LOCAL AND GENERAL.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXIV, Issue 4881, 5 February 1903, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Mr Jellicoe’s expenses in the recent Parliamentary contest for Wellington city were £IOO. In our issue of the 29bli ult., in tho article “Inspection of the AVater-works,” reference was made to tho “Venturi ” water-meter as having been, imported from America. Tho meter, however, was made by George Ivent, of London, and imported through John Duthio and Co., Limited.

To enable the tramway employees to run off tho remainder of their sports programme, which was interrupted at Christmas owing to rain, there will bo a partial stoppage of the city cars tomorrow morning. Particulars of the running will be found in our advertising columns. .The Department of Agriculture has heon collecting samples of buttei in the grading store at Wellington for die purpose of testing for percentages of water. Samples have been taken from all the factories in Wellington district, and the results, so far, have been very satisfactory. The collection of samples in the other districts has not been completed.

The Question of admitting free scholars to Wellington College and the Girls’ High School under the scheme lately proposed by the Minister of Education has been under the consideration of the Board of Governors, who at last meeting passed the following resolution“ The Governors, while in entire sympathy with tho desire of the Minister of Education to increase the facilities for extending the benefit of secondary education, regret that the want of building accommodation and the financial position of the two institutions under their control preclude them frorii adopting the scheme referred to in the circular° of the 11th December.’' This resolution was communicated to the Minister for Education personally at an interview yesterday. Tho matter is still under discussion.

Tho animal dinner of the Seventh Contingent is to be held in Wellington on- the 28t!i inst. Members are asked to let tho secretary have their addresses by the 10th inst. Tho annual meeting of tho Wellington Commercial Travellers’ and Warehousemen's Association is to be held in the club rooms. Hunter street, at 8 o’clock to-morrow evening. Tho resolution passed by the Melrose Borough Council at its special meeting on tiiu 26ih nit., authorising a poll of the ratepayers to be taken on the question of amalgamating .. lington City, is to be submitted for confirmation at a special lueeli... n m 2-1 th inst. Tire proposed airreemeo* embodying the terms of amalgamation can bo inspected at the Council's cilices, Colonial Mutual Buildings. As it appears (writes “ AntiLarrikin ”) that the municipality of Palmerston North is thinking of building a theatre, would it not be well if our City Council built one, and made tho arrangement a littla more civilised than exist at present? To-night I paid os Gd for a stall ticket, and having occasion to go out, left on the seat my programme with my name on it, and asked my neighbour to say tho scat was occupied. When I came back, I found my claim jumped by a man, who confessed tho lady next him had told him the seat was mine, hut refused to move. I demanded his name and address, which lie declined to give. Tho manager came down, and interceded in vain. 1 got my money back, but tho principle of tho thing is what I contend for. In a municipal Opera House there would bo a constable to stop such behaviour.

Tho Federated Cooks’ and Stewards’ Industrial Union has filed an application with the Clerk of Awards, to have a dispute with the Union Steam Ship Company and tho Northern Steam Ship Company, Auckland, referred to the Board of 'Conciliation for settlement. They claim a graduated scale of payment for stewards, waiters, cooks, etc., ranging from £l4 per month for chief stewards and chief cooks to £1 10s for cadets in their first year. Claims are also put forward for overtime, public holidays, and for a ten and a half hours’ working day at sea and an eight hours’ day in terminal ports, as well as preference for members of thc'ussociation. Provision is also sought for specified meal hours, watches and other conditions affecting seafaring life. No date has yet been fixed for the hearing 'of the dispute. Tho resolutions passed at tho mass meeting of carpenters on the 28th January.in regard to tho award given by tho Arbitration Court in their trade were forwarded to the Premier. One of those resolutions made a direct charge of incapacity against tho Court, and expressed want of confidence in tho tribunal. Mr Ssddou has sent a written reply to tho letter ho received covering tho resolutions, in which ho says :■—“ I regret exceedingly that tho mooting in question arrived at the conclusion sot forth in tho resolutions forwarded. Personally, I should fool glad to know that every citizen in the colony was highly prosperous in his business, and thoroughly contented with his trade conditions. I cannot, however, but feel sorry that the resolutions forwarded and the speeches made at the meeting cast reflections on the President of tlfo Court of Arbitration which were entirely unmerited. The high character of tho members of that Court assures me that in making the award every effort was used to render tho judgment consonant with equity and the weight of evidence.”

lii a recent “Times” article reference ivas made to the attempted defeat of the municipal telephone system at Tunbridge Wells by the powerful “trust” that at present controls the British telephone service. Wo now learn chat, in reply to a question in the House of Commons, Mr A. Chamberlain, the Post-master-General. announced that ho had decided to assent to the proposed sale of the Tunbridge municipal telephone system to the National Telephone Company on certain conditions, which the monoxJoly company have accepted. Thus (says an English contempor.-.ry) the treacherous tactics of the Town Clerk and those members of the Town Council who supported him have been successful. What bid fair to- prove a splendid example of municipal management has been presented to the enemy almost on his own terms. That this surrender was in accordance with the desires of the pconlo of Tunbridge Wells r.o one Relieves, hut they must bear the odium attached to the transaction because it was really owing to their rejection of progressive candidates at the Noa ember elections that the tools of the National Telephone Monopoly Avore able to capture the municipal system. A mooting of the Schools Commissioners of tho Wellington Provincial District, was held yesterday. Present— Messrs J. Strauchon (chairman), A. W. Hogg, M.H.E., F. Y. Lethbridge. M.JI.R., and F. Pirani. The chairman reported that as the result of sales of leases hold during -December, an area of 1173 acres 2 roods . parches iiad been leased to fifteen persons, .at an aggregate annual rental of £129 12s The Under-Secretary for Crown Lands Avroto intimating that the Minister of Lands had givcir instructions that transfers of leases of education rescues should not he registered until tho consent of the Commissioners had boon obtained, and that this Avould be given effect to as far as possible. The tender of Mr A. Jones for a temporary lease of. section 101 block 1.. Otahoua, up to December 31st. 1903, at £52 12s Avas accepted. A schedule of arrears of rent duo shoAved that thirteen tenants had failed to remit amounts totalling £76. Accounts amounting to £37 4s 6d Avcre passed for payment. The secretary reported that a halancq of £I6OO Avas available for distribution, and it was apportioned as folloAvs: —Wellington Education Board, £1036. Wanganui Education Board £564. Yesterday afternoon at the Theatre Royal the first auction sale of the new suburb of Hataitai took place. At a o’clock the theatre was r.-i filled Avith buyers of both sexes. Mr V/. H. Turnbull, of the firm of Turnbull, Watkins and Williams, auctioneers to tho Hataitai Land Companv Ltd., entered the restrain, and briefly sketched the history of this property. Avhich Avas formerly knoAvn as the Jenkins estate. He explained the manner in Avhich the Coun. ell’s consent to tho road over the hill from Elizabeth street had been obtained, and reiterated bis firm belief tbat.'t Avas only a question of time before the tunnel through the bill Avould be an accomplished fact. Mr Turnbull then dealt Avith the special claims of Hataitai as a field for tho investment of small savings and pointed out tho importance and significance to the people of overcrowded Wellington of the sale of such a suburb. The bidding was started at section No. 22 of block 5, which was knocked down at £3 8s per foot to Mr Brannigan. The bidding for the other sections was spirited and the whole 159 sections were offered by 4 o’clock, sixtvfivo of them finding purchasers at satisfactory prices. The method of auction

adopted, the auctioneer stating tho reserve price as each section was put up, is somewhat of an innovation in this colony, and met with tho hearty approval of all concerned. The result was that mrach time was saved, tho whole block being dealt with in a little short of two hours. Tho expressed intention of tho majority of the buyers to erect residences on their sections is not tho least gratifying feature of so successful a sale. Tho remainder of the unsold sections are open for private sale. Details of tho sale will he found in anothcrcolumu. A butchering business at Hawcra, with horses, carts, plant, etc., is advertised for sale. A good general drapery business in ono of the best North Island towns is advertised in another column for sale. Messrs Macdonald, Wilson and Co. direct (he special attention of contractors, horse-dealers and others to (he auction sale to bo held on Thursday next, at the Camp, Lower Eu.tt. when the firm will sell, under instructions from Mr ,T. T. Jones, who has completed his contract for the llutt river embankment works, the whole of_ h.s plant. (50 Clydesdale mares and geldings, and other goods, as set out in the advertisement. The sale will com nience at 11.30 o’clock, and luncheon will bo provided. Detail will bo sent to any address on application. In a double-column advertisement on another page some further particulars are given of the sale now on at the D.I.C. Special bargains are quoted in silks and satins, of various kinds. Thousands of remnants and short lengths are being offered a( specially low prices. A lot of furniture, shoo fittings, drapery, fancy goods, etc., will ho sold by Messrs Gardiner and McKiustrv at their mart, Courtenay place, this afternoon. Ferguson’s P. and 0. whisky is recommended ns a pure and thoroughly-matured whisky, and specially- recognised as a sys-tem-toner. To-morrow ’afternoon Messrs Sidoy, Mcech and Co. will sell at their rooms a lot of old newspapers, comprising, among others, complete files of the “New Zealand Times” and ‘‘Evening Post” from 1874 to 1897. Mr J. Dawson, electrical engineer. Cuba street Extension, can supply switches, lamps, shades, telephones, etc. Messrs Holben and Kirk, of Palmerston North, are wholesale and retail dairy plant manufacturers, and are prepared to supply and erect complete plants. Jenkiuson and Co., Ltd., manufacturers and importers of cycles, Customhouse quay, have some good machines for sale. Old cycles aro taken as part payment. There is at present on view at tho rooms of Messrs ,T. 11. Bcthune and Co.. Fcathcrston street, a collection of 1800 volumes of rare books, being a direct consignment ex ship Nelson, from leading booksellers in Edinburgh. From a,u advertisement in another column, it will bo seen that the whole of this shipment ia to be sold by public auction on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nest, commencing each day at 1,30 o’clock. The Public Trustee has a notice in our advertising columns to those indebted to or having claims against tho -stato of the late John Taylor Gordon. Messrs Crichton and McKay invito ten. dors till Wednesday for tho erection of a brick retaining wall off McDonald orescent. Abraham and Williams. Ltd., advertise a long list of entries for their slock sale at Shannon next Tuesday. An important auction sale of stock is advertised to-day by Dalgety and Co., Ltd. (in conjunction with Messrs Wenley and Lanauze). The trustees of tho Milbourne estate, near Waipawa, which was recently acquired by the Government tor close settlement, have instructed the auctioneers to sell at the Brow woolshed yards, on the 17th inst., nearly eighty thousand sheep of various kinds. On tho 19th, a thousand shorthorn cattle, 25 puro-bred shorthorn bulls, and a lot of horses, farm implements shearing machine's. etc., will be sold. Coaches will leave Waipawa on arrival of trains from Napier and Dnnnevlrko on tho mornings of sale. '