LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 641, 19 October 1909, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

IV hales were plentiful in regions visited by tho Amokura last week. The commander of-the traming-ship reports that when ;soveral. hundred mnes eflrthe New Zealand coast, .two large schools of whales ,were passed. One of the . schools Was, composed of the "sulphurbottom variety, and tho othor of "finbacks." _A striking feature el'the last and successful °? or n,M A a<le °?, Snt »rdayto clear off the debt nlf 1 , 6 !? on the n°«- church of St. -Luke. Chrislchurch, so that it could be consecrated on bnnday, four days after it was opened, was that the vicar no- fewer than . nine blank cheques for him to fill up with what amounts he chose. The result of the effort was that of a hundred guineas over and above the amount of the debt were received. One iof tlio Commerce Congress 'delegates, while at Lake Wakatipu, was S , a "f ao ?. d , b 7 -the appearance of the black birch-forests abounding in • that district'that ho desired to secure somo seed to sow on his property in England. He was surprised to learn, however, that so far it has been practically • impossible to secure fertile seed, and that a specimen of the New Zcaland black birch is not to be found at Home oven ■at Kew Gardens. The gentleman in question was so impressed with tho magnificent blooming qualities bf.tbo corse in Now Zealand, that he has arranged for some seed to be forwarded to him on his return. Our Feilding correspondent states thnt Mr. T. Scoble Cornish, of Kiwitea, has written a three-act drama of the period of the Jlnori War, entitled "Ngaio." Mr. and Mrs. Cornish have organised a company of amateurs to produce "Ngaio" in Feilding towards tho end of January next, in aid of tho funds of the Palmerston Hospital, and the play has been in active rehearsal for somo time.. :■• •■■,.- The 6ub-committeo of .the City' Council's Finance Committee, which has in hand the matter of the negotiations for the further widening of Willis' Street by tho inclusion' of Mr.' John Duthio's property, met yesterday morning, and will, it is stated, report progress ■to the Finance Committee to-day. , In the courfe of its reference to the extension of the P. and.O. service, tho "Sydney Daily Telegraph" says:—"The decision of the directors of the P.' and 0. Company, to run some of their largest steamers Sydney to Auckland and back will be hailed with satisfaction by the travelling public. It marks a. new and notable 6tage in the history of .Australasian steam communication, and connects Now Zealand .with the Commonwealth by etill ono more link. There is little:doubt that th'e new service will bo I well patronised, because, in the first place, it will enable the P. nnd 0. Company to offer n through passage to travellers from. Lorfdon.tp New Zealand, a'considerable inducement to''passengers booking in Lon-' don, and similarly through passage-to New Zoalanders travelling to Europe. Tlie service between Sydnpy and-Auckland in tho magnificent now steamers of the P. and 0. Company is likely also to attract many passengers for the' voyage.between-thc two, ports," ■■''■.' : ..'._.. ~' One-of the British delegates to tho Chambar of Commerce Congress brought his son out from Home with him with the idea of tho latter taking up land in Australia. ;After coming to Kcw Zealand,'however," the youngman' determined 'to settle in tho Dominion, and it is probable that ho will go through a; course at Lincoln College before taking up a farm. A programme of. bnhd porformances, subsidised by the City Council, has 'just', been issued, and covers dates'up to September 1910. Next Sunday's programme will bo given at Island Bay by tho Newtown Band, nnd the Garrison Band will'follow tho next week at Newtown Park. In view of the extension of the tram servico toLyoll Bay.this locaHty is being catered for in the way of band music, the first programme''there; being set ,down;for December 9. : ,' .■ !; . . . . ■ • .

'It will be some little'time'before'the; sup-- : ploinentary list'-'of iiw Kpp'ointmcnts ,; to' the commission of tho pcaco ready for puoliention. Referring to the subject, yesterday,: the Hon. Dr. Findlay. stated that it would contaitt , A considerable 'number bf 'names, and that all parts of the Dominion would be .'concerned-;,.', i- . : ■ ■•■■ ..-.' ' '■■'■ ' : . ( 'The bluejacket? of H.il.S. Challenger are,atpresent undergoing (in detachments) their annual dasvfiring course.in musketry at;Trentliam. Tho first detachment went into camp.yesterday. ■ . .■.-..'■.■ ~■'•:'■:'■ -■' . ..-].. Acting-Detective Hammond arrested-a man • yesterday ■on a charge of obtaining by false pretences a pair of boots, valued' at Us. 6d., from Albert Mann, bootmaker, Vivian Street, .on Oetobe's. ■ . . '■■< : ;: : ■ Although tho'tramway department received ■ advice eome.; time > back' that the gear for the now Biooklyn tram had been shipped from New York, nothing has keen heard of the consignment Of late. The machinery. was to'go from New York to London, and' there .■.Bβ transhipped for New Zealand. " >■■ ■ ■ .

"New Zealand Illustrated." the Chrielmas number of the "Weekly Press," is the first of this yoar'e Christmas annuals to hayo renched us, and it sets a very high standard indeed for its rivals Wβ doubt.if anything finer in the way nf this class of process block printiii? has been producod anywhere,. The illustrations, whioh areiwell chosen and.admirably varied, gain an added, attractiveness from their excel-; leDt arrangement, and-tho. appropriateness,of tho colouring, wnile tho quaint borders' and embellishments' of J[r. Kennijway are qnite aj feature in themselves. ••: As a supplement : is. given'tho portrait, in colours of an-elaborately, tattooed Maori' warrior of, the old school—aver >■ fihepicce of work indeed. Tho wholo production is highly creditable to the "Weekly Press' , staff, and will, hp'doubt, ; bo eagerly sought after by those - desiring to eend an appropriate 'Christmas souvenir.to friends abroad. A fire : occurred-early yesterday morning in a sis-rocraod dwelling owned occupied by Mr. J. W. Stewart,. in ■ Washiugton Avonuei Brooklyn. , There had been au incipient outbreak on Sunday evening, by which -a' curtain and bed .were.ignited, and it is surmised that the second firo was,the result of smouldering. The front room was practically destroyed, and the remaining portion of the house,badly damaged. The Wellington and Brooklyn Fire Brigades ' xvero in prompt attendance. The building was insured for- .£3OO in tho Commercial Union.'and the contents were covered in tho State Office to the extent of ,£IOO. Mr. JohnDineon's , house, adjoining, was also slightlydamaged. It was-'insuredMn the Liverpool, London, and Globe for £100, and the cofitents for . v ; ■■•■• ■ '■' •;, ' Mr. P. Warnford-Davis, who is chairman of tha ...'manufacturers'''section of ; tho London .Chamber of. Commerce, is .confident that tho visit of the Imperial commerco, delegates, to New. Zoaland, as well as to the Commonwealth, !will result in increased trado in both.directions, to the mutual benefit of the Motherland and Australasia. Ho is of opinion that tho cause of tariff refoym, of which he'is an earnest advocate, will triumph •at Britain's next general election—an , event which he expects to take placo curly next year. ' : '

■ The annual conference'-. of. delegates of the New Zealand Miners' Federation commenced its sittings at 10.30' a;m. yesterday in Lyons's Cafe, .Willis Street. Mr. R. Semple, of:Greymouth, president of tho Federation,' was in the chair. At tho commencement of tho conferonea a vote was taken on tho question of admitting or excluding members of the press, and the. result, was that delegates decided, to .do their business in camera. ,

■At an early hour yesterday doming tho Government training ship Amokura arrived back in' Wellington from an unsuccessful : soarch for the:ruissini? steamer Duco. Captain Hooper reports that the 'vessel- mi>t with- fine weather throughout tho cruise. . The'erection of the. big turbine at the' Mercer Street lighting works is almost completed,' and a trial run will probably be got out of the now machine before tho end of the week. ,'i'ho turbine will not bo run at full speed until niter tho dryihg-out process ha?, been completed, and this will take' several d»ys. '■ An inquest into the circumstances touching ,tho death of Henry S.-Lamborg, contractor, of Lyell Bay Koad, was conducted by the city coroner. Dr. M'Arlhnr, S.M., yesterday afternoon. . Dr. FyfTe, who-.performed a post- ■ mortem examination on the body, stated that death was probably duo to thn fatty condition of tho heart causing .sudden syncope. M>9. Lamberg, wife of deceased, said that, oh Saturday night, Mr..: lamborg complained of bcinK very tired. He'had mado no complaint in tho morning. Deceased was gardening on the following morning, and his nephew,; who called to . eeq; him, entered , ' the garden, but .fonnd him lying down, Witness went but and found her husband as stated. Tho body was carried into the house, and thinking that ho might have..bran in a fit, a doctor Was sent for, but when Dr. King arrived ho pronounced life to be'.oxtinct. The coroner returned a wdidt in accordance with the medical evi, donee. , • ••■.'• ■.-'■-. ■■• .-■ i :.._:..

' The iiow tramway 12-trip tickets, sanctioned at tho last meeting of tho City Council, wero pi need on sale .on the cars ycetorday. Tho tickets cap also bo obtained from tho shops which supply tho concession tickets. .'.. It is the opinion of somo of tho leading, ■' spirits of, the no-licenso party that, from '..; notv, onwards, the question-of Dominion no- , license will increasingly dominate the : ' tion. In their, view, just (is " reduction " is.. at present considered a secondary matter compared with local no-license, so local no-licenso . will now become secondary, as tho aim of the 1 ' ■ •party, in connection with their true objoetHV i.e., Dominion uo-liconso. At the meeting on ■ Friday next in tho Town' Hall, it is intended to bring Dominion option directly, into the , field of present-day politics, and the Rev. R. ' S. Gray, of Christchurch, will raovo, the reso- ' lution regarding it. Mr. A. S. Adams is to; deal with the bore majority question, and Mr.; L. 11. Isitt with the King Country licenses. : ' On Saturday a very pleneant entertninment was given ia the Ncwlands (Johnsonvillo) Infant School, in nid of the children's annual ■' picnic. Miss Graves (the schoolmistress) played a selection from Gounod's "Faust," Miss Mun- , caetor and Mr. Parsons gave a violin duct from Bellini's "Norma," Mr. Frank ■ Tunlcy Bang "Tho Veteran," and Sullivan's "Loat. Chord. ,1 • and Mrs. Hanson's song, "The Old Homo Songs," • was much appreciated. Mrs. l London recited'" in good style." Mrs. , Pritehard'.sang'twb songs with great feeling, and Miss M'Cleiland danced 1 , tho Highland Fling to Mr. Shannon's bagpipe--, playing, and won a well-deserved cncoYe! Messrs.' Brown, Wilkes, and Purger gave ' amusing, items. Mr. R. de Couroy played a cornet solo. Mr. J, Tunley's humorous'songs'were a.fenture'' of tho 'evening,-and Mr. , Parson's violin 6olos were much enjoyed.; 'Mr. Pritehard presided l . - at the piano. "; ; • ; • '['-' ' It is understood that the report of Mr. H. AV. Bishop, S.M., on the Police Commission uran handed to tho Government • yesterday.' . v Tho first number of tho Dannevirko "Evening. News," published on" Saturday, is an extremely promising beginning.' The paper; of twelve pages, is yell printed and arranged;' country-, news forming a largo proportion of its matter. Other features aro nn' ontcrtjiininß ■ topical" column, entitled "Wise and ■"' Otherwise,"' a Chnroh column, which is to appear weekly, an interesting account of the paper's ■ plant and' proporty, and the first chapter of a serial story) by Louis Tracy. Tho issue appears to' 6uffcr' from nordly any of;tho defects that are common to first numbers.' . The.. politics of the "News" aro explained to be>fhose of the fte-' form party, with justice to the ' Government when its actions deserve well of, the country, .< "Nobody but a bigot can deny," says the leading article, "that New' Zealand has a great' deal to thank 'the Government for, however' much wo may detest,,its mothods.". Tho' methods are described' as follow:—"The' usual'. procedure in constitutional .government , is for' tho Government to continue in offico only so, long as its policy commands ttie support of'■ha. . country. Suppose it is a'• question of lend', tenure; A leasehold Government would resign ns; 6oon ns it , found itself , in a; minority ,cn.' sucha vitally important matter—the Govern-, rafent would be.changed. But not so in ■ NewZealand to-day. Hero tho Government quietly, drops'its principles and adopts those of themajority; it 6ets ofSce before principles, 'itlace.'-' and power before everything.: That is what is. meant by 'government by the people/ Of course this simplifies the machine of govern-' ment greatly, ;but does < not. tend to = politicalmorality. This,, then, is ono reason;.why WBj find it- impossible to; follow, the Government. , There are others, maladministration for instance, improper use of political influence, clasf legislation, etc.". , i ;.'.; ...H ... ' ,-.■'' November 8 and 9 will be marked at Palmep 'stoa North.by the. annual,.noval and military ; tournament: ■ A' , highly interesting display,', neluding a'uiimbcivof emting",'contests l l iß cer-' ■"Vtain ,to bo witnessed, .and the. programme will \ '• ;be both patriotic and popular. AH branches i of the Royal; Navy and I 'N.Z.' Defence Forces : i will compete;!.;..'..;'.i,'-.'. , ... ■:.,.-.._.,.-.,..-. -.••■.