LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 118, 11 February 1908, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The postal authorities advise . that the Marama, which left Sydney on Saturday, will bo duo in Wellington to-morrow morning with an Australian mail. The Customs revenue collected)at Wellington yesterday amounted to £1381 15s. 4d. The .AVhar.f Labourers'-dispute; has, at the instance of tho employers, been referred direct to tho Court of Arbitration. An anonymous colkctor, "A. C./' collected lis. 6tl. at Bellovuo Gardens on Sunday afternoon in aid of the Wellington Bandsmen's. Hospital Sunday .Fund. Tho amount wa9 forwarded on to the ton. scoreI tary, Mi-/lakes. jrostordav.

A. small gra6S fire at Roseneath .was responsible for the Fire Brigade being called out at' 3 o'clock yesterday 'afternoon. "I had all the miseries of a bachelor as well as all the miseries of a married man-,"' plaintively remarked a defendant in a maintenance case at the Magistrate's Court yesterday. The Wellington Racing Club will send, a deputation to the Hon. W. Hall-Jones (Minister for Railways) to-morrow morning in regard to a better system of entraining passengers to and from Trentham at race meetings. Since December 19 last 16 building permit's have been issued in the Borough, of Lower \Hutt-,. the value of the liew erections being approximately £4561. The valuo of new buildings erected in the borough, since March 31 is £32,799. The ballasting of the railway line between Puha and Willow Crossing, near Gisborne, is to bo commenced immediately. .Thei ; section of three miles and ten chains has practically been completed, and should be open for traffic in two months. The, bridge over the river should, be finished about December.;

The Department of Commerce and Industries has suggested to Mr. Byron Brown that he should send, • through them, a consignment of Otaki-grOwtt semi-tropical fruit to the Franco-British Exhibition. Mr. Donne has inspected Mr. Brown's' exhibit now on view at Messrs. M'llltyre Bros., Lambton Quay,'and thinks that similar rruit shown, at the exhibition would be an excellent advertisement for New Zealand. • The cdntractors for the additions to, the City Corporation's electric lighting station in Harris and' Mercer Streets have 1 begun clear-, ing the ground. The tenders for the erection of the mew buildings Wore, unusually .close for so large a work. Eight firms offered their services, the prices; named being as follow Mace and Nicholson,/. (accepted),' £9946; James Trevor and Sons, £10,122 ■, G. Gamer, £10,143;. Campbell and (Burke, £10,550; M'Lean and Gray, £10,695,. 155,; Mitchell and King, £10;733; James Russell,' Sanders Brothers, £10,993. The Hutt high-pressure watef supply sdhemo will be completed durihg .the coming fortnight. A test' of the works will, be carried out on.Thursday.'next. The cost of the scheme has been about .£20,000, and .the Engineer's estimates have proved correct! to within pounds., the official opening by. the Mayor was fixed by the Borough. Council last evening for Saturday,' February 22,: at three o'clock.. The Hutt Fire Brigade are to be asked to participate and give a display in the evening.; House connections with the main are being carried out as quickly as applications are.'put in. >• ' , • '

At the request of Mr. W. T. Wood, M.P., the Hon. It. M'Nab, Minister for. Agriculture, has consented to, receive next Friday , a deputation from tlie Flaxmillers' Association. The deputation will 'ask the Minister to reinstate the Government's offer of . a bonus for improvements in flaxmilling machinery,. and to direct that hanks ' be ' kept on View'...at /■ tht> grading stations. ; Reasons will .bo submitted why the use of, tow lashings, on ; bales of fibre should be allowed, and the Minister will bo requested to Chiof Fibro Expert (Mr. C. J. Fulton) to address a moeting at Palmerston North soOii aftor his return to New Zealand., .

' What must surely bo the very , highest price ever paid for bread in New Zealand,.ifnot.in.the whole world, is recorded bjv th 6. "Mataura Ensign" in a: biographical .notice of Mr. D. M'Loisli, 'a well-known rcsid»nVof Gore,', whodied last woeli. " Mr. M'Leish," says, the: '•! Ensign,"/' came over; to Dunediri in 1861 at the first of tho' gold rush, and went up .to tho Dunstan, where ho started' business .at his trade. Wo. gi'oWl at' tho prioo 'of flour nowadays, and tho 41b. loat is Eiderod at 1 famino price when it exc'eods/jCd; Mr. M'Leish had .'to pay £120 "a ton , for his flour on the diggings in "those early times- 1 ' £20 in Dunedin: and £100 cartage , to-his. j bake-hoiise. In return he charged • 10si per ( loaf." -7- ■ v.:-,':- I .': '■ '

Complaint was made by Councillor Ward at the Hutt' Borough Council' last. evening that 1 the ■ representation of the district; pmthe Wellington • Harbour Board was insufficient. Other Councillors also supported tlie contention. It was said , that the. Hutt County arid' boroughs, s represented, by ono member on the Board, ; copiprised ail area esteriding- from Seatoun to'tho top of tho Rimutakas'a'nd up to I'araparaumu. The. interests/' of all thCso ; localities . were 'not idonticaly; and the population of the, Hutt and. Intone districts, the rateable value,'; and the amount of financial interest directly a\idindirectly ; . which these .districts . had in the' harbour and shipping entitled. (them. to ]at least a,notbor member. . A resolution was'cat-; ried that the attention 1 of. the member for the

district'be called to the matter,.arid that\he bo asked to endeavour to obtain bettor' representation by Act of Parliament... A special meeting of the Wellington Automobile Club will be held this' evening ivith the following objects(l) To elect, two delegates to. represent the Club at the. first ,annual i conference, of the New Zealand; Auto-: .mobile Association, to be held in Wellington on Friday, February ; 21.: (2) To consider .the following notices ;of motion : —(a)' that i the. Club entertain the delegates ,to forthcoming conference at a dinner on February, 21, and.take them for a run, on. Saturday' afternoon, February, 22; '(b) that the, duties of tho secretary, of tho. New Zealand ''Auto-! mobile Association begin as from February If (c) that the committee be increased from five to nine, and that the officers except . this secretary Bnd the treasurer; ceafee to be ex' officio mombers of the committee, provided that, an. officer , shall ,bo eligible, for election' as a member of the committee.

Constable T. Pauling, formerly of Welling-, ton, and brother of Mr. James Pauling, ; of, Slastorton, had a rather exciting motor ex-, perience the other day in the Moss Vale district, New South Wales. He was oiie of a party of four Sydney residents who wvre touring in Moss Vale. At a sharp .curve oil the down grade, at a fast pac6, the rar skidded and, overturned, precipitating the occupants into the; roadway.- , Two of-the party, Superintendent Nolan and Mr. Chine? Edwards (who owned the ear), were.hurled through' the (front glass window, and were' rendered 7 insensible, Mr. Nolan /sustaining concussion of the brain. His condition fo(

some time was critical. Mr; 'Edwards received a broken nose and other injuries.. Mr, Shearer, another occupant; was cut andi bruised, while Constable Pauling, who was $hrown through a four-railed fonce, was the, most fortunate, and escaped with a few cuts and, a severe shaking. The motor-car was completely wrecked, v" :

Tho secretary of the Harbour Board has been officially informed that the Defence Department is putting down three standing.targets in the harbour, about 1000 yards from Fort Ballance, to remain, there till Feb'runry 22. -, Tho monthly meeting-of, the Wellington Division of the St. John Ambulance Brigade was held last night in the Star Boating Club's room, when a lecture was given on the circulation of the blood and hemorrhage by one of tho hon. surgeons—Dr. Gilmer. There was a fair attendance of members and much useful information was obtained. A feiv visitors were admitted, and they expressed pleasure at the information received: