LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2407, 12 March 1915, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The heavy rains which have fallen during the week have completely eliminated the fishy taint from the Wainui water. Heavy rajns have fallen in the valley of the Wainui-o-mata, and thestorage basins hav<3 been well flushed in consequenoe.

Fire caused slight damage yesterday morning' to premises situated at the corner of Manners Street and Taranaki Street- - The building, which is occupied -by Mr. .Belcher, leather merchant, and Mr. S. Burgess, fruiterer, was damaged only to the extent of the charring of the weather boards. The" building is insured in the Norwich Union Office for £500. while Mr. Belcher's stock and contents are insured for £500 in the Commercial Union and £200 in the United Office.

The following return of expenses at the last election has been filed by candidates for the Masterton seat: —A. W. Hogg, £78 35.; G. K, Sykes, £129 lis.

The .conference convened by the Prinie Minister at the request of His Excellency the Governor to consider plans for the better application of effort and generosity in regard to patriotic and relief funds will meet at Government House this afternoon.. Those invited to be present at the conference are representatives of the chief collecting agencies for these fund 6 iii the cities and larger towns of the Dominion.

The tender of Messrs. Wakelin and E'l has been accepted by the City Council for the setting back ,of the frontage _ol that block of brick shops in Willis Street immediately to the north of the Mercer Street intersection to the new street alignment. When this work is accomplished, the only shop premises not set hack will be those between Pinuey's building and the Duke of Edinburgh Hotel.

The,question of closer settlement is occupying the attention of the people of Horowhenua. An effort is being made to obtain the Kawiu block for this purpo&e, and a deputation has been appointed to wait on Mr. J. R. Macdonald in ordjer to ascertain the exact position of affairs. It is stated that a good deal of the land is under long Native lease.

Among the visitors to 'Wellington at present is Mr. Neale Breden, Controller of Assets for the Corporation of Sydney. Mr. Breden was formerly associated with Mr. Jno. R. Palmer (Wellington's Town Clerk), when the latter official was Assistant Town Clerk in Sydney, and succeeded Mr. Palmer as Controller of Assets. That officer's duties consist of supervising, all the revenue-producing activities of the Sydney City Council (including the markets), other than the rates. His mission to New Zealand was to report to the Auckland City Council respecting the establishment and control of municipal markets. Mr. Breden leaves for Sydney to.-dfty by the Ulimaroa.

The Colonial Motor Company, Ltd., Now Zealand agents tor Ford cars, are about to erect extensive promises at tho corner of Taranaki Street and York Street, for which the architect, Mr. J. M. Dawson, is now inviting tenders. The building, which covers a site 105 ft. by 51ft., is "to be of two stories with a flat roof, and provision is being made by specially strengthening the wall and stanchions, for the addition of two extra stories at some future time. The pound floor will be used as a garage and repair shop and is well equipped with overhead travelling crano, work pit,' turntables, wash-downs, etc. A reinforced concrete first floor carried on steel girders and stanchions, and concrete stairs, fireproof doors, etc., completely separate-the two floors, from an insurance point of view. The top storey is to be used for the storage of cars, and this and tho fiat roof will be served by an electric lift capable of raising 2} tons. This building is to bo occupied by the company in addition to their extensive premises in Courtenay Place, which have been .found quite inadequate to v cope with the rapidly increasing busihess.

The Levin Chamber of Commerce has passed a resolution requesting the Minister of Railways to book passengers at ordinary fares by tlio night-bouna Main Trunk train to stations north of Taihapo and' to book passengers for Levin at tho ordinary fares by tho southbound Main Trunk train from stations north of Taihape.

Tho Government hava been asked by ilourmillors to allow the osport of bran and pollard, of which there is said to he a large quantity stored in New Zealand. A few small* shipments have been allowed to go to Australia for defence purposes, and for special reasons, but the export of bran attri pollard is Etill prohibited.

Twelve butcheis at the Waingawa Freezing Works have left the boards this week.

The annual meeting of the Harbout Beard will be held at noon on Mohdajf next to examine, settle, and pass tlie# accounts for the year ended Septemboft 30 last.

The work of fitting up the Courtenay Place sub-eschange in connection with the automatic telephone system is now, being carried out. The building, a? substantial two-storied brick struo' tiire, at tlie rear of tile Courtenay ( Place Post and Telegraph Office, has been completed some time, now the ap- 1 paratus has come to hand, and already; two motors and dynamos 'are on thai premises and a start has been mada: with the erection of the steel fratnev work which is to carry the delicate au-i tomatic apparatus in connection with! tho new system. Stability is essential in such cases, and the building been ; built on very substantial lines,-, with concrete beds for the motors, and concrete floors above and below. Otherf sub-stations are to be built at Kelburn} and Berhainporo, as the system dc-* velops.

. Whilst excavating for the foundations of the New Police Station in! Lower Taranaki Street, it was neces-< sar.v in order to secure cellar accom-t modation to go down about 15 feet in! the partly reclaimed ground. In doina so the workmen came across the rc->' mains of an old breastwork extending from cast to west, which evidently ati some remote time in the history of "Wellington served as the dividing line between the beach and the higher land of the old town, the break that separ-i ated the soil, from the sand. Another" interesting find was a boiler of oldfashioned design that must have bsi longed to one of the first steamers thai; nloughed the waters of the harbour. The boiler,_ though heavily encrustedwith rust, is still in a fairly good statd. of preservation.

The following motiqn will be moved by 'Mr. A. Leigh Hunt at Monday's meeting of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce: "That the council take steps to establish a Commercial Defence Fund on a voluntary basis to provide for: (1) Bringing or defending legal actions in cases of commercial interest; and (2) to obtain legal opinion for Guidance of subscribe ers to the fund; (3) to assist inbringing back to the Dominion abscond* ing debtors of those who participate ini the scheme.

The divorce case-in which Charles BU Cranby, of Napier, petitioned tor a die— solution of his marriage with Mary?. Cranby on the ground <Jf adultery, which? was commenced at Napier yesterday, was adjourned to Wellington.

By Order-in-Council gazetted the ex-» port, of "vessels, boats, and craft" frottfthe Dominion to any destination other than the United Kingdom or a British,' possession or protectorate, is jSohibited.' Attached to the notice is the following explanation:—"lt is hereby notified fop tlio information of the public that the purpose of the above Order-in-Council' prohibiting the export of ships is to prevent during the present war th<* transfer of British ships, whether re-; gistered in New Zealand' or to fo'reign owners or foreign- registers. Without the license of the Minister oi Marino no British ship will be allowed' to leave a New Zealand port for any; foreign destination if transferred or in* tended for transfer to any person or company not qualified to own a British ship or to a foreign register."

The Tramways Committee of the edin City Council is protesting to tha Minister against enforcement of the res. gulations affecting the carrying capao* lty of trams.—Press Association.

A large German flag adorned the walla of the College Rifle Club's room at Auckland on Tuesday evening, on tha occasion of the club's annual meeting. It'was explained, states the "Herald,' 1 - that this nag was found by a party-of signallers of the Auokland Divisional Signalling Company, who formed part of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force at Samoa. The flag was hoisted by the Germans on a mast connected with tha wireless station, seven miles from Apia, just before war was declared. It was lowered again by the German wireless officials on the -morning of August 29, 1914, the day when the Expeditionary Force from New Zealand arrived in the harbour of Apia. The same night, at eleven o'clock, a detachment of tha 3rd (Auckland) Eegiment took possession of the station. Four Germans were made prisoners, and the flag was taken, from its hiding-place by Lieutenant H. C. Cotton and a party of Auckland signallers and subsequently presented ttf the College Rifles Club. '

It was reported to the council of thd Auckland Acclimatisation Society on. Tuesday, night, reports the Auckland "Star," that large numbers of dead trout are seen frequently floating down the Waikato. Mr. J. Gillett Btatedthat that sort of thing had been going on for some years, and some people were inclined to the belief that the fish wer'a affected by the pumice in the water, on account of quantities of pumice being found in the gills of the dead trout, though was of opinion that the pumice probably got there after death, when the fish were floating down the river. The matter of making investigations was referred to the society's Fish and Game Committee. '

The Auckland Acclimatisation Society has practically dismantled its pheasant farm at Te Papa, where some epidcmio 'caused a heavy mortality among the birds, and on Tuesday niglit the council decided to distribute the remaining stock of pheasants, approximately about 100 birds, mostly young, among a number of the clubs affiliated, with the society, such clubs to give an assurance that'' the birds would be placed in some place that is absolutely protected from snooting for the present season. The society lias, reports the "Star," received a report from Dr. Makgill to the effect that' though the bacteriological examination respecting the epidemic that afflicted the birds at the farm was not' complete, there was good reason for believing that it was the fowl diphtheria that has decimated so many poultry farms this season. Though the birds _ that have survived the ordeal are considered to bo immune, the society has decided to start a game farm in a new site with an entirely fresh stock. The site was ed at the meotiiig, but no decision waß arrived at. ■