LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 135, 2 March 1908, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Yesterday was St. David's Day, and 0110 of especial significance to all true Welshmen. The sons of Wales will celebrate the occasion socially this evening. The largest estato lodged for probate during February was that of the lato Mr. Henry Hammond, of Bangitikei. ■ Tho. amount dutiable was £43,752. A small fire occurred yesterday amongst some trees on Mr. Seagar's property at Brooklyn. Tho Brooklyn Fire Brigade turned out, and extinguished the outbreak without much trouble. The Customs revenue collected at the port for tho month of February totalled £87,861 15s. Id., and tho beer duty £1285 Is. Bd. The figures- for the corresponding period of last year were £82,696 12s. and £1117 9s. 6d. respectively.- • A single man named John Earl, a carpenter, 32 years of age, slipped whilst walking along near tho Basin Reserve, on Saturday, and broke his leg below the ankle. l Earl was removed to the Hospital for treatment. The Health Department report the. following cases of infectious disease in the city, and district for the week ending Saturday last: —ln the'city: Scarlet fever, 9; enteric fever, 2; diphtheria, 1; tuberculosis, 2. Hutt county : Scarlet fever, 2; diphtheria, 2. Burglars made a raid on 'one of ' tho principal, hotels of the city on Friday night, and succeeded in- netting five- sovereigns from the clothes of one of the boarders. About five rooms, in the hotel were entered, but it is not known what amount tho plunderers got away with. Another illustration of the need for care when alighting from tram-cars was - forthcoming last evening, when a'married woman foil off a car opposite the Hotel Cecil at about 8 p.m. The lady sustained a cut on her head, and was removed to her hoino after boiiig attended to by Dr. Anderson:' Tho members of the Ministry, are again gradually- getting together at Wellington. There are now' in the city the Son. W. Hall-Jones, the Hon. J. M'Gowan, the Hon. J. Carroll, the Hon. R. M'Nab, the Hon. J. A. Millar, and the Honi Dr. Findlay, the! two absent ones being tho Premier and tho Hon. G. Fowlds. In tho ordinary course of events, the Premier should arrive in eight or nine days, and the Hon. G. Fowlds some timo this weeks A busy month is aniici-pat-ed by the Ministry. ■ . ■ ;

It is understood (writes our Palmerston correspondent) that Mr. J. H. ! P. Strang's beautiful residence at Hokowhitu has been secured 1 as a House for His Excellency the Governor. Mr.-Strang's'residence is situated oil the bank of the picturesque Hokowhitu Lagoon. It is a two-storied, rooriiy placo, and should be suitable for the .purposes suggested 1 ., It is surrounded, with very fine grounds, which the owner-has had laid out to! the best, advantage. Hokowhitu is a

large suburb, of .Palmerston-North, about a mile and a half from the Square; Boating can be obtained on the lagoon;

A juvenile offender; a lad 10 years of age, was brought before Mr. W. G Riddell, S.M., on Saturday, morning .to- answer a charge of having stolen five-pence from tho pocket of a youthful room-mate, at the Te Aro Baths. Leniency was extended to tho lad on account of his delicate'health, but ,His Worship mado it very clear that' the preleiit case was' exceptional, and that'''''future/offenders would be severely : dealt with.' : .Tho police took the opportunity- of issuing a ■warning that patrons of the baths should take tho precaution of ■ leaving money and valuables in tho care of the bath-keeper.':j .'. An interesting caso is to .be heard iii Wellington to-day; touching a point that has not been before' tho Coiirt for soirio time. The Registrar of Births, Deaths','/' and Marriages,- is suing ,a Government 1 official, not', unknown' to readers of ■ tho for refusing to have his child vaccinated. The law . gives parents four months after '.tho birth of the child in which to lodge .objections t0... vaccination, after ivhicli there'lis no alternative. In this case, it is understood, no objection was lodged ■within the given time, .and in .order to warn parents of their; obligations,, a test ...case- -has /been stated, and will decide the strength of-the Registrar's position. . '.. ; v-/

■■■.At,.a meeting of the Kelbume Rate-payers' Association on Friday ' ovening," it was decided that representations bo made to tho City Council to have Kelburno Park. ■ coriipleted without: delay. Tho sowing of ; the Park with grass-seed . was ■ neglected last year, and the result is that the place' is over-run .with weeds and rank, growth. Tho sum of £27 10s. is required to improve tho right-of-way through- Victoria College grounds, and the Association, intends to raise £15 by public subscription towards the cost and then ask the" City Council, to' carry out tho work and bear the .balance of. expenditure. ofacers of the Association for. the, ensuing year have been elected as follow:— President, Mr. J. P. Campbell; vice-presi-dents. Professor Richmond; and Mr. E. D. Cachcmaille; committee, Messrs. G. G Hodgkins, G. S. Sturtevant, R. W. M'Villy,' D. Atkinson; and J. C. 'Williamson (secretary and treasurer).'

The Kelbiirno Ratepayers' Association is a particularly active body, with/all the . fight and push characteristic' of hill-dwellers. It has resolved to ask the City Council to take over tho property of! the/ Kelburne and Karori Tramway Company next year, when tho first of the seven . yearly periods elapses, which, give's , the Council (under thfc Act) the power of acquiring the concern. While tram fares in the city, are as cheap as anywhere, tho threepenny ride to Kelburno is, a most expensive one. It is true that eight rides may be obtained for a shilling,, but only, on the condition that four of those shall be "down" fares, two of; which' are demanded to make one "up" faro. On account of Kelburne's proximity to the city, and tho' comfortable gr'ado at which a may descend to the city, in three or four minutes, the down cars are not nearly 1 so liberally patronised is those bound for the hill-top, so that tho majority ,of those purchasing an : eight-rides-for-a-shilling ticket, find that it costs them two-pciico an .up ride all round for a, three-minutes' journey. The Company has been approached several times to reduce the fare, but, hitherto has been unable to see its way to do so. Hence tho" appeal to the City Council to exercise its option. Tho Mayor was approached with regard to the proposed acquirement of the, property by the city, but,' as hp had not lookod into the matter recently, did not caro to say anything-until ho had dono so. . - ' '

For Shampooing, nil Hair,.and Face treatments, visit Mrs. Rollcston, Hair Physician, Faco (Specialist, and Masseuse, Certificated. Trained under medical supervision. Special treatment for Falling Hair, Dandruff,. Greyness, Face Massage, etc., personal attention, Ist floor, 3 Willis Street (over Carroll's). .Tel. 1598 ' ' - • 7182

Two bankruptcies were recorded for the month which has just closed, making a total of four sinco January 1. The number of insolvencies for the month of February, 1907, was two. Tho postal authorities advise that tho Mokoia, which left Sydnoy on February 26 for Auckland, has on hoard an English mail for Wellington. It should, in tho ordinary course, arrive by Tuesday's express train from New Plymouth. Tho Conciliation Board will meet in Wellington this morning to fix the dates for the taking of ovidonce in connection with'the industrial dispute between tho Wellington General Labourers' Industrial Union of Workers and the country employers. The outing hold by the Port • Nicholson Yacht Club on Saturday afternoon was attended by 14 yachts, all reefed down. The boats made for Scorching Bay, where they arrived) ;at about 4.30 p.an. The homo journey was commenced at about 6.30 p.m. Mr. Justice Edwards will hear argument this:-morning relative to a motion for the dismissal of an interim injunction, restraining Mrs. Arini Donnelly and others from pjacing stock upon Waimarama land, Hawke's Bay, in the occupation of Miss Meinertzhagen, and in . which defendants claim an interest not accurately defined by survey. Tho, weather report for tho month of February constitutes a record, from statistics which go back over a period of forty years. The rainfall for the past twenty-nino days i 3 set down as .03, or threehundredth parts_ of an inch, an infinitesimal drop on a thirsty land. . For February, 1907, tho rainfall was 3.94, and the average rainfall ; for this particular month, going back for forty, years, is 3.34. The scanty rainfall siuco November has been exceptional for New Zealand. On November 11, accord-' ing to the Rev. B. C. Bates, of the Government Meteorological Staff, 2.51 inches of rain fell, and. since that dato there has only been a fall of 2.08 inches, which is less than one-sixth of,the avcrago for the period (110 days). There have 1 been two absolute droughts, one of .16; days, and another of 21 days, and one partial drought, from January 16 to date, 44 days.