LOCAL AND GENERAL.

We have reason to believe that the gas required for lighting the railway carriages on the Taranaki, Wellington, and Hawkes Bay sections of the North Island Railways will be manufactured in Palmerston North. The plant is expected from Home about the beginning of the summer, and will be fitted Up by an expert sent out bj the inventor. A request lias been made to the ActingColonial Secretary (Hon. J. Carroll) that he should extend the trout season for a few days, so as to allow fishing to take place during the Easter holidays. The hon. gentleman will, we understand, agree to defer the closing of the season until the 20th or 22nd instant. Mr: Waldegrave, Uiider-Secretary for Justice, has recovered sufficiently from his attack of influenza to be able to resume his duties. A meeting of the Conciliation Board is to be held on Thursday for the purpose of dealing with the protest made against its report in the seamen's wages case by the owners of vessels. To-morrow, at 1.30 p.m., the ceremony of unveiling the s>tatue erected to the memory of the late Hon. John Ballance will take place in the Parliamentary grounds. By advertisement in another column the Memorial Committee invites the attendance of all Ministers of the Crown, members of Parliament, members of the local governing bodies and trade and political organisations, and also the general public. " Experience has shown that the average politician's conscience lasts just about three years— certainly not more." — Mr. A. E. Atkinson at Petone. A deadlock has, arisen in the Conference on the disputed tailors' log, and the intervention of the Conciliation Board will now be necessary. The masters me t last evening and declined to ratify the decision come to by the Conference; while the Union also met and resolved to adhere to the recommendations made, with the exception of the clause relating to Union men having the pre-emptive right of employment, which was altered to suit the views of employers. The whole matter will come before the Conciliation Board on Thursday. " Tbe relationship of the case of tbe late Colonial Treasurer with the affairs of the J. G. Ward Farmers' Association, the Colonial Bank, Bank of New Zealand, the present Ministry, and the Legislature of the colony," said Mr. A. R. Atkinson at his Petone meeting last night, " is not merely a colonial scandal ; it is a scandal which bas spread all over the world. There is absolutely nothing which has made us so famous— perhaps I should say infamous — in the old land as the.«e transactions which you who call yourselves Liberals profess to support." A uoißy s»ction of " free and independent " electors at the back of the hall here got upon its feet .and yelled in sympathetic chorus, wbiobdrew from the candidate the remark that that portion of bis audience seemed to share Mr. Charles "Wilson's sympathetic views in regard to the ex-Colonial Treasurer. Well, he would just recommend them to try on, in a small way only, the game which had been played on such an enormous scale, and they would speedily see what would come of it. To bis mind, the whole story was one of the most disgraceful in the history of the colony. Replying subsequently to a question, Mr. Atkinson said the Opposition undoubtedly made a grave mistake in declining to nominate anyone on the Banking Enquiry by a committee of the House lost session, as had they done so it might have materially influenced that enquiry.

Captain Kemsley, of the Fire Brigade, bas received three weeks' leave of absence from the City Council. At the meeting of the Public Works Committee evening he applied to be allowed to acfept an offer of the Fire Underwriters to appoint him their electrical expert. Councillor Fraser asked what Captain Kemsley was to receive for discharging the duties of an expert. The Town Clerk replied that he did not know, but he supposed there was 60ine salary attached to the office. Councillor Higginbottom proposed that the application should not be granted, as he did not. think that any servant of the Council should be allowed to act in the 'capacity proposed. Councillor Lingard said he understood that the position was a ; urely houorary one. Another Councillor—" Oh no ! I believe it is proposed to give him a salary of £100." The motion was agreed to. Mrs. Vm. Nation (mother of Mr. W. C Nation, proprietor of the Manawatu Farmer), who passed away on Thursday last, at the age of 84, came out from England to New South Wales as early as 1838. She met her then future husband on board ship, he being on his way to the colonies as a printer's apprentice. With her family she landed at Nelson in 1857, and there Mr. Nation started the Colonist newspaper. Deceased was in possession of all her mental powers to the last. She will be widely mourned by those who knew and felt ihe influence of her kindly nature. Of course the Suburbs electors who listened to Mr.',A. E. Atkinson last night wanted to bear what he thought about the Mulvaney letter incident, and he was accordingly asked if. he approved of Mr. Hislbp's action in regard to that notorious epistle, and whether, if he was in Mr. Hislop's place, he would do the same. " I would," 1 promptly responded Mr. Atkinson, and thereupon arose much noise from electors of pronounced Liberal views, who lined the back of the hall. " But," added Mr. Atkinson, when he could get a hearing, "if that letter really had been, what to many it appeared at first sight to be, a plant, it would have been one of the most diabolical proceedings that ever disgraced our country." "It was a plant," insisted some one from the audience, but Mr. Atkinson was absolutely satisfied that such was not the case. If it was so it was a proceeding rrhich heaven forbid that he should ever be guilty of. But he was satisfied that Mr. Hislop was not guilty of such a proceeding, and he pointed out that Mr. Wilford's lawyer had not even supported such a thing, and he probably knew his business. To this the original questioner made answer, " Then I take it from 3'our reply that it was the £40 that bought the letter ? " Mr. Atkinson said he was sorry anyone should repeat that absolutely unfounded and disgraceful insinuation made by Mr. Seddon at the Hutt banquet. That, again, was not even suggested by Mr. Wilford's solicitor, and was a perfect mare'snest. If they did not. feel satisfied with his answer he referred them to Mr. Skerrett, and " he would pay the bill "— whereat the audi. ence chuckled. Pollard's Opera Company will arrive tomorrow morning from Wanganui, and will commence its farewell season in Wellington to-morrow night. The public of this city have been indebted to Mr. Pollard for his energy in introducing to their notice a number of novelties, splendidly mounted and excellently played. To-morrow evening i he will produce still another work new to us in Chassaigne'* charming comic opera " Falka." This opera has b«en a standard attraction throughout the Old World for years, and according to the latest London Era it is being produced at the present time in the English provinces by no leSs than eight companies. Mr. Horace Lingard, to well-known in New Zealand as the original Butterhian' in "Our Boys," has made a fortune with this opera. He has been starring in it for no less than twelve years as Pelican, the part to be played here by Mr. Alf. Stephen*. The Auckland critics went into raptures over this production, the universal verdict being that it was by far the best thing Mr. Pollard had yet given. The representation here should be even better than that in Auckland, as Mr. E. L. Williams, the wtll-known scenic artist, whose charming scenes in "Boccaccio" will be remembered, has been for four weeks painting everything entirely new for to-morrow night's performance. In reference to an article which we quoted yesterday from a recent issue of The Times describing Mr. J. F. Hardy's shorthand writing machine, Mr. Fisher, M.H.E., has shown us a pamphlet dated 1881 giving descriptions and illustrations of a very similar instrument invented by an Italian named Michela. Yet we bare not heard that manual shorthand has been anywhere displaced in the interral. Some cases containing jars of sulphuric acid were being placed aboard the Waihi for Foxton last evening when one of the jars broke. The liquid which poured out caused the case to smoulder, thus raising a great volume of smoke, which gave distant spectators an idea that something serious had occurred. A few buoketfuls of salt water checked/the smouldering. At the Magistrate's Court this morning . Henry Jefferd appeared on a charge of having no visible means of support, and was remanded till Friday on his own application. Bail was allowed in two sureties of £25 each. James Neville, for drunkenness, was fined 10s, or 48 hours' imprisonment ; one first offender was fined the usual penalty; and Eliza Blame. who had been remanded for drunkenness to enable her to leave the town, did not appear, and was convicted and discharged. " Are you in favour of Dick Sheen's flying machine P " enquired a funny man at Mr. Atkinson's Petone meeting last night. "I would like my friend to experiment with it a little first," was the candidate's guarded reply. "It travelled from Porirua to the Hutt in toil mlrfUteS," chirped the funny man. "And I thiilk you have escaped from Porirua," rapped out the candidate, and amidst the laughter of the audience the funny man subsided. We regret to learn that the lady who was knocked down by a bicyclist in Courtenay— place last week and seriously injured is likely to be confined to her bed for some considerable time. The fellow who was riding the machine has been identified, but has not had the manliness to apologise foi the pain and inconvenience which his recklessness has caused. More is likely to be heard of the matter in a few days. By the Tarawera, which left Sydney at 3 p.m. on Saturday, large' Australian and English mails (London dates to the 20th February) are coming to hand. She should reach Wellington late to-morrow or early on Thursday morning. The maili brought to the Bluff by the Wakatipu this morning will probably be in Wellington on Thursday. A capitally-arranged programme of sacred music was provided at the monthly meeting of St. Mark's Temperance Sooiety last night. The performers were — Misses G. Martin, K. and J. Stirling, Bell, Smith (2), Andrews, Hylton, Pritchard, Mrs.' jVallace, and Messrs. Bell, H. M. Evans, and E. J. Hylton. Selections were also sung by the Temperance choir. Mrs. L. B. Bell acted as secretary to the affair. At the fortnightly meeting of Court Lady Glasgow, A.O.F.,beld last evening, two candidates were initiated and one was proposed for ■ membership, and entertainment was given to the members of Courts Primrose and Epuni, of Petone. Songs were contributed by Sisters Williams, Hiegins, Bond, Murphy, and Stehnet, Bros. Brocklehurst, Rose, and Weeklyj also Misses Kelly, Lambert, and William*

An elector of the Suburbs was bent last night upon extracting from Mr. Atkinson the full history of the Polhill Gully rifle range purchase of years ago, and baited the candidate with much persistency, evidently under the impression that Mr. Atkinson knew a lot about the subject. What the questioner wanted to know was whether i * was a ' just thing that Sir Harry Atkinson, being Premier, and Captain Russell, being Minister for Defence, should allow such a thing to pass. Mr. Atkinson said if there was any dishonesty in the transaction, then Mr. Kirk, the Mayor of their borough, was as great a rascal as any, because he had a share in it. (Laughter.) But it was evident the present Government had condoned it, or thought nothing of it, because they had given Mr. Kirk a very large share of the Government business, which implied that they did not consider him a very black character at all. (More laughter.) Furthermore, as. they knew, Mr. Kirk nominated Mr. Wilford, the late Liberal candidate for the Suburbs seat. But apart from this Mr. Kirk had assured him that not only did the late Sir Harry Atkinson know absolutely nothing of the transaction until it was put through, but he expressed the strongest disapproval of it, not because he thought it was . a wrong thing, but because sneering critics would be jure to say, " Here's another job." Mr. Kirk told him this when he (Mr. Atkinson) was a candidate fighting against the Party to which Mr. Kirk belonged. Personally he agreed with the late Sir Harry Atkinson's view that it was highly reprehensible for any Government to put business 1 into the hands of any firm a member of which was related to a Minister. However, the present Government, which might have stepped in and prevented the completion of the transaction, practically endorsed it, as they set up a Board of Enquiry and allowed it to go through. The Committee of :he proposed South Wellington Library has asked the City Council to give effect to its decision to provide a building, so that advantage may lie taken of Mr W. Booth's generous offer of money fpr the purchase of books. Copies of the whole correspondence in connection with the movement are to be supplied to Councillors, so that the matter may be discussed at the next meeting of the Public Works Committee. The whole of the sections in the block on the reclaimed land in the immediate vicinity of the Working Men's Club and the Electrical Syndicate's station, offered to the public by the City Council, have now been taken up on lease. Mr. Charles Cathie, clothing manufacturer, has secured one of the three recently placed on the market at an annual rental of £86, and the remaining two have been taken up by the Wellington Building and Investment Company at a rental of £175 per year. The cycling track is formed on a portion of this land, and possession cannot be given until the Ist November, as the Council has decided to allow the track to remain until the end of October. Several sections in the block have been reserved in view of the extension of the electrical works. A meeting of the Wellington School Commissioners was held yesterday afternoon, "and was attended by Messr?. J. E. Blair "(Chairman), A. W. Hogg, M.H.R., F. Pirani, M.H.R., and J. Duthie. A schedule of leases of reserves disposed of during February showed that 9655 acres had been leased, producing a rental of £499 14s 2d. Accounts amounting to £315 17s 9d were pasted. An amount of abput £800 was distributed to the Wellington and Wanganui Education Boards on the usual basis. Sub-divisions of leases applied for by T. Thompson and W. Lilburn were consented to. Authority was given to engage a man to clear gorse off a section at Featherston. A request by the Pohangina County -Council for permission to allow the Norsewood-Apiti road to deviate through the Commissioners' reserve at Apiti was left in the Chairman's hands to deal with. Approval was also given to a deviation of road through sections 29 and 48, block 7, Tararua, as soon as the sections are properly vested in the Commissioners, and the consent of the tenant is obtained. With reference to S. Davy's application for an extension of lease of reserve near Longburn, it ■was resolved to inform the original lessee, who claimed to have an interest in it, that the Commissioners proposed to accede to Mr. Davy's request for extension of lease. A discussion took place at last night's meeting of the City Public Works Committee in reference to the rights-of-way question. The Mayor gave it as his deliberate opinion that the Council should insist that all thoroughfares which it sanctioned should be quite 66ft wide. Councillor BaVber protested against increasing the small private streets of the city, and went on to say" that people who had made those roads did not get the slightest benefit from them, because they were not properly taken over. He thought it was a pity the Council could not compel people to make decent roads straight off. After further discussion the Committee decided to recommend, with reference to an application by Mr. E. H. Beere for permission to make a right-of-way off Tasman-street, that the width of the road must, be at least 66ft. No action is to be taken in reference to some other applications ' before the Council until the City Solicitor's opinion on a point of law has been •btained. The Scandinavian Society, at its meeting last night, decided to hold a social gathering and concert on Easter Monday night, Mr. Axel Newton undertaking the concert arrangements. It was resolved to invite the members of the society to join in a sexa (smoke concert) on Wednesday night,, on the occasion of the 79th birthday of King Christian of Denmark. The handsome gold badges of life honorary membership presented by the New Zealand Marine Institute of Engineers to the Premier and several other gentlemen were manufactured by Messrs. G. L. Jenness & Co., of Willis-street. They are very creditable specimens of the goldsmith's art. The fortniehtly meeting of the Committee of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was held yesterday afternoon. There were present — Mr. Odell, Vice-President (in the chair), Mesdatnes Booth and. Ronayne, Messrs. Kemp, E. L. Burgess, Griffin, C. H. Lewis (Hon. Secretary), and the Inspector (Mr. A. W. Smith). The Inspector reported that he had enquired into four cases of leaving poultry on the wharf, one of working a horse with sores, three of working lame horses, two of keeping horses in bad condition, one of leaving horses unattended, and one of killing a dog with a stable fork. The Chairman reported that matters in connection with the Band of Mercy, the journal which it was proposed that the society should issue, were in a most favourable condition. Already there was an assured circulation of 2000, and the first' number would be published about the middle of this month. The question whether the society should not soon appoint a second Inspector was mooted by the Chairman. The field of Work was, he considered, too extensive to be overtaken by one Inspector. No action was decided upon. The Hon. Secretary reported that he had collected the following subscriptions since the last fortnightly meeting : — TV. G. Rhind, Ross and Glendining, and Robert Turnbull, £1 Is each; H. Bodley, G. H. Scales, and C. T. Tatum, 10s 6d each; Mrs. A. Deakin, 10s j Mn. William Tiller, Mrs. John Duncan, F. Jackson, F. Martin, Rev. W.Shirer, F. Dyer, Mrs. Ffrth, and J. P. Firth, Si each ; Mrs. Rosina Cotter, J. Denton, Mrs. J. Moore, "A Friend," C. Gamble, and Miss A. Cook, 2s Cd each ; " A Friend," Is. Total, £8 Os 6d. Notice is given elsewhere that the " locial " which was to have been held at the Psychological Hall, Ghuznee- street, to-morrow evening is unavoidably postponed. .

Mr. Justice Edwards returned from Wanganui last evening. Both Judges are now in town. It is expected that when all the lists are to hand iv connection with the Indian famine relief fund, about £500 will be sent from the Hawke's Bay district. At the Mount Cook Police Station this morning, before Mr. M'Parland, J.P., three first offenders were punished for drunkenness. At a well-attended meeting of the Irish National Federation held last evening in St. Patrick's Hall a resolution was unanimously passed expressing regret at the loss which Ireland had sustained by the death of Archbishop Walsh. Mr. W. A. Fiely, who arrived in Wellington by the Flora this morning to tike up a position in the local branch of the Union Bank of Australia, was a prominent member of the athletic bodies of Napier. On Saturday evening he received a joint presentation from the Napier Rowing Club, Napier Football Club, and Hawkes Bay Rugby Union, in the form of a handsome marble time-piece. At the annual meeting of the Wellington Shorthand Writers' Association last night, the report, which has already been published,' was adopted. The election of officers for the ensuing season resulted as follows,: — President, Mr. A. W. Kitson (re-elected); Secretary, Mr. J. M. Fleming; Treasurer, Mr. H. W Rowden; Librarian, Mr. G. F. Dixon; Committee, Messrs. A. T. Briggs, W. Scales, J. Townsend, and Mrs. Callam; Reporter, Mr W. Scales. The election of Vice-President was deferred. A hearty vote of thanks was passed to Mr. Kitson for his great services to the association," to Mr. J. C. Redmond for the' excellent manner in which he had carried out the duties! of secretary, and to Mr. W. R. Whyte for his work as reporter. The annual meeting of St. Paul's Missionary Guild was held in the Diocesan Library yesterday afternoon; Mrs. Sprott (President) in the chair. The annual report was read and adopted, and office-bearers were tlected as follows: —President, Mrs. Sprott; Vice-President, Miss E. Greenwood; Secretary and Treasurer, Mrs. Ashcroft; and a Committee consisting of nine members with power to add to their number. The Guild decided to continue working for the Melanesian Mission and the General j Church Fund of the Diocese, and expressed I its willingness to unite with other parishes, j as during the past two years, in the annual sale of work. ( ,v> , . An ordinary meeting of the Lower Hutt Borough Council was held last evening. Present—The" Mayor (Mr. W. A. Fitzherbert), Councillors Cudby, Jones, Waugh, Rowe, Eglantine, and Burridge. Messrs. Miller, Ball, and Everest waited on the Council in reference to works iv which they are concerned, and the last-named was allowed a quantity 'of drain-pipes. It was decided that the tenants of Mr. Tame on the Middle Waiwetu road be called upon to remove their fences to the proper boundary of the road within one month. Dr. Purdy was appointed Health Officerfortheßorough. Various routine matters were dealt with. An account from the Petone Fire Brigade for attendance on the recent fire at the Central Hotel was ordered to be sent to the owners of the property. The Treasurer reported a credit balance of £100 10s lid, though the Council had commenced its year on the Ist March with a debit of £75. Accounts were passed for payment to the amount of £80. All arrangements are now complete for the tournament match between the Wellington Chess Club and the Wellington Working Men's Club, which is to be played at the rooms of the Working Men's Club to-morrow evening, at half-past 7, and all lovers of chess are invited by the Working Men's Club to attend and watch the games. The following are the teams: —Wellington Chess Club—Mackay, W. Still, Mason, Barraud, Ryder, Allen, B. B. Wright, Esson, Matthews, Mackay, S. Simm, Dryden, Smith, Moore, Whitelaw, and Petherick; emergencies, Anderson, Richardson, and Naismith. Working Men's Clvb —Barnes, Brown, Kelling, Turner, Janion, Rigg, Carminie, Player, Howard, M'Kinley, Browning, Beart, Perry, Cooper, J C Probyn, Duncan, and Toms'. Members of both clubs are requested to he in attendance at 7.15 sharp. The Chinese of this district, who have on many occasions acted in a very generous manner to the Wellington Hospital, have given another evidence of their liberality to the institution in the form of a donation of £49 9s, made up as follows : —Collected by W. Hong Kew—W. Hong Kew, £3 3s; Loong Key, 10s 6d; Ming Seen, ss; total £31856 d. Collected by Sing Kee—Sing Kee and Co., £5 ss; Lum Kee (Masterton) and Quin Kee (Danevirke) £3 3s each; Thomas Chang Luke, Bing Kee (Ohingaite), Yee Lee, Sing On Kee, Tong Wah, Louis Kitt, j Chung Tuck, Ah See, Hong Chong, j Chong Kee, Wing Kee, Ah Poy, Jim Lee, £1 Is- each; Joe Way, How Kee, Fou Lee, and Wong Low, 10s 6d each; Gam Tong, and Gee Fun, 10s each; Qui Lee, ss; Lee Toy, 4s. Total £28 15s. Collected by Wong She — Wong She, £5 ss; Wang Sing (Featherston), Wong Qine Kee (Carterton), Yee Wah, Hop Lee, Wong Wah, Wong Tong, G. Wah Kee, WongNoo Chay,£l Is each; Long Hong Gett, Wong Koon, Fain Lee, Mow Lee, Sing Lee, and Sing Shing* 10s 6d each. Total, £16 16s. Grand total, £49 9s. Subscribers to the Anglican Cathedral Fund are invited to attend the last meeting to he presided over by the Bishop before his departure for England. The meeting is convened for to-morrow at 4.30 p.m. at the Diocesan-room, Mulgrave-street. The photographs taken by Mr. G. A. Chapman, of the Hutt, during his tour of the world are to be shown by him in a magic lantern at the conclusion of the drawing of the Wellington Rowing Club's art union in the Exchange Hall next Saturday night. A portion of the proceeds of the entertainment will be handed over to the Hospital Trustees towards the cost of establishing the operating theatre. The weekly entertainment in connection with the Helping Hand Mission is advertised for to-morrow evening. A good programme is promised. The Secretary of the Orchestral Society notifies members that the usual weekly practice will be held on Friday next, owing to the Festival Choral Society's concert taking place to-night. Messrs. A. G. Tame & Co. will sell tomorrow, at Manukau, stook, &o.