LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1106, 20 April 1911, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

"I am very glad to see, gentlemen, that we don't boycott TnE Dominion," observed Mr. John Graham, M.P., at the meeting of the Victoria College Council last evening, when the advertising, accounts came up for consideration. Mr. Graham .is a member (for Nelson) of the party in power, and it. is the Cabinet of that party which boycotts The Dominion.

The Postal Department has decided to order fifty more automatic stamp-selling machines, the experiment with those now in use. having proved very successful.

Approximately, a sum of £6(10, to be realised out of the sale of property, has been" willed to the Presbyterian Orphanage bv the late Mr. .lohn Martin, of Ttoseiieatti (after whom Martin's Bay was named). The trustees of the Orphanage which is now located in rented premises in Newtown (having outgrown the accommodation at Brooklyn), have secured ten acres of ground at Berhampore, and the bedrest will enable them to contemplnto building at an earlier date than was anticipated. A. Pre=s Association message from Hastings states that up to last night .54in. of vaiii had fallen sinco Saturday. There was a prospect of more rain last night. Tlie Court of Appeal, which ndjounwd last week for the Easter vacation, will resume on Monday next. Sometime between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, a burglar entered the offices of Messrs. Scctt and Martindale in the Stock Exchange Buildings, and' abstracted from the strongroom about .£156 in money and a number of papers. It is understood that the door of the ■$trongrooni had boen inadvertently left unlocked-

A Naval and Military Emigration League, with headquarters at Mo. 11 llaymarket, London, S.W., has been inaugurated. The patron is the Duke of (Jonnn light, and the president is Earl Eoberts. The object is to advise ox-service men, including officers, on the subject of emigration and the openings for employment and settlement in Uie oversea Dcminions. A further object is to assist those ivho are in ne-acl by advancing' money to cover the cost of passage and other* expenses. "1 respectfully defy the board to show me —" is fart of a remark that leil from a member of the Harbour Board last evening during a discussion on bylaws.

In view of the promised Parliamentary inquiry into University methods, the annual meeting of the University Ksform Association, which will be held at Victoria College next Tuesday, at 8.15 p.m., is ot special interest. The animal report, which will be submitted by Professor Hunter, will deal with all the replies that have been received to the questions which the association ssnt out to various authorities for the purpo-e of. learning their views on University reform. Professor Eastorfield will speak on "University Organisation," and Professor Laby on "University Finance."

An ascent of Mount Ruapehu was included in the programme of the :\orth Island Baptist Class camp held at Obakuiio during the Buster holidays. A party of S3 loir the camp on Monday afternoon, and having been delayed at the start, camped round a big bonfire for the night. An early start was made en Tuesday morning, and all except two plodded upwards tp the foot of the glacier. From that point 21 of the fittest made the iinnl dash under Uvj eye of a guide, and all succeeded in reaching the top, where they were accorded as magnificent a view as it was possible to get. The whole ot the southern coastline of the North Island was visible, and with the aid of powerful glasses it was possible to trace a portion of the railway track over the far distant Rimutnkas. * Among the successful climbers were Mr. Arthur Hoby, of Wellington, and Messrs. "W. Edmeadcs, H. Hardie, C. Young, and E. Eobson, of Petone.

The widening and blocking of the roadway of that portion of Willi? Street whore the buildings have been set buck to the new alignment has been completed. Ino extra ten feet of space for. vehicular traffic has effected a marked improvement, though one that will not be fully appreciated until the street is widened between Morrah's Building and Jlercor Mreet, where a divergence of traffic is possible. It will be a matter for the now council In consider the pushing on with (his important fchoms. The next piece, of wood-blocking to be done will be tiisinmhouso Qiiav. between the Bank of Ae\v Zealand 'ami the General Post Office, ibis work will be put in hand almost iramcdiatelv, it having been pointed nut to the council that the linking up of the tramw.iv route* by a line clown Customhouse Quav would bo of groat benefit and.convenience to the larnre number of people likslv to visit the. Xew Zealand Uronation'Exhibition to be held in "ater.co Quay (the Harbour Board s J and U stores) on Slay 21. One of Hie agreeable interludes in the work of the conference or representatives of the associated libraries, being held at •Vuckland. was an inspection of the rare books-many very beautifully lllnminnted and clearly printed, or written, m black letter, which are included in Mr George Grey's splendid collection. Hie-so hi-hlv valuable tomes had been brought out of the safe lodgment in which they nre usually deposited, and placed upon the table of the general reading room. The inspection of these old-time books was much enjoyed Uγ the delegates present at the conference.

Plentiful orders have been received at the Greymouth sawnnlls from Australia for both" rod and white pine, and, as a result, the sawmillins industry there is in a flourishing condition, and is like y to continue so for some considerable period. Yesterday Detectives Cassells and Mason arrested three men on a charge ot stealing 3s. in money and two tickets for stored lugwge from the person - ot Len. David M'Cracken. The stored luggage consisted of a Gladstone bag and a swag valued at M. It is understood that sumo of the articles contained in the sv,-ng were found with the. men arrested, while the Gladstone bag was sUb' r,ef]uently discovered by the detectives in the liarbour, after dragging operations in the vicinity of Thorndon Esplanade.

■V number of letters tn the editor are in type, and will I>o published at the earliest opportunity.

The banks throughout New Zealand will he closed on Monday, April 24, for St. George's and St. David's Day.

At the meeting, of the Harbour Board last evening the chairman (Mr. K. Fletcher) referred to a paragraph which had appeared in a local paper in reference to a death which occurred on luesday afternoon in the board's waiting-room. \t the inquest, Mr. Fletcher stated, sonic rather startling statements had been made with regard to the Harbour Board's conduct in the matter. From a few inquiries the speaker had made of the wharfinger he was convinced that there was a Rood deal of exaggeration in a state-' went that the board's officers had refused to rins up for medical assistance. However, Mr. Fletcher concluded, he was obtaining a rejprt from the labour foreman on the whole matter, and this would be printed (to-day).