LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume II, Issue 25, 12 January 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

It is probable that a very ‘fair number of visitors from Hawke s Bay will be present in Wairoa during Carnival week.

The timber carting agreement between the sawmillers and the H.B. Count;.. Council terminated on December 31st. when millers were supposed to send in all tallies. 1 p to tlie present one return has been received showing the cartage upon Puketitiri road. One mill has carted a quarter of a million feet of timber and if the other mills have approached anywhere near this total the council should receive subsidy cf £2OO towards the upkeep of the road.

Before Mr. J. H. Sheath. J.P.. at the Napier Magistrate's Court this morning, a middle-aged woman was charged with being found drunk on tlie Parade last evening. Tb.e accused stated that, she had Jun with, a friend and had had "a dr'ip too much.” Constable Henriry deposed that he found the woman lying as.leen on a seat on the Marine Parade. His Worship said it was a t( rrible thing for a woman to he in her position. He hoped that the leniency of the court in convicting and discharging her would be recognised by her.

Messrs. Hawkins and Rome are taking through thiee fine motors for exhibition at the Wairoa show.

The Dunedin City Engineer reports that the damage occasioned by th" recent. North-east Valley floods amounts to close on £9OO. His Worship the Mayor and Councillors of Hastings have accepted an invitation to visit the Arataki.. Experimental Farm on Tuesday next.

Mixed bathing will take place in the Napier Municipal Baths this evening. A large attendance is expected.

The dredge Whakarire was engaged in fixing up her moorings in the Breakwater harbour this morning preparatory to dredging.

The usual monthly meeting of the Land Board at Gisborne has been adjourned until Wednesday 17th. owing to the absence, of the Commissioner in Wellington.

According to the survey pegs the line of the East Coast railway at Westshore goes almost through the middle of the Sailing Club grounds.

The Matron of the Napier Hospital desires to acknowledge with thanks a bundle of papers from Mrs. Sydney- Smith, Hastings street extension, Napier South.

The conference between the employers and waterside workers took place- in the office of Mr. S. E. Wright (secretary- to the Employers’ Federation) this afternoon. Mr. R. T. Bailey presided over a large attendance.

At a special meeting of the Hastings Brouogh Council last evening alterations and amendments to certain by-laws were adopted after some discussion. The amendments have yet to be advertised and confirmed at a further meeting before coming into force.

Messrs. Cotterill and Humphries, on behalf of the settlers on the Tukituki estate, have deposited £3OO with the Hawke’s Bay County Council, their contribution towards the proposed bridge over the Tukituki river. The Public Works Department have been notified of the. deposit, and it is now for them to say whether they ard prepared to erect the bridge or not.

By the Ruapehu, which arrived at Wellington from London on Wednesday night, there came to New Zealand 10 saloon passengers, 29 secondsaloon. and 207 third-class. Of these 6 saloon, 17 second-saloon and 44 third-class were booked for Wellington. the remainder having tickets for Auckland, Lyttelton, Port Chalnmrs, and other ports. Assisted passages were granted to 26 adults. Twelve were domestics, 7 farm labourers and 2 farmers. Their capital ranged from £2, possessed by seme of the domestics, to £6O. The passengers from Capetown were 3 firstsaloon. 1 second-saloon and 3 thirdclass.

A meeting cf tlie workers of Hastings was held last night in the Old Library, Hastings, for the purpose of considering the formation of a branch of the New Zealand Labour Partv. Mr. A. Wade occupied the chair with a good attendance. The organiser (Mr. G. Allan) explained the Parliamentary and municipal platforms also the constitution of the paitv. Some considerable. dis-curs-on ensued in which members ccnHdcred the platforms were the best- and most statesmanlike ever put before the public. The following resolution was then carried unanimously: “That tlie time had arrived for the formation in Hastings of a branch of the N.Z.L.P. and. that the members present form themselves into a branch.” Officers were appointed provisionally and were instructed to draw up a draft of working rilles to be laid before a meeting of the branch early next wpek. A small subscription was fixed to cover work i ng expenses.

The circumstances surrounding the Whangamomona County Council general election have created poslion almost unique (says the Stratford “Post”). First there was an election petition, Mr. John Diggins Icking his seat .through being nominated by a person who -was not a ratepayer. Then Mr. John Morgan Jones who had been declared by the Magistrate duly elected, very sportingly gave up his sent and another election was consequently held. The official figures a»'c not yet to hand, but tlie Returning Officer (Mr. A Coleman) stated on Friday morning that lie had received a telegram to the effect that the election had resulted in a dead heat, both Mr. Diggins and Mr. Jones having' polled 20 votes. But the coincidence docs not end there. The voting at Strathmore and at Makahu, the only two polling places, was also equally divided, ft now remains for the Re turning Officer to draw lots to decide who is to bold the much-disput-ed scat on the council.

Some important railway reforms u ere foreshadowed by the Hop. J. A. Millar at a meeting in Dunedin. He mentioned that instructions had already beer, given to fit the .secondclass carriages with the cross seats now in use in the first-class, and to provide separate conveniences for families. He was prepared to exempt all children under five years of age from payment cf fares, and to favourably consider the matter of half-fares between five and twelve years, but he could not see his, way to give the police the benefit, of free passes, though he would extend the privilege of a first-cla«s pass to al! railwaymen who had been in the employ of the State for twenty years ami over. The list of persons entitled to free passes was sufficiently heavy already, and he wished the taxpayer to understand clearly that if the railwa.vs were meant to pay their way he mint be assisted m re-

I si st in s’ the dcmanc’s of trus lu-ruro. :He was determined that the users o! I the railways and not the general tiv i pavers should pay equitably for tlie ;privileges they enjoyed.

j Mestes. C. Mart in and Co , land iagimts. 1 histiiigs. insert particulars of it vo’ larnis which they Ini'e f‘*> suit'P’hev me to t.o had on easy terms.