LOCAL AND GENERAL

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4314, 25 March 1901, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The tender of-Messrs J. and A. Wilson (for an amount ranging between £SOOO and £6000) has been accepted for building shops; for Mr Jacob Joseph, to bo completed in five months, and occupied by-Messrs Wriggles worth and Binns and iiho Singer Sewing Machine Company. .

The: Postmaster-General informed a IVew Plymouth deputation on Saturday that if _ono of tihe local reserves could be obtained at a reasonable price a new post and telegraph office -would be opened at New Plymouth suitable for many years to'come. Ho added, however, that .if the price asked was too high the proposal would have to be abandoned for a time. The resignation by Mr J. A. Millar, M.H.R., of his position on the Dunedin Conciliation Board was referred to with regret by Mr Brown at a complimentary dinner held at the Troeadero on Saturday evening. : The president of the Industrial Association said that Mr Millar was chairman of the committee which placed before the House of llepf-isenta-tives the best Arbitration Act that had ever been submitted to it. He. was a man who had the confidence both of the workmen whom he represented and of the employers of Dunedin.

Tho new Wellington Fire Brigade Station is -to bo formally opened on Wednesday, 17th proximo. Mr Peter Hutson will act as a vicepresident cf Uic- Industrial Association while i'.ir T. Ballinger is away from Wellington. The excellence of tho manufactures of a. local clay-worker has caused a leading firm of ohiua merchants in Wellington f o cease importing stoneware Ironr England. i 'lnc Agricultural Department has decided to import a cheese-making export from, Canada—Mr W. Singleton—■who ■will take'up the work of instruction under tho Dairy Coraissioncr. Tho now gymnasium of tho Wellington Physical ■ Training School will bo ready on April IT, when the first term commences. Sundew classes and other at. tractions will he initiated, and special facilities given for private practice and advanced work. In responding to the toast of “The Iron Trade” at the dinner given hy tho Industrial Association executive on Saturday evening, Messrs D. Robertson, J. P. Lnko and W. Cable all spoke of the spurt which had been given to that industry by tho development of golddredging. They acknowledged the enterprise shown by citizens of Wellington, who had put money into dredging companies, and expressed tho hopo that the ventures would prove remunerative. Judgment was given by Mr Justice Edwards in the Supreme Court on Sat--1 urday in tho case in which C. L. Bene- ! diet, of Canada, appealed against a decision of tho .Registrar of Patents. The registrar had refused the applicant a patent for a combined letter and envo- . lope form, on the ground that the principle) was already contained in a patent used by the New Zealand Post and; Telegraph Department. His Honor upheld tho decision of the. registrar, and dismissed the appeal.

Yesterday afternoon tho body of tho late Sergeant 3lar.shall, of tho Wellington Bearer Corps, was followed to its last restiug-plaoo by members of the Wellington Garrison. The cortege was headed by a, party of Navals, following whom came (mo Garrison Band playing alter nately Handel’s and Beethoven’s “Dead Marches.”- Tho body of tiio deceased sergeant was : borne on a guui carriage, and was followed by representatives of nearly every corps in the garrison.

John Houghton, a person fairly well known among churchgoers at Newtown, was charged at tho Magistrate’s Court on Saturday with having forged a request for tiio delivery of goods, purporting to bo signed by tho Rev H. L. Blamiros. Inspector Wilson informed the Court that there were six charges of forgery ponding against tiio accused, and several for theft. The case was remanded until Monday, April Ist, bail being allowed in accused’s own bond of £SO and an approved security of £IOO. Air Wilford appeared for tho defence. General approval is to bo heard in town of Mr John Plimmcr’s suggestion that a further mooting of citizens should he called to confer on tho subject of tho Wellington celebrations to welcome tho Duke and Duchess c.f Cornwall. Underlying the diversity of opinions ox. pressed as to the share of tho expenditure to bo borne hy the Citj r Council and the General Government _ respectively, there is a firm conviction that the “Empire City” should make a creditable display on tho memorable occasion, and it is honed that another con. foreuce will result in complete harmony being attained on the subject. At the Christchurch Magistrate’s Court on Saturday an application war made for the cancellation of ’an order binding Letitia Berkley to support her daughter Rose, now in the Nelson Industrial School, and for the cancelling of tho order of committal to the school. It was stated that the girl is connected through her father, now dead, with one, of tho oldest families' of nobility in’ Britain. ‘ Relatives having adopted her, she will-he taken to England by 1 the Rimutaka. The 3lagistra)j;o promised to cancel,the orders’ when informed by the Education Department that the child is in charge, of the person taking her to England. . ■

Throe first-offending drunkards were leniently treated by Dr McArthur at Saturday’s sitting of the Stipendiary ■Magistrate’s Court,-one being ordered to pay I7s 6tl medical expenses and the other two directed to- go their way and drink no more. Two lads named George Reeves and Joseph Bradley were before the Court for having broken into St. Thomas’s Church on the 19th March last. A second charge was .brought .against tho two accused that they did on February 20 break and enter Wesley Church, and , steal therefrom a cloth ■worth £2. Tile police asked to withdraw tho latter charge, and his Worship gave the desired permission. Tho lad Reeves was sent to. Burnaam Industrial School on tho first-mentioned charge, and the ether accused was convicted! and discharged on his father’s undertaking to exorcise strict supervision over him.

Tho cultivation of Imps is being gone in for on an increasing scale in the Marlborough district, and on present indications the province will yet rival Nelson as a producer of this article. Picking is now being concluded in the Tua Marina district, where it is estimated that phenomenal yiolds will result. The harvesting operations in Marlborough arc very late as regards cereals, in consequence of the lack of warm l weather during tho period that should have been summer. Garnering is usually completed in the district by the first week in February, but at the present time it is no uncommon sight to see whole fields of barley, only half-ripened, awaiting the advent of seasonable weather. In crops which have been threshed there has been a disappointing result as regards yields, owing to the heads not being properly filled out—another result of the absence of sunshine.

A deputation from the Upper Hutt introduced by 3lr Field. M.H.R., waited on the Minister for Railways on Saturday, and asked—(l) That a train should ho put on' to convey milk from the Upper Hutt to the'Lower Hutt on Sundays ; (2) that the mail train should stop nt 3lungaroa when required, to obviate tho necessity of the inhabitants of the latter place travelling eight miles over an indifferent road to catch tho train. Tho 'Minister deprecated putting on Sunday trains except in ease of necessity, especially in view of .the-hard work, which tho railway servants had been ’called upon to-perform of late, but said be would have inquiries made in regard to the feasibility of adopting the suggestion. Ho would look into the second” matter, also, and see if relief could ho given,.though, he doubted if fish could bo made of one place and flesh of another, , ,\, .

'■ Dairymaid,” writing in the London “ Daily Mail,”:thus refers to one of the staple products of this country:—l am delighted to tell “New Zealander ’’ that the expolleut butter bo so justly advocates is well known and; much appro, ciated in one household at least. It is such good, sound butter—like Devonshire butter straight from the dairy—l have often.thought that the first buttermakers of Now Zealand must have been Devonshire people. How it travels so far and so well, even in ice, is a marvel. In. winter time the butters Sold at

most London dairies are mawkish, and they never keep, and this excellent New Zealand butter is both much nicer and much cheaper. It is sold as New Zealand butter at the Army and Navy Auxiliary Stores, and at Harrod’s Stores (and I suppose at various other places) a.t Is 3d per pound. Normandy and Brittany butters are dearer, and not so nice in winter. Danish butter seems to bo chiefly used for cooking.