LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 753, 28 February 1910, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Maheno, • with an/English,';','Van-; coiiver, and Australian mail, arrived at AucHand from'. Sydney at 12.40,p.m.'yesterday.'.. The Wellinrton'/portion.bf the maUwHl; arrive by .this afternoon's Main Trunk: express; ;v:. :';.;." :;;;/'i/.;'. .";:-,;:;

;': The first shipment: of:Anstralian-grapes to!reach the; Wellington '.market' thissea,'son oarße :to -hand' from South" Australia on Friday. \ The.dark-hued'sorts : were-of fair: a uality,,, and realised about. 15s. - per case (averaging 301b.).V,,The green grapes were ,very, small," and .only- brought! 163. and lis. per. case.. /A.small shipment'also arrived from-Sydney.'.last week...but ax-: rived in a:bad.condition: -:;-/,- :■-.;.;

_■ During -,th'e -. great: December' gale" 'in Britain,'one": of .'the Manx! steamers—the Elian'. .Vannin—was., lost 7 with all .hands | while entering Liverpool: A fund, for the relief of the.dependents' of the crew—l 9' widows, and. 70.--fatherless' children—is tang raised in the'lsle of Man, and Mr; T. ; E. Corkill,-.of .Wellington,.has sent a oirqular.to .Manx^'people ;in New-Zealand inviting them to help.■ ■';.His appeal has been-well responded to, over ,£l3O having been ."contributed irithin: a .fortnight.:.-.'

"The new Defence ■■ Act,will come :into operationr-fat anyrato. so far >s some of '?, provisions, are : concerned—to-morrow. Until .Lord .Kitchener, has .submitted his' report the preparation- of 'most 'of 'the regulations has been: deferred.:lt is understood that 'His Lordship'-will- submit his report immediately Rafter 'he has-visited Auckland..,' .':'•;/ ■;"■'■.■',-. ''..':■--.-

It. is stated ,' that; Lord < Kitchener'.'- is taking, J m his visit to Australia' and New Zealand, a special interest in' Australian horse-breeding. It is expected by' military officers: that the:outcome:will be: a special recommendation by Lord! Kitchener to the Imperial authorities to establish a good horse-breeding'farm for the isupply of both Indian and.British army, requirements, 1

'• Pndr. to. the. coming into operation of the new Land Act,.a;conference of Native Land Court Judges will taka place in Wellington on March 15,-to deal with the revised arrangements.: for . its.. . administration. -;"; ■''.':.; v..'- .-■;: .-.;.-:-

The flagship of'tha Australasian stat' ion, H.M.S.: Powerful,- flying -the flag of Admiral Sir W. Bichard is due to arrive.here from' Auckland, via-: the Eastj Coast, on March 14, and will remain in port fornihe days. Though it is not definitely announced, it is anticipated that the Powerful will be'accompanied by H.M.S.'s Challenger, Pioneer, Pegasus, and: possibly the Encounter; Ways and means of entertaining the. officers and men.of the fleet, aro already/being, discussed here.- . .v;;. ; , As evidence of .Lord' Kitchener's kindly consideration for others, a correspondent, writing of tho cadet review at:the Hurt Park,.relates an incident which happened during the march past in columns ot companies, which. was 'executed during torrents of rain. One little boy tripped in a mudholo and fell; dropping his rifle and cap;in the excitement He scrambled up, secured his rifle, and,'bare headed, ran to regain his company. 'Lord/Kitchener, whose keen; eye seems to take in every little detail, noticed the little soldier's cap. in: the mud, and immediately directed the ■' attention of one 9f his officers, who i'an and picked it up on the point of his sword, and; replaced it upon f the cadet's head. "This-,little incident, ' states our correspondent, "which no doubt was noticed by many others, shows Lord Kitchener's character as a soldier and a man, andvputs jto shame those, detractors ivho describe him as a general who' is devoid of sympathy for,his/ soldiers." "

■ Three important proposals, recently adopted by tho Tramway Federation Conference have been placed-before the Hon. R. M'Kenzie, Minister for Public Works.: First of all an independent-examination for : motormen by Government officials is : desired. The second proposal is for the establishment of an. appeal board in each district, consisting of two representatives of the employers, two of the employees,, together with a chairman appointed' by mutual agreement, or in default by order of the Govcrnor-in-Council.; In/addition, provision- is sought for the general introduction of a "car defect book, with bound leaves. The Minister has replied that ho will fully consider the proposals with a, view to incorporating them,' il found advisable, in a Tramways Amendment Bill to be introduced "next session. .

At the Eotorua bowling tournament, at. which there was a large .cosmopolitan gathering. of bowlors. (including several rinks from Wellington), it was decided- flask the ■ Prime Minister to fulfil his promisel of last year regarding the formation of another green in the Government Sanatorium's beautiful grounds.- Tho position at present; is that there are two greens in the grounds, one of- which is a croquet green,' and exceeds the length of the orthodox bowling green, while one is in the grounds of Arawa House. So popular, however, is the Eotorua tournament becoming .that difficulty -is being ■' experienced in accommodating > all the bowlers who wish to enter. As every bowler who visits Eotorua .must perforce spend- a good deal of money (and - bowlers are usually not niggardly in this respect), it is- urged -that, the construction: of two,or three more,greens in the-expensive Government grounds would be money well speni.' Further, : it ;was,suggested that if sufficient green accommodation were avail-; able .at Kotorua-the "Northern -Bowling Association might consider it; advisable to hold; its big tournament there onco in ! three years. All the' bowlers:.;who .; attended the last Eotorua tournament, were delighted with the experience, and DO per cent, of them declared their intention of attending subsequent '.'tournaments-.'-held" in this pretty centre of the, thermal, won-, derland. ; -., ."■"-•.'■."'■'W ■;■/;-

•■' The assistant resident magistrate of .the north-eastern division of; Papua says, in his annual report,'- referring to- the natives of the Gwoira Range:—"They'think they can swallow.', our -bullets, and.-that they cannot harm, them I I; asked one of ; ; the prisoners if it-was 'true .that,' they could eat ;our. bullets,; and'.'he. replied, ■'Yes.' In order .to: test> the; truth of this belief I subjected;this man;to.-a trial. [.II loaded the,rifle.in, front of him, and. ex-: plained through ah interpreter that'if "he was unable to;eat the bullet when it was fired he would surely; be killed, and then. saidV-'Now.open your mouth,.and I will, fire the bullet -down your - throat.':.' The man actually opened his. mouth, and ap ; ■ peared.-• absolutely ;uhconcerned.' -, • I then'; demonstrated the.power of the:bullet by tiring through a log, and showed him tho' hole it.went.in and-out'of.-:;He stooped down.;after examining the/marks,'"and put'his' lipsito-.tho hole. .;,I' do hot know whether -. he , is" still "■ further'.' charmed against '.the .projectile, or .not'by this bit of nonsense, ibut:.when'l, produced, my ■ re-;-volver, .and,-, showing him'the cartridges,' again asked him: to 'open his mouth,' he: complied quite, as. if it .was the. merest matter of..'course.' . What. ia:'.bnfl"t6:;make; 'of such people?".,. '•. :..-.-,y-.';; •.'.'

..•'.-It does not'necessarily'follow' (says the, "Otago Daily Times"), that the expression! of opinion of. the.'priests i 2 the Auckland diocese;. with: respect to, the''"choice'' of. a successor to Dr. Lenihan.l: whoso /death with - - dramatic .': suddenness'. 'has '■'■ de-J prived : the; Roman ' Catholic Church, in. New. Zealand-of'6ne : of,its most' widely honoured leaders, will-receive''the ,-en-' dofsement of.-, the authority of the-Church'..lt may be that the.Vatican: has other views "respecting the part which Dr.' Cleary, shall-take-in. his future service of the: Church than that. he should, be enthroned: in-the bishopric .of 'Auck- r land..; A,,very-'distinct compliment",''has,; howeveri been''paid Dr.; Cleary' in tha' fact that the : members of; the priesthood; in.the bereaved, diocese'have; expressed a ! very emphatic .belief that .he is the most 1 ' of. those whose names: suggested ( -hemselves" , -to .them.'to.' fill.the place,of "dignity'and, influence .which .has.ibecome, vacant through the,death, of Dr.':lent; ha'n.. r And' those who are' capable, of appreciating the,,cxj:ent.-and;,c£aracter of the services which'Dr/ Cleary", 1 in: his. capacity: as. editor'of■ the: "New. Zealand'.Tablet,- 1 has' been. able"-, to'-•;render;' the Roman ; Catholic 'Church; in ; ; the' Dominion'; ,will. ! feel that, the'-compliment'.'has' 'certainly peen.highly : merited by. him..'';' ;•';:

,; .The yacht: Waitangi, arrived back from aciuiso to ; , the' Sounds late last. night. •

.'■:: At .tho : Mount -.Cook ■ Police Court on' Saturday, before Mr. T.'S. Lambert,'J.P.', David ;Gillingham,who was charged with being found hopelessly - < drunk; and: had been;'bailed I out, -failed: to, appear,:-; aid was, fined'/Ifts.,' ,'br'"4B hours' imprison--ment..> A ! 'first .offender,, .who .pleaded guilty to-.aoharge 'of ; drunkenness, was convicted'and '';:•.';;;;-.,;

.' A. man. against .'whom a summons 'for alleged sjy grog-selling / in. 'Wellington was issued ■on December '5 last,., and who subsequentv; disappeared, was :• arrested in town on- Saturday by; Detective Lewis. He will be charged before the Stipendiary' Magistrate: this morning.'' ;;:; ;/>....

,i The following,; tenders have- : been'' received >by; the .Government, .'for the construction of. a'steel ..viaduct; with/concrete foundations, ovor a ravine near the. Otoko Station on the-railway line' betweenGisborne and ; Motu.—E.i./MSoughlin -and Co.,'-' Gisborne,':- -. .£20,268 ,' 4s. r vVWatsoh; Ehodes, 'and ; Son,-;Dunedin, .£17,108 18s.; J. A. Nicol, Gisbbrne, .£15,992; W.- T Johnson, Wellington;. .£15,283, 7s.- : lid.'; M'Williams and Andrews,-:: Wellington, .£14,063 10s.;! J; and A.'-Anderson;'.Christ-' church,;Jßl3,Ms; G.;M.'.Fraser,-Hamilton;' lis. 3d;: G.;w; Griffiths and Co.' Birchfie]d,. : ,Wcstport,:J2ll,773. ~ Griffiths ,and : 'Co/s tender,was accepted.','-,. .-■/'<