LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 74, 20 December 1907, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Customs revenue collected at Wellington yesterday amounted to £2552 16s. 9d t '■_, The next sitting of the Bankruptcy Court has been fixed for February 25. Abel Smith Street, "Wellington, han been declared to be exempt, from the provisions of the Public Works Act, subject to buildings being set back 33ft. fronl the 'centre of the road.. . \ The Wellington Society of Professional Musicians will interview, tho City Council at its next meeti.ig to urge 'the appointment of an organist'to give recitals on the Town Hall organ during the coming year. Mr. W. S. 'Short, Chief Clerk of the Roads Department, has been instructed to make an adjustment between tho Eastbourne Borough Council and Hutt County Council in respect of assets and liabilities consequent on the incorporation of tile' Borough. Tho necessary inquiry will probably be held in January. Tho Recoiver-Genoral (late Secretary to tho Treasury), Mr. 11. J. Collins, inserts the following in this week's "Gazette": —"The Minister of Finance directs mo to acknowledge the receipt of os. in'stamps forwarded with the memorandum, 'Kindly pay to public account.' " The Commissioner of stamps also acknowledges tho receipt of .CI 135., forwarded to his department by ?ome person unknown as "amount duo to the Crown for death duties."

The Post Office advises that an English mail and a heavy Australian mail for Wellington will arrive by the Talune, which left Sydney on Wednesday, and is due in Wellington 'next Monday morning. A sitting of the Appeal Court will be held this morning, when reserved judgment in tho case, Anmo Quayle Townend (of Christchurch) versus the Commissioner of Stamps, will be delivered. A subscription list for funds for the proposed new Parliamentary Buildings on the lines suggested by tho Premier at Taihape was circulated in a prominent club in Wellington on Wednesday evening. Tho yield amounted to Is. ljd., a few postage stamps, and three buttons. The Libraries Comniitteo reported to the City Council last night that it had empowered tho Ol.iof Librarian to make provision for free membership tickets for the Library for the coming year to prize-winners in the school °.ssay competitions. The action of the Committee was approved: . A notice in this week's "Gazotte" reads:— "I, Josoph George Ward, Minister for Railways, hereby declare that the provisions of 'The Government Railways Superannuation Fund Act, 1902,' shall extend and apply to persons permanently employed by tho'Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company, as from January 1, 1908." " \ , This weok's "Gazette" notifies that cadets or officers in the Sixth' Class who may pass, and Officers in the Second Gra4e of tho Fifth Class who have passed the Senior Examination (excluding tho Matriculation Examination) shall bo granted a double increment: provided that the conduct of any such officer has been satisfactory, and he is otherwise favourably reported upon for promotion. Messrs. A. and T. Burt's tender for the supply of hydraulic jiggers and jigger cranes, for the stores of the new-King's Wharf, has been accepted by tho Harbour .Board. The tenders'received were: —Messrs. A. and T. Burt, Ltd., £'3702; the Sydney Hydraulic and General Engineering Co:, Ltd., £3738; , Messrs. Richardson and Blair, £3893 10s.; Messrs. S. 1 Luke and Co.,'' Ltd., £4064; Palmer Engineering' Co., Ltd., £7031 10s. The holidays to bo observed by the . City Council office departments at the Town Hall will be from noon on Tuesday next (Christinas Eve) until January 3 inclusive; Tho Town Clfci'k (Mr. J. R. Palmer) would like it explained that, although these holidays will be observed so far as tho general staff is /concerned, someone will bo in attendant daily to attend to urgent matters. Tho' electric light, office will 1 be'open on all those days not actually public .holidays' betweon the hours of 3 p.m. and 5 p.m., and on: the Saturday between-10 a.m. and noon. , On November 4 iin old man, 90 years of age, entered the Crown .Office 'of the Law Courts, London, and set .down a voluminous document, which l proved to be an affidavit. Asked what it was, he said it was an action lie, was taking against "the King, Crown, and Parliament of England for £20,000 damages 1 for neglect," and added that he wanted to sue in forma pauperis. It turned out that the old man, was Mr. John W., Burt, a Tasmaiiiah, tncfc an employer' of the late Hon. Richard John' Seddon,. and that, the, coming trial (for the affidavit ;was prtjyed to be regular 'and in order) arises out of an action in Tasmania'nearly twenty years ago. Burt now. resides in the London County Council lodging-house in Drury Lane. "It has'become the habit Of local bodies," said the Mayoi' last night, "to ■ receivo circulars (from othei local bodies regarding a proposed course of action in certain public matters." ' He had received' a circular from the , Patangata County , Council (Hawke's Bay) suggesting what they thought was the. right reception to give Mr. Keir Hardie. Ho (Mr. Hislop) proposed to reply in "accordance with the position' he had taken up before., The more ; information received the more it was demonstrated that the''first cablegrams were unreliable and untruthful 'as to Mr. Keir Hardie's behaviour in India. • Later news showed that he' had been particularly careful in the enunciation of his views there. In answer to a Coun-.'the-Mayor'snid he understood Mk Keir Hardie would arrive liore on December 22,

Owing to the large number' of accidents, minor and serious, that have occurred .through people alighting in the wrong way from travelling ' tramcars, the City Council is about to publish a pamphlet dealing with 1 the subject, which will illustrate by, a' number of plates,'how to alight from a car in motion, and how hot to do so. This publication will not 'form"an 1 excuse 'for people making ■ the practice, of leaving cars ■ in ■ motion more general, nor will it add to the responsibilities of the City Council in respect ta such accidents. It will simply be of instructive value, to those who do, at their own risk, alight, from travelling cars,.-and assist them in gaining a better idea of the laws of gravity, 1 and in regard to the results likely to happen by the passage of a body from a moving to a fixed object. The illustrations make it-'clear that a person should not alight from' a car in motiOri while facing the rear of the car-; if he does the concussion between the back, of the head and the wood-blocks will convince., him of' the error in his method. In boarding or leaving a car, the person should alwhys faco the direction in which the car is proceeding,, arid must be careful xo uso the proper foot in each case —i.6., in boarding use the foot , nearest the car; and in alighting, the one farthest away. . . Tho improvements effected , by; tho excavating processesconnected with the formation of Anderson Park in the Botanical Gardens do not end in tho providing of a recreation* ground. The, cutting away of tho big hill has immensely improved tho, view of those houses in Karori Crescent and the upper western side of Tinakori Road. Many of tho houses situated well up tho hill will have a splendid view of tho ground itself, and now have a view of the h&rbour jiover contemplated. A furtlior and more practical improvement oxists in the widening Of that part of Tinakori Road, botween v Glenbervit Road and the main entranco to tho Botanical Gardens. Ten feet was takeYi off tho Tinakori side of the hill, at the Glonbervio Road corner, which cutting has been continued right up as far as is necessary, and it only remains ,now for the pavement and kerbing to bo moved back that distance to provide j for a matorially-widcned and groatly ini- j proved pieco of road. Tho main entrance to Andorson Park will bo near tho Botanical Gardens gate, from which point a nicclygraded road will lead along tho sido of tho hill to tho level of tho r Park. Mrs. Ethel K. Do Costa, LL.B. (noa Misi j Ethel R. Benjamin, of Dunedin), after practis- j ing for some yoars in that city, has commenced practico as a barrister and solicitor , in No 6 Nathan's Buildings, corner Grey and Fcatl ei ston Streets, Wellington. Mrs. JJO Costa has the distinction of being the only lady practising at tho Bnr in the Dominion. Intending clicnta can depond on prompt and careful at i tention at Mrs. Do Costa's hands. 1

To-morrow morning, at 10.30 o'clock, His Honour Mr. Justice Button will pass sentenco oil the following prisoners :—Charles Burney (forgery and uttering); Charles I'urney, alias Boddingtor (sending a fal&e telegram); Thomas Henderson (forgery and uttering); Fred Newman (forgery), and James Lewis (theft). . It was decided at the meeting of the City Council last night that no tramway service be run on Chr'stmas Day. The Mayor pointed out that there was a general desire on the part of : the employees not to work on Christmas Day 1 , which was the billy day in the whole year oh which they had a chance of having a holiday; The first Crown tenant in this district to seek to take advantage of the right to acquire tho freehold under the Land Laws Amendment Act, 1907, is Mr. W. J. Coulter. ' His application to be allowed to purchase the freehold titlo to section 56, Horowhenua Village Settlement, came before the Wellington Land Board yesterday. The Board resolved to draw his attention to Section 20 of the Act, so that he might .take the steps prescribed therein. An application came before the City Council last evening 'for permission to construct' pavement lights; .in' Cttbk.; And * . Ghuznee Streets: Tho Mayor said ho was averse to the past custom of granting such permits promiscuously. The whole question required to be reconsidered. The .Council should know exactly what the lights ' Were for —whether unwholesome underground rooms were being used to employ people /in during the day. Stringent by-laws were required, aiid he moved that the matter be referred to a SubCommittee to consider. The motion was carried. "We have been inconvenienced in our ' open-air meetings by men who call themselves Socialists," wrote Brigadier Albiston, Provincial Com nander of tho Salvation . 1 Army, last night, to the City Council. The complaint was that these :■ men made, a < practice of getting close up to the Army ring and entering into arguments between themselves, thus drawing attention ' away from the Army to themselves. 1 "That'#, nothing to do v.ith the Council," said a Councillor. Tho Mayor: "Except that it might lead to a breach of. tho peace." -The Town Clerk said that the Wellington Socialist party, Custom House Quay, had been written to asking il the people mentioned •' wcro connected with'.them; to that effect had been sent to the Salvation Army.'A proposal has been,laid; beforo St. John's Young Women's BiJjle Class for the establishment of a Presbyterian, orphanage in Wellington.. There is already an'institution . of this kind in Dunedin,- and the General Assembly of the Presbj'teri&n Church has under contemplation the erection and main-, tenance of a large main orphanage at Auckland, which will serve as a home for the , orphans of Presbyterians througliout th§ . Dominion. If this' project ;is accomplished ' the Dunedin institution, and that which it is hoped to establish ill Wellington, will be used as receiving homes where the children can be temporarily cared: for till they are transferred to Auckland.; Until; the main homeis erected, the Dunedin and Wellington institutions trill discharge 'all the funo tions of complete orphanages. ' *