LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Evening Post, Volume LXVII, Issue 147, 22 June 1904, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Somo little time ago, in nn editorial note, we drew the attention of the authorities to the itdvisableness of transferring the tinve-ball from its obscure position pn the Railway Wharf to the tower of the new Customhouse. The matter has now been taken up by the local shipping companies, who have forwarded a requisition to tho Minister for Customs with the object of Lading the ball removed to tha ' proposed new site. The action of the «hipping companies is strongly .supported by the captains of vessels trading to the port. The Minister for Agriculture was waited on at Pnlmerston Korth yesterday by the Executive of the National . Dairy Association, and asked whether the Govcrumeat would continue its assistance in the matter of freezing charges. The Hon. T. Duncan made A. vague reply. H« stated that the Government and been thinking of discontinuing the assistance, but he promised that the matter would receive consideration. The opinion nmong.st dairymen is th^l the time is most inopportune for discontinuance of Government support, in view of the probability of the prices of butter fulling still lower. The reinstatement of the popular commander of the steamer Rotomahana to his former charge was made after full enquiry by the directors of the company. It is well known that tlffe Union Steair Ship Compiiny deals with exceptional se verity with masters of its vessels in th» event of their charges coming to grief in any way, and the strict rules laid down- in this respect are a guarantee to tho public of care- and vigilance l on the part of the company's cammaudcrs. The reinstatement of Captain Manning nnd the chief officer of the Rotpmaliana can therefore be taken as direct' evidence that despite the finding of the Court in th< Jessie # Niecol-Itotomahana collision casf tho directors of tho company consider that no blame ia attachable to tliofe in cLr.vgo of the Rotomiihana. The maiiy friends of the popular commander of th% speedy ferry steamer will, no doubt, h* delighted to learn of tho determination of tho directors of the company. The colonial mails, which left Sydney on the 17th May per R.M.S. Manuka, via Vancouver, arrived in London on tho morning of the 20tli inst., two daya early. Occasionally carts nro seen taking loads of well-graesed turf through the streets. Apropos, there has been some surreptitious removal of turf- on the Town Belt, and in view of the demand for sods, it is worth the while of Corporation offl* cials to keep their eyes open. If • the Council cannot improve the Tqwn Belt, it mi«ht at least do something to prevent the removal thereof bodily. ' ' A The members of the Arbitration Court (Mr. Justice Chapimui, and Messi*>. S. • Brown and % K. Slutei^are stilly in Wellington settling matters which came before them in Auckland and Gisborne. They will leave for Uhristchurch in a few days, and will not be back iv Wellington for some weeks. . Tho illuminations on the public buildings were again admired by large ciowds lait hiight. Last year the National Dairy Association parsed a resolution urging on tho Government the necessity of s-tarting an experimental dairy station. At yesterday's meeting of the Association the Chairman stated that the Minister for Agriculture had. sn 'd that the station would almost certainly be at the Levitt State Farm, but no steps would be taken till tho return of Mr. Kinsella, the Dairy Commissioner. The crop returns for the colony will probably appear in this M-eck's Gazette. It is stated that rust hns been worse this year in the North Island than formerly, but it is calculated that tho area dnmagef will not materially affect the yield of oafr of the colony for the 1903-04 season The average yield for the season is expectod to amount, to somewhere about thirty-seven bushels per acre, as again* foity-five bushels for the pievious year. A speaker at tho meeting of the Na tional Dairy Association stated that then was one mill in this island sending awaj four million feet of white pine timbe'i annually, nnd -that it was only one o* many mills. The only placeT he added, where white piuo is left in any quantity, ib in the northern patfc of this 'gland. It has otten been said that reductions in the Customs tariff on food stuffs do not prove a benefit to tho consumer, as the retail prices of the goods are nut reduced accordingly. It is, therefore, wry pksising to note tliat Messrs. Nelson, Moate and Co., the well-known tea firm, reduced the prices of their celebrated teas by twopence per pound innnediateh on tho recent abolition of the twopeijc* Customs duty on lea. The public is nov able to purcltr.se any of this linn's wellknown brands at twojience less than previously, and ure consequently receiving the full bene.lt of the reduction. Tlie fact that. Mcwrs. Nelson. Moate and Co. have done this proves that the public do, in, some instances at any rale, receive tli« advantages of tariff reductions.— Advt.

An interesting discussion took place at ye-sterday's meeting of the Dairy .Association at Pdluier&ton North ou the question of while pine timber, eoncorning th*& incroaMug exportation of which Iho dairy industry, which uses this timber for butler bo.\os, has become ahumpd. Mr. Moitou stated that everybody admitted that the question was beiious--, and ho moved that tho Uovenuuent Ijq asked to increase tho export duty on white pine. The motion appeared about to be pawed without discussion, when Mr. John Holmes, of Wellington, io>>o ;md htnted that men who moducod white nine should be considered, and it was wrong to deprive them of their livelihood. Accordingly, bo uiged that the mucked export gduty thould be paid to l,he exporters of 'timber. Tins, he declared, was the only leasonnble, just, and honest course. Eventually it was decided to ask the Government to purchase tho white pine in the colony or piotect it. from being exported. Tho trophies won by the D Battciy during the pa&t season were presented Insst night. Sergeant Skvlley (A class) received the Battery belt, the New Zealand Clothing Company's marble clock, and the set of carveia presented by Mr. Head. Lieutenant Pethonck and Quartermaster Sergeant King wero presented ■with tho second and third prizes respectively in A class, and ateo with Battery trophies. The gold medal in B c'wua was handed to Driver Hogan. Driver Clark was also the recipient of a prize in tho same class. Tho annual distribution of badges was also made. Three eases containing pinto glass whic"h •were recently landed on tho wharf in n broken condition from the ship Tanumki for Mossr.i. R.*and 15. Tingey formed the basis of a. claim for £24 14s Bd. heard j by Dr. A. M'Arthur, S.M., yesterday. ayaiiiKt Captain Jolui A. Evans, master of tho Vessel. Mr. S. A.,Atkin*on appeared for plaintiff**, and Mr. Myera for defendnnt. Tho plaintiffs alleged tlint the damngo> was duo to improper stowage, but this was repudiated by defendant, who proved to the satisfaction of his Worship Hiat tho glaws had been properly stowed, and tliat in spile of all reasonable care taken in handling this class of goods, it got broken. Judgment was for defendlint, with £2 2s costs. How live a body the National Dairy Association is may be gathored from the fact thab fit- the annual meeting at l'almerston North yesterday the hall of Ihe grandstand at the A. and P, Association's grounds — a very lnrgo edifice — wui filled with membeiy», and those pfoicnt included the representatives of fortyone co-operativo •companies, three pro- , p notary factories, one packing house, and nix export firms. Tho quarterly meeting of tho Drivers' Ifnion was held last night, and was largely attended. Tho executive^ leportcd on a conference held with tho employers rif drivers and the industrial dispute now before the Court of Arbitration. The report was adopted, and the officers were instructed to ask the employers for a further conference, with a view to a settlement- The matter of affiliating with the Trades and Labour Council was considered at length. It was resolved to affiliate with the Council, and the following were appointed delegates to the Qouncfl : — Messrs. A. Parlano, A. Orr, G. Haslsm, W. Hannaffin, T. O'Brien, and D. Blackie. The veterans who attended Monday's core-monies in Wellington numbered foriyflve. Captain B. C. Hainerton, New Zealand Militia, was in command. Tho hearing of tho civil action Thos. Anderson v. Alexander Wilson, a claim of £77 V for plastering work done, at defendant's house in Newtown, and a coun-ter-claim by defendant against plaintiff for a similar amount for alleged unskilful work, was completed by Dr. A. • M' Arthur, S.M., yesterday "afternoon. His Worship intimated that ho would jivo judgment on tho 28th in&t. Jottings from the National Dairy Association discuraions : — "It appears to mo wo don't know what we are talking about (frequent remark). . A Chamber of Commerce or some such thing is working ir Wellington, but it doea not represent the exporters of New Zealand. . . The labour question in Naw Zealand is going to cripple tho dairying industry. . . Tho farmers^ are now <n a position to insist that the Dairying Association fight for their rights in the Old Country. . . I've got grown-up sons, and they won't stick to the milkpail as 'their father did. And so has svery farmer. . . I've had white pino m my head for n- long time," was tho frank confession of woodenheadedncsa by j one talkative member. ; Regarding the quick railway journey .tvoiu ChristehurcJi to the Bluff, mentioned in yesterday's Post, Lord Ranfurlybas telegraphed to Sir Joseph Ward aa follows:—"Tho run from Lyttelton to Bluff occupied ten hours forty-live minutes, of which Dunedin to Invorcargill took throo bours thirty minutes. The journey was quit© easy,' there being no unusual slinking, which speaks very highly for your antigens, «i>d hhows, that the line mn-t Ss m good order. There was only one .lylny, of fifteen minutes, on the road— 4oit work. Many thanks for your kind iUMimotnents. 1 sbull now Iv able to ..atch my Melbourne connection in Mildura. Good-bye and kia ora.— Ranfurly." Whilst the organising powcrß of tho ►yecntivo of the Manawatu and West C'oawt A. and P. Association are admirable, so far us the general arrangements ior the winter rfiow are concerned, pressmen attending tho exhibition grumbled a owl deal yesterduy about the lack- of ronveniences for newspaper writers. Thwe was n, large mimbor of pressmen • n attendance, and they were crowded Into a narrow shed sandwiched between the entrance to tho exhibition" buildings vnd the temporary bar. Here they wrote Mieir message* amid cries of ".Have one -vith me!" "This is my shout; !" "Pill em up again!" "Catalogues!" and the .-ontinuous grind of a Jiurdy-gurdy. Tho tsating accommodation was of tbe woist possible kind, consisting of up-fcnJod %oxcs, and t£e desk waa a couple of ula'nks. Tha.i>ks to the forethought of the UniUd Farmers' Association, th© discomfort was lightened somewhat by Ihe ..vitrmth given out by two keroseno heaters. The presiding Justices at tljo Magistrate's Court to-day were Messrs. K. Jones and P. Kitto. Joseph Nelson, found guilty of drunkenness . whilst in charge of a* carriage -and horses on tho Hutt road, was fined 20s, with £1 11s costs. Eugene Kelly, on a charge of petty theft of articles belonging to Thou. Qnriand, whs fined 10s, with 3s costs, in default twenty-four hours. For having allowed 1»h horses to wander, Ueorge Smith waa fined 20s, with 9h costs. Frederick Hafstrom was fined 10s, with i 7s costs, for leaving his horse and curt nnattendc<l in Victoria-street, and Cecil Meviick, ss, with 7s costs, for* cycling by "flight without a light. For insobriety, Jas. A. Pickford waa fined 10s, and two first offenders were convicted md discharged. Candidates for the London College of Musio examinations arc notified to appear for examination next Saturday at <ihe place and time picviously notified. t Tin* arrival of our new Governor is oound to bring in it* train social functions of one kind and another which will -require your attendance. Sco our advertisement on pago v 7.— Kkkcaldie and * Stain*, Ltd.— Advt.

Tho annual meeting of the New Zealand Institute of Dairy Sevretaries >\as held las»t night at Palmcrsluu North, Mr. J. G. Hdi'kiK-fea, President, in the cluui It was decided to place on record tinsorrow of membvw at the- death of its Patron. Mr. Thos. 'Bj-ydone (Dunodin). Ml.ssi.s W. J. Shaw (Mangorei) and Togner (Pohonui) were elected members of the Institute. Tho baluuce-sheet hhowed a credit of £8 10.?. Olficers wore elected :is follows:— President, Mr. A. S. Uiks (S\ollington), Vico-Pivsidi'nt.s, Mr. Hope Jojinfctono (Wanganui), Mr. C. E. Gib&on (Normanby); Council: Mo.ssm. l'\ -V. \U\w' (Cheltcuhnm), J. J. Momft-ioff (Cartorlun), J. V. Wyborn (Rivordalo), E. Watts (M.ingaloki),* E. Gilshuan (Kakaramea), C. Muckio (Elth.un); Auditor, Mr. J. B. lk'iiuio (Kapong.i); jSI-cretary^ Mr. C Mackio (Eliham). Brisk debates on subjects "Thnt Iho tontU'iioy in wow Zealand im 'to uiukr-cipitflliso dairy conipaiikv." and "Tluit diivctoi\s of dairy companies .should not- bo suppliers," were opened by Mr, Bi.*j». Mr. Crowe, Chief lKiiry Expert of Victoria, look part in the lirst debate. Dalgety'fi Review for June is to hand, and as usual contains a large amount of aitriculuir.il, pu^toral, and ■ commercial news. Among tho principal articles are " Recent Sydney Improvements," " Tho Story of tho Early Australian Ejcplorera," and " Wheat-growing in Western Australia." There is also a table showing the season's shipments of wheat from the Commonwealth. The following were the successful candidates at the recent dental examination in Wellington: — Auckland: E. D. Yk ilcock, E. C. Wykcs, C. Cook, T. C. Tibbs, and -A. C. Long. Wellington: 0. Gavin and D. 11. Whitchouse. Wangitnui: W. R. Jolins and H. C. Dodgslnu>. The half-yeaily summoned meeting ot Court. Sir William Jervuis, A.O.F , w*as hold ii' St. Thomas's Schoolroom, Rid-diford-strcct.'on Monday night, when the following otneers wore elected: — C.R., ! Brother W. Jeftery ; S.C.R., Biolhor Kvre ; Treasurer Brother S Hoy ; Secretafy, Bro. T. L. Coe; S.W., Bio. R. Carauthers; 'J.W., Brother Withington ; 5.8., Bi other F. Lortl ; J. 8., Biothcr Howett ; Minuto Secretary, Bi other Morris; Auditor, Brother Morris. All the piesent Distict OlHeors wero advanced one office higher^ and Brotlibr Jes&on was nominated for D.J.8.. nnd Brother Mowbray for District Auditor. It was resolved to increase all contributions 14 per week, to increaso tRe. funeral monoy to £50, and to do away with death levies. It was ilecidod to purchwiß an invalid's eh.air, and it was also resolved not to increaso tho number of doctors at present. An Entertainment Committee lor the Court, is to be elected. Mr. Fred Bradley, of Wellington v (not Mr. Priestley, as reported on page 2 of this issue) won tho championship in the Wyandolte classes at; tho Palmorston show. The Matron of tho Hospital acknowledges with thanks the receipt of illustrated papers from Dr. Alexander and Mrs. Scott; also papers from Mr. Draper and magazines from Mrs. .Campbell. Old linen will b© lliankfully received and acknowledged. Members of the Garrison Band aro ordered to attend tho Governor's levee on Friday next. Tho ,next meeting of the National Dairy Association wul be held in Palrnerston North. Always in favour at this season of tho year, aud all through tho year, is Black Swan Butter. — Advt. fliero . is nothing in the world that will stop your cough so quickly as Wilton's Old English Cough Linctus. Less than a bottle will cure\you.— -Advt. Merchants and importers aro requested to send all their Customs papers to the New Zealand Express Company, 20, Customhouse-quay. Telephone 92. — Advt. Muni, Cottrell, and Co., general carriers, Customs and forwarding agents. Storage a speciality. Furniture packed and removed.- Otlko ; Queen's Chambers. Telephone No. 23.— Advt. Bargains Again. — During the preaonfc week C. Smith, Cubd-streot, is offoring MHno rare bargains. Lovely silk volvot-8^ Is lid per ynrdj panne plushoa for millinery trimmings, Is 6d per yard ; coloured pannes, Is per yard ; black and coloured vidyoloona, 1« per yard ; fnnoy blouro silks, la per yard. Those goods wero bought rhoap, and are btting sold cheap. Bargains in (ill dopartmonte at C. Smith's, Cuba-gtrcot.—-Advt. / Stocktaking salo. For one month only Zealandia cycles will bo subject to 15 per cent, reduction for ca«h., Oomo oarly and Roouro a bargain. Oalou, Lowry and Co., ZealaJidift Oyclo Works, Cuna-stroot.— Advt.