LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1081, 21 March 1911, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

| The postal authorities advise that the s.s. Manuka, which left Sydney at 2 p.m. on March 18, has on board an Australian mail. She is due to arrive here on Wednesday morning, March 22. Iho mails which loft Wellington on l'cbruary 10, per the Ulimaroa, and connected at.Sydney with tho Brindisi mails, per tho Malwa, arrived in Loudon on the night of March 17. The small boy who came to AYellington from Dannevirke with the avowed intention of finding his "Undo Jim," and who escaped from the Lamblon Police Station, was found on a train yesterday. He was then en route for home. A special meeting of the Merchant Service Guild was held yesterday morning, when a resolution- was passed confirming the action already taken in regard to citing the New Zealand Shipowners' Federation before the Conciliation Council this week or (if found necessary) before the Arbitration Court. The pa'pers will bo filed with the registrar this week.

_j\fr. Orchiston, chief engineer of tho New Zealand Telegraphs, accompanicd by an officer of the Public -Works Department and Mr. Jloens, representative of the Australian Wireless Telegraph Company, are at present in the Kaitaia district looking for a site for (lie high-power wireless telegraph station. They are impressed with the suitableness of the Kaitaia and Awanui districts for tho purpose, and have n number of different sites under consideration. Saturday, Sunday, and yesterday wen; hot (lays in Christchurch (says our special correspondent) for (his time of the year, the maximum lemnerature rworduj in tile shade being 80 degrees on Saturday, 7S degrees on Sunday, and 8G yesterday. The heat at Ashburton on Saturday was very _ oppressive, the maximum temperature in the shade being S7 degrees—the second highest record fothe summer.

At a meeting of the council of the Wellington Society of Professional Musicians, held last week, the • subject the proposed music and elocutionary competitions to be held in Wellington came up for discussion. It was decided that these competitions were not in the best interests of music, and a resolution >.o that effect was passed, which also embodied the decision to actively, oppose the movement. On Saturday evening, at a social meeting of the society at the Arts Club, a motion approving the action of the council wns passed unanimously. An application fer letters of administration in the Tuckwell will case will be heard before Jlr. Justice Cooper this morning. At a Hanco sitting of the Supreme Court yesterday, tho Chief Justice agreecTT'ou the application of .Air. J. O'Shca, City Solicitor, to hear on Wedriesday the ease Wellington City Council v. Joseph James Mooro, of Maranui, carrier, a motion for

injunction to restrain defendant from committing a breach of (he by-laws. The case Wellington City Council v. ICaror' Eorougli Council, asking for a declaratory judgment in connection with the general surplus of'assets over liabilitieso the,financial adjustment .between the city and the borough will also be taken on Wednesday. Reserved decision in the. case .Tames Flowers v. the Wellington Wharf T. •- oourers' Union, a claim for <£175 damages, injunction and mandamus, which wss to have been given to-day by Mr. Justice Cooper, will not be delivered until Friday. One of the last of the few remaining residential properties in Courtenav —that adjoining the new Post Oflico—has been demolished to make way for the erection of substantial brick shops, which are to be erected by Messrs. M'Lean and Gray from plans furnished by Messrs. Atkins and Bacon. The owner is Mr. Goodwin, of Wanganui. The timo 15 _ot so far distant when Coiir'tenay Place—one of the most progressive of city thoroughfares—was flanked with cottages, which boasted grass plots, besprinkled' with sunflowers and ox-eye daisies, in which (lavs this hustling street was regarded as a suburban road, without much prctensiu.i to a future. With a little stirring.of the memory, one can conjure up a picture of tho tiny littlo cottage standing in the centrc of the section now known as "Cording's Comer," witli a narrow pat'i winding through hip-high grass to the front door. Courtenay Place has steadily advanced since those (lavs, and is lo be improved still more in.the near future. Die next largo building to be erected will be a new His Majestv's Theatre, the present one proving all too small for Messrs. .Fuller and Sons' business.

The Marine Department has received word that the consignment of salmon ova Which-arrived at Wellington by the EuaInne last Saturday week and which was consigned to the hatcheries at To Anau, is in excellent condition. The New Zealand Shipping Company's large cargo steamer Kaikoura arrived at Auckland on Sunday morning from London and Cape Town (writes our Auckland correspondent), bringing the largest cargo which has ever left London by one vessel icr a New Zealand port. ■ The cargo, consisting mainly of the usual lines of merchandise, totals <JB4(i tons, including 235 tons of e.tplcs'.ves from Cape Town. Tho explosives are a portion of the cargo salved from the steamer Aotea, which was recently stranded at Cape Town. About 160 tens of tho explosives will be landed at Auckland, while the balance, some 75 tons, are for Wellington. The bulk of the cargo is for Auckland, GOD tons being for Wellington. The previous record, cargo landed at Auckland was by the New Zealand Shipping Company's Paparoa, which lauded in March of last year 5700 tons. The new dam at Solonian's Knob has not yet been taken over by the City Corporation, and the examination of tho foundation wall, commenced by the contractors some weeks ago, is still in progress. Questioned yesterday, the City Engineer (Mr. W. 11. Morton) declined to 'go into details as to the position at AVainui. He contented himself with tho observation that tho contractors were engaged in completing their task according to specifications. |

Tli vaeht' Viking (says Ihe "Now Zealand Herald"), which lias been chartered by his Excellency the Governor, has now been thoroughly overhauled and reno vated, and was undocked on Friday night lust. The yacht was taken to her moorings at Judge's Ray, whore she will remain in charge of a caretaker until Lord Islington arrives in Auckland. Tho only work which remains to be done is ih'o painting of the dock. Last evening the Hon. J. A. Millar (Minister for Labour) received a deputation, representing the Wellington Trades and Labour Council a:n! tho Plumbers"' Union. The object of the denutalion was to point out thai the conditions of tho men employed in tho mechanical trades in (he railway workshops were not equal to those prescribed by award of tho Arbitration Court for workers outside, The press wcro.not admitted to tho conference. The results of the election of Postal and Telegraph representatives 011 tho Public Service Superannuation Board will bo kupwn to-morrow evening. The voting papers will uot be opened until tosicrrow morning,