LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wanganui Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 160724, 10 August 1920, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

A women's campaign in favour of pro-, hibition has been officially launched ia Sydney. A Now York cable states that another issue of Treasury certificates for one hundred and fifty dollars is being offered at par with accrued interest through Federal reserve banks. The Invercargill police nave been informed that a young man named CoX was drowned ai Port Craig - yesterday afternoon while loading siorcs’ on to a launch. The body was recovered. The Cun ardor Aquiiania, which sailed from New Fork on July :51st, created a new record. Site covered the last 129 miles to Cherbourg on Friday in three, hours forty-two minuto-s, an average of 27.4 knoL, or thirty-one land miles. Boyd Thompson, a rabbiler on Mount Ncssing station, is missing (says a Tima.ru telegram). Me visited the homestead last Sunday and left for his hut on the ranges at 1 p.m. on Monday, but did not reach there. The weather was misty and snow was on the ground. A search party is out. Business interests in Buenos Aires are manifesting concern over rumours that a general strike is imminent throughout the country as the result of the agitations of an extremist clc* ment among the Labour population. Many strikes are now going on, including a rent strike., and river and coastwise marine workers’ strike, which is six months old. fife. The Chat!;am, w 1 JjHfesliort 1y to I><s Now Zealand's first jfififiof defence in tlie Pacific. is to eventually by New ZeaT uUns. Massey stated during the del aU- on {lie Naval Estimates teat as New Zealanders liecamc qualified they would bo given an opportunity to replace British seniors. Me Hownie Fu-wart said the great virtue of Luc sell me was that it incorporated the principal of personal service*. * It is reported that substantial supplies of superphosphates are coming forward from Japan, and that arrangements to? supplies have been made which should provide almost sufficient for New Zealand’s requirements during the coinin'* spring. They approximate 17,000 tons. The first shipment to arrive at Wellington will be 4000 ions one day next week in the Moika Main. Further cargoes for other North and .South Island ]>ori.R ’aro on the way. The Dunedin Master Builders’ Association resolved that it will do all iif its power to assist in building homes for workers by tendering, provided the Government guarantee the supply of materials at fixed prices. The Association is strongly of opinion that the tendering system is satisfactory and the cheapest. The. Association strongly protests against the action of the Government in allowing the Board of Trade to issue permits for the export of so much New Zealand timber, and also urges the Government to arrange for a sufficient supply of coal to cement manufacturers. In a paper contributed to the Homo Economies Association, Christchurch, Dr Eleanor Baker described a school in Canterbury where the children aro taught to cat their lunches properly, sitting on forms brought out by the cider boys foC this purpose, and supervised by a teacher, who sees that they cat slowly and decently. When lunch is finished, two of the elder scholars each bring a bucket. In one of these buckets are placed all the lunch papers, and in the other anv scraps of food that may lie left. This close supervision of the children's luncheon by a teacher serves many useful purposes. It may happen (says a Melbourne paper) that some day Australia will meet a rival in the Empire as far ait woolgrowiug is concerned. To-day it appears Hint there is a growing desire in Mouth Africa to develop the wool industry to a much greater extent, and even to compete eventually with the Commonwealth. So much was admitted by Mr Conroy, a former member of the Mouth. African Bouse of Assembly, who is visiting Australia to study pastoral conditions and to arrange for the export to South Africa o( a, number of merino sheep. Ho st-a'fd that a number of sheep had been sent to Africa recently in thus way, and that there were big fields for development there. Much, however, remains to bo done as yet;. South Africa suffers also from poriodio droughts, which render conditions difficult. Mr Conroy pointed out also that Tig stations comparable, in size to the largo Australian establishments were not known ;n South Africa as yet. The position regarding the price of woollen goods in the Dominion was the subject of special reference in the annual report of tho directors of the Wellington Woollen Company. The paragraph reads: “The acute shortage of supplies and high prices of woollens of equal quality to New Zealand manufacture has brought local industry very much under pnape notice with unfair criticism, and, despitep successful efforts to increase production, consumers have expected more than the industry could accomplish. Ihe assumption, frequently expressed, that the cost of New Zealand tcxti.lc'ferc based on London market wool, is erroneous, as they arc fixation the Imperial Supplies Department’s appraised prices of wool in the Dominion. Further, in relation to statewtote as to excessive prices, it is due *To explain, that the ratio of profit on the company s turnover has not been increased, but continues the same as before tho war.”

sale of an old house at Otaki 3 valuer allowed £IOO each for two very tine I'orfolk pines about 40 feet high/ and*lobably 40 years old.

A Manawatu farmer has let a section of five acres at Otaki to a Chinaman at £ls an acre. There are no buildings and the fences are dilapidated.

'Horses are evidently not much in demand in the Patel district just. now. During the last month two horses that impounded were sold by auction, but they did rot realise the cost of advertising the sale. The measles epidemic in and about Dunedin seems to be persistent. No fewer than fifty-six notifications were received by the Health Officer for the twenty-four hours ended at noon on Thursday. The other notifications numbered only five from the whole of Otago and Southland, hut ii is disquieting to learn that two of these five are American smallpox cases in Invercargill.

It was reported at the School Committee’s meeting last evening that several windows at the Avenue School had been broken during the week end owing to some person having used them as a target for pea rifle practice, the shots evidently having been fired from the direction of Dublin Street. The chairman remarked that evidently some people had no respect for public property.

The chairman reported to the schools committee meeting last evening that delay in the non-arrival of material was holding up the building operations at Queen’s Park school. Some special window frames ordered from Dunedin 14 months ago had net yet arrived, but these were expected at an early date. Shortage of labour had also caused delay. On the other hand Foxton school had been burnt down subsequent to Queen’s Park and the new one erected and in occupation. An elderly man. on alighting from a motor car' in the Avenue this morning, opposite Chavannes’ Hotel, stepp<s right in front of an approaching motor cycle. The man was thrown heavily on the road and sustained cuts ond bruises on the leg. .Viter the impact the cyclist- travelled a few yards and was also thrown heavily and considerably shaken. Both were taken into the hotel, where they received attention, ami later the elderly man was taken home. The rider of the motor cycle eoon recovered from flic shock.

Reporting on the inauguration of toothbrush drill Keith Street Infants’ School to the Committee last evening. Miss L. 31. O’Brien suited chat it was surprising to see how quickly and with what evident pleaenre the children go through this form of drill. Dr Gunn had visited the school about a fortnight ago and expressed approval at the methods adopted. The visiting eomniitec also imported to the meeting that thev were verv favourably impressed with the arrangements Miss O'Brien and her stiff had made to carry out the drill.

A smgge-rion vrns n ade at yesterday s meeting of the Patea County Council ».v Ur. McGregor that a by-law should U» pa-s.'-d n-ohiVlung all traffic, especially motor traffic, :r.;m passing bridges while stock was ’rein? driven over. He

-aid that gre-u inconvenience was suffered by driver.->:<vk through meeting motor-car.-. i^T bridges. A by-law similar to what Im desired was in force in one of the Hawke’s Day counties, end he <onsidered it should he adopted in the Patea County. The proposition was considered by tire chairman to be very debatable, so notice of motion was given to discuss it at next meeting. Th« surer wo;!-;. dispute at Axieklandftn-.- 'taken a more serious aspect as a result <.: rou-vjuU raent through the medium "f the < (. otiut-il. Members of the Union have given the employers notice that unless the dispute i- settled on the basis of toe I nion s original demands, they will reuse operamidnight on the 14th uist. 'Hie demands referred to were a 44-hotir week, an all-round increase of AT ]>or week, and better working conditions.. The last-named was reduced during tho conciliation proceedings to halt, but the best offer made by the employers failed to reach tho reduced sum by -Is. Discussing a proposal in favour of a universal Saturday half-holiday, a councillor at yesterday s meeting of the Patea Couutv Council remarked that a commercial traveller had told him that on one of his trips he had three halfholidays in a week, due to the varying days on which different towns observed tho weekly half-holiday. A councillor; “That’s the bagman’s funeral!” Iha chairman contended that the Council had to look at the proposal from a farmer’s point of view, and to farmers Saturday half-holiday would not lw suitable. A councillor: "It will come in. time.” The chairman said than lie was opposed to it, and on hLs motion it was decided not to support the prol>osaL The opinion was expressed that tho half-holiday question was better settled by the individual local authorities. A matter of importance to members of local bodies, particularly to county councillors, was brought under the notice of the Patea County Council yesterdav by the Minister for Public Works, who. in a circular letter, referred to the damage to iivor banks caused by willows. He quoted the report of the New Zealand Divers Commission, where- it stated it had been struck with the damage that had been nud wa- being done, and would be caused by injudicious willow-planting and bv tire absolute neglect to control willowV and other exotic vegetation on Hanks and in the beds of ravrs in New Zealand. Hie Minister emphasised the groat danger and less likely to accrue te local bodies and the '-late by tin’s action and neglect of action, and also intimated that no applications for assistance to repair hood damage would >kj granted where it could be shown that such damage was wholly or partially due to the wrongful planting or nonremoval of willows from i-c..-; i- where they unduly restricted the How of flood waters. The Department was willing to give what assistance it could in helming local authorities to remove or re collate willows. Cr. McGregor, commf.r.tin< T on tho letter, remarked that evidence of wha: willows could do existed on the banks of the Waitotara River ii«ir his property, where cm one side, where the bank was protected by willows, no erosion had take place, but on the other, where there were mi willows, considerable erosion had taken place. Willows, he cm ride red, should not be allowed to growjDbove a certain height, cr they were iiJFly to do more damage than good. A nor her councillor remarked that river erosion in that Pcalitv was going to cost the Waitotara County Council a considerable sum. Similar cases were quoted by ether councillors, one remarking that a farmer, nv planting willows, had gained aborts ■H> acres to his holding.

A Wellington Pres Association message states that work was resumed on the Wellington waterfront to-day. We understand that at a meeting of the local members of the medical profession an increase in fees was decided upon.

A private cable received from Colombo by a Wanganui business man states that the price of tea has advanced by 24d per lb. and sago and tapioca have hardened 15s per ton. Cauliflowers arc evidently a scarce commodity in Wanganui at present. At Messrs Williams and Harper’s produce sale last week cauliflowers of medium size reached the substantial price of Is 5d each, and these were keenly bid for bv local Chinese retailers.

Coal is a little more short in Wanganui than usually just now, and the earliest supplies expected from Westport will arrive here next week. The White Pine from Newcastle is due here next week, and her cargo of coal, originally intended to be divided amongst a few consignees, will now' he distributed over a wide area.

Three cargoes of timber are being loaded in Auckland for Sydney. The schooner Abcmama loaded some 225,000 ft of white pine, while the barquentiue Senorita is expected to carry slightly more than a quarter-million feet of piun.s insignis and other timber. Tha six-masted barquentine E. K. Sterling has almost completed a loading of timber in the vicinity of a million fee.t, which is to proceed to Sydney with hef during the next few days. Recent advices regarding hardware lines from Home show that English shoeing bars are quoted at 30s per ton advance ; corrugated iron has dropped about £2 per ton at Home: English steel plates are £2 5s harder than the last, quotation; tinned steel sheets have risen about .£lO per ton; wire netting (English) is np 5 per cent, over last ■week's ' quotation: I.C. tinplates arc quoted at 2s per box less than last week; Australian sheet lead and lead pipes have each dropped £1 per ton. No alteration has taken place in white lead.

The fatal accident which occurred at the level crossing at Waverley Racecourse about a fortnight ago was referred to at yesterday's meeting of the Patea County Council fty CT. Taylor, who, in mentioning that it was a particularly dangerous crossing, stated that the view was obscured by some tall pine trees growing in the vicinity. Ho mentioned that, only a few days before the accident, another one was narrowly averted. It was decided to draw the attention of the Domain, Board and the Waverley Jockey Club to tiie trees and to ask for their removal. Several councillors agreed that the only way to effectually remove the menace was to straighten out the road, by this means two crossings could,he done away with.

The Waitotara Comity Council yesterday passed iho following resolution in repaid to the no tv railway site proposal-. "Thai, this Council tender sympathy and support to the Wanganui Harbour Board in their effort to relieve and improve the conditions that now obtain at the town wharf. 'Die situation has Ix-cn gradually growing worse for the last ten years, and is now so utterly ba-d as to retard the progress of the district. We trust yon ■will bo able to get the railway station moved so as to give ns reasonable, access to the wharf and your Board tho nece=sarv room to handle the trade of a growing port with greater despatch and economy. In this direction we will give you all the assistance in our power.’’ The chairman reported to the Waitotara Countv Coni oil yesterday that the Fii a nee Committee had met and decided to recommend to the Council that the rates be cubed up on December 14. Tiie committee thought that, by doing so the Council could meet all its liabilities. The period vxuld only be two months earlier than the previous year, and the Borough Council had adopted this course for some time past. He did not think time the ratepayers would object, seeing that the Council had had a considerable amount of extraordinary expenditure to rand. Cr. Boss said tho proposal might give the ratepayers a wrong impression, and he thought it would be preferable for Councillors to guarantee a small overdraft at the bank. The matter was held over till next meeting. The matter of recognising Mr F. Pirani’s lengthy and valuable services in the interests of education while chairman of the Wanganui Education Hoard was discussed at the Wanganui Schools’ Committee meeting last evening. The chairman read the circular sent out to the various Committees in the Wanganui Education District, and mentioned that, in addition to the Committees, the teachers had also expressed a wish to contribute to the presentation. Various members considered that, in accordance with Mr McFarlands letter in the ■■Herald’’ of yesterday. the public should also be given an opportunity to subscribe. It was unanimously decided to adopt this suggestion, and the Committee will now be pleased to receive donations.