LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wanganui Chronicle, Issue 12840, 11 December 1911, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

, A quantity of readings' matter., *, including coiTesp'ondonco, "is lield over till-next issur. Tho Tongariro arrived in Wellington from London parly on Saturday morning, with 3(58 immigrants. Tho funeral of the late Mr ■ James Lett took place yesterday afternoon,' a largo, number-attending' to pay their respect to the memory of the deceased. Tho last sad rites at the gravside were conducted by the Rev!. A. O. .Williams. Tho postal authorities advise- the s.s. Wimmera, which left Sydney at 5 "p.m. on December 6, for Auckland, has on 'board an Australian mail, and also an English mail via Suez. The Wellington portion is due to arrive by the Main Trunk express to-day. Mrs C. E. Mackay will distribute the prizes at the D.H.S on Thursday evening, "14th inst., at 7.30. Previous to tho distribution, tho pupils of the . :'."solidary department will give a Shakespearean reading, selection from the Merchant of' Venice. There will-be no charge for admission. The members of the City Band aro to bo congratulated on their playing yesterday afternoon in the Rotunda. Owing-to the heavy gale blowing the Band were at a disadvantage, but under tho circumstances did exceedingly well. Tho test selections, " Maritana." and "Crispino" were finely'rendered. A large number of people were present, and listened with pleasure. As wo have pointed out elsewhere, there- is now an excellent chance of the Government being defeated when the final pollings take place next Thursday. They deserve" to ho sent to the rightabout if only for the crime of inflicting such a monstrosity as the second ballot system on this long-suffering country. It looks in this ca*se very much as if tho engineer was going to be "hoist with his own petard;"—"' Press." A rumour was very current in town on Saturday that Sir Joseph Ward was coming to Wanganui in the hope of savipg the seat'for the Government.: Speaking at an open-air meeting on Saturday, night, Mr Hogan repudiated all knowledge of the suggestion. Mr Vei fceh, speaking in the. Opera House tho 'same evening, said ho hoped the rumour was true as Sir Joseph seemed to havothe . happy •<^kiinck ; of I'a&sisti-ng his■;':,oppt}in«nt^j,y ■;:,';;• VJ^ii:;.-'.f^ i &>:■' ;,' //.■„'/ , Onmfnencing'qn"lotii,•|)e,eeii}ber, an>l' unti! further notice, tho. train- wlviolx usually leaves Wanganui at i.45 p.m. for Miirton Junction, connect]ng .witli with.' tlio - ordinary Aucklaiid express, will bo delayed to leave Wnngnnui at 2.35 p.m., connecting with the extra express to Auckland. Mails for Auckland and intermediate offices on Main Trunk will close at II a.m.. and a supplementary mail for Auckland and offices beyond Franktori Junstion v.?ill close at 1.30 p.m. Nothing is nioro significant of tho •revolt of Labour against the Governthan the narrow majority by which Mr Ell has been elected for Christchurch South, and the splendid results, achieved by Mr .Whiting.-"'- The latter is a typo of Labour representative who ■''■ wqiild'.do valuable• work ..in Parliament a,s a genuine exponent of tho workers' feelings, and wo are sorry he has not been elected. Considering the unceasing exertions which Mr Ell has displayed in "nursing" his electorate, we look upon his narrow escape from defeat on this occasion, in a district hitherto regarded as one t;f th*T "strongest seats for the Government, as-a most striking indication of the general turn in the tide.

In the salaries earned in New Zealand by professional men, there'still remains, said Mr! Gray, principal to tho Wellington Training College students at the sroaking-up function, very much to bo desired. A university professor should bp.paid cei-tainly not less than £1000. Contrasting the general conditions of life under which the ordinary labourer and the tmive rsity ]., professor existed, the labourer at.^3 a week was, by comparison, better off : then the." professor who1 Was getting £700 fi-year. He cited' the caSe of itho Government meteorologist^ wliosa work' was of 4nir mense vajuo tothe country—-to, farmers and shipping espe,cially-T-and. who receiyed sphiiithirig like £^00 (i.;year for services" whicli were commensurately worth .£2000,a yearin salary., -A traiiir eW^each^^'^rtificatted. had to begin in a-back-country school at a beggarly £90 a yeai% ' :In :his :opihion,..-he,should begin with not less than £120, a "year ; . (Applause.) *

Very early yesterday morning a fn'e destroyed "sv six-roonied dwelling in Jackson Street (near the racecourse), owned by Mr Chas. Drew, of New Plymouth,, and occupied by Mr E. J. Jeffares, driver for Messrs Signal and Mailman. It seems that after making supper about eleven o'clock on Saturday night, the family retired to bed. Shortly afterwards the fire broke out. A message was sent to the town Fire Brigado station, but.the motor engine was delayed in reaching, the fire owing to the present upturned state of tho roads, due;.tot.the laying down of tho tramway li,nes M "The..jGonvillo- Brigade, which arrived on the scene with commendable promptitude after receiving tho alarm, rendered very useful stM--vico along with the town brigade,l but the flames had already a powerful hold and were fanned .by the .strong breeze blowing. The house was burned to the ground and veyy little of tho furniture was saved. The furniture was insured, for £150, but the amount of the insuranco on the house was nnaseortainnblo. »

" Analyses that are of interest are given in detail," so .reaps, a passage in Dr. M'Laurin's annual" report of the work of the Government Laboratory. Some 2600 samples 'were examined and reported upon, and in these wero included 279 milk samples, 273 butter, 128 examinations for the Customs, and 792 <f miscellaneous." "Analyses of general interest given in detail" do not seem to include milk and butter, but full particulars are given of silver arid gold specimens, soils, septic tank effluents, and water for dairy purposes. From Dr. M'Laurin's report, then, nothing can be learned of the quality* of the milk samples supplied, nor of the moisture contents of butter. The Customs samples include "grape iiiico." and copra oil, hop beer and axle grease, yellow soap and tea, but no details are given of these articles of common use. The miscellaneous includeFrench cabbage, Chinese brandy, and deer-teeth, drink cure and whisky, pot-I ted meat and mud. It is surprising to sco tho comparatively large number of samples admitted which are described as "supposed ambergris," that highly valuablo but evil-smelling ( secretion of. tho whale. Tho contributions come fro7ii places «o far removed as Tokomaru Bay and Greymouth.