LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXXVI, Issue 13335, 25 March 1911, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Those entitled to a vote at the municipal election, and who have not yet made application to have their names put on the roll, are reminded that Wednesday next 29th insl.) is the day on which the roll will l)e finally closed. There arp hundreds of people yet who have neglected to attend to this matter, and unless they do so immediately they will find themselves without a vote when the election for Mayor, Council, Town Board, Harbour Board, etc., comes round. Every man and woman over 21 is qualified to vote', and forms of application to go on the various rolls may bo obtained at the respective offices of the Borough Councils and Town Boards. A scheme is on foot for building a hotel in tho West End which will be the largest hotel in London, if not In the world. It will have four frontages, and it will contain between 2000 and 3000 bedrooms. It is to la: furnished in the most sumptuous style, but it is to be run on moderate and popular lines. It will aim at providing all the comforts and appliances of the best West End hotel at considerably less than the present priees. It ie reported that Sir Joseph Lyons has something to do with tne scheme. Mr W, A. Holman, Attorney-General, New South Wales, addressing the United Clerks’ Union of New South Wales last week, said it was a mere superstition, encouraged by the employer for. his own purposes, for clerical workers to believe that they were not on the same industrial base as other workers who had formed successful Unions. The superstition had its effect in sapping the independence of the clerks, hut the most hopeful sign of the past few years was the recognition by clerical workers of their standing economic world. Tick and shovel niien could fight and negotiate With some hope of success, but clerks while unorganised could do neither. The thing they should do was. therefore, to organise, and carry their negotiations not into the region of strikes, but into that of calmness and reasonableness, and secure the right to appeal to an Arbitration Court and a Judge, The Industrial Disputes Act wan now in the melting-pot, and a new arbitration law was to be introduced by Mr Beeby. In it the occupation of clerks would bo recognised.

A remarkable incident was witnessed in one of tho New York thoroughfares one night last week (states a cable message in the Sunday Sun). A lady, Mrs Braedon, was walking along the street, when she was suddenly and rather ferociously assailed by a large dog. It was noticed that the brute centred its attention.on Mrs Bragdon’s right hand, and it. soon became apparent that a purse- which she was carrying was the object of its attack. The animal finally pained possession of tho purse, and then made off. The police thought they saw in the occurrence something more than was apparent to the perficial observer, and they accordingly set about investigation. As a result of their inquiries they made the startling discovery that there was a gang of thieves in Now York that actually trained dogs in the trick of purse-snatching, and that Mrs Bragdon’s loss was not the first of tho kind that had occurred.

Day by day, as, the sun continues to shine out of a cloudless sky, the farmers of this, as well as ,'of other districts,' are pulling 1 longer faces. New Zealand •is usually so blessed in the -matter/ of water supply that its everlasting continuance is taken as a matter of course, and little or no provision is made by farmers for conserving it for the use, of A'tf creek or a spring serve them well enougl# at ordinary times, and so they scout th« idea of. building a dam across the creek, or a basin round the spring. "It,” said a leading farmer to us to-day, “they would figure out the cost of a dam or a basin, and then compare it with what, they have lost on their stock in consequence of the dry spell, they would soon find it would pay them to make provision against drought, even 1 if they only needed it one year in four. .£2O at the outside, and, generally speaking, very much less, would provide water storage for weeks for a largo dairy herd. Using concrete, you can put the cost at about -El per 1000 gallons. This would carry farmers well over the dry period, and save them a good deal of money, and a great amount of anxiety.”

The banquet tendered to Sir Joseph Ward, Prime Minister of New Zealand, in St. James’s Hall, by the NeW Zealand Association qf New South Wales, of which Mr E. Owen Cox is president, was of a typically New Zealand character, says the Sydney Morning Herald. Not’ only was there an imitation Maori whare on the platform, where from time to time songs about New Zealand and the Maoris were sung bv New Zealanders, but pictures of Maori chiefs and Maori poi girls were scattered about the ferns and vines with which the hall was lavishly decorated, and oven the souvenir menu card and programme had New Zealand scenes and Maori carvings depicted thereon._ On the front page was a portrait of Sir Joseph Ward, with his Maori name at the bottom, “Ta Hohepa Hori Waare,” and at the top were Maori words of welcome—“Ko ia te tanagata’man tatoo e hdno Ida tatou." But, in addition to all that, the dishes that were sorved bore Maori names. For instance, there were “huitras a la Stewart Island.” “tortuo claire Bay of Plenty," “cattles cn Nelson,” “coupe Moimt Eg-i mont,” “sellc d’agneau Rotorua,” perges froides Mount Cook,” “gateau fourre Maori King,” and “Bbmbe Taranaki.” On the back of the programme was a picture of the kiwi.

Intending applicants for dwellings under Hie Workers' Dwellings Act of last session will find in last week’s • Gazette lengthy directions as to the procedure .they will require to go through and th© forms to be filled in. The main provisions are as follow; Forms for renewable, leases are provided. and weekly or monthly- tenancies may be obtained. With every application four weeks’ rent requires to he lodged with the superintendent,- and to declare that he is not in receipt of more than .£175 a year, and is landless. Applications to purchase are to be given preference over applications to lease or for tenancy, and preference may further be given to those most in need ofthed wellings. The rate of interest to be paid in the case of pur--5 per cent The payment may extend oyer chase on the amount remaining unpaid i» 5 per cent. The payment may extend oyer 251 years. If the tender for the erection of * a worker’s dwelling exceeds the estimated cost of that dwelling, the applicant, within 14- days alter being notified, may elect to withdraw his application, and shall thereupon be entitled to a refund of bis deposit in respect of the. purchasemoney or rent. Upon such election the agreement shall be deemed to bo cancelled. If for any other reason applicant withdraws his application, he shall not be entitled to a refund, of his depositbut the Board.may. refund,the balance of such deposit after deducting not less than £1 for expenses