LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1244, 28 September 1911, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

0 The special meeting of the City Council to receive and discuss Mr. Stuart Richardson's report on .the running of the trainways has been definitely fixed to take place.at two o'clock on Monday afternoon next.

Th-o. local office of the Labour Department has nothing but good news to give of the demand in Wellington for all kinds of labour. There is a fair demand locally for all classes of tradesmen, and thcro teems also to 1m an insistent demand from Hie country districts for tradesmen. Cabinetmakers, upholsterers, carpenters, and bricklayers are being specially inquired for. On Monday three bricklayers were sent by the Department to New Plymouth; their fares were paid by the employer, and they were guaranteed three months' work. Constant work at Gisborne is also being offered to cabinetmakers. Not the slightest difficulty was experienced in placing all tho immigrants off the Rbtorua, who applied to the Department's officers for work. Most of the passengers, however, were booked' to other ports, especially Auckland, and they merely called at the local office for advice as to their prospects in the cities to ivhich they were booked.

In Parliament yesterday, Mr. 'Fisher mentioned a somewhat unusual case of misfortune in speaking upon a petition which he had presented, and which had been favourably reported upon. , Mr. Fisher stated that the petitioner, Mr. Thos. Nicholson, entered into a contract with tho lato Mr. Seddon to paint a panoramic picture of New Zealand and exhibit it, outside this country, for a period of five years. He discovered subsequently that his absence of fivo years, under this contract, debarred him from receiving tho old ago pension. Mr. Nicholson had no legal claim, but Mr. Fisher submitted that he surely had a moral claim to relief.

Mr. John Redmond, says tho "Manchester Guardian," has received from Tasmania a gift of historic interest to the Irish Parly in the shape of a brick taken from the cottage in which John Mitchel, editor of the "United Irishman," and one of the leaders of the Young Ireland movement in tho 'forties, lived on parole while under sentence of fourteen years' transportation.

With regard to tho "New York Sun's" cable message to the promoters of the greenstone syndicate on the West Coast, asking tho extent of the lode discovered and the nature of the proposition, it is considered probable (telegraphs the Greymouth correspondent of the "Press") that Mr. Kranz, who visited the West Coast nineteen years ago and took a large greenstone boulder to New York, which ho sold to Mr. Pierpont Morgan, who presented it to the New York Museum, is making tho inquiry, after reading of the discovery of the lode.

The Greymouth correspondent of the "Otago Daily Times" quotes a caso which manifests ironically the cruel hand of fate. The victim of the Blackball fatality (Mr. Barton) only last week received intelligence that a legacy of .£2OOO had been left him, and he was going Home shortly to receive it.

A contract for the supply and delivery to the city of cast-iron water pipes for tho laying of an eight-inch main from the new reservoir at Karori. and for tho general extension of reticulation in the suburbs, was yesterday signed by the successful tenderers, Messrs. Briscoe and Company, -Ltd.

The ship Pelotas, stranded off the mouth of the Wanganui River, was again pumped out on Saturday (says the Wanganui "Chronicle"), and it was found that a considerable quantity of fresh silt had found its way into tho vessel's holds through the holes made in the deck in the first instance. These liavo now been blocked up, and this should prevent a recurrence of the trouble. It-seems as though the vessel is not "fixed" to tho extent that many would believe, as during operations last week a derrick was swinging from side to side with tho moving of the vessel. Another anchor has been put out on the breakwater side of the vessel, and a line stretched from it to the ton of what remains of the mainmast. Tin's will bo used as occasion offers to pull tho vessel into an upright position. If this can be done, the salving of the remaining sleepers and refloating of the vessel will be qui to reasonable to expect.

A Junior Christian Endeavour Union exhibition was opened on Tuesday evening by tho Unv. J. K. Elliott, and aji interesting programme of recitations and songs was presented by jnembsrs of various societies, and greatly appreciated by the gathering, The' exhibition «'w wain nptm Iwt «v<al«j, nud will oonolune to-night

A large quantity of lemons, marmalade oranges, and mandarins were lauded in good condition by the Moeraki, which arrived from .Sydney yesterday.

On Tuesday night tlic Sydney Street and Northland Primitive Methodist Mutual Improvement Society held its fortnightly meeting, which took the form of a Parliamentary election. Tho four candidates who offered themselves for election expressed their views on various subjects, and on a ballot and second ballot being taken the Opposition candidate was returned to Parliament. The next ordinary meeting of the society will be tho journal evening. A very successful concert was held on the Moeraki on her run to Sydney last Friday week, no less than Xll Uis. being realised for the Shipwrecked Mariners' Fund. The performers included Mr. Eugene Ossipolf, Miss Corrick, and the members of the "Wanderers Company. Provision is being made in the Supplementary Estimates for increases of pay for mental hospital attendants. The opinion was expressed at .1 special meeting of the Marlborough Chamber of Commerce that tho fact of tho Admiralty declining to make Picton a naval base was a strong argument in favour of the completion of the South Island Main Trunk railway. Tho chamber eventually decided to combine with tho Canterbury and Chambers in agitating for a larger sum being placed on the Estimates for the Southern Main Trunk line.

Tenders for school works in' the Wellington education district have been accepted as follow:—.lohnsonville (erection of new school), Messrs. Johnston and Hillen; Terrace (50 new blinds), Messrs. Kirkcaldio and Stains; Otaki (alterations and additions to residence 1, Messrs. L. Arcus and Son; Koputaroa (alterations and additions to residence), Messrs. L. Arcns and Son; Bidel'ord (alterations and additions to residence), Messrs. Rose and Mason; Tauern (painting, etc., at residence and school), Messrs. Welch and Hope; Wkakataki (painting, repairs, etc., at school and residence), Messrs. Welch and Hope. The following works are to be readvertised:—Tablelands (erection of now school); Kaiparoro (erection of teacher's residence); Porirua (overhaul, painting and repairs to residence); To Nui (painting, etc., at the school and residence); Kohinui (additions to residence). An alarm of tiro took the Gity Fire Brigade to Stapks's Brewery in Murphy Street, shortly after 9 a.m. yesterday. The alarm, however, proved to be groundless.