LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 463, 23 March 1909, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Tho postal authorities adviso that the Riverina, which loft Sydney on Saturday for Wellington, has oil board a large Australian and English mail, which is due here early to-morrow morning. A petition in bankruptcy has been filed by Matthew and Mary Alico Adams, grocers, of Kilbirnie. Tho Superintendent of City Reserves (Mr. 6. F. Glen) is' at present having tho gorso cleared at the south end of Newtown Park and at Karori. About a dozen men aro employed. At .vest-erday's meeting of tho Tramway Committee of tho City Council, tho agreement between tho Auckland Electric Tramway Company and its emplovccs was read and compared with tho Wellington agreement. It was considered that tho latter was slightly bettor than tho Auckland agreement. A conforenco between the Master Plumbers' Association, headed by the president (Air. W. Mack), and introduced by Councillor T. Ballinger and tho City Engineer (Mr. W. H. Morton), took place yesterday. Tho bysiness was tho interpretation of certain clauses in tho sanitary by-laws. The engineer met tho plumbers on most of the points, but to others he dccided to give further consideration. A meeting, called by the Maori chief, To Heuhou Ttikino, will be hold at Waihi, Taupo, on April 10, for the purposo of settling tho Native land question, and more especially to endeavour to get the Natives to fall in with the proposal to bring about a sottlemcnt on tonus suitable to both Natives and Europeans. Invitations have been issued to his Excellency the Governor, Ministers of tho Crown, and between 400 and 500 leading chiefs of both islands. To Hculicu explains, in connection with a statoment published on March 13, in which ho spoke of "shooting the Government" if they did not accede to the demands of the Maoris, that ho only used tho words as a joke. He |>oints tint that tho Maori is too courteous to threaten to shoot peoplo whom ho has invited to become his guests.

This morning AVm. Henry Oakcnfall, who it is alleged broko tho conditions upon whicli lie was recently released for theft, will ho set forward for sentence at the Supreme Court. It is cxpccted that tho Penguin appeal caso will bo heard towards the end of the week. Tho Marino Department wished to appoint Captain Furneaux, harbour-master, Westport, as one of tho nautical assessors, but the hoard cannot spare him. The body of tho lato Mr. H. J. Underwood, which was washed ashoro from tho Penguin wreck on Sunday, wsa brought in to town yesterday. Dr. M'Arthur, coroner, viowod tho body at Porinia, and fixed tho date of tho inquest for Friday, March 26. Tho policy speech in which tho Prime Minister will deal with tho financial position of tho Dominion, and explain tho important changes which aro to bo inado in the organisation of certain Government Departments, will probably bo delivered in Wellington. As for tlio dato nothing can bo said at present, except that it will be as soon after tho eloso of the financial year (March 31) as can bo conveniently arranged. Tlio feverish hasto with which tho Victorian I'os.fc Office rushes through its business is shown by tlio following incident. D. Rcddan, tobacconist, of Smith Street, Fitzroy (Vic.), recently received a postcard, which was posted to him in January, 1905, and bears tho cancellation mark of the G.P.O. "4.30 a.m., 20.1. ! 05." Roddan's shop is only about a milo from the G.P.0., and tlio postcard lias taken four years aaid one month to covet the distance. Tho erection of the concroto walls for tho extension of tho To Aro baths has been completed by the contractor, Mr. Pulley, and now tho swimming space is enlarged by a distance of 80 feet from the old timber wall, thus practically doubling tho area of each bath. The contractor has also had to drive all the piles in readiness for additional dressing rooms, diving platforms, and caretaker's quarters, which may bo carried out uext summer. Tho fina) inspection ol tho completed work was made yesterday afternoon. Authorities quoted in Court aro not usually humorous. A flash of wit, however, lit tho drab proceedings of tho Magistrate's Court yesterday morniug. "Your Worship," said counsel, who was ongaged on a caso about a jibbing horse, "Mr. Justice Denniston has made use of quotations from 'Gulliver's Travels,' therefore I think I am justified in quoting Artemus Ward, where ho says that 'a pious man who can drivo a jibbing horse for ton milos and not be put back years in his religion is ripo ouougli for a better world." At a meeting of Cabinet yesterday afternoon tenders were accepted for tho supply of nativo coal oil tho railways as follow: — Whangarei section, Hikurangi Coal Company; Auckland section, Taupiri Coal Company; Dunedin district, New Zealand Coil and Oil Company, Limited; Southland district, Nightcaps Coal Company. Tho lowest tondors wore accepted for the supply of explosives for uso on tho railways, viz., Briscoe, Dunedin and Invorcargill; Bannatyno and Co., Wellington. The lowest tenders woro also accepted for tho supply of limo and cement to tho Railway Department. Captain H. S. Blackburue, Nautical Adviser to tho New Zealand Government, who somo timo ago worked out somo new nautical tables, has received a • number of letters from all parts of tho world congratulating . him on, ' and thanking him. for, his valuable work. Included in tho list of congratulatory letters Captain Blackburue has received aro some from authors of nautical works and authorities on the question, masters of vessels, and admirals, while the leading shipping papers of tlio world make reference to tho usefulness of his ■ new tables, which have been tested and found to bo more complete than anything previously published. Misapprehension seems to exist as to the position of the Town Clerk (Mr. J. It. Palmer) with referenco to Sunday concerts. On Sunday evening the llev. J. J. North stated that "this week tho ladies of the comic opera had been licensed by tho Town Clerk to sing for money." Mr. Palmor points out that ho does not liconso anyone to sing, but merely scrutinises the programmes for all concerts in the Town Hall, in order to satisfy himself-that they do not oontain anything objectionable. Ho adds that Mr. Tom Pollard called on him and stated that the ladies on this occasion gave their services gratis to the Wellington Professional Orchestra. Tho latter also dorivo no pecuniary benefit from the concert, as the proceeds go towards the orchestral library. A fine Russian borzoi, or wolf-hound, was brought out for Mr. I'. W. Arthur, of the Newtown "Zoo," by the Corinthic yesterday. Tho animal, which is described as ono of the finest of her class, stands S9']in. high at the shoulders, and is covered in long white hair. She was well looked after on the voyage out, and consequently appears none tho worse for tho trip. Named Vida 11, she was bred from Vida I, which originally came out of the Czar of .Russia's kennels at Moscow, and was tho winner of three gold medals and 21 first prizes at the principal European shows. Though the voyage has been completed tho animal will have to bo quarantined for four and a half months on Quail Island beforo being allowed to come to the mainland. The borzoi is the favourito dog of Queen Alexandra. It appears to tho uninitiated a vory shorts sighted policy on tho part of tho shipping companies to maintain their passenger fares between New Plymouth and Onebungn at the old rates, and see tho traffic driven to tho Main Trunk railway (says the "Taranaki Horald"). Even if the fares were reasonable, which they aro not, ono would havo thought that tho companies would mako an effort to retain a trado which must havo been a source of great profit. Tho Northern Company, it is understood, is willing to reduce, out tho Union Company, with which there is a working agreement, declines. As a consequenco, tho'steamers aro running with many empty berths. Perhaps there is somo connection between the Vancouver routo negotiations passing between the Union Company and the Government, and tho company's avoidanco of keen competition with tho Main Trunk railway. A meeting of Harbour Board and Corporation lessees will be held shortly, with tho object of taking steps to secure tho passage of legislation amending tho Trustee Act, so as to enable advnnces to bo made by trustees on tho security of theso leases. Tlio'Advances to Sottlers Office, said a gentleman interested to a Dominion reporter, already had this power. It is understood that the. Harbour Board and tho City Council, tho landlords of these endowments, aro favourable to tho proposal. The city and suburban members of Parliament aro being askod to assist the movement, and tho Hospital Trustees aro being invited to co-operate. Tlio conveners of tho mooting are: Messrs. F. G. Bolton, J. P. Luke, M.P., and A. D. Kennedy. Tho mattor is of importance to tho mercantile community of Wellington and Auckland, as so many valuable endowments in each city aro in tho heart of tho business contro. It is stated that there are nearly 200 lessees of land from tiro Harbour Board, City Council, and Hospital Trustees. Teas grown in different localities havo different characteristics, and even the tea from any particular garden is not the samo in two successive seasons.. Climatic changes, differences of soil, oxerciso influences, and it is in the art of tho tea blender to bring together tho different teas and by combination to nroduco a particular ilavour. Crescent Blend Tea is a clioico combination of Ceylon and Indian Teas, and tho flavour never varies. All storekeepers, 2s. per lb.