LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 565, 21 July 1909, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Mails which left Wellington on Juno 11, per s.b. Warrimoo, and connected at Sydney with tho Naples mails, per R.M.S. Oroya,'arrived in London on the'afternoon of July 19, one day early. ; A Gazette Extraordinary prorogues Parliament until Augustl9. . '■.■'■.

' The Wellington Garrison ; Signallers will make a start on their syllabus this evening, when a lecture will be delivered at the Drill Hall on the " Application ,of Signalling."

A rumour was current'iti town yesterday that Auckland flour risen from £10.10s. to £11 os., free on board, at the northern port. Inquiries made in several' quarters foilod to verify; the rumour, although various business men interested in the trade had heard of it. ' : 1 1 : r ■

i A start has been made with the erection of the condensing machinery at the city's lighting power-house in Mercer Street. / Advioe . has been received that practically the whole of the plant for the -Parsons- turbine contract will arrive from Londpn J>y the Tonganro, duo about July 27. '

With regard to the dispute'as, to the sito for, the new fire brigade station at Masterton, Captain Hannah, who is in charge of tho Government Fire. Brigade / and appliances, proceeded there yesterday with a view of reporting on the matter; ; By I a special-committee, sot up for -the purpose, it was decided last night that a series of evangelical services should bei • held in the, Thorndon Methodist Chnrch, beginning on August 8. Preparatory services, with that end in view, are to be held .next week , and :the ,we6k following; .- i " '

The Tongariro, due from London about July 27/ haß seven first-class, 27 second-class, and ! 181 third-class passengers. Among them are 74 assisted immigrants, (19 men, 30 women, and 25 children), of whom 24 are ' nominated. ' The assisted .passengers in-' elude 18 domestic servants, eight, farmers, and seven farm labourers, and they .bring capital in sums of £900, £400, £300, £200, down.to £25.,/ ~ '

-Tho Northern'Wairoa cannot complain ot slackness in the, timber'industry (miteß our correspondent). The b.s. Waipori, which loadof at Tatarariki mill, earned ( awav a million and a quarter feet of< sawn timber, and left a nearly clean yard. The mill 6tockß of logs are now heavy; and it is intended to run tiie saws night and day to fulfil existing ordors.

Aooording to the Acting-Prime Minister (Hon. J. Carroll); Crown lands-aggregating 1-530,129 acres have been leasedi or .'sold sinoo 190 G., The Crown Lands Guidei at .the present , time, he says, contains 1,144;445 acres. Before tteietd^f would be ready to be opened; Or tho Hauraki Plains lnnds reclaimed (from PiakdASwamp,: it is -hoped that some 30,000 acres, of riclv land - would ; be -available -for .settlement. earlyin the autumn. ~r,'V - . The curative properties of work, are believed ill at the Ot-aki Sanatorium. At a meeting 'of- the I ,;Wellington-. Hospital Board yesterday, a report was handed in'on tho work done by each patent at the Sanatorium', j and the comments of tho head gardener on the efforts of tho men wero attached. In thermajority. of cases the work done, during'.the past month, was, satisfactory, but iri one or , two cases the comment was liot flattering. One man was described as being a. careless: worker, whilst another would "sooner sit down than aW OI :'-On an average, the patients worked ono and a half hours a day. !

A handsome silver shield, mounted on an oak base, is to bo presented to the Wellington Bowling Centre by Mr. Wm.l Flyger, for competition.at the centre's next tournament.-; The shield, of unique design, is surmounted with a' jack": flanked ■by two bowls (with ivory discs), and' a bowl .rests •on each shoulder of the shield. It is proposed the donor that the shield >hall be .held by .tho winners for ;a year, and their namet; shall bo inscribed on.:one of the smaller shields tbiat stud; the Oak backing. 'As the North Island Bowling Association's tournament is\:set down ;for January 2, it might .'Jw advisable to hold the centre's annual summer tournament, at' Christmas'this year. .r ■

Says our travelling correspondent:—Slips on-tho old; Manawatu Gorge , coach road do not seem to be diminishing. When one re-' calls its one-time grafideur, the; thoroughfare in places now presents an aspect not pleasant to contemplate. Falls of'.'oarthV- with dead vegetation-, 1 dead trees and limbs; and'stones' and boulders, meet the eye for a course; of several miles, while 1 above. are the hills, always disintegrating . themselves - and sliding; unceremoniously into the . voracious gorge. Some of the bridges appear to be decaying from old age, and with its fractured and serrated edges the old; road seems to be a "no man's land." TralvOllers by tlie train on. tlie other side of the gorge vaguely wonder whether the recently-constructed £20,000 bridge; at the.'Aslihurst end was meant to help the road or whether tho. road was meant to help the' bridge.. , 1 Mr. J: W. Joynt (Registrar of the University of New Zealand) announces , that the Orient Royal jMail Lino of steamers has decided to offer yearly two free first-class retvini passages between "Australia and England in favour of graduates of the University of New Zealand, who desire to proceed to Europe for tile puiposoiof' Continuing their studios. Tho passages will bo available during the months of May to September (both inolusive) 'to Europe, and. during tho months of March to July (both inclusive) outwards from Europe. Tlie Union Steam 'Ship Company and Hud-dart-Parker ; ; Steamship ! Company havo agreed to supplement this offer by extending a. similar, concession between New Zealand and Australia' to graduates , selected : thereunder.' 'It is the wish of the companies that preference should be given to graduates, who. though wishful to > go to Europe, are debarred from doing so by reason of the'expense involved, rather than to the holders of any particular / niiversity. distinction' or. graduates who aro able to dispense with such assistance,' and'would go m any case.. r A telegram was received yesterday ,by tlie. Hon. A. R. GuinneSs from Sir. Morris, chairman of.the "West Coast Timber Association,; protesting against the proposal of tho Minister for Railways to impose an oxport duty of I twopence- per' 100 ft. on all timber shipped over the Greymouth Wharf. It was pointed. ,-out by Mr. Morris that sawmillers. had a numbor of difficulties.to contend with. - Tho freight on tho railways for timber was, for instance, double the rate charged for coal haulage;. Upon being interviewed, the Hon, J, A. Millar informed Mr, Guinness that it was, in his opinion, absolutely necessary to irioreaso tho revenue of the Harbour Board at Grcymoiith. '.With that object'in view lie had asked tho board whether. it\ would recommend that an export duty be- imposed, but lie had not yet received a reply. All the boards under tho control of the Government (excepting thoso at Greymouth and Westport) charged an export duty of twopence per 100 ft. on timber. He promised not to havo the necessary Ordcr-in-Council passed until after the 1 now: Harbour Boards; had- boon •gazetted, and had oonsidcrcd'tho proposal. ■ .

Tenders- for the now nurses' . home, at Otaki were considered in committee yestern <^ G Wellington District Hospital Board. A sub-committee, was set up to confer with tho architect on the matter.

Yesterday, Constable Hall arrested a man on a charge of obtaining from . Hop Tie, grocer,, a quantity of tobac.eo under false j pretences, amounting iii tofti valuo to £3 4s. Gd. ■ i• :

Sovon persons will appear -before tin magistrate this morning .on charges* 'of drunkenness. They were arrested yesterday. Included in the numbor are two seamen, who were arrested by Constable O'Brien, and taken to the lock-up with no littlo difficulty, both being very violent. ; . • '■ v

At tho Mount Cook Police Court yesterday morning, before Mr. W. Hildreth. J.P John Rielcy, Bernard Durilop, and 'William Black, each ' charged with being drunk, and disorderly, were convicted and discharged. Throo first offenders for drunkenness': were dealt with as follow:—Oneiwas fined 10s., in do-' fault 48 hours' imprisonment,, another 155., in_ default 24 hours' imprisonment, and tho third was convicted and discharged.

; Two arrests on charges of : theft wcro mnd-o by tlie city detectives' yesterday. Detectives Hammond and, Cameron ■ took a man into custody, on a charge of stealing an overcoat from a boardinghouso in Dixon Street., Detectives Lewis' and Andrews arrested a person on a charge of appropriating two overcoats ■ from the shop , door of tho Union-Clothing Company in Manners Street. They also arrested another man on d of being in unlawful possession of a pair of boots,' tho owner of which is unknown.

- Many/will remember the story by , Robert t Louis' Stevenson of the' destitute man in Paris who allowed his head to bo shaved and used as the ground for an advertisement in a-shop window. It is recalled by a clover hair-restorer advertisement now being made in tie show window,of a city chemist.' This takes the form of a young lady , with a bountiful crop of beautiful hair, which completely obscures the back of the chair in which' &bo is; sitting It is impossible , to sco tho ladv s face—that, indeed, is the cleverest thing IA. tho advertisement' in view of the natural, curiosity of the human race.v ■ Tho attempts of every spectator to' pet a side view of the lady b faoe. are. comical in th« extreme.

"Blenheim " writes: —"Permit me . to tender a suggestion to tho local management, of tho Union bteaiu Ship Companv, through' the medium of your columns. , -A large number of visiters axe in town for tho, race* from Marlborough, Nelson, and tho ."West Coast; and it would bo a: great convenience to theso if the Arahura oould be timed to leave at 7.30 or 8 p.m. on Saturday, instead of at 12:45, her usual time. • A special train from Picton to Blenheim would, meet requirements of Marlborough visitors; and if, as I am informed, the ;tido would necessitate the; boat being delayed at I'ictolv'' if ' she lpavev at hex usual time, no inconvenience, wofild be caused to Nelson and West Coast patrons by this- alteration in' tho sailing time." ■ .

"■ Union, wages and unemployment] woro tba subject ,of Bomp remarks at - tho Benevolent Trustees? raeoting yesterdays A man cook, who appeared not for the first time, whoa asked wliethor ho had tried to get s-n,engage-ment on one of. tho. oversea steamers, said they ; would not tako on a , man . at £12-a month when.they : could, get ono .for £7,-at Home. The union, here, would' not let a 1 man work,for' lc6s than;£l2; 'The; chairman (Mr., Johji Smith); /'Then the union ought to bo hanged.. .It's, a 7 shame if they , won't let' a man take; work at a reasonable rate under the present ci reu m stan oes. " Mr. 'D. Robertson suggested that if tho union would not lot the man work, tho union shoold keep him. Relief was granted for another, week.

Writes a correspondent: Whilo .I. majr admiro retrenchment, in a vague and general'. • way, L strongly; object to tho "powers ■ thathe' '>vc\itting down ' the gas . supplies on , the traintf- at'wie erponso; of comfdrt •to the passengers. On Friday, July 16, a oar on ,the"train which arrives from New Plymouth. ini'iWanganuif at .8.10 / p.m. was suddenly ,; plung<^f!ihi«?darkft^fesin.to v !<ihoi!grcat. incoWj, .venionce of the passengers, who woro forced' to'finish their ride— half-an.hour —trith' bo illuminimt save" a very -flickeringv oililampj'wliicih'i Was brought- inj.as. a-'reservej'.: ■ Inquiry revealed the jfact that itbe. car gas--' reservoir-had become quite,exhausted. -. Next, day on the, 12.60-1.65 Pahnorston ~ North- - > Woodvillo•• tain,:':which".connects. the vAuck-, land train !Witk:.tho Wellington-Napier oxpress, passengers.had to ride in darkness through tho • tunnels. . -