LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1246, 30 September 1911, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

-4 Owing to the exceptional pressure on our space to-day, several of our usual Saturday columns, including Books ami Authors, Theatre. Military Notes, Kdigions Activity, and School World, have bo.'n held over. They will appear in Monday's itsuo.

The Wellington College Governors met vestorday. There were present: A. do B. VSramlon (chainnan), A., Warburton, W. li. FicJd, M.l'., It. Lee, and W. 11. P. Barber. Accounts amounting to «£JSS Gs. 6d. for Wellington- College and .£220 lOs. sd. for the Girls' College were passed for payment.

In a question addressed to tlio Post-master-General, Mr. Wright M.l'., directs attention to the inadequate provision made for receiving and dispatching mail vans at the G.P.O. at Wellington. Mr. Wright stales that at present, when 0110 van lias entered the building further traffic is suspended until the vnn has loaded or unloaded and backed out. lie suggests that much time would bo saved if vans entered by 0110 door and left by another.

The competitive plnns for new Parliamentary Buildings will be placed on view in tho .Sydney Street' .Schoolroom on Monday and Tuesday. .Members of Parliament only will be admitted to the exhibition on Monday, but it will bo open to tho public on Tuesday. Tliero are 3'J designs, each of them comprising a number of separate drawings. Tho schoolroom is barely large enough to display ('hem adequately. 'Special interest attaches to tho display in that the Government has the power to select any one of the designs for use, and pass over "those which have, been awarded prizes. This aspect' of tho case may account' for the fact that some competitors disregarded tho condition that tho building should not cost more than .C 110,414, and designed a far more expensive one, doubtless in the hope that when its attractions were manifest tho condition as t'o price would bo relaxed. Tho short line of tramway along Customhouso Quay, from the corner of Willis Street to Uio C.P.0., will bo opened next week. The Wellington City Tramways Department have on order four small cars of the Wadestown single-line pattern, which are now in courso of construction. Plans of six new cars, all of the combination pattern, are under consideration by the engineers. Before the cars can bo built, however, the plans must 1m approved by tho Minister for Public Works. A less frequent tram servioe to Karori will commence running next week. Instead of tho twenty-minute service which has been kept going in tho mornings hitherto, a forty-minute service only will be run between the hours of 0 a.m. and 1 p.m., the hours during which the passenger traffic is lightest, I'or the rest of the day trams will be run every twenty minutes, ns formerly. This applies to tho run to tho Karori Council Chambers only. In the forenoon there wijl bo only a eighty-minute tervico to Karori Park.

Dr. Newman will address the Wellington East electors at an early date. The value of the Morse code in signalling to vessels was demonstrated on Saturday night, says tho "New Zealand Herald." Tho Rosamond was inward bound from Now Plymouth to Onehunga, and as it was desirable that certain instructions should bo given to the master (Cn.pt.iin A, Wallis), the signalman at the Manukau Heads was instructed to communicate with Uie steamer by means of tho Morso signal lamp. The instructions were to tlie effect that Captain Wallis had been promuted to tho command of the Union Company's large steamer Waihora, then in Auckland Harbour, and that lie must prepare to leave the Kosamond at once. Tho Union Company dispatchcd a launch from Onehunga on Saturday evening to the Manukau Heads to meet the Rosamond. Captain Wallis was transferred to the launch, and a motor-car was in waiting at the Onehunga wharf to convey him to Auckland. The car reached the city Shortly after midnight. where another launch was waiting to take tho captain out to the Waihora, which was swinging at anchor in the stream. Tho AVaihora weighed anchor shortly after 2 a.m., and proceeded on liei voyago to Fiji.

When tho Justice Department's Estimates were under consideration in tho House of Representatives yesterday Mr. Clark (Chalmers) said that on ouo occasion he had witnessed tho examination bv a magistrate of nn applicant for an old nge pension. Tho old mnn proved that ho had (ho necessary qualifications of age and period of residence in New Zealand, but ho was submitted to a harassing examination by tho magistrate on questions that were irrelevant to the application. Mr. Clark said that it appeared (o him that the magistrate was endeavouring to iind an. excuse for refusing tho pension. Sir. G. Laurenson (Lylt'eltori) said that ho had heard of similar' eases though they had not occurred in Christchurch. The lion. T. Mackenzie: TliO' fellow ought' to be named. Mr. Clark: There was only one; I should rather not namo him. Mr. Brown (Napier): It is hardly fair that blame should be attached to all. The Hon. .T. A. Millar said that if Mr. Clark would pivo the Justice Department, full particulars inquiry would bo made at once. Mr. Clark said ho would furnish the particulars.

Thero was much talk in the Parliamentary lobbies, yostcrdayrpirer an incident that occurred in the newspaper room of tho library. A well-known southern Srohibitionist member was heard to say lat another member had told a deliberate lie in the House yesterday afternoon. This was too much far the member for Tuapeka (Mr. Scott), who, dropping tho papnr ho' was reading, interposed with the remark that the member referred to had no right to use such an expression thore. The member for Tuapeka had the light of battle in his eyo, and for a time the situation was tense, However, a brother prohibitionist from the Upper House took the member who had so offended aprainst the canons of good taste and the etiquette of the room away, and nothing more serious happened.