LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 613, 16 September 1909, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

■" 9—; • ' Soma curious scenes {says our iWin corre spondent) wore witnwsed' yesterday amongs: the local-school children, .who-had seemed t< hsvo been seized with the idea that the work was oommg to an end at 11.80 a.m. Not i few were very much frightened, and sovcra parents had to uso a good deal of persuasion tc get them to go to school. As one little fellon put it: We might as well have a holiday ioi the last day! . "It takes-a good man to stand Wellington,' l said Sergeant Dale at the l'olico Commission yesterday. Ho was referring to "sectional duty, and ho declared: "If a man can stand Wellington ho can stand any plate," jir Bishop: "Why?" The witness: "There is sc much walking about," Mr. Bishop: "But i< that not so.in any city?" Witness: "It is not so much tho case at Duncdin, because the beat< are closer together. Ours extend from Tinakori Road to MonucrS Street." Mr. Bishop: "A< Idug as the constables don't, go to sleep oil doorsteps, I supposo ifs all right;" (Laughter.) Witness: "Very tow of them do that, sir." Mr. Biakop: "X don't suggest It"

The annual self-denial week of the Salvation Army commonces on Saturday, October J. J? or thrco weeks' previous to this date the . omcers and soldiers canvass throughout tho iu ' continue to. do so till tho end of the self-denial week,, which is atime of spccial abstention on their own part in the interests ot the self-denial fund. The money raised by this means is tho main support of tho Army's social work, tho extent of which throughout the world is illustrated by tho following fig* ures: Corps and outposts, 8224; o(Beers and employees, 21,180; local officers (unpaid), 02,769; bandsmen (unpaid), 20,325; slum posts, 130; I "nr schools, 523; countries and colonies, 54: I publications; 71; weekly and monthly circula- ; toon, 1,100,920; languages Gospel preached in, ' 31; social institutions for the poor, 840; officer? > and employees in charge, 2451; cheap meals tc . the hungry (12 months), 9,867,509; cheap" lodff . ings for tho weary (12 months), 5,702,-416; fallen women through Rescuo Homes (12 months) | CG93; criminals through homes (12 months) ' -A religious' ceremony at tho seashore lieai • 1 urakanui, Duuedin, on Sunday afternoon at . tracted several hundred spectators, some o: , wtorn walked from Port Chalmers to witnes: tho rite. A nomadic revivalist, one of whosi doctrines is that ministers Bhouh * not. receive a salary,* has just concludedw ; mission at Purakanui, and Sunday afternoon' ! ceremony (savs tho-"Star") 'was tho rito o : continuation by immnrsion of somo forty con verts.. Purakanui district is under tho juris diction of tho Port Chalmers Presbyteriai Church. Sunday's proselytes included youth I and girls and elderly men and women. Th i revivalist stood in an inlot from tho sea, wit] the water up to his waist, and a male assist ant brought tho converts from tho shore am Jed them back again after thev had beer , immersed. -.A settlor's house noar at ham . served as a dressing room, and a kindly tea pot imparted fresh inspiration to tho initiated J. here seemed something uncanny in tho per ' formanco when an aged Highlander wade< out and submitted to an innovation that sai 1 lie , had reviewed the faith of his fathers, Th spectators _mostly viewed the proceedings fror J an adjoining bank, but a number of voun i Pif op r" •!? COl " >cs , and flatties,' ltept • closo t , the baptisor, and in a happy moo d seemei ' t° P ]l Joy tho wails of a fair young devote ! who i got slightly hysterical while experience tiie water rite, ftumerous cameras rccorda , the quaint scene.' Whon tho baptising wa over the .assistant tried to address the sppcta tors, but tho younger element hooted him ' and when tho occupant of a llattie started t tuow. water over him with' a capacious'baile ' f n ""ui. r .oratorical display tlio sightseers boiled billies, and in th'fr homes' 1011 «* Wore returning t Hero is an explanation of the moving lijrhts cum-airshrp mratery. It' is said that V youn man, residing between Balclutha and Clinton made a number of largo fare balloons at leas 1 k„„i; „ m height, using.kerosene for th( In I,Til | a „T°' ,r '? r ? , of thciM "0 declare: to,have been dispatched, and as the inflam mablq matter, was arranged so as to last for long period v of time, the air .currents woul carry them over _ a widb extent, of countrj ihis seems a feasible explanation (tho Duncdf irj ,- su Sß es t s ) °f the strange lights re ported to have been seen from ■ timo to tim in tho districts between Milton and Gore. » People who t have not quite forgotten th tribulations of learning to spell,- and peopl who never will or can learn to spell, will b interests in rome remarks that, were mad at the Police Commission yesterday. Mr G i Hogben, Inspector-General of Schools, wa giving evidence, when Mr. Bishop, S.M., Com missioner, told of a constable who could writ and intelligible report on an* 1 subject, but every second word'in the repor would be execrably spelt. It made one ach to read it. Mr. Hogben: "There are som icoplo whose visual sense in relation to thei hearing is weak. I'm afraid I, hold rathe unorthodox views on spelling, although I an Inspdctor-General of Schools. I think: far to .. stress is laid upon accuracy in spelling ■» lhis is not the case In. somo other countries/' 1] fegard to the case mentioned by Mr. Bishop he thought possibly the man did not reai enough, or that the correspondence between hi visual senso and hie senso of hearing wa faulty. Mr. Bishop: "I should think h< doeslit read anything he isn't to.' i 'Tags don't hurt anyone," 'drily 'observe! Air. Graham, chairman of the Victoria Colleg' Council, at its meeting last ovenin'g, when Mr Clias. t Wilson , suggested, in effect, that if th council •took 'funds■ from 'tho -credit balance o the general account for tho purpose pf equip pin? the physical laboratory of tho college, th< Auditor-General might "squeak." Mr: Grahan went on to say that the kelson Harbour Boan had once, or .twico been "tagged" by the Audi tor-General, but after one or two letters ha( jflssed, tho matter had quietly faded into oh fivion. .. r- ,- * • . 'Yesterday was tlio final "sonding-in" day foi .the annual show of the Ivow Zealaud Academi of Fine Arts, to be. opened on Saturday weelc It is satisfactory to learn'that tho Hangini Committee. v.Messrs. H. S. Wardell and M Gore, will have to exercise their ingenuity to ac .commodate all tho exhibits worthy of wall space in tho altogether inadequate little gal lery nvWhitraore Street, a building .so small when its mission is considered, that it un known to a very largo proportion' of the resi dents of this city. It must becomo a duty oi tho. part of tho citizens of Wellington to pro , vide a.much more pretentious structure iti th pear. future. Tho pictures, sent, in oqual, j they do not exceed, thoso of last year, but wjia is better, the quality and'range of artists is i good deal ahead of what has been tho case ii recent years. Tho exhibitors on this otcasioi include Mr. Goldie, of Auckland, whoso'Maor studies, have .earned him'moro than a colonin .reputation. There are font large canvases fron his brush—Maori figuros—which are sure to b accounted a feature of the paintings honoure< by a position "on the line" •Altogether, tlio Victoria College Council ha received, in connection witli the unemployed,re , A wor^fi on \the college grounds, a sum o from the Relief Committee, «£GOi as subsidy from the Government, and .£25 fron the Students' Association. Payments in re of wages, material, etc., • have absorbe< ;iUG7IOs. 7d., leaviug a balance of J6112 9s. 5d •There are due from the. Government two smal amounts totalling «6114 4s. 4-d.,-which will raisi tlio balance to £226 13s. 9d„ against which thori are prospective payments of <£129 10s. 10d. > Mr. Arthur Lynch, tho young man who .wa: » S-ii'" ' 811 unWinsi! iou3 condition' at the; foo of Hill btreet on Tuesday night, was sufficiently recovered: yesterday .aftenioon 'to bo able ti leave the hospital. Ho did 4iot recover, con sciousness until tho morning. h|r injuries wen found amount to some severe scalp wound: and the loss of two teeth. His spectacles als< had been damaged in tho accident or assault Further search'of the spot at which he wai picked up revealed bloodstains on the' foot path, and the bloodstained, works of a watch beijeved to be the injured man's property, were also found. Ihe hands of: the watch indicator that it had stopped at 10.20. Though tlio cir eumstances appear to point to an assault havinr taken place, nothing definite has yet'come t lyht m this regard. , ■!. . ' Tlio third _ annual rciinion. of the Wcllingtor branch, of tho . Napier High School Old Hoys Association was held in the Hotel Wfndsoi last evening, and proved a very successful ani onjoyable function. A large number of " ole boys were pressnt, also Mr. A. S. M. Poison, headmaster of tho-sohool.. Mr. F. D. Thomsor was m the chair. Tho following toasts wen honoured:-' The King," '.'Tho School," "Th ( Old Boys Association," "Tho Ladies," 'T.'ht «m, st Chairman," anc Tho Wellington Press." Musical items were rendered during the evening by Messrs. Blick Girdlestone, Natusch, Bogle,' Forne, Kussell Jennings, Poison, Millier, and- Smith. Th( singing of "Auld Lang Syne" concluded one oi tho most enjoyable reunions of 'the branch. , The report submitted to the District Hospital 'Board yesterday stated that, during August nine pationts were admitted to the Otaki Hos. pital, and ton were discharged. Thcro were now three females and five males receiving treatment., Fivo pationts were admitted to the Consumptive Sanatorium and four discharged. In the latter institution at present seventeen females and ten males are undergoing treatment. For many years past the action of tho Kil. birnio stream at its outlet hos kept the lCilbirnie Recreation Ground in an untidy con dition. An improvement is being effected by culverting the stream for a distanco of's4oft, from tho outflow, with a 4ft. brick and con creto culvert, which is being constructed in a direct lino from Wellington Eoad through tho Recreation Ground to tho head waters of Evans Bay. Good progress is being made with tho completion of tho Happy Valley Road, . which, when finished, will add another exhilarating drive or walking route to Wellington's attractions of this naturo. The ferro-concreto bridge (20ft span), being erected across tho stream at tho foot of tho valley is'almost firiishod, but .there yet remains about five chains of road to form before the bridge is readied. A good deal of the formation is completed higher up but it cannot be finished-off to its full width' until tlio sownrago 'drain is laid. The now septio tank at Island Bay is now in working order, and the sewerage from lierhaiilpore (brought through'lsland Bay, and round the beach road) is being dealt with at the present time. The main sewer at Island Bay is 'completed, nml the street leads are being laid nt tlio present timo by a largo gang of men. As each street is provided with a load, aud tho'houso connections aro made, tho soworago will bo conducted to tho tank and jeudcred iunocuons.

_ Interesting experiments to test the comparative qualities of various species of grass socd are being carried out' by a country schoolmaster (Mr. Wallis, of Ngaturi, Pahiatua disr '•.•o • , has bc ™ Bwpplicd with n quantity Of artificial frumuro bj* tne Wellington Education Board, and lias laid out plots for tho cul- - tivation of no fewer than 40 varieties of eeod. Definite pl ans ] m v o no t j. et ij Con f ormci j f or running a special excursion train over the Main trunk line to Auckland during the summer months. Tho, present opinion is that it I is not probable that hn extra service ivill bo put on oxcept during tho Christinas, . NewYear, and Easter seasons. The matter is still under consideration, and the finol-decision will • probably depend on tho (iim.cnslons of the railway traffic during tho early summer months. The Hawke's Bay Education Board has resolved ; "That, with a viow to tlio classification of teachers on a common basis, this board would like to get tho opinion of other/ boards as to tho advisablenoss of formulating and adopting a common scheme of appointment and promotion of teachers," Sittings of tho Court of Appeal will commence in Wellington on Monday,. October 4. The working of tho Public Servico Board-of rsow South Wales was an object of interest to ; , ?'• YOn .this city, during hia rocont visit to Sydney. Ho was ablo to make inqnirios of an indubitable authorise, who assured him that political influence was on-. : tiroly absent under the board. Tho most that a member •of Parliament could do when solicited to use liis influence to 1 got a man a Government position was to. hand the applicant a printed form of application for employment and. ask him to (ill in tho form for transmission to tho board. Occasionally members of Parliament wrote letters of recommendation to accompany. such applications, but tho letters were thrown at onco into tho woatopaper basket. , Sceptics wcrq not wanting, during tlio phenomenally successful financial campaigns of tho Y.M.C.A.'s in Now Zealand, made two years ago, who predicted thatpromises mado in hasto would, in. many eases, be broken at leisure: But human naturo con rise superior to the sceptics. Mr. 6. Stoning, secretary of the Christchurch Y.M.C.A., in reply to suggos-.' tions that a largo amount of tho money pro- ', i mise4 towards tho building fund had not boon forthcoming,, stated that of tho .£15,400 wo- • miSed, ;C12,G41 13s. 3d. had been paid. Of the' balance, ono subscription of .£IOOO, and another - ' of .£SOO, were not duo yot, as they wore part of donations spread over a definite penod» _Of the .£15,000, less than .£SOO had to bo writ--'ten off as bad and doubtful, which represented not 5 per cent, of the total amount "Although his Honour may differ from mo on this point, you ( must remember what I say, and, after all. gentlemen, your opinion is all' that matters.' —A King's Counsel to a jury at New Plymouth.' While the Supreme Court at New Plymouth was in a rather light-hearted, mood, a smiling young man from the country was callod us a witness. Ho endeavoured to climb into tha dock instead of the witness-box, calling forth the remark from Mr. Eaumo, "Havdyou over beon there before?" "No," replied the yobtb, with a grin. "Have you over been a.it'itnesa beforer ."No." • "Well," laughingly inter- . : jected lus Honour, "thats nothiiig against' his ' character, is it?"—"Taranaki Horald." There was an attendance of twenty-five at a meeting of.the nowly-formed Te Hiwi Bowling . Club held in the Grand Hotel lost evening. Mr, E. J. Hill ocoupied tho chair. It-was announced that the club had boon ,entbred for nil the inter-club fixtures for the approaching season, and hoped to be. able to send out some good rinks to do battle for the little club. Offers of several trophies were received, and committees were set lip to arrange matches and select the. Ciub's colours; • It was decided to open tho club's green (at Island Bay) on Saturday, Septomber 25. Owing to the limited accommodation for players (three rinks) it was decided toinvite only the presidents of tho other, bowling clubs of Wellington aqd-tlieir wives to be prejsont., N* effort is to be spared to wake the function a thoroughly enjoyable oner - An antiquary supplies the Glasgow "Evening .News" witli the following, which, though old, will be quito. applicable, lie thinks, to presentcircumstances!—A'gentleman in Company with Eooto took up a newspaper, saying lie wished ■ to see "jvhat the. Ministry wero about." Footo, with a smile, replied, "Look anion t r the rob- : beries." ' ; Assisted immigrants.to the nnnlbor of 57 aro , due to arrive at Wellington by the Ruapehu, • I from London, early next wook. They comprise nominated passengers, 23 adults and 10 , | children; sent out by the High Commissioner, . 18 adults and six children. Tie now-oomers ■ inolude. seven farmers,'two form- lttbonrors, a ' dairy, farmer,. and. 13; domcsHo ,servants,-and bring capital in sums ranging' I ,from. .£25 ,to : . Altogether there are 185' third-class paswngers duo by tho-Ruapehn. Tor the purpose of framing conditions gov-' orning future competitions for the garrison signallers' challenge cup, the Wellington- Rifle'' Battalion signaller.; will hold' a meeting at lh< Garrison Hall this evening. After the bust ness is over, Captain Chesnev, AJ..G., will do liver a lecture to the. signallers on the sub ject of "Chains of Communications.". .' Tho latest census prepared by the town clerk of Taihapo puts tho total population at IGOO. When the borough was constituted three ■ " • years ago, its capital, value dmouiTed to. .£71,000, but non - it has reached tho figure of : . tC150,000. When money becomes moro plentiful, Taihapo will raiso a .C 30.000 loan for publie improvements, including a municipal Opera House and Council Chambers on'a corner, site- '- owned, by-tho municipality.. ■ , Speaking at Ross in reply to a Westland County Council deputation, tho, Hon. J. M'Gowan, ex-Minister for Mines and Justice, said ha regretted .tlio Government had now " 1 abolished tho Mines' as' a Department and' • tacked it on ns a sort of subsidiary to "Lands." Ho 6aid that as gold and other inineral exports from the country' now totalled thrw millions sterling a. year . the • "Mines" was too important in his opinion to bo merely'a branch of somo other State Depart-" pent ... . . ' I Tho decree, '"Let thoro bo light," has been pronounced by the Johnfeonville Town Board, and the. board has further decided that tho said light and power shall bo electric onorgy, supplied by Messrs. Norman, Hoath and J. J. t K. Powell. A poll of'Johnsonvillo ratepayers on the proposal to confirm tho boards agreement to this oflect will bo taken to-day. The offices of tho Town Board, Main Road, Johnsonville, will be open for polling purposes be- ?• tween tho hours of 9 a.m. and G p.m. In another column will be fouiid a letter from : Mr. J. Rod, Chairman of tho Town Board,' in reply-to one which appeared in - yesterday's issuo criticising tho proposed agreoment between the board "and contractors for tho. supply of , electric light. Mr. Rod, whoso placo of busi-. ' nes is opposite the polling booth. 6tatos'that' lie will be in attendance during tho day with a copy of the proposod -agreement..' which lie will explain to any ratopayer harm-; doubts on tho subject.' - -■ ■ <"Wo aro' getting'altogether too good in Wellington, observed Mr. Charlos. Wilsonat the' Victoria College Council meeting last ovening,, when, commenting on tho suggestion ■ put forward by Mr. von Haast that .playing cards should bo forbidden in ' tlio ' college gymnasium. Mr. von. Haast was apprehensive that card games might lead to gambling-. Mr.' Meek said ithat if tho 6tiidents wanted to '" gamblo they could do it as easily with dominoes'or any other "harmless" amusement as with - cards. Mr. Wilson thought , that tho matter might bo left to the common sense.'of " tlio students. "We aro not dealing with school-:' boys or Y.M.C.A. students," ho said.-