LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 72, 26 March 1909, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Quite a change has come over the market during the past few days, and where all was fiat, stale, and distinctly unprofitable for brokers, is now substituted activity which crystallises into a substantial volume of business. To day's meeting of the Stock Exchange resulted in the most satisfactory list of sales that has been recorded for many months, and the details are as follows i — Bnnk of New Zealand, £8 9s ; Union Bank, £62 ss ; Wellington Gas, new issue, £1 premium ; New Zealand Insurance, £3 17s; Union Steam, £1 15s; Westport, £6 4s; Ward's Brewery, £4 11s; Consolidated Goldfields, 15s 9d; Talisman- £2 3s lO^d, £2 4s, £2 4s 3d; Waihi, £9 Is, £9 Is 6'd ; Waitangi, 3s 2d and 3s 3d. The quotations reveal considerable strength: — Big Rivers have firmed to £2 3s buyer, and Bank of New Zealand improved to £8 10s offered. Buyers of Wellington Gas, new issue, were prepared to continue at £1 premium, but holders asked £1 2s 6d. Talisman rallied slightly, but the market for this scrip cannot steady until the mine is nearly unwatered, a process which looks like taking much longer than was at first anticipated. Government offices will be closed - for Easter holidays from Friday, 9th April, to Monday, 12th April. Mr. Justice Cooper, prior to the opening of the sittings of the Court of Appeal on Monday morning, will hold sittings in bankruptcy and in divorce. English, Australian, and American mails are being brought to Auckland from Sydney by the Mokoia. The Southern bags should arrive here with the Main Trunk express on Monday afternoon. ' A notice of motion by Councillor Ballinger, regarding a fire brigade board tor Wellington, could not. be taken last night, on account of previous business occupying the council until after 10.30 p.m., after which no new business could be taken. Pending the outcome of negotiations for settlement, the hearing of the action John M'Lean and Sons v. the New Zealand Times Company, and the same v. the Wellington Publishing Company, has been postponed sine die. The claims are each for £2000 for alleged libel in connection with reports of a discussion by the Miners' Federation on labour conditions at the Otira tunnel, where plain- . tiffs are contractors. Mr. Purchas gave notice last evening to move at the next meeting of the Trades and Labour Council : "That with a view to this council becoming more progressive and better qualified to further the interests of Labour, it is desirable to set up a committee to consider and leport on — (1) The revision of the constitution and rules ; (2) th& economic basis of the Conciliation and Arbitration Act; (3) Labour's attitude towards the defence of tHe Empire ; and (4) the methods of organisation." It was fortunate for a visitor to the Thames who got into a helpless state through drink on Monday that he fell into the hands of the police instead of those of some dishonest people. When he was searched at the police station, a draft for £195 and £16 18s 4d in cash were found in his pockets. He was very grateful to the police for looking after him and his money, and when he left the court after being convicted' and discharged he solemnly shook his aching head and said : "Never again." An A.B. named Joseph Moore appeared in tho Magistrate's Court today on a charge of having assaulted George Anderson, the second officer of <he sailing vessel Lady Wolsley, now in port. Accused pleaded guilty, and made no statement in mitigation of the offence Sub-Inspector Phair explained to Mr. Riddell that at 7.30 o'clock this morning a police constable was called on board tho vessel in order to arrest for the assault. Accused was sairi to be a very refractory seaman. A fine of £2 was imposed, the option being fixed at forty-eight hours' imprisonment. Petone is ambitious to have an up-to-date high school within its boundaries, in lieu of the present district high school. A joint committee that had been appointed to consider the advisability of holding some of the secondary cla-sses in the new technical school had disagreed, and yesterday a petition came before the board asking that a high school proper be established at Petone. Chief-Inspector Fleming pointed out legal difficulties that barred the way. No high school could be established within five miles of a district high school unless there was a population oi 30,000 within the five-mile radius. Petone has only 6000, and as there was a district high school at the Hutt, it would be useless to ask for the conversion of Petone's district high school into a high school. If Petone got what was asked, it woufcJ mean that the two district high schools in the Valley wqujd have to be disestablished. Members joined in expressing their belief that such an action was premature, but the board is to obtain legal advice as to the point raised by Mr. Fleming. Some of the worst offenders in the matter of non-attendance are the children of members of school committees, says Mr. Dineen, Truant Inspector under the Wellington Education Board, who lias lately been on a tour through the backblocks about Pongaroa and Weber, on the edge of Hawkes Bay. Certain of the children boarded out by the Education Department in these country districts, according to the inspector's report, were not making satisfactory attendances for various reasons, such as milking, haymaking, and baby-minding. During his tour the official ran across a family of six, whose ages ranged from 3£ to 13a years. Morning and evening four of the children . milked 29 cows, while the stepfather accounted for six. The children were motherless, and their lives were not exactly a bed of roses Though forced to work strenuously, thb youngsters appeared to the inspector to be wejfl cared for. The board's secretary had forwarded the item through the department to an officer there whose duties included such cases, and the board endorsed his action. • At the coming le-opening of the International Exhibition at Shepherd's Bush New Zealand will be strongly represented. In conversation with Mi. Kirk, the Government Biologist, he said that a fruit collection, representative as the lateness of the notice would peimit, of grain in the sheaf, of grass seeds, preserves and jams, frozen poultry, etc. — in fact covering the whole gamut of the Dominion products : these were to be sent, to supplement ana strengthen last year's exhibit at the Franco-British Exhibition. Some of the goods have already been forwarded, and th/ remainder will follow later. Included in the general collection will be special exhibits of bacon, ham, lard, and frozen hart and gatvo. The decision arrived at to be represented was too late to allow of the wool and frozen moat oeing obtained in New Zealand ; these will be supplied from the London end. "Of course,"' said Mr. Kirk, "it would have obtained a more satisfactory article if wool could have been taken fresh end specially packed, but some very good fleeces can be got from Home agents." Upon the motion of Mr. A. R. Atkinson, Mr. Justice Cooper yesterday admitted Mr. Fred. Neve, late of Westport, as a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court.

The Gazette notifies that the Wellington Cooks' Association has been dissolved. A scale of fees for public halls, adopted by the City Council at its meeting on 26th February, was confirmed in public meeting last night. The Mayor and Councillor Godber have been authorised to sign the district electors' roll that has been prepared' in anticipation of next month's mayoral and council elections. The drillship Pioneer, at present at Sydney, will shortly make a visit to New Zealand. She is due at Auckland about the Ist ftTay*, and will be in charge of Commander W. F. Blunt. A proposal to float a loan 'for the erection of a town hall i& about to b6 put before tho ratepayers of -theThames. It is estimated that a building in -wood will coEt £3500, and one in brick £6000. Questioned regarding the new poultry ' by-law, the Mayor said at last ,right'i& City Council meeting that "he nn&er-i stood Mr. Martin had given an opinion that was at variance with his »pi'aion, but he was still of opinion tiu«t hur opinion was the right one." The Harbour Board decided y^i-erday, to retain the services of Mr^/E. D.' Cachemaille. Since Mr. W. Ferguson ' resigned his various positions, Mr. Cachemaille has been acting-engineer, but this department is to be in the card of Mr. J. Marchbanks from Ist May. The Petone Rowing Club got off th« final heat of its double sculling rac« last night. H. Parrant (bow), and J. Bonner (stroke), beat D. Gallaher (bow), and 0. Burridge (stroke) by three lengths. The winners will take the gold medals presented by Mr. J. W. Martin. Mr. G. W. Perry, commercial traveller, of Wellington, met with a painful accident on Wednesday f while bathing in Caroline Bay, Timaru. In diving ha Ftruck his head and ricked his neck badly. Dr. Thomas, who was summoned, reports the Herald, stated that the injury was not very serious. Two inebriates, named John Owens and Archibald M'lnnes, were each convicted and fined 10s, with the option of forty-eight hours' imprisonment, by Mr. W. G. Riddell, S.M., to-day. A first offender was similarly dealt with. A couple N of other first offenders were convicted and fined ss, with the alternative of twenty-four hours' imprisonment. A deputation representative of city, ratepayers waited upon Mr. A. R. Atkinson and requested him to consent to be nominated for election to the City, Council. Messrs. E. W. Lowe, T. Young, C. Cook, E. Wylie, and L. Cook acted as spokesmen, arid, after hearing the views of the deputation, Mr. Atkinson said he would give an answer in the course of a day or two. In his annual report, presented to the monthly meeting of the WeUington Edm cation Board yesterday, the principal of the Training College makes some notable remarks on the subject of practice in teaching. He says that practice is only one side of the training the college gives in the art of teaching and mmanagementt t Discussion of plans and programmes and observation are of equal importance. Sufficient practice, comments the report, is given to ensure that the student will not be nonplussed when he comes face to face with the concrete situation, absolutely and entirely alone ; sufficient to give him confidence in bis powers, and to indicate how these powers maj be developed. A racehorse deal was the subject of a civil action heard by Dr. A. M'Arthur yesterday. The suit was one in which Charles Beuth, resident at Bos-ton-terrace, claimed from Thomas Dwyer, manager of "The Talkeries," Masterton, passession of a horse named Mutiny and accessories. If possession could not be obtained plaintiff claimed the gum of £42 12s 3d, representing £40, value of the horee, and £2 2s 3d, value of the accessories. Further, plaintiff sought £20 as damages for detention of the horse. Judgment was I reserved. Before Mr. Riddell, S.M., yesterday afternoon, the Wellington Operative Bakers' Union, euedt Vance Hitchcock for recovery of 16e, subscriptions and fine, due to the union. Judgment was given for the amount claimed, with costs, Bs. Laudable efforts are being made by the police authorities l« uplift the idlo and disorderly persons always drifting and wandering in the public thoroughfares. Daily Fome person of this unfortunate class is being brought before the Stipendiary Magistrate. This morning, Mr. W. G. Riddell, S.M., had before him a middle-aged woman, Elizabeth Butterfield, who had been remanded, as she had pleaded that she had sufficient lawful means of support. Sub-Inspector Phair stated that the statement of lawful livelihood had been investigated, and had not been substantiated. Howevei, he understood that accused could be sent to one or other ol her family. The woman expressed to his Worship her willingness to do as the Sub-Inspector proposed, and to take care that she did not appear in court again. A conviction was accordingly entered, accused being ordered to come up for sentence when called upon. Steadily the picks, crowbars, shovels and explosives have cut away the side of the hill to the feouth of the VictoriaCollege to make room for a gymnasium for the students who attend the University classes. Already sufficient level ground has been formed to carry the gymnasium building, and more ; and the collegians, in their mind's eye, are able to see the "secondary" school — the physical culture school, attached to the big five-towered institution — in fjivst-Wass working order, and filled with the disciples of muscular development and sound bodies. The graduates and undergraduates have long laboured under the disadvantage of having no gymnasium wherewith to forward the cause of their athletics. Last year the college fifteens were permitted the use of the gymnasium at the Training College, the only available one, but the inconvenience entailed in the journey there and back soon affected the attendances at indoor training, and later militated against snecesc in thtf field. With a well-equipped I gymnasium so handy the collegians look forward next year ■ to big attendances, and regular and effective training for all those willing and ready. Part of the framework of the bmlding is already up) but it is not anticipated that the place will be ready for use till just before the close ol the approaching football season. The tennis-players have not been forgotten. Anothei asphalt court, the fourth, nas been laid down, and should be fit for play very shortly. Parcels and goods forwarded to any address. Furniture carefully removed. Storage accommodation provided. New Zealand Express Company. Telephone 1333. — Advt. Whatever the prospect ahead of New Zealand as a whole is— a matter that will require Careful attention— some of the minor industries have collapsed through the difficulty in Rotting additional capital. But in regard to the Dominion's leading lines the outlook is very encouraging ana prices are ruling high. In the meantime, tide over the present depression by visiting tho store of C. Smith, Ltd., which is the stove for good value at low prices. Soeoial prominence has been given to Ladies' Blouses, smart styles in striped viyclla, in light or dark colours, guaranteed fit, 9s 6d and 10s 6d ; another lino in up-10-date Flannelette Blouses in smart floral or etripe design^, 2b lid and 3s 6d.— Advfc,