LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 152, 21 March 1908, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Customs revenue collected at Wellington yesterday amounted to £1493 185... 9d. Tho Donald M'Lean Street Primitive Methodist Sunday School will hold its anniversary services tomorrow. ', "I am not .'up in those, things," said a witness referring to oil , shares. "That is why. you go into them; oh? commentedjDr. M'Arthur, S.M. Mr. Justice Chapman will deliver reserved judgment this morning in the following civil casosHataitai Land Company v. John J. Boyd;' R; H. Fisher v. T. B. Dwan and another. ' . Ono of tho, witnesses who gavo evidence on. behalf " of. the U.S.S. Co. in. the. Wharf Labourers 1 dispute yesterday stated' that tho Company employed on tho averago 227 cargo workers and 241 coal workers daily.. Of the cargo ■ workers 50 earned £100 or over last year, and of the coal workers-. 143 earned less than £100 last year, 59 £100 and over, and 39 £150, and over. The largest, amount earned by a coal worker for 1907 was £225

... , During the hearing of an application in Chambers for an order to take ovidenco locally for a case before the German' Courts, Hip Hpnour.'Mr. Justice Chapman, referring to the somewhat involved nature of the procedure, related that an English barrister,, who had undertaken a visit to Germany, for'the purpose of obtaining evidence from a. w'itj. noss, had been arrested on a criminal charge of practising in tho German Courts without tho . permission, of the Emperor. " Perhaps some people have forgotten the Angora goats on Motuaharau islands in'the Pictou Sounds. They still oxist there, however, and the Hon. ! R. M'Nab 'is. to' pay a visit of' inspection during his Marlborough trip next week.' It |s understood the goats have been thriving. Tho Minister will also see if the expectations of a well-known member of Parliament havo been, fulfilled as to tho capacity of tho goats to destroy' the blackberry plant, experiments to that end having been in progress on, the island:

■ The new chairman of the Harbour Board (Mr. T. Jil. Wilford, M.P.), at the next meeting of the Board, will enunoiato a schome for bringing the Lyttelton ferry. < steamers into closer touch with tho railway. At present, with tho steamers berthing at tho Queen's .AVharf, which has no railway connection, and is half-a-milo from either of tho railway stations, the transfer of■-passengers, mails, and cargo cannot bo so quickly or conveniently 'managed as at Lyttelton—for instance, where tho trains run to tho sido .of the boats. The details of Mr. AVilford's schome will not bo disclosed until the meeting of tho Board next Thursday, but it will involvo a- joint arrangement botweon that body rind tho Government: The anticipated completion of the Main Trunk Railway during the present year, the acquisition of the Mahawatu line by tho State, and tho intended orection of a new station, are factors that tend to make the present time a particularly opportune one for tho maturing of some such scheme as Mr.Yvilford is about to bring forward. , ,

Mrs. Ethel R. do Costa, LL.B. (nee Miss Ethel R. Benjamin, of Dunedin), after practising Tor soino years in' Hint city, has commenced practice as a barrister and solicitor in No.' G Nathan's Buildings, corner Grey and Fcathcrstou Streets, .Wellington. Mrs. Do Costa has the distinction of beiupr the ' only lady practising at tho' Bar in" the "Dominion.' Intending clients can depend on prompt and careful attention at Mrs. De Costa's hands.

. A,sitting of tlio Supremo Court in Chambers will bo held at 10.30 this morning.

" Everybody who deals in potatoes runs tlio risk of losing money," said Mr.. S.' Brown, tlio employers' representative on the Arbitration Court yesterday.

Another batch of summonses has . been, issued by Inspector Doylo against persons who have broken tlio city . by-laws, and; others who possess unregistered dogs. Fortyfivo of these cases will bo heard next week.

Tho Arbitration Court will hear the Bakers' dispute on Tuesday morning at 11.30. Tlio dispute could not be taken yesterday, as originally arranged, owing to the hearing of tho Wharf Labourers' dispute not ham; boon concluded.

Tho Mayor and Dr. Mason held ; a conferenco yesterday with a view to co-ordination of services in respect of the. city milk supply, in order to prevent overlapping of inspecr, tors, and promote efficiency.' The question of municipal supply was also considered. Suggestions arising from the conference will 'be submitted to the Milk Cpmmitteo of the. Council. .

Evidence was tendered during the hovrins of tho-Wharf Labourers'- dispute yesiecliy showing that the Wellington Harbour Board employed 300 permanent and, on a daily averago, 25S casual workers. In all, 1420 m->n received casual work from the Board lust your. One h. mired received on an average £2 15s.- each per week, and. the first five hundred received on- an average 28s. apiece weekly. Tho largest amount • earned by a casual worker: for 1907 was £164.

. The scction of the Northern Main Trunk. Railway south of Ohakuno which is. still in tho "hands of the Public Works Department will bo handed over to the Railway Department in June. So the Hon. W. Hall-Jones informed Mr. W. H. Field, M.P., in answer to an inquiry yesterday. Mr. Field asked the question for the satisfaction of a number qf sawniillers who have to pay a special rate of Is. sd. per hundred' feet.,on . all timber which, they send over the Public Works sect-ion of tho line.- , Tho cyclist who rides behind a tramcar lias always a good chance'of coming to grief/ He turns to the right,, instead of tho left, to avoid another vehicle, and may easily be rim down by a ■ car coming in the opposite direction, previously. hidden from his view. This is -an accident that is narrowly averted by many cyclists. Yesterday afternoon it happened to a man in Manners Street.' He got up from the ground, apparently very lj£ tip injured, and after treatment in, a neighbouring chemist's, was able to go homo, i Butlie was not able to go home' on his bicycle; that was hardly recognisable. * • There is a proposal at Blenheim to establish a'memorial to Captain Cook at Ship. Covo, in Queen Charlptte Sounds. A party of interested persons have arranged to visit the spot on Wednesday, and as tho JSon. R. M'Nab's movements '.take him to. Marlborough on that day, he has accepted an invitation to, accompany the ;,party and.' assist in choosing a site. Mr. A. H. Turnbull, of Wellington, who - is ; keenly, inter: ested in all matters pertaining to the early record's of the' Dominion, will also - accompany the party by invitation.. '

; lii addition to tho nam'es: of.'oandidatesi ; for the Wellington electorates;--Mr. J.-E. Fjtzgerald should be mentioned as standing for the Suburbs. Mr. Fitzgerald will contest the seat as a Liberal, with strong Government leanings. Twelve months ago he received a requisition from 500 electors to contest the seat. Mr. Fitzgerald is ber of the Onslow Borough Council; The Hon. C. H: Mills was also approached last evening in regard to the .possibility of his contesting a Wellington seat in preference to Wairau, but hp' would make no statement at the, presept/stage. "

: ' It was'stated at the' Arbitration Court yesterday that tiie parties tq the Pullers' disputo had been unable to arrive .at a settlement. Mr. Pryor pointed out . that the pullers were only a small section of . the employees , in tho fellmongory, and that efforts to form a union embracing die .whole 0f... the -.'wo/kcrs had proved unavailing. The employers, he added,' objected to being 1 cited, by a. small section :of their employees/ Mr. Cooper,- the representative of the Union, stated, in reply tp tho Court', that he did not think the m!-' plovers would; raise much objection to the 'claims;. Mr.- Pryor rejoined, "Oh, won't they!" ;'. - Grass seed has now been supplied to all except a few applicants, which means that those farmers requiring, assistance to' 1 regrass have been able to take advantage of tho beneficial rains.; In stating this fact yesterday the Hon. It. M'Nab (Minister for Lands) added that up to Wednesday night last £10,468 worth'of grass seed had been issued on the system adopted ;by tho .Government. The applicants-numbered 284, and only abput. 25 yet remained to bo supplied.

Information from several sources states (says a Masterton Press' Association telegram) that tho recent fires have-resulted in material : benefit to individual land-holders in miuij' instances.

The City Council follows the plan of raising portions' of. its ■ authorised loans as the necessity for money for the various works arises.. In' July, 1906, a loan of £135,000 for tramways,, power supply,, and city works was sanctioned by , the ratepayers, but it uiust not be imagined that tho city has been paying interest on that '.amount- since, that tinje. The-whole of that loan has not yet been raised, and only within the. last fortnjght the Postmaster-General has invested the sum of. £25,000 : in those bonds, which boar interest at,.tho ratfc of 4 per cent., making in all £50,000 that the Post and Telegraph Department has invested in city, bonds of the.-one loan mentioned. The cemetery repayment loan, which becamo duo on December 20 last, lias been taken up by tho city's Sinking Fund Commissioners.

The solitary life of the'lion at Newtown Park has had no effect upon his appetite. Ho must have the largest meat , bill' of any individual in Wellington, for. it. amounts, 011 an average, to. nearly £2 a week. Doubtless, he is entitled to the "lion's share,'' hut evon the .Rov. D./C.'Bates, who lias a compassionate heart for lions, thinks that in this caso the Iving of Beasts is fed too royally. Ho saj T s that there is no. reason why his daily menu;should cost more than sixpence. ' A lion docs not need the choicest morsels, and a plain-food diet of bullocks' heads and other parts of tho meat, which usually go_ to waste, could he provided at the' sum mentioned. It naturally occurs, to one that such a saving on his-appetite would go far to buy the lion a mate. It would also reduce. considerably tho zoo's cost to tho Corporation, which last year was £300.

All ladies (leslriaz ts beautify their liair, also render, it siossj and in good condition for the-various balls, etc., during the coming pcason :should now book' appointments with Mrs. ltolleston, Hair Physician, of 3 Willis Street (over Carroll's). Courses of treatment, ■including necessary lotions, from 80s. Advice free. TeL 1593 715 o

Oil pood Friday and Easter Monday nest the usual 4.45 a.m. Wellington-Woodvillo train will not run between Wellington and Cross Creek.. ,

A first meeting of creditors in the estate of Archie A. C. Stewart, land agent, of Wet lingtoii, will bo held on Monday, March 30, m the Official.Assignee's office, at 11- a.m.

This morning Mr. Justice Chapman will pass sentence on the following prisoners ltonald Grant Gilbert, alias Geo. Mooro, breaking, entering, and theft, at Wellington; Sullivan Matthews, .breaking, .entering,' and theft at Eketaliuna.

. Tlio Rev. "VV. Douglas presided over a meeting- of the Kijbjrnio Presbyterian Congregation, held in O'Donnell's Hall von Thursday .night, at \vhich it was unanimously agreed to trect a church building,- according to plans prepared, on the site now owned by the church property trustees. The members of the Finnnce Committee, with Messrs. •Gellatly,' George, and Davis; were appointed a Building Committee, with'power to 1 add to their .number. Misses Anderson and Douglas, and Messrs; Gellatly) Davis, Cameron, and Whannell were appointed a committee to canvass for subscriptions, and about £70 was received in cash or promises from the meet-

" How many" complaints have you . received in regard to pilfering ?" enquired Judge Sim of Mr. It. F. Way, -secretary to the Watersido Workers at Auckland,- who gave evidence in support of the claims of the Wharf Labourers' Uunjon yesterday. Wo have ' received' only two written complait|tsj" replied, the witness, who added that,-in the first case, it was supposed that tlio offenders were persons wearing gold braid and. that, in the other instance, tlio charge was sheeted home to a mate in tho employ of the Union Company, who" was discharged forthwith. Mr. Way, in conclusion, expressed the opinion that'the bulk of the pilfering was dona before the vessels reached Auckland.