LOCAL AND GENERAL

Wanganui Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 160730, 17 August 1920, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

| Pho analysis of the Manawatu Gorges limestone deposits shows a percentage of 82 per cent, of lime. Experts saV that whoa the aeam is developed tins percentage will bo higher. The Farmers Union executive has decided ta obtain particulars aa to machinemc, cost, etc. Mr vV. A, Yeitch (Wanganui has given, notice in the House of Representatives of his intention to ask the PostmasterGeneral whether provision was being made for increases to the commission given to country postmasters and postmistresses in the (mire ratio as the increases to be given to the service generally. In. Chicago plans for tho “largest hotel in the world” are published. Built in five separate units, the hotel will have a frontage three blocks long on Lake Michigan. On the plans are 4000 rooms, a theatre seating 3500 people, 400 kitchenettes for visitors who cook their own meals, and a separate! block 16 storeys high foe bachelora. An idea of the railway ear shortag* in the United States may be gathered from the fact that it is estimated the mills in and around Pittsburg alone hold one million tons of manufactured goods awaiting means of transit. Tha danger is now that a slowing down in, operations will become necessary, which does not point to lower prices for goods. Evidence of what a heavy rain may? do in one night is to bo seen at Hwa Rivers, Southland (states tho Western Star). To the oast there is a rang# j of steep, bare hills, sloping to a greafc j western plain. In a fow hours a hcavxfA downpour rushing off tho hillside?? gouged out along tho roadside a big gully nearly a mile long, 6 to 10 foot deep, and 10 to 12 feet wide. A sequel to the declaration of prohibit tion in Samoa is a petition for oompensa-, tion on the part of the lessee of the Central Hotel, Apia. His statement shown that he took over the lease in November, 1918, to expire in December, 1922, at ct monthly rental of £SO. The residential part of the hotel was run at a loss, bug the bar trade showed an annual net profit of £2584, which it was anticipated would reach £3OOO. ’[’hero is something approaching a famine in flour in Napier. Urgent representations for sap (flies have been made to tho Board of 'Prado, and stocks are to lie shipped, from Lyttelton, Airangcments have been made for tho Monowui to call at Napier on her way to Auckland, and this vessel is now loading llaur. The shortage in Napier at this stage is significant, for men in the trade have predicted that there will bo a general, scarcity before tho end cf ike year. The training of Territorials during tho war was hampered considerably by practically the whole of the Dominion’! serviceable rifles being supplied to tho Expeditionary Force. Wfcat weapons Territorials do possess are old and quits useless for anything but drill purposes, Arrangements have been made by the Defence Department, however, to equip all units with new, up-to-date rifles, shipments of which are now beginning to arrive from. Home, and the work of replacing the old aims will be put in hand without delay. Mr C. D. Kennedy, who has returned to Napier, after spending several weeks’ holiday in Fiji, stated to a Tribune reporter that what struck him the little development that was rxdWg made. As in most other countries afe the present time, scarcity of labour was the predominant cry. The Fijians themselves were content with the old stand- . ard of existence, leading a careless, easy, life. Some of the plantations were well kept, but in the majority of cases tha natives showed little or no inclination in the way of development. If high prices encourage production, as the most trusted economists teach us (writes the Stratford correspondent) of the Taranaki Herald), this coming season should surpass all previous ones in its output of butter and cheese. 1 am afraid, however, that the old beliefs in political economy have becoma somewhat questionable in these latter days. We have seen high prices not only fail to stimulate production, but) even to help to limit it. I could give an instance of a group of our primary producers producing less because tho high prices give equal returns for less labour.

Sunday was tho sixth anniversary of the departure of tho Samoan Advance Guard from "Mew Zealand. This forca consisted of 55 officers find 1364 men* a-nd it was mobilised within a few days after the outbreak of hostilities. The men sailed from Wellington in Ilia steamers Moeraki and Monowai early on the morning of Angust loth, 1&14, or only JO davs after the news of tlm ' declaration of war by Great Britain was received in tho Dominion. Thi force, which included about 300 men from the Auckland district, arrived at Samoa on August SOth, according t« New Zealand time, and occupied Apia, without opposition, the same day. Delegates from branches of the Locomotive 0 Engineers, Firemen, and Cleaners’ Association met in Wellington vesteiday to consider 1 a pious matters, tha most important being the draft agreement prepared by the committee appointed by the Government after tha recent strike. The other brandies of the Railway service—Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants and Railway Officers’ Institute—have accepted the recommendations made in their cases. -« The E.C.P.A. has not yet accepted, ano A some of the branches arc known he opposed to acceptance cm the I hat tho agreement does not some of their demands. The conference®® which represents locomotive meijßH throughout New 'Zealand, will decide*® whether or net the agreement shalUU® be accepted. Delegates did not com-B®| plcte their deliberations, and will again to-day. '’l Summon" up an article in the Lyttelton Times on financial questions, Mr J* R. Condliffe, Professor of Economics afl Canterbury College, says: We have see* then that, during tho war and after tho war, the Government has been living above its income to the extent of seventeen millions a year, and that this excessive borrowing, coining on the heels of a long period of experiment based on loans, has resulted in a very heavy national debt, the greater part of which is not even indirectly productive of revenue. That the burdens of the war should mt this way have been foisted on to future "cnerations while we have drawn such lar"e war profits is in itself bad finance q but when Jn addition borrowing is used for current expenditure, and even for the repair of obvious neglect in such essentia*! services as education, the continuance of borrowing is unpardonable. In the first years of the war ProfeeaoiJ . Bedford, in a striking scries of articled printed in the Otago papers, pointed out -the dangers of excessive borrowing, and advocated taxation of war profits. Tha neglect of these and similar warning* has led to the position we are in to* day.

1 J? a paragraph, in last evening's issue referring to Saturday’s meeting of superannuated railwaymen, it was stated that 200 of these were in receipt of <£lss each. The amount should have been stated aa .£'5.5 each.

In our report of the Swashers’ Club annual meeting, we inadvertently omitted to mention that Mr T. B. Williams was elected as vice-president, and Messrs D. Robins and E. V. Connell were elected auditors.

It_ is understood that a sum approximating <£78,000 was paid out in the Wanganui railway district to-day, the money representing increased pay and bonuses recently granted to railwaymen.

Last evening some person, evidently actuated with malicious intent, or through thoughtlessness, scratched with a diamond Messrs George and Korsley’s (Ltd.) large plate-glass windows fronting their business premises in the Avenue.

At Matakanni (Otago) recently a north-west wind of hurricane force caused considerable damage. The new Peace Hall, which tost ,£450 by public subscription, was completely demolished. The building was opened about four months ago. A Whangarei message states that a committee of local gentlemen has accepted the financial responsibility requisite to purchase a large two-storey residence and grounds for Y.W.C.A. purposes, with building extension, furnishing, etc., at a cost of about .£BOOO.

Reports go to show that the Workers' Educational Association, which is really a school of economics, is making good progress under the tutorship of Mis-i Sampson. A conference is to be held at Wellington next week, and the Wan ganui branch will be represented by Mi E. J. Foster.

It is reported that the prosecution heard at the Court yesterday against a country storekeeper for failing to send in a telephone bureau return is likely to have a far more reaching effect than at first anticipated. Apparently the system of postal employees obtaining free bureau communications has been in existence for years, and the prosecution has now brought matters to a climax. It is understood that an inquiry will have to be held regarding the Wanganui office, and this in turn will probably implicate employees in Wellington, and will probably involve the whole of the telephone service in the Dominion.

The fortnightly meeting of the Wan ganui-Waitotara Patriotic Association was held yesterday afternoon, Mr T. B. Williams presiding. The report of the Grants and Finance Committee were presented and endorsed. Accounts to the amount of £23 16a 6d were passed for payment. In pursuance of notice, the chairman moved, "that unless business requiring the special attention of the Finance Committee comes forward, the usual business transacted by the Finance Committee be now dealt with by tho Management Committee, and that the meetings of the Management Committee be held at 11.15 a.m. on the second Mon day in each month. - ’ The motion was tarried unanimously.

Miss M. Burton, accomnauicd by her lady guide, addressed a meeting of the watersiders this morning in the open air. There were some 60 in attendance, prev>ver by Mr Rogers. Miss Bunton, who was attentively listened to. briefly bu t concisely stressed the enormous disadvantages under which the blind people of this Dominion laboured, and urged the necessity for a State pension as a

matter of right. It was deplorable that - destitute blind persons should have to be the objects of charity. Miss Bunton was accorded a hearty vote of thanks by acclamation, and a motion calling upon the Government to institute a State ]K?nsion for the blind was unanimously passed. A collection resulted in i:5 Ss Id being raised.

Early this year the Japanese Government contemplated sending a military mission on a visit to Australia and New Zealand. The mission, it is understood, was to he composed of iugli Japanese officers, and it is believed that its objects were to encourage development ot ctrrdial relations between the Japanese and Austral:;.j. and New Zealand Governments, and to remove anything in the nature of misunderstandings that might exist between the South Pacific Dominions and Japan. Correspondence on the subject took place through tho Colonial Office with the British Embassy at Tokio, and it is understood that on account of a strong protest lodged by the Australian Government, supported by the New Zealand Govern meet, the projected visit was abandoned

Racing and gambling were again discussed by the- Council of Churches at Christchurch last night, and the following resrlutioas were carried‘That the committee be requested to confof with the churches cf each important centre with a view to the formation of a church council, and also with a v-iew to concerted action by all church councils in the country on public questions. That the Council of Churches ■proteste against the proposal contained in a private Bill now before Parliament to substantially increase the number of totalisator permits in the Dominion. The Council urges on the Government the unwisdom of opening further avenues for extravagance and waste in view of the economic situation. The Council believes, on moral grounds, that the proposal is retrograde and that it will be deeply resented in the country. The Connell suggests that such grievously over-raced centres as Christchurch and Auckland could profitably supply permits to a considerable extent.''

The publication of the official figures mowing the amount of oats threshed to June 30th has caused a further weakenin'' of the market and a revival in speculative business covering distant months. So 'ar 6,121,274 bushels have been accounted for. Last season the total yield was 6,584,6C9 bushels, in 1917-18 it was 4,942,759 bushels, in 1916-17 it was 5,371,436 bushels, and in 1915-16 the return was 7,653,203 bushels. The- value of oats has now receded to under 5s per bushel, f 0.b., s i., firm offers having been made below this figure. A good proportion of sellers are from the North Island, although a number of Canterbury merchants are in the field. Them “is bound to be a big amount of “paper” business under the circumstances. A good few firms are- still bedding oats, and m the southern districts there is no great disposition to sell slocks. This apparent confidence, in spite of the trend of the market, may in the end cause a swing the other way. But the future is most uncertain. —Sun •