LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Evening Post, Volume LXX, Issue 37, 12 August 1905, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Excepting that the prospects of peace are a little brighter to-day, the news relating to the war is without special interest. Tho chief feature of yesterday's proceedings in the House was the small attendance of members. In the afternoon the Rotokare Domain lessees came into some prominence, and ahe evening sitting was occupied with the Estimates. Throughout the proceedings bhe number of members present was less than 50 per cent, of the whole, and the final division just before 1 a.m. disclosed tire fact that only 39 were present. The Board of Enquiry into matters concerning the State coalmines will sit at the Custom House Buildings, Waterloo-quay, next Tuesday morning at 10 o'clock. Persons desirous of giving evidence are invited to attend. The date of sth September was originally fixed for the opening of the Divorce Court sittings, but the date has since been altered to the 22nd August A deputation from Petone is to wait on Ministers on railway matters, and to ask that Potone should be given an opportunity of paiticipating in tho benefits of cheap coal from the State mine. Word has been received from London by the Town Clerk that .the organ for the Town. Hall has been completed. The instrument is expected to arrivo in Wellington in October. The Native Lauds Trusts Commission has concluded its sittings to take evidence, and the addresses of counsel have been heard. The Commission is now closed, and it is anticipated that a report will be in readiness by Monday, 21st inst., for presentation to Parliament. Jurors summoned to attend at the Supreme Court civil sittings to bo opened next Monday morning are notified by advertisement in this issue that thej will not .be required to attend until Tuesday morning next, 15th August. The Wellington sitting of the Police Commission will begin in the upstairs portion of the Magistrate's Court building at 11 o'clock on Monday morning. The Commissioners • (Messrs. H. W. Bishop and J. \V. Poynton) invite any persone interested to attend and give evidence. About 1000 trees have been planted on the Petone Recreation Ground, forming an almost unbioken belt around the ground. It is hoped these will form a permanent shelter as they grow. Tho lady members of th© Navy League are asked to attend a meeting to be held at tile Chamber of Commerce on Monday afternoon at 3 p.m. It is proposed that the ladies should co-operate in tho approaching celebration of the Trafalgar Centenary. All intending lady members aTe invited bo bo present at the meeting. In the Magistrate's Court this morning, before Dr. . A. M'Arthur, S.M., Alfred Chamberlain and John Lyons were charged with having committed a breach of the" peace on Custom House-quay last night. They pleaded guilty. His Worship entered up a conviction and discharged the accused. A man charged with drunkenness was remanded until the 18th inst. for curative treatment. An experiment is shortly to be made with rafting timber down the Wanganiri River. The timber industry round and above Taumaranui and between there and Pipiriki is developing into big proportions, and many mills have already commenced operations. A contemporary mentions that a bridge over 300 feet long has been erected over the Wanganui River by a sawmilling company. Mr. .Edward E. Hardcastle, a native of Dunedin, is now Assistant Actuary of the Union Central Life Association of Cincinnati, U.S.A. He was for some time on the staff of tlie New Zealand Government Life Insurance Department. Ten yeans ago he went to America, where he has made rapid progress in ths life insurance world. A few weeks ago he was married to the daughter of one of Cincinnati's prominent residents. The work of surveying the coast, says the Minister for Marine in his annual report, has beon continued by H.M.S. Penguin, which has now been employed on it for four years. The woik has been carried out undor un arrangement with the Imperial Government, under which the colony paj's half tho cost. The arrangement with the Admiralty has been terminated as from tho end of this year's work, in view of tins Department establishing a marine survey, for which it is proposed to ask Parliament to make the necessary provision during the session. There is still a good deal of coastal work to b6 done, and the most important of this should bo carried out before any harbourwork is undertaken. Many ladies of Wellington and districts will bo pleased to hear that ex Athenic next Tuesday 'we Bhall "be opening tho largest shipment of goods for Spring and Summer wear ever sent to us. New styles and novelties for all departments. — Kirkcttldio mid Stains, Ltd.~Ad.vt.

Tha No-License Convention held at Greytown yesterday (writes our correspondent) proved a most successful affair. Some seventy-five delegates were present from all parts of the district. Facts and figures were given by Mr. A. R. Atkinson, and work for polling day by the Rev. J. D. Dawson, Chairman of the New Zealand Alliance Executive. A large number of the public were present during the afternoon, and in. the evening the hall was full. • Both the above speakers gave addresses. Mr. R. W. Tate was chairman of .the meeting. It is intended to train a number of persons to act as scrutineers at .the coming contest. During the afternoon tea was provided. Before proceeding with the business at last night's meeting of the Petone Borough Council, the Mayor (Mr. G. ■London) referred with regret to the death of Mr. W. H Cook, an ex-Bor-ough Councillor. Few men in the community, hs said, had been imbued with a greater sense of their duty to the public than their late confrere. For many years he had taken an active part in the public affairs of Petone, and had been intimately associated the progress of the town. The' Town Clerk was instructed to forward a letter of condolence to the widow and family of deceased. Among other positions held by the late Mr. Cook was that of Superintendent of the Sunday School of St. David's Chuicn.' A general meeting of the Central Branch of the Independent Political Labour League was held at the Trades' Hall last night, the Hon. J. Rigg is the chair. There was a large attendance. The following motion, notice of which had been given previously, was carried : "That the Executive be requested to adopt the following new rule : That no member of the Executive shall be a candidate at any election." Ifc was decided to call a combined meeting of the branches in the Greater Wellington district to finally decide on the seats to be contested, and arrange for preliminary measures for selecting candidates. iMrs. A. R. Atkinson presided ever this week's meeting of the Society for the Protection of Women and Children, and Me&dames W. Fell, Dowell, Mackenzie, and W. A. Evans and Misses Coates and Walton were ako present. It was reported that a number of eases were being investigated, one case had been settled out of Court, and two infants had been adopted. The following contributions to the society's funds are acknowledged with thanks : — Mesdames D. Nathan, £1 Is ; F. Isitt, 10s; Leckie and Dowell and Messrs. H. Pollen, D. Virtue, and E. L. Harris, 5s each; Mr. Heywood, As ; Mt. J. Leslie, 2s 6d ; Sharland and Co., 10s 6d ; and clothing from Mrs. B. Brown, and money to buy clothing from Mts. Ritchie. In its literary notes a recent issue of an American publishes the following interesting item concerning a New Zealander : — Everybody's Magazine has discovered a new Kipling — a Kipling with a fresh --and unworked country of his own, and an amazing power in handling its dramatic features. G. B. Lancaster is said to know New Zealand as Kipling knows India. "In the Down Country," the first of the eight stories that Everybody's has secured, appears in the July issue of the magazine, and will shake the aimless reader out of his summeT listlessne&s pretty effectually. The medal .given by Lord Plunket as a prize for debating amongst members of the Victoria College Debating Society who are matriculated students and who fulfil certain conditions as to attendance, has been forwarded by his Lordship to tho society's secretary. It is a silver medal, bearing on the obverse side the Plunket arms and on the reverse a wreath of oak. The first competition wll be held on 9th, September. | At a general meeting of parishioners held in the churchroom at Kilbirnie last evening, the following officers were elected for the ensuing nine months : — Vicar's Churchwarden, Mr. G. T. TapI lin; (Parishioner's Churchwarden, Mr. A. Perrin; Auditor, 'Mr. F. W. Barnett. For the Vestry, nine were nominated, of whom the following were elected after a ballot had been taken : Messrs. H. T/ Ballinger, Easson, Ibbotson, E. H. Fisher, Worboys, J. B. Girdlestone, and J. Fenton. A special vote of thanks >vas passed to Mt. H. A. Huggins for his services as secretary and treasurer to the committee for the last eight or nine yeans. The Wellington Kennel Club's Show, to be held in the Drillshed on the 30th and 31st of this month, promises to be the most successful show held in New Zealand, as the committee now in office has made arrangements of the most up-to-date charaoter as regards both exhibits and exhibition. The comfort of the dogs will be fully attended to. Night watchmen are to be engaged to see that tho dogs are comfortable during one long hours of the night. The will of the Lite John Pliinmer, which for some time past lias been in dispute, is to be adjudicated on by the Chief Justice and Mr. Justice Cooper, sitting in Banco, on 19th August. Ths case is one instituted by the widow of deceased (Janet Plimmer), who since 1874 to the present time has been in receipt of an annuity of £150 under terms of a deed of separation. Plaintiff alleges tJiat this sum is insufficient for her proper maintenance as widow of the late John Plimmer, wherefore she seeks to have the amount increased by virtue of the provisions of the Testator's Family Maintenance Act. Under the will of deceased his surviving son by the present plaintiff gets a legacy of £1000, but subsequent provisions ior certain payments to deceased's daughters by his first wife stipulate that in event fci the residue of the estate not being sufficient to ensure continuance of these -nay-» ments tho amount to be paid to the son aforesaid is to be reduced. The validity of the will, dated 26th February, 1904, is disputed by Janet Plimmer, who also moves the court to rule that deceased died intestate. The Chief Justice this morning intimated in Chambers that the case would come on for hearing as above set forth. Having made an automobile tour of the world, traversing twenty-four countries and ( visiting eight thousand towns and cities, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Glidden, of Lowell, vouched their home in New York on the 22nd June, thus completing 25,000 miles of motoring. They describe Java (writes a correspondent) as a most interesting country for touring, with roads as fine as those of England. They ciossed both 4ho Arctic Civcio aud the Equator in their car, and met with delightful experiences amongst all borts of strange people. Antipodean potentates weie extremely anxious to ta&to the delights of automobiling, and were very hospitable. An experienced chauffeur, who was also an expert mechanic, accompanied Mr. and Mrs. Glidden. In some parts his services wore constantly in request, but tho entire 25,000 miles was accomplished without serious mishap to the tourists. The annual general meeting of tho Star Boating Club will bo hold at the Clubhouse on Friday, August 25th. Nominations for tho various offices will be received up to 8 p.m. on th© 22nd inst. The New Zealand Express Company's Van meets the incoming Miiniiwalu express every night. Luggage for town or steamer carefully delivered. Charges niodori ate. — Advli.

Two cases of scarlet fevei and two cases of diphtheria are reported by the Public Health Department as having occurred in the city for the week ending 12th August. One caoe of scarlet fever is reported from the Butt County. In the correspondence columns of several leading New York newspapers a strenuous campaign has recently been ■waged against the domestic tooth-brush, which is declared, to be insanitary and hurtful to the gums. Dr. Palier, in a health paper, started the rumpus by declaring that undue dental scrubbing ia largely responsible for Americans' bad teeth, which, usually speaking, are the worst in the •world. "Nowhere," he says, "is the tooth-brush used with auch vigour as here, and nowhere is the demand for artificial teeth as prevalent." .Scientists say that the bristles irritate and inflame the gums, separate the latter from the teeth-roots, and, by allowing the natural bacteria of the mouth to work on the raw, weak, and sensitive structures, indirectly start tbe first processes of decay. The substitute for the tooth-brush chiefly favoured is a pledget of sterilised cotton, which can be gently used as a purely mechanical swab, and afterwards thrown away. The cone&pondence admits that tbe daily consumption of sweets and icecream by Americans is also largely responsible for dental deficiencies. The Arctic Club of North America, ■wfhich is financing Commander Peary's new trip to discover the North Pole, has now consented (writes the New York correspondent of the London Daily Telegraph) to the explorer being accompanied by Miss Babb, a lady (secretary. Mrs. Peary and her twelve-year-old daughter will accompany the traveller as far as the last supply station, where they will remain with the ship, but Miss Babb wall go on with the party on the dash to the Pole in sleighs, w-hioh naturally is the most hazardous and most important part of the undertaking. Interviewed by the Now York World, Miss Babb, ■who is thirty years of age, and a goodlooking, typical America-r woman, says "If the men stand the trip, I guess I can. My Arctic outfit is the most complete ever made." Miss Babb will look after the installation of the wireless telegraphy apparatus, and will operate the instrument while in the Arctic regions. She has learnt telegraphy and shorthand^ and is an expert photographer. Much of the data concerning the trip, and all the pictures of interesting points visited along the route, will be her work, as also all the newspaper writing concerning the expedition. Berlin and the sister city of Oharlottenburg are carrying out -an interesting experiment, known as th© " Forest School," with funds .partly granted by the municipalities and par-Wy by private benefactors (says a London paper). \ number of summer buildings have been erected in the pin© forests of the neighbourhood, consisting mainly of barracks, 6h«ds, kitchens, and go on, largely open to wind and'eun. In, these buildings ono hundred and .twenty boys and girls have been gathered, of ages between six and fouTteen. They aTrive by tramcar at a quarter to 8 in the morning and remain in .the woods until half-past 7. Only weakly children are selected or those for .whom fresh air is regarded as a. necessity. Their fares to and from the woods are paid .'ot them. Boys and giirls are instructed in common, and as much as possible i» the open air. No lesson is longer than half-iui-hour, and the lessons are interspersed with ample time for recreation. The girte are taught to raisa flowers and vegetables, and the boys aT© instructed in tilling the soil and building. Each child is allowed to select his jt her own particular spot in the forest for the preparation of lessons. A feature of the experiment is the kitchen arrangements, which are under tho charge of a Red Gro^ nurse. Each child has one litre of mHk per day, and Wie meals are 'breakfast, luncheon, dinner, and supper. Wholesome and simple food is provided in ample quantities. The school will remain, in the forest until October, «uid the promoters are satisfied with the results so fair. The children are becoming quite vigorous, and greatly enjoy the work. Xt ie believed that the experiment will be extended to other cities. An urgent meeting of the Old Wellington 'Navals' Assooia-tion will be held on Monday evening in the Queen's Chambers, when important business is to be placed before members. Every member is requested to attend. An advertisement appears elsewhere. Friends of Thomas Briscoe are asked to inform him that he has been selected for admission into the Home for Aged Needy. The annual services in connection with Kent-terrace Prrshytenan Sabbath Schools are advertised in .this issue. The Socialist Party draw attention to their Sunday evening meeting. Munt, Cottreil, and Co., general carriers, Customs nnd forwarding agents. Storage a speciality. Furniture packed and removed. Office ; Queen's Chambers. Telenhone Xo. 23. — Advt. C. Smith has established a reputation for selling the highest standard of goods at tho lowest possible prices for cash. Tho fact that everything bought by C. Smith is on tho principle of spot cash paymont enables us' to give our customers tre benefit of liberally discounted prices. Having enables us to give our customers tho bentciple, it is to our interest to keep up our reputation, and to continue giving the best value possible at moderate prices. Mr. C. Smith, who is even now purchasing hugo quantities of new goods from the host English and Continental markets, advises us that his "ready cash" system of buying still enables him to quoto his own price for tho newest and most up-to-date goods, and is confident that his stock for the coming season will in every way meet with tho approval of tho most fastidious followers of fashion. O. Smith, Cash Draper, Cuba-street. — Advt.