LOCAL AND GENERAL

Clutha Leader, Volume XXV, Issue 1309, 23 June 1899, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

They must be of the wrong colour up Napier way. The Waitangi washout, which was caused by the Easter floods of 1897, will be bridged over by railway in about a month's tiaae !

Mr F. Pierard, Normanby, has bpen appointed organising secretary of the prohibition movement in Hawera electorate.

The Uganda railway has now reached the 300 th mile post, tr-ore than half the distance to L<*ke Victoria being thus completed. The "last 100 miles have been laid in seven c:onths and a-half. The new route adopted reduces the total length of the railway to 550 miles.

Mrs Youngraan, on trial at Melbourne for the murder of her son, has been judged insanp. She is to be detained during the Governor's ple«sure.

During the month of May 2876 men were employed on co-operative works in different parts of the colony ; 1546 by the Survey department and 1307 by the Public Works Depar;men^.

Since the appointment of a stationmaster at Balrour on April 1, (says the Gore Standard) 30,000 sacks of grain have been booked from that place. The supply of trucks is totally inadequate to cope with the traffic, and at present there are about 5000 sacks lying outside the shed at the mercy of the elements. A like quantity is also lying with scarcely any covering at Riversdale, The Wairaea line does not seem to be getting its proportion of rolling stock. The rabbit industry has assumed mammoth proportions at Balfour* In one day as many as 3000 rabbits have been booked from that place.

At the instance of the Premier, a conference of mining experts is being held to frame amendments needed in the mining regulations.

Lady ftanfmly has offered medals as first and second prizes to the Auckland Horticultural Society, for both girls and boys, for the best cultivated garden, grown under the supervision of the society, the work solely of the children.

At the Supreme Court, Jnvprcargill, the jury gave a verdict for plaintiff for L3OO in the action Goldring v. Wallace County Council, forcompensationfor injuries caused by a horse shying at some timber on the roadside for the repair of a culvert.

It has been determined to send an Australian Rifle Team to compete at Bisley next July. The whole colonies have agrped to subscribe, on a population basis, the necessary funds to be raised annually. The team will be chosen on a competitive basis. New Zealand, so far, is not included in the arrangement, but correspondence towards this end is proceeding.

One of the most important bills of the coming session of the "Victorian Parliament will be a measure submitted by the Government for the establishment of an old age pension scheme. The Age says that the Government has not yet been able to decide on the moans of raising the money. A tax on land values has been suggested, a tax on amusements, and also an extension of the income tax, so that those persons who are most likely to apply for pensions should contribute something towards the fund.

A telegram from Wellington says : It is understood that the Education Department has under consideration the question of the desirableness of framing regulations with the object of allowing head-teachers to classify children under their control, and thus do away with the present pass system. This would allow the inspectors to devote their attention to other matters.

Bicycle stealing seems to be one of the fine arts in Christchurch. During the past fortnight the police have had between 20 and 30 machines through their hands which have been subjected to ill-usage by unknown users.

Mr George Hutchison, member for Patea, at the conclusion of an address delivered at Auckland on Monday evening, said the Opposition, when they got into power, would put the public accounts on a satisfactory basis, induce stronger confidence in the commerce and industry of the colony, develop its resources, and provide a freehold title to the land.

The preparation of a large map of the South Island, a work upon which the Survey Department has been engaged for about two years, is almost completed. The map, which will be most complete, will, the Wellington Post says, show all the roads, railways, railway stations, and main tracks in the Island,

After referring to the largeiy increased traffic on the Lawrence railway and the failure to supply the necessary assistance to the previous staff of officials, the Tuapeka Times saya : — There are two things in connection with the present administration of the railways that must be obvious to the most indifferent observer ; one is that the rolling stock is hopelessly inadequate to the traffic, and the other is that, though the railways are not undermanned in the aggregate, the distribution of the officials is not carried out with judgment or with a proper understanding of the requirements of the various districts