LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 618, 22 September 1909, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

'flip deirgatc nt the Harbour. Boards' Confei'unce will lunch together at St. Androw'e Schoolroom to-day, s on tho invitation of'the Wellington Harbour Board. It is oxpeoted that the conference will conclude later m the tiny. . ■ . • .'..- ■ -....•• . • The midnight tram, which was Etartcd by the Tramway Department recently, is meeting with considerable siiccess. For tho past week the passengers by the car averaged 80 per uighf. ' . Several of the timber mills in the Manawatu and Horowheiuia districts and on the Main ftunk line which have been closed down during the winter aro, it is stated, either ononing up again at onco, or aro about to open; on account of the renewed demaud for timber. In view of the approach of the,butter aud cheese season, whito' pine' will bo required largely for box and case mokinc- ' i ' Another addition to tho stream of immigrants reached Wellington yesterday by the New Zea-' land Shipping Co/s steamer Ruapshu. Tho vessel s full complement .'was 260, of which total 18-t wcro in tho third-class. Of-these. latter 57-M women, 16 children, and 15 men-were assisted immigrants. A total of 33 were nominated-by relatives'in New Zealand, whilst the High , Commissioner sqnt 24. . The occupations show that 13 of tho new arrivals are ■ domestic servants, 8 are farmers, 2 farm labourers, and 6 are married women joining their husbands, who aro already, located in the Dominion. Tho capital of the i new arrivals, '■' who are all in excellent health," ranges from sums of .£3OO down fo £15.- ■'-..' ■■-.. ; ; ~ , •■;. .■ , A case occurred at the Hastings Police Court on Monday which draws attention to the question of bupreme Court sessions/as legnrds 'smaller centres: .' A. man was; cliarged.. with stealing from the pereon a watch and chain, to the value of £5; a second man -was chargcil with receiving a .watch of the value of £\ knowing It to have been stolen;: and a turd was: charged with receiving a chain of the . value of .; knowing":. it ■ to , have been Stolen. Accused , pleaded'not euilty, and at the xonclnsion of tho evidence tho lnagistrato .(Mr.. S. E. M'Carthy, S.M.), committed them ftrf trial at the next sessions of {he Supreme Court at Napier. According to law, they must boremandod to tho nearest Supreme Court cir°i u «' ail ,m not aPpHed.for. -The sessions at Napier are not yet gazetted, but for the last two years have taken Jilnce in March; June and September. The September sittings have just conoluded, and.there seems every probability of- the threQ >men having .to spend six months in gaol without trial. . . . . .

A hammer, letter-stamper iB one of the improveinonts . the secretary of ■ tbo Post and Telegraph Office (Mr. J), Roberteon) noted in uorraany, samples of whioh have since arrived in Wellington to Mβ order. Ordinarily letters are stamped,by.an ingenious machine, through whioh they pass, so rapidly.that they resemble aetnp.of ribbon in motion. But some letters .are too big, and others are: too thiok for the machine, and have to be stamped with a handpunch, which, is apt to make the wrist ache after a, little. use.; .. The. hammer stamper does away with the jar, and makes tho work easier thim knocking: tacks into soft white pine. The hammer letter-stamper is ■ likely to bo adopted throughout .the. whole, of the ; Dominion.... , Donations to'the-funds' of Wellington Society,for tho Prevention of Cruelty to Animals for the-fortnight just ended are acknowledged from :-Mr. J.,, G. Eowley, Is.; Dresdon Piano Company, 10s. 6d.; Messrs. Gtsorgo and George, and G. Brown, lOs. each; Mrs. P.W. Mackenzie and Mr. H. Cook, ss. eachjMr, G, Macniorran, Bs. 6d,; Mr. Q. Watson, 35.; M'csdamcs Conei and H. Gilmer, anil Messrs. Wallace and'Gibson, G. Flux, S. Eickard, and Clarke, 2s. 6d. each; "A Kriend;" 25.; total, jei.Ss:-sAt the, fortnightly, meeting .'of the committee of the society yesterday, thcro were present, the ohainnan.".(Mr. ..T.'Jameson),. Mosdames A l . E. Kornot and H. Christie, 1 Miss Xudwig, Kev. W. J, Williams, and Messrs. G. Browß, J. Jl.Eichnrdson, and H. Cook. Thei society's , inspector (Mr. H.' Seed) -reported in ' several cases of alloged. neglect;and cruelty which' had been investigated by him during the fortnight.. . ■ " ; : .','; ... : . ■'•". -.. .? "At the' annual' meeting of . the ■ 'Wellington Provincial Industrial Association last evening, Mr. Thomas Ballinfrcr, .in referring, to tho ownership af the Wellington Technical School's building..,in A 7 ictoria Street, said '.th&t'-'it was competent for any body which , contributed &: -year' 1 towards technical: education to have representation, on, the board. ; If the Industrial Association (pr any, other society, or-.labour pebnle''iVho tnlked-'sd'tauoh .'about, helping'one another'in that regard) contributed that amount, they could have a representative on tho '. board. ', '. ':.'■ .', }■,'.'■.■,.'.:■..'■"'■'':;' A, meeting of the -committee of the Kilbirnio Ratepayers' Association was held,- on Monday evening; ' Satisfaction" was expressed that, the City Council had at last made a start. to fix. up theißecroation Reserve. It was,re-. Bolved that a deputation on the.TramwayCommitteo re tramway matters, .cspeciaUy ;Te-. jarding farcs.ias there is great poniplaint from tho inhabitants-'.of.- South, Kilb.irnie regarding: the" ne.w. scale,, and. tho committee are;- oj ; opinion , that unless the.- present: system ; is: altered, the ICilbirniei section will lose the position ' it' now occupies, as .one of the best paying lines in .the/.service.''.' It was'.decided: that" the annual general meeting be bold early in October., ,: : -;'. :."■ ; - -..'... ; .\: ;■■''.'■■ ::';• .-/.•';; . For :tho. past;',month,' tramway -.employees; have been at work on Thorndou Quay; where the contre' polo ' system ;has now given-'way to span ; construction. ■: The, work was corar.' pleted yesterday., it: is stated, that, the Department has.in riew-'a'".similar alteration on. the Oriental.Bay section. ~ i. : / • ■■. A humble beginning has been made with Dr. Newman's' scheme for ■ establishing, : a special, section for native plants at tho' Botanical. Gardens. '• The corporation's head gardener has commenced: a nursery, in which the plants' forwarded to the Mayor by' Mr. M'Gregor have been 'placed,- and :additions- will: bo wade as plants .and ..scods ,aro. available. ■: When the 'nursery 'develops sufficiently, a- special section, will be prepared to. receive .the 'plants ■- and 'trees. ', ".,. ' ■ '.'• ■.■■'■ ,'.-,,. •:",.', '.'.i, .;, ' ■:;. "■' ■It has always been a matter of, 1 more or less difficulty .to' thoroughly cleanse the private boxes at the General Post Office Moans have at length bceu found'to get over tho trouble", by uneaiis of a hand-pump vacuum' cleaner, tho uoiile of .which is so constructed as to ' enable it. to suck the dust I from every corner,, leaving it'- specWcss. ...Protection, of tho public in: these- small matters reflects credit.on the-postal authorities. ' v ..'''., The. uncertainty which'has. always existed as to whether tho Mokoia would arrive at Aucltland from Sydney, in time to' catch ■ the Sunday evening's. Main' Trunk;express to Wellington, influenced at least, ono mail sorvico —that from Australia, to Canterbury. Owing to the uncertainty montioned, the postal authorities have been in tho habit of'forwarding Australian mail matter for, Christchurch via tho Bluff, knowing that it would' arrive there on Tuesday oftornoon at the latest.' ,If sent

via .Auckland,. by .the steamer, leaving , Sydney on the Wednesday, ond that steamer failed to connect with the Sunday uight's express at Auckland, it meant that Christchureh would not receive its. mails until Wednesday mom.ing.' With tho Maheno displacing the Jlokoia •m a ,fow days' time,, tho position is altered Under normal conditions, tho turbine liner will always cdnnnct, which will< ensuro ; her mails for Christchurch arriving there early on..the Tuesday, morning'cach°vcek. Henco the diversion of .Australian mails for Canterbury, to the Auckland instead of tho' Bluff route. . .-, . .; ;-.;... _ Counsel in the case of George -Biilingsley Richardson versus William George Somerville , g>4 .Herbert Francis conferred with his Honour, (Air. Justice Chapman) yesterday, and a settlement was ultimately arrived at; The' claim was for JXB3 is li., alleged to be duo under a_ contract for tho -exchange of land at Teland-Bay.,-,Mr. 0. Beero acted on behalf of thoifi^ d M^; : S ; represented T es ' or 'i a y Morning the chairman of the Benevolent a rustees, with Miss Richmond, and H. Cook, B. W. Short, A. W. Hog g ; M.P and the Eoy. W. A. Evans, membors of the board, paid the formal -quarterly visit of inspection at tho Ohiro Homo. Matters were !?nV, n V° P° '?, ttvery'satisfactorj- condition. ..lie trustees," stated tho report of tho visitors to the general meetine; of tho board held in the afternoon, "are gratified to find that tho intermediato ward ,is compassing tho objects for.which it was devised, namely, dealing intelligently \vith the problem of casual rciiof." Membors agreed that tho institution of the ward had been of material benefit. The goneral expenditure '■ on administration had been reduced, and funds that 'were 'formerly disbursed to tho Salvation Army Homo for the accommodation of casuals woro now savod. Mr/ Robertson added that tho casual ward had been of very great beneh't to atlnrge number of individuals "who woro. in temporary difficulties through lack.of employment. ; '■;■■ ■ '. Thero are at present 18 Inmates in the Casual Ward of tho Ohiro Home,.and 77 male nnd 31 female inmates in the Main Home. • According to a return submitted, the physical condition of the iumates was described as follows :— Pomalcs—raralysed, 1; montally deficient,- 8 ; physical defects, 5; feeble; 14; relatiTcly ablebodied, 2; able-bodied, 1; total, 31. MalesConsumptive, 1; paralysed, 1; : bedridden, I; mentally.'deficient,' 10; physical defects 22; feeble, 21 i relatively ablo-bodiod, 19 j ablebodied. 3i total, 78. ■■'.. ;.