LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 893, 12 August 1910, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

[' A reply from Mr .Hugh Ward to his clerical critics, and a lsrgo number of letters from correspondents on the subject of "The Girl from Rector's," are crowded cut of this issue, and will appear tomorrow. Tenders for supplies wero adopted by the City Council last evening as fol-low-.—Cast-iron pipes and fittings, J. Duthio and Co.; alternating electrio meters, P.- R. Bailey and. Co.; direct current meters, Turnbull and Jones; ticket boxes for tramways department, T. Garland and Co.; glass; Smith and Smith; show-cases for Newtown Museum, Humphries Bros. In The Dominion of July 16 last there' appeared some reference to tho Royal act of clemency which had been extended by his Majesty King Georgo V, on his accession to the Throne, to deserters from the Army. Fuller particulars with regard to certain formalities to be complied with by those desiring to avail themselves of the' Kine's clemency are set forth in this weok's Gazette. The Railway Department has'installod at ijongburn an appliance known as the "Queertior Excavator," which has proved itself of great utility in the work of lifting ballast into trucks. The machine is constructed on the lines of a. small dredge of tho bucket variety, and is worked by an oil engine. In operation it is mounted on a railway wagon. In a suitable location, such as a riverbed or gravol-pit,' where a large supply of loose material is obtainable within a narrow compass, tho excavator is.capable of lifting from 00 to SO tons of metal per hour. A similar applianco has been in use in America for several years. • Time did not allow tho motion of Councillor Devine (to rescind the City Council's motion for the purchase of land at Lyall Bay{ and substitute other terms) to bo dealt with by the council last evening., Tho matter will be considered at the next meeting of tho council. Tho Mother Mary Joseph Aubert Jubilee Committee has secured the permission of the City Council to take collections in the streots on Saturday, December 3.

"Wo certainly mean business," is the alternative interpretation of the letters "W.C..M.8./' which otherwise stand for Wellington City Men's Brotherhood, the new movement instituted by the Central Mission.

'I'he Arbitration Court has made the following fixtures for its next sittings r n the Wellington Industrial District:— Wellington, Wednesday, September 21,10.30 a.m.; .Napier, Tuesday, September 27, 10 a.m.; Palmerston North, Friday, September 30, 10 a.m.; Wanganui, Monday, October 3, 10 a.m. The'shearers' dispute will be taken in Wellington, and the parties, if any of them desire it, will also bo heard at Napier, Palmerston, and Wanganui. A similar notice will be given in connection with the' engineers' dispute.

The criminal sittings of the Supreme Court will oegiu at 11 a.m. on Monday next, before Mr. Justice Chapman. The following prisoners, have been committed for trial, all from the Wellington Magistrate's Court:—Dong Hon, criminal assault; Francis Edwin Tier and Michael Tier, breaking and entering, and_ theft (the Loader picture case); Charles Nodine, perjury; Itobert Stewart, forgery and sending telegram with intent to defraud; William Plain, improper act; George Brown, criminal offence; James M'lntyre, theft; Catherine Moore, theft; Valentine Moiser, cruelty to a child; Ar.thur Cyril Dowell, alias Schapira, sending a telegram with intent to defraud; Thomas Joseph Lloyd, breaking and entering, and theft. '

Mr. J. Heardon,. secretary of the New Zealand Slaughtermen's Federation, has been advised by the New South Wales Federation to warn slaughtermen finish-ing-up for the season and proceeding from New Zealand to Sydney to delay their departure for. Australia until further notice. It is understood that, although export freezing . companies in Now South Wales have granted an increase of 25., from 235. to 255. 'per, 100 for slaughtering sheep, abattoirs supplying the Sydney local market, which have been employing men at day labour for this work, have resolved to adopt piecework, on the basis of 235. per 100, work to start at i a.m. The points at issue are the adoption of the piece-work system on account of the uncertainty of work and the early and broken hours required to be worked.

At the request of the 'Wellington Amateur Swimming Club, tho City Council will provide one life-saving apparatus for Lyall Bay, similar to the one purchased by the" swimming club, and undertake tho housing of the appliances.

The City Corporation has received a letter from tho Department of Agriculture stating that tho matter of tne introduction of legislation to.validate existing abattoir by-laws, and' to give authority to make'by-laws in future, is receiving the careful consideration o£ the Government.

The Finance Committee of the City Council reported last night that they had been unable in the time to report on the proposed municipal orchestrascheme, as directed by the council at its last, meeting.

"The Urewera country has now been open to the prospector and the miner : for over a year," says the Minister for llines in his Mines. Statement, "but, so far, previous expectations as to the mineral possibilities of this formerly tabooed area have not been fulfilled." .Continuing, tho report says: "Whilo it is known that' some prospectors .have carefully, if somewhat superficially, 'examined the' country, no mineral discoveries of any description have been reported to the llines Department. It does riot, however, follow, that tho Urewera is barren of mineral values; and while, so far, pressure of other important investigations prevented any oflicer of the Geological Survey branch of the Mines Department molting any examination of this somewhat unkiimvn portion of the country, it.is<proposed to take an early opportunity of getting at least a preliminary geological report made by one of the officers of the Department."

Last .evening the l?ov. D. C. Bates gave a .lantern lecture entitled' "Life in Japan" to tlio members o* the Telegraph Messengers' Christian Association,. in the boys' Department of the Y.M.C.A. Tho address and beautiful, views illustrating the "Land of the' Chrysanthemum" wero followed with much interest. At the close a hearty vote of thanks was accorded tho lecturer. '

Tho Wellington Garrison Rifle Association intends shortly to promote, in the interests of its bank balance, an entertainment of a novel description. Having among its supporters the whole of the local garrison troops, the executive js able to draw Upon a considerable variety of talent,"and the proposal is to utilise this material by presenting it in a form to which tho Wellington public has not, within recent years at all, events; been introduced. The distinctive features of an assault-at-arms will be combined with attractions of an equally spectacular though less severely military character.

During the fortnight elided August 9 thirty-seven applications ..were received by the City Council for permission to ereot, alter, or extend buildings. In thirty-four cases plans were examined and . permits issued. . The estimated value of the work was as follows:—City district, ,£3601; Melrose, .£5876; Northland, .£65: total, ,£9512.

It was decided by the City Council last evening, on the recommendation of the Finance Committee, that consequent upon the failure ,of Messrs. . Mace and Nicholson to supply metal of an approved quality, the contract be determined, and the deposit forfeited.

Sittings of the Native Land Court will be held at Tokomaru Bay, Gisborne, on August 22; Hastings, August 19; Greytown, August 30. .

■ Regulations governing the award and tenure of New Zealand Research Scholarships are published- in this weok's Gazette.