LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1429, 2 May 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Tho shooting season opened yesterday. All imported and uativo same, witli the exception of pigeons, nwy lie shot, but according to tho now reguliitions not moro than twenty-five birds may be taken in cno day. Uctwoen 50 and (ifl licenses liavo Ijmii taken out in Wellington. The nrrnugcinenls for the disembarkation of passengers arriving from Sydney by the Moana Ja~t evening wero of Iho most primitive order. After a tedious delay occasioned by the ile.ilth Officer's examination, one narrow gangway was raised forward cf amidships., and ilia saloon paweugor.s who arc , (jimrtcrert right aft en tho Moana. had to make their way through .1 crowded alleyway, in which stewards, boxes, officers, and passengers became mixed up'in tho bustle to pel' dour. At an elevation of 15 degrees, tho narrow gangway, slippery viil.li tJio descending torrents of iviiu, afforded anything but a .snfo moans of descent, yet women with babies in their arms and others cumbered with boxes were forced io "walk the plank" as quickly as possible. Those waiting on tho wharf were courteously accommodated in nn adjacent fhed by tho wharfinger (Captain Mnnro). There has been considerable improvement in the construction Mid fitting of vessels during the last decade, but in methods of disembarkation Wellington is sti'l in the dark ages. Yesterday about 250 claim.* for enrolment were handed in at the City Council offices. This brings the total received to date up (0 about 500. The supplementary roil now being compiled is to clo?o to-day at 5p.m., anil all outstanding claims must bo handed in before that hour. The Minister for Railways Ims intimated io tho City Council Mint ha will receive a deputation, in reference to tho new Wellington Hallway Station, on Friday next at 11.30 a.m. As many city councillors ns possible wiil attend the deputation, and the Town Clerk stated to the council last evening that the various other local bodies approached had agreed to send representatives. The Mayor (Mr. D. M'Laren) pointed out that no notification had been sent to the Trades Council, although it had been mentioned as ono of tlw; bodies to be approached when the deputation proposal woe first mooted. The oversight is to bo repaired, and the Trades Council will be asked to send representatives. 0u the recommendation of the Tramways Committee, the City Council last evening voted Mr. H. Leah (carshed superintendent) a further bonus of .£25 in connection with, the rail-grinder invented by him. Tho City Council decided last evening, to inform iho Hatoitai Electors' "Association that it coidd not agree to establish a lid. faro from the Hataitai boundary to the Post Office.

The medals won by the Wellington competitors at tiio New Zealand Amateur Athletic Championship Meeting at InvercnrIjill, and the certificates won at tho Wellington Provincial Amateur Athletic Championship Meeting will be presented at the Hotel Windsor to-morrow evening.

Mr. E. M'Nab has consented to deliver a popular lecture at the next meeting of tho Wellington Philosophical Society, on May 21f. .The subject of the lecture has not yet been definitely decided, bat it will treat of soma portion of the early history of this part of the Dominion. At the meeting of tho society last sight Mr. A. Hamilton, Director of the Dominion Museum, was complimented upon the renovation and more commodious orrangement of the Museum Library, where aii the meetings are held.

Rome time was spent by tho City Council iast evening in answering a request by (ho Timnrii Borough Council for the assistance of Mr. 11. Baillio (public librarian) in inspecting and advising as to management and other matters in connection with the Timani Municipal Library. Objection was raised by some councillors on .the ground that the council made a practice of refusing to allow outside bodies to enlist the services of its engineers. Eventually, however, it was decided to refer the matter fo the I/i----braries Committee.

The Wellington Philosophical Society held it's first, meeting of fue session at the Dominion Museum last night. Mr. G. V. Hudson, F.E.S., presided over an average attendance. Professor Picken read a paper on "The. Axioms of Geometry," dealing mainly with the fundamental properties of geometrical space. Tho president (Mr. Hudson) read papers oil a new Species of Perla (stone-fly) in New Zealand, and "Domestic Depravity in Queensland Ants," and some notes on the entenialogy of the Ohakune and Waiouru districts. A prsner bv Mr. C. G. Lamb, M.A., B.Sc, on two Blepharoeerids from New Zealand was also read by the president. Owine to the lateness of the hour, papers by Mr. A. Hamilton on the following subjects were taken its read , .— (1) "Deinacrida Rugosa, BuHer," (2) "New Localities for New Zealand Species of Lepidoptera, • with some remarks on their distribution in area and altitude, also remarks on the ranse of variation in specimens in. the Dominion Museum, WelIngton," (3) "The Occurrence of Somatochlora Braveri in New Zealand." Specimens illustrating the papers wore exhib-' ited.

Sis foreigners, comprising two German?] two Norwegians, one Italian, and one Spaniard, arrived by the Moana from Sydney last evening. Five of them were successful in passing their test examinations, but the other,. n German, was unable to comply satisfactorily with the questions of the examining Customs officer.

Another effort is to be made by the City Council fo obtain statutory authority to charge for admission to the Zoological Gardens on certain days, on the iiucs of the Bill submitted to Parliament last session. This decision was arrived at by the council last night by ten votes to four. It was further resolved that a. deputation from the whole council wait upon the Minister to nrge the passing of the Bill. One objector to the proposal was Councillor Barber, who submitted that even if authority were obtained to charge for admission on certain days, people would stay away on those days and go on free days.

A comprehensive scheme of city streetlighting was proposed by Councillor Fletcher at the moating of the City Council last evening. Councillor Trevor maintained that no comprehensive scheme was required. What the council had to do was "to follow up the city with light," and not to place lamps where they might be practically useless for years. Councillor Fuller submitted that what was required was a comprehensive system. At present, ho said, lamps were allocated hap-hazard. The council should allow applications to accumulate for three months, and then nuiko a comprehensive survey to determine where lamps were really required. Councillors Jl'Kenzie and 'Fitzgerald maintained that it would be impracticable to instal a great number of Lamps simultaneously, and that the only plan to follow was to deal with applications as they wimo in. At this stago the discussion terminated.

"I believe that this is the first occasion that a city councillor of Wellington has over been elected to tho office of Mayor," said Councillor Shirte'iffo last: evening, when offering felicitations to tho newlyinstalled Mayor, Mr. D. M'Laren. It was very dcsirablo, lie added, and very right and proper that men who had served the city for a great number of years on tho council, and done a large amount of pubHe work should t>o elected to the office. Hβ hoped that this would only bo the first of n good many occasions oil which the citizens of Wellington would make such a choice from among the councillors. The City Council have refused an offer by Dr. Siinor C. Baldwin, of New York, to givo a series of ten organ recitals on !he Town Hall organ for the sum of JCGOO. Mrs. Robert Webster, a well known Iceturer on Italian and FlemislTurt, who is visiting Wellington, has arranged to give 3. course of threo lectures at tho Girls' College. The first lecture will take place to-iuorrow evening, the second on Monday next, and tho third on Wednesday. An application by Mr. John Baillie for permission to open hi 3 exhibition of British paintings to the public on Sundays was considered by the City Council last evening- The desired permission was granted on condition that no charge should bo raado for admission, but that a collection should !» taken at tho door. Tho private enterprise recently started and known as the _ Express Messenger Service i= just tho thing wanted in Wellington. All that is iieco3.?ury is lo V.iag up 2!)52 wheii, without delny, a smart Boy Messenger is dispatched and nt your ■■'or'neo <:c do anything required, The urloß* filjirjed are wceodiugly iwall,*

A U'Ut'i , from tho Defoncfi Department, ashing poniiir-sion (o hold a military piii-iiilß .ii. JCmrtown Pnrlt on th» Kings JtirHiiluy, was considered by Iho Cily Coiimil la-l. j'.vpniiig. On tho motion of Councillor Jlimlm.irsli ji. wns agreed to Ki-nnt Ilio roqiiflst, subject to the condition Hint, tin; Defence authorities should imike good nny damage dono to Ilio ground during Iho parnrh , . Onnmvillor Hhiiimarsh stated that when the IMeneo Department Inst obtnined tho iisii of Xewtown Park (li« ffrnss wits s|i(iilc(l, nix! tho council was Ml In l'cjinir llm damage. At tho present time (iio Wellington Cily Council lias to pay iircikv foes to rnginueriiilf lirniu in Groat IJritaiu when ii: is iinpoilini; electrical supplies. Councillor rit7.KPr.ild suggested »C Inst evening's meeting of the cnuncil that it. should consider the ndvis'ihilily of .'ending Home one. of its own engineers to act iii eonunction with the obtaining of supplies.. In this way, ho conf'Midfii, the council would save hundreds of pounds mutually, null nn ciißiuecr who was si>nl Home for a few year?, , null when rc-calloci would return with it valuable store of experience. Councillor Smith difeH'iitcd from Ilio sui;geslinn, but tho discussion waa not continued. Tho sudden resignation of Fire Brigade Superintendent' O'Hricn van not discussed by the Cily Council Inst night. For a short while tho council were in committee, and tho matter may have been mentioned then, but nothing was reported to Iho council, and no information concerning tho committee proceedings waa made available to press reporters. The local wireless station has received advico from Hobarl to tho effect that the wireless station there was opened yesterday. Yesterday the coastal steamer Manaroa arrived from Nelson with_a largo shipment of apples for transhipment to the jtemucra, which leaves 1/a-duy for lonian. This is tho second large shipment of this fruit that lios been brought over for export Tho last lot arrived Homo in such good condition that another lot was sent from Nelson by the Manama for transhipment at this port.