LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 860, 5 July 1910, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Tho postal authorities advise that tha s.s. iloanu, which left" Sydney on July 2, is bringing an Australian mail. She is duo to arrive here on Wednesday forenoon.

The Prime Minister has agreed to receive a deputation with reff-renco to old age pensions on Thursday morning, at Ii.HO o'clock.

'.Representations have been made to the Government by }lr. Field, 51.1'. for Otaki, that a rido team should bo sent from No«• Zealand to Melbourne in October to defend the Gordon Highlanders' Trophy. If a team is to bo sent (urges Mr. Fie.Ul) it is quite time it was selected. This trophy has already been won twice by .Xow Zealand—once in Aus--tralia and once in the Dominion. 11l support of his contention, Mr. Field points out that New Zealand has not sent a (•cam to liisley for five years, whereas the Commonweal'!) has regularly been represented at. that great rillc meeting.

Speaking of the football grounds at Minimal- Park, Mr. Fordyce, at last night's meeting of the, Referees' Association, said that he had been compelled to abandon this match that ho had been sent to control there 011 Saturday last. One of the players, however, was finite anxious to play, and when tho referee told him it was impossible, the player remarked that he had seen far worse grounds. "Where,?" inquired Mr. Fordyce. "On the U'airarapa Lake," was the rejoinder. (Laughter.)

It appears that the trouble between tho Furniture Workers' Union nnd tho Department of Labour is not yet at ail end. The complaint by the union, it will bo remembered, was that the Departmental officers hud refused to take up various cases in which, according to the union, there had been breaches of tho award. A deputation from the union waited on the Hon. J. A. Miliar (Minister for Labour), and as an outcome the Departmental oilicers supplied a report which contained a denial of the charges. In reply to an inquiry, Mr. Moriarty, secretary of the union, has been informed that he (Hie Minister) is perfectly satisfied with the procedure of tho Departmental odiecrs. As the union is discontented with the answer it recently asked the l'rime Minister if lie would receive a deputation 011 the subject, and Sir Joseph Ward has now agreed to hear the deputation on Thursday evening

Tho references made by several southern members during the debate on the route, of tho North Auckland Trunk line to thousands of acres of waste land north of Auckland arc not taken seriously by those who know the country well. Mr. I'\ .Mander, member for Mnrsdcn, thinks the wrong impression formed by those who havo only visited the country casually may be dun to the fact that the main road goes through the worst of the. laud, the better land lying fnrther back. Mr. Slander recalls that at one time tho land from Papatoetoo to Hamilton was not considered worth fencing, with tho exception of an area round I'ukekohe. To-day the land is valued at from .£ls to ,£2O and over an acre. He considers that as great a mistake is being made in respect to North of Auckland land as was at .0110 lime mado in respect to land south of Auckland.

The Y.M.C.A. intends to start classen for member* in carving and every clfort will b« made lo shoiv what can be done in I lie iirl of inlaying on furniture, floors, walls, and ceilings, by means of the magnilicent limbers of tho Dominion. The c.luflica will be in charge and under tile leadership of Mr. \V. Curbed, architect, lute instructor ut the Technical School, Wellington.

A daily passenger from Taitville comments on Ihc number, of rats to bo seen at a boiling-down yard near the Irani terminus. Ho thinks the Health authorities should make a raid on the rodents.

A special meeting of the City Council wilt be held on t'riday at 1 p.m. to discuss Ihe following motion by Councillor At'Laren :—(1) That a Bill be introduced to Parliament to provide for the leasing of a portion of the Town IJelt at .lolin Street for technical education purposes, and to provide lor a variation ot 'the lease, of the premises in Mercer Street, now leased by the council to the managers of the Technical Eduealion Board. CJt) That the Jtill be prepared by the City Solicitor anil submitted to the Legislation and Lca.H'luilds Committee lor approval.

A sppcial meeting of the Tramway Committee of the Minimal 1 Borough Council waA held yesterday to consider proposed changes in regard to fares. It whs decided lo confer with the Tramways Committer ot the City Council on the matter.

The work of setting back the corner of the I'uiun Clothing Co.'s premises at the junction of Cuba and Manners Streets is sufficiently advanced to form an estimate of tho considerable improvement to tho footpath that will be effected by the alterations. The corner lias been bevelled oil', as was done in the ease of Winder's building opposite, so that it is not a corner at all, and further advantagu is gained by the ingenious indentation of the entrance to the building which, while it gives more room for 'lie public, provides double tho showwindow space. Tho land gained by the city is being divided without prejudice between the road and sidewalk. Tho kerbing is being set back about' three i'cet from the old line, and instead of a curvo it will be ft straight-line kerb in keeping with tho rest of the work. , Tho Union Clothing Co.'s premises are now being provided with an up-to-date verandah, designed to throw a maximum of light on to tho windows below. Detectives Kemp and Hammond yesterday arrested a man on a charge of having stolon ,£G belonging to David Smith, of Karuri. Tho alleged theft is stated to have.taken place on Friday last. Veiled references lo a big scheme lo lest thoroughly for radium several of tho Orepuki claims recently thought to contain platinum and gold havo been leaking out, despite the efforts of those interested to keep the subject a complete secret. A correspondent of the Westport "Times" states that there was "something" in samples of several of the claims tested at the time of the recent brief boom which seemed to baffle the analyst, and samples were sent to Europe and Australia. The result, says the writer, -is the formation of a powerful company, almost all the capital being held by German and Victorian shareholders, a few shares only being held in the Dominion. It is further said that the erection of extensive works has been delayed only by the time, occupied by a Continental export, who will be the manager, in obtaining his naturalisation papers.

Speaking on motor-car traffic regulations, J!r. Wilford, jM.P., told the Municipal CoufTenco yesterday that, as a motorist, he would like to see "scorching" put down by. the most drastic measures that' were practiealilH. Ho did not. approve of municipalities fixing a definite speed-limit, because tho circumstances differed in different parts of a district. They could not make tho maximum lower than eight miles an hour, but that would bo a very dangerous speed in Willis Street nil a Saturday night. Under the present law the magistrate had to decide whether the speed was excessive in view of all the ein umstnnccs, and his'oxperiences as a barrister in defending such cases showed him that this was an effective provis ! on. ■

The electric lighting poles are now being removed from the old footpath lino on the eastern side of Willis Street, and the wires are being strung on to new poles set the requisite ten feet back. Tho frontages of all the buildings as far south as Morrah's Building have now been set back, and within a few days a start will be made to set tho footpath back and wood-block the extra ten feet that is boing given to the road.

About one hundred and fifty students and ox-students attended a meeting, held in the Technical School last evening, at which preliminary steps were taken towards the formation of an association, to be known as "The Wellington Technical School Senior and Old Students' Association." Mr. W. S. La Trobo presided. A temporary committee of twenty members was set up, which will, at an early date, convene a large and representative meeting of prospective members. It is hoped that the existenco of the association will facilitate the formation of classes ill addition to promoting social intercourse anions; past and present students of the school. The establishment of a number of athletic clubs depending upon the association is also contemplated.