LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wanganui Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16035, 28 January 1920, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

It is proposed to purchase by public subscription the iinc oil painting, “Flight from Egypt,” now on view in the Sargcant Gallery.

The Australian Workers’ Enion annual convention has opened in Sydney. Many important questions affecting the workers of the Commonwealth arc being discussed.

“The people of Wanganui do not know what an asset the town has in the lower reaches of the river; this town should be the acquatic centre of New Zealand,” remarked the Mayor in the course of a discussion at the meeting of the Borough Council last night. The Borough Council has, on the recommendation of the. Reserves Committee, decided to abandon the proposal to hold a competition for designs for the proposed Library and Museum, building. Messrs Ford and Talboys are to bo asked to design the building. Owing to the prevalence of crimes of violence in England and Wales, where last week there were, fifty deaths from violence, the police authorities are discussing the re-introduction of the cat o’ nine tails. 'They admit that public opinion docs not favour the step except in cases of diabolical outrage. The Borough Council last night, on the motion of the Mayor, seconded by Cr. Luxford, unanimously passed a motion placing on record the Council’s appreciation of the munificent gift made by Mr and Mrs Hope Gibbons to the people of Wanganui of the building recently occupied as a convalescent homo for sick and wounded soldiers, to bo used now as a rest maternity home.

An unusual find has been made by Mr Graliam and party at Clark’s Flat, Forsyth, midway between Lawrence and Waitahuna. They discovered a large seam of good lignite quite near the. surface; in fact, only about 2 feet of stripping will bo required. The peculiar feature of the coal is that it_ is impregnated. with resin, some pieces of which appear to be almost pure resin, weighing as much as 3lb. <

There are only throe municipalities of any size in New Zealand, oi which Wanganui is one, which have not joined up with the National Provident Fund,” remarked Cr. Sharpe at the meeting of the Borough Council last night. Upon the recommendation of the Finance Committee, it was decided to invite the Superintendent of the Fund to come to Wanganui to place the superranuation scheme before the Council and its employees, and that the latter ho invited to a meeting to be hold at a convenient time.

The second engineer and purser of the Union Company’s cargo steamer Comma, from Nelson, were removed from the vessel to the Wellington. Hospital on Saturday, suffering from a mild form of influenza. A young steward on the Pjiteena, also from Nelson,,was also transferred to the hospital - with a feverish cold. A mild form of influenza is very prevalent in Nelson. Of the influenza cases reported in Wellington, nearly all of them arc of a mild type. Ouly two cfiscs lire described as of pneumonic tendency. It is understood that Dr Herhert Chcsson, District Health Officer fox Canterbury, has been loaned ■to the Department of External Affairs, and has been appointed to the charge of all matters pertaining to public health and hospitals in British Samoa. Dr Chesson will probably take up his duties early in May. It is possible Dr Chesson will accoinpany the Parliamentary party on their visit to the Islands. Regarding a permanent district health officer for Canterbury, it is probable Dr Hughes, district health officer, Otago, will come to the district. In applying for an extension of the Education Board’s tenancy of the Wanganui East Town Hall for use as a temporary class room, the secretary, Mr W. H. Swanger, stated that the Government had not yet made a grant for the enlargement of the school. The delay in dealing with this matter was not due to the inaction of the Board. If the Council terminated the tenancy. of the hall, the result would probably be the closing of the Wanganui East school. The above was the effect of a letter received by the Borough Council last night and referred to the Reserves Committee, An advertisement of considerable interest to contractors, electricians, coppersmiths, steam laundries, and aerated water manufacturers appears in this iesuie. The Defence Department is calling tenders for the purchase of a lot of valuable electric lifts, steam laundreequipment, hot presses, soda-water making apparatus, and various other equipment which has been dismantled from the hospital ships and Marama. Tenders close at llVcllingtoii on Saturday, 28th February; and detailed specifications of the Articles on offer, and conditions of tender,', may be seen at tho local Defence Office.

McEwin’s jam factory in. Adelaide was destroyed by fire. The damage csti* mated at <£30,000 sterling. ’ The German Government, in consequence of numerous railway strikes, ban issued a decree prohibiting Government officials from striking. The elderly woman found dead in * room in a house in Abel Smith Street, Wellington, on Monday, has been identified as Emily Webster, alias Corbett. The United States Senate passed a Bill appropriating 0,500,000 dollars for the purpose of stimulating the teaching of English among aliens and illiterates. A. Loudon cable states'" that backed by the Government, the Duffer afield dyers sent a delegation to Germany to purchase two million sterling worth of dyes. The soldiers' civil re-cstablishmcnt department reports that only 570'') of Canada’s 330,000 returned soldiers have not been furnished with positions in civil life. Depunthion, the French l>oxcr, who strained his right wrist when fighting Taney Lee, on Dccemlwr 31-ih, developed blood poisoning, and his hand was amputated. The Allies have decided to recognise the independence of the Armenian Republic, with the capital at Erivan. The question of boundaries has not yet been ' w settled, but recognition is not to prejudice any decision later readied in. regard to Turkish Armenia. The Postal Department is proceeding with the idea of a system of aerial mails. It is not proposed at once to develop' a scries of services to cover tho whole country, but a number of services will be tried, and if they prove successful, the scheme, may he enlarged. In the course of a day or two the schedule should be issued.

A somewhat more definite reply concerning 't!ie Imperial Government's ■wishes in regard to the woo! commandeer has been received by the Prime Minister from the Secretary of State for the Colonies. This is to flic effect that His Majesty’s Government do not contemplate the extension of the woo! contract beyond June 30th. The Prime Minister, commenting: on the message, said that he did not take it as a definite pronouncement, hut as an indication that the commandeer would come to an end on the dale mentioned.

At the Auckland Police Court yesterday, Prank Stokes, alias Tozer, pleaded ■guilty to nine charges of fraud and theft. The oh a rgos included forgery of two cheques and uttering them, also the uttering of valueless cheques, and the theft of dress material. The evidence showed that in one instance the accused an agreement to purchase a car for ,£535, and gave a, cheque for .£SO a* a deposit. In another instance lie arranged the purchase of a farm and gave a cheque ior .£SO as a deposit. The third case was (he purchase of a grocery business with another .£SO deposit. Th* accused was committed for sentence. A London Press cable states that » leading Minister connected with the Colonial Office admitted in conversation that the theory that Dominions wer* equal nations was not working well in practice. There was all the 'paraphernalia for the Dominions’ delegates signing treaties with separate 9Gala« yet in great questions of Empire, policy, such an attitude towards Eussia Slid the future of Constantinople, they were not consulted. He suggested Dominion Premiers should permit second Ministers to represent them sometime* in London, though he admitted that this involved a trusted partnership sucli as existed in the case of .Botha’ anj femuts.

"tt hat has happened, during tic war, to tiie bison herds of Central Europe. I rotocted by an ukase of the Tzar Alexander, bison still existed in some piJ.va.tc parks of Poland and Lithuania, the bust of their kind in Europe. Count 1 otoeki’s herd was kept in an immense park, and for some time was protected by the Cossacks of the Don. But according to a French writer. Gmndidier, there is no doubt as to their ultimate fate. In 1.917 the Bolshevists thought fitting to include the herd in their policy of extermination. Bison could not be owned by everybody, therefore they must be owned by nobody, and so, in the general cataclysm, the famous herd disappeared.—Christian Science Monitor.

The Prime _ Minister had a conference yesterday with the representatives of those, interested in the price of hides, the purpose being to discover if jxrssible, some more satisfactory arrangement than that in force controlling the price of New Zealand leather. The conference occupied most, of the day. At the conclusion Mr Masesy said the subject had been most fully discussed, and all sides of tie question had been heard that of fanners, freezing companies, tenners, boot manufacturers, and the general public, as represented by the Board of Trade. He intended to put the evidence before Cabinet with a recommendation as to what should be done. There were many matters in connection with the problem which Cabinet would have to consider. He hoped to get the business before Cabinet in a day or two.

on inquest was held at the Loudon Hospital recently on Asher i-ovy, aged SC. formerly a fruit merchant. The evidence showed that the old man wens cut to purchase cat’s meat for his dog. Having done so, he attempted to cross Roman Road, which at the time was-'"'* crowded with people, when ho was knocked down by iKmotor-’bus, sustaining a fractured skull a I’d other injuries, from idic effects of which he died the same, day in lire hospital. Deceased is n puled to have been a wealthy man. A press representative was informed (hat after lus death a sum of about ,£Bortl in gold was found in a safe at his residence, and that tho safe was removed bodily to a banking establishment, under the direction of a firm of solicitors, wlic were consulted by various relatives. After the death the news that considerable wealth was in tho house rapidly spread throughout the neighbourhood, and several police constables remained in the house all night to guard the gold. The removal of the safe was witnessed by a crowd of several hundred persons. It is .stated that search for a will has up to the present pxroved unavailing.