LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 90, 9 January 1908, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Customs revenue collected at Wellington yesterday amounted to £3228 16sl. 9d.

■ No. 5 Company Now Zealand Engineers will go into camp at Mahanga Bay on Saturday. The encampment will last sixteen days.,

Gorse fires resulted in tho Fire Brigade being called out three times yesterday. The first call was received at 1.30 p.m. to the Town Belt, off Waripori Street, the second at 3.18 p.m. to Salamanca Road, and the final one at 8 p.m. to the hill off Grant Road. , '

There was a deal of curiosity in the City yesterday as to the origin of a huge mass of smoke that came from tho direction of Karori a littlo before noon, and liisted for about two hours. The smoke, it was discovered, floated from Mr. F. Kilminster's property,; a portion of the old Lancaster Estate, a quantity, of bush that had ..been felled during the year having been fired.

The .Government is desirous of exhibits of New Zealand products and manufactures for the Franco-British Exhibition, which is to be opened in May. All exhibits must be in the hands of the Department of Industries and Commerce not later than February 10. All merchants or manufacturers willing to co-operate are requested to place themselves in communication with Mr. T. E. Donne immediately.

The annual meeting of the city conferences lof the St. Vinoent de Paul Society will be held in St. Patrick's Hall, Boulcott Street, on Sunday evening. During the year new branches of the Socioty have been formed at Newtown and Thorndon, and recently Nurse Hartnett has been engaged to work apiong the sick poor of tho city and suburbs. Nurse Hartnett has certificates for maternity as well as other work. Tho receipts of the sit,v conferences of the Socioty during tho yeir have amounted to £1.26 13s. 2d., and expenditure on various forms of charitable and philanthropic work £71 19s. Bd., leaving a balance in hand of £44 13s. 6d.

Mr. T. Dwan, of Wellington, who returned yesterday from a visit to Sydney, states that tho New Year was ushered in in that oity with unusual larrikinism and noisiness. The Sydney larrikin had become possessed of an instrument of torture called a detonating stick, which makes city life almost unbearable in the United States on the "Glorious Fourth." Tho sticks are struck on the footpath behind unsuspecting persons, and their incessant detonations make a noise like volleying musketry, which is peculiarly destructive of the nerves of quiet people. Sufferers by the craze in American cities liavo admitted that this' noisy artillery, exploding all about them, has driven them,nearly frantic, to the country for relief. Apparently it has boon too much for Sydney, since, bofore Mr. Dwan loft, tho sale of tho sticks had been prohibited, and their use proscribed by spccial by-law.

Mrs. Ethel R. Do Costa, LL.Ii. (nee Miss Ethel E. Benjamin, of Dunedin), after practising for some years in that city, has commenced practico as a barrister and solicitor in No. C Nathan's Buildings, corner Grey and Fcatherston Street, Wellington. Mrs. De Costa has the distinction of being the only lady practising at the Bar in tho Dominion. Intenrlhig clients can depend on prompt ana earotul uttaa£u& it Mrs, So Costa's hands,

It is understood that a further adjourn: ment of the inquest on tho body of tho late Henry Ernest Davis set down for to-day will bo asked for until January 23. ' The Govornment Analyst has: not been ablo, ( ,up to the present, to mako the necesSnry analysis of the stomach of deceased, and tho fld* journment will, therefore* be required.

Tho juvenile wandorer from tho Commonwealth, Jimmio Hmton, who .has been spending the' past few. weqks living with and eluding tho police; and .who was committed to tba Weraroa Boys' Training Farm on Monday, spoilt only ono night in tho care of tho authorities, and 'then■; disappeared. Tho police would be glad if the finder of the wanderer would bring him along and hand him /over to tho Industrial School, author^

Tramway traffic on the Lambton Quay section was unexpectedly brought to a standstill yesterday afternoon' owing to the failure of the electric current. Subsequent investigation showed ■ that the curront had: been " short : circuited " on a private installation on the Thorndon Quay section near tho Government railway. l station. Tho "fault' 1 took some time to locate owing to tho fact that tho wires were under-ground. After a, delay of about half, an hour the matter was adjusted arid traffic lesumed.

A sentry-box has bean erectcd in tlio grounds !oftlio'.Departmental'Buildings as a shelter in' wet weather for the guard of Permanent Artillerymen which keeps watch, night and day, outside, the buildings, It ■19 conc]u(]ctl'from this that the guard will pro-, baljly bp retained permanently. - Thu prccautjon originated with the Premier, who commanded that it should be continued ''until further, orders." Tho " further orders " will not come from any other authority: than himself.

It is stated that during tho last twelve months the bicycle trade m most parts of tho Dominion has suffered a great slump. The depression has been felt in' Wellington and in other towns of . tho provinco., It seepis : that cyclists, are satisfiod with', the machines they hold, awWrefuse to ,bo tempted.' to ' tho same ejetenir as in former years to invest in new ones.:. T?he general excellence and durability of the machines render their life of utility .a . long-one. The increasing popularity • of motor cycles has also no doubt had a good deal tp do with th<j decline in the trade. .■ . -

; There is likely to bo a decrease in the output of flax for the prosept : quarter. Owing to the pronounced weakening in the price of flax, several mills in the north are about to be closed down. Speaking to a Dominion reporter yesterday, Jlr. M. F. Bourke stated that operations wore to ccaso at three of his mills in the' Auckland district. 1 The price was still sound enough to work if a miller was working his own flax, but if he was paying the royalty lie (Mr. Bourke) was 'in Auckland, they would soon find out that there was nothing in it. If tho owners of flax would introduce a sliding scale in royalties, the industry might be. maintained, continuously, but here was a case where; they, had to pay t|ie same royalty now as they were wjieij was bringing £10 per ton more. ' , ■■ . : ' .

The City Council's Committee on Milk Supply will probably report at the ordinary meeting ■ of; th& Council ■ next week. Some currency has been .given- to a report ' that tho Committee's will be adverse to the Council undertaking the supply of milk, and also to the establishment of a. central, milk depot' .under , niumcipal supervision.. We are informed that any such statement is premature. The Committee has been in communication with Dr. Mason, Chjef Health Officer, and iyi]j hold another meeting, at 'rfhich he will be present, before drawing up its report. Dr. Mason's approval of the principle of municipal Buperr vision is' as well known as liis strong cpndemnation of the present cpndjtion of the milk supply pf this: city,' An alternative proposal is the appointment by tho Council of some additional' inspectors 1 to' attend to retail milk shops, > and thus supplement the efforts, of the inspectors working under the Health and Agricultural Departments..