LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 914, 6 September 1910, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

. A number of men have lately been dismissed from the Wadestown tramway construction works. 'A" point has. been reauhed whore the acquisition of certain Wadestown property is necessary, and as the negotiations have not been completed, there is a temporary lull in the Work. Large gangs of.men have been employed during the winter, and much heavy'earthwurk has been done. . The scheme includes the lowering of the main Wadestown Road from Pitt Street to the terminus, and. when all preliminaries are •settled, the work will again be riipnliy pushed on. It is expected that the cars will be running over, the new line next year.. ; "Newtown has its zoo, and Island JLSay may some day have its aquarium. If Hataitai can have its native park, it will be of interest to Wellington and to New Zealand as a whole." ; In these words, Mr. A. Leigh Hunt, speaking as chairman of the meeting of ratepayers at Kilbmiie last night, advocated the'formation'of a park and . plantation' of native ilora on the Towii Belt, adjacent to Hataitai. The railway authorities have now definitely abundonod that portion of. the old Hutt Hue which used to. hug the road between Kniwiirra' and Thorndon Esi>lanade. Instead.of the tortuous route which had formerly to be, traversed there is now a new. line which comes in with a graceful sweep from Kaiwarra to about opposite the kerosene stores. . This is ono of the most marked improvements in connection with the duplication and straightening scheme. . ' Messrs. If. C. Tewsley (chairman), Geo. Wilsou, J: M'lntosh, W. G. Duthie, Wm. Allan, E. G. E. Pilcher, V. ,!. Nathan, A. A. Corrigan, and J. G. Ilarkness were present at yesterday's, minting of the Council of the Chamber of Commerce. Tho new telegraph form was brought under notice, aiui its adoption by the Post and Telegraph Department was approved/ The council also formally approved the action of the Government in instituting a new through service to San Francisco, with two ports of call at this end. Tho •Dunediu Chamber of Commerce forwarded a copy of a letter it.had addressed to the Minister for Agriculture (the Hon. T. Mackenzie) on the subject of a better and more prompt method of collecting grain statistics. The letter suggests that such statistics could be gathered in November- and December in the South Island and in December and January in the''North Island. The council endorsed the letter, and will also address- tho Minister on tho subject. :

A deputation from the Cheviot County Council was introduced to. the Minister for Public Works yesterday by Mr. Forbes, M.P. The County Council asked for a £ for £ subsidy towards tho cost of repairing the road from tho railway station to the -SVaiau bridge,, which had been badly cut up by the cartage of material for the bridge. The Mimstei promised to inquire into tho matter, and see if anything could be done, but pointed out that tho Government recognised no responsibility in the matter of a private contract such as this had. been. Great preparations are being.made for the sitting of the Ueneral. Asaombly ol the Presbyterian Church of Hew Zealand, which opens in St. Andrew's Church, at Auckland, on Wednesday. November 9. The Choral Hall, as well as .St. Andrew's Hall, has been engaged for tho various meetings. The Assembly will ho attended by at least SOU representatives. ' • In reference to the report quoted in this paper two or three days ago, stating that tho Inspector of Awards at Ivapler had prosecuted an employer for eou-i tinuing to employ a driver who was not a member of the union, under the ■ Napier Drivers' Award, we."are mlormed by the Department that this action was not taken by the Inspector of A words, but by the union. The ease ivas dismissed by tho magistrate on the ground that the ullence was not a continuous one, and that, therefore, when, an employer had already been fined for the offence, he. could not be prosecuted again in respect' to the sanio offence. • Yesterday's sitting of the Magistrate's Court was presided over bv Messrs. J. B. Speed and W. Hildreth, J.P.'s, as Mr. W. It. ilaselden, S.M., was. engaged at the Lower Mutt at a meeting of tho Licensing!' Committee, and Mr. W. G. Kiddell, S.M., is at present in Chrisfcchurch, conducting an investigation, into charges against the Sydenham and Addington AVorking Men's Club. . In addition to the.three men arrested at the Txvin races on vagrancy charges last week, three others have been served by summons to answer a charge of playing "two-tip" in a public road. Another man has been, charged N with betting with an infant. One of the cases to be. heard at the Magistrate's Court torriiorrow will be that in which Arthur Wilson is charged with assault on Duilio Oalcinai, during' the progress of the At'hleiic-Poneke Rugby football match at Athletic Park on .August 6 last. , In reply to. thp representations of.the deputation which recently urged the inv--mediate prosecution .of the Constable Street extension tramway tho City Council has informed Mr. Wright, M.P.,. that the matter is' still under consideration, but nothing has yet been decided upon.