LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1248, 4 October 1911, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A meeting of the Penguin Relief Fund Sub-Committee wns lield yesterday. There were present Messrs. D. M'Laren, W. A. Kennedy, A. Turubull, and J. R. Palmer. Tito committeo dccidcd to Tecommead to the General Committee that tlio fitrud should now be closed, and made certain recommendations regarding the -unexpended balancc, which stands at about ,£I2OO. The General Committee meets at tho Town Hall at 4 p.m. on Monday next. A cafeo of interest to athletic clubs was before tho Magistrate's Court in Masterton last week, a photographer being fined for keeping his shop open on a Sunday for tlio purposo of transacting business. He had arranged to photograph a number of young men who could not attend at his studio on any other day, and tho door was left open for somo minutes iu order that they might enter the building. Tho magistTato pointed out that the photographer's offenco consisted of keep, ing tho door open. The law does not prevent a man from "working at his trade or calling" on Sunday provided lie is not "in or in view of a public place," so that the actual photographing of a group of men is not an offence per se.

Friends of the daylight-saving scheme do not propose that it shall suffer from want of effort on their part. The standing committee, which is furthering the proposal, havfl convened a public meeting at the Town Hall (Concert Chamber) for the evening of Monday, October 9. The Mayor is to preside, and the speakers will include several members of the I/fltfislature. Tho last meeting for the year of the Victoria College Debating Society was held at the College on Saturday evening. The motion for debate was: "That tlie Adoption of Dominion Prohibition is Desirable," moved by Mr. G. W. Jlorice, M.A., seconded hy Mr. AY. ,T. M'Eldowney. anil opposed by Mr. 13. M. Maekersoy and Mr. A. E. Caddiok, B.A. A large audicnce had assembled to hear the debate, which was by no means lackinc in humorous character. All the usual arguments and a few novel ones were marshalled forward, and. after a good contest, the audienco decided by a narrow majority in favour of prohibition. Mr. F. M. B. Fisher, M.P., who judged tho debatx>, placed the best tivn speakers in the following order:—Messrs. Watson. M'Eldowney, Caddick, Smith, and Moriee. The prize had been won by Mr. W. J. M'Eldownev with an average of 4.33 points in aix debates, Mr. X. Fair being second with, an averags of 3.GG point*.

Messrs..Smith and Smith, Ltd., of Cuba and. Victoria Streets, have on view at their warehouse two stained glass memorial windows executed to the order of lilio No (to Dame Mission Gonvenrt, l*otono. Tho conrtral figure in ono window represents St. Teresa. _ The figure is well drawn,. The divining is in brown and white, in keeping with the order to which St. IVrc&i. bolonged, and the somewhat sombre colourins is relieved by a book in ruby, carried in the right hand. In the other window the figuro of »St. Cociliu is depleted. Hero til© artist had more acojw in colouring:, the subject being of royal birth. Tlie garments jiro of ruby and gold, selected to harmonise with the more snibdurel colouring of the sislnr saint. Tho backgrounds of lx>t:h are of foliage, a sky of rich sapphire blue showing up the fijnre.s The subjects aro onelosed by a pcrpendiculair architectural canopy and base. Says the "Wairarapa Ag*»," in tho courso of an editorial article: —"It is somewhat significant that thfvro havo apparently been no prosecutions in Now Zealand of late for breaches of tho Rabbit Act and Noxious Weeds Act. A dark rumour has been circulated to the effect that instructions have been issued from Wellington, presumably from tho Ministhat no prosecutions arc to bo entered in tho meantime. In other words, weeds and rabbits aro to l>e allowed to flourish until after the elections. Po&- • the Minister will b? disposed to i give tho rumour a denial if it has 110 I foundation in fact/' I

The initial outing of the Wellington Amateur Photographic Society was iield at tno ICarori Koservoir on Saturday* last. Tho party, which included several ladies, spent a very interesting and enjoyable afternoon. The society has Leased a portion of Evans's Building. Lambton Quaj% as a club-rooin, ind ihe formal opening takes place to-morrow night. The Hon. Geo. Fowlds has accepted tho position of patron of the society. Customs officers have found that ono tost which is required from the Chineso 011 leaving and returning to' Australia is bitterly resented by the yellow people (says the Age"). That is tho taking of impressions of their hands, so that if one Chineso goes and another seeks to return on his papers the finger-print system may; indicate the substitute. l*ho practice is regarded by tho Chinese as inost degrading. Tho Customs officers s ate that tho Chineso havo long known , th s finger-print system, and havo employed it, but only in connection with criminals. Tho Chineso mind cannot dissociate tho ideas. Consequently the Chinese whose finger-prints arc taken is treated, in their view, as nothing more or less than a criminal, which to a respectable member of Chinese society is very great degradation indeed.

Ihe benefit performance in aid of suf- | ferers reccnt lire at Hataitai, given by Jupps Band at Newtown Park on Sunday last, realised ,£lO. October 7 until the end of March next the office hours in the General Post ttthce on Saturdays will bo from 8 a.m. to noon, instead of 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The fifth annual conference of tho Harhours Association of New Zealand opens ill the Council Chamber this morning. Delegates from harbour boards all over tho Dominion will be present. There is a lengthy order paper, but it is expected that the business will bo concluded in a day and a half. To-morrow tho Wellington Harbour Board entertains tho visiting delegates at luncheon. A correspondent states that when tho referendum was taken in Maine on the proposed repeal of the prohibition law in 1881 the majority against the repeal was 44,972. It is npw reported that tho repeal has been carried by 20 votes in a poll of 120,000 voters. The final result, however, will be mado known on • Ootober 9. In the House of Representatives last night the Minister for Marine, the Hon. I J. A. Millar, promised to introduce this session a short amending Bill to provide for a fresh inquiry into the case of Captain Atwood, master of tho ill-fated Elingamite.

The Hon. D. Buddo showed a disinclination to supply any information in reference to an item of .£250 for the entertainment of official visitors, when the Estimates were being considered in Parliament last evening. After many fruitless inquiries, Mr. Ilerrics declared that, as a withholder of information, the Minister "took tho cake." "What is that?" asked several Government members. "It is part of tho official entertainment." An unrehearsed incident in connection with the Governor's visit to Napier took place on Friday afternoon (savs tho Huwko's Ba.v 'Tribune"). A well-known contractor in Napier in the oruberance of his spirits planted a hrartv thump on Lord Islington's back, and at the earne time expressed his pleasure at meeting his Lordship. Tho Governor was somewhat startled at this rather unusual method of being greeted, but returned tho salutation in a friendly manner in spito of a tingling back.