LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 963, 2 November 1910, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The mails which left Wellington, on September 23, per s.s. Ulimaroa, and connected at Sydney with the Brindisi maib por R.M.S. China, arrived in London on the night of October 28.

The Postal authorities advise that the s.s. Manuka, whioh sailed from Sydney at 2 p.m. on Saturday, has. on board an Australian mail, which will arrive here this morning.

The wool and grain stores employees' dispute has' been referred to the Arbitration Court by Mr. P. Hally, Conciliation Commissioner, for' settlement of matters relating to wages and preference. The parties have agreed on other points.

' A -meeting of the Executive of the Now Zealand Soldiers' Graves Fund was held at tbo residence of tho president (Mrs. Soddon) yesterday. Information was received from the guild at South Africa that a sum of £100, remitted for the upkeep of the soldiers' graves there, had been placed on tho fund. It was decided to send another £100 for tho same Some twenty headstones havo been ereoted by the guild; on tho graves of soldiers who have died from after-effects of tho war, since their return from South Airica. The gravestones are of Coror mandel granite, suitably inscribed, and surrounded by concrete 'coping. A deputation of bandsmen waited upon the Finance Committee of, the City Council yesterday, in reference to the schedule of open-air band concerts which the council now has in preparation. The deputation included representatives of the Tramway, Jupp's, Pipe, and Central Mission Bands. On behalf of the remaining city bands it was urged that the Central Mission Band should bo required to contribute its quota of Sunday open-air concerts. To this the Missiou representatives objeotod, pointing out that their band played programmes on Sunday, onco a month, at the hospital. One suggestion made by tbo deputation was that the scene of evening band concerts now given at various points in tho city should be removed to Lyall Bay or Island Bay. The various recommendations will bo considered by the committee, and the result submitted to the council at its forthcoming meeting.

It is understood that two male passengers by the Arawa, which arrived from London yesterday, wero not permitted to land by the Port Health Officer, until they undergo further tnnrl.iVj.l examination.

The distribution of badges and medals to winners in the annual competitions of the AYellington Physical Training School tool; place at the Y.M.C.A. last ovening. Tho presentations were made by Mr. J. G. W. Aitken. Afterwards the members of the school were entertained at a social given by the physical section of the Y..V1.C.A., and a very enjoyable evening was spent. The following wore the winners of the championships Ladies, Miss E. Galloway, .den: .\lr. C. Wilson. Y.JI.C.A.: Mr. A. Kitto. Youths: Mr. P. Tracy. Girls: A. Henry. Boys: R. Henry.

There is an indication that the Government intends to give effect to at least one of Lord Kitchener's recommendations. with regard to the fort defences of Auckland. An area of about 20 acres of land at Burton's Point, near Takapuna, has recently been surveyed, and a Government odicer is negotiating with the landowners as to the probable price. Lord Kitchener recommended 'that this puint .should bo strongly fortified, and that th» ioniiicatious of Auckland in general should be up to the standard of Sydney's.

Yesterday Detectives Rawle and Cameron airested a man. who will appear at the Aiagistrate s Court this morning, ior alleged theft ol £12 os. od., tho property of \V. A. keiluw.

All old lady was discovered, on the road at Porirua yesterday morning in an exhaustei eoi..avion. It appealed that she was very distressed, and as she iva-s not known 111 the viiiage, she was taken to the Asylum and there given eveiv attention and care. Subsequently it transpired lhat she was a resident of .llarluti, and lier relatives were at once communicated with. One of her sons reached Yiuluujton last night, and ilie aid lady heisujf came from Porirua to the city. Here relatives were under the impiession that she was on a visit to friends, and it is not kn>vn how she came to be at Porirua. However, fro;;, the fact that she was m such an exhausted condition and suiiering from a temporary loss of memory, it is. surmised that she'must have walked a considerable distance before being found.

The Victoria College Debating Club and the St. Hilda's (Island Bay) Club engaged last evening in a debate at the rooms of the latter club, on the question, "Should the Autonomous System of Government Possessed by the British Oversea Dominions be Extended to Ireland?" Victoria College took the affirmative, and obtained the victory by a margin of 25 points. The : judge, Air. P. Galvin, awarded the debaters points as follows: —Victoria: College: jl'lCldowncy, 95; D. S. Smith, 95;. A. Fair. 90;- collective treatment, 25; total," 305. St. Hilda's: Collins, 90; Collie, SO; Boukott, 100; collective treatment, 20; total, 290/

"We have, unfortunately, a plethora of money here at present," were tiie words with which the Mayor greeted'a Dominion reporter yesterday morning. Mr. Wilford, went on to explain thi.t-the council had, in the shape of accrued sinking funds, an ample supply of money in hand, which was available on good security, for city loans. The demand, for some unexplained roason, falls considerably short of the supply. The city, Mr. Wilford states, is in a position to supply money on terms that will compare favourably with anything in the market.

Property-owners in Waripbri Street waited on the .Mayor yesterday morning n;ith a request that improved access should be afforded to their holdings.. At present two blind portions of the street are separated by an area of private land. The deputation asked that this should be traversed by a right-of-way; ;To pass from one portion of the street to the other at present involves a long, roundabout* journey. , The -Mayor promised to inspect the locality, and to obtain a report from the engineer.