LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 581, 9 August 1909, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Victoria, with an English and Australian mail oil;.board, arrived at Auckland from Sydney at 1 p.m. yesterday. The Wellington portion of: tho mails i.will, arrivo here by tho Main Trunk express this afternoon;

It is understood that the police have discovered a quantity of goods hidden in tho Sydney Street-cemetery. It is further statedthat filio description of the goods tallies with that of goods missing. from a city shop.

The elements were on their very best Sunday behaviour yesterday. Hardly a cloud flecked the brilliantly blub sky throughout the day, and in the gentlo warmth of the sun there was the promise of an early spring. Yet it was- mid-winter. Tho distant Tararuas, heavily cloaked in snow, boro indisputable testimony to the fact.

. A proposal, to establish a joint superaunuation fund under tho Local Authorities Superannuation Act, 1908, for tho benefit.of tho employees of municipal councils, county councils, and harbour boards has .been drafted in Southland. The Municipal Association has consequently been asked to apply to tho various councils and'ascertain how many employees would bo likely to. join in, unci, what per.centago of wages or contributions the councils would be prepared to my. Mr. IV P.. Martin, secretary of the Municipal Association, has addressed a circular letter asking the various town clerks to bring tho proposal under the notice of tho councils. - :

A correspondent writes complaining that the suburban train service on the. Manawatu line, after being fairly goad for a time, has recently "again developed into a joke. For example; tho 5.25 p.m. train from town takes 27 imnutea to get to Ngaio, a distance*of 2J miles, at ths rate of Oi miles per hour." The Railway Department deny this statement as "grossly absurd." They admit that ono night, wjiou the rails were very slippery, the train took 17 or 18 minutes to got to' Ngaio, • but they stato that it has never taken longer than that to the Department's knowledge. The schedule time is 13 minutes, and the train, they say, is seldom lato.

Tho first "special" to travel tho fnil length of the Main Trunk line on other than State business left tho Thorndon Station for Auckland at 1 p.m. on Saturday. It consisted of five, carriages, one van, and two engines, convoying tho 150 members of Williamson's "Jnck and Jill" Pantomime Company, who arrived in Wellington on Saturday morning, and a.ro to open in Auckland this evening. Nuw Zealand used to bo n notorious country for lost time with tho professional, who is usually ongaged on tho "no play, no pay" principle. That, in brief, means that they do not draw their salaries every v/ockj but every sis: playing nights. Before tho transport facilities wore as good as they aro today it was quite common for a full fortnight to' bo lo3t during a tour of New Zealand. Now it is almost impossible to lose more than two or tlireo nights during a woll-nrrangcd tour. In' the casn of tjio "Jack and Jill" Company, a performance was given ,in Dunedin on Thursday evening, ana yet only two nights are lost lint>reen that centre ntid Auckland, where the company was due to arrive between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. _ yesterday. "Jack and Jill" will be soen in Wellington early next month.

Tivo- men, William Brown and llichard M'Cann; ivoro arrested by Constable Caldwell. on Saturday evening on a charge of assaulting and robbing a man named Joseph Mahon earlier, .in the' evening.

Joo Chong and Joe You, two inoffensive residents 6f Haining Street, were taking tho air o:t Saturday night, when two "Eulopeans" are alleged to havo assaulted them. Tho resultant outcry brought Constable Cumirinijs to the scene. Hβ extracted the "Eiiloponns" from tho melee, and took them to the Mount Cook Police Station. They will hn brought before the Court this morning.

In accordance with their usual custom the directors of To Aro House Drapery Company, Ltd., havo shown their appreciation for the past year's record trade by giving nil tho members of their staff who contributed to the success of tho firm a bonus in recognition of thoir zeal in furthering the interests of tho firm. In handing the littlo "surprise packet" to the recipients the manager stated that the directors wished it to be understood that when the business had prosperous timos they desired that all thoso who contributed to that happy state should share in some degree in the results. It 'is not generally known .that since its inception as a company To Aro House has always mado it a rulo to give all their employees one week's holiday a year and heads of departments'two weeks.

Examinations were held recently by the Inspection of- Machinery Department at Auckland, Awanui, Blonheini, Christehurch, DliP.ed.in, Gisborno, Hamilton, Hnvclock, liivercargill, Napior, Nolson,, Otaki, Palmerston North, Russell, Tiniaru, Wanganui, and Wellington. ■ Tho examination's .were for t!ie following classes of certificates:—Firstrclaes marino engineer, second-class ■ marino engineer, third-class marine engineer, river engineer, marine engine-driver and engineers of auxiliary powered i vessels (both for seagoing and river trade), extra first-clas3 ongineor, lirst-elass stationary engine-driver, second-class stationary engine-driver, locomotive and traction engine-driver and winding cngine-drivet- (for mining certificates). Of the two hundred and twenty-five candidates who sal ' for examination, ono hundrod mid fifty-seven were successful.

Tho Now Plymouth Harbour Board Sinking Fund Commissioners dissolved as a corpora to body on Monday last, says' tho "Taranaki News." A resolution was passed placing on record the commissioners' appreciation of tho services' rendered them by tho first secretary, Mr. C. Rennell, up to bis retirement, and subsequently by his successor, Mr.. C, S, Rennell. A vote of thanks was also given to tho.chairman, Mr. H. Wcsj ton, for the able manner in which/ho has carried out his duties for the many years ho hits conducted the business of the commissioners. The last oftcial act of the com. missioners was to. call upon the Bank of New Zealand to cancel tho debentures held RU« to ci«n a cheque for tho balance lying to their credit and hand it to the Harbour Bcwd. The total worth of the sinking fund was £05.893 os. 2d., chiefly accumulated by compound interest, the earnings of the fund being invested in-the board's bonds.

' Tho picture of a group of submarines which we published in Saturday's issue was reproduced from the "Weekly, Press."