LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1021, 10 January 1911, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

December 2 per, the ?.s. Ulimaroa and connected at Sydney with the Brindisi mails per the R.M.S. Mongolia, arrived in London on the morning of January 7. George Fernandos, of "Wellington, chauffeur, was yesterday adjudged bankrupt on his own petition. The first meeting of .his creditors will be held on Tuesday, January 17. The regulations in connection with the registration of barmaids under the new Licensing Act are nt present engaging the. attention of the Labour Department, and they will probably be completed this week. When the regulations have been framed, barmaids can begin to register, but tho Act gives them until June 1 next to sign on. As soon as practicable after the completion of tho register, and thence forward, as he thinks fit, tho Secretary of Labour will publish in the Gazette a list of all persons registered. The latest arrivals at the Newtown Zoological Gardens are a pair of Mandarin ducks. Thev are handsome birds, resembling tho Chinese pheasant in apnearance. In colour they are golden, brown, and black. Tho drake is crested. The birds are a present frcm tile Wellington Zoological Society. For the best and most modern Hair and Complexion Treatment, Mrs. Holieston, who has just returned from England and America, is recommended. Highest diploma, for removing superfluous hair. Vibro-massage, Hairdressing, Shampooing and Clipping. 4 u i lis Street (over Carroll's.), Tel, 1599.—Adrt,

Mr. Justice Edwards will hear this morning a petition praying that the Public Trustee lie appointed sole trustee in the estate of the lato Mrs. Elizabeth Knox, of Auckland. The petitioner and Messrs. 1\ Huddle and F. G. Clayton were the original trustees, and the present proceedings ore the outcome of disagreement as to Iho distribution of the estate, which is of considerable value. -

A plea for the erection of a traffic bridge over the Opawa Jtiver was made during the visit of the Hon. R. M'Kenzie to Blenheim. The Minister pointed out that if a separate bridge for traffic was erected it would cost .£SOOO or .£'oooo. He had already promised to put a bridge at iienwiektown, and lie did not think tho Government could consider the question of erecting the Opawa traffic bridge, as this would mean two bridges being erected in tho one town at the same time. In the; meantime ho would have a report mado as to the proposed traffic bridge, and as soon as the KenwicU bridge was completed the 'Opnwa suggestion would be considered.

The intended meeting of Cabinet was not hold yesterday on account of the Hens. J. Ciirroll and T. Mackenzie being out of town. The meeting will be held to-day. , —

The mails wliich left Wellington on The improvement of tho Wairarapa train service is at present engaging the attention of the Minister of Railways. It is understood that there is no possibility of reverting to the old running, and the alteration will probably be in the direction of cutting out the Cross Creek-Mas-terton scction from the route of the early train to Pahuerson North, and slart'ng the train at Masterton.

Tile Seddon-Ward section '.'f 'ho E(.nth Island Main Trunk railway linn rill, according to a 'statement made by tie Minister of Public Works, t.'.e Hon. R. M'Kenzie, probably be ready t'-jr handing over to the Railway Department in about two months' time. The- opening of the lino has been .delayed on account of the ballasting taking longier than was expected. '

Embodied in the 'atest amend ncct lo the Municipal Corporations Act is a piovision that no director of a company or member of a firm engaging in contracts with a local body filial! oc-i;py a seat thereon. Existing contracts are not exempted, and . on. this i"count seme members of local bodies in c.iuntry districts' have had to resign their seats. In Wellington nothing of this kind vill occur, as the City Corporation has for some time steadfastly pursued a piiicy of declining all tenders from its own members. No sifting member of the rruncil :s in tho position of being also a cuuuei'i .iontractor.

Mr. S. Blathorwick, district organising secretary to the Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners, states that only a few carpenters arc now out of work, and prospects are good as work has not yet regained its full volume after the holiday period of inactivity. The same remarks apply to the employment of building trade labourers. , Numerous inquiries for carpenters required on country work aro coming to hand, some of them from ,as far north as the Waikato. Demand in this department of the building trade OMCeeds the available supply of labour. Some trouble has arisen over tho fact_ that some inquiries for county labour come from districts outside the Wellington industrial district, and from employers who are not prepared to meet the conditions, bearing 011 country work, which aro imposed in the Wellington district.

The secretary of the Wellington Hospital and CliEiritablo Aid Board wishes to acknowledge tho sum of ;C2 towards tho Infectious Diseases Hospital, and .CI to tho Children's Ward, from Mrs. Lockwood.

A sub-committee of the Eastbourne Borough Council will lay before that body at its meeting on.'Saturday next, particulars of tho water supply, scheme, now under consideration. information concerning' the scheme is to be issued to tho ratepayers by circular. A public meeting will be hold towards the end of the present month, and a poll will be taken soon afterwards on the pronosal anent raising a loan to carry the scheme into effect.

Mi'. W. C. Noot, who lately reorganised! tho Tinsmiths' Union, has now taken'up' the task of reorganising tho Blacksmiths' Union. The chief bone of contention, according to Mr. Noot, between employers and workers i'n tho latter industry is a clause in tho old award which' provides that any job in hand at 5 o'clock shall bo completed. , In practice, Mr. Noot states, so'iue employers"have habitually taken in contractors' horses at five or ten minutes to five, to be shod, with tho result that - men have had to work as late as G. 30 and 7 p.m. at ordinary rates of pay. The union alleges that in this matter the employers linvQ taken an nnduo advantage under cloak ol' tho clause in question. Another demand that .tho union will make is that "floor men," who do tho heavy work in connection with horse-shoeing, shall receive an advance in wages. At present they receive Bs. Cd. per day. Sir. Noot states that the union hopes, by application to the. employers,' to obtain its ends in friendly conference, without recourse to the Arbitration Court or ths Conciliation Commissioner.

A curious passage from a leading article in the "Sydney Morning Herald" of January a, ruus as follows"The ultra democrat can'seldom resist a title even if.it is only a title made for export, and placed in that dilemma he is apt to play fast and loose with his political fate; There are, of cdui-R', men whose hold on their party is so great that they can daro to lie a Knight Commander. Sir Richard Seddon was a conspicuous caso in point. If anything, Sir. Richard was even more popular than plain 'Dick.' But a wave of imperialism had swept over the Dominion, and verv. materially altered conditions from the time when tho Radical Balance regime first took officc."

The Mayor of Petone (Mr. J. W. M'Ewan) told a reporter last evening that his council had not yet received any intimation from tho Government as to what proposition it would have to meet of the liability incurred in widening the Hutt Road. "They are keeping us in the .dark about this matter," said .Mr. M'Ewan, "as they have done all along. Wo have nothing but the vague statements made in the House to go upon."

For the convenience of ratepayers who have to work during the hours when council business is ordinarily transacted, the Petone Borough Council intends in future to open its office in the evening on one night' in each week for the receipt of rates. Tho day upon which this will bo done has not yet been decided. Some time ago, w.lien a similar course was followed, Wednesday was the evening selected.

The claims of advocates for expediting the South Island trunk railway were placed before the Minister for Public Works when he visited Marlborough on Saturday lust. The Ron. Mr. H'Keime, in replying to the arguments of the covers, remarked that this was a largo question. They certainly had a population of 10,000 at one end of the line, but if they looked up some of Auclcland's ; , railways they would find populations of 40,000 to 50,000, and one of the West Coast lines

had a (population of .35,000. The South Island trunk lino was, no doubt, one of the most important lines in the South Island, but it was making good progress, and it was the intention of the Government to push it on as fast as the money available would allow.

Corporation officials charged with the duty of receiving rates have lately had a busy time. Demands recently issued have drawn a ready response. During the month of •October the total amount collected was .£28,924, bringing the aggregate for the period April-Dcccmber, 1910, to iC9B,-iSS. The corresponding figures for 1909 were .491,022. Since the holidays the money has come in very freely. On January U and 5 over ,£IO,OOO was handled.