LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1215, 25 August 1911, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Tlif postal authorities advise that the f.s. Maliono, which left Sydney at noan on August 23 for Auckland, has on boanl an Australian mail, aho an English raail.i via Sncz. Tho Wellington portion will b= due here by Main Trunk on Monday next, August 28. Tho B.M.S. Aornngi left San Francisco on tha 23rd instant with GDI fcngs of mail for Xtw Zealand anil 202 bags for Australia. A motion was unanimously passed by the Counties' Co'nierenco yesterday, that tha Minister for Railways be reiiileslcd to reconsider his derision dcclimuj; to reduce the railway charges of a rate and a half on imported hardowod timl;er. Jlr. G. V. Pcarcp, M.P. (Paion) miid that timber freight charges had been raised by til* Railway Department to protect tiie Dominion sswmillers, chiefly agains.t the imported Oregan timber. 'Intro w.?s no reason, however, why this increase should apply to tho hardwood timber, which the Government insisted shccld be resolution war, unanimously carried.

A fire occurred at 02 Abel Smith Street shortly before eleven o'clock yesterday morning. The locale was a ten-roomed baardinghoiiso occupied by Mrs. A. Qtns, and owned by Mr. \V. 11. Short. Two of the rooms and the pafsaw were (laniard a good deal, and tho wall of .111 adjoining house also suffered, Yesterday morning mi outbuilding on ths Clyde Quay doclc eit« was destroyed by fire.

Referring to the application far permission to crfct a picture theatre at Clyde Quay, "tho By-laws Committee of the City Council last evening reported that the architect, Mt. Fielding, had undertaken to mnlce csrtoin alterations. In view of this assurance, the committee recommended that a permit be granted for the erection of the theatre. On the motion of Councillor M'Laren, who laid emphasis upon the necessity for approaching such' propositions with the greatest caution, tho matter was referred back ouoo more to tho committee.

A *Urt iv.-ic mii/ln vMbwdnv tft »-«™ l. block the big open space in rront ot the General Post Office. Last , night an application _of tho corporation employees for permission to uso the Town Hall basement for a alorristiibe range was refused by the City Coiuicil, but tho engineer is to bo asked to ascertain, if thcro is some other suitable place. In answer to their inquiry regarding tho proposed new thratro in Manners Street, the Wellington Opera llonso Company is to be informed by the City Council that under Clause 294 of the city bylaws, it will bs necessary to sot back tho building 10 feot, as Manners Street, at this point,'is only 50 feet wide. Tho gentlemen's evening in connection with tho Sydney Street and Northland Primitive Methodist Mutual Improvement .Society was held in tho Sydney Street Schoolroom en Wednesday evening and proved a great success. For tne first part of the programme the stage was arranged as a "camp scene," whilst for the latter half the sceuo was transferred to' that of a drawinß-room. An overturn and a pianoforte solo were contributed by Mr. E. Roberts. Songs were rendered by tho Kev. O. H. Olds, Messrs. W. A. Manning and P. Cutforth, recitations by the Rev. C. A. Sims, Messrs. IV. H. Bedell, and W. A. Manning, a. monologue by Mr. K. Whitliington, a- violin solo by Mr. Partridge, and xylophone solos by Mr. W. H. Bedell. At various intervals choruses and part song's under the leadership of Mr. E. Dawson were niven in fine style. Two humorous dialogues, "Rival Lovers," by two gentlemen members, and "lovo nt Second Sight," In- Messrs. \V. Hibberd, H., Millburn, N, Macfarlane, and G. M'Kay, added grcatty to the evening's enjoyment. At. the next meeting of the society on Tuesday evening next, a lecture on "Electricity" will be given by Mr. M. Cable.

It has been decided by Cabinet that Government servants attending camps for military training purposes will, nt the conclusion of tho camp, personally ieceivo Iho amount earned by them in the capacity of soldiers nt the rnto laid down, but such amount will bo deducted from their salary by the Department to which they belong. In cases, however, whero the pay received l>) a torrit'oriul during camp exew.ls his ordinary salary, his salary for tho period will not lo paid him.

Tho Ordcr-in-Coiincil authorising the construction of the Charlotte Street loop was received by the civic authorities yesterday. Tho work will bo proceeded with at once.

His Excellency, Lord Islington, welcomed his initiation to the Ancient Order of J'Vircsters, and his entertainment at a lodge supper last evening, for tho opportunity it gave him to say to tho industrial classes throughout thu Dominion that, during the tune ho was Governor of the Dominion, and therefore the representative of his Majesty hero, ho held i\s much sympathy for, and as much interest in that important: branch of tho community, as he did in niiy other branch. \Applause.) It, would bo difficult fur him m the position he hold to come into close contact with Hie branches of industry, and he saw in his connection with the lodge a proper chance to do this. Ho, in turn, hoped tho representatives of the industrial claw-es would do their part in meeting him half-way on tho path that ho would walk towards diem. (Applause.)

At 7 p.m. yesterday the City Fire Brigade received a call to suppress a small outbreak in a four-roomed dwelling occupird by Sir. Percy Thompson, 81 ft , right Street. The firo was caused through a child playing with matches in a bedroom, the walls of which were slightly damaged. Tho Slato Tire Office held a risk of J!I3U on tho contents of tho dwelling.

The Labour Department state that a block of land, comprising about thirty sections, has been secured in Derwent Street, Island Bay, close to the lhippa Street: tramway section. A meeting of the AVorkers' .Dwellings Board will bo held on Tuesday noxt at tho offices of the Labour Department, To Aro Post Office buildings, Ghuzm'O Street, at 7.30 p.m.,' to meet intending applicants, and deal with applications. It i.-s t 'expected that tho erection of dwellings will bo proceeded with shortly afterwards. The architect for workers' dwellings (Mr. \V. Temple) will bo on the block nt from 2..10 p.m. to 4.30 p.m. on Saturday nexf, for the purpose of showing tho land to proposed applicants.

Birds which wander from their accustomed latitudes run a (-'crious ri?k of c'ndinp; their days in museums, and a Rrr.it. frigate bird lvhich visited tlio IlmiH.v district recently died of n pun-shnl, and is now in tlio Auckland Alnseiiin. >Ir. Goorga Clinch, of Ilunlly, saw the stranger on mwip vrnfar in his ncislibmirliowl, spciirod it without difficulty, ond fonrnnleil it at onco to Mr. Chjosonian. Tlio frigate; bird is quite a common inhabitant of tropical ?ras all round the Rlol)?, but its occurrence in Now Zealand is v»ry rare,' and this is only the fourth specimen known to havo been found in tlio Dominion. The. genus fregat.i aTO rcmarknblo for I heir enormous wirgsproad. and the now sprctnipii, whiln not much larger than « wild duck, has wings Unit si retell over sft.

The ralep.iye.ira of Klnndallah ward of Onslnw kr.-ough recently carried a lean poll in fnvcur of raising n sum of money for the creolion of a hall in that part of the district. A section fifift. by IG5f(. has been purc.ha«:d from the owners of (lie Ixiehiel KMnte for the hall, the plans for which are being prepared by' Mr. F. de J. Clerc.

"The ducks .ire positively a menace in ceriain parts of our district," said Mr. W. <l. Asjiinall, delegate fov South (,'nntnrlnirj at the Acclimatisation Societies' Conference in .'-peaking to the remit— "That, next reason be an open Ftason kf Hi.? shoot \ng of I'aradisj ducks." Thn speaker mentioned that they bred in gnat numbers in (he Mackenzie Country, and in their s.rirch for feed atlackfd" tho early English grass and turnip crops, as ;,i!Vp.ral fannev-i could teslifv. The warm advocacv of an open season for Paradise duck- resulted in the decision that the Minister for Internal Affairs bo recommended to open ti mnron for the shcoting of Paradise ducks in 1912.

Frederick J. Mann, butcher, of th« Upi;?r Unit, was aiijud.L'ed ;» bankrupt yesterday. The (irst meeting "of creditors will be field on Tuesday noxt at 11 a.m. The Municipal Association of New Zealand lias not Ken its way to send .i deleBate to the International Municipal Congress and Imposition at Chieujio, but a letter is to be smit, < ver the awinmrros of Mr. Wilfonl (Mayor of Wellington, mid president of the association) and Mr. 1. F. Martin (secretory and ccmu.cl to tlie association), giving a concise survey of tho present .position of municipal government in Xew Zealand in regard to elections, the franchise, loan?, rating, water, lighting, and tramways, libraries, nniteums, public health, charity, fire prevention, police, education, etc. A well-attended meeting of the Otaki electors was held in the hall, Ponnia, on Wednesday evening, to discuss matters m connection with tho proposed alteration of electoral boundaries. Mr. Cocker was voted to Ilia chair. It was moved by Councillor Eastwood, seconded by Mr. h. Whitehouse. and carried:— lliat tflis meeting of electors strongly against the exclusion from, tha, OlaM electorate, and th? inclusion in tno Mibuibs and conntrj- district eloctorate, of tho disWets of Porirua, Paromata, Pnhautanui. mid HimmcTion,' nnd rc.(,lve tii lodge an objection with, tlio North Wand Iteprwpnintion accordingly." A petition for sigiiaturee is being circulated in tho district.