LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXI, Issue 93, 21 April 1911, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Postal authorities advise that the 6.8. Maheno, which sailed from Sydney at 1 p.m. on tie 19th inst. for Auckland, has on board an Australian mail ; also an English mail via Suez and American mail via Vancouver. The Wellington portion is due here by Main Trunk on Monday next. The Wellington- Competitions Society has engaged Mr. Scott Colville, who successfully managed the recent musical and literary competitions in Auckland, to organise the competitions to take place in Wellington in October. Mr. Colville left Auckland by the express last evening to take up his duties. In speaking to a reporter (telegraphs our Auckland coraealpondent), Mr. Colville fea-id he could not understand the antagonism of th<a Wellington professional musicians to tha holding of competitions. No bucli antagonism existed amongj Auckland's professional men. The competitions, he said, were intended to raise the standard of music and art, and the Wellington promoters had made up their minds to carry them out in a big way. Mr. Colville expects that- he will meet with a certain amount of antagonism in Wellington, but this he considers is better than a feeling of apathy. The Wellington people have styled their society the New Zealand Competitione Society ; this Mr. Colville considers is unfortunate. While be is of opinion that there should be a national competitions society composed of delegates from the various societies, he does not think any provincial society should assume the title. Mr. Colville intends to place his views on this matter before the Wellington Society. Twenty building permits were issued by the City Engineer's department/ of the City Council during -the period Bth. to 18th. April. The value of the work approved amounts in the city area to £17,609, and in Melrose to £3121. At a recent meeting of the Wellington Hospital and Charitable Aid Board it was decided , that all meetings of the committees of the board should be open to the press. A notice of motion to rescind this has been tabled by Mr. J. Godber, and it will be discussed at the meeting of the board next Tuesday afternoon. Advertising on the municipal tramcars will be an accomplished fact in about six months' time. The City Council last evening accepted the tender of Messrs. Lucas and Browne, on Ihe tenderers" stipulation that they should have six months' grace to enable them to work up the materials required, which had to be imported from Home. The resolution accepting the tender was passed with one dissentient, Councillor Fletcher. The contract is for three years, aud the contractors guarantee that £5900 is the minimum amount of revenue the council will receive in that period In connection with bhe Karori TSiflei Club's Bisley representation fund, the special rifle meeting will be held ati Trenfcham to-morrow. The ranges are* 500 and 600 yards, seven shots at each, and th© competition is divided into two E'ections. One set of troplMes will be competed for by senior shots, and the other set by junior shots. The entrance fee is fixed at 2s 6d, which covers marking expenses, etc. Railway passes will be issued at Lambton Station. Special arrangements have been made Avith the Railway Department for to travel by the 1.10 train, a,nd to return by _ special train leaving the defence siding at Trentham, at 5.50 p.m. Capt. J. G. Roache, of the Guards, will be in charge of the meeting and Lieut. R. W. Wilkinson, of the' Highlanders, will be in charge of the trench. The scratch men of the Karori Rifle Club will nob compete, but will act as markers, etc. A party of returning deer- stalkers from iihe wilds of Otago report a remarkable occurrence that met their gaze, says the Chrisfcchurch Press. They found a largre buck stag hung up to the bush by one of its antlers. Judging from the surrounding indications it had been there several days, and in its efforbs to free itself had twisted the bush into thick plaits. The party secured a photograph of the animal and then startled him. With a terrific jump he broke the antler and bounded away in record time. Shortly after the party found another htag situated precisely in tho same way, but he was- dead, and "had probably been so for ten days. It is not an uncommon experience for deerstalking parties to find the skeletons of two stags with their antlers locked together, caused through fighting, but it is stated to be unique to find two deer hung up, both on the same day. An inquest was held at Whakapuaka, Nelson, on' 18th April, before Mr. J. G. Evans, S.M., coroner, touching the death of J. P. Livingstone, a wellknown settler. Deceased was a retired [ farmer, living with his wife and three children. Ori the morning of 15th April lie had breakfast as usual, and proceeded with his packing up, prior to removing to Wellington. He left the house at 8.15 a.m. to groom the horse, and did not return. His eldest daughter, Amy, went out about ten minutes later and saw him lying on the ground, about a chain away "from the house, with a wound in the side of his head. A revolver, fully loaded, was found beside the body, but one 'chamber had been discharged. He was 'unconscious when found, and lingered for about an hour and a half. The evidence showed that deceased had been in ill-health for some time and depressed. The coroner returned a verdict that death resulted from the effects of a revolver shot, self infljcted, and that there vas nothing to indicate the state of his mind. A Dunedin tram conductor was incapacitated last month by coming in contact with a long pin in a lady's! hat in a car, whereby his eye narrowly escaped injury, and the local City Council has agreed to pay him full pay (£2 16s) and doctor's expenses (£1 10s) during the period -he was absent from duty. The suggestion was made that a by-law might yet be necessary to prohibit" the use of these hatpins in tram cara. Crepe Arabian, 44in wide, for evening and dinner gowns, in ivory, sky, pink, grey, vieux rose, electric, brown, and navy, at 6s 6d a yard. Kirkcaldie and 1 Stunt, Ltd,— Advt..

Last week 1396 youths, between the j ages of 14 and 21 years, registered in the Wellington military district. By Order-in-Council gazetted formal consent is given by the Governor for the holding of the. Wellington exhibition next month. The meeting called for last night to establish a cheese factory lapsed, owing to the paucity of the attendance (telegraphs our Otaki correspondent). The charge brought against an officer of the Salvation. Army in Christchurch in connection with the new bylaw regulating meetings in the heart of the city is that he did "pray aloud in Cathedral Square without the consent of the Ci£y Council." The case will be heard next week. At Blenheim on Wednesday a number of cases were heard in which settlers were charged with failing to eradicate sweet-briar. Two cases were dismissed, and others were adjourned to allow expert evidence to bo called for the purpose of distinguishing between sweetbriar and dog-rose. . _ The Court of Appeal resumes its sittings on Monday morning. The case sot down some weeks ago for hearing on the opening day is Harrison v. the Waimato Borough and County Councils. The next on the list are Cooper v. Bert elsen and Rasmussen, and the Devonport Borough Council v. the Auckland Gas Company. '"Within .twelve months of the installation of electric plant at Lake Coleridge," said Mr. T. E. Taylor in an election address at Christchurh, "I do not think there will be a smoke-stack offending the city." Mr. Taylor added that Christchurch was destined to be the garden city of New Zealand, and no other place could hope to compete with it. Alternative tenders were called recently for the removal of offal from the city abattoir, and the council accepted one entailing more expense than the other. A deputation of master-butchers asked the City Council last evening to give the other method a chance, and after hearing their arguments, the council decided to give this alternative method three months' trial. Latest enquiries about the potato grub indicate a fear that in Otago, at any rate, there will be an unprecedented potato famine next season (telegraphs our Dunedin correspondent). The pest is at Waikouaiti, the Peninsula, and the Taieri, and no concerted measures are being taken to slop its progress. One farmer who is anxious for a crop next spring has already bought his seed potatoes and limed them. Removal of the Queen's statue from its present position to its new site in Kentterraoe is to be carried out by day labour by the City Council. TendeTs had been called for the work, but those received were informal. For the supply "of ironbark poles the council has accepted the tender of Messrs. Wallace and Co., and for the supply of armature coils that of Messrs. Richardson, Blair, and M'Cabe. The fire brigade was called to Farishstreet yesterday evening, where an outbreak of fire had occurred in Howden's Buildings. The fire was located in the basement, which is occupied by H. Murdock and Co., manufacturing chemists, and was quickly extinguished. It was a lucky escape, for there was a quantity of methylated spirits stored there. As it was, not much damage waß done. The contents of the basement were insured in the Standard, Alliance, and London and Lancashire Offices for £500 in each. The Resident Commissioner of Niue Island (Mr. H. G. Cornwall), who has been spending a vacation in New Zealand, is at present in Wellington. Mr. Cornwall speaks hopefully of the prospects of the island. The chief difficulty is in, regard to the supply of labour. The islanders are such good workers that they are greatly in demand elsewhere, and the trouble is to keep enough men on the island to carry out the necessary works. The trade in copra is satisfactory and developing, and the prices obtained for the product- are satisfactory. An important ventuuo has been instituted by the Commissioner in the growing of cotton. It is considered that the island is singularly adapted for that purpose, and a trial crop has been sown — not the ordinary common variety of cotton, but the Barbadoes variety, which fetciies top price in the market. When the crop matures it is intended to send a bale for testing purposes to the British Cotton Growers' Association, and if tho report is favourable there is every likelihood of some _ 200,000 acres of the island being utilised for the purpose of cotton growing Mr. Cornwall leaves Auckland for the islands, via Sydney, afc the beginning of nsxt month, and will be accompanied by Dr. Schmnacker, who has been appointed medical officer. "Taranaki is in for a good time." So said Mr. T. C. List, proprietor of the Taranaki Daily News, wno is now in> Wellington, speaking to a representative of The Post. The\rapid headway being made with the Stratford-Ongarue railway line is bringing into profitable utilisation hundreds of thousands of good sheep and cattle country ; the land in the Mokau and Mokakatint, blocks, tied up fox years, and now taken over by a Hawkes Bay syndicate, will shortly be cut up and thrown open to settlement ; the harbour at ' New Plymouth r will, it is expected, shortly provide, a<s the result of the extensive improvements being carried out, accommodation for the largest ocean-going liners, whilst tho district's oil industry is on the eve of important developments. The latter is now past the experimental \slage, and the time has ariived for its prosecution on sound, comprehensive commercial lines. This will entail money and plenty of it, and it looks as if it will shortly be available. Taranaki has also another string to its bow in its ironsand deposits. The Cadman syndicate has put up a large sum of money with the Harbour Board, in guarantee thai; it will commence operations before March next, and if it does forfeit, a New York syndicate is ready to step in and take over the leases and j erect works of consideiabl* size, having ! a highly successful process for treating tho ironsand. The pasturage in tho country is now green and in plenty, notwithstanding the comparative dryness of tha season, and the farmers are in great heart. Altogether, Taranaki ia well favoured, and its residents havo some justification for feeling optimistic regarding its future. Half-a-crown "conscience money" has been received by the Collector of Customs at Auckland. Ten degrees of frost were registered at Ashburton on Wednesday morning. You actually save money by checking your baggage through us. A small feo for cartage at either end is all you pay. For that we collect, check, and deliver the baggage. Enquire. N.Z. Express Co., Ltd. — Advt. It must bo gratifying to tho councillors and the general public to find tho financial position of the city, as stated by tho Mayor to bo in such a satisfactory' position. Tho result of tho year's working are nono tho loss satisfactory because a year ago Wellington expected hard times. Tho increased prosperity means an increased circulation of money, and with wintor coining on ladies will "be on the look out for smart, now costumes. Such costumes may bo found in tho Mantle Department at C. Smith's, Ltd., Cuba-street. Special line rough Navy Sergo Costumes, Norfolk styloe, coat lined, stripe lining, skirt well cut, sCte ; Ladies' Smart Tweed | Costumes, Norfolk styles, in grey, fawn, I ftreon, brown inixtuies, 633.4rAdyt,

During March the Christchnrc'n City Council issued fifty-six building permits for buildings valued at £24,095, the feea amounting to £74. Since tlie institution of the New Zealand Civil Service As.socia-ticm that body Jias done some valuable work lor its members. It helped materially in securing superannuation for the service, and in removing a grievance among prison officials in the matter of holidays. Tho association also succeeded in inducing ithe Government to amend tlie Superannuation Act so as to make more liberal provision for officers retired 1 before the age limit, and at the same; time induced the Prime Minister to withdraw a proposed amendment of the Act, to fix a maximum retiring allowance, -which would have seriously] affected many present, contributors upon retirement. There is still much good work Mia-t can be done if l,he association receives the support of all Civil eervants, and it is hopeful tha-j the Annual meeting, to be held in the Oddfellows' Hall to-niglK, will be attended ,by many new niembers. Classification is one matter that will soon be occupying attention, and thus alone, the committee thinks, is of sufficient importance to warrant a combined 'organisation. The efforts of a gentleman who ab various times addr^ses meetings of men and boys on tho subject of social purity were strongly criticised at tho conference of the Church of England Men's Society (states the Lyttelton Times), the consensus of opinion being, that a good deal of harm was done by bringing into boys 1 minds matters that otherwise might not have found lodgment there. One delegate said that in a Chiistchurch sctlool i-here had been a, marked increase of filth and lewdness after the visit of the lecturer, and the leading boys had requested the master to prevent him from visiting the school again. For that reason the lecturer had never been to the school again. Public lectures on the subject did more harm than all the evil literature extant. Another delegate said that the master of a Southern high" school had assured him of the good work of the lecturer. A third delegate replied that the masters knew little about the matter. He had just left a secondary high school m the North Island, where Ihe lecturer to his certain knowledge had done more narm than good, although the master had expressed appreciation of the work.