LOCAL AND GENERAL.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 5733, 31 October 1905, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Our alien population will to-morrow receive an addition of twenty-three Chinese, who arrive from by the Moeraki. Mails which left Melbourne per E.M.S. Ormuz, on .September 2rth, arrived at London, via Naples on the afternoon of Sunday lest, due date. The shareholders of iho South British Insurance Company have unanimously confirmed tho resolutions enabling the company to take other risks excepting life insurance. Tho ceremony of blessing tho foundation of the Fcilding Catholic con-: vent was performed by Archbishop Redwood on Sunday in the presence of a large gathering. The sum of £4OO was subscribed. Tho sitting of the Court of Appeal which was to have been held yesterday stands adjourned until 10.30 to-day. Tho jiarties to the matters to come before the Court aro requested to ho in readiness to proceed at any moment. His Honor tho Chief Justice will sit in Chambers at 10.30 o'clock this morning. Laory and Co., Limited, Wellington, received tho following cable from Japan yesterday respecting rice: “Market continually rising everywhere. Great increase expected in price.” This rise is attributed to tho partial failure of tho rico crops of Japan and China, particularly in the latter country, where tire weather conditions have played havoc with the growing crops.

During the week ending September 9th twelve steamers landed cattle, sheep, sheep carcases, and fresh beef at Liverpool from the various North and South American and Canadian ports. Tho arrivals amounted to 6632 cattle, 2502 sheep, 56,663 sheep carcases, and 48,522 quarter's of beef. Compared with the imports of tho preceding week, these figures show an increase of 1294 cattle, 46 sheep, 22,220 shoep carcases, and 18,472 quarters of beef.

A trial run was made with an electric combination car on the line between Fitzgerald avenue and Hcatbcote bridge, Christchurch, on Saturday, and it passed off successfully. Mr Holmes, Government Inspector, did not have time to make an exhaustive examination of the line. Ho passed it, however, subject to detailed inspection later on. It is anticipated that passenger cars will commence running on the completed portion of the route in a day or two. Passenger traffic will probably bo commenced on the ChristchurchRicoarton line to-morrow or on Wednesday. Mr A. L. Adams is (says an English journa!)jnbout to erect on Thirty-second and Thirty-third streets, Now York, a hotel of forty-two stories. The nominal builder is a corporation with a capital of £1,000,000, but Mr Adams alone is the moving spirit. New York’s present tallest building is the “New York Times” building, which is 125 ft lower than Sir Adams’s hotel is to be. The new edifice will be capable of receiving 2200 guests. It will ’ have 500 rooms, with baths, innumerable suites for every purpose, dining and ball-rooms on the top floor, and on tho bottom Turkish swimming baths, with attendants from the Haiti mam baths in Paris and the Khedival baths at Cairo, The recent conflict between architects and builders was responsible for a conference of architects being held at Wellington, the outcome of which was tho formation of tho Architects’ Institute of Now Zealand. Representatives from’ every district were present, and a constitution and set of rules were drawn up and approved. Tho various conditions of contract submitted were discussed, and the objections to those issued by tho builders wore gone into. As tho result of this conference, fifteen members were delegated to meet the builders’ representatives at Timaru during the time tho latter were in conference, and the result of this meeting was that a set of conditions was, drawn up and approved by both sides, making a fair compromise, and being satisfactory to both parties. The new conditions are to-take effect from December Ist; meanwhile they are in the hands of the solicitors of both parties prior to the official signature of tho executive officers of the Builders’ Association and .Architects’ Institute being affixed. The Wellington architects’ representatives of the conference were Messrs W. C. Chatfield, Wit. Crichton, and F. Penty. Mr W. C. Chatfield has been elected president, Mr Crichton secretary, and Mr A. Atkins (Wanganui) treasurer of the Architects’ Institute. A special meeting of the builders of Wellington and suburbs was hold at Godber’s rooms last night to receive the report of the delegates who attended the combined conference of the New Zaland Institute of Architects and the Federated Builders of New Zealand, held at Timaru recently. Mr A. Campbell, vice-president of the Wellington Builders’ Association, presided, and there were about thirty builders present. The new contract conditions were presented to the meeting.

A cricket incident. —Practising in the Basin Reserve yesterday, a batsman sent a ball over the fence. It dropped on to the knees of a man sitting in a passing tram. The ball was returned, Tho Arbitration Court resumed its* sittings yesterday. Tho proceedings, apart from the delivery of two special judgments, consisted wholly of applications for enforcements of awards in various trades. The Court resumes al half-past ton this morning. The following is tho result of tho weight-guessing competition at tho Wat rarapa show, hold at Carterton last week: —Bullock (10001 b) —311*6 . J. G. Oates. 1; H. Lord, 2. Sheep (400lb>— T. Haigh, 1; W. Dorset, 2. Pig (24GIb) —H. Mere wood, 1; F. A. Beard,. 2, each 2471 b. Tlio eighth annual meeting of tlw Society for the Protection of Women, and Children will bo held this evening in the lower connnitteo-room at the Town Hall. Mr H. D. Bell will preside, and addresses will be given by Dr Agnes Bennett, Mr J. G. W. Aitkcu* tho Rev J. K, Elliott, Mu A. R. Atkinson, and Alias Al. Richmond.

Returns showing the number of passengers carried and revenue earned by the city tramways during tlio four weeks ending October 24th show that 1,03-1.400 faros gave total receipts amounting to £SOOO 19s Bjd. Thora wero 730,205 penny fanes collected,, 259,863 two-penny, 35,780 throe-penny, 37 four-penny, 2507 three-halfpenny,, and 68 shilling faros. The busiest day of tho period under review was Satur* day, September 30th, when 49,738 faros' wero collected. Tlio next- best day wae> Saturday, tho 21st inst., 47,986 fares. Tlio respective takings for these two* days were £275 7s G’d and £258 6s Ou Sunday, tho Btli instant, only 19,789 fares were paid, representing £ll7 Us lOd. *

A meeting was held at tho Dresden Piano Company’s rooms yesterday evening at tho instance of Herr Max Hoppe., lor tho jKirpo-o of discussing the adi risability of establishing in tho city a permanent professorial orchestra of at least twenty-fivo members. Tho idea, has been mooted that the proposed orchestra should giro popular concerts at Day’s Bay, Bellevue Gardens, and tho Island Bay pleasure resort now being pro*, motod, and also give a series of popular promenade concerts at tho Town Hall. Air A. I. Grablmm x ,ros id e d- Hen. Hoppe stated that several good musicians had expressed a desire to join, such an orchestra. Ho hoped satisfactory arrangements might bo mudo for a practice-room at tho Town Hall. It was agreed that tho orchestra should bo formed, and tho constitution of its membership was, as far as practicable, outlined. Herr Hoppo mentioned soma, prospective engagements, and tho first rehearsal was fixed for Tuesday next at tho Dresden rooms. Air Von Haast accepted tho • office of secretary pro tom.

Air S. Brown, tho employers’ rep to. sentativo on tho ■ Arbitration Court, in dissenting yesterday from judgment of the Court in a caso where tiro Wellington Aleut Export Company had a breact,i of tho preference clause of tho butchers" award recorded against.it, said, ho entirely disagreed with tho majority o S tho Court in not allowing custom to weigh in a case where it had been so clearly established. \Practically, htt said, tho Butchers’ Union said to a man “give us ss, and 'pay 6d a week, or wo will not allow you to got work.’ 5 Tho man had practically said, “I’ll seo you hanged, first.” To settle this little 5s transaction had taken considerable time of tho Court, two barristers, tho clerk of awards, inspector of awards, several business men, and others—including a policeman—and had cost the country about £10! A great deal was said, of the benefits of unionism, and that everyone should join tho union. “If that is so,” ho concluded, “it would save tho Arbitration Court a lot o{ time if Parliament by act declaredevery man a unionist.”

Remarks the very reverse of com* plimentary to Wellington’s street-light-ing are made in tho course of anarticla on “The Gas Industry in New Zealand,” by Mr Albert Ford, in tho issue of “Tho Gas World” (a London weekly) for September 10th. Tho author says;—. “After fifteen .years of accumulated electrical experience, tho public lighting of Wellington is to-day the least) efficient that, the writer has had tha misfortune to see anywhere on the five continents, inland Japanese villages not excepted. Without going into full descriptive detail, suffice it to say that it does not make darkness visible, and that it is the derided butt of every observer of artificial lighting. No wonder; for it is quite a common occurrence to find a—by courtesy—twenty candle-power bulb attached to an inverted ‘ saucepan lid ’ reflector, elevated 15ft from the street level, on tho centre face of a 15in square telegraph post, at intervals of not less than 330fb centres, thus dividing one candle-power over* 900 square feet of road and footway surface. There are a few ‘arc spots’—* about thirty-tlTreo distributed over eighty miles of streets. A tropical jungle illuminated by fireflies is a Crystal Palace illumination in comparison. The following table has been construct* ed as a standard of comparison:—Two glow-worms equal one firefly; four fire** flies equal one match-power; six matchpowers equal on© incandescent electrie street light, Wellington.”

A correspondent writes asking what has become of the ingenious stampselling machine that was given a trial in tho vestibule of tho General Post Office a few months ago. Mr R. J. Dickie (who, with Mr J.. H. Brown, is patentee) has just returned from a trip to San Francisco, as assistant mail agent. Ho took tho machine with him, and exhibited it on the voyage. One* of tho passengers was a Mrs Kermode, of Tasmania, a member of a wealthy land-owning family, and, strangely enough, that lady was on her way to America with another postal contrivance—a patent mail-bag seal. A clever business woman, she at once saw* the. possibilities of the stamp-selling machine, and when San Francisco was reached sho made arrangements to purchase the machine, and to bear the cost of patenting it in every country not included in Mr Dickie’s arrangement and give him a substantial royalty on tile sale of the machine in those countries. Mr Dickie had patented his machine in the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, and the colonies, and Mrs Kermode will protect it on the Continent and elsewhere. During the three weeks the machine waa on trial in Wellington it sold 5889 penny stamps, and proved a great convenience to the public, particularly after office hours and on Sundays. Mr William Gray, Secretary of the Post and Telegraph Department, has testified that the machine throughout the trial accomplished all that was claimed fa» it. Our Great Clearing Sale now in full swing; Chests Drawers 27s Cd. Occasional Suites £lO. —H. Fielder ani

Tho police rccolvod word last night that tho body of Mr Charles McDonuUl, ivlm was drowned at Island Bay on fcnmlay, had boon recovered. “Two months” .said Dr A. McArthur, ut tho City i/olico Court yesterday morning, to u man charged with assaulting a woman. “Can I have a line;' said tho man. “No, a man who strikes a, woman will have no line trom me,” was tho answer. Tho dearth of teachers in Hawke’s 'Bay district has resulted in tho I ukeAitiri School having been closed for tho past two months. Applications were recently invited by the Board for the position of solo teacher at a ° but the annoiinccnieiit iaiWHi to /■licit a single response, and although Board has taken every step to secure a relieving teacher, its efforts have, up to the present, been unavailing. Tho Board again advertised for a miicher for this and other schools, bub on this occasion also tho invitation was without effect. Applications aro invited for several positions as women assistant*} at the Boys’ Training Farm, Levin. Caillor’y chocolate will bo given to ladlcts at Beadnall’s, Willis street, to-day end to-morrow. A. Lindsay. Ltd., announce the last •jveek of their rebuilding sale of boots and (Hhoes. Some prices arc quoted in another column. Tho proprietor of tho Strand Cafe, where a lire occurred last night, notifies that the promises will be open to-day as usual. The Globe Proprietary Company has a fresh announcement in our advertising columns. Tenders are wanted for the purchase of two billiard tables. Periodicals and samples, ex Ruapehu, from London, will arrive by the Taluno from Auckland, to-dnv. A notice to consignees will bo found in another column. Townsend and Paul, IAIL, will sell at auction to-morrow, ut Jl, o’clock, twenty live pigs. Messrs Levion, Shnllcrass and Co., will sell wall papers and picture mouldings ut their rooms this afternoon. .1. Boucher ami Co.. Molosworih street, .advertise Red Bird and other bicycles. Tho latest arrivals in ladies’ brown shoes for summer wear aro advertised by R. Hannah and Co.. 71), Lurnbtou quay and Cuba street.