LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Evening Post, Volume LXXX, Issue 113, 9 November 1910, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

After the Prime Minister's statement ■ yesterday afternoon some members expected that the Gaming Bill would be reached during the night, but it remained in a safe place. The principal work of the' day was on the Destitute Persons Bill, which passed through committee with two or three important amendments. The Local Bodies' Loans Bill went through committee after some fairly keen controversy. The Rating Amendment Bill, designed to put native land on the same basis as pakeha property for the purposes of local rating, was approved by both parties, and a, motion for its coniiriltal was passed. The Houso ros& at 1.35 this morning. In tho Legislative Council the Land Settlement Finance Bill was taken through committee. The Commercial Trusts, Opium Amendment, Kaiapoi Reserves, and Inspection of Machinery Bills were read a. third time and passed. The Council was working til' 9.45 last night. The Postal authorities call attention to the large ■number of Christmas illustrated papers being posted at the present time, addressed to Cape Colony ahd Rhodesia, only bearing one penny postage, which have in consequence of short postage to be surcharged. The postage to these places is fixed by weight at Id for the first 4oz and £d for each additional 2oz. Mr. J. E. Tdggs (Conciliation Commissioner) has left Dunediu for Kaitangata in response to a request from the parties interested, to preside in his private capacity over a conference to be held between the employers and workers of the Kaitangata, coal mine, in respect of a new agreement governing the conditions of work. Late last night Thomas Lavin, cook on the steamer Blenheim, slipped on the steps at the foot of tho Taranakistreet Wharf, and fell into the harbour. The Harbour Board watchman discovered Lavin holding on to the steps, and Dr. Henry ordered the man* removal to the hospital, his right forearm being fractured, and his head wounded. ' Forty-seven applications for the poslton ot secretary to the Auckland Harbour Board, tendered vacant by the resignation of Mr. J. AI. Brigham, have been received by the board. The applications, states. The Post's special correspondent, have been referred to the Finance and* Legal Committee of the board to reduce to six, prior to tho making of a selection by the boarcl. The salary attaching to the. offic* v £450 a year. ' "No trade should be representeu by cepaa-ate factions," &aid Mr. L. S. Humphries, in proposing the. toast' of ''The. Labour Unions" at the smokeconcert tendered to delegates representing the Federated Builders a.nd Contractors' Association last evening, "and the «ame fact applies to labour unions. Tlw> majority of those in the- building trade work undea 1 eleven different awards ; thait is a position we. should not be placed in. We have ■enough to do in carrying out our work without trying to keep in our heads •eleven, windy, wordy awards." If employee inadvertently committed a breach,, said Mr. Humphries, they were fined heavily, and thas did mot tend to creato a. good feeling between employers and workers. What was wanted was a closer organisation on the part of all employers and labour unions, with a view of obtaining a<n allwd trades award, so that they should have a mutual agrot>menton all questions except wages. "We are quite prepared to come iirto an allied trades award," said Mr. F. Royling, on behalf of the Painters' Union, a little later, "but we want other trades to agree to the hoars we work. Until such time as there is a 44 hours' week the painters are not prepared to come in." (Laughter.) Dogskin Gauntlet Gloves, with strap and dome fastening a,t wrist, a.t 3s lid and 5s 6d a pair. A new shipment just aa-rived. Kirkcalidi© and Starns, Ltd.— Advt,

Aa ex-Canterbury resident, who had been arrested at Fiji, passed through Wellington yesterday in custody of Sergeant Fouliy, of Ashburton. The man is charged with tin offence under the Chattels Transfer Act. While Mr. T. M. Wilford's motor J car was proceeding blowly from Lamb-ton-quay into Hunter-street this morning a. youthful cyclist, one Joseph Devlin, approaching from Featherston-street, endeavoured to pass in front of the car. His little indiscretion brought him some trouble and inconvenience, ah ho was knocked off, sustaining, slight shock, while his machine suffered to some extent. Fortunately the car was travelling leisurely. . Commendation of Constable Sleath'e action in saving a little boy from being run over by a tramcnr on Sunday last was expressed at the meeting of tho Nursing Guild of St , John yesterday. The president (Mrs. S. A. Rhodes) stated that if the published accounts of the incident, could be verified, the committee would be justified in bringing the incident before Lord Islington, with a request that the matter be referred to H.R.H. the Duke of Connaught for consideration. Certificates and medals for saving life on land Avere awarded, by the Chapter of the Order of St. John, and it was thought that Constable Sleath mig^ht receive some recognition of this description. The heavy loss sustained by orchard- | ists through the recent severe frost m the Hastings district was refei^ed to at Saturday's meeting of the Hawkes Bay fruitgrowers' Association. The chairman (Mr. W. H. Smith] sa.id he thought the Government should be approached for assistance. He did not mean that members should ask for charity, but he thought that assistance i>n some way or other might be given by the Government. Mr. Wilson suggested that individual members should place their tiosition before the secretary, stating what assistance they required to help them over the next twelve or eighteen months, aaid then' the Government could be approached for an advance, on a. proper business 'footing. This suggestion was adopted, and the executive was appointed to go into the matter. Whilst promenading the Mahung* Beach, Gisborne, last Saturday morning, a little Maori girl made a discovery which is estimated to produce about £480. As she was walking along, the child came across a large spade-nose whale, which had been thrown up on the beach alive. The alarm was quickly given, and the natives proceeded to the beach in large numbers. What little life was left in the leviathan was quickly disposed of, and the Maoris set to work to cut up the monster. The whalo is 58 feet in length and 12 feet in depth. Other indications of its size are that the fin of its tail measures 12 feet from tip to tip, and three Maori women were seated in its mouth extracting tho teeth. The Maoris are very jubilant, and hope to get 12 tons of blubber. Mr. J. D. Murray, Pahiatua, ha* been appointed manager of the Richmond Downs Estate, Thames 'Valley, the property of Wellington owners. 'Shearing will begin on the estate tomorrow, and it is understood that tho wool will come to Wellington for sale. The estate is to be cut up into dfciry farms and to be sold early next year. There are about 6000 acres said to bo highly suitable for dairying and 3000 acres sheep country. It is pointed out that the proposal to so dispose of the property is significant for Wellington, inasmuch as local capital is being applied to the development of the Thames and Waikato Valley areas, which are more or less trade tributaries of Auckland. A new creamery is to be erected on the estate under notica, and tbo existing Walton Creamery, close to the railway station of that name, will also be. at the disposal of the new lettiers. A strong plea for competition amonz architects for the designing of public buildings was made by Mr. Alex. Campbell last night at the Master Builders' smoke concert. People who pass through tho Dominion and make sarcastic 7emarks about our architecture, overlooked the fact, he said, that but seventy years ago our buildings consisted duly of a few Maori whares, and they pxj>ect<3d that our architecture should be m the same state and have the same standing, to attain which required hvndreds ot years in older lands. For the time tho Dominion had been established our buildings compared favourably with those in any other city that had been in existence for the same time. He for one thought that the cheeso-pai^.-g policy of the Government, in reference to our i principal buildings had a good deal to do with the quality of the architecture. Th 0 speaker maintained that designs for our larger public buildings should be open lor public competition among the architects of the Dominion. The mere fact that Government architects Uew that all they had to do was to draw their plans and get them passed without competition, 'io/l a good deal to do with the class of Ouudings wo had. Two additional picture theatres ai-e promised for Wellington. A strong .syndicate has been formed with a view to leasing the premises in Mercer-street lately occupied by the Adams, Cycle Company for the establishment of a permanent picture show. The building will be practically reconstructed; the roof will be litted and a gallery to seat 250 people will be installed. The total seating accommodation will be about 700 people It is proposed to run the show on lines entirely new to Wellington. The plans and specifications are being prepared by the architect (Mr. Feilding), and it is hoped that the theatre will be ready for the opening by the New Year. A company, to ' be called the Thoa-ndon Picture Theatre, Rink, Tennis and Sports Co., Ltd., is being formed to erect an up-to-date rink, etc., on a section 235 ft by 94ft, next to the Marine Engineers' Institute in Ait-ken-street. The interim secretary, Mr. E. R. Dymoek, states that it is the intention to put up a brick or concrete S i™ mm a C 0S u tn^. b^ ve(!n £600 ° a»d £7000, the building to be ready early next year. The floor is intended to be specially suitable for skating, and particular attention will be paid to the an-* pomtments and supper and dressingrooms. Particulars of another picture theatre— the Prirtcess— in Tory-street, have already been announced. Kirkcaldie and Stains, Ltd.. intimate imu • eir^ U mI"? 1 ' 8 tllafc (the 10th inst.) will be the last discount day tor the monthly accounts. — Advt. The care and skill wo take in remov ing furniture represents a big saving to people who get us to shift them. It pays to employ us. The N.Z. Express Co., Ltd.— Advt. Whatever the result of tho Parliamentary enquiry now proceeding, it h casting interesting light upon the methods of somo politicians, and it is to be hoped that the verdict, whon arrived at, will be conclusive, whichever way it goes. Tho public of the Wellington " district gave their decision some time since on tho question as to whore the best valup and greatest variety in all classes of soft goods can be obtained, aad their conclusive verdict was and is that C. Smith. Ltd., are unsurpassed in the Dominion. They havo just opened a special shipment of the very latest fancy hosiery, including cashmero, in all "the leading shades— rose, saxe, amethyst, dove, etc.— with .contrasting silk embroidered fronts, at 2s lid per pair. These are really smart and should }>o seen, at once.— Advt.

The divorce euit, Charles Bono v. Emma Bono, petition far dissolution of marriage on the ground of desertion, wif| be heard by Mr. Justice Chapman tomorrow morning. Professor F. D. Brown, Auckland, has been chosen chairman of the conference of ropiesentatives of the professorial boardb of the four University Colleges, which opened yesterday at Victoria College. The decisions ofathe conference, which rammed (o-day, will be placed before the Roeess Committee of the University to-morrow. Tho Convalescent Home Trustees met at Mrs. Newman's recently. There were present:— Mesdames Newman (in the chair), Litchfield, West, Knowles, Moorhouse, Pearce, Mi&s Coates, and Mrs. Barron (treasurer). The matron reported twelve patients admitted and fiiteea discharged during the month. Gift* were received from Mesdaraes Lattey. Brown, Snaddon, and "A Friend." Mr. W. Henry, secretary and founder of the Royal Life-Saving Society, is efcpccied to arrive in Wellington on the 16lh inst. Final arrangements for lug reception have not been completed, but! he. is to be entertained at dinner by, the New Zealand Club, and wilL be tendered a smoke concert by the local centre. While" in Wellington he will deliver a lecture and he will also conduct examinations for life-s>avin'g awards. Arrangements were entered into at ft meeting of the Control Committee of tha Petone Ambulance Wagon for the hire of a horse on occasions when vii« vehicle is called into service. The price quoted was 12s from any part of tfoa Petone Borough, and 17s 6d from any part of the Hutt Borough to Welling^ ton Hospital and back to the ambut-< ance shed. Those persons in a position to pay will be charged 15s per trip front Petone, and 25s from the Hutt Borough.' Keys of the ambulance wagon-shed will be procurable from each member of the committee, the Police Station, andj the borough offices. Altogether me construction and equipment of the wagon have involved the sum of £192, all of: which, and more, has been subscribed. Giving judgment in a licensing casa at Oamaru the Magistrate (Mr. T. Hutchison) referred to the drunkennesi aboul the defendant's premises, a feature of the evidence on which the pro. sec ut ion had laid stress Defendant had explained the fact by saying that men brought their own whisky and consmmed the contents in defendant's bar, leaving* their empty bottles behind. "If the fa<s be as represented," eaid his Worship, "and I am not prepared to say the evidence- in the present case does not support it, the defendant, as the law stands,) is immune. The ca&e suggests the desirability of licensing boardinghouses, witb provisions for cancelling tho license of any boardinghouse-keeper who permitted] drunkenness on his premises." Vogeltown's wants (in more than onet direction) were impressed upon a meet* ing of the local Ratepayers' Association, which was held last evening at tho resi* dence of Mr. Johnson. According tof Mr. G. D. Hewitt (president of the as-i wciation) the meeting desired specially to discuss the claim of the district for a new school — the most pressing need at the present time. There were, he* estimated, some 150 children from Vogek town receiving instruction at the Brook•lyn and Newtown Schools, while owing to the distance to be traversed, many, more v younger children were actually! unable to attend. It was recalled by another speaker that Vogdtown— one of the oldest suburbs of Wellington—had a school within its confines until ten years ogo, when it was lemoved to Brooklyn. The meeting set up the following committee to canvas the district and obtain the names of children, and form a deputation to wait upon the Education Board .-—Mr. G. D. Hewitt (chairman), Mesdames Johnson and Soil, Messrs. Eibye, Jackson, Farley, Nelson, Drytien, Moffett, Gressier, Marshall and Agate. Instructions were issued to tho secretary (Mr. A. W. Wood) to advertise a general meeting to be held on 15th November. At a Banco sitting of the Supreme* Court this morning, before their Honours the Chief Justice and Mr. Justice Cooper, Mr. W. J. Organ moved for an order prohibiting a magistrate at Wellington from exercising jurisdiction, ill the case H. J. Baker v. Annie Gled-' hill, upon, the ground that by law the magistrate was not empowet-ed to deal' with it. Gledhill was indebted to Lake M'Gann, explained Mr. Organ, for £65 for commission. M'Gann assigned that sum to William Aubrey and the latter assigned il to Baker. Baker sued Gledhill without naming the assignor* ia the plaint note. Before hearing the action, Gledhill's evidence was taken at Dannevirke. No objection was then raised as to the jurisdiction, but at th« hearing at Wellinsfton and befoVe Baker's solicitor had concluded his case, Gledhill's solicitor became aware of tho defect in the plaint note, and raised the point. , The magistrate (Mr. W. R. Haselden) overruled the objection on, the ground that Gledhill had waived or acquiesced in the irregularity of the plaint note. Counsel submitted that non-compliance with section 62 of the Magistrate's Court Act did not constitute a mere irregularity which could -t)9 amended j the section referred to jurisdiction. Mr. A. Fair, who appeared to oppose the order, held the view that by having her evidence taken, plaintiff acquiesced in th* defect. Decision waa reserved.