LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 980, 22 November 1910, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

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The postal authorities adviso that the s.s. Maraina, which loft Sydney on Saturday, November 10, at 2 p.m., lias on board an Australian mail. She is duo here on Wednesday morning, November 23. ■ A question addressed to Mr. T. E. Tay'-, lor, M.l'., at his meeting in Hio Concert Chamber of the Town Hall last evening, ran as • follows:—Supposing that at the licensing noil in 1911 National Prohibition werocarried to take effect in four years, and at tho succeeding poll in 1914 restoration were carried, to take effect in three months, would the country be .under restoration ot No-Liconse? Mr. Taylor exnlained in renly that under the new if National Prohibition were carried, no further poll would be taken until it had been in operation for three years. This meant that National Prohibition must remain in force for five and a half years if it wero once carried. During a neriod of nine and a hak years, no pell would bo taken. If at the end of this time restoration were .carried, it would take affect three months later. Yesterday, the Chief Justice adjudicated upon a question relating to proofs ot debt in bankruptcy cases. Prior to Hie declaration of George Pinnock as a bankrupt, a motor-car and taxi-cab business wns carried on, which, it was claimed, was tho property o£ his wife, Beatrice Amy Pinnock. Recently the direction of the Sunreme Court was soucht as to whether liroofs of debt should be admitted against .the estate of George Pmnock or against that of his wife. . Yesterday his Honour remarked that the question to be decided was whether tno business belonged in reality to Mrs. I'mnock or not. Counsel were heard on the matter, and tho Court made the following order:—Official Assignee to allow the proofs unless the account or any items in it show that credit was given to Mrs. Pinnock, the creditors to have 14 days in which to elect whether they will withdraw tho proofs, and to have £i As. costs of this application if they dp not elect to withdraw. . , . The weekly tramway returns show that the special Sunday cats were well patronised, no fewer than 570 adults anc 51 children being carried on the special morning cars. The late Sunday evening specials w«ro also well supported, _ 243 passengers being carried along the various late-car routes. The special . midnight car from jLambton Station was a convenience to 143 people during the week. . 4. short but sharp shock of earthquake was experienced in the city at 2.15 a.m. this morning. The new Wellington Infectious Diseases Hospital will be opened to-morrow afternoon at 3 o'clock, by His Excellency the Ctovernor. The entrance to tte new institution is from tho northern. extremity of Cororaandel Street. In the Wellington Shakespeare Club's annual reading competition for pupils of secondary schools held on Saturday inorniie the'name of the competitor wno secured third place was Janet Anson, not Janet Anderson, as printed in Mondays issue. •■ A big blaze and a large crowd created considerable excitement at the corner o Ballance Street and Waterloo Quay at 11.30 yesterday morning,, but the fcro brigade had been informed that tni "outbreak" was a specially arranged demonstration of the popular Minimal l'irc Extinguisher. Seven large packingcases, saturated with tar and benzine, ■made a roaring mass of flames, but tno instant the "carbonic acid gas fluid, propelled with a force of 801b. to the inch pressure, struck the hre a black hole appeared in the flames, which, spreading rmickly, smothered the fire out of existence. In order to illustrate how a-fare can bo extinguished through closed doors, tho demonstrator prepared a case with shavings, tar, and benzine,, nailed.on the lid,'and applied a match to the contents through a crack in the case. _He then took a second machine, pushed the nozzlo through the • side, and the lire in a. fow seconds. Tho exhibition was given under the direction of Mr. A T. Bate, sole agent for New Zealand.