LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 840, 11 June 1910, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The postal authorities advise that tho Victoria, which loft Sydney for Auckland oh Wednosday last, is bringing an Australian and English. mail. , Tlio Wellington portion should reach here by Main Trunk express on Monday. An American and English mail, via Vancouver, is due to roach Sydney 011 Monday next, and should arrivo in Auckland oh Sunday, Juno 19, coming through to Wellington by Main Trunk express on June 20. >

Seventy men are employed repairing the break in the Wainui water . main caused by the landslip of Thursday morning. Included among them are a number of men who have -been taken from the Hutt Road and railway duplication works. Tlio men start work very early: in the morning, and work very long hours. There have been no further slips.

It is proposed to institute a scheme for the medical inspection of all public schools. Health oJficers are .to cooperate with the officers of hospital boards in conncction with the matter. Arrangements are also to be made to give useful medical lectures at training colleges for the guidance of teachers.

The City Council's estimates for the year were considered by tho Finance Committee yesterday. The estimates were passed by the committee, and will come before the- council at its. next meeting. It is understood that there will bo no -increases of rates.

In reply to-a deputation which waited upon , him at Auckland the Prime Minister (Sir Joseph Ward) stated that the Tramways Bill would be reintroduced at an'early stage of the coining session. Those affected would, he added, be given a further opportunity of giving evidence upon the measure.

After being lost to sight for so many cloudy evenings, that one 'believed it had disappeared into the darker recesses of the universe, Halley's comet was once moro lu be seen last night. Early in tho evening, when the sky was for an interval free from clouds, the blurred form of the comet could be seen, still, in the saint old bluned, but distinctly a comet, or at least very-distinctly -nothing • but a comet. Those who happened to look out for it recognised it as quite ail-old friend.

According to the Hon. G. Fowlds, there is 1 every reason to believo that there is complete harmony in the staffs of the various mental hospitals. This (he thinks) is accounted for by the _ following facts:—(j) That goocl service is expected, and persons unsuitable to look after patients were weeded out. (2) That there is an improvement in the salaries. Special attention has been given to the training of attendants and nurses by lectures and demonstrations, tlio results being tested later on by examination, and registration certificates were awarded' according to merit. The returns from tlio farms have largely assisted to support the patients, tficreby tending to reduce the cost of maintenance. The value of tlie produce raised on the farms of the mental hospitals has increased from £14,300 in 1000, tbo year when he took charge of tlio Department, to rather over £17,200 in 1009. When the new mental hospital gets into working order, ho expects a substantial addition to the revenue from this source. Regarding the new mental hospital, a misapprehension seemed to have got into the minds of people tiiat it was to replace existing institutions. This was entirely 'an erroneous idea. It would bo neither possible nor expedient to adopt such a policy, but the new mental hospital is intended to meet demands for extensions for a good many years to come. All the existing institutions are about as large as they ought to be, considering the limited area of land available for their use.

Interviewed by a Dominion representative yesterday, Mr. Murdoch M'Lean, of the firm of contractors for the dock, slated that tho test already made of tho new method, which it is hoped will overcome the "laitanco" trouble, was uii too small a scale to be absolutely Mntisfactory evidcnco that the difficulty had been vanquished. For conclusive evidence on that point a test with a large block of concrete would be necessary. Tho contractors, however, are au satisfied as to tho efficiency of the new system that they will probably go straight ahead with the employing of it, and not trouble with further tests. Tho method has been found absolutely satisfactory by others who have used it, tho only difficulty in the circumstances being that it has previously been employed in fresh water. Tho fact that it will now bo used in salt water cannot, Mr. M'Lean says, affect its'efficiency.

A good example of tho improvements that are being-.made nowadays in street lighting is afforded by the regenerative llanio arc lamp of 3000 candle-power, which the City Council has installed at the corner by the Duke of Edinburgh Hotel. This lamp succeeds an enclosed flame arc lamp of 500 candle-power. Although the new lamp gives six times as much light us the old, the consumption of current is practically the same./ Seven of these lamps have been imported by the council's lighting department, and they will be erected immediately at the following points:— Thorndon Railway StewartDawson's corner, Duko of Edinburgh corner, corner of Cuba and Manners Streets, Veitch and Allan's comer, Courtonay Place tram terminus, and corner, of Taranaki Street and Court-en ay Place.

On account of the thick weather in Cook Strait on Thursday night, the Union Company's Pateena, which left Picton for Wellington :at 6.50' p.m. on Thursday, was unable to make port until 9 o'clock yesterday morning. Tho Corinthic and the Ulimaroa from Lyttelton both suffered a delay of a couple of hours in the fog, but tho ferry steamer Maori was only 'half an hour later than usual in reaching her ber.th.

At the Artillery Officers' Institute last evening, Lieutenant-Colonel G. F. C. Campbell, Officer Commanding the Wellington Garrison Artillery Division, gave an interesting lecture on the (lefenco of-Watts Peninsula from a landing attack. On tho previous Saturday seventeen gunner, officers thoroughly examined th& whole peninsula, which was divided into fivo areas for tho 'purpose. The reports sent in by tho five patrols wero read and commented upon by Lieutenant-Colonel Campbell, who also gavo his own views as to the troops required and their disposition. Lieutenant-Colonel Bauchop - was present at the lecture, which was followed by a general discussion. ,

At. tho meeting of the Wellington Trades and Labour Council on Thursday night, according to the "Weekly Herald," the • Auckland Trades Council wrote; asking the council to give publicity to its denial of the charges of disloyalty levelled at it. After discussion it was decided to hold the matter over pending fuller information on the wholo affair.', i

A young man -was arrested yesterday by Detective Abbott on a charge of stealing £1 Bs. 6d. at Mceanee.

Tho City Council is experimenting with a new 300 candle-power metallic filament lamp in -Mercer Street, in front of tho Technical School. It has been erected in the.,place of a former arc lamp, and so far the result has been extremely satisfactory. It is believed that a hotter light is given by this lamp Jhan by tho .small aire, and t-hc.ro is, a probability, that all the unclosed arcs in the city will be enclosed in time. The now. lamp means a saving in current; afwl it' is estimated that •if its us© was made general in Wellington t-hero would be a saving to the city of from £300 to £400 in respect of labour.

The work of • installing electrical street light,ing in Upper Roseneath is now finished. Installations havo also been made in , a number of privato houses in this locality, which was previously without electric light.

According to , our, Masterton correspondent, the'farmers of the Wairarapa district have not, so far, displayed any keen desire to .avail themselves of tho offer of the Labour Department to supply them with boy labour from the English factory cities." There is already an abundance of labour in the Wairarapa, and the difficulty appears to be to find work for those offering. "From present indications," he adds, "the winter promises to be. a hard one for the labouring class."

No fewer than 95 of the passengers by the Arawa, due in Wellington from Looidon oil Monday, are coming out under the assisted system, most of them being domestic servants and women coming out to rejoin their husbands.

A notice inserted in this issue, states that special jurors summoned to attend at the Supreme Court 011 Monday, June-13, will" not be required.

.The questions, of tho purchase of land at the east end of Lyall Bay, and of improvements in the vicinity of Sydney Street, were, considered by tho Finance Committee of the City Council yesterday, and they,, will receivo further, consideration, ■it is understood, when tho committee moots again next Tuesday. 111 regard to the Sydney Street matter, it is expected that further representations will.be made to the Prime Minister on behalf of the committee.

Reference was maclo by the Hon. G. Fowlds, in conversation with a Dominion representative yesterday, to the proposed issue of certificates of qualification to officers in', the junior cadets. Mr, Fowlds said that the certificates in question would carry with them substantial commissions. It was, however, not intended to grant the commissions until the officers entitled to them actually took up the duties relating to their offices. 111 addition Mr. Fowlds remarked that the officers of tho cadets would be mainly built up from the teachers, some. of. whom would have passed through tho -officers 1 training corps or through a local training corps. A resolution protesting against tho proposal to import a number of boys for employment on New Zealand farms •was carried at a meeting of members of the Farm Labourers' Union, held in Kaiapoi on Tuesday. Several members expressed strong opposition to the proposals, the effect of which, they stated, would be to reduce the workers of the Dominion to the position of tho unfortunate .workers of the English slums.' It was decided to communicate tho. protest through tho member for the district to the Minister for Labour. Monday next 'is a Jewish holiday, tho Day of Pentecost. Tho next sitting of the Court of Appeal will be held 011 July 4. His Honour tho Chief Justico remarked yesterday that in the Napier caso of Holt v. Holt, heard at the last sittings, tho judges had not yet been able to confer. A Banco sitting of the Supreme Court has been fixed for Wednesday next, at 10.30 o'clock, before tlio Chief Justice. Some remarkably fine stag's heads aro 011 view at Mr. Tisdall's promises, Lambton Quay, just now. They were obtained by Mr. Hadow, a visiting tourist, in Otngo, and for length and spread and general symmetry of outline liave, probably not been excelled in New Zealand. One is an especially fino head. Those interested in these' sort of things should not miss seeing these heads.