LOCAL AND GENERAL.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4477, 3 October 1901, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Mr R. 8., Morris has succeeded Mr E. h T. Morsnead (retired) as senior money 4 at the Chief Post Office.

A salary of £ISOO per annum is to be paid to the gentleman who is coming -from England as an electrical expert’ in connection 'with the ' new tramway sys. torn in Wellington. The second of the series of concert* given by Mt Maughan Barnett and Herr Max Hopper will bo held this evening in the Sydney street Schoolroom, at which Messrs Hamerton and Cyril Towsey will - assist. Attention is called to the advertisement in another column.

The President (Mr Justice Cooper) has appointed a sitting of the Arbitration Court for Thursday, the 10th instant, at the Supremo Court, when the Wellington - wharf labourers’ disput* will bo taken. Fixtures for the hearing of other disputes will bo mad# upon hi* Honor’s arrival in this city. The Wellington-Napier mail train now stops at Lower Hutt to pick up passengers for stations north of Upper Hutt. The use of the Wcstinghouso brake on the train has enabled this concession to made to Hutt residents, who formerly were required to join the train at Wellington or Upper Hutt. / The Minister of Justice, in reply to a t question by' Mr Hutcheson, stated is the House yesterday tluit the .Inspector, ; not the.visiting Justices, had inquired i into tho recent escape of prisoners from Point Halswell Gaol. The escape of prisoners was inquired - into in all cases by the Inspector, and by the visiting Justices if he were not available. It will be unnecessary for Councillor Isard to conduct a stonewall at the next City Council meeting, as' he threatened to' do if some repairs were not undertaken to the footpaths in Lambton quay. The City' Engineer has evidently come to regard this sig a "necessary.work,” ahd yesterday a gang of Corporation ' employees wag put on to, top-dress tho side-walk -from thoj Government -Buildings'southwards. . At the. Magistrate’s Court yesterday, before Messrs J, P, Luke, O. Winder and J. Xiockio, J.P.’s,; three first offend. ■ ing drunkards were punished. For touting foi. express liire on the platform of tho Manawatu_ Railway Company’s station, Thqnftta Watson was fined 5s and costs. Edward Williams had a similar penalty inflicted on him for a like, offence. For driving a vehicle at night without light*, Hans Scott was fined .2s 6d and costs.

It is sixty years si^ c John mer arrived in Wellington, ho having landed at Kaivvarra/ on Ist October, 1841. This halo old pioneer of the Empiro City is now inAi» ninetieth year. The Wellington portion of the inward San Francisco mail arrived at midnight last night by the I’aliapuna, thirty hours after the Ventura’s arrival in Auckland. The Southern nulls were sent South by tho Tarawera. The gtcamer will, of course, not catrii this morning’s Southern express at Lyttelton, and consequently tho Junedin mails will not reach their destination until Fridaynight. Mr G. Cocper, of Wellington, one of tho judges if narcissi at tho Dunedin Horticultural Show, says tho blooms at Dunedin at» equal to those shown at Christchurdi, and tho hall is better done up. Mr H. Hart, of Lawrence, won Bar r and lons’ cup for narcissi; Mr G. Davis, of Jhristchurch, the Dunedin Society’s m<dal; and Mr E. A. Hamel, an amateur, the Royal Horticultural Society’s ncdal. Some time ago Mr Hogg, M.H.R., presented a petition from certain residents if Mauriceville to the Minister of Railways asking that one of tho railway resorv's should bo leased to the Maurioovillo Athletic Club for a recreation grouid. Tho Minister now replies that the (opartment requires the reserve for railvay purposes, and that it was not ogah lot when the lease recently expired, because it is proposed to utilise it ag :i paddock for holding stock..

,n a “topic of the day” yesterday, on tte subject of wool rates, wo omitted tq mention that the rates 1 quoted h ( - tho Tyscr Lino, Limited—and rfcently advertised by their Messrs W. M. Bannatync ami Co., limited —compare very favourably vith those now ruling in Sydney, and lemonstrato to growers the concessions made to them. In view of tho existing depression in tho value of wool, those concessions will doubtless bo ed by all wool-growers and shippon. A great deal of dissatisfaction is said to exist in tho minds of surgeons who have served long periods in Volunteer corpg at tho taking over of their functions by the officers of tho Health Department. It is recorded of ono military medico in the South, however, that he recently called a parade of returned contingent men to satisfy himself that they, weft)-not suffering from disoaio, and having managed to got 150 together and examine them, he sent in a bill to the Government on the basis of mo. guinea per head—£ls7 10s!

In addition to oil-paintings and watercolours, there are on view at the Academy of Fine Arts Exhibition, in Writmore street, a few good works in w(odcarving and modelling. J. Rochprd and N. Jones have joined’ forces inthe production of a wooden bracked in which is set a marine view in reptusse work. An oak frame and a_ wall cabinet are exhibited) n- Annie Harper. There is a profile modelled from tte. antique.- by Rhoda A. Meek, and a basrelief of Dante, by Arthur L. Scot-'. Mr /V. D. Riley has lent a cast of * statuette by Alfred Drury, the well-known sculptor. _ The well-known ’bus proprietor and livery-stable-keeper, Mr T. P. 'Lyons, las just completed extensive improvements and additions to his premises in Abel Smith street. Besides providing increased accommodation for his horses, Mr Lyons has taken in some Adjoining property on which a two-stoiy building has been erected, the ground floor being laid off for a blacksmith’,-, ‘shop and washing-down • yard. On llho second floor is an extensive room for carriage painting, repairing and -storing, cue vehicles being taken up and down by means of an inclined platform, Electric light has been fitted throughout the stables, and altogether the establishment and plant have boon brought up to date. There is a feeling amongst the medical men in the city that some steps should be token here/ as in Christchurch, in the interea/s of the puouc health, to prevent people from expectorating in the street* It is suggested that the Wellington City Council should pass a by-law ranking, that disgusting practice a punishable offence, hut it is thought tbit if placards were posted in conspicuous places/requesting persons to refrain from expectorating, in the interests of public decency and health, the custom would gradually become unpopular, and eventually ; cease altogether. It is probable that Dr Martin the Municipal Health Officer, wilt advise the City Council tn set up a sanitary committee to deal with matters relating to the public health which may arise from time to time.

Mr Wilford, M.H.R., interviewed the Minister of' 1 Lands yesterday, accompanied Ryder Bros., of Pe--1 tone, to direct attention to an anomaly in the Slaughtering and Inspection Act so far as jt; relates to Pet one. Under ; section 15 of the Act it is provided that a City Council or a Borough Council within a xadiug of eight miles from the 1 city cannot' delegate to any moat com--1 pany its; duty to erect abattoirs. Except the Gear Company, there is only one butchering firm in Potone, and it is objected that it x would bo absurd to insist that the Potone Borough • Council should he required to go to the expense of thousands of pounds for abattoirs merely for the sake of one butchering firm. Mr Wilford, in placing these facts before the Minister, read a letter from Mr Mothes, Mayor of Petono, which showed that the Agricultural Department hod written inquiring what the Potone Borough CotmoU prflpbsed to do in reference to the erection of abattoirs. Mr Duncan said that he would hare the matter inquired into; and at the suggestion of Mr Wilford he agreed to instruct the Agricultural Department to allow the question to remain in abeyanoe until the Government: had dealt with the matter, ■ -