LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 89, 8 January 1908, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Tho Customs revenue collcctcd at Wellington yesterday amounted to £5363 16s. 4d.

Tho boiling over of a tar pot at 9.30 ycstorday morning set fire to a framing round the door of a house in Church Street, and resulted in the Fire Brigade being called

Tho subscriptions l received in Sydney towards the Shackleton expedition fund, amounting to nearlj' £500, were returned on the Federal Government agreeing to supply the whole of tho £5000 needed.

Tho Benevolent Trustees, at their meeting yesterday afternoon, accepted the tender of Messrs. Gazzard Bros., at £203, for tho work of providing, by alterations and 'additions, for tho agod and infirm at the Home. There were ton tenders for the work, the estimate for which was £250.

The Wellington Gas Company has secured tho premises at tho rear of the Royal Oak Hotel in Manners Street, and formerly occupied by S. Luke and Co., for their stovemaking branch, for the purpose of fitting workshops pending tho erection of the new workshops at Courtenay Place'.

Tho Education Department has decided to issuo a new " Infantry Training " for public school cadots, in order that the drill may be brought into lino with that decided on by the Defence Council. This follows tho Army drill book in all rospccts, except that drilling in single ranks takes tho place of drilling in two ranks, tho formation of fours being retained.

Nearly tlirco hundrod civil servants have already made application to bo inoluded in tho superannuation scheme. Many others express an intontion of delaying application till towards tho termination of thoir six months' opportunity, so that tho deductions from their salaries, which form the solo unpleasant feature of the scheme, may not commenco too soon.

Tho result of the ckction (which was held yesterday), for a member of the Senate of the University of New Zealand, to fill the vacancy caused by tho resignation of Professor M'Laurin, who has taken up an appointment! at Columbia University, New X'orls, will not bo announced for a week yet,, as n millibar of poßtod votos aio ctill to Mine to band-

Tho arrivals in New Zealand during the month of November totalled 3656, and tho departures 1590. Tho totals" for tho corresponding period of 1906 were 3815 and 1388 respectively.

Mr. Edward Smith, J.P., of Bewdlcy, Worcestershire, England, who' is interested in the administration of charitable aid, was preßont at yesterday's mooting of the Bcnor volcnt Trustees. Ho was introduced to tho morabcrs by tho Chairman (Rev. W. A. Evans). ■ '• ■ , ..

The syllabus of the Yorkshire Society for the first lialf of 1908 is to hand. Tho following "attractions" aro set down for tho several monthly meetings:—January, Budget by tho' President, Mr. J. H. Helliwell; February > "Yorkshire! Folk Lore,"- an address by Mr. Charles. Wilson; March, open 1 night; April, "Impressions' of the Homo Land," by Mr. H. Field; May, musical evening; Juno, card tournament. ' , V.

Tho orection of the ■ fish-curing works, on Rangawai Island by the Salvation Army is stated to have proved successful from evory point of view, and arrangements, aro now being made to erect an additional smokehouse, and a large freezing plant, costing over £600. Tho enlargements, according to Brigadier -Albiston,' are duo to the demand in,Auckland-for fresh and smoked fish. As a result of the erection of the fish-curing plant on tho island, a means of livelihood has, been provided for the Maoris resident there. /; ' .

At the annual meetjngof the Wellington branch of the Now Zealand Underwriters' Association ' held' yesterday, the following officers .wore elected for tho, ensuing year: —Chairman, Mr. J. S. Jameson (United'lnsurance Co.)vice-chairman, Mr., Charles Pearce (Liverpool,' London, and Globe); committee: Messrs. D. A. Abercrbmbie (North Queensland), C. A. Ewen (Commercial Union), H. G. Smith (Phmnix), 0. R. Bondall (Royal Exchange), and H. E. Kempthorno (Now Zealand); auditor, Mr. J. h. Hail. '

Mr. Watson, M.P., thinks (says the 'Sydney Morning Herald") that there; is

little need for anxiety regarding the Federal Capital question. He sees no reason, why the Parliament should not deal with the matter before the current session closes. There is no reason to suppose that the Government will attempt to unnecossarily defor a determination, and Mr. Watson is of opinion that thfe result will be, reached sooner under present conditions than if \t.he Prime' Minister bound himself to make it the first item to be dealt with next session.

Tho prompt action of . a motorman on a tramcar, which was going past the. band rotunda in Jervois. Quay about 1.55 yesterday afternoon, was 'the means of averting a serious accident.' A youth, who was cycling up the Quay, i apparently in a daydream, tried to cross the tram line in front of tho approaching car. The car struck the back wheel of the bicycle, and threw tlie rider heavily to the ground. The motorman applied the brakes immediately,, and stopped the car in an instant.' The cyclist escaped, with somo outs and -bruises'. '

Some weeks ago it was ' pointed , out in these columns that tho naming of streets by means '• of a painted- piece of iron placed high up on a telegraph post' or building was out-of-dato, and at tho same timo attention

was drawn to the new idea of having the street names inserted "in paving blocks' at tho proper places. .Knowing; Wellington to bo an up-to-date, quick-moving place, ' the

" Arkilite " street-paving people have' found us out, and have lost no time r in placing one of their street-name slabs in tho foot-' path opposite tho. Lambton Quay entrance to Ithe . BankVof : New Zealand; In this case the "'Arkilite " paving stone is red, and tho .lettering "Lambton Quay" is > pioked out. in,'.black in the same ever-wearing composition. ' Tho bold lettering' is . easily 'distinguishable through tho ordinary dust that collects on the paveiment, and , the idea :of indicating tho names of streets by the new method seems altogether an admirable'one. The work,of making this particular> pavingsstone and laying it down was done by the Hudson Fire-Proof Wall Company, who. are the local agents for "Arkilite" —a material as hard and smooth as marble.

The luck of the show ■ business I Mr.. T. J. West, proprietor of West's Pictures, arrived in New Zealand direct from London in 1904 with a show consisting of a number of very excellent Cinematograph pictures, and the Brescians —musicians and singers. The entertainment ''caught on" instantaneously,, and has boon increasing in popularity ever since with surprising "results. To-day Mr. West has no fewer than fivo distinct picture shows running in his interest; Besides the capital entertainment at the Town Hall, he initiated'a show which ran for 179 consecutive nights at the Lyceum Theatre, Sydney, and only left that house of entertainment when its owner decided to reconstruct. Then the pictures were transferred to the Glaciarum, in the same city, which has been loased by Mr. West for five months.'. In

Melbourne that. enterprising manager lias leased Wirtli's Hippodrome, and is showing his pictures there. There is another show' (which includes the Brescians) touring in Tasmania, and Mr. West hds another which puts in tho winter season a't Edinburgh and tho summer season at Bournemouth.. Mr.. West is also interested in a London firm which manufactures kinematograph films by the mile. Great is the charm of the living picture 1 Tho Government has purchased from Mr. Nelson Illingworth, to be placed in tho Parliamentary Library, a replica in bronze of the marble bust of Sir John Hall, which the sculptor was commissioned to executo for tl.e family of the late statesman, and for which Sir John Hall gave him sittings till within.' a few weeks of his death. A representative of The Dominion, who saw the replica in Mr. Illingworth's studio yesterday, was much struck by its very faithful likeness to the late statesman. Allowance has been made for tho attenuation caused by illness when. Sir John gave his sittings, and the face is represented as it must have appeared in the departed statesman's late parliamentary period, when ho was advocating Woman's Franchise. Mr. Illingworth has achieved a most artistic likeness, and it is not surprising that the family of tho late Sir John Hall have expressed delight with tho marble original. Tho sculptor has just finished, ready for the plaster, a bust of Lady Ward, whicft is ah.i a spoaking likeness. It will bo put into marble afterwards, as will also a bust jf Archbishop Redwood, which already, though unfinished, catches the expression with remarkablo fidelity. Sir Joseph Ward will givo sittings to Mr. Illingworth for a bust in marble when ho returns to Wellington. Tho sculptor oxpocts to remain in Wellington for n considerable timo to come.

Mrs. Ethol R. Do Costa, LL.IS. (neo Miss 'Ethel R. Benjamin, of Dnnedin), after practising for some yenrs in that city, has commenced practice as a barrister and solicitor in No. fi Nathan's Buildings, corner Grey and Feathorston Street, Wellington. Mrs. l)e Costa has the distinction of being the only lady practising at the Bar in tho Dominion, Intoudiug client* cau ckpcmd on prompt aud careful attention at 1 Mrs, Se Cotta't bands. ~

Tho yacht Ngaira, which has boon on a cruise to the Sounds, arrived back, ill Wellington at about eight 'o'clock last night; The boat, which had been sheltering at Port ■Underwood, resumed'her voyage to Wellington yesterday morning, and had a very rough, passago through the Terawhiti "rip." She came through without any damago.

There is no truth in a rumour that has gained currenoy that tho erection of the now Wellington Post Office will, be delayed,- as a consoquenco of the extensive building programme which the' Government will havo on

its hands, i Mr. J., Campbell, Government Architect, states that working drawings for tho new Post OfGeo .are now being prepared, and the matter will bo pushed forward with all celerity. ,

The work of, draining tho Piako swamps, in the Auckland is to bo pushed forward immediately. 'Mr. W. 0. Kensington, Under-Secretary for Crown Lands, will leave Wellington on/Friday to visit this district in connection with tho scheme. By proper drainage it is hoped to convert 80,000 acres of Crown lands, at present worth less than £1 an acre, into land: worth £5 or £6 an acre. It is probablo that Mr; Kensingtonwill also visit it is proposed to extend the; area for tree-planting by prisoners. >; "/ - . .'. : , v ;:''

The search for Maori relics on the hi stone Miramar Peninsula is being continued by a few i enthusiasts, and not without result, During recent iveeks . tiki buttons, parts of Maori necklaces,'and pieces of greenstone implements have been found in differont parts .of the district. What is a more important find was the discovery quite recently by Mr, : J. W., M'Kay on tho Monorgan, Blook,(east of Lyell Bay), of the bones of two moa toes almost complete. These, when ' pieced • together, .measure about , eight inches, in length; indicating that when covered with the horny flesh of- the extinct bird, and armed with claws, the length of; the foot must have been; quite twelvo inches.. The formation of the bones has been closely compared with those in the Museum, proving conclusively that =. they, are moa too bones, and that the great, bird once lived at Mira« mar, and probably stalked over ,tho site of

"Wonderland" in search of food. Numerous pieces of. moa egg-shell were found during the recent holidays on the same block, and, estimating thcS length by.the curve of, tho pieces, they must have been-, about eight inches long. Mr; Hector M'Leod lias a small boxful of ogg-shell, which may, be inspected by anyone interested, >