LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 275, 13 August 1908, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Mr. A. L. Hcrdman, candidate for Wellington North, will deliver a political address in tho Municipal Concert Hall next Wednesday.

Tho total strength, in all ranks, of the defence forces of tho Wellington Military District for the month of July was 6553, an increase of 40 in the returns for the preceding month.

Tho majority of the City Councillors journeyed to Ngahauranga yesterday afternoon, and made a thorough inspection of tho two sites for tho proposed abattoirs. After some further information is obtained, tho Abattoirs Committee will report to the Council on the question.

Tho Secretary of tho Wellington Chamber of Commerce (Mr. S. Carroll) has been advised that tho next congress of the Empire's Chambers of Commerce is to bo held in Sydney, about September 14 next year, in with which there will bo a subconference, to bo held at Melbourne a few days later. Tho Commonwealth and States Governments aro affording every facility to delegates by granting free railway passes over all linos, and special steamer rates aro to bo arranged in order to ensure that the congress will bo as representative as possible. Tho delegates to tho congress have been invited to visit the principal cities of New Zealand.

Women find out tilings, and any married man will tell you that. And women know h good- tiling when they seo it, or' try or taslo it. Women know' Hint Crescent Braml Tea is as good as it is possible to get tea. it is pure, rich, fragrant, and with a full flavour that laves the palate most agreeably. It is the favourite morning cup—infuses warmth and gives a fooling of freshness to the system. Hra.ud Tea ie tho idoal tea for tho hom All grocers, Is. 10d., 2s, a lb, CSS3

It is understood that legal proceedings havo boon instituted in connection with alleged excessive corporal punishment inflicted upon a girl by a teacher 111 0110 of the local schools.

Owing to an alteration to bo made in the tramway track at tho Chinaman's gardens, traffic on the Seatoun line will bo temporarily suspended to-day. A car will bo placed 011 tho tunnel portion of the lino, and, passengers may transfer from it to tho car running to and from tho city.

A thief or thieves visited a boardinghouse at tho corner of Ghuzneo Street and Buller Street, occupicd by Mrs. Lambert, yesterday morning, and departed with £2 10s. in cash, after ransacking several, rooms. Mrs. Lambert lost 10s. and one of tho boarders £2. Two lady boarders and a child, who wero in tho sittingroom during the timo the. burglar must have been operating, wero not disturbed by any noise. ■

William J. Whittock, a master baker, of Alexandria, Otago, New Zealand, who was spending a holiday in London, has been found drowned in "tho River Lea. He recently cashed a draft for £70, but when found his purse was empty. Whittock was a native of llilo End, but had been in Now Zealand thirty years. He was formerly in the 10th Hussars, and had also served at sea' as a baker. He was to have returned to Now Zealand 011 July 9. At the coroner's inquest a verdict of "Found Drowned" was returned.

The new official book telephone list for Wellington is to be published on January 1 next. The pages will be side-lettered, and there will be a list of subscribers with their numbers in rotation at the end of tho hook. Provision has been made for alterations and new subscribers by including in the binding slips for the reception of extra slips to bo issued by the Department as occasion demands. The book lists, which aro to bo issued every six months in tho different centres, are a great improvement 011 those now issued by the Department.

A defectivo copper fireplace led to a slight outbreak of fire at tho premises of Mr. L. Cain, manufacturing confectioner, Courtenay Place at 8.18 yesterday morning. A few bncketfuls of water put the fire out before serious damage had been done. Another call was received by the Fire Brigade at 1.20 p.m. to attend to a chimney fire at a houso occupied by Mr. Wm. J. Anderson, No. 2 Gladstone Terrace. A third call was received at 4.31 p.m. to a house, 67a Brougham Street, occupicd. by Mrs. F. Fletcher, where some oases and straw in the yard wero found to be 011 fire. It is stated that some boys put a match to the straw.

Thero was a narrow escape from a serious accident in Vivian Street soon after one o'clock yesterday , afternoon. While tlio conductor of a tramcar on its way to Newtown was standing on the footboard at the side, a man driving a van from the opposite direction drove so close to tlie car that tlie horse's head struck the conductor on _ the chcek and shoulder. The guard was partially dazed, and would probably have fallen off the car if ho had not been supported by some of tlio passengers who saw tlie collision. The brake was applied sharply to the car at the moment of contact, and a halt was called for several minutes, while the conductor regained command of his faculties. The driver of the van went on, not troubling to look behind him. There was ample room for vehicles to pass where.the accident happened. Owing to the large building programme before the Public Worlds Department, the position of district engineer for Wellington, which has been in abeyance for many years, is to be revived. There are at present district engineers for Auckland and Dunedin, and an officer of that rank is stationed at Stratford. The position of district engineer for Wellington was discontinued about 25 years ago, though later than that there was an office of resident engineer, which Mr. R. AV. Holmes, the present Engineer-in-Chief, at one time held. The position was abolished at a time when the Department had less work than usual in this district on its hands. Now, there is unprecedented business, and the Government Architect (Mr. John Campbell) lias been heavily, weighted, with, a press of designing work and tho responsibility for buildings in course of erection as far as Napier, 011 the one hand, and AVanganui, on the other. The revival of the office of district engineer will relieve him of a great dejil of provincial work. •