for the tramway service inaugurated last year. It is probable that the old time-table will be adhered to and the buses will leave periodically from Wanganui East and Aramoho.

“Lewis Mcllvride, Labour M.P., is a very attractive speaker, and when lecturing in Wanganui lately said that America paid the highest wages in the world,’ said Mr J. Coull last evening “Stick is attributable,” concluded the speaker, “to tha’t country adopting a system of co-operation between employer and employee.”

When questions time came last even' ing, Mr Coull was confronted with one asking him what “conservative” meant. “It is to conserve what is the best in the community, ’ ’ he said, ‘ ‘ and Reform is what it reads—it reforms—and that is what the present Reform Government record reveals.” The apt answer appealed greatly to those present.

At the conclusion of an address by Mr F. N. Bartram, Labour candidate for Grey Lynn, on Saturday evening, a questioner almost convulsed the meeting by asking gravely, “Do you believe in sending an unmarried woman all the way down to Parliament, especially with those all night sittings! Is that a fair thing?” Mr Bartram replied that he had no say in the matter, as the lady concerned was old enough to decide for herself.

“Although half of the children who will be affected by the State guardianship provisions of the Child Welfare Act will be girls, I notice there is no provision for the appointment of a woman guardian for them,’’ said Miss Melville in her address at Kingsland on Friday. “They will have as guardians the same officers who look after the boys. I regard this as a serious flaw in the Act, and it also shows the need for women ’s representation where, the laws are made.”

The hypocrisy of the advertised desire for fusion on the part of the Nationalists was neatly exposed by Mr. H. G. Dickie in his speech at St. John’s Hill last evening. He said that in 1919 there was a Coalition Government, in which Sir Joseph Ward, Mr. T. Wilford, and other Liberals held portfolios, but in order to gain, as they thought, a party advantage, Sir Joseph Ward and the rest deserted Mr. Massey, leaving him to face the serious problems of after-war settlement alone. The Liberals were beaten at the polls.

Some amusement was occasioned at a meeting of the Otago Education Board last week by an application from a tenant of the board who requested the board to take action in the matter of two swarms of bees that had taken up their abode in the walls of the school residence. The tenant asked that these intruders be removed. The clause in the agenda paper was marked “B, ” and some confusion arose as to “B” and “bees,” and not a little jocularity followed. A suggestion was made that the matter be referred to the architect “to act,” presumably under the impression that he was an apiary expert, but the suggestion was not intended to be taken seriously. It was decided to request the tenant himself to look after the bees.

Representatives of the Waitotara County Council and the Wanganui Automobile Association were occupied yesterday inspecting camping sites adjoining the city that would be suitable for use by travelling motorists. It has been decided to endeavour to establish two sites, one near the Okehu stream and the other at Sandy Hook. In this connection, particulars are being pre pared and the exact location of the camping grounds will be advertised in the various guide books distributed throughout the Dominion. It will be remembered that last year a camping site was established in Jackson Street, at the rear of the racecourse, and this will be available for use by motorists this season. Water has been laid on to the section, and from time to time other conveniences will be provided.