LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 188, 4 May 1908, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

• Tho Maori is tho name of one of live " tribal" destroyers, for tho building ,of which tho Admiralty has accepted a tender. The other four are tho Zulu, Crusador, Viking, and Nubian. lleferring in an interviow in Christchurch to tho issuo of tho compiled statutes, the Attonioy-Ucneral, Dr. Findlay (states a J'rcss Association telegram), said ho thought tho statutes would be ready for issuo this year, and tho whole of the New Zealand statutes would bo availablo in live handy volumes by tho ond of the session. Tho work would bo really a groat achiovoment, and would be of immense convenience both to the profession 'and the publto.

Tho number of passengers arriving at Wellington from oversea ports during April was 1611, including twelve Chinese, and the numbor leaving the port was 1674, including 34 Chinese., ' Mr. W. Lane will not be one of tho candidates for tho Hawko's Bay scat at tho goncral elections, tolographs our special correspondent at Hastings, but it is most probable that a well-known local man will contest tho election in the Independent Labour interests. During', tlio'"progress. of the Swifts v. Wanderers match at the Basin Reserve on Saturday afternoon, G. Uren, one of the Swifts players, , received a nasty blow on the ear, and had to leave the field. His injury was attended to at Elson's Pharmacy. It is understood that no serious consequences.are apprehended. ' A Canterbury resident (writes our Christchurch correspondent), who has just returned from a visit to Southland, states that tho dia-mond-back moth is doing serious damage to tho turnip crops, causing the bulbs to rot. Farmers generally recogniso that there is no use in keeping the cropß for winter use, and arc consequently turning'the sheep into tho paddocks. At the annual meeting of the Canterbury College Graduates' Association, a resolution was passed in favour of the proposal to make mathematics optional- for the 15.A. degree. Tho Association also congratulated the chairman of tho Canterbury College Board of Governors on the progressive policy he out; lined at the recent annual meeting of. the Board. By regulations . gazetted on Thursday last, ; the open season for trout fishing in the Kotorua Acclimatisation District, which comprises the Counties of Rotorua and East .Taupo, and parts of the Counties of Whakatane, Wairoa, West Taupo, and Piako, has- been extended to May 31. The- season will thus close, at least-a month later than is the case in .other acclimatisation districts in the Dominion. Statements have Been made hinting at professionalism in connection with the recent chess championships in Wellington, telegraphs pur Auckland correspondent. The "Star" is informed that it has been"generally understood, for some years, that the Association has paid the 1 prizes in cash.' In some cases the clubs have paid actual steamer expenses for their representatives to take part'in the contests at different centres.; In the event of' a man winning a first prize of £20, ho is allowed to deduct a portion of the money for the purpose :of paying his expenses. ■ Questioned in Auckland as'to tho Government's intentions regarding immigration, thq Hon. Jas. M'Gowan said: " We are going to continue our .-present policy.. ...Those , .who object to our policy evidently are,'not aware . of tho kind of peoplo that are coming to' Now Zealand under our present scheme. It can haVdly.be callcd immigration; it-,might rather bo called a scheme for enabling residents of the Dominion to bring out . their friends'from Homo at a little cheaper rate than that which' would otherwise haver to be paid. These new arrivals'are adding to the capital of , the country, and . the' amounts which some.of'them bring with them are very, considerable." . . Scientists who' thought that tho, tuatari lizard- had been exterminated: in the South Island will evidently hiivo. to revise their , opinions. . Encouraged by . the reported, discovery of a tuatara- near Akaroa at Easter, a Christchurch' resident ; h'as come forward with' an account of. his'finding of. one, of-the, creatures near Christchurch.- Ho was pulling down somo overhanging'clay in the sido of a deep ditch, scoured out by a ram at thb back of a brick kiln opposite Woolston station, when ho/noticed a-large crack-.into-which ho could put his hand. On putting the spade in and opening up the; clay, he saw a great lizard-like creature, which began to move slowly away. He captured it'and' took it : home; where it was identified as a tuatara. Ignorant of the : possible scientific valuo. of his diicovpry, he then gave the lizard its liberty. An Auckland firm is in receipt of the following letter from London, dated February 28, regarding butter shipments, which,haß a special interest just now:—" A few days before the lonic arrived saw the highest point in our market, when the price, as you will have-seen, touched a figure- not before experienced for. nearly thirty years. The reaction has been more sudden than the rise, and holders are to-day completely at sea, not knowing in the least what to ask for,.any grade of butter. One <Jf our customers told us ho had quotations from twelve firms'; and for the same grado of, butter there was a variation of nearly 205., per cwt. Doubtless tho market will settle down in the course of tho next week, when it may be found that prices were jammed down too' loiv, and there may be some recovery, but of courso it would be futile to express any opinion hereon at timo of writing." " The back block settler," says Mr. J. Mackenzie, who loaves tho. post of Commissioner for Crown Lands in Auckland, in order to become Commissioner in Wellington, " has a great doal to, contend with., There aro difficulties in his path tha| do not enter into other people's lives. He is often burdened . with much anxiety owing ■to bush fires, drought, or floods, and he is often at his wits' end to know how to make both end's meet. In view ,of all these circumstances, he needs all the encouragement , that it is possible for us to ,give him." ; His,, policy, Mr. Mackenzie went on to say, had always been in the direction, of giving the genuine settler the benefit of the doubt. If a man were deserving, he was entitled to have tho law interpreted as liberally as. possible in his favour; but if he were not a'geuuine settler, he could not complain of the power of the law, being used to " run him out." From to-day those bakers owing allegiance to the Wellington Master Bakers' Association will offer their oustomers the' choice of buying coupons (twelve for 3s. 4d.), or will demand spot cash for each loaf distributed. The coupons, which resemble enlarged tralii tickets and bear the lithographed signature of tho particular baker issuing them, are only soljl for cash, so that the person whose household consumes a dozen 'loaves a week must pay for the week's supply, in advance or .accopt tho above alternative. Tho twoponce reduction made on the ordinary price of broad (3id.)'by taking a dozen coupons is claimed by . the Association to bo tho, equivalent of 5 per. cent, discount. Lqst or accidentally destroyed coupons will mean, so much moro hard cash to the bakers, so citizens aro warned to bo careful of tho coupons. It should bo montioned that' thero aro bakers in Wellington not allied to the Association, and who have, nothing to do with tho cash coupon proposal. Mrs. Ethel R. dc Costa, LL.B. (lico Miss Ethol 11. Bonjamin, of Dunedin), after practising for some years in that city, has comnionced praetico as ;i barrister and solicitor in No. 6 Nathan's Buildings, corner Grey and Feathorston Streets, Wellington. Mrs. Do Costa has the distinction of boing the only lady practising at the Bar in tho Dominion. IntondiwH oltouts emu depend ou prompt and [oarrful attrition at ilia. Do Costa s hands.,

The Health Department reports the following cases of infectious diseases for the week ending May 2:—ln the City: Scarlet fover, 7; diphtheria, 2; enteric, 2; tuberculosis, 1. In tho Hutt County: Scarlet favor,' 2; diphtheria, 4. The Customs rovenuo .collcctcd for the woek ended on Saturday amounted to £11,837 125." 2d., and tho beer duty totalled £215 14s. 3d. Tho figures for the corre- 1 sponding week last year were £11,053 6s. lOd. ' and £215 16s. lid. respectively. Saturday's ' Customs'revenue amounted to £1631195. 4d. ' - • < The work of enlarging the Newtown I'ub- \ lie Library by a two-storied addition at each I end, according to plans drawn by Mr. ]fi. < W. I'etherick, has been put in hand, and tho J contractor, Mr. H. H. Knight, l)as com- : monced work ou the southern annexe. The 1 ' additional rooms will provide further space . for tho extension of the museum, and also ' for library purposes. J The Asliburton Domain (writes our Christ- 1 church correspondent) is one of the prettiest : public gardens in the country, especially ivh.m it is remembered that it owes nothing to nature in tho way of hills, riv.org,. lakes, or hush. It has all been made, and its beauty indicates that its curators have been men of task and ability. . The Asliburton; County Council at its last meeting voted £100 towards tho upkeep of the Domain. An amendment that the amount bo £75 was lost on tho casting vote of_ the chairman,■ who said that no oiie could pass through the Domain without regarding it as an object-lesson. , The 1 curator was an excellent man, and an authority on forestry and other matters. The Council could well afford the larger grant of 'sioo. \ Mr. W. Howard Booth, of Carterton, has just purchased 1200 acres of hush' land in the Turangarero district, on the Main Trunk i Line, for 1 sawmilling purposes, and thither 1 Mr. Booth intends to shift his two present; mills at Carterton. In conversation with our Wairarapa reprbsentative, Mr. Booth 'stated . his, opinion that-tho bush all round on. the ; Main Trunk Line was not so good as ho . had anticipated it would be, and that he , wa3 afraid that Wellington and Wairarapa syndicates which were speculating in timber , in the district stood a chance of burning their . [ fingers. Many landowners were, receiving- . as much as £12 per acre for their; bush alone, j and from tho quality of tho timber which , he saw, Mr. Booth thought the price was 3 too high.