LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 834, 4 June 1910, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Tho Wail;arc syndicate have abandoned tho prospect of raising the wrecked steamer, but salvage operations are to be continued. Diver -May has returned co Australia to operate on the big liner Pericles, which went flown off Western Australia. ' Jlr. J Todd, an experienced diver, will take his place. The ketch Anna and the launches Flora, and Makura, will proceed to Dusky Sound, with a party of meu under the leadership of T. Bragg, and it is confidently expected that a lot of machinery, fittings and winches, etc., will be recovered. The syndicato ha-s been re-constructed, and they are sanguine of a good thing.—Bluff "Press." Mr. T. E. Taylor, M.P., addressing a Labour meeting in Auckland, said that with all due respect to his friend the chairman (Mr. J. A. M'Cullough), he was convinced that the Arbitration Court had outlived its usefulness, the high-water mark had been reached, and some other means would have to' bo found of securing to the worker the full reward of his labour. "King" Mahuta has received word from the Hon. J. Carroll that he will be able to confer with the Natives on the land question at the large "korero" which will bo held at Wai'hi on June 7, on which date he intends being present, says tho Huntly correspondent of the Waikato "Leader." Pou, King Mahuta's private secretary, sent over 100 telegrams to the followers of his mann on Thursday, summoning them •to attend. It is expected that a largo number from all parts will respond. The patient who escaped from Mount Viow on. Thursday afternoon was recaptured yesterday afternoon. It' appears that the man entered an hotel, and made himself at home in one of the beds, but his slumbers were disturbed by the rude hand of a policeman. "Railwaymen are waiving up (says the "New Zealand Railway licview") to a lively recognition of the fact that they must secure full civil and political rights, not for the purpose of using political pressure for selfish ends, but to enable them to take their proper place in tho community as men whoso opinions aro entitled to consideration. Tho present system of allowing merely the exercise of a silent vote is an anomaly in so democratic a community, where such closo attention is paid to the over-changing political scene. But for their few friends in Parliament, and the articles in this journal, the second division of the railway Fervice has no articulate voice in- the life of tho community. Mfwelve thousand State employees aro to be found in the railway service- alone, and all these are debarred from expressing even tho mildest opinion publicly upon matters of government. What more important thing is to bo found than this all-em-bracing service of government? Yet the intelligence of the railway service, cramped within a regulation of 1873, niust' confine itself to a trip to the ballot box. . . . When the present Prime Minister, then an employee of the State, was first elected a member of a borough council, he was at once officially asked to choose one of two things—leave the ■ council or leave the servica. Ho left tho service, and no doubt has been congratulating himself over since." Tho question of municipal markets, if not a burning, is at any rate a smouldering one, and that in other places besides Wellington. The Dunedin City Council, by ten votes to eight, rejected a proposal that tho present fire brigade building, soon to be vacated, bo obtained by the council for the purposes of a public market. The majority of councillors thought that the experiment was likely to' be a lengthy one, as tho Dunedin public would havo to bo educated in regard to the usefulness of a market, and during this 'time (as one councillor expressed it) a large iron shed on a vacant section would be sufficient, and preferable to using a largo building and a valuable piece of ground. Last month we (tho "Railway Review") had occasion to comment on the absurdity of expecting railwaymen as a class to subscribe towards a proposed tour to vindicate the astronomical theory of partial impact. Tho Timaru branch of the A.S.H.S. wont a* step further at its last meeting, when a subscription list from Palmerstou North was dealt with. Members .took exception to tho increase in these Dominion subscription lists. It wa's certainly recognised they, were deserving cases, but, on the other hand,, if every branch sent lists all over the Dominion for deserving cases, the tax on members' earnings will be .more,, than they can bear. Members recognised they, had quite sufficient deserving cases iu their own districts to provide for, and they had not in tho past sent out Dominion lists, and they had no intention of doing so in tho future. This sort of thing should ■bo worked by a benevolent fund. Then it would fall on the members iu a more general way, ami not, as at present, on. the "faithful few," who aro easily got at, and never miss a subscription list. The following resolution was carried unanimously:—"That this branch lakes exception to lists being introduced from other districts for charitable, purposes, as this must load to dissatisfaction on account of tin; endless appeals on tho pockets of members." "I do verily believe that our Auckland girls are more refined than their sisters in the south," writes "Industrial Tramp" in tho Auckland "Star." "This week a train conducotr reported to me that a young lady boarded a Grey Lynn car, carrying in her hand a violin case. In negotiating the all too-narrow doorway, the case knocked aharply against the side of tho opening of the car, tho spring catch of tho caso released, and out fell—not a 'Strad. , or an 'Amit-i, , but two fine largo smoked fish. She had reached the acme of refinement in carrying home parcels." Sounds of revelry were to be heard issuing from one of the cells at the Lambton Quay Police Station last evening, and inquiry elicited the information that no fewer than eight women had been taken into custody during the afternoon and evening. A party of six confined in one large cell were wiiiling away the time witli "music." Tho opening "korcro" of tho Wellington Orphans Club will be held this evening. An excellent programme has boon prepared for tho entertainment of miiiiibi-rs, iinil will include tho installation of tho "chief orphan." Sir Josopli Ward hits signified his intention of being present. The Jiuv. J. B. Morton Barnes, TS.A., will givo a lecture on Suite control of tile liquor traffic, in tthn Opera House to-morrow (Sunday) evening, at 8 o'clock. The Premier, Sir Joseph Ward, has kindly consented to bo present at the lecture. I)r, lioighetti will tako the chair. Shampooing Clipping, Hamlrpssini;. Manicuring, l'nce Ma&sage, Treatment of Falling Hair, nnd Dandruff. Combings made up. Natural Hair-pads. Mrs. lioUestou (over Carroll's), H Willi) bueot. 'PhuJio lj!)9.—Advt.

One of the most successful of the now departures in connection with the Public Library at Christcliurch lias been the establishment of a free juvenile department (says the "Press"). It was instituted in September last year, and 427 children have availed themselves of the privilege. There arc 1394 volumes in connection with this part of the library. Fiction bulks largely, as there are 1094 volumes. History and biography 115, travel 75, and science 50, are the next largest represented.

The monthly meeting of the Women's Christian Temperance "Onion was held on Thursday afternoon in their rooms, Constable Street. There was a largo attendance of members to welcome back Miss Wilkinson, who had been on a vi-sit to the Homo Land. She gave an address," touching on the British Women's Union, and their work. Sho also referred to the suffragettes, and their doings. Miss Wilkinson attended several of their meetings aud said she had become convinced that, they were fighting in the right, wanting simple justice.

The preparations for Dr. Harriss's Empire Musical Festivals are being pushed 'forward with great energy by Mr. Hugo Gorlitz, who, besides managing the tour of the Ellwood Trio, has been lecturing on Dr. Harriss's great scheme in various centres. On Wednesday he addressed a committee at Wanganui, on Thursday at Waverley, yesterday at Stratford, and on Monday and -Tuesday he will bo similarly occupied in Hawera and New Plymouth respectively. He met with the greatest encouragement and enthusiasm everywhere.

"The necessity of educating ohßldren is often brought forward as an argument why the Railway Department should do this, that, or the other thing," said the Hon. J. A. Miliar to a Canterbury deputation. "I have been asked to run a train in a certain district because four children had to walk three miles and a half to school. It is obvious that a whole district cannot be inconvenienced for the sake of taking children to school. It might, for instance, mean that large numbers of people would have to get up at most unearthly hours in order to catch trains, which wonld hardly be right. Railways cannot be run as philanthropic institutions. In fixing timetables we cannot make the children the primary consideration. There are other and greater interests that have to be dealt with."