LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 591, 20 August 1909, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The prospect of an ' early settlement of the . difference between ' the Gas Company and the City Council is said , to lo bright, but Vas negotiations are still proceeding,' nothing definite can be gleaned: at present.

;.. A start was made yesterday morning will) the Work of forming the cutting from Constable, Street >on to tho Town Belt, so as to give an,approach to the now road along tho hill-top to Mount Victoria. '■! Work bas also bten commenced with tho metalling of the new. road. , N. V , . .'■ .--■';•• ; : ■.■-.-■ -:

A new wing is to be.added to tie Anglican Maori College at CJareyille, at which the attendanuo has largely increased under the present warden, the Hey. H. T. Stealey.

By a notice in this week's Gazette'the old military road in the Lower Hutt is exempted from the provisions of Section 117 of tho Public Works Act—the clause which provides that now buildings must be set back 83ft.-, from tho centre of the road,

The tree thief has not been, unknown to Miraniar in the past, and it was reported at last. night's meeting of < the Miramar Borough Council that ne is still operating. Tbo Mayor brought the. matter before the council, and it was decided to offer a reward of £10 to any person who gives information which will lead to the conviction .of...any person stealing or'damaging trees. ' . ■

Tho-drawing of the semi-final of thp Fifth Annual Debating Tournniuent of the Wellington Debating Union resulted as.follow:— Karori v. Victoria College, Vivian Street v. Y.M.C.A.,. 'Wellington Catholic Club v. St. Hilda's (Island Bay), and St. John's v. St Anne's Olub. Tho subject of'debate was chosen by , Mr. Granyille Hunt, at the ro quest of the Executive Committee, and is '."That the granting of female franchise in New .Zealand has had a detrimental effect on subsequent legislation." The contests are to take place on Monday, September 6.

Whilst at Christchurch on Tuesday, the Hon. D. Buddo, Acting-Minister for Lands; referred to the, securing of areas of lands for settlement in tho, vicinity of large towns and cities. Ho pointed.out that substantial areas of such land, had been offered to the Land Purchase. Board all over New Zealand.' In two.cases at least tho areas.wero closo to" large towns. A considerable proportion of tho land offered was suitablo for closer settlement. At present, however, ho recommendations had been made. It must be distinctly understood, however, the Mini»ter concluded, that no land would be bought exoopt ut 6 to market prioe. . v ... ;

New regulations governing the issue of | postal notes appear in this-week's Gazette, i

A notice in tho .Gazette vests tho nublio hall and library reserve at Ohakune in tho Ulmkuno Town Board. . .

William Bishop Black Hutcuings," builder, Kelburue, filed a schedujo in bankruptcy yestorday.' Tho first meeting of his creditors will be held on August 27, at 11 a.m.

Money order and postal correspondence is forbidden by Gazette notice to be sent to the Anglo-Australian Importing Co., of Bray's Buildingß, ,Pitt Street, Sydney. . ■■' ' \

A young man was arrested by Detectivo Cariieron yesterday on a charge of stealing a pair of boots,'the property of' Wm. Geo. M'Cann. Ho will be charged at the Magis. train's Court this morning.', . , .-.■.',

When the Waterside Workers'' Conference (which has been sitting since Monday morning) was about'to adjourn at 4 p.m. yestor-: day, Mr. D. M'Laren (secretary pf the federation) said, there were 35 remits still to •be dealt with, besides a quantity of rniilino business. He did'nbt know how much longer the conference would last, . if- it eat beyond tho present week, it might bo.necessary to secure another room.

The gang of men employed on tho new Happy Valley Road will bo transferred on Monday nest to the stretch of road between the'new bridge and ' tho septic tank. Tho erection of the bridge is progressing satisfactorily, anti should bo nearitig completion in a ''.fortnighti's: liinie, although it will' probably be six weeks _ before the foundations have set firm enough to allow of. traffic going over the bridge. i

Tho officers-. aJid men of the Wellington* Volunteer Pirti Policp, h,avmg accepted a challengo to a. progressive ■ cuchro content : issued uy tli6,. : Kilbirnio Volunteer Fire Brigade, tho; meeting took place- at'/O'DorilielFs Hall, Kilbirnie, last night. Victory was secured by ! tbe visitors, tho scores being 87 und 83. The Mayor (Dri A.. K. Newman) was present, and made an appropriate speech. A ; very enjoyable , evening was spent,

The rough. condition of the muclifrequcntod footpath from the morgue along past tho To Aro railway station ..has been commont<xi on by a number of Oriental; Bay and 1 Wellington East ratepayers of late,' but from what.can be gathered, nothing is likely to bo done to the footpath until pressure is brought to bear on the City Coiuicu\and the Railway Department. In the meantime much-needed improvemsnt could , bo effected if a man snent a day on.the path, .levelling off .tho miniature hillocks, "and breaking tlio big stones which -obtrude .themselves. '.■.

Tlio following.regulation affecting tho in/Vestment of sinking funds on local bodies' loans guaranteed by the Government. ; ap-i pears in this week's Giusette:—"All moneys directqd to :be paid to the Public Trustee under Sub-Section 2 of Section 10 of the Local Bodies'' Loans Amendment Act' 1908, and 1 all interest accruing fberofrora, shall be invested hy the, Public Trustee in tiie same manner as moneys forming the common fund of tho Public Trust Office are directed to be invested under> Section 34 of. the Public. TrustOffico Act, 1908." (''' : ' :

New Zealaiiders will rogret to learn (says the Sydney' "Daily, Telegraph") >,that the ■-Dominion 'is,'in future to be cut out.of the tours of tlio. leading companies under the Clarke-McyneU-Giuin ■ jnanagement. , ■■-Mγ. Meynell explains, as. the reasons for this .de-ci-BJoni that the serious expenses, involved ;in travelling,: the.heavy shipping charges, and the- damage-done io scenery, constitute so formidable a tax "upon managers that'-'.'the ganio, is 'not, worth the candle." Again,"': the existing"depression iiv.■-certain parts of New Zealand has manifestly, been a;factor, jn ..'the situation. The operatidrjs'.of tho , bo 'chiefly confined to Sydney and Melbourne for 'their! important companies. ,, '-', '<■/■"':' i

,Tho ' following tonders were i received. , -'.by the. Public 'Worlis' Department the- erec- , tion of a. piilico.station .at Shannon:—Accoptod:' Townshend and-'Johnston,'.'■■Welling-ton,. £720.- Rejected: A. Spiers,, Foxtoii,. £758;. W. ; Adams, Palmorston %rth,- £815; A; ■•M'Kechhiei". ,Welliligtol{ ) ' , ''£BlS'{-- Frank Rolfe, ■Palinerston North, £856 ; John Wright, -Ohakunc,. £872; W. Robbie; Palmerstoii.North, £S80: T. A. Williams, Levin, '£806 i-.AV.'H.' , Edwards'and Son, Wellington, £028; G.S.vkes, Lower. Hutt, £929-. M'Lcan' and Gray,'■ Wellington,' £1095; Jos* Stanford, Wellingtonj-'£ll67;'■ Donald M'.Lean, Wellingtoi,. £1185. •: ■ '.: .", .... .

The poor old Crystal Palace (London) is in a serious plightj Mr. Justice Nevillo having ■ intimated that ho ; will shortly; assent to ! the petition for compulsory wiiuling-up, presented'by tho Prudential Assurance Company: as holders of .first ■debentures,',subject to a legal point, and .unless , a , substantial Bchemo'for-carrying on tho Palace is forthcoming. A new company , is proposed, which hopes to recruit .life members at a' guinea each, , and; to include a hatiouaJ theatre, in", memory. of Shakespearej aiioiig its. at-, tractions. ; Whether'sufficient will pay their guineas, _ instead . of ; hoping to see others do'; so,, is, problematical; The loss ot the Palace would cost London a pang, even though few Londoners care' ■to take ' tho suburban.railway journey there and. buck.•■••

- One of the-matters which engaged the. attention of the : Hon. G. Fowlde, Minister for Education, during his recent visit to .Christchurch, was the 'Q ucst ' on of. reformatory methods at industrial schools.. .Ho said*that the Education Department: had frequently been told that it should abandon-such institutions as tlio Burnham , Industrial School in favour of tho "cottage. home" system. It was. evident. tll.it it- was not geiierally known' that the Department had adoptc & the cottage home system in dealing ;with a certain class of boys. At the industrial farm at iWeroroa this, system of. accommodating the lads had been adopted, arid 'there- wero two cottage homos at liurnham itself.- The Department believed, however, that the boys of tho class which was-now dealt with in central institutions, under one roof, required much stricter discipline ajul supervision than those whom it was advisable to place in cottage homes. . ; ■• ' : ...■■' ;'

'"'■'■ Dui'ing ' yesterday's proceedings at thu Waterside Workers' ; Conference, Mr. A. L; Jones, of AVellington, cxpressod a -longing for the eloquence of. a Gladstone, in order that he might adequately set forth llio trials of. the casual work6r.. It was evident, however, that Mr'; Jones was doing his best with the vocabulary at his command. Speaking to a motion against tho flour duty, he dfeclared: "These monsters in'.human form, who collar tile' food of the-people, mustbo stopped. '. They \siro brutes." This brbuiiwt, Mr.. Jl'Lareiij M.1 , ., to:,his feet. •"I protest," he said, "against the aso .of such l languago! ; It is not calculated ;to further our-cause,to call any. man a brute." The chairman'ruled'that'so long as speakers COnJiiuxl themsolvos ■ to the motion . before" the confprehce, lie:, must-leave'their choice ,ol language to theii; own good taste. Mr. jJ. Jaoksou (Greyjnouth) said be hoped.the,conference'could ekpress its views oleariyj ani/ strongly. without resorting to. the style.; of language used by some of, the delegates.,'

' lii reply to a deputation at Beaumont with referenco to the Lawronce-Botfburgh railway, the Hon. R. M'Keiizie, Minister for Public Works, stated- that there was no uso mak« ing representations to tho ; Government on the subject. Only fifty-one' had been sent away from , Lawrence this season; a«d it ; would .take a good many fifty-ono tons to make a railway pay. He was not in , a position to say that no railway would be made, probably there would bo, and it might bo a lighter lino than tlio'ono to Lawrence. One could pe.rhaps bo put in for £200,000. That was the lowest estimate he could got, Mr. Usshcr's estimate was £320,000. There wore three or four lines being advocated to Roxburgh,, and ho was prepared• to admit that the district wanted a railway ..The population was shiall, buf! the district wbs capable of great development. The people tried to make out that it was a great fruitgrowiiiff district, but they must excuso him for saying that no. did not think it just now grew any fruit at rill.' The people must, however, distinctly undorstaliu that they would; havo to get their representatives to agree.on this question. .Only one railway to Roxburgh would he made. When it would bo made ho did rjot 'know, but it was essential that their representatives should agree to drop every line but one. If the Government saw that a line would pay they wore not going- to insist on its immediately returning interest, but,lines that threatened a burdonon'tho ratepayers. should ho discontinued. The question really rested with Parliament, who voted the money., . '.