LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 890, 9 August 1910, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The postal authorities advise thnt the s.s. Moann, which loft Sydney on Saturday, August C, has on board an Australian mail. She is. due to reach hero on Wednesday morning. Officers in tho public service who IKu at a distance from their work' have long felt that when they are required, to return to flieir duties in tho evening they should bo allowed "teu money." When this matter was brought under the notice of the Prime Minister yesterday by the Executive of tbe New. Zealand Civil Servico Association, it was not denied thnt when suoh Iα rule w:is in force it had b«en abused. It was urged however thnt if an official had to .do say two hours' work in an evening and had to buy a meal in town he should lie recompensed. Sir Joseph (in reply) said thnt the matter would have to be referred'to the Mil,. isters in charge of the respective Departments. Personally, he felt thnt if n» officinl had to return to work in the evening ho should not bo asked to do so at Ms own expense. ''The Government will liuvb to guard very carefully ngainst anj possibility of abuse," he added. The eld "smithy" on the corner of Taranaki Street and Taranaki Place, for so long a familiar landmark in tho Te Aro district of the city, lias been demolished to make way for a liandsonio fourstoried brii'k building for Messrs. Belehor and Co. .The architects are Messrs. Hoggnrd and I'rouse. and the builders Messrs. Campbell and Burke.

An old enemy. Our Greymquth correspondent states that influenza is very rife on the West Coast this winter. Quite thirty per cent, of the population either have suffered or are suffering from the disagreeable visitation, and the disorganisation of business and affairs has naturally been considerable. The question as to.whether a volunteer drill-hall, the trustees of-which aw empowered under the Defence Act, 1008, to frame a scale of charges for its use by tho public, can be rated by the local authority of the district has been tested by the Petonc Borough Council, which last evening received an opinion on the point from Mr. ,T. F. Martin (an authority ou municipal law). Quoting tho Defence Act and the Eating Act, 1908, lie gave it as his opinion that such buildings were rightly exempt from rates, and were entitled to be licensed as public halls upon due application being made. In connection, with the recent alleged city burglary, one of the suspects who escaped from tho police is still at large. The ■ Court of Appeal' did no business yesterday, and adjourned until Wednesday, August 17. It is expected that judgments will then be delivered in the cases of Morland v. Hales (sale of 'the Birchhill Estate. Marlborough), Wade v. Hardley (patent skylights), aud Holt v. Holt (a Napier, will case). The case relating to George Tuckwell, legally presumed to be dead, but, it is thought, possibly still alive, will be reopened this afternoon at 2.30 o'clock in the Supreme Court before Mr. Justice Cooper. The provisional order made by his Honour last February for tlie distribution of the money left to George Tuckwell by his father, the late Richard Tuckwell, oi Tinakori ltoad, among. other members of the family, will come up for reconsiueration ill the light of fresh evidence. In- the Supreme Court this: morning, tho Chief Justice (Sir .Kobert Stout) will deliver his judgment in the case of Karl Rasmussen v. Edith Dorothy Kliis aud John Eli lillis. The case relates to a complaint of damago to the plaintiff's property lroni a dam in tho Wniwetu Stream. • . A deputation 'representing the Flaxbourne Settlers' Association, Awalcre Road Board, aud the Marlborougn A. and i\ Association made representations to. the lion. R. M'Kenzie (..Minister for Public Works) yesterday with, referencb to-tho.date of the opening of tho new railway irom Ward -southwards. Mr. M'Kenzie said that it would lib possible to.open the section'(luring November.. If it were ii-ecessary, the section could; however, bo ready by the end of October, It wua then 'suggested by the deputation that October 31 should be fixed as the date, as November 1 was the anniversary of the Marlborough province. Members added that it was probable they would ask that that date should be fixed. In reply, Mi\ M'Kenzie said -that he would Ire glad to fall in with the.wishes of the doputatiori on the point. '. . ■ ' ■ Representatives of tho Kaikoura County Council waited upon the Hon. E. M'Kenzie (Minister for Public Works) in support oi their application for Government votes this year. Mr. Forbes, M.1 , , for Ilurunui, introduced the deputation. It was pointed out that Hoods in .tho disIriet during the' pn=t.year had been very heavy- The rainfall had been four times as heavy as during any previous year. Special mention was . made of tho need tor a traffic bridge over the Hapuka River; also for repairs to the roaa to Cheviot, which was liable,to slips. The 31 mister (in reply) said that the. applications would receive every consideration. It was the custom, he added, to give £ loi Jj iu the case of repairs arising from damage by floods. Among the requests made to the Prime Minister by a deputation of members of tiio Executive o! llm M#w Zealand. Civil Service Association yesterday was that work in public offices' should cease at noon on Saturdays. It was pointed out in support of the suggestion that such a rule would confer a very,great boon upon those officials who took part in'athletics. Sir Joseph replied (that careful consideration would be given h> the proposal. The matter would, he tku\, be very hard to settle owing to the fact that work in many of tho Departments could not cease until one o'clock. He added that the rulo i..ust apply all round if at all. At ihe annual meeting of, tho Wellington Society of Professional Musicians the following resolution was proposed by Mr. Rnbt. Parker, seconded by Miss Grace Kennedy, and carried: "That the society views with much satisfaction and cordially supports Mr. Maughan Barnett's proposal for the establishment of a municipal orchestra, in Wellington." . A copy of the resolution has bwli forwarded to the City Council.' The Council of the Borough of Karori intends to apply to his Excellency tho . Governor-in-Council for an order authorising the construction of a tramway leading from the terminus in Karori of tno existing tramway, and ending, in a'poinl nearly opposite the southern boundary of the Recreation Ground. ' • The office-bearers of St. James's Presbyterian Church, Wellington South, decided yesterday that retiring collections' at both services next Suiiday will be given, to go towards tho Mayoress's fund for the new Children's Hospital. Negotiations ihave again been reopened with the object: of bringing about tho amalgamation of Petone's two bands—the Potone Brass Hand, ; and the Petono Citizens' Band—this ;time, it is hazarded, with a'fair prospect of success, So reported, ,the 'Mayor of Petone at the council meeting last.. evening. Previous efforts in this direction were made some time ago, but nothing resulted. ... .-. The ..': Mayoress, '. Mrs. , ' Wilford, invites the citizens to attend a meeting to be-held m the Concert. Hall of the Town Hall to consider the , question of raising funds for .'the. establishment of a Children's Hospitah vThe usual'.weekly meeting of the Pioneei Lodge, 1.0.6. T., w-as held on Monday evening at; the Rcohabito. Chambers, Manner-, Street, liro. E. Reid, C.T., presiding over a good attendance of members and visitors. After the usual routine business, the lodge went into harmony; when an interesting programing of games occupied tho evening. Greetings were brought from Thames and Lyttelton. Three new members were proposed. A hearty vote of.thanks to the visitors was carried by.acclamation.