LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 495, 30 April 1909, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A copy of the Midwives' Register appears in last night's Gazette. ■■.'■'. . - ■ Some alteration's to the . scale of farce' rates, and charges on the railways are gazetted. .-. ; " ■"■';.• :■'_'■ It is expected that the new school ii Western Petono will bo ready for occupation in about a month or six weeks' timo. . The taking or killing of .the paradise dud for one year, from April 25, 1909, isprohib rtod. by notification, in the 'Gazette. Th< Otago and Southland Acclimatisation Dis tncts are partially exempted.. THo postal authorities advise tihat ttii Wimmora, which' left, Sydney for Auckkuu on _ Wednesday, has on Wrd an Australia! mail only,' which is expected to -reach, Wei lington on; Monday afternoon, next. Following upon a telegram received fron the- Dunedin centre of; the New .Zealand A.A.A; asking the Wellington delegates tc fix the time and place for a meeting of th< newly-constituted executive, a meeting of the committee will ; ;bo held in' Wellington or Monday next.-. ■-' Thoro was a'fairly large attendance at tbi Kent Terrace .Presbyterian schoolroom las night, when tho Rev. J., Gibson Smith de livored an interesting' lecture, entitled ' 'Ho . bert Louis Stevenson," under the auspice! of tho Ladies' Reading Club. The lecture: described the, nobility arid .charm of ; th< works of Stevenson, which were, he claimed superior, to./those of any author of. the pre sent day for'excellence, of diction.- His re marks were listened' to ;with keen attention and at the close'he was accorded a heartj vote : ; ..." -.■'.'■■- :.■'",'' .'V-.-A The Wellington Harbour Board as com' pared with many other local governing bodioi is not : at all well provided with land for;en-dowments;-'lt has, however, oris valnabk block in Featherston Street; occupied by th< promises of,the. New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Co.; Ltd. This present lease .'to; th< company expires' in January next, 1 and th( board then has the option of acquiring th( building at a valuation or again leasing thx property to the company for fourteen yean at' a' rental to bb determined by valuation The board has decided,to take the lattei course, and has appointed Mri-.W."M-. Muii to act as valuer.!' ;Mr. Jamciyßussell:wil act in a similar capacity for tHe Loan- anc Mercantilo Company. .'.;•.:''';■. On Friday, last there appeared 'in;Tm Dominion, an account of some", trouble whicl was reported to have occurred in tho ranki of the Johnsonvillo Rifles, witt; cor tain, refer onces to No.''2 tent .at-the Easter. Voluntee; camp at jpringi. -: The reports'|wero obtainet by oiir representative as the. result of in quiries, from reliable persons, including '• tin officer who was stated to have asked thi men of No. 2'tent to perform a certain duty A correspondent, - writing under date Apri 26, now contradicts the, statement--) made ir tho report in. question, asserting .that he car bring evidence which in his opinion will re futo the allegations made concerning tb< occupants of No, 2 tent during the.'-recent Volunteer Camp at Oringi.''.". Tho cominissibriors for'the'Sinking Fundi (of; tho; 'Wellington Harbour Board;''(MessrJ H. H.. JNicholls, and 1). T. Stuart), reporting' at yesterday's meeting of the board or the half-year, .ending March 31, stated 'thai the funds were in- a most satisfactory'state The amount in hand. totalled £101,903, th< sum of £4635 having been added 'to ~th< funds during the half-year. The' averag< rate of interest earned during the same per iod was'£4 10s. Bd.- per cent'.,', as againsl an average of .£4 ] os. sd. per cent, during the.; previous .half-year. .The chairman (Mr T. M. Wiiford, M.P.),' in.congratulating th< members on the position disclosed by th< report, made special .reference; to the fact that the funds' were so-invested by'the commissioners as to,\avoid-any loss on fundi awaiting ; -investment-. '■'~■ ■ ■-■' : In connection with • the reorganisation ol the Agricultural Department, it is anticipatec that the Editor of .Publications, ijr. • G Bisset, who, practically constitutes. t division all to himself, will be attached 1 U the head ofDoo staff, and that besides continuing ,to edit the -Departmental .report! and'bulletins, ho will take over most of th( work of the small Department of Industrie; and Commerce, which is to bo absorbed' bj the. Department of Agriculture. Should this arrangement bo made,, Mr. Bissot's .noi\ duties will consist mainly of obtaining trad< reports from oversea aaid disseminating th< information tJioy- contain a3 advantagcouslj as possible.' These duties .were;■ onginallj carried out by the Agricultural Department and it is freely assorted that the interests oi tho producers would havo been served at loiwi as well if the former state of affairs had beer allowed, to continue.. Mr. Bisset, who wtl thusbecoriie, a sort of agricultural arid markei intelligence officer, was for many years agri cultural editor of. the "Canterbury Times;' Tho unusual position of a'solicitor in : th< witness-box to. show ' oauso. why an ordei should ; not be made against him on a judg ment,summons, was seen at tho S.M. Courl yesterday'morning. .Under cross-examinatioi debtor stated that since' Soptember last h( had only' earned: enough , to pay wages anc rent. His expenses were;£lo a week, anc his receipts about £5. He hod. had an'over draft at the bank. He, however, hold ' i number of mortgages (mostly second mort gages), but he had not been paid any interest; on.;them for the past' six months. On< man owed,him £6000. Interest.duo to hin on.his assets, amounted to, about, £300: oi £400.' Thero were no rents ; coming in;. ni the mortgagee was in possession in , some cases, and in the other cases the lands were not built on. A statement of assets produced showed a surplus of £10,000 oi £12,000. Tho .'assets, however, were noi bringing in a penny, and could not bo realisod on. The assets, : in debtor's ' opinion wanted nursing. It might bo.possible to effect a sale at any time, but until a sale was made no offer could ,be made to pay tli( debt.. i Dobtor had no doubt that if no kepi the securities going .ho could soil privately Ho was quite; frilling to file if his creditors wished ,it, or ho'was. willing'to, assign hi: estate He had no furniture, and was at present living _with his ;mother-in-law. ; H< believed that; his landlord had a security ovei the contents of his offioo. His Worshif would not make an order; :. ~ Teas grown in different localities have, different characteristics, and even the.tea from anj particular garden is not the same in two successive seasons. Climatic.'changes,.differences of soil, exercise -influerices, andl it is in the nrt of the tea blender;"to bring together the different tea 6 and by combination to produce a particular flavour; -Crescent Blend Tea is o choice combination of Ceylon and,lndian Teas, and tho flavour never varies. All storekeepers, 2s. per lb. ';.-..'."■- Wo havo received a copy of Cleavo's Auckland . Provincial Directory ■ for 1909. . It comprises maps of, tho'' oily and suburbs ; of Auckland, Thames, and Glsborne.jh city arid suburban -' directory, country: directorj ; , and general alphabetical directory of names, addresses, und occupations, together with .directories of trades, municipalities, arid.- comitiis, societies, educational and • ecclesiastical bodies and establishments, the judiciary, Government Departments ,etc. Tho volume is wi)U arranged nnd indexed, making reference ctti'y, and the miscellaneous information given in! addition to the directories, proper, is alike cooiprohensivc nnd valuable. This is tho twenty-fn>l fejr'a ssue of the directory, and' a good deal of use fnl matter is included, which was not found in previous editions. . Onslow Borough election results are officially notified by .advertisement.