LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 8949, 7 June 1907, Page 3

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

! 7~+ — The Southland Education Board lias •cided to appoint an agricultural infcruetor for Southland, at a salary of 5250 a year and travelling expenses. The Durham Street Wesleyan Church liesion Band gave a oonceii: at the ianiaritan Home last night. The programme consisted of vocal soles and Luets, violin and flute solos and duets, nd readings. At Dunedin to-day the young man Itomas M'lLay was before the Court m a charge of biting off his sweetleart's nose. He pleaded guilty, and ras committed to the Supreme Court or 6entence. This morning a boy, aged nine and a lalf years, was taken before Mr H. TV. Jishop, S.M., and the police asked for lie committal to an Industrial School >n the ground that the parents were n indigent circumstances and unable o support the child. After hearing ome evidence, the Magistrate dismissd the application. The committee of the Christchurch Physical Culture Society met on Wedeeday evening. After discussing varius business, it was decided that the ecture on " Anatomy," which was postponed last month on account of the vet weather, should be given on Tueslay, June 25, and that Dr Hammersey's lecture on " Cremation. " should »c given on Tuesday, July 23. For the first time female legislators lave been returned to a National Pariament. Nineteen women have been ilected to the Finnish Diet, nine of rhom are Social Democrats. _ Five of them are school-teachers, one is a jourlalist, one is a weaver, one <a dressnaker, one a woman's rights agitator, me a restauTant-keeper and one a lergyman's wife. Finland enjoys unier&al adult suffrage, and 200 Barlianentary representatives had to be ihosen. A conference was held last night at )unedin between the representatives of .he TVaitaki, Waihemo and Waikouaiti k>unty Councils and the Otago Motor Association, for the purpose of considerng the by-law 6 framed to control motor raffic on the roads between Dunedin •nd "Waitaki. It was unanimously delided that the speed limit for motorsars and motor-bicycles, when being Iriven through the townships in the ihree counties, should be restricted to ien miles per hour. The Mayor of Auckland submitted to ;he City Council at its last meeting a fcatement of the estimated receipts and xpenditure for the current year, the *eceipte including the water account, stimated at £67,595 14s lid, while the xpenditure was estimated at £15,687 s lid, leaving a prospective credit balnce of £14,908 Bs. The indebtedness ►f the city on March 31 last year was !602,000. Loans issued during the ear made a gross indebtedness of 5730 900, and a net indebtedness -of '626 525. The estimates provide J40.000 for streets, £2000 for lighting nd £5000 for the improvement and naintenanoe of parka and reserves.

The CouaioLl of Defence ihas decided to caaicel all parades on Sundays except church parades. A quantity of sawn, short Kahakatea timber has been washed ashore between, the Hokianga Heads and Mangonui Bluff. It is probably part of the cargo from which came the timber recently washed ashore further south, and possibly the deck cargo of some outwardbound vessel. Westport became excited last week over a walking match, man versus horse. The competitors were Mr A. Sharpe and Messrs Lennie and Robinson's thoroughbred trotting horse Yellow Peril. The distance was five and a half miles, up the Builer Road, finishing at the Ferry. The horse (the "Westport Times" reports) walked the distance in one hour and five minutes, and won the novel event, beating Mr Shavpe with a bit to spare. Replying to a deputation from the Auckland Dentist Association, who urged th© need for a dental institution at which poor people, especially poor children, could have their teeth attended to, the Hon G. Fowlds said lie believed that- the time had arrived when something should be done in this direction, especially when dentists here and elsewh&re were prepared to give their services gratuitously. As far as he could he would influence* Hospital Boards to give tire matter their attention. Bush, lands are being taken up in. considerable areas in. the Ohakune district by sawmiJlers. A correspondent writing in the- Taihape "Pest" states that some gentlemen from Lower Hutt were up lagt week looking at a block of 3000 acres. They have secivred thiis from t-he Natives for milling purposes, and they state that they never saw such fine. busE before. This is the best forest, the ooairesoandent believes, in New Zealand, and "easy to get through, as there are no supplejacks or lawyers in the undergrowth. The Exhibition authorities intend to enter the sawmilling business. They will instal a plant in the big building, and there they will cut the heavy timber for sale into sizes to suit the convenience of buyers. The sale of this material will bo commenced on Saturday, June 8, when it is expected there will be a large attendance of farmers and other country residents, who Avill be likely to take advantage of this opportunity to obtain timber. The authorities are now making large sales of material at the prices obtained at auction. At a meeting of the Auckland City Council last night, the Mayor presented the Humane Society's medal to T. F. Tester, who behaved in a- most courageous manner while attempting to save Mrs Driscoll from burning on October 24, 1905. Tester found Mrs Driecoll enveloped in flames, and wrapped her in a sack and tore her burning clothine off with his bare hands. Mrs Driscoll died later, but Tester's bravery in extinguishing the fire, while he himself was badly burned, no doubt eaveel the life of her husband, who was asleep, and much valuable property Tester had previously rescued a' boy who had fallen from a vessel in port. The weekly meeting of the Lyttelton Literary and Debating Society was held on Thursday evening, Mr T. Lindsay presiding. The entertainment took the - form of a Council Election meeting. Candidates were given twenty minutes in which to address the audience on local matters, and five minutes were allowed for ansAvering questions. Three candidates were required, and the election, which was by ballot, resulted in Messrs H..H. Cook, W. E. Cook and H. W. Laing being returned in the order named. It was announced that Mr G. Laurenson, M.H.R., would deliver a lecture next Thursday en " Pepys' Diary." The conference of delegates from the New Zealand Counties Association will open at Wellington on July 9. The chief business will be- the discussion of the draft Local GWernment Bill, which has been in the hands of tlie various local bodies since last session. Other matters to come before the conference are: — The establishment of superannuation funds for employees of County Councils and Road Boards, tihe appointment of representatives of local authorities on Assessment Courts, the cost of county valuation, the question of the adiministration of charitable aid, the granting of eub<sidi>es on a graduated scale in proportion to rates levied, local bodies 1 ' franchise, the collection of rates on. Native lands, the spread of noxious weedsj regulation of heavy traffic, regulation and control of motorcars, andi the upkeep of main arterial roads. It sounds amazing, but actually there j will be no stonemasons, no carpenters, and no bricklayers employed in the building of the vast block which is to form the General Post Office extension in London. Indeed, no skilled workmen, except the gangers and the fore- I men, will be necessary for the work. All the i*est will be labourers. The explanation of this apparently miraculous undertaking is that the great buildings are to be erected on the Hennebique Ferro-Concrete system ; they will be all steel and concrete. Under this novel system, as described by the Westminster " Gazette," the whole framework of the building may be said to be steel — somewhat on the principle and' yet greatly differing in detail from the American plan — encased in concrete,which it naturally strengthens and supports, but which, when the building is finished, is quite invisible. A completed building has the appearance of being composed of Portland stone.