LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 88, 7 January 1908, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Customs revenue collected at Wellington yesterday amounted to £5621 6s. ..Id.

Detective Cameron arrested a young-man named Wm. Partelli yesterday on a charge of having fail&T. to', provide for his illegitimate child at Christchurch..

The Labour Department has been notified that from sixty to seventy road makers are wanted for the Nelson district. Difficulty' is expected in finding so large a number. '

Instruction classes for officers ' and noncommissioned officers will be held at Gisbornq from January 14 till January ; 18, and. at Wairoa from January 21 to 1 January 24.

The City. Council notify owners,,of dogs that the tax .for "Wellington city for .the ■present year has been fixed at 10s., and is now payable to the Registrar of. Dogs! at the Town Hall. The Rotoiti left Onehunga for New' Ply-' mc-uth at 4 p.m. yesterday with the Briridisi mail on board. This should reach Wellington to-morrow evening by, the Manawatu express train. ; ' s .' ' ! : Tho annual examinations in' connection with' the teachers' C and D certificates and also the senior Civil Service are being held in the Technical School. Mr. F. H. Bakewell, M.A., is acting as supervisor of'the' examinations, which will last about a fortnight. , The series of burglaries which wore committed at Wanganui on Boxing Day have led to Detective Kemp and Williams arresting a man named Omrigio Tolley,' alias Freeman,and a woman named Lizzie Black, alias Freoman, on a charge of being'concerned in the burglaries. Both accused will. appear atj the. Magistrate's'. Court this morning,' ' ']■: ''i f A sharp earthquake: was experienced, at 6.40 yosterday evening. There were two distinct shocks; tho first' of. several seconds' duration, followed closely by another shorter ono. According to a Press Association telegram received from Blenheim, an earthquake was also felt at tho Southern' town at Q. 40, the direction being from north to, south.

Tho, Health Department reports the following cases of scarlet fever, enteric fever, diphtheria, and tuberculosis, . for the , week ending Saturday, January 4 (the period includes two days of tho previous weok) Wellington city—Scarlet fever, 9; • enteric fovor, 1; diphtheria, 3;ituberculosis, 3.'Hutt County—Scarlet fever, 4; enteric fever,:!.

Over one hundred delegates, representative of the Single Tax Leaguo, Trades Unions (over thirty), tho Socialist Party, Trades and Labour Council, and the Political Labour Lbaguo, will meet at tho. Trades Hall tomorrow evening', to disouss matters relating to tho political platform of the Parliamentary Labour Representation. Committee. It is understood that Mr. Koir Hardio, Socialist M.P., has addressed a letter of advice and good wishes to tho committee in its work.

Notice has been given by Councillor Kiernan to move at tho nest meeting of tho Onslow Borough Council that tho Engineer bo instructed to report on a better graded road from Kniwarra to Khandallah by way of Victoria Road, also to furnish an estimate of the approximate cost of tho work, and ascertain if tho landowners, who will derive benefit from the improved road, are prepared to assist financially towards the cost of purchasing the necossary land and providing for tho road formation.

Despite official and journalistic reminders, gnd tho imposition of a ten per cent, penalty yor delay, a large number of people havo not yet paid their , land tax. During tho past few weeks the Commissioner for Taxes (Mr. P. Heyos) has been receiving tho annual pathetic explanations of people who, through various misconceptions, omitted to forward the State's tribute by tho appointed

time, and now submit heartrending reasons why they should not be penalised in consoquonce. To theso the Commissioner points out that the hated addition of ton per cent, after a cortain date is just as truly tax as is the original exaction, and tho administrator of tho Act can no more remit one than

tho other. Every year, Mr. ITeyes states, a considerable number of persons mako themselves liable for tho increased rate, though in some cases tho difforenco roprosonts hundreds of pounds. A month's notico is always, given of the date when the tax will become due, and afterwards a fortnight's graco is given in which to pay. Mr. Heyes has also been accustomed to extend the fourteenth day of grace until tho following noon, so that letters forgotten on the final day may be posted tho next morning and no penalty bo incurred. But there are some people whoso procrastination cannot bo restrained. Those who do not pay in time are notified of tho omission, and of

iheir increased liability, and if Dopartmon;al communications fail to bring in the tax ■ecourse is had to summonses.

Mrs. Etlisl R. De Costa, Lt.B. (nee Miss Ethel R. Benjamin, of Dunedin), after practisiiiß for some years in that city, has commenced practice as a barrister and solicitor in No. 0 Nathan's Buildings, corner Grey and Feathorston Strcot, Wellington. Mrs. Do Costa has the distinction of being tho only lady practising at tho Bar in the Dominion. Intending clients can depend on prompt and .careful attention at Mrs. De Costa's hands.

The appointment of a- firo inspector for the Domi lion under tho Act of last year will not, states Dr. Findlay,; bo made until tho various Fire Boards have met and had some opportunity of discussing matters. An application by the Flaxmill Employees'. Industrial Union of Workers —representing some '800 members—for. affiliation "to the Wellington Trados and Labour Council, will bo considered at the Council's meeting on Thursday - next. ' : ■

; Private ndvico received in town states that tbo yacht Ngaira loft Tory Channel for/Wellington on Sunday afternoon, and ran into a S.E. gale. Tho boat was compelled: to put into l , Port Underwood for shelter, and was still'there yesterday. . ' ■

A big tnngi of Natives is; being held at Pukio, Martmborough (writes our Wairarapa correspondent), over the'romains of Raima Kahui Hohepa, a chief of • Ngntiawa. andniece of Mamhera, the -.principal rangatira\ of the tribe m tho Wairarapa. Hohepa died at Hastings on Thursday last, aged fiftythieo years.

.•.-. Tho poregrinations: of Jimmy Hmton, the fourtoen-year-old lad, whose wanderings wero described on Saturday under tho ■ heading ".Freaks of a Fatherless Boy," have come to an end for tho time being with a temporary home at the Boys' Training Farm, Wcraroa. The lad was brought before Mr. iW. G. Riddoll,S.M.,.yesterday, and formally committed to tho; training farm. . Tho youthful wanderor showed signs of distress when ordered to the farm, his desire being to jom tho Amokura.

The industrial dispute between the Wellington Pullers' Industrial Union of' Workers and The Gear Meat Preserving and Freezing . Company and tho Wellington-Meat Export Company, Linutod, has, at tho instance of-tho employers, bceii referred to the' Court ,of Arbitration for settlement. : The claims of the Union are'as; follow:—(1) ;All pulling shall be paid/ for; at. piecework rates; (2) tho rate of wages-shall be 9d. per dozen except on holidays and Sundays, when the rate shall be lOd. per'dozen; (3) ;tho following shall bd deemed holidays New Year's Day, Anniversary Day, Good Friday,. Easter Monday, Sovereign's Birthday,. Labour Day, Christmas Day and Boxing Day; '(4) pullers'required to wait for a longer period of time, than-a'quarter of an hour shall be paid for the time so occupied in waiting at the rate of 2s. per hour; tho time to count from the expiration of tho first , quarter of an hour; (5) inombors of tho Wellington Pullers' ; Union jshal'. : bo employed iri preference to non-members. - .r