LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 910, 1 September 1910, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Tho Postal authorities advise that ..tho Malcura, which sailed from Suva 911 August 30, is duo to reach Sydney on'Septembor 5. She has 011 board American and English mails, via Vancouver. The mails will come forward per Maheno from Sydnoy on September 7, and should reach Auckland 011 September 11, and the Wellington portion arrive by the Main Trunk express on September 12.

Advice was received by cable yesterday of the arrest at Hobart of Alfred I , rank Higgins, .storekeeper, Wellington, recently adjudicated a bankrupt, and for whose arrest a warrant was issued a ! couple of days ago. Constable Sims leaves by the Ulimaroa to-day to bring Higgins back to Wellington. He had been under surveillance for some time prior to his arrest.- A meeting of the creditors is announced to take place tomorrow.

The City Council met in committee at 2 p.m. yesterday, and sat throughout the afternoon, and again from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. The whole of tho time was occupied in taking •■ evidence concerning the trouble in the Fire Brigade. Many questions of administration were touched upon, and a number of complaints were investigated. All the numbers of' the brigade and some ex-members were examined. The hearing of evidence was complebed, and the council decided, to •meet again at 8 o'clock to-morrow night for the purpose of deciding what is best to be done. • . . ' ■

A return was kid before Parliament yesterday, on the motion of Mr. Arnold, AI.F.. showing the names, salaries, and duties of all officers employed in the of-, lice of the Commissioner of Police. It was as . under:—C. E. Matthews,. chief clerk, •<£42oj K. 3T. Madden,, accounts clerk, JE2OO; J. Evans, records . clerk, H175; A. Hall,-- general clerical work, .£110; E. Stewart, do., .£100; W. B. M'llveney, chiei delective, special investigations and criminal registration work (finger-prints), .£29!!;-13. W. Dinnie, criminal registrar and pliotography (finger-prints), .£200; W. M'Gill, editor of "Police' Gazette," .£256; and A... Muggeridge, .police storekeeper, J;237. ,'■

The City Council'has accepted the tender, of Messrs. .Mace and Nicholson. for building-in boilers for the tramways depaTtmenti Mr. J. J. K. Powell's tender for supply of road metal has been accspted.by'the council, subject to the'city engineer being satisfied with the general quality of the metal, after inspection of the quarries..., , : ,

Tho secretary of the Wellington Hospital Board (Mr. George Willis) and his stall' have. moved iuto their new ofhees. in Marion Street (opposite thfe Tβ Aro Post Office). The board has taken tho whole of fbo upjjei tlyur of tlm building, and the accommodation appears to. be ample and convenient. . There is a mect-iug-rooin,''3lft. by 18ft., a waiting-room, six roums for .offices, a storeroom, itvc rooms for • the caretaker and storeman, and .a roof-yard. v . ,; ■':■"■-.

In a circular to headmasters of schools Mr. C. W. Palmer,, secretary of, the Navy League, ' states:—"Mr. It. -Parker, having broken down, in health, I'iiv ..Laurence Watkins has. kindly undertaken the conductorship of 'the. massed■ choruses. Ho will be available : for the rehearsals at the Town Hall uext Friday . (.September 2) at 1 p.m., and Tuesday (September 6) at i p.m. The children' should assemble outside the Hall .at'3.so p.m. oh "Friday for the purpose'-'of .being .photographed. Wo. should like to .include : .the headmasters in the group, if practicable."

Pigeon exhibiting, it'was' stated at last night's meeting of .the''Wellington. .Eoultry Association, has fallen off all over the Dominion. The' speaker .said that the_ rcaton was that there were not .enough' judges. There were plenty "of- enthusiasts, but they were not likely to show the birds unless expert judges were officiating. •

The.comparatively small membership of the Canterbury .Chamber of Commerce was referred to by Mr. J. A. Frostick at the annual meeting on Tuesday.'"' ! Mr.' Frostick said that' in. 1895 'the membership was 151, in 1905 it wa:> 183, and" in 1910 (after the election of fifteen-,i-new members) 182. The Chamber,.Mr.-Fros-tick added, was'undoubtedly an influential one, , but its'influence and.usefulness would be increased if. the.,'membership: were' added to;.. ■■■■ ■.■'.. : ..,;■''.;;,'

The Ikaroa Native Land Board ;_(MessTs.' Jack, chairman, Hutana, and Smith) has been engaged at. the : Government' Buildings during the past couple of days' dealing with a. list of rouline..Native ■ business. . . ; ■■■'.-'.• '.-.•,.■ -1":.-,■_-."-"-, ' '':■■•'■ .

A- settlement having bee:i arrived at 'out of court : in the case: o.f Eeardon v; Hogg, listed for' hearing before Mr. Justice /Chapman and a common! jury, to-day, jurors summoned are notified by advertisement in another column that their services will.not.be required. ■ :- ; ;

The return of vital statistics for. the month just closed shows: 'Births, 164; deaths,i 106; marriages, 70, -of which 18; took pluce in the Kegistrar's ■ office. Of the deaths,' 41. were of people, over' sixty years of 'age. . The figures .for the corresponding month of last year were: Hirths, 173; deaths, 53; marriages, 73, of which 18 ■ .were- in the.- Kegistrar's office. The_ record shows the number. of deaths during August to._be exactly" double what it was lust year. ■ '

. .Yesterday, on the .motion, of Mr. J. W.. Macdonald, solicitor to. the Public ! Trust Office, the Supreme Court granted to tho Public Trustee probate or the wills of the undermentioned .deceased persons:—Emma Murray, of Eakaia," widow; Bobert Boiton, of St. Clair, Dunedin, gentleman; John Kennelly, df Palmerston South, platelayer; Ann Elizabeth Leslit, of Kiccarton, spinster. Orders'were also granted to the Public Trustee to administer the estates of : the ■ following I— Frederick . Peppard, of Ohau, .", farmer; Urest or Oreste Sgrilli, of Muritai, carpenter; William . Hutchings,. of Wellington, poundkeeper; George Henry Parsons, of Makotuku, farmer; Patrick Connolly k of Auckland, tailor; and Amelia Neumann,, or Newmann, of Waimate- North, married woman. . . ; , .- ; . • In connection,with a recent accident in the city tlio police are taking action against the rider of a motor bicycle (1) for alleged breach of by-law 47 'in' not giving an alarm by bell or., horn, and (2) for-alleged .breach of by-law '51 for riding over the regulation speed of: 10 miles an hour in one of the city streets. ■.■..'■ ■