LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 78, 26 December 1907, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

. ' .——-4 — ' ■ ' The mails which left Wellington per s.s. Moerabi 011 Novombor 15, and connected at Sydney with the Naples mails, arrived at London on the morning of December 23. The Customs ' rovenuo collected' at-■ Wellington on Tuesday amounted to' £3184 13s. Sd. Tho.nam© of " Colonial Museum has been altered by tho Cabinet to " Dominion" • y ; Museum. The Postal authorities advise that a steamer left San Francisco for Now Zealand on December 20 with seventy bags of mail matter, which is expected to reach here about January.ll. . The Public Works Department has accepted a tender, at about £1000, for a now wooden court-house at Te Kuiti, and another, at about £700, for a wooden courthouse at Waitara. r A: man named Robort Rankin, who was arrested at Sheffield, Canterbury, was brought to Wellington' yesterday to answer a chargo of having stoien moneys and property belonging to a late fellow-lodger named Hennessey.' / ■' Six members of the New South Wales teachers''cricket team .will play a tonnis match with tho Wellington'teachers at Newtown to-day. The team is as follows:!— Manuel, O'Neil, Hammond, Deer, Hunt, and .Roberts. - . So great was tho rush at Sydney for steerage accommodation \on the; Wimmera, wh'ioh arrivod from that port on that ■&', large number had .to -bo refused ' There were 229 passengers altogether, in-, chicling 75 members of *tho " Blue . Moon " Musical Comedy Company. We have to.acknowledge a, host of Christr mas greetings from all quarters, of the Dominion and from distant parts.'. Included- in the number is a' card from the All Black football team now touring England. We heartily reciprocate the kindly wishes expressed. T'ho Compensation Court will deliver judgment to-morrow morning in l the case, in which Thomas Campbell, farmer, Karori, claims £4500 as compensation from the City ■Corporation for loss arising out of the taking of a portion of his property for the purpose of extending the catchment area • in ; connection with the Karori resorvoir. Lioutoriant Herd, bandmaster 'of the Wellington Garrison Band, received by tho last Sydney boat a handspmoly-framed photograph of tho Bessos o' til' Barn Band, forwarded prior to their doparturo from Australia, as a mark of esteem for tho courtesies ho extended to thorn during their visit'to Wellington.

Testimony to the goncral sobriety.of tho large crowds who celebrated- Christmas Eve in Wellington is to-be found in the'fact that only eleven arrests for drunkenness wore mado between eight o'clock; on Tuesday morning 'and five o'clock on .Wednesday morning:' Most of those arrested had not offended previously. One was in a state bordering on delirium tremens. . Informations werp laid against two young men for alleged breach of tho peace, and charges of theft.were preferred against two persons. ' ,' . \ Tho officer-in-charge of the. telegraph office (Mr. Harrington) notifies that from January 1, 1908, tho free' delivery for telegrams received at this and tho other chief offices—Auckland, Cliristehurch, and Dunedin—will bo extended to a'distanco of three miles for all messages lodged at any office botweon S a.m. and G p.m. After 6 p.m. the freo delivery to bo for/ a distancp of one mile and a half, but telegrams for delivory -within three miles to bo charged carriage /at the rate of 6d. per mile or fraction thereof. For all carriagos beyond threo miles tho present regulations, i.e., the actual cost of delivery by any conveyance, to be adhered to. Msssages for suburban offices lodged after 5 p.m., and hitherto held ovqr till tho following morning, will bo delivered within the limits of tho extended freo delivory. ' English country people have a reputation for slownoss, but this story of a fire,, from a recent issuo of a West Country newspaper, is probably exceptional:—''Lato on Tuesday night notice was given to tho police by Mr. Loader, of Bayford, that a rick of oats belonging to him in Devenish Lano was on fire. After some time tho Firo Brigado were also informed, and two of the members wont, to investigate. They found, however, that Ihero was no water, readily available, and tho rick had been burning so long that their olforts would-probably bo usclessj ,, so they did not bring out tho/ engine. Tho rick burned all day on Wednesday; and is now a heap of smouldering ashes. It was insured. It is not known how the firo originated." Mrs. Ethel It. Do Costa, LL.B. (noo Mia Ethel E. Benjamin, of Dunedin), after practising for some years in that city, has commenced practice as ii barrister and tolicitor in No 6 Nathan's Buildings, corner Grey and Feat! ostpn Streets, Wellington. -Mrs. Do Costa ■ has tho distinction of being tlio only lady practising at tho Bar in tho Dominion. Intending clients can depend on prompt and.careful af tentioa at Mrs. Dβ Costa'e lianda.