LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 494, 29 April 1909, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Tho annual mooting of tlio New Zealand Ladies' Hockey Association will be held in Batkin'a Rooms thjs evening, ' Mr. L. F. Ayson, Chief Inspector of, Fisheries, left for Hakataramea yosterday to superintend, the collection of quinnat salmon ova. The nsh. are.reported to bo "running up";,in largo numbers. Tho following dates have been fixed for the annual meoting of tho licensing committees of the city and suburbs: City, June 2; Wellington South, Juno 4; Suburbs, Juno 1; Hutt, itono 7. Tho Telegraph Office notifies that on and after May-1 the charge to Chili, Bolivia, and Peru, via Eastern and _ Madeira, or via' Eastern and North Atlantic, will be tho samp as for Argentine; namely, 6s. 4d. and, 7s. 2d. ppr word for; the respective routes. Tho conference of tho Railway Officers' Institute, ;at prosont sitting in Wellington, passed a resolution yesterday affirming that a certain newspaper paragraph regarding tho eighth annual .'report was incorrect, and did not emanate from the conference.'. Tho paragraph referred to did not appear ih The DoMiNiprr, A correspondent, from up the Main Trunk line, asks,why the carriages on the passenger trains between Palmerston North and Woodvillo, and back -again, should remain unlighted/in the day time, when travelling through the tunnels. Tho writer-'states that tho practice of forcing, passengers to ride through tunnels .in pitch darkness is uncqml'ortablo, perhaps dangerous, and should be; discontinued. ■■ .- -.-i, .-.'•' Oil' Sunday evening the congregation of tho Papauui Methodist 'Church had an unusual experionco (states ■'■• the .'(Lyttelton 'Jlmes''). As tho first lesson was about'to be read, the gas supply suddenly failed, and cyclo lamps and candles were brought into requisition until kerosene: lamps were procured.:' As; it. was the .occasion of the church anniversary, special music was reni dere'd, and the choir had to sing'two anthems by candle-light. ,: •■'."! ■ During the' past holiday period Rotorua has been visited by a greater number of tourists than in any.previous seaspn (write? tho "Herald's" correspondent. A large number are still in the town, and indications. point/ to the number of winter visitors being considerably above normal. Tradesmen generally, however,, are complaining of slack business, and it would appear that,. although visitors have boon numerous, their spending capacity has been small. Tho many entertainments that, have lately, been hold at,Rotorua have l#en well patronised,- ■ •' >••■" . A tribute to Australian workmen was paid at the Arbitration Court in Auckland 'by Mr. James Gardiner, who gave evidence on behalf of the Mastor Bakers' Association (says the "Herald"). He had stated that he did not think it was possible for an eighthour day to apply to bakors In New Zealand. Ho was reminded that the.bakers in Australia worked an eight-hour day .""Yes," he. replied, .'*but thoy do twice the work." "Aro they smarter men?" asked Mr. VeaJe, the representative of the.union. ' ''I am not going to say anything about that; I merely stato facts, ■ was the reply. "Did you not say that you would give £4 a week to a competent foreman?" "I did, and the job is still waitiug for. a ; good man," replied tho witness. . ,- ' .-,;'• Owing to Blackness of employment, a number ■. of the employees at the . Government Printing Office have been' temporarily discharged, or,put oh half-time. Some, who are members, of the permanent staff, and are _. now on haU'-time, have expressed dissatisfaction,, in yiew of the,fact that some of the casual employees are kept fully employed. The offioial reply is "to the effect that the half-time permanent men are all single, while the fully employed casual hands are all married. This does not satisfy the /half-timers, who point'out that they have.to pay money into tho Publio Sorvicp Superannuation Fund on a full-time, basis. They intend .to ask the Minister in charge to havo the matter inquired into. It is stated that in-tho machinery division alono about a dozen men are on reduced time. In addition to the .improvements which are bejng niade in the main part of what is now Parliament House, and tho erection of a new Chamber for the' Legislative Council, a good deal of repairing work is being done in the library wing.: "Eighteen rooms, upstairs and down| near the front of tho building, are being restored to something liko their condition before' the' fire, and' in ono or two cases the disappearance of the' burnt part of the building,will onabjo the lighting arrangements to be. improved. It is possible that. still further accommodation will be provided,by renovating and altering other portions of the building towards tho rear. Altogether Parliament may eventually havo upwards of 30 rponi3 for sessbnal business iu the remain's of its old homo. Last sosion tho accommodation for Ministers and their secretaries was in some parts rather crowded and inconvenient; and one Minister had no. office in. the building. The number of Ministers - has since been increased, but the alterations now being made will probably allow eacli of. them to have ample and fairly convenient offices close to IJio Legislative Chambers. : ~ _ It is seldom that the reports, of the'Eng-' lish examiners of the papers that aro set for the degree examinations of the Zealand University-obtain publicity in Dominion, Apparently copica of the reports aro forwarded to tho Professorial Boards of the, affiliated institutions, and there.is tho end of them. The "Otago Daily Times," has, however, had the opportunity of perusing the report of .tho examiner last year on Constitutional History, It speaks- in terms of general commendation of the work of tho candidates. The questions, the examiner says, wore of a soarching character and covered a wide field, and he expresses the opinion that tho TJnivorsity is to he congratulated on tho results, as regards both tho honours paper and tho pass paper. The work s|iowcd, ho asserts, a considerable amount of knowledge, acquired through sound; and careful teaching and wido reading among tho best and most up-to-date text'books.' "I framed several'questions," tho examiner says, "to test not merely where their knowledge had been acquired, but whether it had been assimilated and could bo applied. The results in this respect were very satisfactory. Tho answers for tho most part showed thoughtfulness, and proved that the candidates' had obtained a grip both of principles and of facts, so as to mako thorn part of their intellectual equipmont. Tho candidates show more thaii usual independence of thought and capacity to form well-grounded opinions of their own. They havo acquired good methods as well as much sound learning." Teas grown in different localities have different characteristics, and oven the tea from any particular garden is i not; the 6nme in two successive seasons.- Climatic ckniißes, differences of soil, exercise influences, and it is in the art of tho tea blcndor to bring together the different teas and,,,by combination to produce a particular flavour. Crescent Blend 'Jen is a choice combination of Ceylon and Indian Teas, and tho flavour- uovor varies. All storekeepers, 2s. per lb. .