The Advocate FRIDAY, JANUARY 12, 1912. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Northern Advocate, 12 January 1912, Page 4

The Advocate FRIDAY, JANUARY 12, 1912. LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Mr H. M. Skeet is gazetted Commissioner of Crown Lands for the Auckland province. Mr W. C. Kensington, 1.5.0., UnderSecertary for Lands and Immigration, will retire from the service at the end of February on superannuation. To-day the death occurred of Mr Hugh Pollen, secretary to the Department of Internal Affairs. The deceased was a son of the late Hon. Dr. Pollen, M.L.C., who was at one time Premier of New Zealand. ! j Mr Mackesy has on view in his office window an excellent sample ot Italian ' ryegrass which ha gathered himself on the top of the Mangakahia ranges. The grass is 4 feet long and lcoks very strong. Over two miles of the Otira tunnel have now been pierced, and of that distance abous one mile and a half has been lined. Concrete is being used for lining the tunnel instead of bricks. Shingle is being obtained from the Bealey River at one end, and from the Rolleston River at the other. The Rev. M. Heather, a retired Congregationalist minister, who has recently arrived from England and is living with his sons on their fruit farm on the Otaika-road, will conduct the services at the Whangarei Presbyterian Church on Sunday at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m., and at Kauri at 3 p.m . Among the fassengers on the steamer Rotorua, due in Wellington on February 4 from London, is Captain A. C. Critchley-Salmonson, of the 2nd Battalion Royal Munster Fusiliers, who has been appointed for regimental duties in connection with the Territorial Forces in New Zealand. Captain Critchley-Salmonson is twentyfive years of age. A very well-known resident of Ruatangata died on Wednesday night in the person of Mr James Langridge, who had been in ill-health for some time. Deceased had resided at Ruatangata for 20 years and for 7 years prior to that time had been ; n the district. It will be remembered that Mr Langridge's eldest son died some months ago. The deceased leaves a widow, two daughters and a son to mourn their sad less. The death of so old and so respected a resident has been severely felt in the district. The funeral tcok place at the Kamo cemetery this afternoon. <»Over sixty babies —laughing, serious, or frankly howling; over or under dressed; slim, plump, or absolutely podgy—made a brief sojourn under a little canopy At the Royal Albert Hall, Auckland, yesterday. The proprietors of Wests' Pictures are holding a baby show, and the exhibits are to be submitted to popular judgment, not in flesh, but in fleeting images upon a screen, eauch for a few moments. The proceedings, when the youngsters were photographed, were funny to everyone except the babies and to the mother of the child who at the moment was.in the chair. The babies failed to .see why they should be placed in a chair which they did not greatly appreciate to make a picture show for anybody, and the mother at the moment concerned was always in a state of almost frantic anxiety.

-A lady fainted at West's Pictures last evening and was unconscious for a long time. She was carried into the street by the firemen, and the usual crowd gathered! round and had to be commanded to stand clear. Francis Edward Molloy and William Henry Whiteside, against wnom there had been several convictions, were each fined 5s or 24 hours' imprisonment for drunkenness by Mr J. McKinnon, J.P., at the Magistrate's Court this morning. In reply to a communication from the Harbor Board, Captain T. Meyers, of the s.s. Kanieri, vouchsafed the opinion that the Busby Head light should be placed about 40 feet above sea level to suit vessels entering the harbor. Owing to the frequency with which the summit of the hill was shrouded in fog. he advised the Board not to place the light on the top. It was decided to thank Capt. Meyers for the information.

A well-attended meeting of the Municipal Brass Band Committee was held last night. It was decided to purchase two new instruments E. Flat basses, at the cost of £47 12s. A letter of appreciation was sent to the Hikurangi Band for the loan of an instrument during the Gisborne Contest. The 3um of £13 5s 8d was passed for payment. The secretary, Mr Bray, said that the honorary members subscriptions were coming in well. The contest funds were accumulating, but were still short of the required amount. A sacred concert was held in the Methodist Church, Maungakaramea, last night on the occasion of the anniversary of the church. There was a large attendance. Mrs H. Crawford, Miss Crawford, and Messrs A. Dobson and Proud, of Whangarei, contributed numbers. The church choir, of about eighteen members, sang well, and occasioned pleasure by the excellent interpretation of the sacred items allotted to them. A highly* successful function, appreciated by visitors and local residents alike, terminated in good time. "*»* According to a statement made by the dtredgemaster at the Harbor , Board's meeting yesterday, a serious menace is being created by young men shooting on the waters of the harbor. Not only did danger exist, but it was jMr Drever's opinion that the buoys, which Captain Meyers referred to as [ being waterlogged, were brought into that condition by pea-rifle bullets. Members recognised and seconded this view, and on Mr Reyburn's motion it , was decided/ to issue a warning through the medium of the press, warning offenders to desist from the practice, under penalty of prosecution.

Yesterday the Hon. J. A. Millar laid the foundation stone of the workers' dwellings which are to be erected at Island Bay. They will be the first buildings constructed in Wellington under the provisions of the Workers' Homes Act, 1910. Something like-130 workers' dwellings were erected in or near the four chief centres of the Dominion prior to the passage 3f the Act of 1910, about 30 of them in the neghborhood of Wellington. The whole of these dwellings were leased. Acts prior to that of 1910 contained a . purchase clause, but it was cumbersome, and the conditions offered did not prove attractive. The Act of 1910, however, provided) that workers may purchase their homes upon a de-ferred-payment system. At the outset a deposit of £10 is demanded. The remainder of the capital value of the dwelling and the land it occupies is paid off in a series of weekly instalments, extending over a period of over twenty-live and a half years, or such shorter term as the purchaser may desire. The weekly payments, combining interest and principal, are - eaual to seven per cent, of the capital JM value of land and dwelling, and amount to 15s or 16s per week.