LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 985, 28 November 1910, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Owing to bad vreather, accompanied by thick fogs, on tho northern coast, tho Victoria, with English (via Suez) and Australian, mails, was not expected to arrive in Auckland until one o'clock tin's morning. The Wellington portion of tho mail will consequently not arrivo until to-morrow afternoon.

An interesting anomaly' in railway rates was noticed by an importer who sent a motor-car to Oamant a day or two ago (reports the Christcliurch liess"). The cost of sending the car from Dnnetlin to Oamaru was less than it would ha/o been to send it from Oamaru breakwater to Oamarn. The rate from Diinedin is according to deadweight; that from Oamaru breakwater according to ship's manifest. To have brought tins car from Tort Chalmers to Dunediii by rail would have cost £2 9s. 6d. The cost of sending it from there to Oamaru was 30s.

Mr. Justico Chapman is not expected to return to town until next Thursday, and as the Chief Justico leaves for Nelson to-day, there will be no judge" in town for about three days.

Flax bushes in and around Ckristclmrch aro coming into blossom very early this year (says the "Press"). This is always taken by the. Maoris as a sure sign of a hot summer.

An interesting position is created by Section 42 of tho new Licensing Act, which raises the age, at which a youth may bo supplied with liquor, from 18 to 21 years. By this section not only does the licensee commit an offence but also tho person supplied, and tho latter is liable to a, fine of £10. Thus a youth under 21, if arrested for drunkenness, instead of escaping with a nominal fine, may possibly bo penalised to tho extent of a ten-pound note.

The mother of a certain nine-year-old boy—this is what tho lady herself told a Dominion reporter—was standing on the beach at Rona, Bay the other day, watching her offspring disporting himself in the surf, when tho local policeman approached her and announced that the boy, who was wearing- bathing trunks, would reopiire to wear the neck-te-knee costume, as prescribed in the edict of _ the local authorities! The lins is certainly a difficult one to draw, but with a sensitive policeman in charge of tho beach it can apparently be drawn drastically enough. .

The Minister in charge of the Geological Survey Department is being asked by Mr. Hine, M.P., whether he will authorise an extension of tho survey now being undertaken in a portion of the Taranaki district, so as to include the country south of Inglewood as far as Stratford and inland to Whangamomona, as there aro considerable indications of oil-gases in that locality.

Oh tho motion of Mr. J. W. Macdonald, solicitor to the Public Trust Office, tho Supremo Court has granted to the Public Trustee probate of tho wills of. the following deceased persons:—Thomas Henry, late of Hillersden, farmer; Charles ffm. Smith, late of Russell, formerly of Kenepuru, mariner; Jno. Dmmmond, late of Raiikaroa, labourer; Wm. Sergeant Davey, lato of Sunnyside, carpenter;' James John Curtis, late of Johnsonvillo, forwarding agent; Thos. Amos, late of Wellington, painter ; Elizabeth Sherlock, late of Reef ton, widow; George Robt. , Charlton, late of Waipawa, farmer. Orders to administer were also granted in the estates of Richard Finn, lato of Clevedon, farmer; Bayldon Ewen,. lato of..Wellington, accountant; Adam M'Morran, lato : of Porirua, coachdriver; and an order to administer, with will annexed, in the estate of Margaret Gower, lato of TJtakura, widow. ; It was. intimated at tho meeting of the;' Wellington Land Board on Friday, that tho January meeting would probably bo allowed to lapso, and the first meeting in the New Year be held on '.Phursday, February 2. As stated yesterday, tho December mooting will be held on the 21st of that month.