LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 220, 10 June 1908, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dates extending from August 19 to August 29, have been booked at tho Town Hall for the touring Royal Artillery Band, of Newcastle-on-Tyne. At the Karori Borough Council's meeting last ovening it was decided to' again approach tho Minister for Justice with regaro to the question of adequate police protection in tho borough. The St. James Literary and Debating Society held a mock parliamentary election last night, Mr. A. J. Rand occupying the ohair. There was a large attondanco. Six candidates were nominated, four gentlemen and two ladies. By tho vote of the audience, Miss Thorn and Mr. F. Patterson were elected. • The photograph of tho late Right Hon. .R. J. Seddon with a pretty wreath iu a window, of a small shop on Lambtou Quay last evening was one of tho few reminders in t-lia city that to-day is tho second anniversary of the death, of the late Premier, which occurred on tho steamer Oswestry Grange oil June 10, 1906, whilst on the way to New Zealand from Australia. Tho'latest reports from tho Hospital regaiding tho condition of Mr. Henry HillBeckett, who was found lying in an unconscious condition on the Orangi-Kaupapa Road about 9.30 o'clock one evening last week, show that the patient is making good progress towards recovery. He has recovered crintciousness, but is quite unablo to remember anything which might clear up tho mystery surrounding tho. accidont.

A fair number of thoso shops that are making displays in connection with "New Zealand Industries. Week " illuminated their windows last evening in responso to a request by the secretary of the Industrial Association (Mr. H. F. Allen). Doubtless the' response would have boen greater but fo>the drizzling rain, which made deliberate pedestrianism somewhat unpleasant. " Industries Week " terminates this evening. Mrs. Ethol K. do Costa, IjTj.B. (nee Miss Ethel R. Bonjarain, of Dunedin), after practising for somo years in that city, has commenced practice as a barrister and solicitor in No. G Nathan's Buildings, corner Groy and Featherston Streets, Wellington. Mrs. Do Costa lias the distinction of being tlio only lady practising at the Bar in tlio Dominion. Intending clients can depend on prompt and careful attention at Mrs. De CostaV hands.

" Would you bo kind enough to allow me <1 little coal? Last week I was very-cold." This request was made at yesterday's meeting of the Benevolent Trustees. With the weather' growing colder tho Trustees expect a largo number of such applications and anticipate somo difficulty in dealing with them. Detectivo Cassells arrested a man in the Wairarapa'yesterday on a charge of stealing twn watchcs and a clmin valued £7 from tho person of ft carpenter named James Watson, at' Wellington, on March 14. A young womai was also arrested by Detectivo Cassells yostcrday on a charge of stealing a diamond rin;; on May 27 from Mrs. Boyd, wife of Dr. Boyd. Tho Corinthic, which is duo next week from England, is bringing a total of 403 passengers to tho The ports for which they are booked are as follow: Auckland, 155; Wellington, 121; Lyttelton, 50; Dunedin, 43; Greymouth, 9; Now Plymouth, 7; Napier and Nelson, 4 each; Westport,, 3; Wanganui- and Bluff, 2 each; Picton, Timaru, and'Gisborne, one each. " Last year we mado £35 by tho sale of produce," said the ■ Master of the Ohiro Homo (Mr. Truebridge) at yesterday's meeting of the Benevolent Trustees. He was applying for a grant for the making of certain improvements in order to facilitate the cultivation of vegetables, and stated that the gardening provided employment for tho old people, and was not unprofitable. The sale of green oats alone last year brought in a return of £16, and, in addition, supplies of vegetables for the Home were provided. At tho meeting of tho Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals last evening, the following donations were received nnd acknowledged.—Mr. G. B. Davy, £1; Mr.. W. A. Kcilow, 10s.; Messrs. W. Hildrotb, J. Mandel, F. and W. Ferkins, Jones and Co., A. P. Mason, W. H. Turnbull, Mrs. J. J. Ewing, and " Hardware," ss. each; Miss Kemp, Mesdames Chatfield and M'Lean, Messrs. It. B. and Son, G. E., F. Castle, C. H. Williams, W. Grundy, and H : . Morris, 2s. 6d. each; " Oriental, Is.; total, £4 13s. 6d/

Tho first round of tho Wellington Chess Club's annual handicap' tourney for ths Petherick shield and other prizes was startaJ last night, but, owing probably to the, unfavourable weather, a number of players did not attend. Little progress : was therefore mado, and tho round will bo continued on Sahtrday night. The players are paired as follow: —Section A—W. E. Mason v. Morris, Still v. Jessup, Fell v. F. W. Collins, Fouhy v. Ardcn, and TJrwin y. Stanford. Section B—Barnes v. Scott, Kelling v. Land, Bccl, v S. Mackay, Gyles, sen., v. Nops, ai>d W. S. Anderson v. Ashby. Tho "Long Paddock" is a fruitful topic for discussion both in and out of Council Chambers. It camo before the Karori Borough Council y last evening when tho report of the Works Committee was being reid. An item in the report drew attention to tho nuisftneo created by stock being at a time,"- protested a councillor.' "I'vo seen as many as six cows on tho roadsr'o at a time," protested,a councillor. "I've seen twelve," said another, while a third asserted that he had on one occasion countcl twenty. (Sensation.) It was stated that this state of affairs was gradually growing worse. The. evil, and proposals for its remedy, were discussed at length, and certain recommendations (not for publication) wero adopted. In making a very strong plea on Friday night for prison reform in New Zealand, Mr. Gr. Laurensonj M.P., quoted tho Elmira system of tho United States, which, lie said, although very expensive, was also very effective. As far as they could bo traced, it was found that of tho prisoners 74 per cent, led industrious, clean lives after discharge from gaol, and only 2 per cent, relapsed into crime. Tho New Zealand system believed in punishing a man rather than reforming him, but what was tho position. Last year New ; Zealand prisons had received 2670 persons, of whom 204G were old criminals.' The system should be improved by giving tho prisoners more light, more reading matter, the' benefits of a school, and a training in some industry. ■• . . /

Quito a discussion took place at the Pharmaceutical Conference 1 last evening, as to whether the Press were to be admitted or not. Mr. F. G. Castles moved that the Press | be excluded, and that a committee be set i up to supply information as to what took place. There were, he said, some things that should not go to the public! The point was warmly debated. A member remarked:—"We arc practically in committee, and it is not wise to have tho Press in. I don't know that tho idea of. what .to publish'and-what not to publish is likely to coincide,with our idea, and, under tho circumstances, some things are better left unsaid so far as the public are concerned.", 'Another member Said that the confercnco was more a public meeting than a board meeting, and the delegates should not be afraid of having their words reported. It was eventually de-' cided to exclude tho representatives of tho Press and appoint a comniitteo to supply the necessary information. .

Christchurch/ " Truth" points out an amusing inconsistency in the attitude of some of the Ministerialist journals before and after the Tuapcka election. , " Instead of feeling . sore because ho defeated the chosen Liberal candidate," says " Truth," " the Government organs, who advised him to retire, and discouraged him in every possible way, are now preparing to adopt him with onthusiasm. This was what the Dunedin 1 Star 1 said before the election: 'The candidate from Wellington has not, seen lift way to withdrawal from' the Tuapeka contest, with a view to preserving the solidarity of the Liberal vote. Of course, ho is not exceeding, his personal and civic rights, though if his persistence should allow tho Conservative nominee to slip in as tho representative of a minority the result will hardly enhance his credit with the party to which ho belongs, or tho Government whoso general policy he approves.' When tho numbers went up, our contemporary had littlo sympathy to waste on the defeated Government nominee, but it immediately began to discover virtues in Dr. Chappie that it had previously overlooked, hence tho following Dr. Chapplo displayed ability of a somewhat remarkable kind in his speeches during 'tho campaign, his explanations of up-to-date Liberalism being characterised by much freshness and general power. . . . As Dr. Chappie drew the bulk of his support from Lawrence and the localities contiguous therqto, districts that will mergo into the Bruce electorate at tho general election, we shall not bo surprised if he should be found entering the lists against the sitting member for Bruce, nor shall wo be the least astonished if, in that contingency, the Ministry find it advisable to adopt him as tho standard-bearer of progressive Liberalism.' "

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An attempted speed trial was made by H.M.S. Pegasus whilst en route from Lyttelton to Wellington on Monday evening. The vessel had only beon put to the test ■ for about an hour when a circulating rod broke, and the vessel's., speod was slowed down till arrival. It is understood that tho necessary repairs will be made in Sydney. Our Dunedin correspondent writes Thirty thousand Cuban cigars, of the " Partagas " brand, and valued at £600, were used as furnace fuel at M'Callum's sawmill yesterday morning. Tho destruction was deliberate and not an accident. The cigars had been detrimentally affected during oversea transit from Cuba. The Customs agents watched tho burning operations, in order to prevent the damaged weeds from finding a way to a cheap market. In reference to a letter signed " Phullup,"' and headed "That Palace Car," in yesterday's Dominion, in which tho writer complains that he came in contact with tho wooden bar that runs the length of the open seats, and is used to shut off the wrong side of tho car, a reporter was informed by the tramway authorities that the car referred to is a combination, and not a palace car. Tho former seems to bo considered the more suitable by the public, and it is probable that future cars will be of the combined type. At a meeting of tho Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals yesterday, Mr. F. Seed (Inspector) reported a case of alleged cruelty to a horse. Ho said lie examined a horse which he found to be suffering from a bad back. Tho owner informed the Inspector that the horse. had only been purchased a fortnight ago. A lady, who had been riding it, had caused the injury by a badly-fitting saddle. The horse had two large running sores, which were fully nine inches in circumference, and very uracil swollen and inflamed, . giving the animal a great deal of pain. It was decided to obtain legal advice on the '

Somewhere between midnight and 1 a.m. yesterday, someone resident on the city side of Mount Victoria, near the Town Belt, heard cries of " Murder! murder I" being shrieked by some female in distrss. A telephone message alarmed the .police, and soon nearly the whole of the detective staff and a squad of policemen were racing up Majoribanks Street, ■•under the impression that a tragedy was being' enacted, at their destination. 13y the time the, united strength of tlio police reached the spot.it had been discovered that the origin of the midnight hullabaloo was merely a lover's quarrel. -The officers of tho law said hard things to themselves at having to turn out to what proved to be a false alarm.

On more than one occasion Dr. M'Artlrarj - S.M., has found .it necessary to" reprimand parties who have como'before him in civil actions for sending him letters bearing on; a case previous to the date fixed for its hearing. When the name.of a certain plaintiff was called yesterday his Worship was all on tho alert, and, addressing plaintiff, said: "You are the man who sent me a letter about the casep"' Plaintiff denied any knowledge of the letter. " Did your wife send it ?'* questioned his, Worship. "Not that I know of," was the reply. His Worship left tho bench, and returned in a few seconds with a letter running into severai pages. " Your name is , isn't it, who is P" "That's my wife," plaintiff admitted,. " but I didn't know she sent any letter." His Worship had made his point, and turned the matter off, saying' laughingly,' " It's very improper her writing to ms."- " Can .1" see the • letter," persisted plaintiff. "Nol no ("replied his Worship, "but I can tell you there is nothing in it that you could not be shown." Plaintiff's face, which had worn a worried look during the beginning of the' cross-examination, was now wreathed in smiles; ( '. ■ ' •