LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1257, 12 October 1911, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

o The Mokau Inquiry is to bo reopened to-day, at the request of Sir James Carin order that some members of tho IS'ativc Affairs Committee may question Mr. W. l'\ Massey, M.P., regarding points raised in his statement to tho Committee when the inquiry opened. It is not intended to call any further witnesses'. ■ Tho New Zealand horses which went to Sydney to compete at the Australian Jockey Club's meeting returned to the Dominion yesterdav, after what must lie termed an unsuccessful trip, as only ono of the number got ou the winning' list. The teams of E. J. Mason, J. Franks, and R. O'Donnell arrived in good health, and go south to Lyttelton by tho steamer tonight. Influeuza affected soma of tho New Zealand horses, aud Mason's team was further handicapped by the illness of the jockey, 11. Gray. In the circumstanecs, Mr. Greenwood's pair (Vice-Admiral and Peirene) ran as well as was expected. The Now Zealand trainers and jockeys speak in terms of praise of the way in which the racing is conducted on the other side. The presence of tho stipendiary stewards is considered responsible to a great extent for this satisfactory stato of things. "How much do you can, a week?" asked counsel of a woman in a maintenance case at tho Magistrate's Court yesterday morning. "Eight shillings a week," she replied. "Do you iind that enougli to live on?" asked counsel. "Oil, I find it any amount," replied witness, smiling. In response to an inquiry from tho secretary of tho Kew Zealand Philatelic Society, the Postal Department has intimated that it is'hoped that the new issue of postage stamps will bo ready within six months. These will be printed in the Dominion from steel plates, as at present, with tho exception of tho halfpenny and penny values. So far it has not been definitely dccidcd whethor tho now issuo will bo a complete one. Arrangements lave been made to placo chair scats of a suitable design in. tho ;J3c<3ndi-clas3 •carriages 'used on. longdistance trains, and tho work is to be carried out as soon as practicable. This was stated by tho Minister for ltailways yesterday, In reply to a question by Mr. (5. M. Thorns m as to whether ho would taka steps to improvo the accommodation in second-class ~ carriages, ' particularly those used in. long-journey through traits. The advances made to workeis -hiring tho past three years in Hie different districts have been as follow:— Christehnrch, ■£223-055; Wellington, .£130,820; Auckland, ,£143,530; Duucdin, .870,1>70; Palraer:-'<v. North, jj15.370; Wanganui, .£80,405; New Plymouth, .£2115; Napier, Xplson, ,£6710. Tbo demand of the Australian b«"ks for Australian nates appears insatiable. Official estimates of tho number required have long ago been exceeded, and the issue has gone well over tho 000,000 mark. It promises (o reach before the end of November tho <£10,000,000 face value vjthorised by regulation. As the officials are confident that the _ 10s. note to bo issued as soon as machinery arrives wilJ 1)0 exceedingly popular, an Order-in-Connuil has been issued extending (hp authorised amount to .£12,000,000. Recent additions to tl\e collection at tho Canterbury Museum aTO a piece of oak from John Wyclif's pulpit at Lutterworth, England, presented by Mr. 'I'hos. Kiiworth, and a piece of wood bored by the teredo, presepted by Mr. Hy. Sutcr. Tho last-mentioned gives a t'ocd idea r.i the liavoc wrought by tho teredo. It is a piece of ono of the stringers ;<f the Auckland wharf, which, niter havi is; been in position for fourteen months, was fcund to be completely honeycombed by (he teredo. "I rise to endorse the digestion that has just been made," said Mr. A. E. Glover,' member for Auckland Central, when the Auckland University College Bill was boing considered in Committee in Parliament Inst evening. Tho House and tho galleries laughed heartily. The Hon. T. Mackenzie states in tho annual report on tourist resorts that the tourist traffic during tho year did not quito como up to 1909-10, the falliug-olf being attributable to reduced travelling on tho part of our own population. The oversea traffic showed an increase, and there is every reason to anticipate even better results in the direction during the ensuing rear. Tile receipts from all sources were ,£26,657, as compared with .£26,872 for tho previous year. The expenditure amounted to .£11,3:18, as against .£15,2.38 for the previous year. The system of booking passengers by steamer, rail, motor, and coach, reports the Minister, has been continued with very satisfactory results. The total receipts from this source to .March .11, 1911, amounted to .£21),050. the commissions received totalling <£1313. He hopes there will be a large and increasing revenue from this source. Last week two tveo-horse lorries were engaged carting money from H.M.S. Macedonia to the Federal Treasury at Melbourne. The mail ship brought to Australia 0 tons of copper coinage, the face value of which is about JMGOO. Each lorrv was loaded with about forty boxes. They were of while pine, about the size of butler boxes, but each was numbered aud strongly bound wilh bands of iron- In each box was .£2O worth of pennies and halfpennies. Tho two horses therefore drew ,£BOO in coin of (he realm in each lo;id. There was.nothing to distinguish the proceeding from the carting of ordinary merchandise, pxcepting that each lorrv had two or three on board.