IN OTHER CENTRES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 147, 16 March 1908, Page 10

IN OTHER CENTRES.

(bt telegeaph—special correspondents.)

AUCKLAND. - March 13. A striking commentary upon the fact that the borough of Parnell recently refused to let its Mayor attend tho meetings of the committee set up to discuss tho drainage scheme cropped up in a . letter received by the City Council last night on behalf of. a numbor of inhabitants of.Solwyn Terrace, Farnoll. Mr. j. drawing attention to a sewer from tho Hospital, Grafton Road, and the cemetery gully, which emptied itself on tho beach at Machanics' Bay at high water mark instead of furtlior out. When tho tido was out and tho wind blow from tho north, tho stonch .was unbearable, and thoy were all obliged to close their doors and windows. "We oxpect-," concluded; the writer, " you will say that when tho new drainage schpmo comes into force this will be rectified, but in tho ijioantimo wo may all bo dead. As it is 'now a very unhealthy locality to' live in, Wo therefore trust that something may bo done to remedy, the. evil." Tho City 'Engineer reported that ho knew of no satisfactory mothod.of overcoming the nuisance''oxcept by oxbending .the sewer some 1000 ft. or 1500 ft. seawards—a very costly_ by intercepting it as proposed in tho main drainage scheme. A largo portion of Parnell, concluded the Engineer, drained into this sower. It was'deeided to reply to the letter in torms of/tho Engineer's . report. In tho faco of this sort of thing, it seems astounding'that tho small local bodies should hesitato to come' to an agreement about drainago, but they do. , Liquor Barred. , Tho Auckland Sunday School' Cricket Association recently, complained to tho City .Council as to intoxicating liquor being taken into tho Victoria Park pavilion. The Council last night' decided,' on tho recommondation of. tho Works Committee, '■■ not to .allow tho practice .in futuro.'' Tho committee further recomnionded that, in the ease of 'clubs ,'dcsir-;' ing to provide refreshments' for or. visiting clubs in < the' tea-rooms, the rules should be relaxed, provided permission bo first granted by tho Town Clerk. When the matter camo np, howover, Mr. G. Knight .expressed the opinion that no intoxicants should be allowed in the. pavilion undor any pretext, and moved an amendment that this latter portion of tho clause in the committee's report bo strucksoiit.' The amendment was carried.' ■ ! March 14. Tho Coming Elections. Mr. J. C. Johnson, of Whananaki, who was ia - candidate, for .'the Bay of Islaiids seat at tho last general election, has been asked by many of the electors to again contest the seat. Mr. George Wilkinson, chairman of tho Mangonui County Council, whose name had been mentioned as a probable candidate, considering that Mr.. Johnson has. first claim,, has withdrawn in his- favour.' : Mr. 'Johnson, will, -therefore, bo the, Opposition candidate.,

Cras:i Seed. 1 - 1 .An Auckland seed merchant informed an interviewer'tbat ho calculated that the Government's offer, to supply the burnt out settlers ill''Auckland province alone with grass seed Svill involve an expenditure of £30,000. At is .stated that there is .not, a large quantity of grass seed available. ~ At all : oyents there is nothing like tho quantity required in Auckland;, " AYe; imported the usual season's supply," said ono merchant, " but,; unfortunately, Vthe demand', at present'i-is-'Jeqiial to ,'threo ordinary..years' requirements';'?. [Many 'grass seeds are decidedly short,'omrig tothe "scarcity. 1 of _ labour throughout and there is'a great scarcity of Danthonia, 'tall'fescue, .'lotus major, poa hr,p.ra)ij, poa trivialis. Many other -grassesvery short supply." " Sticks • aro;;:l)eihg' ; cleanea out;." siyitl another salesman!" "The' chief rise in prices has been in p'Mksfootj ' WKich'," owing to a short orop and' has reached unprcc^onted--prices'.The/jyfelesale : .cost-ii over 19s. lOdj, pßr..bushelj '1.01b.j in tho ..south. Other such, as cow .grass : ,and red clover, are: s^ks>b&ing almost ba : ro as they, : There is still an tho; exception .of - i.lsyhpii: so plentiful-, as ■ was '&'p^oa.-¥v>- as''.to whether tho Government's ..'actioV'.wbiildv influence prices to any'gfeat'extcritj'.the dealer he did nut think so. "Those settlors burnt out,'',. lie \said,,» fwouldhave .-had ,to; :Purchase the 'seed 'in',~'any case in the . south; Stocks are'almost .bare.'.'V '

NAPIER. ' i ' March 15. A mass of'decorations spread across the principal streets shows that'- tho towji'is on the Verge'of a v season of festivity. ' Visitors are pouring in, and accommodation is rapidly .. up. j. - •li \. present; conditions hold, Napier's beautiful clima'to should treat tho visitors to a samplo of its best, and nothing better could' be'_ wished for the holiday season.; The following entries from the Wellington Corps- liavo been received for tho carnival military tournament, to be held on Wednesday, March 25 Signalling, Morse, Post I and.Telegraph .Rifles; Nos. 1 and 2, teams wrestling oh horseback, Heretaunga Mounted Rifles; ambulance competition, No. 5, Field' - Bearer Corps ;-, No's. ■ 1- and buglo comi)etition, Bugler Hill,-Hutt Valley; Rifles; physical drill, , Wellington Civil Service Rifles, Wellington City' Rifles, Hutt Valley Rifles; tent competition, Kelburne, Hutt Valley Rifles; Lloyd-Lindsay, Heretaunga Mounted Rifles; bayonet fighting,'' Wellington Civil Service Rifles, Wellington City Rifles, Hutt ' Valley Rifles; bicycle' race, one' mile handicap, Gunner J. G. Faulknor (Wellington Garrison Artillery), - Private Stewart' (Kelburne Rifles);' Corporal Trevethick (Hutt.-Valley . Rifles).; despatch carrying competition (mounted), -Trooper M'Kindry, Manning, (Heretaunga Mounted Rifles); route march,' Hutt Valley' Rifles Nos. 1 and 2; tent-pegging 'by Heretaunga Maunt-ed\Rifles; signalling, semaphore,. Wellington Post and Telegraph Rifles, Nos. 1 and 2; Isoyds. foot race, Corporal Taylor, Corporal Cole, Private Pettigrew-; and firing exercises, Wellington City Rifles, Kelburne Rifles, Hutt Valley Rifles. ' ,v .

CHRISTCHURCH,

- ' March 14. In the course of his opening remarks at the Ironmasters' Conference, the. president referred to certain of the notable private engineering contracts lately let. in. the Dominion as illustrations that a protective tariif would be beneficial,:/. -Hydrajilic cranes,' lie ssiid, could ' be made in j the Dominion as as steam ''cranes, th'ough'. ; they",were admitted free. ; : The Wellington- Harbour Board had'let a contract for hydraulicici'anes to J. Anderson" and. Co., one of',the three lowest tenderers,'who were all in the' Dominion. /He believed that tho' succcss of this contract and the quality of ,'the worlc turned out would be the means of instituting a much larger use of hydraulic cranes made in . the Dominion. He arid some other of tho Association had some tim'o ago seen one of the locomotives manufactured ; under tho recent contract let to Messrs. Price and Co. by tho Government. They were highly pleased with it, for the engino would compare- vory well with, if not excel, any of the best locomotives imported'into Now' Zealand. The chairman spoko in ternis of appreciation of tho. action of tho Wellington City Council in refusing the lowest tender for a .recent contract, be'causo it was clear that tho work could not bo dono for the price quoted without a loss. Ho said it would be a vory admirable thihg if all local bodies wore to ostend the samo consideration •to contractors. ,

~ DUNEDIN. March 14. "Tho prico of Is. 3d. per lb. for butter during tho winter months will neither advance nor recede," was tho opinion expressed by Mr. W. J. Bolt, manager of tho Tniori and Peninsula- Milk Supply i Company,; this morning. Cattle feed might bo conting oil, but the cows would not come back once they had gone off milking, otherwise there might have besn\a chanco of a lower price for uutter l v ■ i