LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 53, 26 November 1907, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

In our leading article of yesterday on tiio Waimarama case, wo did the member for Napier an injustice in blaming him lor moving tho motion to delay justice being done to Miss Meinertzhagon. Mr. Wilford had.the doubtful distinction of moving the motion, which was so emphatically % rejected by tho House, fiut Mr. Fraser, - while unde-. servedly blamed by us in this respect, fully earned our strictures for his general attitudo iu relation to tho matter. His speeches and his voto are quite sufficient evidence of his antagonism to the Government's very just prbposal. The Customs revenue collected at Wellington yesterday amounted to £4526 15s. sd. The Seatoun section of tramways will b«i ready for inspection by the Public Works Department on Monday nest. The Education .Department's Inspectors of Native Schools left on an official visit to tho Maori boarding-schools in the North Island yesterday morning. Tho postal authorities advise that the Moerald, which left Sydney on' Saturday with a largo Sydney mail, is expected to arriva hero about noon to-morrow. According to a telegram received by the police, a singlo man named Nicholas Egan, twenty-eight years of age, was accidentally killed at Levin'at 1.30 p.m. yesterday, whilst; working in the railway baliast pit. At a meeting of tho committee of St. Francis Xavier's Church, AYollougong (N.S.W.), about a fortnight ago, it was decided to organise a race meeting on Boxing Day, under A.J.b. rules. Tho prize-money will bo something between £50 and £75, and tho proceeds are to bo devoted to building a school-hall in Crown Street, at an estimated cost of about £1000. A meeting of the Victoria University College District Court of Convocation will be held on Friday, December 6, at 8 p.m., to elect a chairman, fix a day for the election l of a member of the University Senate in 'lie i place of Professor resigned, and i to admit and enrol on tho register certain ad ) eundem graduates. * The Post and Telegraph Rifle Volunteers woro willing .workers at the Rev. Mother 5 Mary Joseph Aubert's Homo at Island Bay ' last evening. Their assistance' in a good ? cause took tho form of carrying posts. T t ' is rumoured .that tho wholo strength of No. ; 1 Wellington Rifle Battalion may give > similar assistance in the near future. ■At tho Supreme• Court this morning, the |. case against Frank Carroll and Francis Gordon Lyons, who aro charged with having J committed arson, and also with having attempted to commit arson, will bo taken. On p Wednesday morning, the hearing of tho case against William George Tiistin, charged with having committed breaches of tho Bankruptcy Act, will bp commeuccd. The next case to be I dealt with is that in which William Binfood and Anne Whitaker aro charged with having unlawfully used an instrument with intent to procure miscarriage. The last case cn j the list is the private prosecution against Arthur Beeson, who is charged with having committed defamatory libel. [ An inebriated sailor's feats of skill on a ! bicycle caused .some diversion in CustomL house Quay yesterday afternoon. The man [ of tho sea was seized with a craving for exs citomout, and to this end purloined a fci- . cyclo, which stood handy, and mounted it 1 outsido the Post Oflico. He worked his iron . steed for nearly 25 yards, '.vhen the first fall was experienced. Thc\ seaman, a hand-bag, and a bottle of beer were strewn about the i road in confusion, but the goods woro eventually collected, and tho sailor mounted again . and mado his unsteady way as far as Messrs. i Turnbull and Co.'s warehouse. After nar- ! rowly missing collisions with sundry vehicles and posts, the career of tho venture- , some rider was brought to a close through tho intervention of a kindly-disposed policeman.

.Next Saturday afternoon the Port Nicholson yacht Club will sail races for first, second, and third class yachts, starting from the Glasgow wharf. The Pilot will leave at 3.15 to accommodate thoso who desire, td watch the races. , Tho monthly meeting of the Harbour Board is to bo held on Friday next, instead j of Thursday of this week, on account of the ' dinner to be tendered to Sir James Mills on tho afternoon of tho latter day. The Board will probably discuss the proposed reorganisation scheme. At about 12 o'clock on Sunday, when Mr, Ahlers, licensee of tho Johnsonville Hotel, and his wife were driving through Kaiwarra to town, their conveyance collided with a four-wheeled vehicle, and was overturned. Mr* and Mrs. Ahlers were thrown out, Mrs. Ahlers receiving a shaking and, severe bruises. She was attended by Dr. Henry and taken to her home. .; Fifteen assisted immigrants by tho Tongariro, who callcd at tho Labour Department's office yesterday, were directed at onco to employment. Three miners wero sent to Westport, two bricldaycrs to local jobs, two tailors to Napier, one farm labourer to Patea, and two otherß to the Wairarapa, two carpenters to local employment and Napier respectively, and three , labourers to Government railway works. "1 would prefer that tho ladies' gallery should be cleared while 1 address the jury in this case,"'remarked counsel for tho defence in the alleged attempted murder case yesterday. At the time there were at least a dozen ladies present, but not one of them evinced n disposition to retire. His Honour Mr. i 1 r i Cqoper pointed out that he could not 0... ; the public during the hearing of that' calfe. After a pause, His Honour said: "I ask all the respectable women in the Court to retire." The words had a magical effect. Tho Wellington Education Board has ao- ' cepted the following tenders for repairs to schools in its district:—Kakariki, T. Bailey and Co., £13 14s. for painting; Hastwell School, M'Kenzie and Brenchley, alterations and painting, £62; Kilbirnie School, W. C. Price, alterations and painting, £75 9s. 3d.; Mangamahoo School, P. Clayton, repairs and painting, £18 10s.; Rangitumau, F. J'. Harding, repairs and painting, £28 10s.; Matahiwi School, F. Harding, painting, £20 Is. 4d.; Mangaono School, ( T. Bailoy'■ind Co.', repairs and painting, £44. At a . meeting of tho Hutt Boroughl, Council, held last night, a letter was received from the local fire brigade with reference to the small fire-bell at present attached to the Hutt Bridge. It was requested that the bell be removed to tho Alicetown site. It was, mentioned that at a recent fire the large bell was not heard by the firemen, in consequence of the strong southerly wind which was blowing at, the time. After some discussion, the Council decided to shift the small boll to Alicetown. It was also arranged to meet tho fire-brigade on Thursday next, in order to discuss matters appertaining to tho brigade. Professor Maclaurm, late of Victoria College, informed one of our representatives that he knows of several persons who are contemplating gifts of considerable value to the College library, in addition to the very valuable gift which one gentleman intends to ■ make. In the Victoria College Library there are, perhaps, two thousand volumes. The ; library of .Columbia. University, to which i Professor Maclaurm' is'' going,, contains 400,000 volumes',''and is"generally ,: considered to bo the most beautiful building in New York. It was presented to the University by Mr. Seth Low (a former Mayor of New York and President of tho University), in memory of his father, who was a citizen of Brooklyn, in Greater New 'York. Mr. I. Hyams, a member of the New Zea- ■ land Eugby Union, and one who has always i taken tho liveliest interest iu sport of all kinds, with particular reference to football and cricket,., has compiled a book, which [ gives a complete record of Eugby football ' in New Zealand during tho last quarter of a century. In his book, which has been type- ; written, and is being bound attractively in ! black leather with silver lettering, Mr. Hyams rehearses what is practically tho his- ' tory of New Zealand's interprovincial intercolonial, and international football, and lends realism to the p?iges by the inclusion " of several portraits of tho most famous teams 3 which have done either tho Dominion, or a ' portion of it, honour in the days that aie 1 past. J ■ 1