LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 131, 26 February 1908, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Customs revenue collccted at Wellington yesterday amounted to £4344 12s. 6d. Sitting in Banco this morning, His Honour Mr. Justice Chapman will take tho case Field v. the Pupouga Company. A well-to-do Russian, 'who arrived by the Arawa from London yesterday, was temporarily detained from landing because of his inability, to converse .in tho English language. The Customs officers, however, after ■ going through the usual formalities, eventually allowed tho newcomer to land. A fivc-roomed house at Ncwlanus, near Johnsonville; owned by Mrs. J. P. Perger, was destroyed by fire'on Sunday. Both Mr. and Mrs. Perger were absent at the time of tho outbreak. / The house was insured for' £150 in the Liverpool and London and Globe, and there was a policy for £130 on the furniture in the United Offices.

After the usual parade on Friday evening, tho members of the Post and • Telegraph Rifles will elect a successor to Captain W. R. Morris, the ex-captain of the corps, who has been transferred to tho active list, un-' attached. It is understood that there ,is only ono nomination,* that of tho senior sub; altern of the Company, .Lieutenant Harton! His Honour Mr. Justice Chapman will hear argument .to-morrow relative'to a motion to set asido an interim injunction restraining Mrs.. Arini Donnelly. and others from driving stock on to tho South Waimarama run', Hawlce's Bay, which is in the occupation' o'f Miss Gertr.ude Alico Meincrtzhagen. Last month 4957 persons arrived in the Dominion, being an' excess of.. 160 over tho number, landing on thesis shores during January of last year. Of the 4957, '491' were children, and 1404 adult females. Persons leaving the Dominion during' tho month totalled 23D4, an excess oyer the corresponding period of last year of 222.

A meeting: of the.Trustees of tho Benevolent. Institution was held yesterday, afternoon, when there were'present the Rev. W. A. Evans ■ Mrs. Darvall, and; . Messrs. D. Robertson, J. Smith, and, H. Cook. Tho secretary reported that -.there were' 101 inmates in the Ohiro Home--68 male and 33 ' female. Accounts amounting to £151 Bs. . 2d. were, passed ; for payment, and a number, of applications for relief were dealt with. , ." . : v . A deputation consisting of Mrs. De Costa and Mr. T. Ward, owners of property in the estate formerly. known as . Bell's Farm, in Karori, waited upon tho Karori Borough Council' at its meeting last evening ..with' reference'to certain concessions. respecting tho formation of- roads ill and giving access to .tho estate. It'was -stated that'the-request of the deputation, would be inquired into, and a report supplied to the Council for consideration/at it-s next meeting. . As an introduction to the series of organ recitals arranged' by the City Council, -Sir; • J. MaughSn Barnett will deliver a popular lecture on the organ on Monday noxt, March 2. Tlio ! lecture will deal with.thoipoints ,of, interest connected with t-hei sound and construction of organ pipes and tho general mechanism of tho organ, and will'bo illustrated by means of specimen pipes. The lecturer will also deal with compositions for., tho organ, and his proposals in connection with tho recitals shortly to be given. , - I

Rarer than tho prized domestic servant, apparently, is the huinblo but necessary laundress'. Tho Hospital Trustees have been searching for some time to find an efficient liead laundress to tako chargo of a,staff of fourteon, but. hitherto they/have had no •success. . Advertisments published in four Christchurch papers, failed to' elicit a single reply, and the ■ ohairman ' of the Trustees (the Hon. C. M. Luke) stated; at the meoting yesterday, that lie had been informed, on good authority, that efficient , head laundresses were almost impossible to secure in the Dominion. It was. decided that the chairman should pursue' the quest, and that the 'matter should afterwards bo dealt with by.the House. Committee. ,The hearing of the case between Heber Brown and Heenan and Froude, Ltd.—a claim for £1000 under the common law procedure,. and. alternatively £500 under -the Employers 1 Liability Act—which commenced at 10.30 yesterday morning, did not conclude, until 12.30 ; this morning, ylt is not customary to continue the hearing of a civil case in tho evening, but yesterday afternoon, when, the usual , time for adjourning arrived, His Honour Mr. Justice Chapman stated that, in consequence of pressure of engagements, ho was reluctantly obliged to ask tho jury .to return in tho evening. Accordingly, at 7.30, tho hearing of additional evidence was resumed. Mr. Menteath, counsel for the defence, commenced to address tho. jury at 9.30, and he was followed at 10.5 by Mr. Skerrett, K.C., counsol for plaintiff. His Honour's summing-up occupied from 10.25 until 11.10. After the retirement of an hour and ten minutos, tho jury, at 12.25 this morning, returned with a verdict for £500. Against this award defendants gave notice of/appeal. His Honour, in discharging the jury, thanked them for their, very long attendance, which ho explained was unavoidable in the circumstances. His Honour, in observing that tho hearing had entered upon another day, said it would bo only reasonable to allow tho jury two days' expenses. For Shampooing; all Hair, and Face treatments, visit Mrs. Eolloston, Hair I'hysiciau, Faco Specialist, and Masseuse, Certificated, Trained under hiedicnl supervision. Special treatment for Falling Hair, Dandruff, Greyncsß, Faco Massage, etc., personal attention, Ut Floor, 3 Williß Stroet (over Carroll's). Tel. 1590. 71£2

Over age, deafness, and night employment wcro tho several pleas submitted by thrco residents whom His Honour Mr. Justice Chapman excused from sorvice as jurors on tho compensation capo yesterday. Reserved judgment will bo given this morning by/His Honour Mr. Justice Button in the case Smith v. Biss and others, a claim for commission on tho salo of a City property. On Thursday morning, at 10.30 o'clock, His Honour will hold a sitting in Chambors. This afternoon His Honour, Mr. Justico Chapman, will deliver reserved judgment in the eases Searlo v. Lyons, a summons by defendant to dismiss an action for alleged slander, and Andrews v. Munt, Cottrell, and Co., Ltd., an appeal from a decision" given by Dr. M'Arthur, S.M. Tho Hutfc Borough Council have decided to proceed with tho erection, of the Camp Road bridgo over tho Hutt. River, near Taita. This work is estimated to cost from ■£15,000 to £17,000. A subsidy has already been promised by tho Government, and £1500 ha_s_ been subscribed by tho ratepayers. Says the " British Australasian " of January 16, to hand by last night's mail:—"The moral foa New Zealanders to bo drawn from both tho Board of Trade Bluo Book and tho Tariff Commission report may bo summed up in tho one sentence. Both documents display an indifference to the local manufacturer that might almost bo described as hostility."

A yellow flag, flying at tho masthead of tho Shaw, Savill steamer Arawa when she. arrived from London yesterday, caused a deal of speculation.: Inquiry elicited tho ; fact that tho cause was a case of. diphtheria on board, but as the patient had recovered 1 bo- ( fore New Zealand was reached, there Was no difficulty about pratiquo being granted. / Travellers by the large liners between the Old Country and the Dominion usually organise various entertainments en route. Tho voyage of tho Arawa, ' which arrived from London yesterday, was enlivened by .the formation of a dramatic club, which, amongst other pieces, produced Act I' from "I Pagliacci," /and.also " Ici on Parlo Francois." The proceeds from the entertainments'will bo handed over to tho Lifeboat ..Institute of England. , . . ■ . : Sitting in Chambers yesterday Dr. M'Arthur,'S.M.', heard a petition, filed by Turnbull and Co. (on behalf of the creditors), for an order for tho winding-up of tho Public Servico Stores Estate. Mr. Fell (who appeared for the creditors)' applied to have'a' day fixed for the hearing of the petition, and tho' Magistrate ' appointed March 61 Directions wero also given as'to "the servico of tho petitions Mr. ,A. H. Gold was appointed official liquidator, with power to take immediate possession, and to carry on until tho petition is disposed of. L .; An inquest is to be held at the Coroner's office at 3 o'clock this afternoon concerning the death of tho seaman Angus M'Kinnon, who was drowned at sea on January 21 during tho run of tho steamer Warrimoo from Sydney to Wellington! M'Kinnon was ' a single man, 28 years of age, and was stated-, to have fallen overboard whilst standing working 'on the rail. A boat was lowered, but ,the body was not recovered. About a quarter of an hour, after the accident the fin of a largo shark was seen gliding alongside the steamer'. :

'• It is understood that.'the. returns, in, eonf nection with the working of the. electric light and power system under the control of the Corporation'for'the past sis months were pi'e•sontcd to tho Electric' Lighting and PoVrer 'Committee' at its last' meeting., Compared with tho previous half-year, when the -forks were under private control, the returns show, a net increase of profit of £1730.'. On the same basis the annual net; receipts will be. extremely, satisfactory, . and will show, a' greater profit than for the'previous year, of: £4000,; i.e., tho profits for tho year will total £24,000, as against £20,000 for the preceding twelve months, notwithstanding tho decreaso in the charges to smaller consumers. Owing'to a'misunderstanding, as a result of .which counsel in the case for damages which was heard at tho Supreme. Court yesterday " omitted, to exerciso their ' right : of challenge, tho first jury ; empanelled had to be dismissed and another balloted for.; When a number of jury 'cases are. to be. taken con-, secutivoly, the .rule is..to call over, the'panel and subsequently empanel the jury on the first case, but. when there is only one case for hearing tho calling over of tho panel is dispensed with. On the'occasion in question, oounsel thought that the Registrar was' merely calling over tho panel, hence, their omission to challenge;' a "right which they exorcised, very fully during tho empanelling of tho second jury. " / V V . '