THE HALF-HOLIDAY.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1248, 30 January 1896, Page 39

THE HALF-HOLIDAY.

The delegates of local bodies, whose duty it is to decide what day shxll be set apart for the weekly half-holiday in the district during twelve months, met in the City ! Council Chamber on Monday afternoon. I There were present—The Mayor of Welling. j ton (in the chair), and Councillors Harris, ; Devine, Anderson and Smith (Wellington I City Council), Councillor Baylis (Melrose Borough), Captain Dawson (Johnsonville Town Board). Councillor Baylis moved, and it was seconded by Councillor Smith, that the halfholiday be on Wednesday as at present. An amendment that Saturday be the day was moved by Councillor Anderson, who contended that far greater benefit would be derived from having the holiday at the end of the week, and he added that several shopkeepers had assured him they would greatly approve of the change. The amendment lapsed for want of a seconder. I CounciUorHarris supported the Wednes-

supported Saturday as the day. He had then, he said, looked ori the Bill as. a shop-assist-ants' measure, but since then the shop-assist-ants had made no move in favour of Satu'r* day, and as the majority of the shopkeepers were in favour of' Wednesday he would support it,* although, personally, he was in favour of Saturday. In addition to that the Saturday holiday had been a failure in other places, and he did not see his way to support anythirig which Was likely to prove unfavourable. ■•....; - Councillor Devine said experience had shown Wednesday was the best day, and lie was still in favour of selecting that day. Captain Dawson also expressed himself in favour of Wednesday. The Mayor said he was definitely in favour of Wednesday, partly from his own observation and partly from having been given to understand by those interested that that day was better suited to the purpose than Saturday. The motion wa3 carried, Councillor Anderson being the only dissentient. Dunedin, January 27. At a meeting of the delegates from the city and suburban districts it was unanimously decided to Continue Wednesday as the halfholiday. Mr W. F. Jacob, of Kiwitea, has reported to the police that while taking his ticket at the circus on Monday night his pocket was picked of a purse containing a cheque for J 2274 ss, as well as £8 in notes. A correspondent writes to us complaining that we have done an injustice to the late Mr H. C. Young in a local explaining that his claim against the Harper firm was not based on the Harper case. The complaint is that we have inferentially stated that Mr Young never had any claim against the Harper firm. We did not go into the question at all of Mr Young's claims against the firm. We sinply intended to explain that whatever these claims might or might not be they had arisen out of transactions before the bankruptcy known as " the Harper case," and therefore that they had nothing to do with "the Harper case." Mr Young petitioned Parliament against the Harpers, and tried to bring actions against them. We did not inferentially declare that all this was wrong. All We wished to convey was that these claims were not based on the Harper case. In that there was no injustice to Mr Young's memory. The weekly meeting: of the Benevolent Trustees was held on Tuesday, the 21st. there being present— Rev H. Van Staveren (in the chair), Messrs J. Mothes, G. H. Baylis, J. Collins, C. E. W. Willeston. Mr Mothes brought up the cases of two people who were receiving relief from the Trustees. One was a woman who has eight small children and a sick husband to support, and Mr Mothes said he had been informed that this woman was earning £2 per week. The other case was that of a one-legged man, who, it was said, was quite capable of earning his own living. Mr Van Staveren stated that in the former case he was sure that the woman was not earning more than 10s per week, and was deserving of relief. The man referred to was not able to do a fair day's work at his trade, bootmaking. and could not get work from the shop 3 owing to being slow. Mr Mothes was quite satisfied with the explanation, and said that he only brought the matter up to satisfy his informant. A woman who had been confined only three weeks age, and whose husband was not working, was granted rations and 5s a week for u fortnight, the husband to work out the cost. The secretary's action was approved in giving an old couple rations for a weak. The master of the Home reported that he had discharged two inmates. An old couple, the woman 71 and the man 79, who have been in the Colony for 50 years and who have been living in the same house for 27 years, but are now unable to provide for themselves, were granted 5s a week and rations. Several other cases were dealt with.

The fortnightly meeting of the Hospital Trustees was held on the 21st, there being present Messrs F. H. Fraser m the chair, G. Allen, C. E. Willeston, L. L. Harris, C. W. Brown, J. Collins, J. Danks, B. C. Kirk and the Rev H. Van Sta/eren. It was decided to issue two in-patients' tickets and five out-patients' tickets to the butchers of Ngahauranga on payment of .£ls. Mr Hope, the dispenser, made application for an increase of salary in consequence of the large increase of out-patients. The application was not granted. It was decided that the head nurses should have an extra week's holiday without pay. A letter was recoived from Mrs Schoch, secretary of the Women's Social and Political League, enclosing a resolution passed at one of the League's meetings suggesting that a dispensary should be established at the northern end of the city for the convenience of peaple who cannot attend at the Hospital during daytime. The letter further .stated that the League was of opinion that if proper safeguards were applied, say by exposing and prosecuting people of means who obtained advice and medicine free, a central dispensary would be sure to be a boon to the poor. The Chairman stated that the Trustees had under consideration question of compelling payment from persons who it was believed were able to pay, and they had already taken some steps in that direction. The Trustees hi»d also consi lered the question of establishing a central dispensary, and had decided that their funds would not permit of such a scheme being carried out at present. The letter was received with thanks.

The Wakatipu brought 1?8 passengers from Australia to New Zealand, 81 of whom landed at Wellington. The passengers by the Wakatipu from Sydney last week included 11 Chinamen. At the annual meeting of the Polynesian Society last week the following officers were elected :—President, Right Rev W. L. Williams, Bishop of Waiapu ; to Council to fill three vacancies, Messrs J. H. Pope, N. J. Tone and S. P. Smith. Mr S. P. Smith was re-elected one of the two ]omt hon secretaries and treasurers, and complimentary reference was made to the great value of the services rendered by him and his colleague Mr Tregear. They were accorded a cordial vote of thanks. Mr A. Barron was re-elected honorary auditor, and a vote ot thanks was also passed to him for past services. the statement of accounts showed a balance in hand of £44 9s lid, against which there are liabilities amounting to about <£4U. Daring the last few days the Premier has had und er consideration a new bc.u • Of p iy f 6r fhe police force of the Colony, and al.-<o thrscale of pay for tlbe Permanent Artillery an l Torpedo Corps. /The drafts have bean and will be\ submitted to Cabinet a ats next meeting. f The Boys' Brigade/ -which has done such ood service at° the! Institute, has been facetted as a naval cafilet company, and will -u future be known dffs tho Boya' Institute

A. Armstrong nnd J. Steel will continue as drill instructors. The cadets will receive instruction from Sergeant-Major Fisn, and wi}l also be inspected periodically by the officer in' chargo of the district, LieutenantColonel Nepali. The above step has been taken by the Institute Committee at the suggestion of several local volunteer officers, and it will no doubt considerably Effect and improve the drill and esprit de corps. The first drill under the new rules will be held at the Institute on Tuesday, 4th February, when e'Very cadet should be present with arms.

AlriicJst fro'rn.i s 'o dawn of civilisation men in all ages arid if *}'oHtftries wide asunder have been "hunting for the Philosopher's Stone and trying to get at the secret which will ensure perpetual motion. Hitherto the - . Quest has been a record of dismal failure, but'there is now in Wellington a gentleman of an inven-' tive turn of mind who claims to have at last solved the problem of perpetual motion. He waited upon the Premier last week, and informed him that b e had ascertained that there is in the air a latent power hitherto undreamt of, and that hs has perfected a machine to utilise this powef, and by means of it to secure perpetual motion; The Premier listened attentively to the unfoldlrient pf this important information, but as the claims of public business were urgent and his time was limited, he sent on the inventor to the En-gineer-in-Chief. Mr Hales, however, was in a hurry to get on board the Hinemoa, and it is doubtful whether the wonderful machine has yet received atrial. The fortnightly meeting of the Society for tbe Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was held on Thursday afternoon, Mr J. Ilottin the chair. There were also present —Mesdames Tarn, Eonayne, Lingard, Messrs Clere, Atkinson and Jameson (secretary;. Apoloeries for non-attendance were received from Mrs Booth and Mr J. G. W. Aitken. The inspector stated that he had enquired into the following cases since last meeting : —Four of cruelly handling and carrying poultry, 1 of cruelty to a pack horse, 1 of working a lame horse, 1 of working a horse with a sore, 1 of a carter refusing to put the props of his cart down in order to lighten the weight off the horse. With regard to the case of the horse which was shot in Brougham street some time ago, the secretary reported that he had written to the police asking them to prosecute, but had received an answer stating that taking into consideration the opinion of the Society's solicitor, they thought there was not a case. Mr Jameson regretted to state that he would not be able to allow the Society to use his room for the carrying on of its business. As to the secretaryship, Mr Jameson stated that he found his own business increasing to such an extent that he could not afford to give his time to the Society. Discussion of the matter was allowed to stand over till next meeting. The following subscriptions were received : —Per Mrs Lingard—Mr H. D. Bell, M.H.E., .£1 Is ; the Hon T. Hislop, .£1 ; Mrs H. ]). Bell, 10s 6d ; T. Waters, 10s ; Mrs J. Duncan and Mrs Castendyk, 5s each; Mrs Duff and Miss Ethelinda Brown, 2s 6d each. Per the inspector—Mr S. uanks, .£1 Is; Mr O. Eigarlsford, 10s 6d. Gunner Taplin, of the Permanent Artillery, has been transferred to the police force. Regulations under the Servants' Registry Offices Act fixing the fees to be charged have been approved, and ordered to be gazetted. The only charges to be hereafter permissible by tho registry office keeper are 2s 6d to be paid by the servant who is helped to employment, and 2s Gd by the employer who obtains the needed servant. All other fees are to be abolished. If any other charge is made, the registry-office keeper thereby becomes liable to "have his or her certificate taken away, The outcome of the expression of opinion made by the jury at the inquest on Mr J. O'Brien, who foil into the harbour noar the Railway Wharf and was drowned, is that the Harbour Boird have informed Mr J. Ashcroft, Coroner, that they have decided to orcct a fence for about 500 ft along the breastwork of Waterloo quay. At a meeting of the Hospital contributors held Thursday afternoon, Mr G. Allen was reelected a Trustee. The Premier on Friday paid a visit to the State farm at Levin, and made a careful inspection of the place and the work done. In the evening, after his return, he received a deputation of co-operative workers from Ohingaiti, and arranged that Mr Mackay, of the Labour Department, shall proceed at once to the locality to enquire into the complaints of the co-operative workers, and report as soon as possible. A bottle of whisky from the White Horse cellar lias reached us. The cellar is located in Edinburgh, but the purveyors of this particular brand of whisky are Messrs Mackie and Company, of Glasgow. By way of proving their connection with Edinburgh these gentlemen have placed on the label an ancient coaching- advertisement which in the year 1735 offered the Northern public the unprecedented blessing' of an eight-day trip ("if God permits") to Loii'lon!' in these days of the eight-hour performances of the Flying Scotchman we smile at 1735. But no amount of smiling can solve the mystery of the connection between Edinburgh and Glasgow. But if that is not apparent, the flavour and quality of the whisky are very much so. Our staff has approved, pronouncing it mild, nutty and agreeable. The local agents are Messrs E. T. 'Caylor and Co. Messrs Harcourt and Co. report the following sales —Lloyd street, land 27ft x 70ft and four-roomed cottage, at .£287 10s ; Karori, 11 acres of hilly land and six-roomed house for .£420 ; Millward street, land 34ft x 145 ft, together with the four-roomed cottage erected thereon at .£295. The firm have also sold to Mrs A. Michael Mr J. Christopher's leasehold property with 11-roomed residence, situated in Mowbray street, for <£2so, and Valued the furniture and effects, which were purchased by the same buyer, at the valua- » The law vacation ends with this month. A long list of civil actions and banco business has accumulated, and wiil keep the Judges busy for some time to come. Mr Justice Buckley exercised his judicial functions on Friday for the first time by holding a sitting in Chambers. It only lasted 35 minutes, but within that time he disposed of 23 applications, most of them being for probate of wills and letters of administration. The Chief Justice also sat in Chambers and dealt with some formal applications. The following address has been drawn up to be presented to Mr W. W. Bain, and a copy has been handed to us : —" To Mr and Mrs Bain. Dear sir and madam, —On behalf of all connected with the Citizens' Assurance Company in New Zealand, we trust you will accept this small present as a. memento of our good wishes and kindly feeling towards yon, aM also permit us, dear sir, to pay a. passing trioute to your lofty character and zealous services to the Company (especially at a jl» — u n ~ ifclfraaiflaianai w° beins ■■M.ntad

affecting all foreign companies doing busi* nessinNew Zealand), and the- kind, genial and thoughtful manner in which you b&vm always treated us j you are ours by that unshaken sentiment of gratitude for your kindness; which is a precious portion of our inheritance i ours by that tie or }v™± stronger than' death, which has linked your name for ever with our affections. At the painful moment of pai-t* trg with you, we take comfort in tha thought that,wherever you may be, to the last; pulsation ai our heart, our memory mil ever be present to ytfffir affections ; and a cheerine consolation assures «s that we are not called to sorrow—most of all that we shall sea your face no more—for we y shall indulge* in the pleasant anticipation of beholding our friends again. Mrs Bain has so endeared herself to all classes that she can never be forgotten, if 'absence ™*fea the heart grow fonder.' In the namer of the. whole cf the people connected with tho Citizens' Assurance Company we bid roil a reluctant and affectionate farewell.— Laxjkbnce McGovbknv John o'Connei.i.. The following are the subscriptions promised to date for the proposed new cathedral in Wellington:—His Excellency the Governor (in two years), £100; Tho Bishop of Salisbury, £100; Mr John Plimmer, £SOO ; The Bishop of Wellington (in three years), £250; Rev W. Booth, £1000; Rev W. C. Waters (in five years), £25; Mr John Beck (first contribution), £25; Mr W. C. FitsGerald, £10; Mr C. J. Pbarazyn, £500; N.M., £1; A Friend (in five years), £SO ; Mrs, W, H. Levin, £100; Mr G. E. Tolhurst, £100; Mr C. Holgate and Miss Holgate>£2; Kev A. M. Knight, £lO -. total, £2773. Of tfcss amount £603 baa been already received. Through failing to hear the warning bell.an elderly gentleman was looked in the Public: Library when the institution was closed at & o'clock on Sunday evening. Some boys who saw him endeavouring to attract attention informed Constable Forster, by whose instrumentality he was enabled to nsake his exit by lifting the latch of one of the windows. Among the visitors to the Working Men & Club last week was Mahomet, the talking: horse, and his trainer, Mr Probasco. Tfeehorse went to the clubhouse and inspected every part of the building, walking upstair* to look through the social hall, reading room and library. Afterwards the party adjourned to the bar, but the horse declined to drink, and contented himself with a biscuit. Mahomet afterwards gave an exhibition of: his powers, and was much applauded by the members present. It is customary for the Club to place the names of all prominent professional visitors on the honorary list, and this was followed in Mahomet's case. The Customs duties collected at this port for the past week amounted to £4061 8a 2d, and the beer duty to £2OO ss. A sensational feat was performed on Saturday afternoon by Professor Peart, of *itzGeralds' Circus, who dived from the mam-top-gallant yard of the shin Nelson, lying at tho wool jetty. The distance dived must have been over 120 feet Peart first climbed to tho main-royal vard, but the wind was too strong, and ho had to come down to the main top-gal-lant yard. Ho accomplished the feat in a very neat manner, and on his re-appearing to tho surface was loudly applauded. A collection was taken up in aid of the Benevolent Institution and the Home for the Aged and Needy, £ll Is 5d being the result, including la 6d of bad coins. The collection is most unsatisfactory considering the number of people present—between 3000 and 4000. The two institutions will receive £24 18s lid when the Government subsidy is added to the collection. The collection was taken up by Mr Powlos, Mr A. G. Johnson and Mr Taylor, the Benevolent Trustees' messenger. The Auckland collection amounted to £l6 Bs, and that at Wanganui to £lB 9s 6d. Mr Justice Buckley is to make hie first appearance on tho Supreme Court Bench on Monday next, when he will preside at the opening of the civil sessions. During last year 183 persons were proceeded against in the Magistrate's Court for breaches of tho by-laws of the City Council, Harbour Board, Government Railway and Manawatu Eailway. The number of convictions was 146. For failing to send their children to school 14 persons were prosecuted, and 13 convicted, and eieht persons were convicted of failing to register their dogs. A meeting of members of temperance societies and temperance workers generally was held on Monday in the Forward Movement Hall. There were about 30 people present. Mr A. Hoby presided. The following motion was put and carried :—" That this meeting: form itself into a committee to carry out the resolutions carried at the indignation meeting at the Opera House on December 14, viz., that a petition be presented to the Governor praying for the removal of thosa members of the Wellington Licensing Committee who voted for the transfer of the Waverley Hotel license to Newtown; and that a petition to this effect be immediately circulated and the city canvassed for signatures." A subcommittee was formed to arrange for the canvass.

On Monday the Town Clerk divided the amount subscribed (£9 Is) towards supplying: the wrecked crew of the Halcione with an outfit, among seven of their number, the other five having obtained employment on other ships.

The committee who have in hand the establishment of a second Boys' Institute for this city are now setting to work to bring the undertaking to completion. They are first of all issuing' a circular setting forth the claims of the object, and inviting subscriptions for the erection of a building.