LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 191, 7 May 1908, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

• The Customs. duty collected at the port yesterday amounted to £1676 7s.

'A'sitting-of the Court of Arbitration will be held in Wellington on May 27. The only business which will be dealt with' is the compensation case, Hodgkinson v. Powell, and an application submitted by the Stewart Company. •

The secretary of the Merchant Service Guild writes oomplaining that' certain portions of the report of the meeting of the Guild, which appeared in yesterday's issue, wc-ra not intomled for publication, being of a nature confidential to. members of the Guild. The portions which our representative understood to be confidential were omitted from our report, and we regret that there should have been a; misunderstanding on the. point. .

Mr. T. E. Donne, head of the Tourist Department, returned from the south yesterday after a visit of inspection to the offices of tho Department at Christchurch, 'Dunedin, and Invercargill. In company with' Mr. John Campbell, he visited Mount Cook, and with that gontleman selected the site of. tho now Hermitage, which is to be a much more pretentious building than the present moun-tain-house. He also visited Queenstown and Hanmer on departmental business.

Councillor F. Cohen again complained at the City Council yesterday about the confusion caused by the re-numbering of houses. Somo of tho houses had the new numbers, and some had the old one 3, and the result was much annoyance and waste 1 of time. The Mayor said the Council could call upon the people to adopt the new numbers. Councillor Fisher said that much of the trouble was due to people leaving the old num-. bers on, as well as the new ones. Eventually the By-Laws Committee was instructed to look into the matter.

The City Council has decided to renovate tho Parnell Tablet, which was placed in tho outside wall of the Public Library many years ago to commemorate tho pioneer of tho eighthours movement, In its position beside the entrance door, this frail memorial has proved altogether too tempting a mark for the larrikin and the mischievous schoolboy. Tlie reformer's noso is sadly battered,, and tho tablot is damaged in other, parts. The repairs mil include tho substitution of a bronze modallion portrait in place of tho present marble one, and tho cost is to bo £15 165.-

Two complaints of burglaries wore received by tho police, early yesterday morning. Shortly after midnight, a man was discovered in the premises of J. 15. Teasdalo, Brougham Street. Mr. Teasdale chased him, but only caught a glimpse of . him. Nothing had apparently been stolen. A burglar was moro successful in another instance. About an hour alter tho previous occurrence; the residence of Mrs, Mountjoy, 33 Austin Street, was entered, and that lady states that tho intruder searched hor bedroom. She got up, and found that a gold watch and chain, four gold rings, and somo miscellaneous jewellery had disappeared. The value of the stolen articles would be about £25. The police have the matter in hand.

The Miramar Athletic Park and Wonderland Company, Ltd., has informed the Wellington Rugby "Union that the Pony and Galloway Club will require the Park on Saturday, May 23, for racing purposes.

An officer in the Labour Department informed a Dominion reporter that there are still a fair number of occupiers of unregistered factories, and the Dopartment is now sending out default notices prior to taking proceedings. l It is pointed out that there is a penalty of £5 a day for failure to comply with this requirement.

At a mooting of the Teachers' Institute, to bo held on Friday evening nest, the President, Mr. William Foster, . 8.A., will read a paper on " Superannuation: a comparison of tho Teachers' and the Civil Service schemes." Mr. Foster is a member nf tho Teachers' Superannuation Board. Tho Management Committee of the Institute meets this afternoon.

The- question of payment of witnesses at Coroners' inquests was referred to by Mr. O'Shea, City Solicitor, at the conclusion' of the hearing of the evidence at the inquest into the death of Mr. Joseph l'etrie yesterday. Mr. O'Shea said that it was a matter which certainly ought to 'bo rectified. The Coroner (Dr. W. A. M'Arthur) concurred, and said that he had sent in frequent applications for payment,, but had never heard anything further.

A curiosity in the shape of a cross section of a rimu knot, is on exhibition at Huntly. The fully-formed face of an austere-looking lawyer is apparent in the wood, the features being remarkably clear and well defined. Tho face, which is in profile, shows an eye,. a long nose, two lips, ,and a chin covered with a pointed beard, tho head being sur-. mounted with-a well-shaped legal wig. The section is still in the rough, and polishing ; should develop tho features and. make the freak still more curious and interesting. The novelty reminds one of Shakespeare's works: "And this our life, exempt from public haunt, finds tongues, in trees." .

1 On the alteration of the electoral boundaries, notices were sent to all electors notifying thorn the electorate in which they were entitled to vote. In Wellington South alone some 1506 of these notices have been returned by the postal authorities, as the addressees, could not be found. A' list of these can be seen at the registrar's office at the Newtown Library. It is advisablo that all electors that have shifted their places of residence during the last few years should inspect the list to ensure that their name will not be struck off the roll. The registrar has just issued objection's by registered letter to these names, and in, cases whero no reply is received within the statutory thirty days, application will be made to the S.M.' Court for an order to strike such names out.

Colonel A. W. Robin, C.8., Chief of the General Staff, has expressed himself as having been very pleased with the work of the Wellington College Cadets during their field tactics at Miramar on Monday. "Of course," said, the Colonel to a representative of The Dominion, who touched on the matter, yesterday during a conversation on defence matters generally,- "there; were faults, but tbo lads had a hard row to hoe. The task set before them was a pretty stiff one." The tactical exercises t-ook the form of a raid on the city, the "Reds", (attacking force), being in charge oF Captain 'Rudman, assisted by' Mr.'.'Martyri, whilo"the''Defenders (Blue) were 'in command 'df : ,'Captain' Bogle. Careful "study of the manoeuvre area 'pre-viously-enabled the officers ; to secure'an ex-cellent-disposition of the columns. ■

The police. Have been requested by some of the creditors to investigate matters connected with the bankrupcy of A. 0. Elliott, land and estate agent, and have consented to do so, but steps will not bo taken to bring the man back unless some of the creditors make application for his apprehension, and guarantee expenses, or unless the Official Assignee; can' be shown that' Elliott has left the country with £20 cash or other property of that'amount in his possession. It is possible; that Cabinet may 1 decide to take the initiative. The Official Assignee states that he cannot ascertain that the bankrupt has gone away from the Dominion with an amount of property which would justify him in laying an information, and although anxious to meet the creditors in every possible way, he dare not exceed his powers under the Bankruptcy A.ct.

On Saturday, April 25, Kubelik, the world-famous violinist, left Vancouver on board the R.M.S. Marama for Australasia. Prior to his departure an influential deputation of the leading citizens waited upon him to offer their congratulations on , tlio brilliant successes of his American and Can adian tours also. good wishes for a successful season on his forthcoming Australasian tour. Kubelik spoke in high terms of the appreciation of musie of the American and Canadian people, and further added that it had always been his ambition to tour the British Colonies. His knowledge of the Australian people was not so limited as some would imagine, as several of his most valued friends are Australians. He had received a' cable from Mr. Frank Buckingham stating that negotiations had been completed with two brilliant artists (natives of Bendigo) to assist him on the tour, Kubelik is accompanied by tlio Countess, his wife. They hope to arrive in Sydney on May 18, and the following evening Kubelik will open his season at the Town Hall.

The Wadestown tramway routes received some notice at the City Council meeting yesterday afternoon. Councillor Biss asked whother tho question of choice of route would come before the Council again, after the ratepayers had expressed their Some important information, which was new to most of the Councillors, had been given at the meoting at Wadestown on this previous evening. The Mayor said that the. matter would come before tho Council again, but lie thought >that, unless some very strong reason wero shown, tho decision of the'ratepayers should hot be interfered with. Tho offor referred to by Councillor Biss only came to hand very recently, and he had not mentioned it at tho Finance Committee meeting on tho previous day only because the meeting was-a long one, and at the end members seomed anxious to get away.

Councillor Luke asked, at the City Council meeting yesterday, how it was proposed to utiliso tho surplus power generated bv the now dcstructor. The City Engineer (Mr. W. H. Morton) stated that lie wished to consult tho City Electrical Engineer, as he thought the power could best bo used in connection with tho tramways or lighting. The dostructor was now supplying the wholo of tho power for tho drainage pumping installation, and thore was still about 150 h.p. a day going to waste.

Mrs. Ethel R. <Ie Costa, LL.B. (nee Miss Ethel R. Benjamin, of Dunedin), after practising for soino years in that city, has commenced practice as a barrister and solicitor in No. 8 Nathans Buildings, corner Grey and Featherston Streets, Wellington. Mrs. De Costa has the distinction of being the only lady praotising at the Bar in tho Dominion. Intending clients can depend on prompt' and careful attention at Mrs. De Costal hands.

Only two oar/cs—lfoore v. Orfcrd ,ind Judd v. Byrne—remain' to bo heard at the current sittings of the Court of Appeal. The firstmentioned will bo called at 10.30 this morning. , . •

At the instance of the employers, tho butter, creamery, and cheese factory workers' dispute (in regard to whic'.i the Board of • Conciliation on April 10 fibd, its recommendation) has now been referred to the Court of Arbitration for settlement.

It is announced that.. the Wcbb-Arniit match for the sculling championship of tlje world will take place on the Wanganui River on Dccomber 16. The lateness of the date is accounted! for by tho fact that the holder is allowed three months to name a date, after the six months following the formal acceptance of,the challenge. , . ...

The mombers of tho Grocers' Assistants' Union held their annual smoke concert at Godber's Rooms last : Noarly one hundred, including the president (Mr. M. Mouat), attended tho function, which proved extremely enjoyable. During the evening, recitations were given by Mr. J. Isherwood, and songs by Messrs.' M. Ford, E. Murphy, A. Jaoobs, and T. Boddy.

The reports which Dr. L. Cockayne, F.L.S., is preparing for tho .Lands and Survey Dopartmont on the Waipoua kauri forest, north of Auckland, and the Tongariro National Park, should have' unusual interest. The Tongariro report, far from being merely botanical, will deal with the geology of thia remarkable region, and even with the Native legends that are associated with its soil. The report will bring up to date, in' fact, noarly all'the information obtainable about, this interesting ' cjist'rict. In the Waipoua report, Dr. Cockayne will give an account for the first time of the biology of a ; kauri forest, and will endeavour to trace the origin of those forests and their life history. '

Wairarapa will have to lowor its antlers. •Mr. T. E. Donne, head of the Tourist Department, and a keen sportsman, states that ho saw in Christchurch this week the finest group of four stags' heads he has seen together in Now' Zealand, secured by Messrs. Heaton Rhodes and Gerard, on the latter's station-'in the Rakaia Gorge, . a fe^y. days ago. . ffhe heads were from a new herd, the progenitors of which :j were especially imported by Mr. Gerard ten .years ago, from stock second only in reputation to the Warn-, ham Park herd. . ,Five .heads J were seo'ured last season, and four this, and, according to Mr. Donne, they are all. beauties. They are all "royals" or super-royals, one haying no, fewer than eighteen points. The antlers are a dark chocolate colour, wonderfully symmetrical, and the heads''themselves are splendidly developed on lines"; Mr. Ponne considers that these heads 'are better than any four which have been secured in the Wairarapa in one season. '