LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 452, 10 March 1909, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A number of forgetful people who have paid 110 heed to Inspector IJoylo's warning about tho dog-tax will bo called upon to appear beforo tho Magistrate at an early date. Messrs. Anderson, Ltd., who have secured tho contract for the erection- of twelve cranes oil tho King's Wharf, will make a commencement with tho work next week, and expect to complete it in tho courso of a few months. Provision for about 30 patients and 15 nurses will bo mado ill the new St. Helens Hospital, which is to bo erected in Wellington. Tho building will be thoroughly up-to-date, and as aseptic as modern science can assure.' The trained nurses from tho hospital will be available for outside cases at a nominal fee. The new building will be T shaped, and will comprise a main ward, administrative ward, and a semi-detached section for cases that require isolation, and other uses. In reference to tho Penguin disaster, tho following motion was carried at yesterday's meeting of tho Hutt County Council: —"That this council deeply deplores the great loss of life on February 12, 1909, caused through tho wreck of tho Penguin, and respectfully extends its sympathy to tho relatives uid friends of those who perished, and places on record its high appreciation of tho discipline, courage, and self-saeriiice which prevailed on board at tho time of tho disaster." A meeting of tho committeo of tho Wellington: Industrial Association was held at the office of the secretary, Mr. H. F. Allen, last evening, Mr. A. W. Newton presiding. Mr. W. S. La Trobo advised that tiio term of the association's representative on tho Technical Education Board had expired. Mr. D. Robertson was reappointed. Messrs. Dwau Bros., agents, were elected to membership. Accounts amounting to £2 lGs. wero passed for payment. Tho report of Dr. Frengley upon tho city milk supply, in which he proposed tho erection of a milk station near the To Aro Railway Station, came beforo tho Public Health Committeo of tho City Council yesterday. Wo recommendation was arrived at, as the report has only just been received by tbo members. A meeting of the committeo will bo hold next week, when the members will try and evolve a workable scheme, which it is hoped to placo 'before the council on Thursday fortnight. At last night's meeting of tho committee of the Industrial Association, Mr. 11. H. Seaton asked the opinion of members on tho half-holiday question. The power of deciding tho day was, ho said, taken out of the hands of the local bodies, and given to tho public, and 95 per of the shopkeepers wanted Wednesday closing. Tho chairman (Mr. A. W. Newton): "We hope you get it." A motion affirming the desirableness of tho control resting with tho local bodies was moved by Mr. Seaton, seconded by Mr. T. Ballinger, and carried. About a dozen Government messengers who have received notice that they must retire from the service at the end of the month, having reached tho age limit, have signed a petition to tho Prime Minister asking for special consideration of their case. Somo of these men will not receive more than 53. a week from the superannuation fund, and as the pay of messengers ranges from 7s. to Bs. 6d. a day, which does not leave much room for saving, and some of them worked for years at Gs., which leaves loss, tho old servants are doubtful how they will gain a livelihood when they are retired. It is contended that the easy duties of messengers are specially suited to old men, and there would be no good object in replacing these old servants by young men, who would be better employed at some moro active occupation. Teas grown in different localities liavo different characteristics, and even the tea from any particular garden is not the same in two successive seasons. Climatic changes, differences of soil, exercise influences, nirl it is in (lie art of the tea blender to bring together tho different teas and by combination to produce a particular flavour. Crescent Bleml Tea is a choico combination of Ceylon and Indian Tens, end tho flavour never varies. All storekeepers, is. per lb.

\ The election for the return of members . of tie Teachers' Superannuation Board resulteil as follows North Island: William ' Fostei, 045; William Thomas Grundy, 532; ' William Henry Newton, 453; James Aitken, 1 309. South Island: Thomas Hughes, 593; , William Davidson, 592; James Jeffrey, -121. TII6 annual examination for surveyors' 1 licenses is being held this week at the Dominion Museum. Thirteen candidates, from 1 different parts of New Zealand, aro sitting. , Three of them are now candidates, and ten . have obtained partial passes in previous l years. The examination may bo passed in J three instalments. 1 Tho Tauinnniiuii Town Board is enabled by ' statute to borrow 110 more than £300 for 1 drainage, water supply, and road-making; 1 and as £3000 is required, the works cannot , bo carriod out. Th° Hon. J. Carroll, Native Minister, while in tho township recently, ' effected an arrangement between the board ; and the Native lessors whereby tho full 1 amount required can \)o borrowed. Information received* by the Employers' Federation from the Employers' Association at Brisbane, to the effect that there is work for New Zealand bricklayers in Queensland, ' is contradicted by a telegram from the Bris- ' banc Trades Council, which states thatbrick--1 laying work is not plentiful. It is stated that a number of New Zealand bricklayers have already left for Queensland 011 the 1 strength of tho first message. Recently representatives of the Wellington Provincial Industrial Association paid a visit to the Technical School, and, in a report prcs?ntcd to the association, they state that they were exceedingly pleased with all that they saw in tho Cooitery School. The kitchen was a picture of neatness, and the young students wore evidently greatly interested in their work. They found also that good work was being done in the art classes, and in the commercial classes. They were much pleased with the work turned out by tho students in the engineering shop, and with the pretty work of the jewellery and enamelling classes. Tho Hon. Dr. Findlay, Minister in charge of the Policc Department, has written to Mr. H. G. Ell, M.P., as follows: —"With referenco to your representation to me regarding the removal of mental sufferers from private residences by police officers in uniform, I have the honour to inform you that the general practice is for officers in plain clothes to perform such work, although it may happen occasionally that it has to be done in uniform owing to the urgency of the case or other circumstances. However, the attention of all ranks of the force has been specially directed to tho matter, as I quite agree with you on the subject." Mr. D. M'Laren, M.P., in a letter to the Hon. A. W. Hogg, Minister for Labour, complains that the Agricultural Labourers' Accommodation Act is practically a dead letter. "I received a letter," says Mr. M'Laren. "from the Otago Agricultural Workers Union informing me 'that general discontent is brewing owing to the present conditions, and unless something is dond in tho near future trouble will eventuate.' I understand tliat the above union has already communicated with you asking you to have the qualified officers appointed and inspections proceeded with. Seeing that the Act was passed in November of 1907, it seems monstrous that tho administration of same should be left so long in abeyauco." Good progress is being made with the drainage of Island Bay, parts of Berhampore, Fitchcttown, etc., by the City Council authorities. Tho pipe lino from tho septic tanknear Ohiro Bay has been commenced. For this purpose, a tunnel through tho hill near Cliff House, Island Bay, will have to bo cut. Tho mains aro also being laid along tho Parado. Tho septic tank consists of three compartments to deal with the sewage, and "grit" tanks, whose object is to get rid of any minerals brought down by tho sowage. Tho walls of both buildings are up, and the roofing, which will bo of reinforced concrete, will bo commenced in a day or two. Notices will bo sent out shortly to residents in those portions of Ivclburne and Roseneath for which tho drainage is practically ready to connect with tho system. Tho engineers aro extending the waterworks in Vogeltown, Brooklyn, and also in Island Bay. New mains havo just been laid in Norway Street, Mount Pleasant, and parts of Polhill Gully. Some years ago, an American,' named Mr. Jlelvin Vaniman, visited Now Zealand with his camera, and took views of tho towns and principal scenic resorts throughout the colony. One of tho features of'his photographic work was to secure the whole of Wellington 011 a single plato, and tho reproduction was excellent. In tho "Scientific American," of January 23, Mr. Vaniman looms up in a new light. He appears at tho control levers of his three-deck aeroplane. Tho "Scientific American," in referring to Mr. Vaniman's invention, says: "Another new machino which has recently flown successfully in France is tha three-decker of Melvin Vaniman. This is not the first aeroplano of this typo experimented with, but it is stated to be the first ono which has mado a really successful flight. On December 18 last, above the parado ground at Issy-les-Molineaux, it flew a distance of 160 metres (492 ft.)." A full description of the aeroplane then follows, and the article is concluded with tho prophecy that in the near future this type of machino will make successful and extended flights. Mr. Vaniman's many New Zealand friends will be pleased to hear of his latest success in a now venture. Half a million Atlantic 'salmon ova are being brought from England by Mr. L, F. Ayson, Chief Inspector of Fisheries, in tho Rakaia, duo at Port Chalmers on March 29. A previous consignment of half a million arrived by tho Turakina a fortnight ago. The ova will be placed in tho new hatchery formed at Lako To Anau, and tho young fish will bo liberated ill the Waiau and other Southland streams. Mr. Ayson was also to bring out, if possible, ova of haddock, cod, and turbot, and experiments were being mado in Eugland and Scotland, by request of tho New- Zealand Marine Department, with tho objcct of ascertaining tho proper temperature and conditions to bo observed for transport of such ova. Tho difficulty is to retard hatching so that it shall not tako place before tho ova roach their destination. Apparently, when Mr. Ayson left England with, tho salmon ova, tho experiments in regard to other fish had not proceeded far enough for him to attempt the transport of their ova, but it is just possible that 110 may bo bringing with him some live specimens of tho grown fish. Mr. Ayson was unablo to obtain tho minnows which the Tourist Department wished to bo brought out for trout food. Regarding tho trouble at Broken River, where it is reported that about 30 co-opera-tive workers have left the works, refusing to accept the new system of payment at Is. 3d. a truck instead of 9s. a day, an interesting statement was made to a Dominion representative by Mr. 11. !■ 11. Blow, UnderSecretary for Public Works. It appears that tho lllen wero originally being paid by results, according to a varying scale, and when some specially heavy work was met with in a certain cutting, the rate of pay was raised to tho highest point of tho scale. UlO melt at work upon tho cutting still expressed dissatisfaction at the rate per yard they wero receiving, and tho Superintending Engineer decided, pending an investigation, to pay them 9s. a day instead of by results. This is considered a high wage for such work, and the men at once displayed their gratitude by a greatly diminished output, which made their services, on the engineer's calculation, worth about ss. a day to the Department. Tho engineer accordingly told them that he would not be acting honestly by tho Department to contimio paying tlieni 95., and put them back 011 piece work at the higher scale. Other men, whom lie employed at this scale 011 the same cutting, wero able to earn 10s. a day by it, but apparently some aro not yet satisfied, and havo suspended work. The Department is said to be in a peculiar position with its labourers, as it is expccted to give work to the unemployed, who 011 the average are inferior workers to tho employed—tho best men being speedily, snapped up by private employ-' crs—and at'the same time there are strict injunctions that works done oil tho co-opera-tive system must not cost more than if they wero performed by contract. If you are contemplating romovinpr, the first thing you should do is obtain a quotation from J. Keir, 7G-78 Jervois Quay. Ho lias had many years' experience in this class of work, and is in a position In pack, store, nnd remove, any description of furniture. Re also clears Roods through 'Customs, and dispatches packages and parcels to any address in tho world, Telephone No, 1130, CSfiO