LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 646, 25 October 1909, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The.turbine steamer Mulieno reached Auck-land-?t 8:30 p.m. yesterday, with English and Australian mails, which, will colno'south. by to-day's express.-,'.' :<■/.: ' Three Government': advertisements calling for tenders, which under the existing boycotl of The Dominion by'the Ward Administration ore refused to' this will be' found in another column. -They are published at our own', cost, 'so. that, our readers may not be penalised by the action: of.. the Government. Since the Assembly's committee first published, six years'ago,' the honours;in.the New Zealand Presbyterian' Sunday ;School examination, the scholnrsof.the/Havclock North parish (states 1 the . "Odtlodk") have three .times secured the banner place, three times tho gold medal place,'' and five, times the silver medal place. .. A mission, by the Hririst Fathers is-being held in St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church. The first fortnight, commencing yesterday, is being devoted to meetings 'for women only, after which'men's meetings will be held for a fortnight. The' Rev. Fathers O'Conhell, - Kimbell, and M'Garthy will.conduct the mission. Between 700 and. 800 women were present .when the mission .was" opened last evening. ■ The mission-concluded yesterday, rfhen lather OConrioll was the preacher; ■• A lnrge number .of .accused persons were lodged in the cells at Lombton Quay .police station last night. One man is charged with assaulting a . young woman :o'n the, railway station after the arrival'of a race train ou Saturday, and about fourteen'will be .brought before the' magistrate this morning for drunkenness. ~ .... . . .; ■/ At the ordinary monthly meeting of tho Upper flutt branch of the Amalgamated Socioty'of Railway So'rvants, the following, resolution was carried: "That this meeting strongly protests against the attempt, that is being made by the Engine-drivers', Firemen's and Cleaners' Association' to get that clause in the Arbitration -and' Conciliation. Act which refer"? to our society' altered; as any such alteration -would bo detrimental to our society, and'contrary to the best interests of the . railwoymen as. a whole." ' ' A disturbance took place in Parish Street; off Manners Street, on Saturday Bight at about ten o'clock." Tlie /report.'of Constable M'Callery is that he endeavoured to arrest ;a nian-of-warsman on a charge of assaulting a'civilian. The constable was.ih', jilniu'' clothes, at'-'tlie time, and w;as interfered, with by a large number of bluejackets, who succeeded in gott'mg their comrade away. ■••■•- . , . - - Fruit is senrco, and, denr, in Wellington at the present time, It is near tho end of tlie Island'fruit season, and thoro is nothing to come forward locally for .some weeks, so that for'the present Wellington is leaning on otlier sources of supply, the bulk of, which consists of citrous fruits, from,. Australia. Apples are especially'dear just now. Most, of them nro from California, and Tasmanian Sturmcrs are also'oh the market in limited supply. All .table varieties are'.being retailed at .Cd. per lb. Climatically tho conditions in New Zealand are almost perfect for apple-growing, yet .wo arc dependent at. this lime of the year on over-sea shipments. .-What with apples from California;. fruit from tjic Islands and Australia, and onions .from. Jripnii, Ne\v .Zealand, appears to be .-.leaning'., pretty heavily oh the outsider for what she'should grow herself. ";. ''• Tho bond of 1T.51.5: Challenger played a propaiumc of enjoyable music in 'tho. grounds of tlie Wellington Hospital yesterday '-.afternoon.' The performance' attracted h'largo number of visitors. ...

." Sbrae eseitenibflt was-caused on the wharfon I Satunlaj' night just prior to; tho departure of | tho Mararoa for Lyttclton. A'man, who was clambering', about the vessel's stern, overbalanced and fell into the sea. Another man went to the rescue, but his efforts were not 1 vory successful, and eventually both' men had to be rescued by those oil the' wharf; . ~ A, report from the committee which has in hand negotiations .with: other Protestant Churches dealing with the federation of the wholo of the .Churches was presented to the General Assembly of' the Presbyterian Church of ..Australia, by the Rev. Br. Clouston, who said that the; progress of the committee had; been slow, but that there was evidence of great vitality.' There wps.a,long and animated discussion oh the report, in which Principal Hnrper,. .Profes-or . Hcntoul, and the Ilovs. Dr. Meiklejohn,..P. J.. Jjurdoch, and A. Stewart took, part. Ultimately the following deliverance, was .agreed, to:—"(1) That the. report bo received. (2) That the committee bo reappointed with instructions to continue vigorously the negotiations, with the . other Protestant Churches, and endeavour to present a, full scheme .of polity to the next A'teembly. (3) That tho Assembly expresses'- satisfaction with tho friendly spirit shown by the Church of England, and receives the resolutions passed by the joint conference;' deferring their consideration..till after, the General Synod of the Church of England has decided'to'proceed with'negotiations, in common, with tho other. Protestant Churchoif.. (4) That the A!ssembly rejoices to learn that a,practical step towards drawing closer,the,.bonds of fellowship between the' churches has.been taken in" Now.South Wales,' arid that.the theological students of the Presbyterian, .... Methodist, and' Congregational Churches have for tho past two sessions attended courses of. common lectures,' and passed common examinations, and hopes that this practice will bo continued and extended." '. The' annual conference' of" delegates': to the New Zealand. Trades and- Labour Council's Federation'will commence at 10 a.m. this morning. k The .conference will be held'in tho Druids' Hall,:'Tara'naKiiStrcet'.,- ■;.'...' . , ~ The contract for, the supply of 400 five-ampere watt meters and 100 ten-amficre watt, meters' to. the' City Electrical Department • has been signed by Messrs. Tu'rhbull and Jones,' whoso' tender wns< .£875..-Messrs.. Cedcrholm'. .and Tolley, JJIOOO, and tho National Electric Co., 'XIMO,-also - tendered. ' "•• The Manawit'u 7 Gorge old coach road is still beset, wj'th.sHps.. Three,, which are.of rather ilargo dimensions/ Keepi recurring' in - thV opera-, tion of clearing them" away, and it is unlikely': that theioad will; bo, a complete thor-; oughfare beforo another' fortnight or ' thre6 weeks; Theroa-d, however, is' now trafiicable for pedestrians arid cyclists; but tho' journey '•through.at present is'dangerous, and should not be undertaken except in the daytirab. ; Trafalgar trophies and the prize ; books which' are to be : distributed at the Navy League .entertainment nest Friday will: bo. displayed today and following, days 'in Messrs. ; Baker Bros,' window', Lambton Quay. .The pr'ogrammo; of the, entertainment will, bo contributed; partly by'; tho officers'and men of H.M.S. Challenger and; partly by tho .Mountebank Dramatic Club. It was originally intended that.tho,crew of H.M.S..'Pioneer should'; also participate, bnt as" : she has'> been lately recommissioned, her''entertaining, talent is an unknown .quantity.- Tho. Rev. J'. M'Elrey v M.A., chaplain of HiM.S. Challenger, is;arranging the naval part; of the programme. The! local secretary of' the league askß us to state that the Cimjno Family Orchestra contributed much to the pleasure of those present at the supper on Trafalgar Day. ': . ..'■"■' A few minnlcs More, midnight on Saturday; .the firo"; brigade'were' e'alicd to' 98 Abel Smith Street. In the front room of a two-storied wooden,' house*, a- candle had been knocked-' over, 'arid it set iiro to' some'bedding and cur? taiiia. The contents', which wero'i uninsured, suffered'only slight dahiagc' The.\houso was occ'u'fiiod' by Mri Thomas M'Gregor, wharf labourer. '•■'"'■.'.'■'. • ■.'.'■' ■>. Messrs. Harold Beauchamp and Callender, of the Bank .of ..New. Zealand management, re T turned to "Wellington by tho Main Trunk liiw on' Saturday ltight,-after a visit to Napier and Gisbofno, and over the Motu'route..to.Opo? tiki; and then on" to Waihi. .Both. travellers were impressed by.the class of country passed through both for dairying and agricultural •purposes., ... ,;■•'.'-.'.■ ■ In conversation with a Duricdiii miller,' oh "Otago Daily Times" reporter" referred to tho charges-of exploitation, of. the, public madd iiv Parliament by Mr. T.jE. Taylor and the Prime Minister's reply .indicating an extension of municipal; powers, presumably to-enable a' oheck to beikept uponthp u'legcd ! cxploitation; 'and asked thvmiller his' Opinion''bri the' ihatJ ter.-.-His reply was-to; tho effect that Mr. Toy-: lo'r's continued perennial reftvence to this mat} tor was "viewed with good-natured tolerance by tho millers, their .cpiiscioncies' being freo of tho guilt of. cxploita'tiori: 'This was'the caso oven more.so this year than'evcr ! before; : "fdr," said the miller, "during tho last three.months' there has practically not'been ono. shilling in the'business ; with"the price" of flour at its present -position." . Ho", pointed o\it that the' season had opened -with ,the' price of' wheat Bt from 3s. 73...t0 3s. ; Sd;,per .'bushel, at which figure : tUo : price;of flour .was £10.155, ; per ton. Tho price of wheat.rose as' the soSsotf advanced; and--|by the'beginning of April was in the neijhbourhbo'd'.of •Is.v'and.on April 15 the price of- flour was raised to'yCll 15s 1 . per ton.' At this figure it Timainc'd only till- May ..19,. whoh it was reduced to its former'level, of .£lO 155., at which-figur> it has continued since, despite tho fact that';sirioo' then.the ..price, of iwheat had touched as high as is. 8"u. ex store at Dunedin; .This practically . meant. that.; tho .price of flour to-,thVoonsunier now, .with wheat at is. ojd. ex storo,'\VaS' thesame as it was when Wheat was" at Sai .73.'' To buy wheat- 'at the present price and sell flour .at the present price simply meant, that it; loss would be made, for it would not.o,ven clear, cost. , If vfos only,,by having'-stocks of '• choap' ■' wheat that; business had been continued. :■ With regard to the Prime Minister's'hint-about municip'alisation of the flour trade, ho, could. not; say ■ muoli in tho al> senco of - particular- information. He said,' however,'that, for the ship of. State to experiment in'tho flour 'tr'ado. as it .had in. fife Jtisur' ancti' and- tho .coal-mining industry, would/ h« thought,- about. finish things , off,, especially if it-succeeded in making-the "profit'' that v those concorpSvhnd-.'shown.. \.. :...', '.; ;. .-