LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 953, 21 October 1910, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

■ The Postal authorities, advi&e that: the s.s. Maheno, which Bailed from Sydney at noon on October 19 for Auckland, has on board an Australian mail,, ; and also the English mail via' Suez. The' Wellington portion should reach ■ here by tho Main Trunk express; on Monday, October 24. •-

To-day will be the eleventh anniversary of the departure of New-Zealand's First Contingent, consisting of 212 officers and men, to the seat of war in South Africa. The members of that contingent,, on their return-to New Zealand per tho troopship Orient, did not drift apart without forming an association, with/headquarters; in Wellington. That association's tenth'annual reunion and dinner is to be held at Godbor's, Cuba Street, this evening, and members from various parts of the Dominion have already arrived to : attend .this function. Colonel A.-.W. Robin, Cliief. of the General Staff New Zealand Forces, who commanded'the contingent in/the field, will preside; and he will be supported by Lieut-Colonel D'Arcy Chaytor, Blenheim; who. : served as a subaltern; in ■the contingents '~ : ■'",.■ .- i

Mr. J. C. Cooper informed our Fahiatua correspondent this-week that he hasi'accepted the challenge of the. member {for Lyttelton, Mr. George Laurenson, to'; debate the . question, "Leasehold ,v. Freer hold," at Shannon, on October 81. Mr. Cooper, who is.a' strong believer in'the freehold, is a very good platform speaker. Tho debate is to take place at the Druids' Hall, 'Shannon. . ..■••_.. . ".. •"■],■'.'.

: Somebody has .written to Couioillor Fletcher,'over, the signature" "Quidnunc," to say that ';. "the. Mayor's. Miwri is.' amusing- to Maori scholars." .'.■. The: other day at a-City Council meeting!the Mayor, on .being asked by .Councillor-, Fletcher what .was tho meaning of Kai-: hua Stree.t-jone of .the newly-besto'ived that- "kai" meant foodi , ■■', and the.huia was a : bird. : "Quidnuno" iliays that "kaihua is a full-grown 'caHJage tree, that is ti-tree, or whanake/'Some. of those_ who: heard Councillor Fletcher read this communication at the City Council meeting last ' night thought "Quidnuno's" naturalvhistory : quite;; as "amusing" as the Mayor's Maori. ~': .

7.3o';o'clock, last.-' evening:!two' young nrea were engaged in discussion:'oofn f the footpath in.front of,TisdaH's;Sppfts Depot on- liambton'-Quay, , when om of them stepped backward aid, in doing;:so, caught his,heel in th« kerbing, andjfell into.the lai'ge plate-glass.:window.atlthe sidewith such force .that he. went d«m through it, and lay .on the : broad of:i his back - on/.the, show-counter, .with , fragments of thick: glass falling r ihim. in , all directions.': The clanging" of i: the falling glass quickly drew a considerable cluster of people, but" ere they, had (imo to sum,up, .the:situation the;man; picked■ himself up and hurried; away. There; was no constable present ibefore. '.the 'man's, departure, to investigate: tie - occurrence; but the; ono, certain fact,, was. that ;[the window-frame wae './almost-: denuded ; of. glass.■:■:,;,/ '..;';;,.;.:.■;;'.; ~,,; ; ; : Xsr: '. of'the.City;.Corp6ration]!are, to be granted, a holiday.oniDecembiir.'3 for their, annual- picnic.^ ; ''';,: •;.'■ "'l;' ?". .The , ; Town . ClerkV was : instructed j last evening by the City Council;to inform;the Miramar Borough Council that no objection will be made to the Tramways Band playing at Seatoun; provided the Borough Council will contribute i£3.to«rardslithe cost of ;.•;;:•■, ,-]i'-.; . The City Council .has been advised, by the Department of Agriculture that:, an amending Bill to .the Slaughtering and'lnspection Aot is being prepared, and ihat the provisions iti regard.to.the inspection' of:>pigs are receiving: careful consideration. . ,;.;■ ; : - ']..\':■;-'';': .■>."'-.' ;,; , : -.jV;-j' '■:■;''' The-jTibilee celebrations -in; conneotion with ; St. Patrick's;College-have'been iixed' to :tako Wee on December 11,: 12, ;and/13. On \ the Sunday"special ,, -services- and meetings willibe,held.; .The.dates fcake'mithe: brcaking-np ceremony, which-,-willvipro-bably occur on-- the. evening ,of Tnesaay,. December"jlS.,.The 4 St. "PaMck'e College Old Boys'' Association, , whidh-is: taking: a lively interest in- the' , event;>;is;:':isSiing invitations to all old-boys of-.the,;coUege to. be present in Wellington; for..:;the ; jsele-: brations, and generally -to'payHhoaiage' to. their Alma'.Materi -/. The , association intends to .arrange a funotion.,iii,,:the fl form, "of'a conversazione , 'as ;its part in :the;,o6-' oasion.;- ~; ,; -.'y /''^:«;■■:-■ y' •-.■ 'iV-'j-'■•.'-■■'■'• A; recommendatibn"' pi "the;: Tramways. Committee , ' that' the''use • of : the';; automatic ticket , collector,- no.w.in'-use.iatiithe"-Newtown:-tram'sheds, be (made; com'pulsory. was .approved last. evening ' : by i ; the; City. Council, . . .;, ■':■".; :,:.;;;;:.;.'-",-,■'..|["-."'.''..* -During the fortnightly periodjenlfirig on October ,10, tw€nty-seven applications 1 were received by -.the. City. Counoili-for pormissiou to. alter;'..ereot.'- or lextend buildings.. In thirty-three instances-plans were; examined . and approved and . jperraits issued. .The-estimatedvalne-of-: the ■work;passed ; was:-'Citr,-V*£V929j;and Mel--rose/ ; t£S7o3;otdtai;, ~>,.;■;■ \si-\:

; A-:meeting, of the.•Wellington .'Brfincli of the New; Zealand. Labpur party. held ton Wednesday evening,; liut: jinly' routine .business.was:transacted. , '.An'ex-' ecutive ] will, not be 'rappolnted until party roll contains 250: names. ,;pf 'this number it stilli falls considerably;. , short. : The Finance and Property Committee recommended in;. their:, report .to', the. City'-;.Council; ,'last ;;_ evening . that, , as • the' contractors' for ironfoundry' for the present'-'year had closed down Jlieir works,,tho.. work;bo given to Meijsrs.. D, Robertson 'and.; .C 0.,: : t jie. nerf iloivest. tenderers, at 'the' prices at. which VJ;jiey tendered. ,at. the ; o£. - ; thp. , year.-' The recom'menda'tion'. was -approved,ji,':;,.

The City Council last ■ evening ulecllhed to accede to the" request of,the :Hospital and Charitable Aid floardthat a tramway stopping-place should be established Obpoeite the main gates'-of. the. hospitalsjjThe Mayor stated,- in reply tb 6.question, ithat the present stopping-place: -opposite , jf the library was- dqnsidered sufficient..; .•j:-!';.-Y ; ' •The City- Conneil-'last'evening , ; coilsid-' ered'a letter from the office of the.'Mjnis-. ter:. for Internal Affairs ■. covering la: communication from, a Johannesburg resident,' offering to , supply : li oris, tigers, and other, animals - for' the purposes of ■: the ■ Zoologi-- • oal', Gardens; ;\The council 'referred ;both letters'to its Reserves Committee, i;; γ-v "

..;, Application; is to'jb'e m'ade'tq'.the pub-; lid. \Vorks Department'Jior its,'consent., to A slight deviation of tiiamway track,; as rec'otnmended .bv'.tue. ,City Engineer. '.The .alteration "makes it IpossiMe to substitute' an eight-foot;reta'iDing-wall ■ for one .twenty-three. ; feet in height; which would ■be reiuired 'on the original route. ■ ■ . .■■ .V. ! ;;V.3 y ■'■ '■;.ii;-f • ••' "One of blackguardly' ;aotione malicious men.go in fdr"-r-the expression, is the Mayor's—has cost;-.the City Council\£l2;for a new sheet of plateglass in one. of- its: Willis: Street shop-, fronts. A deep' scratch :had:been niade -by a diamond being; drawn, 'a-cross jjth'e; window. '-.. ■- , :'.;. , .' , ■■•■'■..; '-■' '-■ -'.-..'■'■-. j; .-.

; A lecture is : to be 'givenCin'.them'iini-: cipal Concert Hall by Mr. Wm., Henry, founder, of the Eoyal Lifer Saving Society, as one of the series of free lectures 'arranged by: the Library Committee' of;the City Council. . ; ■■;■::;,.;: ■ : ?. ;

A lamp, is to be erected by the >2ity Council in front of 'the Wellinrion.Bowling Club's premises ;in' ; Wordsworth Street conditionally on , the club payins the cost "of erection, and an annual maintenance charged ,£l-13s. ;',;.;■■'; : V ' '": .

: Further evidence. of the increase in the value of city-lands in the heart of .'Wellington. was\furmshed at the meeting of; the City Council last night... The council resolved to intiniafe to the solicitors of Messrs. Fuller and' Sons, its willingness to accept a surrender of the lease.: of. sec- : tion 122, Lambton reclaimed, land, and to- grant, a new lease.for the balance of the term'of the present lease at h rental of ,£ll2 10s. per annum Cbeing : an increase of '400 per cerit.- on the... present rental), with renewals at valuation'every fourteen years, this section to form part of the original building scheme with tho other sections leased by Messrs. Fuller and Sons. . •'. ■'■ '. ;. .

The dispatch which' was transmitted from Feilding to Lord Islington, at Feathorston, on Saturday arid'- Sunday last by hoy scouts was. delivqretl at "his Excellency's residence: by . two. ITeatliereton scouts, not Mastertbn'scouts, as previously stated. ■ The scouts who delivered it were' Scrgeant-Major'F; Kent-Johnston and Leader F. Toogood. ■•;■ .->.-■■ ' ■