LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 8250, 24 February 1905, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

— ♦- On Tuesday the Harbour Board will 1 meet at Lyttelton, and the members ' will go round the harbour in a launoh. i During the month of January 4277 ■ persons arrived in the colony and 1759 ; departed. The corresponding figures \ for January, 1904, are 3358 and 1588. The Mayor has arranged that a conference between the executive of tha , Domain Board and members of the Exhibition Site Committee in regard to using the North Park will take Sace on Wednesday, at 2 p.m., at 218, Hereford Street. I Mr J. E. Davenport has imported two \ j English Shorthorn bulls, which arrived I by the Bimutaka, and have been placed 'on Quailf Island. One was bred by Mr Harrison, of Gainford, Durham, and the other by Mr W. Crosland, of Bris- , cot Park, Ifairdon. A pleasant evening was spent at Nurse Maude's camp, in the men's division, when a number of the employees of Messrs Strange and Co. entertained the patients with songs and recitations. Amongst the latter those of Mr H. Instine were very popular. In connection with the holding of Juvenile Courts, recently instituted by Mr H. W. Bishop, S.M., at which casea concerning children under fifteen years - of age are heard, Mr T. I. Smaill has | acceded to a request from the committee of the Children's Aid Society to represent it at such sittings. ( The British Postal Department nas 1 just abolished one of its vexatious redtape regulations. From and- after January 1 it has been allowable to cut out a^-3 e^r.ah to postal packets for payment of postage the embossed or impressed stamps on official envelopes, post-cards and wrappers, as if they were the usual adhesive stamps. Hitherto, in the case of an official wrapper being mis-addressed, torn, soiled, or otherwise damaged, the stamp could not be used, and its value was lost to the owner. From reports which recently reached the Acting Minister of Customs of tlj» Commonwealth (Senator Drake), it appears that the recent complaint of % Scotchman that heather was subject tm import duty, was made under a mis* apprehension. Senator Drake denied the charge, " that the Commonwealth with its withering, revenue-raising breath, and sacrilegious hand, must need, in its hour of extremity, attaok Caledonia's choicest cut flower." The official statement is that, in his patriotic emotion, the importer forgot to say that a dutiable article was enclosed in the heather, and that it was on this article that the duty of one shilling and twopence was collected. The publicity which tne incident has received induced the Customs officials to look closely into the matter, and they find that an underpayment of duty to the extent of two-fifths of a penny has been made. The ohagrin which this discovery has occasioned is increased by the conviction that the Scotohman will dewvo no small pleasure from having got the best of th& deal. In any case, they now hope that no more will be heard of the threat "to raise tie spirits of Caledonia's ancient sons 4n angry dissent, and fill every glen and hill with the bristling steel of av«n»> ing justice."

At a Liberal caucus, at Carterton, to-day, at which the Premier was present, Mr Hornsby was selected as the Government candidate for Wairarapa. Speaking at the Carterton Fire Brifade's social, the Premier said that the 'ire Brigades Bill would be brought on next session in a slightly varied form. The Auckland Band Contest Committee will make about £500 out of the contest. The profits will be divided amongst the Auckland bands, who each guaranteed £100 towards the expenses. With a view to further adding to the popularity of the port of Timaru, and enlarging the trade of Thnaru harbour, the Harbour Board, at its meeting today, decided to reduce the rate of wharfage on frozen moat. In future, the, rate will be Is 6d per ton, instead of one halfpenny per carcase, as at present. At thd conclusion of the Hokitika Magistrate's Court sitting this morning, the president of the Law Society, on be%alf of the Bar, in a eulogistic speech, expressed his regret at the removal of $he Stipendiary Magistrate, Mr Day, Who leaves for the North Canterbury district nest week. Reference was made to the excellent manner in which Mr Day haH carried out his dutie3. At the request of the Tsew Zealand Postmaster-General, the Commonwealth Postmaster-General has decided that j circulars or market reports merely giv- j ing the ruling prices of Australian pro-^ ducts or those of other countries shall no longer be regarded as advertising matter, and will be admitted free. Hitherto a charge of one half-penny duty has been imposed on each of such reports sent through the post. A complimentary run, under the auspices of the Canterbury Automobile Association, will be given in honour of his Excellency the Governor, on Thursday. ■The cars will not meet in towh, but will assemble at 3.30 p.m., at the'Ellesmere Bridge, and will then proceed in procession to the residence of Mr George Rhodes, at Meadowbank, where bis Excellency will be in waiting. Afternoon tea will be provided by Mr and Airs Rhodes. At Auckland to-day, Mr Wardell, 8.M., granted the application of George Hawke, a clerk in the Auckland Deeds Office, to proceed against James Regan, proprietor of the weekly newspaper " Saturday Night," upon a charge of criminal libel. The alleged libel was based on a comment upon the action of Hawke in claiming damages from the Auckland Tramway Company for injuries alleged to have been caused by the collision of an electric tram car And a road roller. At the Ashburton Magistrate's Court to-day, Samuel Alexander, a .boardinghouse keeper, was fined £50 for keeping and exposing liquor for sale. Counsel for the defendant argued that, as Alexander's previous conviction was for illegally selling liquor, this was not a second conviction, and should not therefore carry the penalty of imprisonment, the Magistrate took the same view, and imposed a fine, and allowed the accused a week in which to pay it. Thomas Sutherland, a refreshmentrooms proprietor, pleaded not guilty to a charge of keeping alcoholic liquor for sale. After hearing evidence, the Magistrate reserved judgment.