LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 481, 14 April 1909, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The postal authorities advise that the Warrimoo, which left Sydney on ■ Saturday for Wellington, lias on board an Australian mail; which is due hero this morning. The tender of Messrs. Sargood, So'?, and Ewen, Ltd., for the supply of clothing for the boys on the training-ship Amokura, has boon accepted by Cabiuet. First aid classes in connection with the St. John Ambulance Society 'will bo commenced next week. Arrangements are now being mado by tho secretary, Mr. J. D. Avery. Sergeant Ru'tlcdge and Detective Abbott arrested a man yesterday afternoon on a charge of stealing a gold pin, valued at £5. Tho accused will appear beforo tho Court to-day. At tho Mount Cook Police Court yesterday, before Mr. Thomas Bland, J.P., three first offenders were convicted and discharged. Another first offender, on bail, was fined 10s., in default 48 hours' imprisonment. Yesterday's meeting of the Benevolent Trustees was attended by Messrs. J. Smith (in tho chair). W. J. Wakeham, and D. Robertson. The number of inmates at tho Ohiro Homo was reported to be the samo as last week, viz., 108 (79 males and 29 fomalos). . Four recently-arrived immigrants seem to havo reached tho bottom of their purses early. Last week thoy applied for aid to the Benovclent Trustees, and lodgings with tho Salvation Army were necessary to sco them over tho holidays. A notice in this week's Gazette fixes the hour of closing for drapers, clothiers, and mercers in Wellington. On Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday tho shops aro to close at 9 p.m., and 10.30 p.m. on "Saturdays. Notice is given by the Registrar of Industrial Unions (Mr. Ed. Tregear) of • his intention six weeks hence to cancel ilio registration of the Coal Creek State Mine.lndustrial Union of Workers. The membcrvhip is set down at 551 A notico appears in this week's Gazette cancelling the conditions as to widening tho Botanical Gardens Road, Wellington, imposed by an Order-in-Council which provided that "tho road shall bo widened to a width of forty feat." "You can easily get work if you are willing to take tho first job that offers," remarked a member of tho Benevolent Trustees to rather young man who was applying for.aid. "It is no use your going down clown to the wharf," ho continued; "that's a lazy man's job. They just stand round and smoko and talk." Tho applicant had come t>ver from Australia, obviously with the intention of having a good look at the country. His "look at tho country" eventually included a look into the hoard-room of tho Benevolent Trustees in quest of charitable aid. The trustees granted him an order for bed and breakfast at the Army Home-. Tho soldier's return is not always as romantic as tho song makes out. A volunteer, who arrived in town by tho 11.50 train on Monday evening, mado his way to the boardmghouse whore ho was stopping, but on knocking at tho door, the porter, who did not seem to recogniso him, would not admit him, and said that if ho did not go away he would inform tho police. In reply the soldier poked the porter heavily with the butt of his riile, and bumped him on tho lloor. At this tho porter set off down the street for a policeman, and the soldier, not waiting for the enemy to return in force, vanished, to look for bed and board elsewhere.

A conference of delegates from unions composing the Tailorcsses' and other Clothing Trades' Federation was opened in Wellington yesterday for the jpurposo of revising tlic award which has expired after having been in operation for two years. The Hour J. T. Paul, .M.L.C., president of the federation, was in the chair, and Mr. Slater (representing the Dunedin pressors), and Mr. J\ F. Darcy (Cliristchureh) .were also present. One proposal put forward "was to include the cutters and trimmers, who have not hitherto been under any award. On Thursday a conference between representatives of "the federation and the Clothing Manufacturers' Association will be hold. Mr. ]tally, Conciliation Commissioner, will preside. A Botorua tolegram reports a Maori meeting of farewell to Mr. T. E. Donne, held at Ohinemutu (Kotorua) yesterday afternoon. Speeches were made "by Native chiefs and a farewell Maori song was sung. Tho Hon. A. T. Ngata, who presided, said the Dominion was losing a capable officer, as Mr. Donne had made tho Tourist Department what it is. The Dominion and its resources wero not boomed- enough, but Mr. Donne had been a splendid boomer. Mr. Donne was then presented with Maori mats and a tiki. In his response, lie said ho had boon the official father of tho Natives during tho last eight years, and to say ho loved and re-' spected them was no mero figure of speech. The Maori would always take work and do it well. He paid a tribute to the success of Messrs. Carroll and Ngata, the late 31 r. Hone Hoke, Drs. Buck and J'oniaro, Rev. F. Hennott, and others. The Tourist Department stall' at Rotorua gave a "social" to Mr. Donno on Monday evening, lie was to have boon presented last evening with an illuminated address at a concert in the new Kotorua bath-house. Teas grown in different localities have different characteristics, and even tho tea from any particular garden is not the same in two successive- seasons. Climatic changes, differences of soil, exercise influences, and it is in tho art of tho tea blender to briiiß together tho different leas and by combination to produce a particular flavour. Crescent Blend Tea is a choice, combination of Ceylon and Indian Teas, and tho flavour nover varies. All storekeepers, 2s. per lb.

The Government offices will bo closed on April 23, St. George's Day.

/ Tho Eltham Comity Council has declared winged thistle to bo a noxious weed under tho Act. Gorso has been similarly banned by tho Southland County Council. Money orders and postal correspondence aro forbidden (by Gazette notice) to bo sent to tho J. \V. Kidd Company, Fort Wayne, Indiana, U.S.A. Part of tho River Avon, in Cliristcliurch, lias been reserved as a sanctuary for imported and nativo game. Its probable reservation, previously mentioned, is now gazetted. Mails which left Wellington on March 5, per Marama, and connected with the Naples mail (R..M.S. Ortona) at Sydney, arrived in London on Monday morning last—one day late. A notice appears in yostorday's Gazette ant!: prising tho Auckland Harbour Board to reclaim certain land in connection with the construction of an embankment and roadway at O'Noil's Point.

A red-letter day in the history of Nelson as a shipping port will take place shortly, when the Rakaia, of the New Zealand Shipping Company's fleet, will visit there for Homeward loading purposes. She is expected to leave Lytlclton on Saturday for Nelson. Tho new Nativo school, which is being erected by the l'orirua Trustees at Otaki. is now Hearing completion. It is expected that tho work will bo finished in June, several weeks in advanco of tho contract time. The buildings consist of a schoolroom to scat 100 pupils and a bouso for 20 boarders, with rooms for tho principal. The trustees, as will be seen in tho advertising columns, are now advertising for a principal to tako up duties at tho beginning of August. R-ogarding tho damage to tho new dam at Wainui-o-mata, caused by the overflowing of tho Waimii Stream, it appears that tho principal injury sustained was that about seventy feet" of fluming, erected for the purpose of diverting tho stream during tho progress of operations; was swept away, but repairs aro being effected as quickly as possible. The damage is not serious, as nothing in tho nature of permanent work has been commenced yet. Excavation, to mako room for tlio concrete wall, is now being commenced.

A cablegram in yesterday's issue states people waited seven hours to gain admission to tho first performance in Sydney of "An Englishman's Home." Wellington has not got that far in its anxiety to secure good seats at theatrical performances, but " The' Merry Widow" is exercising a strange fascination over playgoers. At 6 o'clock last evening quite a crowd of people were waiting for the doors to open, and at G. 30 p.m. a little knot of ladies in evening dress had already taken up their stand outside the stalls entrance. Needless to say, when tho curtain rose there wcro more people in the house tlmii seats could bo found for, and the performance gave the maximum amount of pleasure that one can find in the scope of lighter opera. It will bo remembered that a little time ago there was great trouble at the Home of Compassion at Island Bay, because the spring which supplied tho reservoir suddenly failed, and at a timo when there was a great deal of sickness at the homo water had to bo carted there. Mother Mary, who had heard of the Rov.,H. Mason's wonderful skill as a water-finder, wa.s very anxious that he should try to locate the springs, which she felt sure were somewhere near the homo, and a message was sent to Mr.' Mason at his Auckland home, urging him to come down. Several days ago ho visited the home, and was entirely successful, being able to locate springs in no fewer than five places. A drill is to be put down near one of these.' and it is expected that enough water will he obtained to keep tho reservoir filled, In reference to the proposal to alter tho boundaries of tho Lcwer Hutt and Petone boroughs, a notice appears in this week's Gazette calling on all affected parties to lodge any written objections to, or petitions against, the proposed alteration within one month from tho publication of tho notice, which, by tho way, bears the date April 8, though only received yesterday. Tho reference is to a strip of land (three-quarters of an aero) proposed to bo taken by the Petone Borough from tho Hutt. It is described as: "All that area in the Wellington Land District, bong part of allotment No. 26 of Section No. 10, Block XIII, Belmont Survey District, bounded towards the north-west by tho Wel-lington-Mastorton Railway Reserve, towards tho north-cast by Everest's Road, towards tho south-east by the Hutt Road, and towards tho south by,tho present boundary between tho borough of Lower. Hutt and Petone."

According to tho current Gazette, i'.99 inches of rain fell in Yt'ellington during March, of which 2.30 iiiclios foil on March 13 and .13. The maximum toinporaturo 'in the shade was 74.S degrees Fall,, recorded on March i and 5, and tho minimum -17.2, recorded on March 25. Tho greatest rainfall for the colony during last month was 10.53, recorded at Lako Tutiri. Tho outstanding feature in a meteorological record was the storm in which tho s.s. Ponauin was unfortunately wrecked near Capo I'orawhiti on Friday night, February 12. A cyclonic disturbance of unusual magnitude made its appcaraneo off East Capo, and impinged upon an anticyclouic area then developing over the South Island. A hard S.E. gale swept up tho oast eoa-.t and through Cook Strait, with thick wcatlior as far as Taranaki. The mingling of tho wa.-m vapour-laden atmosphere of the cyclone with the cooler anlicyclonic breezes caused the rain to come on as a thick mist, which developed into a continuous and cold rain, which was particularly heavy in tho Ilawkc's Bay district.

The now Unitarian Church in Ingestro Street, which has practically been completed, will lie formally opened on Sunday. The building occupies a convenient site 101 ft. by 39ft. in" dimensions, and presents an attractive appearance. The body is of red brick, relieved by buff brick facings. The feature of the building is tbc main entrance, which is constructed of specially pressed bricks. The vestibule is marble-floored for a distance of about twelve feet, and it is flanked by the minister's vestry and a cloakroom. The nave, which is entered through a series of gothic arches, measures 30 feet in width by 07 feet in length, and should thus provide accommodation for a long time to come. The floor is raised at the rear, and gradually falls towards tho front pews. The ceiling of the nave is barrel-shaped, and its acoustic properties are described as first-class. All'the windows arc beautifully glazed with leadlights. Electric light is provided throughout. The design is now to the Dominion, and it has been suggos'tod to the architect, Mr. J. Bonnie, that it should be employed in the construction of similar churches in other centres.