LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1002, 17 December 1910, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

$ The postal authorities advise that the s.s. Malieno, which sailed from Sydney at noon on the 14th instant for Auckland, has on board an Australian mail, also the English mail, via Suez. The Wellington portion should reach here by Main Trunk express on Monday.

The present civil sittings of the Supreme Court aro due to finish to-day. Mr. Justice Cooper will hear at 9.30 this morning further argument in the case of George, Doughty and Co. v. William Henry Nash. After that his Honour will take the case of George Hill ; and another v. Oswald Eeere, a claim for revocation of probate of the will of the late Herbert Hill. This may last a considerabletime, as about 40 witnesses aro to. be in attendance.

How the value of land ought to be determined is a question that was discussed yesterday at the Compensation Court which was hearing the 'claims oi certain Evans Bay landowners against the Harbour Board. The difficulties of tho matter were increased by the fact that comparatively few sales, such as would serve as indicators of values, have taken place lately. Mr. Justice Cooper described the process adopted by Compensation Courts. "Wo generally arrive at a satisfactory solution," said his Honour, "by discounting tho values of the claimants' witnesses and adding something'to tho .values given by, the respondents' witnesses, and so striking a fair medium." Later on, Mr. T. S. Weston (counsel for the Harbour Board) on using tho term "market value" was intercepted by this poser, from the Bench: "How can there be any market value when there is _no market?" "Read any book on political economy," replied counsel, "and your Honour will find what market value is." "I'm afraid," said his Honour, with a smile, "that no text-book on political economy would be of any use in a Compensation Court." A rather peculiar mishap befell Tramcar 34 as it passed along Clyde Quay at about seven o'clock last evening, en route to Oriental Bay. As the car entered a curve on the line at a point just beyond the corporation yards, its trolley-pole somehow became entangled with a "frog" on the over-head wires. The head of the pole and the ropo attached to it wero torn away. Strangely enough, the over-head gear was in no way damaged. The total damage done was slight. The new car-shed at Thorndon will be comploted about the middle of January next, but will not then become immediately available for use. Special work, points, and so -forth, necessary to complete the approach of the track to the shed, is not expected to arrive until about a couple of months hence. 'Tho New Plymouth express was considerably delayed last evening owing to a couple of trucks of an up goods train becoming derailed near Porirua. The passingiof the trains was expedited by turning the derailed trucks holus-boftis off the permanent way down the slight embankment. There will:bo a sitting of the Wellington Land Board on Wednesday next,, instead of on Thursday, as is usual. After many days Mr. Nelson Illingworth, the sculptor, has received a reply from the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board in response to his offer tmodel medallions of Mr. and Mrs. T. M. .Wilford and Mr. Hugh Ward for the Children's Hospital. The reply is: "The board will be pleased to accept your olfer to givo .a sculptured tablet in bronze, relief portraits of. ,the u Mayor and-Mayoress and,.Mr. Hugh Ward, the founders, of. the Children's Hospital Fund.'*:'' 1 At the me rang of the Harbour Board to. bo held on .Wednesday next Mr. C. Jonos will move: "That Regulation •197 ' be. amended so as to abolish or modify. ;fche penal charge on wool and cargo' ianded before 7 a.m. and after 5 p.m. on week days or after nooa cn Saturdays."