NEWS NOTES

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 6922, 14 September 1909, Page 4

NEWS NOTES

The sum of lis Id was collected at the concert given on Sunday afternoon in the hospital grounds by the Central Mission Band, in aid of the institution. Another batch of apprentices will probably join the training ship Dartford at Lyttelton. The regulation crew of A.B.'s and ordinsvry seamen will be paid off at Wellington this morning. Officers of the Defence Forces will be allowed to purchase railway privilege tickets for lady friends who wish to attend the opening of the rifle shooting season at Trentham on October 2nd. Messrs Meyer and Illingvorth's tender lias been accepted for the erection of the new King's Theatre, at the corner of Dixon street and Courtenay place. The building, which will cost about .£9OOO, is to bo completed by February 22nd next. Tho city reserves used during the wintor months by footballers, hockey players and others are not showing many signs of hard wear and tear. This is attributed to the great care which the supervisor of reserves' took to keep players from using the crounds when in his opinion they were too wet to bo played | on. Yesterday morning Mr J. C. Cooper and the newly-elected directors of the Wellington Farmers' Co-operative Meat Co. left om a tour of inspection of the sites under offer in tho Waiirarapa. They will commence at Pigeon Bush, coming back to Woodside and Waingawa, and ■will make a thorough inspection of each site. Having done that they will (says the "Daily Times") proceed to Welhug- | ton and make a further inspection of tho sites under effer. District military classes for the benefit of officers and non-commissioned officers of volunteers have been extremely valuable, and their effect is shown in tho greater efficiency of all ranks. During last week a class was held at New Plymouth, Colonel Bauchop, commanding the district, taking the classes for three evenings, and Captain Chesney, Assistant Adjutant-General, for the remaining twO •evenings of the session, ins average attendance of offioerß and noncommissioned officers was forty.. Two classes have already been held lington, and one each m _ Palmerston North and Wang-anui. It is to hold classes also at Carterton, Napier and Gisborne.

The finishing touches are being put to the concrete bridge over the Ofi™ jtm." near the new septic tank nt Is and Baj. When this work is completed there will be in existence one of the finest scenic drives around Wellington. Storting fratn the centre of the city one will be able to drive around Oriental Bay by way ot the Queen's Drive to Kilbirnie, skirt Lyell Bay, Island Bay and Ohiro Bay, cross the Ohiro stream by the new bridge and continue up the beautilui Happv Valley road to Brooklyn, and get back to the city by way of phiro road and Upper Willis street. Although the bridge is nearing completion, some time will elapse before it can be used by vehicles, as it is necessary to let tiio concrete dry thoroughly befeje any weight is placed on tho structure. In about a mouth's time, the road will bo open for the whole distance.

Several groups of boy scouts took advantage of last week's holidays, and spent part of their time camping. lue T M.C.A. and B'rooklyn troops camped at Happy Valley, and were visited on several occasions by the Otter patrol. The Miramar boys camped on the Miramor plain. Most of the time was spent in tracking and scouting games, while signalling and cooking formed important items on the programme. Each group , vas -under a senior scoutmaster, who supervised all operations. The boys pitohed their own tents and soon had the floor covored with tea-tree scrub, which formed a dry and comfortable bed. Although part of the time was wet, the boys returned home in the best of health. I)i- Magill, commander of the North Island Scoute, will speak to all boy scouts at the Y.M.C.A. Rooms to-morrow evening on "How a Boy Soout may keep strong and healthy." The trial of the civil action Holmwood v. Eeid, which was commenced in the Supreme Court on Thursday last, before his Honor Mr Justice Chapman and a common jury of twelve, was continued yesterday. Plaintiff, Egar Lowder Holmwood, a farmer, of Masterton, sued the defendant, Donald Beid, claiming .£2OOO damages for breach of contract in respect of an agreement entered into by the defendant to purchase alarm of HGB acres, known as "Bamesse, which is situated about ten miles from Longford, and between that settlement and Foxton. This agreement was set out in the following letter addressed by defendant to Messrs Dalgety and Co., Ltd., who had acted as agents for the defendant:—"Dear Sirs,— lie Mr B. L. Holmwood's 'Bainesse' property of W6S acres, I now beg to offer .£l3 per acre for the freehold, terms cash over mortgage of .£13,500, which, it is understood, is to remain at 41 per cent, for seven years from May Ist next, on which date I would take possession. The above offer to remain open until Saturday, 24th inst.—Yours faithfully (sgd.), Donald Eeid." To this letter the following words were added :—"I hereby accept the above offer on the terms stated.—(.Sgd.) E. L. Holmwood." Plaintiff said he had been ready and willing to complete the agreement and sale, but defendant said there had been misrepresentations in regard to the character and quality of the property—not by Dalgety and Co., but by the plaintiff, and these representations were material, as the defendant relied upon tii'em before he signed the agreement, and when he found that they were misrepresentations he declined to complete the purchase. The case for the plaintiff was completed yesterday, and the defence was opened, and several witnesses examined; but the taking of evidence was not concluded when the Court adjourned for the day. It will be resumed at 10.30 o'clock this morning. Mr C. P. Skerrett, K.C., with him Mr H. H. Ostler, are counsel for the plaintiff, and Mr T. M. Wilford and P. Levi appear for the defendant.

The Wellington Garrison Band, under the conductorship of Lieutenant Herd. gave a free concert in the Town Hall lust evening. Tho band submitted an excellent programme, which raot with much, enjoyment, The annual dinner of the Master iPriiiteis' Association was hold at tho Hotel-Windsor last night, Mr T. Jones, president iu the chair. A full toast list was honoured, and the proceedings were marked with tho most cordial, goodwill. Now that Maranui is being provided, with a tramway service, residents are anxious to obtain other advantages. .One of these is a bowling club, and a preliminary meeting of Ivilbirnio and jMaranui residents will bo held on tho Bith instant to consider the project. . The building of a storm-water culvert on Wellington road, Kilbirnie, to divert .the stream running through the recration ground, is being pushed on as rapidly as possible, but work is difficult twins to the hard nature of the ground, and a good deal of blasting has had to bo done. Fifteen men are employed on tho work. The Paparoa Coal Mining Companv, Greymouth, began putting coal down its incline on Saturday, the Railway DejPartment having made temporary arrangements with the Public Works Department for carrying a limited traffio on the still unfinished Blackball branch tail way. A military medioal board, presided over by Colonel J. It. Purdy, acting-chief medical, oificer of the forces, has concluded its sitting relative to a.n inquiry into tho medical fitness of Corporal IT. Greene, R.N.Z.A., and Gunner J. Moss, (Militia Stair. Tho decision of the board -has not yet been given. Straying cattle havo not been nearly bo numerous in the city highways and byiways since heavy penalties wero pressed 'for and obtained in tho Magistrate's 'Court. "It does not pay owners to allow their stock to wander now," remarked a councillor yesterday, "and tho result is that the ranger is going around onlv to find nothing. Stock will wander as long as small fines aro inflicted, but heavy fines givo the owners something to reflect upon, and they find it docs not pay." ~l n their annual report the directors of the Wanganm Freezing Companv state:— T?he past season has been die worst smco the commencement of tho frozen, meat trade some, thirty years ago. This has been brought about by the persistent fall m prices, followed by the utter collapse of the English meat market. Tho balance-sheet shows that after paying tho authorised dividend (>£27G2 15s 7<l) tho company commenced the year with a credit balance to profit and loss account of .£2650 5s 2d. During the year the whole o£ the reserve fund (.£6OOO was transferred, but, notwithstanding this, there was a deficit of .£0324 15s 7u, '™]-? ,2 *SH loes for t ' ho 3' oar <* .4.15,416 10s Ou. The dedication festival of St. Mary's Church, Karori, took place on Sunday, the sermons being preaohed in the morning by the Eight Rev. tho Bishop of the Uiooese, and in tho evening by the Kev, Thomas H. Sprott, of St. Paul's, -Wellington. At the annual parish "social" there was a largo gathering of the parishioners. At this meeting tho vicar presented an illuminated address to Mr P. V. Waters, who has acted as choir-master and lay reader in the parish for over fifteen years past. In presenting the address, the Eev. Mr Hansell referred to Mr Waters' long and faithful services, and expressed tile hopa that Mr Wafers would long be spared to continue to render such valuable a-nd much-appreciated services. The address (which was illuminated by the "New Zealand Times" Company, was signed by the vicar, A. L. Hansell, M.A., W. F. Newcome, vicar's churchwarden, Robert Ca-ldwell, parishioners' eburenward. en, and George 11. Davies, J. W. Henderson, Henry Cook, George Eagle, A. Gordon Henderson, S. B. Shortt, and Robert Tunley, jun, as vestrymen. It contained pretty viows, in water-oolour, of the church and vioarage.