LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 156, 26 March 1908, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Tlio Premier dolivcred a speech at Auckland last ovoning reviewing the political situation and replying to his critics. The roport of his uttoranoes came to hand at an early hour this morning, too late to permit of comment thereon. Thirty-four members of tho Johnsonville Rifles have handed their resignations to the officor commanding tho corps (Captain Moore), and it is understood that a further batch of sis is on its way in from members at present absent in ; the country. This means the extinction of the corps as at present constituted. All throe officers and about a dozen of tho men were present in uniform at the performance of "Our Boys" in aid of tho Veterans' Homo last evening. It is stated that tho delay in announcing' the result of tho recent inquiry has precipitated tho abovo crisis. The Public Works Department has accepted tho tender of. Messrs. Sheldon and Aitken, of Hamilton, at £1396, for the , erection of Government buildings at Te Kuiti. A ballot in tho first issue of tho City and Suburban Co-operative Building Socioty was •hold in Messrs. Gualter, Dykes and Co.'s rooms last ovoning. Mr. J. M'llraith drew /tho winning number, entitling him to a loan of £300 free of interest. Several occupiers of education reserves in tho Wellington district ; have sustained losses through tho recent bush fires, and in certain instances requests havo been made to tho Wellington Education Board for grants in aid of re-sowing tho burnt areas. It is understood that tho Board has the matter under consideration. The Island Bay Hall was crowdod last night, when a social was given in aid of the proposed school gymnasium. Thero was v a good programme, comprising singing, dialogues, and gymnastic, displays. The gymnastic ''performances' by tho school children were very good, .especially some olever club exercises by'two small girls. _ . At tho annual meeting of tho Fire Brigade Club, held last evening at the Central Station, tho following presentations were .made by Superintendent Hugo:—Two years' service bar, Firemen . Watkins (13 years) and Tait (" years); five years' servico medal, Firemen Minifio and Reynolds; three years' certificate, Firemen Roberts, Severn, Diggle,' and Warring. ■ The first meeting of the Civil Service Classification Board, apppointod recently under tho Classification Act of last session, was held yosterday afternoon. ...It was, decided to obtain information from different hoads of Departments to enable the Board to', proceed with the work of classification. It is expected that the returns of information will be sent in by August 6. . • i,.

Sir James Mills, managing director of the Union Steam Ship Company, spent yesterday morning conferring with a committee representing tho Wellington Patent Slip Company, of which also ho is a member. Later in'the day conferred with the Special Committee which the Harbour Board recently sot up to negotiate regarding tho purchase of the' Patent Slip.. , The Island; Bay School'is badly'in need of. a suitable' recreation ground, . and" the local School ; Committee has recentlybeen making energetic efforts to raise funds for this purpose. The cost of the undertaking is stated to be. £100, and of this amount ,past has been raised by school concerts. Tho Committee is now applying to the Education Board for a grant'jn;aid. of'the work. The Under-Secretary for Public Works (Mr. H. J. H. Blow) telegraphed to the Secretary of the Lyttelton Harbour Board (Mr. C.'Hood Williams), stating that the : Secretary to the Public Works Department, Western Australia, was inquiring whether the Imperial 'Government had contributedv towards the-cost of constructing the Lyttelton graving dock. . Mr. Hood Williams roplied. as follows Government did . not contribute towards construction of Lyttelton graying dock. Not too lato for them to do so yet, looking to the number of man-o'-war vessels which have been docked at Lyttelton in tho past practically free of cost." The members of the New Zealand team of bowlers which is to -tour the-Commonwealth are to join tho Maheno. at the various southorn,ports on her p'es-ent 1 trip to Mel-'! bourne. For one reason or another members of Wellington Clubs who were invited •to tour/ and wli'o in several instances intend to do so, hare been prevented from carrying out their intentions, and instead of six or'eight players, from this centre tho number has dwindled to two. 1 The weather.' is usually particularly lieasant in Australia in April, and j;ho team, which is largely made up of South Island players, should have a most enjoyable trip. ■ •' .

The Australian aborigine has a mortal horror of tho sea, and is on that account rarely seen outside his own country. An exception that might be said, to prove the rule arrived by the -Maheno from Sydney yester-' day afternoon in the person of a typical aboriginal girl, whose flashing eyes .and gleaming exhibited under a wide-brimihcd/straw hat attracted some attention, arid created not a littlo' comment among those in wait on the wharf as the. steamer was being berthed. It'was ascertained on board that the girl was the servant of a saloon passenger! and that she had no difficulty jn passing the education .test to which aliens must submit.

■A scientific authority has been credited with t>ho opinion that the prohibition of opium smoking in China would lead to no' substantial ben<sfit, because another Rational vice, probably drunkenness, would take its place. This view is supported b£ Mr. P. S. Laurie, who has resided for several years in the Straits Settlement, and who landed in Wellington yesterday. This gentleman, chatting with a Dominion reporter, said that, if the opium traffic among tho Chinese in that colony wero abolished (which'he hardly thought possiblo), the drinking of spirits would probably tako its place, and they would lose their character as tho best hav«d population in the world. A lady could walk alone anywhero in Penang without fear of molestation, for the confirmed opium smoker is a quiet, harmless creature, who) does not require the attentions of tiho while the moderate opium smoker- /-%

worse than tho moderate drinker r.r( n „ - our . solves. The Straits Settlement. which* is a British Crown Colony, dcrh;;-j a i arg(i pro . portion of its revenue r, om tho opi ,. m traffic. The sale of ' t ho drag is aSi ,o monopoly, but is farmed out by tender. Largo syndicates of Chine* 0 tab; it up, and from' them the Government reoeivcs thousands of pounds every rofonth.'

r?,f r i S n Et i 16 !/' (t0 Cost! >> (we Miss I'.tnei it. ncjjjnmiu, of Punedin), after practising for fjoTiio years in thnt city, has commenee.l /pnictico 'as a barrister and solicitor in i-0./g N'ithanV Buildings,''corner Grey and f l -' ' 1 ' : ion Streets, Wellington. Mrs. De Costa " n V the'distinction of being the only lady Poetising at the" Bar in the Dominion. InI tending clients can depsmd on prompt and ! i; ireful attention at Mrs. Do Costa's hands.

The Arbitration Court will hear tho drivors' dispute to-day. Tho Maheno, which arrived from Sydney yesterday, brought 300 cares of fruit, mostly grapes. Thoy will K 1 submitted for sale at the fruit markets this morning. Tho Victoria College Gymnasium Committee is applying to the Wellington Education Board for the use of tho gymnasium at tho Normal Training College. The application will be dealt with by tho Board at its meeting to-day, and, it is understood, will probably receive favourable consideration. The pumping station for tho South Kelburno water supply is to bo connected with the Karori main to-day. This will necessitate the water being cut off for a few hours from the high levels north of Aro Street and west of Wellington Terrace, and also from Mortimer Terrace. Tho.water will be cut off at 10 a.m. The Public Works Department has received tho following list of tenders for the erection of Government Te Kuiti: Messrs. Sheldon and Ai'tken, Hamilton, £1396 (accepted); J. G. Mathieson, Auckland, £1417; F. Storer, Frankton, £1541; D. K. and A. W. Gunn, Hamilton, £1577 ; C. H. Frankham, Auckland, £1586; Jas. M'lndoe, Te Kuiti, £1597; R. Kay, Auckland, £1771. The tenders of the following firms have beon , accepted for Hospital, supplies:— Groceries, Mr. Cookeney; meat, Barber and Co.; wines and spirits, A. E. Kernot and Co. ; butter, Pearson and. Rutter; fish, Fisherman's; Company; coal, State Coal Department and Thompson Bros.; aerated waters, Thomson, Lewis and Co.; .tea, W. H. Turvev;' burials, E. Morris and Son; painting doctor's residence, H. Tafts. - ' , One of the sufferers by the ravages of the recent , bush fires is the teacher in charge 1 of the small school at Mangamaire, in the Forty Mile Bush district, ' near Pahiatua. The wharo in which he was "baching" was. burnt, and the Unfortunate teacher lost pverything, and, to, add to his misfortunes, there was no insurance. This teacher has | now applied to the Education Board for relief. V '.'■ The Customs,revenue collected at Wellington yesterday amounted to £2539 lis. 6d. The Mahono, which arrived from, Sydney yesterday; brought. thirteen ■ Chinese, and six of them having , previously resided in the Dominion were exempt from poll "tax. Two are for Greymouth, two for Dunedin, and the remaining five are for Wellington. .Of the six who have, been to China for a holiday, four formerly, belonged to Wellington and two to Greymouth. ' In; urging Petone's raqi irements in regard to a Court-house' find 'police-ceils . yesterday, members of a deputation to the Hon. J. M'Gowan (Minister., for Justice) drew, coinparisions : botween • the facilities at Petone and plaoes of less importance. The' Minister said; such references could hardly apply or influence the Goverrimpnt. In a young growing country the centres of population were constantly shifting, and a start with public improvements had to be made somewhere. Kaiapoi and Kangiora had ; been instanced; but probably these places were ' sottled earlier thati Petone.' Recently also Petone had gone ahead very rapidly, . With so much to be dono in the way of public works, it was impossible foi all to be done at once. With tho progress of the various districts,'...it was:'unavoidable that these' differences in public conveniences must be found.