LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1080, 20 March 1911, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Telegraphic information was received from Auckland yesterday afternoon stating that the Victoria, from Sydney, could not reach the northern port until midnight. Consequently the Wellington portion of her English and Australian mails will not arrive until to-morrow's Main Trunk express. Pas.-.engei's on Saturday night's mail train from New Plymouth were considerably surprised to find their train held up ill the fust tunnel after leaving .lohusonville. The train then slowly backed out and stopped. Numbers of passengers jumped out in expectation of some severe accident on the line, but. the cause of the trouble was that Iho locomotive had run short of water. After a further stop the train backed three-quarters of a tnile lo Johnsonville, where sufficient water was taken to tinisli the journey to Wellington. The train steamed in to Thorndon tweiity-lwo minutes late. Another phase of what is generally known as the Mewhinney ca.se will be heard in the Magistrate's Court this week, when two 'Wellington residents will appear on summons charged with breaking into the dwelling of Mrs. Mewhinney at Seat.oun on February 23. The new schoolroom of St. James's I'resbyterinn Sunday School, Adelaide Road, was opened yesterday afternoon by the Rev. J. Pattison, evangelistic missioner under the General Assembly. Thero was a crowded attendance of children and adult'-:, extra seats having to be brought in to accommodate thein. Tho Rev. AV. Shirer presided, and short addresses were given by him and bv the Rev. ,T. I'attison ami Mr. 11. Davidson. In the name of the General Assembly, Mr. Shirer handed to Mr. Davidson a long-service certificate, iu recognition of his 26 years of Sunday School work. Mr. Davidson was superintendent, of St. James's Sunday School for 25 years. The hill-climbing scction of tho NewZealand Motor Cycle Club reliability trial was held on the Paekakariki Hill on Saturday afternoon. On the occasion of tho reliability trials to AVaugainti and back the times taken for the hill climb were incorrect, and this scction of the trial had to be rerun on Saturday to enable the club officials to complete their computing of the trials. The eighth anniversary of the Brooklyn Sunday hchool was celebrated by special nS.r? Hf crda *\ Jl .r. n - N- Holmes conducted the service in the morning, and the liev. .T. (jibson Smith, of St. Andrews conducted an interesting service in the afternoon, at which the prizes for tho year were presented to the scholars. The singing of the children, under the baton of Mr. J. 1). Hopkirk, was a feature of tho services. Ihe General Labourers' Union, numerically one of the largest unions of citsworkers, is to have submitted to it a scheme for the establishment of a benevow■V' ' S!l^s t Christcliurch "Press." Ihe scheme, which has been drawn uo by the secretary (Mr. A. Paterson), has been discu?«d by the executive, which has referral it to a general meeting of the members. It is proposed that on tho date the fund is esiablished 33 1-3 per cent, of the surplus funds of the union are to bo transferred from the union funds to the benevolent fund, and at each subsequent half-yearly audit 50 per cent, of the surplus funds on the halfyear's workings are to be transferred; in addition all fines inflicted on members are to be paid into the benevolent fund, which is to be further augmented by voluntary subscriptions, profits from socials and entertainments, and by levies, the last-mentioned not to exceed one shilling per member in any one quarter. The objects of the fund are:—To grant assistance to members in distressed circumstances through sickness, accident or unemployment, . or to pay members' contributions when unemployed. No benefit is to accrue to any member whose illiuss or accident aris:s from intoxication or from the excessive uso of alcoholic liquors. The funds are to be managed by a committee of live members in addition to the president and the secretary. An application for interpretation of tho ■will of-.tho. late, Frederick Gerard ardt Roach will bo heard by his Ifoilour the Chief Justice at 10.30 a.m. to-dnv. In Chambers on Saturday morning tin Chief Justice (Sir Robert Stent) decidcd to litvir argument, to-morrow morning on a preliminary point of law in the action Robert Hunt v. Robert Archibald Hearn. A deputation, representing local hairdressers, is to wait upon the By-laws Committee of the City Council, to protest against the adoption of the proposed bylaw regulating the conduct of saloons. Tho annual meetings of householders to clcct school committees will be held on April 24.