LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 178, 22 April 1908, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Customs revenue collected at 'Wellington yesterday amounted to £1263 18s. 6d.

The. second-class passengers from London by the lonic include a stall of men who have come out to Ne\y Zealand to erect a new gasometer at Dunedin. The foreman in charge of the work is Mr. R. Rickard.

A group of eight English domestic servants, consigned to Mrs. Lowry, of Napier, arrived from London by the lonic in charge of Jliss Paget Offer. Tlio party will proceed on to Hawko's Bay by to-morrow morning's express.

Admiral Sir Richard Ppore, tho newlyappointed naval commander in charge of tli * Australian Squadron, l)as written through His Excellency the Governor, to Air. C. W- Palmer, Secretary. of the Wellington Branoh of tho Navy League, acknowledging tlio letter of welcome sent him 011 behalf of the branch, and stating in responsojto a suggestion that ho lias instructed tho senior officer of tho New Zealand Division to proceed to Wellington in time to be present at tho annual meeting of tho League, which' irill be held in June or Juljj.

Owing to the inclemcnt weather, Mr. A. Hamilton, Curator of tho Dominion Museum, liatl to return from his huia-collecting expedition r,t tho hack of the Ituahincs without finding any liuias.

Tho postal authorities advise that tho mails which left' Wellington per. Maheno 011 March 13, and connected at Sydney with tho Brindisi mails by- the R.M.S. China, arrived in London on tho afternoon of April 17, duo

Tho Department of tho Registrar of Friendly Socioties transferred itself yesterday from tho Government Buildings to its now quarters in the AYellington Building and Investment Company's promises, next ta the Bank of New Zealand.

• The little Wellington yacht Petrel, owned by Mr. W. Lambert,. loft portion Monday afternoon 011 her way to Dunedin, where hoi; owner is taking up his residence. The Rotomahana passed the yacht off Capo Campbell yesterday morning. She . was close reefed, and was running before the gale in a heavy sea-. The steamer's officers, thinking the littlo craft might be in trouble, put back after her, but the yachtsmen were not in need of assistance.

Several important matters will be dealt ivith at the. meeting of the Management' Comr mitteo of the New -Zealand Rugby Union on Thursday evening. Offers of the -use of grounds in the - various districts for..the matches against tho Britishers will be considered. It is probable also that the selectors of the team to represent the Dominion against the visitors will be appointed. Then, again, the final details in connection with tbi proposed tour of New South Wales and Queensland by the Britishers have yet to- be arranged. ■, .1

The Miramar Borough Council is only showing a just consideration for the residents of the district by its decision to erect tramway shelter sheds at' Seatoim and Miramar. The shelter;at the Seatoun terminus, tp be in tho centre' of the road, will, seat sixty persons, with standing room for a similar number. Tho shelter will b$ an octagonal v. open-sided structure of ' oiled jqrrah on a concrete base finished in rough caste. It will (also contain cupboards' for tramway gear. The shelter to be erected at Miramar ,will accommodate thirty persons seated and. Quite that number standing.

The success of Victoria College in the in-ter-Collegiate debate at Dunedin' gives it, for tho third year in succession, the challenge scroll given by Mr. J. W. Joyiit, Registrar of the University, of New Zealand, for competition between tho four University Colleges. Messrs. E. J. Fitzgib'oon and P.' !'• Kelly won this trophy for Victo'ria'.Collego at Christclmrcli in 1906, and Messrs. B. E Murphy and.lL F.. o!Leary at Auckland in 1907. The prize consists' of a large silver scroll .mounted on oak, surrounded by a number of silver shields on which are engraved the names of the winning Colleges. Besides winning tho debating contests thrco years running, Victoria College, was, for some time lioldor of tlie intor-Collegc tennis supremacy, and its success in winning, this year -the championship shield for athletics gratifies an ambition which has boon felt strongjy for several years. .

Writing from America; to Mr. iflerberji Bailee, Clijef Municipal Librarian,. Mrs. Grace Neill, late Assistant Inspector 'of Mental Hospitals, says:—"lt. is now pretty certain that I shall romain in Butte. (Montana, U.S.A.) for the remainder of the. year. Tin copper mines,, after having been closed since September, reopened this week (Mareli 5), and Butte is once more brisk and lively, l am so glad to hear that you have leave "to attend the Library Conference at Minneapolis, but, from l my small experience in American public libraries in this far west, I think you will find that the. Wollingtpn'Library can hold its own in comparison. The well-organised children's department in some of the. larger cities spems to me an important linj. of development. \ They, arc. not' great readers in this region, and our Butte bookshops are very poor compared, with Wellington, although the.population is pretty nearly the same." . ' r

.. The-Chief Municipal Librarian (Mr. Herbert liaillio), wlio has boon granted five j months' loavo of absence by tho City Council, is to loavo Wellington on May 11 for. Auckland to catch the steamer that will connect with; the ,Vancpuver-bound mail-boat Manuka, at Suva. From Vancouver Mr. will journey down the Pacific Slopo to San Francisco to; look up somo ; old friends, and after that will mako his way cast to Lake Minnetpuka' (near Minneapolis), whore lie .'will, attend the conference. of-the American Library Association, '-which begins on June 26, and for which Air. Baillie is now preparing a paper on public libraries, in New Zealand. Concluding a. charming letter .to Mr. Baillip,'Mr. J. I. Wybr, Secretary of tin American Library Association, . says :-r----"Dp not hesitate to call .upon me for anv service that I can render, you, and accept my assurances that everything within . qur power' will bo done to mako your visit , as guost of the A.L.A. both pleasant and profitable." At the conclusion of the Conferonce, Mr. Baillie will visit all the' principal cities of the United States, in company with' his brother, Mr. John Baillie, formerly 0 f Wellington, and now tho director of an art -gallery in London.

•Applications for eight workers' dwellings in Seddon Terrace, near Coromandel Street, Newtown, will ' he received at the' Wellington District Lands Office until 4 p m on Monday next. If there is more than one approved appliiant for the same house; a ballot will bo held on Thursday, April i 30, <\t 7.30 p.m. The houses were designed by the Government Arohitect for Workers' Dwellings (Mr. Temple;), ■ and exhibit the . re. suits of the Department's long cxporienco of what is noeded in these residences. An experiment has been made in building two of the houses of rubble and concreteV the others are of wood. Three of the houses have four rooms, and. the remainder five. All the dwellings are complete with every convenience. The leasehold rptes for 50 years, with right of renewal f pr further term of §0-years, range from £2 17s. id. to £3 Bs. 9d. a month. At the same rates a lease may be taken for 25 years, with tho option of acquiring tho freehold.' In .this case the rent represents 5 per cent, per annum on the capital value. Leases for 32 joais and 41. j ears, with option pf acquiring the freehold, may. bo had at tiio rato of 8 per cent, and G-i per cent, respectively on carnal value. This option may also bo earned bimonthly payments of ront at the rato of 5 per cent, oh capital value, and taking out an insurance policy on the life of tho applicant with the Government Insurance Commissioner for tlie amount of the capital yaluo of tho dwelling,

Mrs. Etliel It. (To Costa, LL.B/ (nco Miss Ethel R. Benjamin, of Dunedin), after practising for some; years in that, city, has ' commenced practico as. a, barrister r aml solicitor in No. 0 Nathan's/Buildings, corner Grey natl Featherston Streets; Wellington. Mrs. De'Coata has tho distinction of being the only lady practising at the Bar in iho Dominion. 111. tondiug clients can depend oa prompt and oareful attention at lira. De Costa'i bantU. '

Captain Moore, of the Johnsonvillo Rilles, has invited the officers of the Wollington Rifle Battalion and othor companies in the recent Easter manoeuvres to a social gathering in the Johnsonville Drill Hall this evening. .

On Easter Sunday the Wanganui Garrison Band vory kindly rendered an excellent programme for fclio entertainment of the inmates of thp Porirua Mcnt.il Hospital. Tho music was much appreciated, and tho Medical Superintendent desires to thank tliG members of tho Band for their thoughtfulness, especially as this is understood to; be tho first brass band'concert given at tho institution.

At about 2.30 yesterday morning Miss Crombio, who resides next door to Dr. Mackin, in Marion Street, discovered an outbreak of fire at tho rear of the surgery, where some packing cases and a heap of straw had been left. . She alarmed her brother, Mr. F. W. Crombie, who promptly got the house, hose to work, and so kept the flames in check 'until the Brigade arrived. Little .damageresulted.'

Some, difficulty was experienced, in'getting a quorum for yesterday's meeting of the Benevolent Trustees. The timely arrival of Mr. A. 0. Pearce, however, saved the situation. The Rev.' Mr. Evans .and Mrs. Darvall were the other members present. Tho secretary reported, the number of inmates at the Ohiro Home to be 97, the same as the previous week. A number of applications for relief were dealt with. v

■ It is understood that the Athletic Park | will bo available for matches of various kinds j\until tho end of this seasom at any rate. Although the Wellington Rugby Union intends to play senior games on the Miramar racecourse!, it is on tho cards that, if satisfactory terms. can bo .arranged, the representative contests will be held, as heretofore, on-,tho Park. Negotiations will, it is also stated, be entered into between t-he New Zealand, Rugby Union and the Company for 'the use of the Park on the occasions of tho matches between ' Wellington and. '.' the Britishers, and New Zealand and the visitors. Further; thero is. ground for the belief that hockey and " soccer ", matches may bo played on tho Park throughout the season;

Book-lovers know how hard it is to part' with or destroy books, be they ever so useless .or worn. The matter becomes still more difficult in the. case of public libraries, for .it is argued that one never knows what is going to bo enquired for, and there'is experience to prove ; that it is almost fatal to destroy or get rid of ,a book, for as surely as this is \ done it is needed. But there arc rows'and rows ,of old' volumes burthenjng the shelves of t.ho Chief Municipal Librarian's room that are completely out of date, are never enquired for, and never will be. oven; looked into so long as they where they are. There is a complete set of "Reos' Cyclopedia" (1820), and a forraidabla family of the "Encyclopedia Mctropolitana" (1840), which the Chief Librarian' says has nfcvar. been touched since he' has been; in charge. There is also ; a couple of shelves of bound volumes of' the "Nineteenth Century," whose bidding gets shabbier and shabbier as the dates, recede into the dusty past—and thoy go back to 1877.' 'These were, discarded by : the: Edinburgh Literary Inslit«i?. years , and years ago, and in course' of tirne were shipped to Wellington i and cjis- v posed 'of : by' auction—to tlie City ['Library. Surely bettor use could' be. made both, of tin volumes that now .a re never opened and the valuable sholf r room they occupy. The notion, of selling such books at auction or otKorwise'. to raise; money to purchase newer works of reference might be taken, into consideration by the Library Committee.