LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 588, 17 August 1909, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The'postal authorities advise that the Mooroki,which left Sydney on Saturday.for Wellington, has on board an Australian mail, which, is duo hero to-morrow morning. It is hoped to,bo able to make a start witlr tho I/roll Bay tramway track early next week, probably, on Monday. " .

Tho Ekctahuna loan proposal to borrow an additional £2300 to complete the electric light Installation .was' carried ' yesterday by 110 votes.to 20.. ;■• ; ''; "';"■••■'' ; .

A special meeting of the. Presbytery will be held this'evening to deal with the ''call" to itho Rev. B. Hut son to Brooklyn. It is hoped that a settlement of the charge will be-arrived at by September.. ■ \

"i At the Garrison Hall last evening, Lieutenant Chappie' : (Wellington' Engineers) and Lieutenant Hulbert (district staff instructor, signalling duties) lectured to a fair, attendance 'of. the.'garrison signallers, the subjects respectively being:'" Field Telegraphy: Its Relation to Army Signalling,"- and "The Heliograph."

.The diminished volume of tram traffic, oh Sunday evenings prompted tho tramway on-' gineer. to recommend a few weeks ago that the services on all routes with tho exception of Newtown and Walloco Street, which have ten aiid fifteen minutes' sorvicos respectively, bo reduced after tSJO p.m. to a Uyenty minutos' service for the rest of the winter, tor until the traffic improves. The recommendation Was agreed to, and has now come into force. ••■■'" ■'■..■■' ~ ■-.

:Tho Trades Council has decided to takeanother floor, of. the building it now occupies', with tho hope that the various trades unions in the city will all be brought under tho'ono roof. Already . the- . Drivers', General .Labourers', and Cooks' and Waiters' .Unions have decided to rtiovo to tho council building, and will shift-their quarters this week, if the Wharf. Labourers and the Seamen's Unions come in, practically the whole of the unions will bo housed together.

; At.tho Mount Cobk Police Court yesterday morning, before*' Mr. Horace Baker, J. P., Robert Anderson, charged with insobriety, was fined 10s., in default 48 hours' imprisonment. William Hedges and Arthur Scott, each charged with being drunk, ■- were lined 205., in' default seven ■days'-- imprisonment, Two first offenders for drunkenness wore convicted and discharged. Two others wero each fined 55., in default 24 hours. One .first offender, on bail, who failed to appear, was fined 10s., in default 48 hours.

.Tho.whole of the arrangements in connection with tho Labour Day celebrations arc to'bo under the direct control of tiie Trades Council this yenr. Very little has been iiono 63 far, but a meeting of delegates from various organisations, including those not affiliated to , .the Trades Council, is to bo hold this week to consider details. The .Labour Day. procession was once a'feature of the day in Wellington, but of late years it has been .dropped. It is possible that an effort will be rnado to' revive the procession this year. ' . ' .

Although the City Council has been,anxious for the.last three months'to connnonco work' on the , now tram shelter shed opposite the .Hotel-Cecil, and has been in negotiation with the Government to this end, the necessary permit lias not yet been-issued. 'I do. not ki)ow whether it is the usual red tape or other reasons, but wp liavo been unablo to got permission to go on with tho work,' , remarked an officer.of the City Council to u ropressntative of The Dominion. Ho added: "It is difficult, to .soe ivhy. so. groat n CDnvonionco to tho public should not bo granted without, delay." As soon as matters have been arranged between the council and tho Government the work will proceed at once.. '' .

Apropos of the purchase of a Rcimiera property, at Auckland, by tho Sisters of tho Sacrod Heart,, for the. sum of £12,000, tho "Herald" understands that the Order of Fionch nuns in question takes possession on January 10 next. In tho meantimo plans aro being prepared for the extension of tho property to suit the' purposes of tho new oonvoiit. The order is a very wealthy one, despite the fact that the wholo of its house and landed property was confiscated by tho State in France, tho members being, in many instaaices, daughters of some of the richest families in . Europe. The funds ajo _ tho ladies' own ; private property, or "dowries." This money, diverted from ; FraJiee ; is being distributed over various portions of tho globe, as tho sisterhood sets up new homes. A Urgo portion of it, estimated to run into close upon £100,000,- seems likely to find its way into Now Zealand. Already thoro aro convent high schools belonging to the Order at Wollinston and Tiraa.ru, and though the Auckland "establishment may be tho last for some time, doubtless in the future there will bo similar institution* started in other uouti'ua. ' . ' ,

A sitting in Chambers will be presided over by his Honour Mr Justice Cooper at 10.30 ly.m. to-day. His Honour Mr. Justice Chapman will take- the criminal sessions.

The eovonth annual dinner under the auspices of.the Letter-carriers' Association will bo held at.tho Druids' Hall on , Friday, Aug. ust 20. Among tho visitors will bo the Hoii. Dr. l'mdlay, Aetin«-Postmastei-Goneral, and tho various heads of tho Postal Departments.

No dnto has boon definitely' fixed for Iho animal conference of trades and labour councils, which was adjourned owing to 'ho short session of Parliament, but it is probuble that tho conference- will bo held towards Hio end of October. The agenda paper has been prepared, and submitted to the various trades councils, and it ia understood that it will bo discussed; by the local council at Thursday's meeting.

Several of the southern newspapers contain n paragraph to tilts effect that tho" Hon. D. 'Buddo has already expressed hie willingness to establish bacteriological stations in each' of tho four principal oities of tho Dominion. In regard to this matter, Mr. Jiuuuo states that what he did stty was that ho wis prepared to assist Otago University to obtain the services of a professor of bacteriology and pathology if possible. There was no intention of altering the present. system of carrying out bacteriological investigations. It was, however, proposed, that tho duties of the various district health;officers should.bo arranged, so that benefit might be obtained from special knowledge which they may possess. ■,'..■ ■

The crematorium at the Karori comotery is now practically ready for use. and when tho necessary orders for the regulations have received the Government's approval—which is expected in the coiirso of a few days—the crematorium will bo ready to do its work. The matter of -regulations for tho cremating of bodies is a serious ono, and following the experience of older countries, the City Council trill adopt 'the regulations in .force at tho crematorium at Woking and other places in England.- Stringent regulations in. reference to medical certificates are necessary to guard against .cases where, poisons may have been used, as onto a body is cremated there' is no possibility of discovering whetber the person haa been poisoned, as the poispa traces evaporate under the great heat. ■