LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 13, 23 December 1911, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

There will be no publication of Tjie Dominion on Monday (Christmas Day). Defective Mason arrested two men in the city yesterday ou a charge of obtaining money from the firm of Laory and Co., by. moans of false pretenoes. It in alleged that the men obtained .£3 Bs. Gs. in November and .£4 lis. during the present week, under the pretcncc that sacks had been sold to the firm. Private information to hand by yesterday's mail stales that the dispute between the Australian Journalists' Association and the employers in the Commonwealth Ims been settled. The agreement between the parties provides for a week of 'IS hours, with one clear day off per week. Senior reporters aro to receive .£7 per week, and the scale of wages graduates down to .£5 10s. and £i per week. Generally tho demands of the association have received most favourablo consideration from the employers. So much is learned from a private letter. Official confirmation is being awaited by local journalists. The secretary of tho Wellington Hospital acknowledges tho following donations to tho Christmas funds of Wellington Hospital Chinese residents of liaining Street, per Mr. .Too Yon Wah, J-'IG 45.; Messrs. J. Staples and Co., £5 55.; Watts Bros, and • Derby Tobacco, XI Is. each; Jenkins and Mack, 10s. fid.; W.T. Company, and "Dominion," 10s. each; H'. Crengol, A. R. Hornblow, C. Redding, P. Moring, W.H. and S, Brand and Johnston, W. R. Bock, Geo. Webb, M.C. and Company, ss. each; J, 2s. Gd.; W.A., and Dominion Prohibition, 25.; T.1'.1')., Is. Goods—Wollerman and Co. and Estate of lato Mr. Geo. Denton. Tho r.ow reinforced concrete bridge over the Ruamahunga River, on the main road between Featherston and Martinborough, is now completed; and tho engineer (Mr. G. Laing-Meason, M.lnst. C.li.) made a test for deflection on Wednesday last, tho result being highly sat-, isfactory, Tho total length of tho bridge is 7G2 feet, comprising U spans of 43 feet and 8 spans of 20 feet. Tno clear width of dcck is 18 feet. Every part of the structure is of reinforced concrete. Tho wholo of the reinforcement employed was the "patent indented steel bar," 130 t9ns of which was used in tho construction With tho exception of t'no reinforcing steel, the whole of the material was procured in tho Dominion. The 6hinglo and sand for tho concrete were taken from tho bed of the river adjoining tho bridge. 'J'hfi cement was manufactured by mlson's, of Auckland, and tho timber-for supports and forms was cut in the Maryborough district. Tho timo occupied in construction wn" just under twelve months. .Mr. D. Uourko, of Petone, was llin contractor. Tho bridge will bo officially opened for traffic soon after tho holidays. About 1 p.m. yesterday a oollision took place between a tram-car and a motorcar at the corner oi Cuba and Ghuzneo Streets. Ono of tho wheels of the motorcar was badly bent and buckled, while tho step of the tram-car was slightly damaged. A happy litllo function took placo at tho Burlington Tea Rooms, Lambton Quay, ycsOcrday morning, when the whole of tho staff of tho Education Department in Wellington assembled at llin invitation of tho Inspector-General (Mr. Geo. Ilogbeu) to take tea and express thoso kindly wishes appropriate lo the season. In the course of a few brief remarks, Mr. Hogbon referred to the loyally of (he whole of tho staff and lo the excellent work- dono during the year, and concluded by wishing all present the compliments of tho season. Dr. Anderson responded in suitablo terrtis on behalf of tho staff. At Seatouii a number of Boy Seoul units will be under canvas from to-day until January 2. Ou Boxing Day ana New Year's Day displays interesting to visitors will be given. The camp is keinc personally supervised, by the District Commander, Mr. H. X. M'Leod.

Messrs. Donald M'Loan and Company's tender of ,£7938 Is. has been accepted for Contract No. 105, including staging work at Jorvois Quay breastwork, and additions to T.iiranaki Street Wharf. Messrs. Thomas Dillon and Company were the only other tenderers (JCBSII 13s. 7d,). The Engineer's estimate was stated to be <£8376. A special mooting of the local Festival of Empire Sports Committee is to be held at the Hotel Windsor at G. 15 p.m. on Wednesday next, t'or tho purpose of' receiving a report from the manager oi' the Australasian teajn, Mr. R. Coombcs, ol' Sydney. Tho tramway employees' picnic and sports will be held at Newtown Park on Monday (Christmas Day). "Tho rcccnt wharf pillaging eases went to show very clearly,' 1 said Mr. Kettle, S.M., at the Auckland Court on Wednesday, "that practically anyone can go down to tho wharf and cart away a case or two, and especially if ho is known. 1 believe I could do it myself." "yes," said someone at the solicitors' table, amidst laughter, "and your Worship is probably well known to a good manv of the men down there." Mr. Kcltlo added that, in his opinion, wharf robberies were directly tho result of lax business methods, and there were always men knocking about who were smart enough to take advantage of any laxity that occurred to havo a "cut in on their own account." An English visitor, Colonel A. Colville, who is now touring New Zealand, told a "Herald" reporter this week that he had first visited Canada, and had been immensely impressed with its possibilities. Already it was a great factor in tho wheat market, and its trade was developing in a remarknblo fashion, Tho'recent ehango of Government, far from having any serious clTect, seemed to be responsible for renewed energy in many of tho most important Departments "of tho Public Service, and tho settlement of land especially was going ahead at an astonishing rale. Colonel Colville, who is accompanied by his wife, will spend four or live weeks in visiting the bestknown parts of the Dominion. Although tho supply for butchers and other employees at meat export slaughterhouses is still very tar from cquullinf; the demand which existed ut this timo last year, it has increased considerably as compared with tho position, a t'cw weeks ago. Most of the works in Wellington and liawko's Bay are now fairly busy. This applies to the local works at Ngahauranga. and at Petone. At tho latter place, although the board is net vet fully occupied, ono hour a day overtime is being worked. It is certain that the total amount of ivorl; offering during the season will bo much, less thau was the case last year. The TT..L. Blaniires, of Napier, who is visiting Wellington with the Hawke's Buy cricketers', will conduct tho Christmas servico of tho Central Mission in the New Theatre, Manners Street, to-morrow evening. Special Christmas music will be given. In tho oditorial article in yesterday's Dominion on "Tho Drift in City Government," the meaning of one sentcncq was obscured by the omission of a negative. Tho question was asked: "Now, what would havo been the position had Mr. Richardson, standing upon his responsibility to nobody but tho council, refused to receive the men who had successfully intimidated 'the City Fathers'? .' . . And has the council done anything to suggest that in that case Messrs.' Wilford, Fletcher, Fitzgerald, M'Lnren, llimimarsli, and Barber would have sacrificed Mr. Richardson as they sacrificed Inspector Fuller?" Tho latter sentence should of course have run, as the context made clear, "would not havo sacrificed," etc.