LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Waikato Times, Volume 109, Issue 18359, 19 June 1931, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The civil sittings of the Supreme Court at Hamilton adjourned fc-dny until July 13.

Discharge from bankruptcy was granted by Ills Honour, Mr Justice Herdman, at Hamilton to-day, to Wit-* liarn David Rennie, farmer and contractor Te Mira.

A Now York cable message states that the renewal rate for call money was at per cent, all day on Thursday.

The Secretary of the General Posl Office, notifies that mails which left YYellinglon on 19th ultimo, per ll.M.rf. "Maunganui,” via San Francisco, arrived In London on the 16th instant.

The Auckland Hospital Board Office yesterday dealt with 500 applications for relief, a record number. Applications the. day before numbered about 100.

The need for formation of a permanent footpath along Massey Street was touched upon by Mr Y. S. Harris, at the annual meeting of the Frankton Ratepayers and Citizens’ Association last evening.

A Baby Austin car, the property of Mr John Harold Edgecumbe, ofjlilicrest, was stolen from Victoria Street last evening. The car, which is a sedan model,, registered number 44-673, is painted maroon, with a black hood.

.A Gipsy Moth aeroplane piloted by Mr J. M. Stevenson, and carrying as a passenger his brother; Mr W. A. Stevenson, accomplished a flight from New Plymouth to Auckland in the fast time of an hour and three-quarters. The distance is about 160 miles.

“The worst feature of the unemployment problem is the opportunity It is giving to the Communists to spread their propaganda,” said an inmate of the Auckland City Mission doss house last night. "Another striking aspect is the number of educated men one meets on the roads looking for work. I am a bachelor of arts myself.”

Dissatisfaction with the reply of the Prime Minister, to the effect that the sibling scale of wheat duties must be continued, though on a lower basis, was expressed at the meeting ol' tire Auckland Chamber of Commerce Council yesterday. It w>as decided that another letter be sent to the Prime Minister urging him to give the mailer further personal consideration.

“We are holding a monstrous fair in aid of our gymnasium fund,” wrote the secretary of an affiliated club to the Wellington Rugby Union, in inviting the members of the management committee to patronise the function. The invitation was so enticing that it was decided to attend in a body.

A sign of the times in Wellington is the increased number of street musicians who seek to attract coins from the pockets of the sympathetic. Violinists predominate, but the pianoaccordion and the wired xylophone contribute I heir quota of harmony to the music of the street.

The chief accountant of the New South Wales Treasury, Mr R. J. Colvin, says’ that according to the Treasury books, £1,681,879 was spent by the Government on food relief for the unemployed from July 1, 1930, until June 5 last. During the same period £2,149,387 was spent on relief works throughout the Slate. Thus, in round figures, about £460,000 more was spent on relief works than on the dole. Mr Colvin said that the applications for the dole were increasing, and it appeared that the cost for the whole ol' the current financial year would be at least £2,000,000.

Pink discolouration in cheese as disclosed in a sample ol' New Zealand produce returned by request from London was shown by Mr W. M. Singleton (director of the dairy division) to the annual meeting of the New Zealand Factory Managers’ Association in Palmerston North. He stated that experts were at present working on the information available to determine the cause, which might be due to a mould growth.

With a view to securing an early resumption of trade between Canada and New Zealand a deputation of Wellington merchants who import goods from Canada and of New Zealand butter exporters is to wait upon the Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. 0- W. Forbes, on Tuesday. The deputation will ask the Prime Minister to endeavour to make a tentative arrangement so that trade could be carried on upon a workable basis until such lime as the major question of a new trade agreement could be settled.

In his address at the annual meeting of the Bank of New Zealand, at Wellington, to-day, the chairman, Mr William Watson, expressed the view that the interests of the Dominion had greatly suffered through the exaggerated reports which had been cabled abroad concerning the earthquake in Napier last February. Sir Harold Beauchamp, referring to this contended that New Zealand's proximity to Australia whose financial troubles had loomed so largely in the eyes of the world, had also had a reilex on the Dominion's interest.

The 40th annual report of Messrs Williams and Kellie, Limited, slock and station agents amt general merchants. of Napier, stales that after providing for management, expenses, bad and doubtful debts, depreciation, etc., and taking into account the balance of £14.431 brought forward from lasi year, there remained a credit balance of £3034, which the directors recommended should he carried forward. In the 1029-30 year the company made a net profit of £15,383 which, with llie undivided balance from the previous year £10,900, made £32,283 available for distribution. A dividend of 7 per cent, and a bonus of 1 per cent, was paid. In the 1028-29 year net pro Ills amounted to £IS,G94.

The banking system of New Zealand. said the chairman of directors of the' Bank of New Zealand, at the annual meeting at Wellington to-day lias been evolved during more than <jo years of practical acquaintance with the country’s requirements. It differs from I tie British system inasmuch as it has to deal largely witti aiding development of land, as well as assisting Hie establishment and enof all oilier industries essential In llie needs of a young eomilry and ils growing population. II will lie adrnilled Hint had llie Banks I'oud iiel ei I Iheir opera lions slrielly in aeeurdanee will) llie lines of British banking, the Dominion would not have made aiiyllling like llie progress it lias, and therefore il may be justly idaimod Ibal the system has met llie needs of the enimlry. and lias enabb'd the banks In assisl Iheir customers in wealliering many a storm with minima of id effects.

At the annual meeting of the Rank of New Zealand held to-day, a hearty vote of thanks was passed to the directors, general manager, and stall' on the motion of Mr A. E. Mabin.

The continuous increase over eight years in the sheep population ol New Zealand apparently reached its climax lasi year with life record total of 30,Si 1,287, for the interim rclurn of flocks at April 30 shows a reduction lo 28,904,875, The decrease of 1,936.412 is subject to modification in the final returns.

“America refused lo deal with us on a 50-50 basis,” declared Mr JL Semple, M.P., when speaking at Kilbirnie, Wellington. Dealing with the adverse trade balance between America and New Zealand, lie said that we were £5,000.000 down. Many of the commodities which wc bought from that country we could manufacture ourselves, and he stressed the need lor the development of our secondary industries.

Steps toward the formation of a rock garden at Point Halswcll, Wellington, have been taken by prison labour, and the council of the New Zealand Alpine and Rock Garden Society has been supplying plants. The society lias hopes of developing a back-ground to the Massey Memorial that will enhance ttie beauty of the structure.

The directors of Kirkcalclie and Stains, Limited, Wellington, will make a statement to shareholders shortly respecting negotiations that have been proceeding for some time for the acquisition of a controlling interest in their company by a large London investment trust. The company, which owns one of the largest drapery establishments in Wellington, lias an authorised capital of £ 19a,202 in 150,000 £ l preference shares and 45,202 ordinary shares, which arc all fully paid. The preference shares carry dividend at the rate of 6 per cent, per annum and last year ordinary shareholders received 8 11-20 per cent.