LOCAL AND GENERAL.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4440, 21 August 1901, Page 5

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The insurance offices in the city will close at noon on Friday. Colonial mails which left Melbourne on July 17th, per Oceana, arrived in [London on Monday, duo date. Inward San I'VariciVto mails for the South loft Onehunga last night by the Takapuna, and .should arrive in Wellington this evening. Tho directors of the ■Wellington Woolion Company have decided to recommend payment of a dividend for 11m balance of tho year to July 31st at tho rate of S per cent per annum. Mr T. G. Macarthy has forwarded a donation of £ls towards the funds of the Firo Brigade Club in recognition of the excellent work of tho brigadesraen at tho Boulcott street firo on Monday morning.

Owing to tho fire in the Wairarapa Farmers!’ Co-operative Association's building, the oificos of the Labour Department havo been removed to pres raises opposite tho Bank oi [Hew Zca» land. Customhouse quay. The total number of registrations of friendly .societies during tho year 1000 was 21, distributed thus—Manchester Unity of Oddfellows, .six lodges; 1.0.0. F., seven lodges; Foresters, two courts; Druids, three lodges; Rcchabites, one tent; 1.F.5., two societies. An inquest was hold by Mr .Jamas Ashcroft, District Coroner, at the Porirun Asylum for , the Insane on Monday, touching tho death of Susan Miller, aged twontyicight years. A verdict was relumed in accordance with the medical testimony, which was that death was due to inflammation, cf tho y spinal cord. Tho police havo not boon long in <racing tine watches stolen from the shop of Mr R. Hatch, in Tory street. The shop window, it will do remembered, was broken on Sunday morning and Borne watches hanging inside were abstracted. Last night Detective Brobcrg and Constable Butlcdgo arrested a man named Whittle on a charge of being concerned in tho robbery. Some of the missing property was found iu ins possession at the time of arrest.

Tho annual dinner of the Yorkshire Society, wliicln takes place at the Trccaclcro to-night, gives promise of being a most successful gathering. Amongst other guests and speakers will be his Excellency the Governor, the Premier, the Chief Justice, his Worship tho Mayor, Hr Fitchott, Professor Easterfield, the Rov J. Sykes, Mr T. M. Wilford, M.K.K., and Mr C. Wilson. A programme of songs, dialect recitations, oto., will, with the toasts, provide a most interesting evening.

The American Tobacco Company has forwarded us a tin of the already popular A.T'.O. tobacco, packed by an en« tirely now process, in an ingenious patent vacuum tin,which on opening showed tho tobacco in that delightfully moist condition so dear to pipe smokers- With a view to still further popularising tho brand, the American Tobacco Company offers cash bonuses to the value of £IOO to persons returning the largest number of vacuum tin lids within the ensuing twelve months, and as tho first prize is to be £2O this competition is sure to evoke very keen competition.

Consequent upon tho fire in the Wairarapa Farmers’ Co-operative Association’s building, the Conciliation Board, which occupied a room on the second story, was unable to transact any busi. ness yesterday. Tho furniture trades dispute, in course of hearing, was a© cordingly adjourned until the 26th inst., the date on which the typographical dispute was to have been heard. The tin-plate-nvorkers’ dispute will be taken on tho 27th inst. Th© iron and brass moulders’ case will be resumed to-mor-row, the Board sitting in the Chamber of Commerce, ’

At New Plymouth last Saturday th* dairy iarmors of Taranaki, tlirough the medium of the National Dairy Association of Now Zealand, Limited, paid over a cheque of £15,263 to the representativep of the lato Taranaki Freezing Works Company as purchase money for the Motiu’oa Freezing Works, Now Plymouth. The premise.* are henceforth to be conducted on x purely co-operative basis as butterfreezing aud storage and cheese storage works. Th© cheque was signed hy Messrs J. G. Harknoss and Arthur Morton, directors, and Mr J. S. MoKellar, secretary for the purchasing company. The co-operative company is entitled tho Taranaki Producers’ and Freezing Works Company.

"The New Zealand Mail.’’ which is published to-day, contains a number of interesting short stories, besides the eopyarighted serial “Kim,” by Rudyard Kipling, and a completed story by Nancy Rivers, entitled “An Experiment.” Dr* A. Wilson discourses on “The Marriage Question” from various aspects, and offers much admirable advice on the subject. Under the heading of “Wellington Table Talk” “Erie” writes of every social event in the city, and notes all those matters in which ladies are locally concerned. The farm* ing, station and dairying pages contain much that is of interest to tho agricultural and pastoral community. It should be mentioned that tho proprietors of the “Mail” have purchased the right to publish “Thp Story of a Selection,” a charming and powerful serial story by Ethel Tamer, a writer who has attained considerable celebrity in the realm of fiction. Tho opening chapters of this story will appear in next week’s “Mew Zealand Mail.” and orders should bo sent forward early.

in tho Supreme Court yesterday, Mr Justice Edwards delivered his reserved judgment in the case Ernest Rudolph Miers, of Raumai. creamery manager, apellant (plaintiff in tho Court below), and John Bett. of Palmerston North, coachbuildor, respondent (defendant be= low). The appellant, had advanced the sum of £ls to one Farmer upon receipt from him of'tho following document: "Palmerston N., 7/6/97. Mr M. Miers. —Please to advance Mr A. Parmer the sum of £ls. and I will he answerable for the repayment of ‘same after six months.—Yours, etc., John Bett. 1 ’ In tho District Court, Judge Kettle decided that the document was stampable under the Stam Act 1882. Mr Justice Edwards allowed the appeal, with £7 7s costs, and ordered the case to be re. ferred to the Court below to ho further dealt with, with the direction that the document in respect of which the action was brought was not a. bill of exchange cr promissory note within' the mean» ins of sections 69 and 70 of tho Stamp Act. 1882. and that_ it was admissible in evidence without being stamped whether as a bill of exchange, promissory not© or otherwise.

A petition is being taken round for signature in Oamaru asking the Govern; ment to appoint a commission to inquire into the method of conducting dredging companies.

During the quarter ended June 30th, tho Customs and excise duties collected at the various ports of -New Zealand amaunted to £460,934, as compared with £401,124 for the same quarter of 1000. The amounts collected at the chief ports were as follows;' Auckland, £117,471; Wellington. £101,700; Lyttelton. £09,021; Dunedin, £80,721; Wanganui,£l3,= 000; Invercargill. £15,813; Napier, £14,900. Tho revenue from spirits was £124,408, from tobacco £71,746. and from sugar, molasses, etc., £38,832. Tho Star Boating Club will hold its annual meeting at the boathouse on the evening of Thursday, the 29th inst. The president. Mr 11. D. 8011, will take the chair. Alreadv a number of new members have been posted for election at this mooting. The rules of the club provide that tho names of proposed now members shall bo posted in tho dub house seven days previous to the ballot, so that tomorrow (Thursday) is the latest date on which such names can be received for election at the annual meeting. An. entertainment by past and present pupils of the Girls’ High School will bo given to=morrow evening at the Sydney street Schoolroom in aid cf the games fund. The programme includes musical items by several old pupils of (be .school, and by tho school• choir, under Mr Robert Parker. Messrs T. Prim glo, F. Twiss and James Searlo will contribute songs. The classes trained by Miss Bccre and Miss Bor I,a-o respectively, will execute pretty dances, and Mr Harrison’s gymnastic class will also p e rf cm.