LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 23, 22 October 1907, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

It is a year.ago.this morning sinco the big fire oil Lambton.Quay. During that time a considerable change lias come- over the scene, which is at tho present time tho; very, hub of building activity in Wellington. -'"■-. The: old Commercial Hotel that was swept out of existence .by tho all-consuming flames is now on tho way to become edifice that will do predit to the city 1 . Mr. J. R. Blair's property that was occupied by Messrs. : Whit : combe,and Tombs, and is being' 1 rebuilt'for, that .firm, 1 lias already'assumed proportions moro cxtensiro than the building it succeeds. Tho Trocadero■ has', long sinco been 'restored, and is again. a competitor for.the comfort of the travellers,-and the massive Bank of Now South AValos is regaining its impressivo appearance at the hands of the' original con-' tractors. Not nearly so much has,been done on the triangular section between the Quay and Foathorston Street, which' was swept liy the fire.; 'The Wellington Trust and Loan and the' Now Zealand Insurance Companies have made! a, start; to build agajn. The Union Bank is still;in the planning' stage; and, as for'tho rest, theso valuable city lands are as bare as Mother Hubbard's cupboard. Tho Government has accepted the. tendor of Messrs. Stevenson and Cook for the purchase of the Defenco Department's steam launch Ellen Ballanco, formerly a familiar object among the.craft which ply,about .Wellington Harbour. For ' the past year, the launch has been at Dunedin. H;M.S. Challenger requires five ordinary seamen and one stoker for permanent service. Successful, applicants are required to sign on lor, the regulation five years. .. ■ Domestics arc evidently as-difficult to secure afloat as on sliore. Over a week ago Captain 1 Smith, Naval '-Registrar, advertised for two third-class domestics for H.M.S. Challenger, 'candidates to produce references covering three years if possible, a certificate of birth, and parents 'or guardians' consent if under age. Thcso. requirements are.somewhat appalling to the average New-Zcalander. Ho.m'ay'havo references,, but.in Now Zealand few; bother about birth. certificates, and thoy might bo a little difficult to obtain if tho intending applicant cannot boast Wellington as his birthplace. : Thero is, .too, a certain well-defined' independence about the local " minor " in the matter of tho parents' or guardians' consent that is far from tho conventional English idea in this connection. As a result of tho advertisement,'''three .applicants'hare turned up so far, but tho conditions appear to have appalled them, and they retired, and have not been back. What the curious would like to know is whether the Domestic Servants' Union has any jurisdic-. tion over domestics shipped at this port by one of His Majesty's, vessels and whether it 'approves of the conditions laid down'by tho Rogistrar. ■;■ At yesterday's committee meeting of tho Harbour Board it was resolved to observe l!io King's Birthday as a holiday on Monday, Novomber 11, instead of Saturday, November 9. Mr. W. S. Short, chief, clerk of the Roads Department, will hold the following commissions next month G, at Wairoa, ,in; respect of a disputo between the Clydo Town Board and Wairoa ' County Council, under the Town Districts, Act, 190G; November 7, at Wairoa, commission to allot proportions of the cost of maintenance of tho Wairoa bridge, at Clydo, among, the Clyde Town Board, and Hawko's Bay, Wairoa,'Cook, and Waiapu County Councils; November 19, i at Cambridge, in. respect of/a dispute, between the South Hautapu Drainage Board,and tho Cambridge Town Board regarding the.location of a drain. . : . Tho. Roman Catholic community has decided to crcet a new hall'in'Boulcott Street for general parish purposes. Tho building will be in brick, two or throe stories high. Towards the cost three gentlemen have given £000 each, one £150, four £100, and five £50, in addition to which another £500 Has been subscribed by parishioners. It is intended' to commence building operations when £3500 has been subscribed. Mr. J. E. Fulton, C.E., of Wellington, is to submit amended plena, for erecting a new traffic bridge ovor the Waikato at Hamilton.The estimate is to be within £20,000.

A committee mooting pf tho Wellington Harbour Board was held yesterday afternoon. The matter:of tho decision of the secretary and engineer (Mr. William Ferguson) to leave the servico of the Board (there, was no mention of the word resignation; in Mr. Ferguson's letter) was hot .discussed. Mr;. Fergu- . son informed a .'. representative ... of,; 'Tub ,-. Dominion, yesterday that l it was never).in- •' tended that the letter 1 ho forwarded to each member, of tho Board should have been made ; public. •■„■'•• A,,'•'.■,■•'■' : . -.-.. i ' The Wellington Homing Pigeon Society flew a"race from 'New' Plymouth on Wednesday last, for a'trophy"presented'by Mr.'.?. W. Laihb. Twelve'lofts, represented' by thirty-eight birds, competed. The birds were, liberated in fine weather 'with a- light- head wind, similar conditions prevailing throughout. The following ' is' the result:—-W. Bailey's blue cheq. hen Queeiißeej 723 yards per minutoj 1;-P. 'AV.'Lamb's'-silver hen Trust, 721 yards, 2; J. J; Elliott's'.bluecheq. : hen No. 18, 720 yards, 3. On Saturday the same Society flew ran interval race from Hawora for Mr. J: H. Clark's trophy.;. Seven ' members compoted. Thp birds were liberated at ten-minute intervals,', with .' the following - result:—W. Bailey's hluo' cock Golden- Grown, 1053 yards per minute, 1; W. Alder's blue cheq. hen No. 43, 749 yards, 2;<F. Williams'sf red cheq.' hen. No. ;22j .724;yards,.3.v"iv ; •■': i'.•': While there -is somp foundation, for the strictures which a New Zealand clergyman recently passed on' muscle' worship '(says, a' Sydney paper),'the subject is one "on 1 which ' a good deal can be said on both sides.. Various critics, friendly and otherwise, haw 1 ■■' frequently referred to the'tendency of young ■ ■•<■ Australians 'to devote their g;thoughts ;to ' cricket and- football, to'' the'.»exclusion .of matters affecting the vital interest of,,theircountry; but it.has.always .to be recollected;;-;-that; the indulgence, in healthy bpon-air pur-j ■-• suits, especially in .such , a..climate,' as ~pum|) . has an important bearing upon the healfh of-/" the nation. If,we have given rather, much";-* attention to athletic supremacy, it has to be v ' admitted that in tho arts and. scipnees Au»-' '■■ tralinns have also won laurels, and thero are many examples of young men who were eminent in the battle of muscles afterwards making their marks in tho more, serious, business of life. Tlie fact is, that without, the vigorous; healthy pursuits'' of ''youth,;'' the nation .would' soon languish' into"effeminacy, . "and .while'sport may be overdone,''it is'lets"' ah'' evil, in the. long run', than' the 'danger'" of going. to the other e'xtreme.";'.. ,( ''", ; A brisk demand,for, properties on the Mann?,-, watu ]mo-is,.repprtpd. by-Mr., H....Ernest' ; Leighton, land' agent, .Wellington, 'especially.... in j tho | Otaki. and Te Horp .'.districts; where he has...sold, the, following .properties 'during the pastfewweeks :--r4s3','acres,' '£16,;10s. per f ., acre; 133. acres, £43 per acre;.4oo,acres, £11 , ..per acre; 300 acres (mostly,hilly.bush coun-'- : try),, £900 the-lot; 8 meres .and'-buildingo,'-.'-6'hariu, £760. -■;.,..,' : ,.,. ; !' ■ ,•.■ ,;h:.f: ■■',}' ].i'f" .'.Tho..question' of the relative potentialities of South. Africa, and New' Zealand''"w'as : discussed,in a desultory; manner Jat the meet-.' ing of'ex-Sbuth Africans'last ; night. : 'lt was agreed that the Dominion was'tho'm'ore'prosperous at the present time, but (as. might >' reasonably hayo been expected)' there was a.'consensus of opinion, that. South ;Africa's prospects were "incomparably' 'brighter. "iHowever . bad things' may . be in (South Africa," said the Chairman, ," they can't, bev much worse than they, aro in. Now .Zealand." "You are mistaken, Mr. Chairman," interposed oho of ■ his ', hearers.' ."When. I loft South Africa afew weeks'-ago, things wore, from a 'commercial point'Of; view,' absolutely rotten.''-i'Tho .Chairman:. "But 'there .will be; a marked -improvement- in South Africa shortly.' I have been in'New-Zealand'over .three years'now, and 'J. tell you I "never 1 worked so hard bofore in'my life; arid—well; I,haven't got so much'to show for it'as I ' had bcenled to expect." ''Most' of those' pro-*' sent having expressed tho opinion that'the Dominion was not what "it is " cracked 'lip ''" to.be, tho discussion dropped." *" r ' : i " ' ""' :. Tho National Anthem was' missing from . His Excellency's entrance to tho Town Hall at the Navy Loaguo -entertainment last evoning. Tho organist had: mounted to-his [seat and all eyes were turned towards the entrance to witness the arrival of the vice-regal party.' .• The signal that Lord Plunket was about to'enter was given, and the organist spread 1 -his- - fingers over the notes, that .-meant a. crashing chord, .applied'the requisite but; the-.. .great instrument..was dumb.., . switch that sets' tho air .pumps, going, had , been neglected, and the result was a 105t.. ; chord. ,■:<::>•.. i..... |- i;According to a ( Press Association' telegram, ; of four deaths in tho Old People's Home, New Plymouth', during tho last four weeks, three; of the deceased .were .agcdvrespcct-ivejy 93, and.97 yoars.; ;j . .■■.:■■;'■■; \''■■:■>. |i .•■;.;■-;•. Fort'Kolburne,' ■of'iNgahaufangaV'''will"'be' ! '' manned .by the Pctone Naviils next Friday; . whoh the corps will enter; upon.their,annual, sixteen days', training. Practice shots with the big guns will, commence'6n;thp. following Wednesday,, and Jon.'-, Thursday, -Nov.emb.cr-2, the' corps will engage in the colonial com- , petition for tho Garrison Artillery .Challenge '... Shield. The Pctoiio' Navals hayo.,.carried off. tho Shield on every occasion since the com-, petition was inapguratcd.'' ", .....;',,,■;, ~• . Lord Plunket : is .careful, toj,take .heed. 6f tho company ho finds' himself. in. At the meeting of the. Society fjr tho Protection of , ! Women and Children last night;.a vote ,of. thanks was'passed'to him and Lady Plunket for attending. Rising to reply, ho observed drily: "1 should havo called on Lady Plunket' to respond for herself, but as this is a'. Society for the Protection of Women, I'sup-' pose I-had/better not. I must,-therefore, say myself tho few words isho i-would have ' said so much'better.". -, : .wi. .''■■• -: Seatoun should have tramway'connection with tho, city next month. ;A-;'.'gong of fifty : men have 'coibmbiwed thp work'of continuing' . tho electric tramway- track through.'the now-., compiotccl tunnel, and so oh to, the terminus on the other side'."of. the bill! "Given'-lino woatlior, tho work should:'.ki .completed in 'about a month from now.' As the remaining portion of, tho section - to' bo railed consists ' of a double, track, there is abbut a milo of ■■■ track to form'and lay down. ;<i' ■■; A man arrested at.Gisborne the other day, for drunkenness, says a local paper, had £48 ' Is. on his person. -Wbeu'charged'bofort"the. S.M. next nioniiug ho.cxpresscd his gratitude';! to. the .police for taking '.himself, ''and his , money, in charge. '' ;..';' ; ' ".'..!, Mr. H, Baker, of Wellington and Wni- :• rarapa Laud Agency, reports haying sold ;Mrs. Henry's Curburton estate," at Mastciten, con- ; sisting of 800 acres, for cash at a figure close on £30,000, to a northern, buyer for thp pur-,' pose of subdivision. : ' ~.....,. ; Mrs. Ethel R. Do Costa, LL.B. (nep :il«j Ethel R. Benjamin of Duhcdi:'.);' after' practis*' in? for some -years - in that city.vhns ;commcncctl practice' as a_ barrister, and solicitor.,, in "No. G Nathan's "Bnihlings;"corner Grey and Feathorston Streets, -Wellington.: Mrs. Do Costa : has the dislinction of beinuthe only lady prac- ; tisinu at Iho Bar in Ilia Dominion. ,Intending clients can depend on prompt-and ca'wWitton-" lion at ilrs. DeCosta's hands. ..• . .' :■'■!. /