LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 462, 22 March 1909, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Tho Victoria, from Sydney, with English ami Australian mails, arrived at Auckland yestcruay, in amplo time to connect with tho Main Trunk through train. Tho mails are, therefore, to bo expected in Wellington this afternoon. A petition in bankruptcy has been filed by Sophia Louisa White, widow, of Welling- \ ton. Tho Wellington Technical Education Board ] have under consideration a proposal to estab- ; lish classes in domestic economy in connection with tho Technical School. < Tho District Health Officer (Dr. Frengley) 1 reports tho following cases of infectious diseases for tho week ending March 20:—In tho i city—Scarlet fever, 2; enteric fever, 1; , tuberculosis, 1. Miramar Borough—Scarlet ] fever, 1. j Tho bright weather of yesterday afternoon enabled many citizens and their families 1 to visit tho favourito seaside and suburban 'j resorts. Those who went to Island Bay had j tho privilege of listening to an open-air con- < cert by tho Newtown Band, under tho con- i ductorship of Bandmaster J. Parker. i Mr, W. Aylward, of Christchurch, has a complaint against the running of tho Gov- ' eminent railway timotablo. Ho states < that ho left Christchurch on i'ri- i day evening for Wellington, under i the timetable impression that ho could jour- ] ney from this city to Carterton on Satur- i day, and return by tho night train in time to catch the Mararon. for Lyttolton. The , night train left Carterton at G. 2 p.m., as j timetabled, but instead of reaching Lambton ] Station at 10.34 p.m., as it should have j done, it arrived at 11.15 p.m., too late for , several passengers to catch tho steamer. | Tho retaining wall at Oriental Bay has been completed with tho exception of tho j extension to tho To Aro Baths, which will , not bo proceeded with until the work at pre- | sent in progress at tho baths is completed, j Tho road is formed and rolled for tho full , width. It is not considered necessary at i present to set in tho slope in concrete: that is a work of tho future, but it is already available for traffic. A 20ft. footpath, « asphalted, will be provided. The question of i laying a cycle track down has not yet been < decided by tho council. It may bo some time ; beforo tho extension of the wall from Hay 1 Streot to Grass Street is dono; it is a quest tion of tho amount of money available 1 It has been pointed out to us that in more than ono account of the big earthquakes at { Messina at Christmas timo, mention was tnado of a certain kind of steel-framed build- J ing, erected from tho designs of a prominent ' Italian architect, which had come through tho terrible test with great credit. A correspondent I who saw this in print states that it would bo : a wiso step if the Government, in tho in- ] terests of the public, would make inquiries j into the design of these earthquake-resisting f structures. "Though we are not likely to ] havo such a bad shake-up as Messina/' says e ho, "New Zealand is in tho volcanic bolt, and ] is subject to earth tremors. Would it not, 1 therefore, bo advised to cot the best informs- t tion possible in regard to earthquake-resisting ] buildings, even if it were only a provision ( against a remote contingency." Tho writer 1 suggests. that such information could bo ob- ' tabled by writing to the proper officials of tho Italian Government. A competition of a most interesting and instructivo nature has beon originated by Colonel Allen Bell for tho school children of Now Zealand. It is styled, tho "Cecil Rhodes" Patriotic Competition, and its object _ is to assist in developing tho spirit of patriotism in the youth attending our public schools. Tho means adopted is to offer annually a trophy valued I at £10 for tho best essay on patriotic subjects. This year tho subject will be: "Patriotism, and what it has done for tho British . Empire in tho Past." Tho'competition is J open to every boy or girl under 16 years of j ago attending tho public' schools within tho t Dominion. The funds for tho trophy aro £ being provided by tho salo of a series of c "Military Lectures" and speeches delivered t by Colonel Bell during the past four years, f Tho secretary of tho National League of New J Zealand, Hamilton, is organising tho com- ' petition, which closes on December 31, 1909. jj Mr. E. J. Carey, who represented tho s workers in tho recent grocers dispute, was d pleased with tho manner in which tho new e Conciliation Commissioner for Wellington ? conducted tho casp. So much so, indeed, that '! ho has written him as follows: —"As ono of those who were previously opposed to tho !j abolition of the Conciliation Boards in favour r of Industrial Councils, and who have not jet q changed their opinion oil tho matter, I want s to say that it will bo no fault of Mr. P. a Hally if tho councils • do not result in a' c success. My connection with Mr. Hally in t tho recent grocers' dispute is tho cause of my conviction. Tho dispute was only infor- t mally beforo Mr. Hally. Tho pity is that v such was tho case, otherwise tho very ques- i\ tion in dispute would havo been settled without any reference to tho Court. From per- II sonal observation during the case mentioned, r ho_ snoms particularly fitted to bo tho cou- ;i cilia tor in industrial disputes. I wish him n every success, and will at every opportunity t inform my fellow-unionists of the opmion c and apprciation I havo for Mr. Hally." t Tho Minister for Labour is convinced that J real hardship, if not actual distress, is being [■ ondured by some of tho workers as a consc- „ mience of tho present scarcity of employment, i. Speaking to a Dominion roportcr on Satur- si day, Mr. Hogg mentioned a couple of in- si stances that had como under bis personal o notice Ho had been waited upon, he said, c by two very decenUooking men, both of C whom were members of the Drivers' Union. $' Ihoy stated that they were married; and had j' families of three or lour children. Tho rents , they paid for their homes in ono of the f suburbs of Wellington wero 15s. a week. I l'ho earnings of ono of them since Christmas j bad averaged 30s. a week, while tho other had n mado an average of 355. They wero willing and able to take any kind of'work that of- a Ferod, but, as they were circumstanced, they ti pould hardly break up their, homes and go si into the country. Tho minimum wage under w tho Drivers' 'Award was £2 ss. a week, but si swing to broken time they were never able to " earn it. Mr. Hogg asked them how it was q possible to pay 15s. for rent and maintain f' i homo and family on what was left out of i, 30s. or 355. a week. They replied that it ' ivas extremely difficult, and they could not a keep out of debt. Mr. Hogg promised to seo i= ivhat tho Labour Department could do for gi them. a Mr. Schley, of New South Wales, who is i visiting Now Zealand, called on tho Hon. ". A. W.. Hogg, Minister for Labour, to discuss s | matters of mutual interest. Mr. Hogg was sonsidorably impressed by what his visitor n told him of some of tho work of tho Now n South' Wales Labour Department. Some T pears ago Mr. Schley tried to get a number '■' af youths, who seemed to bo growing up to u bo mere loafers, placed as employees at !" some- of tho agricultural colleges, but tho col- ' lege authorities absolutely refused to have n xnything to do with them. Ho, therefore tt took them in hand himself on behalf of the di 3overnmciit, and sent them to a State farm t< somo five miles out of Sydney. There thoy ti ivero taught to work and instructed in ail l>i kinds of farming operations. Tho schomo '.' :iad been gradually cxtondod, so that now a '' number of immigrants who require somo training in agricultural and pastoral work ire taken at tho farm. They rcceivo no vages, but after being two or three weeks at ;ho institution they are usually offered situations with fanners, and cam at the start ss. :<> 10s. a week and their keep. Thrco or 'our hundred men have been fully equipped 'or work on the land by these means during m ;ho last threo years, and there havo been "! ;ery few failures among them. At tho pre- q, ient time tho farm has scores of applioa- vc nous from pastoralists and agriculturists W ;coking employees, and Mr. Schley considers w Jiat his experiment has amply justified it- be ielf by results. wi Teas grown in different localities havo differ- fi°, mt and even the tea from any „i, larticuiar garden is not the sanio in two sue- .:. :ossivo seasons. Climatic changes, differences f' if soil, cxerciso influences, and it is in the art ... if tho lea blender to bring together tho differ- p 1 nt teas and by combination to produce n par- i' icular flavour. Crescent Blend Tea is a choice- } ombination of Ceylon and Indian Teas, and ?• ho flavour never varies. All storekeepers, 2s. .or lb. A list of persons who have been licensed to wr ,ot ivs niiotiniipcrs fur the year 1000 is adver- l'oi istd la this issuo. 'pu