LOCAL AND GENERAL,

Evening Post, Volume LXXIX, Issue 112, 13 May 1910, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL,

For some time past prospecting has been going on at a place called Retakura, in the Waimarino district, where indications had been discovered on Crown land of a valuable seam of coal. Dr. Bell, Director of Geological Survey, has reported on the subject to the Government, to the effect that there are several million tons of coal in sight, and that the coal is of excellent quality, similar to that found at Mokau. Yesterday Cabinet authorised the expenditure of a- further amount foi develooment purposes, and it is expected that the mine will soon be b running ordev. As the mine is only five or six miles from the North Island Main Trunk railway, the discovery is regarded as of very great importance. An amendment to the telephone regulations is gazetted. It provides that in connections over three miles in length the subscriber will be charged at ordinary rates on the first three miles. For the portion beyond that distance he will have to pay the cost of erection of the line, and an annual maintenance charge of £1 for each quarter of a mile or fraction thereof if the line is on poles specially erected, or 10s for each quarter of a mile if the wire is on an existing line of poles. If the wire is already in existence and the subscriber has not been required to pay the cost of erection the charge will be los foreach quarter of a mile. At the end of three years the rate for poles specially erected will be 10s a year for every quarter of a mile. As was indicated when Mr. H. W. Bishop, S.M., gave his judgment fixing thei penalty in the incomes-tax case brought against Bowron Bros., the defendants have appealed against the decision, and the appeal will be-heard by the Supreme Court in Christchurch. but the date of the hearing has not yet been fixed. No steps have been taken yet in regard to the other charges made by the department against the firm which were not dealt with when the first charge was iward by Mr. Bishop. Accounts amounting to £1324 were passed for payment by the Miramar Borough Council yesterday. The meet* ing then adjourned until next Monday evening. The Moeraki, which arrived this morning from .Melbourne, brought a small consignment of fruit from South Australia, consisting of 60 cases of grapes and 35 cases of lemons. The grievances and claims of Mr. Joshua Jones, which have been before Parliament lor many years now, are to be enquired into by a Royal Commission. Last session a deputation waited on the PrimtS Minister, and requested that this should be done. "R.M.A.," by letter to The Post, suggests a new use for 9th November, the anniversary of the late King's birth. Tha writer submits that it would be advantageous to constitute 9th November as Labour Day insead of the October fixture A cable message was received yesterday by the secretary of the New Zealand Rugby Union (Mr. J. D. Avery) from the- union's representative in London (Mr. C. Wray Palliser) stating that the meeting of the special committee to consider the proposed alteration in the rules submitted by Australasian unions had been postponed. Pasteurisation of sk>hn milk from butter factories will form the chief subject of debate at a conference to be held in Wellington- on 18th May. The. gathering has been called by the Minister for Agriculture (Hon. Thos. Mackenzie), and, in addition to'" officers of the-department, representatives of dairy factories will be present. The conference will be held in camera. Daily instruction in the arts of seamanship and navigation is being given the boys on the Government training.ship Amokura in Wellington Harbour, and the young sailors are reported to be i making good progress. Th.cc recently j ■completed the eighteen months' course, and two boys, B. Fisher, of Gisborne, and P. Miles, of Eketahunn, hare entered the service of the mercantile marine. As a mark of respect to the late "King, a purple band six inches wide has '-been painted along the sides of the vessel, and the ship's bell has been muffled. New Zealanders in Sydney have formed an association for the purposes of • bringing together those born in this country, or long resident in it. It is ■estimated that there are 10,000 New Zealanders in Sydney, and it was felt •that the benefits of a club would be invaluable* to (them, not piily from a fellowship and- social point of view, but from a, business , standpoint. i>t was accordingly decided«to form an association, called the "N.ew Zealand Association." Mr. K. Bockmaster was appointed hon. secretary, and Mr. W. Blakely, assistant hon. secretary. The following organising committee was appointed : — Messrs A. Armstrong, A. M. Gow, E. H. Montgomery, B. G. Holton, W. V. Spiers. R. M. Jack, J. F. Johnson, and S. Davies. The manager of a large clothing factory in Christchurch, in conversation with a Lyjfctelton Times reporter, said that he and other makers of suits and costumes had of late been very much annoyed and inconvenienced by the action of a number of men who had started selling shoddy lengths of cloth from door to door. From his statement it appears that the men go out with cheap suitings bought from warehouses which they sell as bargains, and the buyers discover too late that the lengths are cut short and composed of poor material. Instances were given of sales of lengths several feet short, and of material that could be retailed for 13s having been sold for 295. "It injures our business," said the manager, "for we are continually being asked to make up these lengths. The men tell the old stories of the runaway sailor anxious to Hispose of illicit goods and the warehouse soiling off its old stock, and dozens of women in Christchurch have been gulled by their plausible stories."

Farmers are expected to be present ia j large numbers at the annual Wellington Provincial' Conference of the Farmers' Union to be held at Marten on 21sfc April. Hon. T. Mackenzie (Minister for Agriculture), Messrs. Newman, Hogan v and Guthrie, M.P.'t, also officers, of the Agricultural Department, have been invited- to attend at the banquet which wiU be held on 25th May. Encouraging football in country schools is one of the objects of the New Zealand Rugby Union's grant of £100 to schools annually. From country schools members of football bodies get very, , amusing requests. A Southland deleft* at the annual meeting of tha N.Z.R.U. last night said he had received from a school mistress in the backblocks this request :— "Please send a football, one of a size big enough for, six children." Interesting lectures have been arranged under the title of "Business Talks" in connection with the V.M.C.A. educational course during. the winter. Among the speakers in popular science subjects will be Mr. P. C. Freeth on "Modern Journalism"'; Mr. W. H. Morton on Engmeering" ; Professor Easterfield on 'Water"; Mr. G. V. Hudson on "Insect Life"; Mr. La Trobe on "Electricity ' ; and other speakers of reput« on subjects of educational interest. At a meeting of Cabinet yesterday railway appropriations to the amount of £35,000 wore made. A metallic cir•cmt on the telephone 'trunk line between Masterton and Featherston was author"f i^m] lol^ ™ as ? iven for a S ranfc of £2700 for the erection of Palmerskm North High School, to replace the ona recently destroyed by fire. Under the provisions of the Public Service Superannuation Amendment Act, 1909, the payment of £3000 on behalf of the Polica Provident Fund into the Public Service Superannuation Fund was pissed. Arrangements were discussed by th© Wellmgton No-license League last evenm,g f or the annual meeting of the. .Alliance to be held in Wellington, in June next. Rev. A. J. Comrie pre. sided. Regret was sxpressed at thai departure of Rev. W. J. Williams, Trinity Methodist Church, whose eri-thusiast-u; work for tile league was formally recognised. The secretary wa« instructed to write to Mrs. Redgrave a letter of condolence on the death of .her husband, a former secretary of the .league. At Tuesday's meeting of the Auckland Harbour Board, Mr. J. K. Kneen stated that a report was current to the effect that a second uncharted shoal, about 100 feet in length, and 50 feet in width, had been discovered in Rangitoto Channel. This obstruction is said to be situated about 140 feet from the Kaipara. shoal in a S.W. by S. direction, and according to the Herald, is about to be removed. After some discussion at the board meeting, H was agreed that the harbour-master be requested to report on the matter to the chair-, man. The periodical examinations neld byi the Examiners of the Inspection of Machinery Department took place recently at Alexandra South, Auckland, Blenheim, Umstchurch, Cromwell, Dunedin, Greymouth, Hamilton, Havelock, Hokitika, Invercargill, Kaikoura, Kawakawa, Nap* ler, Nelson, Opotiki, Palmerston North Reefton, Russell, Timaru, Wanganui, Wellington, and Westport. The certificates for which examinations were held) were as follows:— First-class marine engineer, second-class marine engineer, third-class marine engineer, river enginsi.T, marine engine-driver and engineers of auxiliary powered vessels (both for sea-going and river trade), ex-> tra first-class engineer, first-class station* ary-engino driver, second-class stationary* engine driver, locomotive and traction* engine driver, arid winding-engine drive? (for mining certificates). Out of the two hundred and forty-six candidates who sat, one hundred and eighty-four wer© successful. A motorist who appeared at the Christchurcb Magistrate's Court oa Wednesday morning, charged with having offended against the city bylaws by -driving past the Bank of New Zealand corner at an excessive speed, questioned the ability of the Christchurch police to control the traffic at that -point. He said, Teports the Star, that he had driven motor-cars in London, Paris, Marseilles and other cities on the Continent, and he produced a license from the London County Council, adding that on no previous occasion had he been warned for driving too fast. The Magistrate, Mr. T. A. B. Bailey, said that the conditions m Chri6tchurcb could not be compared with those in the London streets, where the traffic was systematically controlled at street intersections by the police stopping the vehicles travelling along one street in order to allow those in the intersecting 1 thoroughfare to pass along. In • Christchurch, there was a bylaw that no vehicle should pass over certain street intersections -at more than four miles an hourf The defendant remarked that, in. his opinion, the passage between CathedraJ Square and Hereford-street was one of the most dangdloua thoroughfares in the world. An unpleasant incident characterised the opening of the annual meeting of the New Zealand Rugby Union yesterday afternoon. The newly-elected chairman (Mr. F. H. Campbell, of Dunedin, vie« Mr. F. Logan, president, who was absent) proceeded to cal' upon the secretary to read the minutes of the last anmial meeting. Mr. F. Pirani (Manawatu) objected to this. There was a very necessary motion, which ho declared should' take precedence. H© referred to the death of the late King. Mr. Campbell decided that the reading of the minuses should take precedence. When this was done, the chairman moved the formal adjournment of the meeting as a mark of res-pect to the memory of the late King. Mr. Pirani at once rose and sajd they should pass a motion of condolence. He had never heard of such a proceeding a« the omission of that. "It is enough to make one ashamed of the management," ho said. "As Mr. Pirani has had so much experience of chairmanship," replied Mr. Campbell, "it is a pity he was not voted to the chair." "There is aio need to sneer on an occasion like this,'* retorted the Manawatu delegate sharply. "Will you move a motion then?" asked another delegate. "No, it is the chair- ! man's duty. He might think it *smart !to answer like that , nobody else would." ! "Would you accept a motion, sir?" th« chairman was asked. "No," he replied, "the meeting is adjourned." And the delegates left the room On resuming a motion of regret at the death of the King, and «'ond:knce with the Royal Family, was carried. French kid glovos with extra long fingers, two clasps and broad stitched backs, in tan. beaver, and brown, at sft, 6d a pair. Kirkcaldie and Stains. Ltd. — Advt Tho approaching comet lias been rosponsiblo for a considerable amount of early rising on the part of people unaccustomed (o it. lv foino. instances parties have made the ascent of Mount Victoria, gazed upon the morning star, and descended, quite satisfied they had seen tho comet. Mistakes are easily made For example, ladies, when buying Winter Hosiery, unless they deal with a house with n reputation to lose, very often fail to obtain reliable goods. The Hosiery Department of C. Smith, Ltd., Cuba-street, gives unmistakable value in all classes of ladies' and children's hosiery. Their ladies' black and tan plain cashmero hose, also fine, medium, and fancy ribbed, at Is, Is 3d, Is 6d, Is 9d, 2s to 3s 6d per pair, are the best value in the Dominion, and must be worn to be fully appreciated.— Advt.

No steps for the- development of the •water power of the Dominion — as outlined by the Prime Minister, in his speech at Winton — can be taken antil Parliament has voted a sum of money for the purpose. Meanwhile the Government has obtained all the necessary data, and is in a position to commence active operations as soon as the expenditure is authorised. Prom the reports of experts it is apparent that the possibilities of development of power are enormcva, n remarked the Minister of Public Works (Hon. R. M'Xenzie), to a Post reporter, "and as the country increases in population the utilisation of the power so derived ought to make New Zealand one of the greatest manufacturing countries in the world." As to where the work and utilisation will oegin, the Minister said they would have to be guided by the question of where they could best dispose of the ' power. The annual May law examinations for New Zealand are just concluded. As uhe papers have not to be sent Home as in the case of examinations for theß.A., B.Sc, and other degrees, candidates will not have to undergo a long period of suspense before knowing their fate. The results should be out shortly. Owners and drivers of vehicles in tho city have been somewhat dilatory in applying for the renewal oi granting of licenses. The official year of the licence expires on the 31st March, and a number have not yet taken the necessary steps to comply Avith the bylaws. The City Inspector (Mr. James Doyle) is on the track of the procfastinators. In giving evidence in the Supreme Court to-day in the Duco case, Captain Cecil Horn said thut anyone who had been to sea could recognise the difference between a ship whose centre of gravity ■was too low, and one whose centre of gravity was too high. He said he remembered a case of a ship whose centre of gravity was too low, and owing to the jerky motion so resulting her masts were actually flicked or shaken out of her. If the centre of gravity was too high, a ship was top-heavy. Steady progress is being made with the carrying out of the irrigation scheme for Central Otago. Two engineers and their staffs are working out the details of different schemes, which are in a fair way towards completion. -A. start has already been made with the carrying out of one of the schemes, for irrigating the Stewart Settlement, which wilJ cost; about £5000, and the Government is now considering when a start shall bo made with some of the others which have been reported on. The refreshment annexe of Parliament known as "Bellamy's 1 ' will next session be in a position to provide meals for members. When, after the fire at the old buildings, Parliament moved into Government House, the kitchen was demoted to the purposes of the Hansard reporting staff, and Bellamy gave up the cooking business, and merely provided cold joints and liquid refreshments. Next session the kitchen will be ag"ain placed ■in commission, hot meals will be cooked, and Hansard will move to rooms just over their old quarters, displacing the Native Affairs Committee, who win go into the old buildings at the other end of the "tube." Pumping operations for the purpose of 'forcing gas from the Gas Company's works at Courtenay-place into the Miramar Gasometer have already commenced. Wellington burns a million cubic feet of gas per day, and the gasholder, which has a capacity for a million and a-half feet, will be of great use. Between Miramar and the city works are 4A miles of 12^-inch. steel pipes, and the rate of pumping is about 60,000 cubic feet an hour. A rotary exhauster, similar to "that employed in the ventilation of the Otiira Tunnel, does the woTk. The pipes for the reticulation of Miramar nave arrived, and the work of laying them will soon be commenced. An ingenious pleader appeared before Che Prime Minister to-day. Sir Joseph iWatd had politely submitted that^good drainage was more a necessity to people anywhere in tho world than an electric tramway. A member of the listening deputation (requesting a State loan for tramways) was sceptical, and firmly combated ihe Premier's contention. The disputant desired to know whether the prevention of fatal pneumonia (to be obyiated by tramway facilities) was not as desirable as the prevention of typhoid. If it was equally a matter of life and death in each case, why should not the ears have a show against the drains? "We can agree to differ," commented Sir Joseph, softly, bub the debater was not silenced. His further plausibility brought a pleasant smile to everybody's 'face. The doctrine may have been hereey, but it was refreshing. There was more than one goodhumoured battle of wits this morning between Sir Joseph Ward and a PetoneHutt tramway deputation. At one time Mr. J. W. M'Ewan referred to "Petone's long-standing grievance," the Government's unwillingness to pay rates on its land in that district. Mr. M'Ewan estimated the borough's loss of revenue to date at £1500. The Premier subsequently remarked that an argument about tho obligation on the Government's part to pay rates might amount to a hint that the Government should not purchase land. "It would be all right, if they would use it," said a member of the deputation. "We" hope to," replied Sir Joseph. Then he endeavoured to convince his interviewers that the plea about rating the Government amounted to asking the Government's tenants to pay twice over for trams. These people, by riding to and fro. would be paying their share of the cost, he said. Sydney papers give the following details of the realistic stage duel at the Criterion Theatre (mentioned in our cable messages last week) in which Mr. Oscar Asche and Mr. Gerald K. Souper were the principals: — "The two actors were fighting hard, for the duel, which is fought with swords -and poignards, is a strenuous 'conflict throughout. It was in the third stage, just before the incident in which Count Hannibal (Mr. Asche) Elweeps tlie candelabra from the table, that he lunged at his opponent, and the point of the sword struck him at the side of the left eye. The skin was penetrated, and the point passing through emerged abovo the eyebrow, blood pouring from the wound. 'With his face bathed in blood, and hardly able to see, Mr. Souper valiantly Kept his blade flashing before Count Hannibal, and once got so close that his weapon scratched Mr. Asche's neck, and tho point came -through his shirt collar. The audience breathlessly •watched the conflict, eager to see whether Mr. Souper could hold out to the end before receiving the vanquishing blow from Count Hannibal ; but this he did, and when the fight was over the audience accorded the plucky actor an ovation. Mr. (soupor lust much blood, as the state of the stage -ndicated, and was very weak when ho appeared next night." A large crowd attended the concert in the Methodist Mission Hall, Tory-street, last evening. Mr. Oscar Jacobson arranged the programme. Songs were Bung by Misses Liez, Pickett, Bhck, and Chapman, and Messrs. Ralph, Jacobeon, and Master Frank Mountain; duet oy Messrs Ralph ctnd Jacobson; piano^ forte solo, Miss BHck ; recitation, Miss Jacobson. Miss Chapman accompanied tht singers on the piano. Sister Isabel sang to guitai' accompaniment. A hearty vote of thanks was given to all performers. The rreeting closed with tho singing ot th& National Anthem.