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Evening Post, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 134, 3 December 1909, Page 7

The postal authorities advise that the •Maheno, which left Sydney on Wednesday for Auckland, has on board an English and Australian mail for Wellington, which ie» due here by the Auckland express on Monday afternoon next. A sitting of tho Native Land Court will be held in Wellington next Thursday. Some interpretations of the Customs 'Act, relating to bootlaces, pyridine, "Cracko,',' drapery, honoyboards, laces, »nd wedges, are gazetted this week. The Wellington Rifle Battalion is summoned to a daylight narade at Trentham to-morrow. Field firing, with ball ammunition, is to be attempted during the afternoon. In St. Augustine's Church, Petone, last evening, twenty candidates were confirmed by Bishop Wallis. A sermon appropriate to the occasion ;jf as afterwards preached by the Bishop. Splendid progress is being made with the drainage of the Hauraki Plains, formerly the Piako Swamp. The dredges are doing good work, and a large portion of the Government land is carrying j splendid feed. Alterations in the scale of fares, rates, and charges on the WellingtonNapier- New Plymouth section of the Government railways are gazetted. The alterations come into force on and after Monday next. Spaking in the Court of Appeal this morning, his Honour Mr. Justice Edwards said that the judges of the Supreme Court had affirmed a rule that in future a prisoner cannot be crossexamined by counsel about his previous convictions without the prior consent of the judge. A motion to rescind a previous resolution, that the press should be admitted to tho deliberations of tho Trades and Labour Council, was set down for discussion by that body last night, but as the delegate who proposed the motion had been instructed by his union to vote against it, it was not put. An account of Nelson's funeral in 1805, as reported in The London Times of that date, was brought under the notice of the local branch of the Navy League at last night's meeting. An enthusiast in Auckland suggested that the league should purchase for £10 an authenticated copy of the paper containing the account. The offer was declined. Complaints about noises emanating from the electric light station have been heard during the last few days. The cause is a temporary atmospheric exhaust pipe, which is not -of the best form for minimising the noise caused 1 by escaping steam. In the course of a day or two the construction of a new pipe will be completed at one of the local foundries, and as coon as it is substituted for the temporary pipe the nuisance will be •remedied. Principles and practices of staff rides were dealt with by Lieat. -Colonel Chaytor in the course of a lecture which he delivered to the Wellington Garrison Officers' Club last night. A tour by the various local officers has been arranged. They will go out in two forces, and a certain tactical situation wfll be assumed to exist between them. The topography of the district ridden over will be studied, and dispositions and movements of imaginary troops made by the officers. Messrs. W. M. Bannatyne and Co. advise that if sufficient inducement offers, they propose to despatch the Anchor Company's new twin-screw steamer Nikau on a pleasure cruise in the Pelorus and other Sounds, and around D'Urville Island. The Nikau will sail from Wellington at 10 p.m. on Christmas Eve, and be absent till daylight on Wednesday, the 29th Decem--4>er, arriving in time for the excursionists to resume business that morning. Yesterday the Minister in charge of Tourist and Health Resorts received a telegram from Mr. P. Aitken, of the Union S.S. Co.'s Dunedin staff, stating that, although applications were coining in freely at Sydney for the Makura's proposed Sounds trip, the company had been reluctantly compelled to abandon it, owing to the difficulty of obtainmg coal. He added that the Waikare's Sounds trip promised to be a great success. The Hon. Thomas Mackenzie replied, expressing regret that the Makura's trip was to be abandoned. He knev, that our fellow colonists,, who spent arduous lives, greatly appreciated the chance to see the magnificent scenery of the Sounds at a moderate charge. He expressed pleasure, however, that the Waikare's trip promised so well. A three-hundred-candle-power metallic filament lamp just imported, was lit up this morning in the corporation electric light offices at Harris-street. The lamp is meant solely for overhead use in large spaces. The City Electrical Engineer estimates that the lamp burns only one-third of a unit per hour — (which under the special rates allowed for j this class of lighting in big shops, etc., works out at about twopence per hour. It is possible that the lamps will be •utilised in a few months' time for lighting the new tramway extensions, in place of the arc lights which are at present in use. Another lamp of similar style, but of 100-candle-power, instead of 300, was also on view this morning. The dimensions of this one were extremely small — about the size of a Fiji orange. The 300 candle-power lamp js small also —about five or six inches in diameter. "Such was the nature of the rubbish that it was conducive to plague by encouraging rats" was the opinion expressed by Dr. Frengley, of the Health Department, when giving evidence in the S.M. Court to-day relative to a charge against James Phillips of suffering offensive rubbish to Be on his premises in Manners-street. According to evidence, accused had accumulated on his premises for some time a collection in an outhouse of a quantity of old bedding and decayed figs and dates etc. In pleading not guilty, accused urged that neither did he* have anything to do with the shed, nor did he contribute to the offence. "You are an old offender, defendant, and the evidence is against you," remarked Mr. W. G. Riddell, S.M. A fine of £5 with costs £2 13s was imposed. One week was allowed in which to pay the amount. Penalty for default was fixed at 21 days' imprisonment. In reply to a question by an Otago Daily Times reporter on the subject of 4h.3 decision of the Government that its *£?ious officers were in future not to divulge any departmental information, the Hon. Thomas Mackenzie, Minister for Agriculture, stated that there was never any suggestion that the Government experts who undertook the duties of judges at agricultural shows, should refrain from giving their criticism on the exhibits. To place such a construction on the position was quite absurd, and it was never intended that it should be so. There was no question, said the Minister, speaking on the general aspect of the matter, that departmental officers "had in the past been giving away information which they had no right to give, und it had been found absolutely necessary to introduce some such regulation as that now in force. The 16th Yankee Hustle Sale at Seaton's Cut-rate Stores will be continued until Christmas Eve. There are many lines described as being suitable for Christmas gifts. Some particulars aro advertised in this issue. Mr. Joh E. Lindberg, draper, Cuba street, advertiges special holiday prices for his sale to-morrow.