LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 489, 23 April 1909, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

■''.''"Tho'..postal-'authorities : advise -that tho Mokoia,. which-left Sydney on Wednesday for Auckland, has on board an English and Australian mail, which is expected to reach Wellington, by. the express train from Auckland on Tuesday afternoon next.. ': "-Tor'day- being St. George's Day, tho Government offices and the banks throughout tho Dominion; will be closed. :-'--:A.petition in bankruptcy has been filed by Thomas George Bottenll, general dealer, of Ingestro Street. . ■ ,- Tho deputation which was to have waited on: the Hon. A. W. Hogg yesterday in connection with the Ma.nawa.tu Gorge Road has been indefinitely postponed, to suit the convenience of some of. those wishing to attend. The order of three cases for hearing by the Court, of Appeal has been fixed as follows: —Rexq v. Godbaz (which will be taken this morning) ;.Palmorston North District Hospital Board -v. tho HaweraDistrict Hospital Board; and tho Union Steam Ship Company v. Wicks.- ■'/'")- The Civil Service- Superannuation Board held sittings and the day before, the' Hon. D. Buddo (Minister for Internal Affairs) presiding. A number'. of formal claims were 'dealt with, and a series of new, .regulations were considered in detail. The, City Council has decided to take no action with respect to : advertising on tho i'backs of tram tickets,' as'the price offered for the privilege was not considered sufficient to recompense the department for the 'trouble and supervision required. Mr. W. Gray Young has received information that his'design for-the new St. Mark's Anglica,n Church, Remuera, Auckland, has been awarded the - first prize of £50, put of seventeen' competitors. -Seating accommodation will be provided for 650 people, arid the estimated; cost, exclusive of- tho tower arid fittings, is £7000. ,-.. v '...•■;■ • The amount: of v subscriptions; received at the Central Library for tho year ended March, 31 was £376 17s. 6U, as against £382 7s. 6d. for tho previous year, a decrease of £6 10s'. The returns for. the Newtown Library,, however, showed an;increase of 15s. The subscriptions for the year just, closed were £196. Tho sum spent oil extra books at both institutions was £71 12s. 3d. '~',■. --.-

"You'are a prohibited person?" asked tho Magistrate/who was sitting; about Wo. feet away: from "the female witness.V Witness admitted; the ! impeachment, but, 'quavering under the'.steady, searching gaze of his Worship, pleaded.that she hadn't had a drink that day. ,"H'm," : said his Worship doubtingly, ."'you ' must have bad' a terrible'; lot'yesterday." ...' .. '; ,: . The hew traffic bridge over the Manawatu at the Gorge is new in .its finishing stages. Our Palmerston correspondent states that, viewed from tho. railway bridge ; a ', littlo higher up, it looks an imposing structure, People qualified to : give an opmion, state that there will bo^troubiowith the' approach at tho Palinerston/end, should a, heavy fresh 'occur in the near, future/ and,' from a casual glance, their'assertion appears to be correct, as the river,' at tho present -timo, has. an inclination to'run with great force almost directly ,6n ibis end of the bridge. l ' Cabinet: yesterday authorised a numner of. grants 'for public •■ works,:, including' ! the 1 following :-rrWellington-Hutt •Eoad' ah'd rail-' way improvement) £15,000; Dunedin-Mosgiol railway duplication, £12,000;'■;. Ma'rton railway station extension;' £1250; EiversdaloSwitzera railway, ,; £1050; Catlins-Waima-haka railway, £5000;. Ngahere-Blaekball' railway,' £3300; Midland . railway,/ £1280.J Votes wero:also 'approved as under: Purchase of, railway pormauent, way material, £47,500; station buildings on GrahamstownKawakawa railway, £1000; and post and telegraph material,- £3800. ■ ' ; '.i "'. The Post and Telegraph Department is to be congratulated on the hew telephone book list that is supplanting the sheet list through-, out the Dominion.: That the book list is a great improvement on tho old order of things, has been borne in on' everyone /connected •with the telephone, as; in addition to the alphabetical bst, there are attached numerical and classified lists that are exceedingly helpful. The new book lists have how been published in Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin, and those for Wanganui and Palmerston North are going through the press. The list for Auckland is now> being compiled, and it should not be long before it is ready for the press. The book:'lists are, of course, moro costly than .the sheet lists, and only main telephones are supplied .with them free of charge.' The Department is charging _ a shilling eaeh for those required. for extension telephones.- . ,-.'■■'■■.■ .';■ '

At the annual meeting of; St. -Michael's Church, KelburnOj on Wednesday evening,' the report and' balance-sheet were adopted and the following committee and officers for the ensuing year wore> elected:—Committee: Messrs. I. F. Collins, ,11. C. Hamerton. H. King, G. W. Longhurst, D. M'Kellar, H. M. Stephens, and G..-N. Sturtevant; hon. sec.,Mr. J. S. Jameson; hon. treasurer: Mr.: E. D. Cachemaille; auditors, the parochial auditors of St. Peter's. Tho chairman (Rev. G. P. Davys, M.A.), in a 'review of the past year's work, spoke appreciatively of the help given by the Revs. D. C. Bates and D. Jenkins, the lay readers, Messrs; E. D. Cachemaille and R. H. Webb, the hon. organist, Mr.-J. S. Jameson, the incmbois of.the choir, and the Sunday school teachers. Ho also welcomed the Rev. A. W. H. Compton,,M.A., who, in addition to his duties, as Warden or the Hadfield Memorial Hostel, has been appointed to the pastoral oversight of the Kelburne Church district, and will cohdact regular, services there. ■', Rapid progress is-being made with the alterations in tbo Legislative Chambers at Old Government House, and it- is confidently anticipated that: the work .will be completed' some ■ days' before' the assembling of Parliament. Tlio House of Representawith its padded benches, arranged in semicircles, arid its extended floor space and gallery 1 accommodation, will hardly look like the same apartment.that did duty last session. _ The. changes\iare altogether in the direction., of greater comfort and convenience, and members will probably feel that the Chamber and its adjacent rooms will bo good enough to last them or their'successors for a number of years to come. "Thelender of the D.1.C., Wellington, has been accepted for '40; settees,' upholstered .in ' buffalo leather. ■ Each of theso will be occupied by two'members, and will be curved to fit into its plaoo in the general plan. ' Tho members desks, which aro being made by tho Public Works Department, will also bo curved in the same way, and although this form of construction is comparatively laborious and expensive, it seems to bo generally agreed, that the semicircular seating schomo will be very much' bettor, for acoustic and other reasons, than the arrangement of last 1 session. ! Tenders have not yet been invited for the benches in the new Legislative Council Chamber, and possibly- tho ""Lords" will still have to content tbemselvcs with cushioned.chairs. The ruins of-tho old Parliamentary Buildings arc to bo'"tidied up" before the session, and'certain' may be'roofed in so ns to afford additional accommodation for somo of' the work connected with Parliament. Teas grown in different localities have different characteristics, and even tho tea from any particular garden is not tho sarno in two successive seasons. Climatic changes, differences of soil, exercise'influences, and it is in tho art of the-tea blender to bring together the different teas and by combination to. produce a particular flavour. Crescent Blend Tea is a choico combination of Ceylon and Indian Teas, and the flavour never varies, AU storekeepers, 2s, Ijuor lb. . v

TboV-City:,'Council has. decided that a ro:qupst.;l>o mado to. tlio Government for tho ap-. ppin'tmoiit of;special constables at tho Zoo and; Nowtoirn .Park. ,■■":■ ■:.■■.:■..■•.'■ ■' ' intention of the Government to consider. : . tho; quostion of establishing a daily .nihil, servico between Pongaroa and Pahiatua towards the end of the present year... ■ .;,;-Tlib:reported-announcement that the Government lias purchased.a largo area of land (02 acres) at Otaki: for railway workshops has, states a Manawatu .paper,;, excited consternation, in Levin./ :■■''«; ij :!;«-.., /Detectives Lewis and Andrews arrested a man.. yesterday, on ; . a charge of : stealing ' a number, of towels and a clock,', of a total valii'o ..of 305., ..the. property of. Jonathan Jones.- '"':' ' . ' ".;. : '-.." ■ -...'. ■■:'■■■■''- ■'■■' :: ' - ; The'"'tenders of-Messrs. R. ;W; Cameron and Co. for the supply of some car equipment spares, and of Messrs. Jolui Spencer, Ltd., of London, for tho supply, of steam piping for tho electrical department, havo. been accepted by tho City Council. '"■■ ■ "No city in - Australasia" has shown as much progress during the past four years as Wellington," remarked tho town clerk (Mr. Palmer) last night, in acknowledging an apprcciatory vote, passed .to tho staff by tho retiring council. The discount'stamps sold by tho Post Office havo never "caught on," A gazetted statement for tho first.quarter of tho present year shows that those sold in the Wellington Postal District amounted, to £586 6s. In tho Auckland District, tho sales were £fi and in the Thames District, £2, and not ono .was sold in any other part of the Dommion. Comparison with the first quarter of 1908 shows a falling-off of ahout £70.' . :'';.•-. ,■•

Tho District Health Officer (Dr. J. P. Frengley) aud his staff, who havo hitherto been located in the late Sir James Hector's _ old house in Museum Street, havo moved into their now quarters on the top;'floor of the. recently-erected Public Trust building, in Lambton Quay. Tho hoad office of the Tublio' Health- Department, under Dr. J. M. Mason, has also taken up its abode on the same floor.* Tho Public Health laboratory remains fortho present in,the old house, which" is considerably ravaged by the borer. When 1 the report of the Tramway Committee was being considered by tho City Council last evening, Councillor Ballinger remarked, in reference to the report, on the increases in wages presented to the last meeting of tho committco, that it seemed to imply that tho increase in the men's wages was £278, but?he wished to make it clear that this amount ;only covered a nsriod of six months, and the rises were still going on. Ho thought that for the twelvo months the engineer's estimate of £1286 would bo correct. . .•"■'."':■"'. : . The.' complaint of Messrs. R. 0." Clark, Ltd., concerning tho acceptance by ' tho City, Council of a tender for sanitary pipes, which was higher than their own, camo up at last night's •" meeting of the council. Councillor 5. P. Luke, who presided in tlio temporary absence of the Mayor, said that tho, council had to take the advice of the engineer in sUoh a matter—(hear, hear)—and he had distinctly recommended tho course' adopted by tho Financo Committee, to which tho matter was referred. The committee's action was endorsed.' ,' -. ' ' ' '•' ■ ■ The swearing-in of., tho Dominion Scouts' is understood to bo' proceeding apaco.' in ■ Wellington. Meantime (says our Palmerston correspondent) matters .with regard' to the Palmerston troop are being held in abeyance. The corps is only allowed a company strength of 63, and these are already avail-able-in,'Wellington. This does not necessarily mean that the sorvices of the Palmerston men offering will not be required. As soon as the. Wellington squadron ,is in working order, a move will no doubt bo made to put the local squadron on a similar footing. .:....,.; ... ■!■' Tho fishing season has almost closed, without a rainbow trout having been "captured in this district. Things.are different, however, in other localities, and as far as lainbaw.s •and even brown.i trout»ar,6ii concerned the Lake Taupo district, is'moro'thiin holding its own.' Yesterday .Mr. S:' Crowthor,;tho well-known Napier angler, forwarded to Tisdall's Sports' Depot a, rainbow trout of 161b. weight, which was inspected "by":' many followersof Izaak Walton f s "gontlo : art.'' This afternoon there will bo on view a 211b. rainbow trout, which Mr. Crowther is forwarding to Mr. Tisdall ' for exhibition, and especially to show' what Lake Taupq can produce.' This fish'was caught St Ngamotu. ;'"

At last night's meeting of the City Council, Councillor Hindmarsh criticised; the' conduct of the Zoo, and said:—"l think some change is needed regarding-the - management,, Councillor Luke, chairman of the committee (whoso'report was under consideration), mentioned that the committee' had' had difficulties to contend with, and stated that-the man in charge had come out from the Old Country and lie had'some Old Country ideas, but: ho must be given a fair chance before judgment was passed on him. 'Mr.' W.-'C. Quinnell, V.S., was askod to report on the matter, but owing to- a' misunderstanding he did not receive written instructions until four or five days late, and his-report had not yet been received. The proper thing was to hold the matter over until next meeting of the council. Councillors Fletcher and' Smith supported the committee, whose report was adopted. Vital statistics for March show tho following death-rates per 1000 of population in tho four ■ principal cities: Auckland, 1.22; Wellington, 0.91; Christchurch, o.B3j'Duuedin, 0.80. If the suburban boroughs, of which there are 7 at Auckland, 3 at Wellington, 3 at Christchurch, and 3 at Dunedm, are included tho :: deaths per 1000,, work out as follow:—Auckland, 1.10; Wellington, 0.91; Christchurch, "0.80; Duuedin, .0.73: Including the suburbs,, the rate at Auckland is.the highest, and at Duncdin. the lowest.. The total .births in the above cities and, boroughs amounted to 637. against 553 in February—an increase of 84. The deaths m March were 245, an increase of 37 on the number in February. Of the ..total deaths, males contributed 148, females 97.. Eightythree of the deaths were of-children under five years of age, being 33.88 per cent, of , the whole 'number;.'o9: of these; were under 'one year of age. ,"■..'„:' . ;,.'''. ....';.;;'... When Constable Cummings was on/duty 'near the Railway-Wharf yesterday .evening; tho cry of "man : overboard" was raised,; and tho constable proceeded to the spot, ' and found that'a 1 man had, fallen'into the water.' i,A rope was placed round . the constable's waist, and ho was lowered over tho side of tho wharf arid succeeded in getting tho "man upon to the decking. Mr. Fisher,; of the steamer Rakaia reudored first aid, and tho man, who- was unconscious, was removed to tho Lambton: Quay -Police Station, where ho was attended to by Dr. Henry, who ordered his removal to the hospital, .where he arrived ':at 7.55 p.m.■:' In spito of tho.efforts of the' hospital staff, tho.man did not revive, and his death was announced at 8.50 p.m. Up to a late hour-last night deceased was unidentified. It is supposed that he tripped on.a stringor and fell into the water. Tho only thing found on tho man was 'a wharf labourer's badge, No. 412. Deceased was a man of. rather stout build, about sft. 7in. in height', with/whiskers and moustache and dark hair. ■';• ■','■ •;.-;:■:.' v .':'"•'.. A petition from cab and express owners and driveiv in Mastorton, respecting the acceleration of tho evening train from Wopdvillo so as to reach Mastorton earlier than 10 p.m., was forwarded by the. Mastorton Chamber/of Commerce to the General' Manager of Railways, and tho reply received is that, after careful investigation, it has been found impossible to comply with tho request. Tho official explanation of this refusal is as follows:—Tho train in question servos that'portion of Wairarapa lying bet'weon Woodvillo and Mastorton, and has to work goods as. well as passenger traffic. The passenger business, is.-, altogether insufficient to. warrant the train being rultas a fast passonger service. It has, moreover, to stop at, all tho various stations, en route, and form ono of tho connecting links with Wnnganui. Under tho circumstances .stated, it would bo necessary, in order to givo effect to the request of tho cab and express owners, for tho train to leavo Woodvillo considerably earlier than at present. This would not bo in tho interests of tho district served by the train, and as tho railway time-table has, as far as possiblo, to bo arranged on linos' that .'will best"'serve tho,whole of tho district', through" which tho tram runs, tho.'Minister regrets that ho cannot sco his way in tho circumstances to make any alteration in the direction, suggested.' .