LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 56, 29 November 1907, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

In this week's "Gazette" three roods thirty-eight perches of the Eccleston No. 2 Settlement, Auckland, are set apart for tho purpose of workers' homei, A fire amongst some shavings under a house in course of construction in Rintoul Street caused the Firo Brigade to turn out ai 11.40 a.m. yestorday. Tho outbreak, which was caused by some sparks from a plumber's fire-pot, was extinguished with a hand pump boforo any damage had been done. At the Supreme Court yestorday, William George Tustin, who on Wednesday was, by tho direction of the Court, found guilty on charges of having committed breaches of the Bankruptcy Act, was formally admitted to bail until April next, on his own recognisanco for £50 and a surety for tho same amount, ponding the decision of tho Court of Appeal on certain questions which arose during tho hearing of tho case. Mr. W. ti. Atack acted as Burety.

Tho Customs revenue collected at Wellington yesterday amounted to £2770. A special Gazette lias been issued proroguing the General Assembly until January 30, 1008. During October 3590 persons arrived in the Dominion, as against 1780 persons who took their departure During tho same month last year 4299 arrived and 1677 departed. The result of tho recent poll taken by the Eastbourne Borough Council sanctioning tho raising of a loan of £4500 for various purposes is gazetted this week. The members of tho Wellington Garrison Officers' Club will hold their annual re-union in the Masonic Hall this evening. The function promises to be a very successful one. Sir Joseph Ward, Minister lor Defence, has signified his intention of being present, and it ia understood that the proceedings will 1)3 of an informal nature. About a. quarter to eleven last night a motor-car, W. 36, in charge of Mr. John Douglas, Salamanca Road, came up Harbour Street, and, taking a sharp turn to the left, ran plump into the back portion of a passing tram-car. The damage was slight; one of the front wheels of the motor-car was smashed, but no one was hurt. The Secretary of the Post and Telegraph Department (Mr. D. Robertson) says that a system of pneumatic tubes is to be installed in the new Post Office where required, for the rapid despatch of telegrams between the different.branches that deal with them. A sjstera of overhead Lnmson carriers may probably be installed on the ground floor, connecting tho various counters. To-day is tho brightest day of the year to many civil servants as the date , on which they receive in a lump sum, added to the last month's earnings, their accumulated increases of salary from the beginning of the financial year. With a holiday to' follow, and a classification scheme adopted by Parliament, the present occasion should be ever moro cheerful than usual. "I am inclinod to think history gets a little distorted in this community," remarked tho Mayor of Miramar at lasi night's meeting of the Council, when com men ting on the. fact that a newspaper cor respondent had given a certain gentlomar tho credit for originating tbo reclamatior scheme at Evans Bay. According to th< Mayor, Messrs. Luke, J. C. and H. D Crawford had all suggested tho idea pre vious to the gentleman who was e'reditec with it. Which is the wettest spot in New Zealand; ■ It rained twenty-five out of the thirty-ow days of October at Otira, during which period 23Jin. of rain fell. This astonishing rainfall was exceeded at the Mount Cook Hermitage, where over 26in. of rain fell in nineteen days. Nearly 13in. wore recorded in Greymouth on twenty-one days, and 17$ in. fell at To Mata (Raglan) on nineteen days. Curiously enough, while it rained less than 2Jin. on twelve days at Miramar, over 3in. were recorded as having fallen on fifteen days at the Karori Reservoir. According to a return published by the Registrar-General in this week's " Gazette, ' there were 181 births and 67 deaths registered in Auckland during October. During the same period 171 births and 54 deaths wero registered at Wellington; 129 births and 85 deaths at Christchureh; and 123 births and 64 deaths at Dunedin. Wellington still maintains its position as having the lowest death-rate of the four centres. Auckland's proportion of deaths to the 1000 of population was 0.97; Wellington, 0.80; Christchurch, 1.54; and Dunedin, 1.10. At 2.30 to-morrow afternoon, the Post and Telegraph Rifles, in tho guiso of a hostile detachment, supposed to have landed ac Houghton Bay, will advance towards Newtown Park, presumably with the intention of carrying fire and sword into Newt-own. Their advance will not be uninterrupted, for the remainder of the battalion, which will parade at the Park about the same time, will carry out a series of tactics designed to outflank and' ultimately surround thorn. Tho proceedings should be an interesting and highly instructive series of exercises in field tactics. The weekly meeting of the-members of the junior department of tho Y.M.C.A. was held in tho rooms last evening. Mr. W. C. Hemory presided, and there wero upwards of 110 lads present. Mr. T. E. Reynolds gave a very interesting and helpful address on "Wid'es." Ho , pointed out to the lads tho advisability of keeping their minds concentrated' on ono central .thought in life, which would enable them to reach their goal safely, and not come wide of the mark. Noxt week the four lads of tho Religious AVork Committee will address the meeting in speeches of three or four minutes each. The Royal Now Zealand Artillery, Wellington Division, underwent their annual classfiring at Fort Kelburne yesterday morning. Major J. E. Hume was battery-commander, and there were also present Lieut.-Colonol Bauchop, officer commanding the district, Lieut.-Colonel Campbell, commanding the Wellington • Division G.A.V., and Captain Richardson, Director of Artillery. The shooting was very satisfactory, tho rapidity of lire being tho best on record. Ten rounds wero fired"from gun "A 2" in 7min. Uun "A 2" was "casualtied" through a v pi ece of the cartridge-casing being blown back into the vent. Six out of twelve shots fired wero " hits." The figure of merit awarded was .85, which is considerably short of tho Petono Navals' recent performance, their figure of merit being 1.32. What follows is typical of what Borough olerks have to boar from indignant ratepayers with fancied grievances. Tho gentlo irony contained in the softly-flowing periods :s something to admiro and beware of: —"Sir, —I havo to thank you very much for the' way you have protected mo—how gentlemanly you havo been in regard to me in all your actions—that you should allow my neighbour to let'his horse run, to tho destruction of my garden is only in accordance with all your kindly actions, that lie . should bo allowed to let the water from his premises run on my'place and block up tho pathway and make tho gate so it will not close, so >t has to remain open for his horso'to run all over my garden at night is only right considoring tho important creature be is; that he should fence tho section of another man to my post and strain them out of position, so 1 have to leave my back gato open also .is only right; also as I don't pay rates and being an insignificant old woman it dos'ent mat-tor what refined cruelty is practised on mo it will only raise your dignity and show how powerful you are.—l am an insignificant of the insignificant Borough of -•" Mrs. Ethel E. -Do Costa, LL.B. (neo Miss Ethel R. Benjamin, of Dunedin), after practising for somo years in that city, has commenced practice as a barrister and aolicuor in No C Nathan's Buildings, corner Grey and Featbciston Streets, Wellington. Mrs. Do Costa has tho distinction of being the only lady practising at the Bar in tho Dominion. Intending clients can depend on prompt and caretul attention at Mre, Da Cesta'a band*.

A married man named James Hurley, residing at Pipitca Street, had his thigh rraotured whilst working in Messrs. Levin and Company's wool store yesterday morning. The accident occurred through a hale of wool falling on the man's loft leg. "The M'ashing-up Bill has caused some consternation, but the position is not a very serious one, although it is important to us." Such wero the remarks of the Mayor of Miramar in referring to Clause 50 of the Kescrvcs and Other Lands Disposal and Publ:j Bodies Empowering Act, 1907, which gives the Harbour Board and tho City Council power to come into tho district and take land under tho Public AVorks Act. These two bodies in conjunction had taken statutory authority to reclaim a portion of tin Miramar foreshore, and, without wishing to reflect at all on either of the bodies, ho thought it would havo been better if they had approached the Miramar Council before any step had been taken. Hβ was quite sure, however, that no harm would come through tho clause. The ways of some men are past understanding. A horny-handed individual wandered into the office of Chief Detective M'Grath on Wednesday night to give himself up. He had done nothing, but had been told that tho detectives were after him, therefore he came to give himself up. The Chief Detective ushered tho man out,, but ho returned again later in tho night with a story that whilst he was in bed at his board-ing-bouse he hoard people- talking on the road, and arranging to rob him. The sequel to the episode was the appearance of the man at tho Magistrate's Court yesterday morning on a charge of drunkenness. 'JL'he police said defendant had been working in the back-blocks, and had come to town with hie cheque to enjoy a holiday. His Worship remanded the man for a week. In the opinion of a certain Celestial, Joe Goo by name, the machinery of the.Courta of Justice in New Zealand requires to be oiled in order that business may be expedited. > " I would be glad," remarked Mr. "Wilford at the Supremo Court yesterday, "if the Court could fix a date for the' hearing of argument relative to a motion to quash the conviction of Joe Gee for selling a pakapoo tickot. I cannot tell you how impatient my . client is." Mr. Justice Cooper pointed cut that he had been fully occupied during the past ten days with criminal cases, and that he would be unable to hear argument in the case until he returned from tho Nelson circuit. After a pause, Mr. Wilford remarked that he hoped that fact would be, recorded by the Press, because his client was worrying the lifo out of him. ;