LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 556, 10 July 1909, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Tho postal, authorities advise that tho Victoria, which left Sydney on .Wednesdays July 7, for Auckland, has on board an.Eng-. lisli and Australian mail, which.' is duo here' on Monday evening next, by tho express train from Auckland. There wero again vory ; heavy bookings on the Sj'dney boat this week, practically'all tho passenger' accommodation on the Moana being occupied when, she left this port yesterday evening.. .v . The total value of the goods which entered Wellington from overseas per parcels .post during tlirv three'montlis eaded with Juno 30 was £20,873. . ■ _ . A reception of members of the Synod , and their frionds will be held by Bishop Wallis and' Mrs. Wallis in tho - Municipal Concert Hall to-day at 4 p.m. ■ The "Patea Press": reports that a valuable horse ownod by Mr. %'rGlenny,' carrier,-' 1 died recently under peculiar . circumsta.nccs. On being opened up the animal's stomach'was found to contain over 1001b. of sand/ ■ Six who have been committed to the Supremo Court for sentence, will comebefore nis Honour, Mr. Justioo Chapman, this morning/ . / ■ A movement is afoot to form a federation of all trades engaged in tho building lino. The movement has been inaugurated by tho Wellington Building Trados Labourers' Union. - v- . >v. " ■ • -> ' This afternoon tho local boy scouts wilM muster in forco at the city boundary at-2>l p.my.iandcarry out several practicefii including tracking, searching, and grass hutbuilding. At the Monnt Cook Police -Court yesterday morning, .before Mr. Thomas Bland, J.l'., John Turner, charged with insobriety, was Sentenced- to otie, month's; imprisonment. Olio first offender;for;drunk6nliCßS. was convicted, and discharged, v' l .: The Hon..,A. T. Ngata will.ho tho speaker at the 1 first -meeting 'of"the''New' Zealand Club, to bp held between 1 pirn;, and 2; p.m. cn Tuesday next. Mr. M. Myers will proBide. .It is possiblo that Sir Charles Lucas may bo the guest of. honour at tho second meeting, t6' bo ' held a' fortnight later.' .. ' Cabuict yesterday: voted a further sum-of £15,000 for'; tho, Hutt- duplication works. TVeaty-five additional men—l 2 from Petono and the. balaiicq 1 from towii—have just been put on. _Refetiing tO;.this' matter,, the Hon., J. A. Millar says ithat tho men-arc on (lay wages, and'thty 'will hot be kept oh. if thdy cannot do a fair day's work. There is, ho adds; n0... roliof, work it. . • • : '■>.■' j! The negotiations between tho City Council and the-Gas Company, in . reference to tho company's ..desire to run. gas' ttains from its,new gasometer at Miramar to tho city, woro; advanced, a., further stage., at a co'nferoneo held yesterday morning. It is understood that the ideas, of tho'parties are drawing closer 'togother.::and .that', a-'-.settlement :is within measurable distanco; .;. It lias: been stated that, Bro. John\ Kershaw, in retiring'from the position of district secretary., for tile Manchester Unity of Oddfellows-, said that the district; fund s was over £7000.' .;This / should,: have.' read '• that tho* amount inentioned was, a' surplus, ~ The sick and funoral ; funds of the district aro £53,000, and the valuation .at' December 31, 1900, showed that the district-had a surplus of £7912. , *

i'-- • ; : The work of turfing l the northern end of tho Kent Terrabe Itesprvo is nearing completion, and. a couple of days'; work next' week 'should seo the hvork/finished. , Turf has been 1 laid rijjlit •along the reserVe from • the bottom of Tine. Street to Courtenay : Place,, .with the exception of one small spaed at tho bottom of Elizabeth- Street. 1 The; recent rains, have, gifreri;the turf «i good'start, Gate-, .ways ,and /; tocipg are now-in, hand;, and the! pathway 1 lip 'tub. centre of'the avenue is being set in-order., l? l'At i^6sti?rdaJ'B, ' ! prese&iilib&/?i; Mr.'Alfred Hill, his Worship the .'Mayor' (Dr. A. K. Newman) jocularly referred to''Mr.; Hill as oKtliejunorjnployed ivhom rJiovwas prbud to assist. / He said that concerts were not much (in his :line,' but thd' cheque was a solid :plie,j an'd,« liewas' going to 'ask; Some of his' lAusidAl frieiidS; to . arrange a concert in aid of tlio unemployed. "Iwill givo the hall and lighting 1 free arid they will do /the work (Laughter.) • . Ifj'it ! is anything • like' the lastj". said his "thoro should bo a hundred pounds in it lor tho fund." : •.. , \.Tho first Case jn .whieli ;ihO' employers arb asking : ; for.a';reducti6nvof wages in:an Arbitration' be ..heard nest •month. This .' is a '.case ih which tho- wages of Uaxniill workprSjivill, bo N gone ' into. The jirosent award ' expires on August 12,) and it lis anticipated . that rcferenoe to ; the. Conciliation Commissioner :' will' bb ifcade forthwith. J The; employers intend to ask for a reduction,i.which, they maintain, is justi-fied,-.by.; the. state of the. flax'industry at prbsent, and it is understood that tho. workers will combat this .oven to: the extent' of asking :for an increase ont the. present,- airard rateß. ' ' According. to tho, official, organ of Labotir, the , half-yearly meeting of tho Tramways Union was held on Sunday last, at which the balance-sheet, anclr report were unanimously adopted. ' The '.financial position is sound, with a good sum to credit, and there are 376 members in'.the"service. 'The New South Wales. Tramways Union Wro,te urgirig the desirability of forming an Australasian Tramways Employees' Federation, but as the New; Zealand Executive had decided to'refer tho question to the Cbnferenee of Tramways Representatives to be held: early nest year, it. was, decided , to . leavo the subject to conference to deal with/' Strong''exception .'was taken to the City Council using/conductors', "overs" for tho purpose of making up full pay to employees meeting: with accident. it being, pointed out that ;one man who had been injured in.the servico had been offered, under this system, 10s ; Gd. for fivo .and a half weeks laid up, which he. refused to accept, arid it was decided that the Manage-, merit ,Oonlmittee shollld interview' the, TramwayS; Committee oni the subject. . . I " Several wants Hutt district ,wero brought under tho, notice of. the flon. J. A. Millar (Minister' for Railways) by Mr. Wilford, M.P.j yesterday. . First of all, lie asked that; a shelter shed should bo erected 1 at Melling iSiding. Mr. Millar .replied that if it were to bo understood that tho siding was not.td be lriade a 'permnrient stopping place, ho might be prepared,to consider the matter. Mr. Wilford saia that he would niako tho application upon that ■ condition, v It was noxt desired, Mr; Wilford' continued, that certaim , cattle stops should beplankedi Only, recently a man had fallen-and injured, his shoulder. iTlio Minister n promised' that; something in the matter should bbi done at once. . Mr. Wilford tbori: subinitted tliat; additional accommodation. should be provided ■ in connectioil with the morning trains ,'froin Po--tono to_ Wellington. A football serum was not in it compared with" the rush for seats.' He also spokopf the delay , at Lower Hutt, .which was necessaiy owing to the mail train having to cross. There was no reason, he urged, why thb -orossing could riot take placo higher up. Mr. Millar said that he would look > into . those matters: Lastly, -Mr. Wilford;.strongly urged the acquisition of J; the. Hutt Park railway line. . Shortly tbo Wellington Harbbiir Board would bb waited tipon by the River Board with regard to a comprehetisivp Gchemo that was in hand. ! Tho - line,; lie said, tapped some' of the' best' residential land near the city. l If the Govern'-t ment paid the price years ago, viz., £4000, the' intei'cSt would not be very great; Mr. Millar promised also to look intothis matter. ... . ■ .'; Wo hale to.'advise'that we have taken : up the sole agency for New Zealand for the Burgon and Ball Sheep-Shearing Machines.' Writo for quotations for . installations. Andersons. Limited, 19 Bank Chambers. 9133