LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 133, 28 February 1908, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A number of letters from correspondents aro in typo, arid' will be published at the earliest opportunity. ::

Tho annual'meeting of the Now Zealand Rugby Union has been fixed for May 14.

Tho forthcoming sittings of the Supreme Court at Blenheim; will bo conducted by; His Honour Mr. Justice Edwards. ,

Tho new-school at Wainui-o-mata is to be formally opened on Saturday nest, and members of tho Education' Board have beon invited to attend tho opening' ceremonios.

Councillor Biss has given notice that ho will move at .the next meeting of 1 the City Council: —"That, in the opinion of this Council, tho 'demand ror public markets is not sufficiently pressing to justify their establishment at time." .

Wo havo received from the RagistrarGeueral's Department .tho complete. volume of statistics of New ( Zealand for the year 1906, with statistics of local, governing bodies for tho following year. Portions of the work have been already published. Tho volume covers an enormous range of detailed information.

Work in connection with the construction of tbo new wharf at Petone has at last begun. Tho pile-driving gear has been taken out to the Petono beacti,. : and tho first piles, some of which are about 20 : feet long, will be driven in above high-water mark. < As ■soon as tho necessary-timber arrives the construction of tho main part of tho wharf will bo begun in real oariiest. .

. Rumours as to the manner .in which, the Carrington (Booth's) Estate (near Carterton), acquired by the Government, is to bo subdivided have been disturbing probable applicants for sections,, and; Mr. J. T. M. Hornsby, M.P., yesterday 1 interviewed tho Commissioner of Crown Lands at Wellington, and made representations as to the manner of cutting up the estate.

Tho action of tho Wellington City Council on Wednesday night in regard to the question of a fish market was adversely criticised by tho delegates of the Trades Council last night. A long disoussion also took place on tho institution of municipal inarkots. Tho following resolution was carried: " That this Council regrets tho action of the City Council in again sholving the question of municipal markets, and considers that those councillors .who voted against the proposal woro false to their • election pledges, and should bo requosted to resign their seats in favour of other councillors, who would carry out their pledges to the community."

Mrs. Elliel It. Do Costa, LL.ii. (neo Hiss Ethel R. Benjamin, of Dunedin), after practising for some years in that city, has commenced practice as a barrister ami solicitor in No. G Nathan's Buildings,' corner Grey and Featherston Streets, Wellington. Airs. Do Coßta has tho distinction of. being tho only lady practising at tho Bar in tho Dominion. In. tending clients can depend on prompt and careful attention at Mrs. Da Costa's hands.

The Customs rovenue collected at Wellington yesterday amounted to £3485 Is. lid. Bed deer (stags only) may be taken or killed within the Hnwke's Bay Acclimatisation District from March 20, 1908, to April 30, 1908, both days inclusive. Tbo City Engineer's rough plans for tho improvement of the To Aro Baths comprise a concrete wall outsido the present baths. This will extend tho bathing area seawards by 80 feet. Messrs. Travers, Russell,' and Campbell havo received a cablegram from Messrs. Flower and Flower announcing that the action brought by Mr. Joshua Jones against tho executors of tho lato Wickham Flower, deceased, has been dismissed with costs. Tho quostion of tho appointments of major and quartermaster for No. 2 Battalion "Wellington Public School Cadets has been held over by tho Education Board, ponding inquiries by tho secretary as to tho matter of seniority, a report on which will bo submitted for consideration by tho Board at its next meeting. The consolidated and rovised by-laws of the City of Wellington, as finally adopted at last night's meeting of the Council, will shortly bo issued in tho form of a book of 400 pages, exclusive of an index. Tho work, of revision has occupied the attention of a committee of tho Council, with Mr. J. Godber as chairman, assisted by legal and expert advice, for about two years.

Bathers and frequenters of tho beach at Paekakariki should be careful. Mr. James Drummond has discovered the beach to bo investod with katipo spiders, and as a proof exhibits a good specimen in spirits.: Tho katipo' is a black spider about tho size of a pea, with a red stripe running down tho back....

; A total of 4957 persons arrived m Now Zealand during January, as compared 4788 for tho same month of last year. The number'of persons .who loft wero 2394, as compared with 2172 during January of last year. During tho same period nine Chineso arrived, in Wellington and five left, and 22 arrived in Auckland and 21 left. ,

•In this week's Gazette the Minister for Internal' Affairs calls for applications-for; the position of Inspector, of Fire'Brigados under; the Fire Brigades Act, 1907, up till March 16. Tho prQposed salary is £500 per annum; with travelling allowances and expenses fixed by the Public Servico 'regulations. Applications' should bo accompanied by a statement of previous experience and copies'of testimonials.

A young man., was arrested yesterday by Detectivcs Kemp and Williams on charges of house breaking at Wellington, Auckland, and Lytteltou. He will appear before tho Court this morning, charged with breaking and entering the dwelling of George David Todd, Ranfurly Terrace, on February 23, and removing certain jewellery. Accused is only, eighteen years of age, and is said to be .a recent arrival from' Tasmania.

Tho following tenders have been reoeived by tho Minister for Marine for repairs to tho_ Government, steamer Hinemoa-Accepted— A. Hadecke, Rangiora, £680. Declined — Hutchison and Campbell, Wellington, £741; Murisoh and'Hankinson; Bluff, £960; Gardner and Co., Port Chalmers, £1040; W. Cable and Co., Wellington, £1190; S. Luko and Co., Wellington, £1310; Sea'gar Bros., Auckland,' £1395; Frascr and Sons,-Auckland, £1410.

' 'Two applications were received by the Land Board yesterday for a section of li acres in the village 'settlement of Mananui (neari Taumarutiui).-. Tho, successful applicant was Alfred Henderson (Mananui). Tho'tender of N. : Campbell, at £5 ss. per annum, was accepted for, 13} acres of, the Katawa lands, noar Waikanao; that of 0.; S. Culling (Pohangina) for various' sections in the Pohangina township; and that of R; J. Thomas (Pohangina), at £12 10s. per annum, for two; sections in the Pohangina suburbs.

Though the Waira'rapa district; has suffered very. severely ■ from the' dry weather,' relief in the matter of water supply has been found in many cases by farmers'digging wells in dry creek beds, t It has been- foundV that by digging a few feet down "springs ' can be tapped, which yield "a freely-running supply! Boxes, barrels,': and concrete'reservoirs have been sunk, and in this way relief has been given to thirsty stook. On tho Government settlement of'Longbush. "springs' -of .this naturo havo been found, and the whole property is well supplied. • ' ; \'i

A lecture or demonstration 'was given by Professor Kirk at the .Victoria College to the pharmaceutical students in botany.' There was a very ; large attendance. The. Professor outlined methods? of study, and he went; very fully into the lifo of tho ferns,: moSses, and pines, • showing ■ the alternation of generation and tho connection between theni. Ho first showed the natural plant, and then' made it more, practical : by the use of lantern slides. At tho conclusion Mr. M'Konzie proposed a hearty vote of thanks to the Professor, which was carried with applause. This was the first of a series of lectures arranged for the winter months.

At yesterday's/meeting of the Education Board, the Acting-Chairman (Mr. J. G. W. 1 Aitken, M.P.) referred to the signing of the Board's cheques. According to tho secretary, there were something like 800 cheques, to be signed by those members whose duty it was to sign, and it was considered that this work should bo divided out amongst all tho members. IVIr. Buchanan thought that the work might bo done by tho secretary, but .it was pointed out that .the Act insisted upon members that duty. /" So far as I am concerned,"' observed Mrl Hogg, drily, "it has always been |a labour of love." (Laughter.) It was finally decided that all the members should take a hand in the work. '' '

Tho Decalogue came in for some discussion at the Education Board's meeting yesterday. Some time ago Mr. R. G. Knight had presented a set of wall sheets, containing tho Ten Commandments, for distribution among tho schools, and the Board, in accepting tho donation, had given instructions to its secretary (Mr. G. L. Stewart) that ,copies were to be forwarded to the various schools. Since then tho Board's action had excited some comment, it having been pointed out that in some cases the wall sheets had not even been hung up on tho school walls, while in others tho Decalogue had been forbidden altogether. Mr. Vile, a momber of the Board, broke a lance for the Decalogue, and, waving his hand towards tho copy which hung in a conspicuous position on the wall of the Board-room, suggested that, tho Board had not been emphatic onough about tb6 matter. They should seo that their instructions woro carriod out. No further action was takon.

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