LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1174, 8 July 1911, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

It has- not yet been determined in what manner the sum of X2OOO voted by the City Council for the improvement of the Kilbirnic ltecrcnlion Ground will bo expended. The council is desirous of substituting n rubble wall for the concrete wall with which it was originally stipulated that the Kilbirnio recreation reclamation should be faced. The consent of the Marine Department to the erection of a rubble wall is now being sought. Should it bo obtained, a start will immediately afterwards be made to erect tho wall, and proceed with the reclamation work. It is stated that satisfactory arrangements can easily bo mado with adjoining owners to obtain (lit spoil required for tho reclamation from a bluff separated by little more than the width of the Evans Bay Itoad from the Itecreation Ground. To carry out tho reclamation a service line will bo laid down similar to tho one which was recently employed upon the works at Constable Street. '

It seems as yet impossible to ascertain, when tlie Solomon's Knob dart) will finally! bo handed over ..by the contractors, and: the reservoir become available for use. The city engineer (Mr. W. It. Morton), questioned on the subject, simply replied: "Ask mo that question in about six weeks' time." The deputy-Mavor (Mr. J. Smith) stated' yesterday that ho thought it likely the dam might be out of the hands of tho contractors in another mouth or six weeks, but added that he could not namo a definite period.

All industrial dispute in the furniture trade is to come before tho Conciliation Commissioner (Mr. I'. Hally) on July 18 at 10.15 a.m. When tho dispute was taken beforo the commissioner on June 1 a deadlock arose because tho union representatives, although tho commissioner ruled against them, objected to tho presence of Mr. W. Grcnfcll (secretary of the Wellington Employers' Association) as employers' agent. Subsequent proceedings in the Arbitration Court have ended in the case being sent again to the Conciliation Commissioner. Replying to a communication from tho Wellington Trades and Labour Council, General A. J. Gorlley, C.8., general officer commanding the New Zealand forces, assures the council that tho Defence Department has not issued instructions that denominational cadet corps should. be formed in connection with churches. When the time comes to form tho companies tho lads will bo posted by tho officer in charge of tho Territorial' group to tho most convenient company for discipline and training. A very useful compilation of tho Legislature "Ucts dealing with the Parliamentary electoral laws has been made by Mr. W. Jollift'c, law draughtsman, and is published by Messrs. Ferguson and Hicks in a cheap ;ind handy form. The publication alto contains the law relating to tho election of licensing committees. With a general election so close at hand, this simplification of the statute law should prove very acceptable to candidates a,nd others interested. Tho care which has been given to the work of compilation is attested by tho fact that the work has already been adopted and supplied to tho Government for official use by every electoral registrar and returning officer at tho coming election. An appliance known as an "induced draught fan," ordered by tho City Lighting Department, is to arrive in Wellington by tho Nairnshiro on Tuesday next. Tho fan is of the rotary variety, and will bo motor-driven. It is to bo set at tho base of the chimney-stack in tho lighting power-house, and its function will bo to improve tho efficiency of tho bailers by inducing a powerful suction draught i'rom the furnaces. Tho fan in use at the tramway power-house sets up a forced draught from tho front of tho furnaces, but tho new fan will achieve the same end by setting up a suction draught at the point where tho furnaces lead into tho chimney. Tuesday next, July 11, is tho date of the entrance examination for the military staff colleges at Quetta (India) and Cambcrlcy (England). Tho New Zealand candidates aro Major T. W. M'Donald (officer commanding tho New Zealand Junior Cadets), Captain G.. S. Richardson (Department of Military Operations and Intelligence- at General Headquarters), Captain It. 0. Chesney (Assistant AdjutantGeneral), and Captain M. M. Gardner (lioyal New Zealand Artillery). It is expected that tho Mines Commission will commer.co its labours before tho end of tho month. Two telegraph messengers convicted of stealing postal notes from the To Aro I'ost Office will be brought before, the Chief Justice (Sir Robert Stout) for sentence this morning. Both flic Ilawcra and Wnuganui Chambers of Commerce have written to the secretary of tho Wellington Chamber heartily approving of tho local Chamber's proposal that the inward Suez mails should come direct from Sydney to Wellington for distribution, instead of to Auckland as at present. Nineteen employees at Carroll's Tea Rooms have signed a memorial to tho effect that the reports of the. condition of tho premises have been greatly exaggerated. Thoy declare that "everything in the" place is in a slate of cleanliness." Mr. Ross, M.P., has complained to the Native Minister that 1000 acres of firstclass dairying land at Herbcrtvillc lias been sold to two Europeans. As tho leasa of tho land did not expire until April, 1!I13, he had l>een looking forward to having il settled in small areas, and to using it as the key lo unlock adjoining lands. Mr. Ross says he understands it is an injustice.to tho district arid tho ■Native owners to allow a sale, to a lessee during tho currency of the lease, lie asks the Minister to block .the tali.

The decision of the City Council lx> erect a stable on the fringe of the Botanical Hardens, near the band rotunda, has provoked somo criticism. The deputyMayor (Mr. J, Smith) remarked yesterday that a mountain had been made out of a molehill in this matter. The council, he stated, authorised the erection ot « stable at the. :-pot indicated six years ago. Since it was oiilv Intended to house one horse and the building would be properly constructed, nothing of an objectionable character could possibly arise. A small grove of pines has been cut down to make way for the stable, but they were of no value, and almost constituted an eyesore. The stable has been shifted from ivs liresent location in order that the approach lo the gully in which the fernery stands may be improved.

Mr. J. W. Hough, architect, of Invevcargill (formerly of Elthnm), writes:In your article in (he issue of July 1 on Kit ham you state that the new Town Hall and Municipal Offices were designed by Mr. J. A. Duffill, formerly of Masterton, which is not quite correct, lhese buildings were designed by the firm ol which ho was then junior partner (Messrs. Rough and Duffill).

Dr. J. Malcolm Mason will lecture m the Municipal Concert Chamber next Moudnv on "Eugenics: What it is and how we can help." The Library Committee is fortunate in securing such an opening for its winter series of free lecture?. Not only are Dr. Mason's scientific attainments admittedly high, hut he has also a very happy way of presenting any subject from a popular platform, and the particular theme on which he will speak next Monday evening has lately aroused a good deal" of public interest. - .

The Christchurch "Press" quotes the following paragraph from the "lenvultn Loader," the proprietor of which is Mr. J. M. Twomey, ox-M.L.C.:-"lf we are rightly informed, Sir J. G. Ward had to settle i 30,000 on his eldest son before the title of baronetcy could bo conferred on him. That, we believe, is true, aim serves to show what a wealthy man Sir Joseph Ward is. We. do not envy or begrudge him his wealth or Ins title, and merely refer to the subject to show that this man, in whom certain people nave confidence, is very wealthy and an aristocrat by instinct. Long may ho live to enjoy them all."

At the Railway Social Hall last evening tho Waratah entertainers gave a variety entertainment, the proceeds of which were handed over for tho purpose of augmenting the Wellington railway Mutual Improvement and Social Club's furnishing fund. The entertainment was fairly well patronised.

In reference to statement's by a correspondent "Straphanger," ancnt trattic figures on the Wadestown tramway, an officer of tho Tramway Department stated yesterday that the vrutlic returns for luesilav, to which the correspondent look exception, were perfectly correct. No car during the day (other thau a workers car which carried 20 passengers) carried more than 11. It is true that heavier loading occurred on the evening cars, the Departmental figures as stated applied only to day loading. Tho rush-hour figures, relating to cars from 5 p.m. onwards, arc habitually included m the evening totals. As to the statement that straphangers were carried on the luesday evening cars, the official, on being questioned, pointed out that official notification was not received by the 'Iraniway Department until Wednesday that no straphangers would be permitted on the Wadestown line.

Mr. W. Clorliam, secretary of the Festival Auxiliary Choir has received the following letter from the Town Clerk, Mr. J. Palmer:—"l have to inform you that the Wellington City Council at their meeting held on July 4- passed the following resolution, and directed me to forward, a copy ot same to you; 'That tho thanks of tho Council and tho citizens bo given to the festival Auxiliary Choir aud conductors thereof (Messrs. 11. Parker, L. Watkins, 11, Hunt, nnd Maughan Harnett, city organist) for their gratuitous services in connection with the Coronation Grand Concert on June 22.'" .