LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1092, 3 April 1911, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Telegraphic advice received from Auckland yesterday staled Hut the i-t-cam-iT Wimnicra, from Sydney, had arrived in lime lo connect villi Ihi> -Main mink express. The English and Australian mails, which the vessel is bringing, will reach Wellington (his afternoon'. Penmen, Rood, had, and indifferent, were engaged last night in the work of filling up .heir census papers for the 1911 census, and (he family Bible was perhaps in more general u.-:a in the city than has been the case on any Sunday since the last census. The collodion of the papers will begin (his morning, and should be completed in the city in about a week. n" r !! 1R "10 quarter ended .March 31, 1311. (he sum of ,£1(1.13 was collected in civil fees at (he Magistrate'* Court, Wellington. The number of plaints entered tola led 1501, while $29 cases were w1 r 9ii B lne ~f o,l,l ? m ? unt £Uorl for was a<11.231 Ss. id., and the sum of .£10,651 was recovered. The amount received in 10 /! 1,0 " ~ 89 *- aild ; " *P n i£'i (] ? y T e V onin ? the new Church of n,n »i I S , l f land Bil - V ' ,vas formally opened, Archdeacon Fnncourt preaehine the inaugural sermon. There was a largS congregation and many clergy were prosenr, anion- them being Archdeacon HarP Ti' '■v h , ( \F ov % T - H ' S P roil > A - I- Hanfell, 3 utter, E. T. W. Bond, and J. D. luissell. The Inst meeting of the School Commissioners tooK place on Friday. There wero present: Messrs. J. R. Blair (chair- ''!""). W. H. Field, M.P., A. W. Hogg, iI.P F. Y. Lethbridge, and Jas. WKm. zie (Commissioner of Crown Lands). The following grants were allocated:—Primjary education (Wellington Education Board .522G3 Gs. Sd., Wanganui Education Board £123(5 13s. 4e1.), .£3500; secondary education (Wellington College £12 Is. Bd., Wellington Girls' High School £2(1 16s. Gd., \\anganui Girls' High School .£lB Gs. <»., Palmerston North High School 15s. 3d.), .£100: total, .£3600. According to present indications there is a probability of a shortage of candidates for the Lower Hult Borough Council election at the end of this month. So far there is only one new candidate, and of the old council, Councillors Anson, Alacaskill, !■'. do J. Clere and Pearce are not again offering themselves. It is also doubtful if Councillor Hawthorne or Councillor Kempthorno will go to the poll. Dr. M'Arthur, S.M., delivered reserved judgment rm Saturday at Pclono in the charge against Mrs. Snow of Sunday .trading. His Worship said:—"Taking all the circumstances of the case into consideration, J nm of opinion that the afternoon tea or refreshment for consumption on the promises comes under the heading of 'necessity or charity,' and (hat there has been no infringement of the section." The case, was dismissed. At about 11.30 o'clock on Saturday night the Fire Brigade received a call to suppress •«. small outbreak of fire at No. 11 Sydney Street. A bedrcom in the back of the house was slightly damaged. The conlcnts were uninsured. The building was occupied by Mr. F. Wilkinson, and is owned by Mr. Richards. The public is reminded of the meeting to bo held at the Town Hall this evening sit 5 o'clock to discuss the form of reception to be accorded to Mr. Hugh J. Ward, who assisted so materially in. the raising of funds for the erection Of a Children's Hospital in AVellington. The conveners of the meeting are Dr. Hardwick Smith (of the Wellington Hospital), the Rev. H. Van St.tveren, Messrs. R. C. Kirk (chairman of the Hospital Board), John Fuller, junr., Kuox Gilmer, and F. W. Ha.vbittle. A largo attendance, is v anticipated. "The fact is that the Maori of to-day is a totally different person from the Maori of yesterday," said Mr. Massey (Leader of tho Opposition) to a Chrifitchurch reporter. He added (hat the whole of the Maori land legislation from top to bottom should be revised in order to bring it into lino with modern conditions. As an illustration of this, he mentioned tho town of Kawhia, on the west coast. He said that it had a splendid harbour—quite as good as I.yttellon—and first-class Maori land in abundance all around if. Some day'Kawhia would bo a largo city, but not before the tracts of Maori lands that encircled it wero thrown op3n to settlement.