LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXXVI, Issue 13418, 4 July 1911, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Dunedin branch of the New Zealand Labour Party have appointed an official organiser to prepare for the coming Parliamentary election. It is expected that the first section of the Invercargill trams, to a point on the town side of the Waihopai bridge, will he in working order by February.’ A report from Wintou (Q.) states that Kynna finished shearing recently, after putting through 237,000 sheep. Porter was the “ringer” of the shed, shearing 7900 sheep. His highest tally was 181.

Oamaru has just raised fnndv tnoi'gll i (o pay 1145 10s, a remnant of debt on in‘-;r lumpers’ memorial. A football match and a tng-01-war competition | induc'd * lie amount, and a few pounds more Messrs Morison and McLiaa, solicitors, Wellington, have issued a wrii, at the ;n-----lance of Mr C. A. \V. Mount 4 on, aga.iist Mr Byron Brown, of Haiti, eU.vnng .£1250 damages for slander. Coal, it is Itelieved in payable quant ‘ties, has been found in the AUredton (iisTct. A. Hawke’s Bay syndicate is endeavour "if to float a company for (lie purpose ■ I ascertaining the extent of ihe find. “To all my friends 1 shall always want to be known as 'Jimmy.' " Those were tinconcluding remarks of the speech ol Sir James Carroll at his first reception bv the pakelias and Maoris on the Temuka r.ulway station. The llawkes. Bay Tribune understands that a strong effort is to he made to persuade Air A. 1.. I). Fraser to stand for tho Hawke's Bay seyt, and he will lie approached with that object when he has quite recovered from his indisposition. The presence of lambs at this period of the year causes one to wonder whether spring is at hand (writes the Amherley correspondent, of the Press). On three farms in that locality there are already it fair number of Jambs. Tho Waitotara County Council yesterday decided to levy tlie same general rate as lust year, viz., ;d in the .£. The chairman (.Mr W. Hitchic) said he hud felt, inclined to move that the rate tic I l-Bd, “to give them a taste of what they would got if they had a harbour rate.” Linder a new regulation just gazetted, all moneys belonging to the National Providenl Fund, and in the hand* of tho Pub lie Trustee, are to form part of the coni, mon fund of thy Public Trust Office, and will be invested by (lie Public Trustee at- , cordingly. Interest in the Rugby pastime in Invercargill, says the Newiq has been gradually growing during tbe season, and last week’s games at Ilnghy Park constituted an easy record, when there was au attend, ance ol 1500 spectators and the gate receipts exceeded JE3O. The search initiated by the .Sydney Globe with a view to locating the largest family jn Australia has revealed one of .10, Hie parents of which are Mr and Mrs 'Richard King, of Mount View, via Cessnock, New South Males. The Globe has received particulars of a number of other large families, but this appears to Ik- tho best yet. A proposal came before the Otago Trades and Labour Council recently .that Professor Mills should be retained in New Zealand for a pen’od of three months with u view to utilising his experience and ability as lecturer and organiser. The Council decided to support the proposal provided satisfactory financial arrnngraenta could be made. ‘‘Our roads are the envy of other County Councils,” said Cr. Morrison at yesterday's meeting of the Waitotara County Council, “in other counties,” he continued, ‘‘when yon get off the main roads, yon get into the mud. I don’t agree with the foreman when he says onr roads arc not all they should lie.” Mr O. 11. Hickson, the foreman, remarked that his idea of u good road was one which would stand all sorts of traffic, which some of the- M’aitotara roads would not. 'The question of the width of tho Sprlngvalo Road - has frequently cropped up at the meetings of the Maitotara County Council, which has given the matter its consideration on several occasions without getting “any for’ardcr.” At yesterday’s meeting, however, tho Council had sufficient information in its possession to take a definite step towards a settlement of this much-vexed question. The Council's mlieitors, Messrs M'att and Cohen, forwarded a letter received by thorn from Messrs Barmeoat. Treadwell, and Gordon, on behalf of Mr H. F. Christie, owner of some property on the road. This letter staled that a search of various titles showed tb it tho road should ho a chain in width, it having been originally laid off as si eh. Tlte writers asked that steps ihould be taken by the Council to make other owners set their fences hack and have the road widened. In a covering letter, Messrs M att and Cohen stated that their search of lilies boro out (ho above, hut when section 13, of 1014 acres, was sold by tbe original owner the purchaser conveyed only a half-chain strip to the M’anganui and Waitotara Highway Board. The Council decided, as a first, step towards having (ho road widened, that a survey of it should ho mado at once.

from particulars gleaned by an Auckland .Star representative concerning the accident on the Main Trunk railway on Friday last, it would appear that the express was travelling at about 20 mile* an hour when running through Wairangi —a station at which (ho express does not, stop,. The points had evidently bean neither closed nor locked, with the result that the big 90-ton X engine, swung off on to a loop-line, instead of travelling right through. The mail van, which was next the engine, followed, and then apparenlly the oscillation caused the point* to close, with the insult-that the next car proceeded along the main line. The driver, with commendable promptitude, applied the Westinghoiise brake, but three cars had been derailed before the train was brought to a standstill. Fortunately the line was not more than tbo usual height above the ground, and there was no embankment, so that the derailed cars did not overturn, though one of them whs perilously near it, canting over the rails at an angle of nearly 45 degrees. Several windows were broken by the concussion, and a lady passenger was injured, being cut about the arm with some broken gloss. The derailed carriages were deeply embedded in the earth. A somewhat pessimistic view' of (lie effei t of the Harlxmr Hoard's proposal for a new loan to carry out harbour works was taken by one or two members of the Maitotara Comity Council at yesterday's meeting of that body. The foreman had submitted a lengthy report on road requirements which might necessitate a loan, ami concerning this the chairman (Mr \V. Ritchie) remarked that they would have to consider whether they should put their hands in their pockets to pay for roads which would benefit them, or for a harbour which might not. Lots of people thought the harbour rate would not be collected, but ho thought it would, and the idea that it would increase the value of land was a fallacy. If the harbour rate wore to be enforced on them they r.hould anticipate matters and raise their own road loan, and pay a rate on that. If the ratepayers “bucked” at'a loan of their own, he was sure they would “buck” worse at a\ harbour loan. Mr D. Ross said there fivre lota of works scheduled every year which they could not carry out for want of money, and a loan would help the Council to do lie favoured a harbour, but wanted to be sure they would have one after spending the money. They knew thev would have something if they spent their money on roads. All the same, concluded Air Ross, a harbour, if they got it. would be of great benefit.

The Aorangi and Maitai, performing Die San Francisco mail service, will be despatched from Wellington direct to San Francisco in August and September next respectively. The Aorangi will leave on the 25th August and the Maitai on the 22nd September, both at 5 p.m. The Wanganui Chainlicr of Conmicrc.last evening decided to appoint a deputatation to wait on the Railway Manager in the matter of railing goods Worn Wanganui. The present local system of sending goods to certain towns only on certain days is found to injure Wanganui trade, but to enhance that of .other towns. At the S.M. Court this morning, an elderly man, on two charges of drunkenness, was fined 5s and costs 2s on the first charge, and Hie and costs on the second charge, in default 21 and 48 hours' imprisonment respectively. A first-offending drunk was fined ss. with costs 2s. and ordered to pay 2s cab hire. Mr F. V. Frazer, S.M., presided. Last evening, at the Chandler of Commerce. Mr T. Biggie urged that a permanent memorial of the Coronation, in the shape of a look-out tower, to be called “Coronation Tower," be erected on Dnrie Bill, from which what he described as “the best view in the Dominion” could he obtained. He moved that a committee he set up to interview (he Borough Council on the project. It was stated that the tower could be self-supporting, per medium of tea-rcoms, and it could be looked after by the men in charge of the flag-station. After considerable discussion, the motion was put and lost. The Church of England residents of Gonville have long fell the want of a convenient place of worship, and it will probablv not be long before their requiruments are met. An energetic committee is pushing matters with a will, and a meeting Pillowing on the recent public meeting, was held last evening, when it was decided to circularise the Anglican residents of the suburb in order to raise the funds necessary for the erection of the building. A site next the public school has already been secured, and, providing Uiat sufficient support is forthcoming— And there appears to be no reason to think to the contrary—it should not be long before the Gonville Anglican church is an accomplished fact. The matter of the “Wanganui car” on the Wellington-New Plymouth express came up for discussion at last night's meeting of the Chamber of Commerce. The District Traffic Manager, in roplv to a communication from the Chamlicr, stated that the car was of the same type as the other carriages on the train.'and was ample for the present requirements. Two cars would be quite unnecessary; there were usually a number of vacant scats in the carriage on its arrival at Aramoho. Several speakers stated that the car was not well patronised, because it was not a* well fitted up as the others; it was apparently one of the older type of carnages. The matter was referred to the executive to again interview the District Traffic Manager.