LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1314, 18 December 1911, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Tho Union Company's strainer llaheno, with Australia)) mails 011 board, arrived in Auckland from Sydney at i o'clock yesterday allornooii. The Wellington portion or tho mails will reach litre- by tho Main Trunk express (his afternoon. An ordinary and special inciting of tho Wellington City Council will be held tomorrow evening. The special meetiuK is a formal 0110 to pass the abattoirs bylow. This will bu the iinnl meeting of the council for the year. The telegraph office notifies that deferred press messages Via Pacific to Vancouver may be accepted at lijd. per word. The word "deferred" must bo included in the address and be charged as one word. The Public > Trustee invites tenders for a soven years' lease of Mr. James Gear's well-known i'arin at Poririia. The district half-yearly meetings of the Society of l'rieutU were hold 011 Saturday and yesterday. Friends from Hawke. s Bay and Taianaki, as well as this province, attended. A meeting for worship and a business meeting were held on S'utiinlay at the Friends' Hostel. Yesterday moriinsr. at the Druids' Hall, Jlr. W. B. gilve au address on "Citizenship." xho usual mccliug [or worship followed, and in the afternoon the consideration of the affairs of the society was resumed. A. paper by Dr. Thomas Hodg*kin. 011 "The Prospects of English Protestantism," was road by the Hon. Mrs. Deninan. At the evening meeting, which was hold at the Y.M.C.A.. Mr! Alfred Goldsbury, ■01 Htonoy Creek, spoke on two important developments in connection with tho Society of Friends in England, tho Woodbroofcc Social Settlement, and the recent conference of youns Friend. s flt Swunwick. Mr. Theodore Kigg, M.Sc, spoko on foreign missions. In connection with the New Zealand rille championship meeting in March next, Messrs. J. B. Clorkson and Co. (local representatives of the U.S.A. Company, of England) has intimated to Colonel It. J. Cflllins. C.M.G., executive officer of tho Dominion Killc Association, that the B.S.A. Company has presented to the for "aggregatu" competition nt long ranges a silver cup, valued at jet-O. From the big outlook, it is most important that Aew Zealand should enter thn Commonwealth, say.; the Melbourne "Herald." Control of the Pacific is i-'o vital that iindei any circumstances tho isluud and llie island continent must stand together when chalUmijed. That beiiig so, it would be far br.i'fer if they developed one harmonious defence scheme. In the meantime, however, it is the question of reciprocity with Canada that brings closer union with New Zealand lo the fore. iM'ew Zealand and Canada have preferential tariffs in their dealings with caoh other. Australia is out in the fold. The matter is of more moment than it may see:n at the first glauce. Already it is preventing the prompt development of Australian shipping connections with North America. To put it bluntly, wo am afraid to have up-to-date services, including Now Zealand, hocauso Now Zealand, thanks to preferential duties, has first call on the Canadian buyer. The evening service at fhe Central Miasimi at the Xew Theatre last evening look Ihe form of a Christmas gift service. People- brought gifts in kind and money for tho poor «t Cliristuiiis time, und these were received at the door by Mr. Mildred. The meeting was addressed' by Sister Nellie, deaconess among tho Maoris, in Tarauaki, who described a Maori Christmas, and spoke, on the purpose of life. Mrs. Lewis sang a solo. As an example of the patchwork of a mismanaged Department, tho extra platform tlint has been erected at the Auckland railway station could hardly bo improved upon (says the "Herald"). From a utility point of view it fans neilber length nor breadth," and though its object is said to be to provide for the "rush" season, the accommodation, except for ordinary suburban trains, is extremely cramped. In width it only measures Hi'!., with a lino of posls in tho middle, and it is absolutely unsheltered, while its whole appeara"nco is in keeping with the rambling lino of buildings that constitute the railway station in Auckland.