LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 30, 30 October 1907, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Post Office authorities advise that tho Monowai, which left Sydney on October 26, with 141 bags of Australian mail, is expected to reach hero about 4 o'clock ,this afternoon. It is understood that the Hataitai Land Company has offered to sell to the City Council a uiock of land for tho purpose of workers tomes. Tradespeople have done good busjnoss during October according to tho Labour Department's Journal. Drapers, dressmakers, and clothiers report an improvement in trade. Tho briskness in tho building trado is likely to oontinuo, but conchbuilders and saddlers are not very busy for this time of the year, and an improvement is looked forward to. Tho painting trade is brisk, and there arc no men out of employment. Unskilled work ■ has been very plentiful, and the number of tlioso in searph of employment fewer than has been the case for a considerable period. Tho demand for good bushmen continues, also for youths and men for dairyfarms. Employment was found for 124 married and single men, with sixty-four dependants, on public and private works. The engineering trado continues dull, with littlo prospect of an improvement. Furniture trades continue fairly brisk, and all tradesmen are fully employed. Woollen-mills nro kept busy, and factory occupiers report » difficulty in' obtaining hands. Plumbing, plastering, and gasntting are brisk, all hands being fully employed.

The Wangahui artists intend to hold an exhibition in December. A good deal of tho work shown at the Wellington Art Exhibition > will be sent up to Wanganui. -■''..'■■ Tho Hospital authorities advised last night that thero was little alteration in tho condition of the man Thomas' Drillot, who fell from a scaffolding at the Commercial Hotel on Monday. "■■•;' The executive of the Wellington District Volunteer Rifle Association held a ineetiiig last night to complete the arrangements for the annual " shoot" On Monday, November 11. The prize-list has been increased by 20 per cent., which should be good nows to riflemen. Tho competitors will proceed to Trentham by the 7 o'clock train in the morning, and will return by the C p.m. train. A labourer named William Miller,, who was driving a winch oil the steamer Talune at., 11.30 yesterday morning, was injured through a piston-rod coming down on the'top of his foot, and inflicting.a- contused wound threo or four inches long. Miller was removed to \ the Hospital, but it is understood that tho injury is not of a serious nature. "It has often struck me in regard to some of these sections that it would take a lot of skill to get home at night," ; remarked Dr. M'Arthur, S.M., when the question, was • raised in,a civil case yesterday' as to whether skill was required in packing-up a cer- . tain section at Kelburne. . ',

The Wairarapa "Age".'states oh good authority that a case of "ragging"' occurred in Masterton last year, in which a cleaner on the railway was subjected to'illtrcatmenfc by being hold down'by means of a board placed on his chest, ,on which several other cleaners sat, wkilo he was shaved in a not too gentle maimer by a follow workman. Hi» faco was. smeared with grease and oil, and because ho happened to wear a coat which did not conform to the tastes of the other cleaners they set firo to it while it was on the woarcr's back. Tho treatment to which this' youth was subjected led to his leaving the service.

Another arrest was made by Detectives Williams and Kemp yesterday afternoon- in connection with'this'alleged incendiarism at the-premises of a Chinaman named Sue Sun Sing in Tarahaki St.' oh Saturday night.' The third youth arrested' is ri'aiuod Francis Gordon Lyons. The police state that the floor of the building was found to be saturated with kerosene, arid an empty b'ottW,' which had contained kerosene; was found close by.

The love of tho Maori for billiards was exemplified recently in one of the cabins v at tho Dumgreo. prison camp.. The cabin was occupied by four natives, who constructed a miniature billiard table out of an ordinary dressing-room table. L Every detail was complete—cloth, • cushions,and pockets. The cloth was made out of a smooth piece of tweed, and. the' 1 balls .were represented by marbles. The makeshift was'a poor substitute for the usual billiard table, but served to remind the Maoris of many lazy hours spent over the green baize cloth of tho. faraway village hotel. Another and'more profitable pastime of the Dumgree. natives ifl mat-making. •

'A'meeting of the Society for the Prevention; of Cruelty-to-Animals was held yestcr- • day, Mr. J. M. Ilott presiding over a good attendance.'- Subscriptions. were r acknowledged totalling, £9 7s. 6d._ .The. Inspector presented a'.repor.t giving, information in re- f . ieronce to. tho various cases,dealt with dur- . iiig the first fortnight; Ho'stated that he ' had seen' Dr." Anderson, 'secretary to tho Technical School Board, and Mr. La Trobe, director, and was informed that they recognised the necessity for better accommodation . for the birds used as models, and would do ' thoir best to l effect an improvement. The meeting then went into committee.

He tacked lumberingly up.Lambton Quay like a. Thames• barge beating up against the tide. Ho faced death in-a-whirring electric car, with ah idiotic smile on his face, took another.; tack, and lurched ungracefully towards the sidewalk, where ho sat oil a. heap of spoil without meaning, to. do so. Ho sang •lark-liko in the .sun; and continued to iriib shoulders with telegraph poles and buildings •alternately. 'In the entrance to the ,PostOffice 1 Savings Bank his irresponsible gazo' espied a brown dog'. He would pat it; but there, must have been , two dogs, for ho' missed-the one 'and patted the other—the door-mat with his hose, rolled right over, and. burst open ' the swinging-tloors, which' promptly, closed oh his legs. i Smiling "serenely, lie struggled to his fcetV collided with, a cart, looked stupidly amazed at the driver's strong-.language, and,. bursting with glad soiig, fell into the arms.of a kind policeman. Ho was .very drunk. - :

A* capital method of dealing, with sanddune land • has , been;; successfully ' tried ' at Marahui, ': whe.ro '.in••.former years the sand nuisance was so bad that it.was thought that the district" would be always morb or less:', waste land. The method consists simply m■'■ levelling down the sand hills,' covering them■ < with, two, or three inches of clay, and'sowing ; it with grass. This'has-been .successfully done by several residents at Marauiii, and, so far as is known, without failure. lirono ' case two or three gentlemen acquired a block . of sandfluno, land near the Lycll Bay beach, • and treated it as stated during tho wintermonths, with tho result that the land, m-. rapidly assuming the appearance of.a grassy sward. ' This fact established makes 'tho . eight-acre lot at Lycll Bay, presented .to tho t city by Mr. H. D. Crawford soino time ago, , of considerable' value for recreative purposes, particularly as tho city, on its part, lo pledged to extend tho tramway .lino freiu,' South Kilbirnio to Marahui pii the compJc-.'. tion (by Mr./Crawford) of tho road for that purpose. It has been estimated that the reserve mentioned could' bo levelled' and " claycd'l'at a cost of £500. At date the now road has boon formed from' the South' Kilbirnio- end to a point about four or fivo chains soutii' of the outlet sewer lino, or nearly half tho distance, and Mr'. Crawford ' is pushing on'with tho work. The Maranui section of tho tramways systom will be another link in the chain > that will'one dayi connect Kilbirnie and island Bay by way of the. Queen's. Drive.. ' ' '' A fine selection of photographic cards, Dominion Day and R.'M'.S.- Turakina on Fii-o now on vioV at ZAlv'S PHOTO DEPOT, 21 Willis Street. On sale at popular prices. CGJI Mrs. Ethel E. Do Costn, LL.B. (neo "liss .- Ethel R. Benjamin of Duncdin), after practis- . lag for some years in 'that city, has comnicnccd practice as a barrister and solicitor in No. G Nathan's Buildings, corner Grey aud Featherston'Streets, Wellington. Mrs. Do Oo3ta lias the distinction of being tho ouly lady practising at tho Bar in tho Dominion. Intending clients can depend on prompt and carofr-Ittau-tion at Mrs. Do Costa's hands. Well dressed means becomingly dressed, not " merely the wearing of smart clothes,.but garments' designed to emphasise tlie good.points of the figure. Hence, the premier and most essential item a fashionably attired woman, needs is a -perfectly cut corset,, artistically moulded to the "human form." C. Adams ami Co., 35 Cuba Street,, have a most up-10-dato corset department, and a lady export is always; in attendance for' tho purpose of "fitting.". licsides having all the most fashionable makes; of corsets to'select from, C. Adams; and Co. are agents.for tlie Messenger Corset Mnnufac- • t.urers. Your measure is taken by an/export, . fitted and made to your order within a week. Inspection invited. C 644

.A systematic ' scheme., of petty stealing is being carried ,on .to tho. cost .of the hotels of ..tho city, at. present.' At icast three of the leading hotols have, been lentercd during tho past few days and articles and'plato ex tract'ed. "-" .' " "'' ,' : / ' ' A clerk named Jdhn.Jl'bonaid,; a nhtivo Df!; Scotland, .-.about.,;, '15 , years .cf ago, s'oilapsed in the Central Hotol .. at 11.45 a.m. "\ yesterday;, and was removed ' 4 'tb the'' Hosintai, after- beiiig attpiided to by Df.' Henry. 'It is believed that blip man; is.'sufferihg, froiri apoplexy. Oh inquiry attho Hospital last night it was stated '■ thiit M'bbnald had improved 'slightly. , The. tqiider of Martin, .Hurrell, and Snad-doh'iV-'at ,£16,806, has, bijpn accepted for tim . efcction':bf .Mr. ,G. .Winder's, five-floor ware-, house, -with basement,,at the corner of Cuba and-Manners Streets. / .Messrs. Penty and Blake-are, the '.architects. Tho construction of this,building ,wili moan a considerable improvement in' "Winder's Cbfii'or," as tho City \Counoil has acquired a piece ,of the corner for'rbatl and 'footpath 'widening. . ' Tho interest .caused by the boat, raco bc- ; twebn crows from.the Wellington Navals, and JI.M.Si. Chiillongor ■ recently ,'i'as'' resulted in anbthbrr'aco liavihg'been arranged. _.Tho co'utcst"Will 'tai;b':placo at"'s.3o pim.' tb-mbrrow over'a special/two-mile 'course,'which i 3 bciiig especially surveyed for..the evtmt. The Naval crow'is as; follow':—P.O.' Griffiths ;(coxswain); Gunner,Janseii (stroke), P:0. ! Bishop; P.O. Calnan/GuhnerDowhr, Guiiher Feliowsj P.O. Johrisonj "Gunner Day, ;P.O. Francis, Gunner. Campbell,-.'Gunner Hook-./,', • '••■ '-,;■■.' Tho. directors of the HarbourForrics;' Ltd., intend employing experts to'value the timber oh tho company's'estate at. Day's Bay, and ,o report .on tho bestmqans of realising, ori 'it. The", very .fine rata''trees, that, grow in -the gujtids ,on both sides' of the. ridgo'-'are. sat 1 to admirably adapted 1 for boat-building, and'.' the, fine '"clumps' of black birch have a disiinct'.value for' posts 'arid scaffolding poles. Mr.H. H. Secretaii, ofChristcliTirch, ,who has just returned from.a visit to England, had : ari'iyiusual experience when coming down the outward bound in the Ktmutdka. "^' A ;f largij',.;passenger -isteamer crashed into a' timbcr-la'dcn steamer, cutting her dbwhin full 'view of those on board the itimutaka. .'Fortunately, no lives were'lost, and tho ; timbor-ladeh' steamer was towed off stern first, by. five .tugs..:, ',