LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 658, 8 November 1909, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Tho Maheno, with English, American (Tia 1 Vancouver), and Australian mails on board arrived at Auckland'at, 9.45 a.m. yesterday. The Wellington portion of the mail will reach' here by, this afternoon's Main Trunk express. Tho question given notice of by. Mr. Wilford, notifying an intention to ask tho Government to impose a duty on imported coal; did not emanate from. the. member for'.Hutt. Jir. Wilford merely, gave notico of the question on behalf of the SpeSkerj .Mr. Guinness. In our criticism of the suggestion of . a ooal duty, Mr., Wilford should be exonerated from responsibility aa he was merely carrying out a formal duty in acting for the Speaker. ■ On Tuesday (King's Birthday) the Postal DoSarbnent. will be closed in all-its branches, tails' for, steamers sailing on.'-that'day "will cioso at , 8 o'clock . this evening; there will not be any deliveries by letter-carriers, but a delivery will be made from the Drill-shed between 8.30 ,-and 9.30 o'clock to-night; also the public counter at the Chief Post Office will be kept open from 8.30 to 9.3 ft p.m. for delivery of correspondence Which' is addressed to the.Chief Post Office! ■Mails i by early trains ■ only and, the Main'Trnnlc train will Close as usual on Tuesday,- November 9, but' there' will ' be .no clearance of city; receivers on that day. Speaking at - the . Webb Street Primitive Methodist Sunday School anniversary meeting in" the Town: Hall; last night, the Rev, J. Dawson said that for the.last.five years tho City Council had let the hall for that purpose . on a Sunday evening for 12 guineas, but they had now notified 'that the .charge ■ this time would be JftiO. ; Had those' promoting the gathering known this earlier, thoy would probably have made other arrangements,: but they had booked' the' hall a year ago, and had not anticipated, any alteration :in the price, lie- • presentations; would' be made to' the ■ eounoil -on the subject.. ' - . A squad, of Wellington Engineers : went th Blenheim' on Saturday with the purpose of endeavouring to signal by ' heliograph to "anether squad of Engineers at Island Bay.- They succeeded-in: transmitting a message: . On Tuesday the telegraph office will observe the following:hours'.—9 a.m. to* 4. p.m. and« 7 p.m. till .midnight. The telephone exchange will'be open continuously. ;• i j • { The Ashhurton "Guardian" states that last 1 Thursday afternoon, during a thunderstorm, a thunderbolt struck a willow tree,; on the Alford Forest Eond., In .its. appearance it,was like a large .globe of light, and when it struck the tree it, exploded with; a report like that of , a cannon,. scattering, the' leaves: iri t . all' directions and disturbing the stones 'and; gravel; be--1 neatji,! to; the*- great alarm-. of jr^liofei j;,jj , /i6 ;'wit: 1 nessed the a liouse only -a, short ■ distance away.:- It is stated . that during the storm ; meny telephone bells rang-as the lightning flashed.;.The Rev! Alexander The'm'sin, of St -David's : Church.v. Petone, ' returned on; Saturday from Christchnrch, where he has been attending the Presbyterian; Genoral « In, con- : versation with;a reporter, Mr. Thomson : exi. pressed the opinion that the conference had, • from every point, of view, been one of tlie best 1 yet held in -Sow Zealand. ,' /The various banks doing business in the city ■ will be' closed to ; morrow, on the occasion of tho King's Birth'day. , - The Miramar Borough Council notifies the suspension of thoj ordinary timo-tablo for .the j- Miramar North tram-line!to-morrow. Frequent ' special cars will be run throughout the'day. Particulars of the special services to be run on I the oity trnm-linee to-day and to-morrow are ad- .- vertisedin this-issue. - . > ■ ■ i On Saturday Messrs. I F. ■ Sisson and E. B. ; Izard (representing the Fruitgrowers' Federaj tion), ahd Mr. iF. Tqwnsend (representing tin Fruit- Brokers' Association), waited , : upon : Messrs Johnston and Co., shipping agents, ■ in . relation to matters connected with the ! coastal transport of fruit. Their, requests were < that consignors should be giVon: receipts: foi 1 goods shipped, and that cradles should, be proi vided for the loading and unloading of fruit. It was pointed out by tha firm's representative in reply "that the .work >as done by hand nt ' the lending wharf, bnt a promise was given - that 'cradles would: bo provided at Wellington. I The request in regard, to .receipts iwas also .- agreed to. , : > i A deputation will wait upon the Primo Min- . ister atjll o'clock"this morning with reference , to the. claim by Mr. J. J. Meiklo upon the | Government. .:. .• ■ . j !',The'Education Board has secured an,acre, oi . ground at Mills Road, Morningtoii, for the eree- . tion of a school to relieve the'pressure on the 1 Brooklyn- School. ,: - ?. After,a riioU successful-course of sixteen daw } training in fort-manning at , Fort, Kelb'urne 1 Ngahauranga, the Petone Navals. broiie cami :: on; Saturday afternoon. A very enjoyable t smoke concert was held,on the previous even- . ing. - Captain 0. V. Ellis/ 0.C., presided ovci ■j a large attendance of guests. There wero alsc J present Lieut,-Colonel Campbell,. officer com : < manding tno Wellington: Garrison Artillery - Division, and Major Courtney (second'in com- : mand). Captain Ellis- proposed the toast oi i' "The: Officer Commanding the Division," tt , which Lieut.-Colonel Campbell-.'responded J Other toasts were \ "Our Instructor, "Ex--3 members," arid, "Our' Non-commissioned : OfE- ficers." As the result.of the big gun shootinf ) carried out-by the cohipany ,last week,: 84 pel 2 cent.- of., hits have been , placed to* its creait Tho averago per cent, of nits foT the garrisor . artillery companies of the Daminion last yeal - whs 7G.2,-and in. view of the fact that the con- . ditions this year are more difficult, 't!jc per , up;by the Petone gunners an i worthy.of high-commendation. Only, two persons! came beforo the , Magistrate's; Court on Saturday morning. Johr ' M'Callum and William Mahcr pleaded guiltj " to.charges of. drunkenness, and were fined 20s ' alSd 10s. respectively. A prohibition order wa; 5 issued against Maher. ! "Next to -cheap through booking rates,, ,-thi 1 chief things to be desired in connection with thi , .carriage -of -fruit by rail and . sea are• rapic 3 transport and i a minimum of handling. Witl , these objects in'^-vlew'o deputation of the lati J Fruitgrowers' Conference interviewed Mr. T. M ' Wilford; chairman of tho Wellin(yton Harboui l Board.: As a result of tho discussion'thfct.ther fc. took plaee, a letter will ge forward to:;ih( . board, oxprteing the views of the growers a\\c 8 suggesting tlmt as, a . part of the scheme ftii closer: connection between the railway and. thi ! Lyttelton ferry boats," facilities should be pnit vided' for the transfer of fruit from coashv! J steamers direct, .to the rails . ' : : ll 1 Mr. A. Blaokwoll, a, resident of Great Bar *• rier Mand; lias an-unusual domostio pet,; j 3 large turtle, which he distovored last montl 1 On the island, where:such'visitors''arayverj ] rare. The turtle is said to be quite tame, arit . .Mr. Blaekwell, who' was. for some years t ! tfadet in the islands, says'that it is the largos' 1 ho has seen. Hb Bhell lneasnrM; 3G inches: bj i- 28 inches, arid its-weight is estimated to b< s between 2 and 3cwt. : - V A correspondent writes!—" Our bluejacket! 8 have been enjoying'a good-natured hoarty langt B at the expense of the : Germans; and at Kiel • too, of all;plac« in the.world,:,lti6eomathai U.M.S. Corawtjl ;wae (xpeeted te arrire then on a eartain .dt/U.iaod .kt th« keai - she duly come, but it ww tM' fofu far thi | G«rin«tL-.'.pilots t»; i<wt. eut to h«r, ant f their disgust: was imrr.«ns» .»* j when;they found, the big British war v«e* . had como in and duly taken. n"p her position.without assistance. .The German-blue j jackets- sho6k their Heads,' thought arid sail ' things; nnd reflected on possibilities,: for event! I have been going: crooked .there lately in mosl • naval matters."