LOCAL AND GENERAL.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 3957, 24 January 1900, Page 5

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

In consequence ,of the illness of Bliss Keeling, the Mastertor. Infants’ State School is temporarily in charge of Miss Walton.

The Telegraph Department has been advised that the cable between Iqnitjue and ..Valparaiso has been repaired, and communication thus restored with Valparaiso via Galveston (U.S.A.). The new State school at Island Bay was opened yesterday by Mr A. Anderson, the Board’s relieving teacher, as temporary head teacher, assisted by Miss M. E. Holm, temporary relieving teacher. Mr Anderson and Miss Holm will give way to the permanent staff as soon as it is appointed by the Board. If lias been arranged that the Rev James Paterson, Mr A. W. Hogg, M.H.R,, and Mr W. C. Buchanan, members of the Wellington Education Board, shall visit the- Mangamaire district on Monday, the 29th inst., to make a personal inspection in connection with the school site question. The gentlemen named will arrive' by the morning train from Wellington. The Sounds excursion steamer Waikare called off Westport for letters and papers yesterday, and resumed her passage during the afternoon. She is due at Picton about noon to-day, and while at that port to-night a grand fancydress ball will be held, as a finale to the summer cruise. The steamer is expected to leave Picton to-morrow morning and to arrive hero about midday. The Government steamer Tutanekai, with tho Governor and Lady Ranfuriy, accompanied by Lady Constance Knox, Lady Aileen Knox, Miss Douglas, Captain Alexander (Private Secretary) and Mr Alex. Boyle (of Christchurch), loft for the North last, evening. After a short cruise round tho const between Onehunga and Auckland, tho vice-regal party will take up their residence at the Government House in tho latter city, until a few days before Parliament meets. The steamer will remain a day at New Plymouth to allow Lcrd and Lady Ranfuriy to he present at a function in connection with the St. John Ambulance Association .voik at that place. The Hon C. E. Hill-Trevor and Mrs Alex. Boyle will join the party either at New Plymouth or Onehunga. The following appointments of temporary teachers and pupil teachers have > been approved by the chairman of the Wellington Education Board:—Miss Black, temporary relieving teacher, Mangaone School: Mr A. Anderson, temporary head teacher, Island Bay School; Miss M. E. Holm, temporary relieving teacher. Island Bay School; Miss Walton, temporary relieving teacher, Masterton Infants’ School ; Mr Henderson, to go to Mount Cook Boys’ School.’to replace Miss Meek, resigned; Miss Gallagher, to go to To Aro School, to replace Miss Colwell, resigned ; Mr Scctt, to go to Greytowu as temporary relieving teacher, in place of Miss Gallagher, transferred ; Miss E. Williams, Terrace School, to replace Miss Parker, resigned ; Miss Robertson, Rintnul street School, to replace Miss Riddick, resigned ; Mr 'f. Campbell. Te Aro Infants’, to replace Miss E. Robinson. transferred; Miss Hinemoa Gibbes, Mount Cook Infants’, to replace Miss Williams, transferred; Miss Tasker, to Kilbirnie.

The LTewera Commission will resume its work at Ruataki. Bay of Plenty, on sth February. The Commissioners are the Surveyor-General (Mr S. Percy Smith), Judge Butler (Native Land Court) and five natives.

Replying to the letter recently forwarded to him by the. Chamber of Commerce (published in our issue of the Kith inst.) with reference to the ac'|iiisitiori by the colony of the Manaval ii Company’s line, the Minister for Railways says:—“The matter will bo carefully considered by Government, and a. reply will bo forwarded to you as soon as it has been arrived at.” The arrangements for applying the Westinghouse brake to the railways of the North Island will be carried out by Mr Nesbit, engineer for Australasia for the Wostinghouso Air Brake Company. who has been sent for from New South Wales. - The cost for the Wellington, Napier and New Plymouth lines is estimated at £51,000, and for the whole colony at £275,000.

Mr Hogg, AIH.IL, has brought under the attention of the Minister -of Public Works the desirability of making a, start with the Rimutaka deviation, for which the sum of £SOOO was voted by Parliament. According to the Masterton “Daily Times,” Air Hall-Jones has promised that a start with the permanent survey of the now piece of lino would be made without delay. 'iiie Collector of Customs at Oamjwm has been instructed by the Hon J. l,Gf. Ward to have the steamer Claverdcn,'on her way from Bombay to that port, carefully inspected by medical men before allowing her to enter the port. The instructions are exacting, and care will he taken to see that the vessel does not enter the port before she gets a clean certificate. The steamer passed through Foveaux Strait last night. Owing to the regular meeting night falling on a holiday, the fortnightly meeting of the Court Robin Hood, No. 4428, A.0.F., was field 1 last night?, C.R. Brother T. Ferguson in the chair. The district officers paid an official visit. The District Chief Ranger as* sinned the chair, and presented P.D.C.R. Brother R. G. Newell* with a beautifully-framed P.D.C.R. certificate and jewel. His Worship the Mayor has received an invitation to be present at the ceremony in connection with the turning of the first sod of the GisborneTe Kara ka. railway. The Minister of Railways and other members of the Cabinet are to be present at the function, for which great preparations are being made by the Gisborne people. February 10th will probably be the date decided upon for the ceremony.

Nine tenders' have been received by the Mastertor. Borough Council for the supply of pipes necessary' for carrying out the water supply scherfie recently decided upon. They will' be considered to-day, and the tender allotted. The amounts of the various tenders are very close to the engineer’s estimate of £II,OOO. It is probable that the tender selected will be one for the delivery of pipes from American manufacturers.

The preliminary arrangements in connection with the cycling championships, which are to he competed for at the Athletic Park on Wednesday, the 31st inst., and Saturday, the 3rd February, are progressing very satisfactorily. Much attention has been paid to the track, which is now in first-class or. der. Entries for the various events are being received from all over the colony, and the second-class handicap events should produce interesting racing, as the class of riders nominating is above the general average. Riders ar.q reminded that entries,, will, close this evening. The Americanising of ihc Filipinos is proving and is likely to prove a very long drawn-out business. Nevertheless the influence of the star-spangled banner is being felt among tho natives in Manila and other sea-port towns, with the result that numbers of this strange race have found their way to the United States. Captain Porter, of the barque Clan McLeod, at present in port, states that at the time he left Now York there was a remarkable dearth of American and British seamen, and a great number of vessels, which were, loaded and ready to sail, completed the complement of their crows by shipping “Manila-men,” otherwise Filipinos, who, make very creditable seamen'. ' Captain Porter himself was placed in this position, ind the crew of liis vessel :.t the present time includes six Mannamen. Being ,a distinct type,of;Pacific islanders, their appearance in this part of the globe is creating' some attention. Their coffec-coloured skin, with oblique eyes and high check bones give them a somewhat sinister aspect. The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals held its fortnightiy meeting yesterday, when there were present—Messrs William Watson (chairman), E. L. Burgess, J. S. Jameson, M. W. Richmond, the secretary, (Mr Francis Shaw) and tho inspector (Mr Seed). From the inspector’s leport it appeared that several cases of overloading tramcars had occurred recently. Three were stopped by that office] on account of their overcrowded state 111 one day. After repeated complaints about working a horse in an unfit stale, tho inspector had secured the destine, tion of the animal. In connection with another case, the" society contemplated taking proceedings, /The .copulation which had waited on the Mayor in reference to the abatement of the nuisance caused by packing-casc nails being left in the streets, to the injury of passing horses, reported' that the Mayor had stated that their visit had strengthened his hands in respect to certain matters he was going to lay before the City Council. Accounts were held over to the next meeting, in the absence of the treasurer.

The weekly meeting of the Bqnevolent Trustees was held yesterday, when there were present the Revs J. K. Elliott (chairman) and .W. A. Evans, Messrs G. H. Baylis, George Webb,’ D. Robertson ,and R. Mothes. Among the correspondence read was a letter from the North Wairarapa Benevolent Society referring to a case sent by the Wellington Society to Masterton. The man. a cripple, and a former resident of the Wairarapa, had been in Wellington long enough, it was contended,' to entitle him to relief under the Act. Relief was denied him, and he was sent to the Masterton Society, which now claimed the cost of his maintenance from the Wellington Society, as he was legally a charge on the Benevolent Trustees. The Trustees decided .to obtain legal opinion on the subject, as they repudiated liability under the circumstances. The Trustees declared their intention of adopting a suggestion macle by Mrs Grace Neill. Assistant Inspector of Asylums and Charitable Institutions, in a letter which was read, and will set apart a special room for the bodies of inmates dying at the Ohiro Home, pending burial. The usual routine business was gone through, and several applications for relief granted.