LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 922, 15 September 1910, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

. The postal-authorities advise that. the mail steamer left San Francisco on Sep-; tember 11, bringing -English and American mails- tor "Sow' Zealand./ ;They, will be : transhipped : to the . Mokoia. at. Papeete, and should reach. Wellington on October V- '.■':••-:' ■::..:,".-■'-■ "..': '•''v ; - la a recent letter to Tke Doiiinion Miv Samuel: Vaile stated that there is now,'.or was last year, .'an average differential rate of"4s.. IOJd. on every ton, no matter what class or what distance it passes overt'on the North. Island-lines', and of s{d- per "ordinary, passenger";' resulting ■ in the South Island gaining, as .compared with the North, to the extent, of ,£970,509. Apropos of this, Mr. Myers (Auckland) is asking the Minister of Eailways whether his attention has been drawn to the statements made. by Mr. Saniuel 'Vaile, and his table of heavy differential' rates- imposed by the Bailway Department. against the; North. Island; and, if'so, whether he will state what is the justification for this differentiation. . "It is a pity that the supply of vegetables' for most of the largo towns is almost entirely in the hands of the Chinese," remarked Mr. G. W. Russell during the debate in the House of-Repre-sentatives on the Crimes Amendment Bill. Mr. Russell went on to explain that he would go as far as to agree to allow prison labour to compete in this trade. Ho would be.very glad to see the back of tho last Chinaman in New Zealand tomorrow if it were possible. The motion ,for attachment of the defendant in the case of Hannah v. Nodine, whioh was to have been heard by Mr. Justice. Chapman, yesterday, was adjourned until to-day, to enable it to be dealt with by the Chief Justice, it being an.order of the Court issued by him ,Which the defendant is -accused of dmoboyinc • No quorum attended the meeting of creditors in the bankrupt estate of Charles Edward Stuart, metal merchant, : called yesterday morning by tho Official Assignee, and the proceedings woro adjourned 6ine die. Mr. W. H. D, 801 l appeared for the petitioning creditors. Claims by unsecured creditors in tho estate amount to JC3SG 9s. fid,, and those of secure! creditors *o .£550. On the other side of the account are securities valued at £759. so that there is. left a deficiency of 9s. Gd. The secured creditors are: Miss Janet Dunn ,£375, and Mrs. Ellen Moore, £175. , Eadh claim arises out of mortgages 'on laud-cot-tages in Ebor Street, Wellington. Tho Hopo of Wellington Tent, 1.0. R., held a mock banquet at the Eechabite Chambers' in Manners Str«l, on Tuesday evening. A largo number of members of the other Eechabite Tents, and Good Templar Lodges, also the. Rechabites.arid Good Templars from H.M.S. Encounter, were present. Bro. A. Lancaster, C.K., presided. A' comprehensive toast list ■ was gone through, and Rem.* woro i o Di r i. buted by the following:—Bro,. Hall, Bro.' Brown, Sister Hash (encore), Sister Kelly, Bro. Wychern, juu., Bro. Ferguson, and Bro. Brattle. The proceedings . wero brought to,a close about-10.30 p.m., Softer .a very pleasant '.evoninir.-h.ad been ajent..

Contracts wero signed on behalf of tne City Council yesterday for the building in of boilers in the electric lighting station, and for the supply of ironbark poles and planks for tho wadestoivn ■ extension of the ' tramway system. Messrs. Mace and Nicholson were tho s'ucecssiul contractors .for the first work at a price of £2iU. Tho unsuccessful tenderers were J. Priddey J2516, and M'Lean and Gray .£2903 10s. Messrs.. J. Wallace and. Co. were the contractors for the second work, the price being £W 3s. 3d. Tho unsuccessful tenders were Richardson, Blair, and M'Cabe -£m lis. Bd., S. Brown, Ltd., £C>U 17s. 3d., Frascr and Co. .£717 2s. Bd-

The pushful Maori abroad. Miss Maggie Papakura advertises as follows iu the latest ''Sydney- Morning Herald" to hand:—"Maggie Papakura sends greetings and aroha to.:her many friends in Sydney, and by this message desires to impart the' knowledge to them .that she will on October 1 inaugurate a tour of the world, with a brief season at tho Sydney Sports Ground, bringing with her a complete representation of a-.Maori vilijigGj and an artistic combination of fifty Alaori entertainers, vocalists, and musicians, who will present an entirely novel, attractive, and varied series of entertainments. The organisation will include, in addition to a- number of care-fully-selected soloists, with phenomenal singing voices, the celebrated Aruwa Male Double Quartette, whose recent, appearances in New Zealand created a sensation." . .;. At the Lower Hutt Police Court yesterday, before . Messrs. Chapman and Cf.db>, J.P.'s, Jow.'i>U Murphy was fined : 405., or in default .seven days' imprisonment, for assaulting Constable Anderson. ■ The" statement that there is a prospect that tho Spreckels ( line of steamers -will shortly bo running again from San Piai. Cisco to Auckland lias been received at Boterua' with much.enthusiasm, particularly by the hotel and boardinghouse proprietors (states the "New, Zealand Herald"). When these steamers previously called'at Auckland they brought a great many passengers, who found their way to Rotorua, and it isa noteworthy fact that sine* the service was discontinued the tourist traffic to Rotorua has suffered considerably. "The 'Fiisco steamers used to bring us many tourists who are now lost to us," said-one prominent boarding-house-keeper, and this corroborated by others. In the editorial .in yesterday's Dominion on the Imperial"Conference the following sentence appeared: "To the impatient spirits who long disinterestedly for a patent Empire, and to .those others whose Imperialism is not quite .untainted, by interest in ;the success of a particular policy, the placidity of -'the -interval since the Conference will be very welcome and reassuring.". ' The inadvertent' omission, of a line after the,word "Conference" completely altered the sehselofthe passaged- As'the rest of theV article showed, the sentence quoted should have read to the effect that while the placidity of the, recess might not he pleasant to people _' or interested-parties, yet to others it is welcome, and.reassuring. • • ";'■'.'■:"' v .\ : ~' Sergeant \ Crnicksbank and, Mr. Dolan exchanged a :few -pleasantries at, the Courthouse on Monday (says the "Napier Daily Telegraph")... "I was in" Court, before you ever .saw one," said the,,sergeant. "Yes, down in Dannevirke,. a little bush township," retorted. Mr., Dolan, crushingly. "I have been in Courts where your conduct'would not:be allowed," returned the-sergeant. "And where I come'from," said. Mr. Dolan, "you, would not be tolerated in Court." His Worship at this stage interfered, remarking that it. was. very undignified of counsel to engage in su'oh bickerings, and the incident terminated. :,/.....; In connection with the'evening parade of the Wellington Garrison troops on Dominion Day (September. 26), the Wellington Rifle ,3attalion, .under . LieutenantColonel W. G.. Duthie/will assemble -at the Public Trust Office at 6.45- p.m., and will .march through the streets,-to : the Basin Reserve, where, companies : of'the battalion will entertain the/public with displays of physical drill, bayonet, signalling, etc, for three-quarters :of an hour., '."■ '•' -\ ■ ■■', '■;;■'. :•-■■;■'-.; .. ■; -.When the British India -.: Coifpahy's, steamer.ltria was' passing, through Cook Strait, yecterday' morning from Newcastle to : : Wellington, what .one of' her officers describes' as "the most glorious sight he has ever witnessed" was seen. ,6e referred- to the upon which tho morning :sun was shining in-all, its magnificence.: "We feel the cold pretty severely down in this part of ■the world after hftvin'g been used to the climate of'lndia,", he w.ent- on to say, "but that sight was worth coming, a long way to .see."; :: "'■', ■'.'■ ".'-..-.■-..'■; -'. . The.parents-of Michael ,Quirke, who was shot at' Palinerston North during the ■Powelka-. scare, have:-petitioned -Parliament, .through Mr. Boss,. M.P., for compensation or compassionate ' allowance. The. petition urges, .that, deceased-was'the mainstay and isupport'of his aged parenfe, and that his life 'Atita sacrificed, .whilst acting in w-hat he honestly believed to be the-service .of. his country. The petition also submits that under the circumstances neither police, officers'' nor any one else had' any right or authority either -to shoot or give an order to ..shoot at deceased in the. manner they did.'."'-,