LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1258, 13 October 1911, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The postal authorities advise that the s.s. Wimmera, which left Syduey at noon on October 11 for Auckland, has on board an Australian mail, also an English mail via Suez. The Wellington portion is duo b arrivo hero by Main Trunk on Monday next; October 16. An interesting return relative to educational endowments, prepared on tho motion of Mr. Fisher, was presented in tho House of Representatives yesterday afternoon. It shows that tho area set' apart since December 31, 190G, as general primary and secondary educational endowments, inclusive of those for special schools and universities, amounts to 43,888 acres, of which 27,070 acres were leased at March 31, 1911. Of the area set apart prior to Decembor 1906, 770,025 acres were leased, making t'ho total area leased, on March 31, 797,095 acres. Tho revenue received from theso endowments during tho last financial year was JC1512 ss. lOd. from lands reserved since 1900, and ,£60,327 6s. 8(1. from those reserved prior to 1907, a total revenue of .£07,839 12s. 6d. The Mines Commission set up to inquire into a report on "the cenditious relating to tho health and safety of tho miners of New Zealand and tho administration of tho laws relating to mining and coal mines," is to bo directed, states tho Gazette published last night, to inquiro and report generally as to "the profitablo utilisation of the soft bituminous and lignite coals of tho Westport district of New Zealand." Tho Rev. D. C. Bates waited on the Reserves Committee of tho City Council yesterday regarding a site for a meteorological observatory. A place at Pipitea Point has been suggested. Mr. Bates and tho chairman of the committee (Mr. ,T. Smith) aro to confer, and a report is to be made to the committee before its next meeting. Regarding tho proposal that a portion of tho Karori Cemetery Rcservo should be used for recreation purposes, tho Reserves Committee of the City Council is to inspect the locality next Wednesday. Tho matter of having direct cable communication between Sydney and Auckland (says an Auckland exchange) in place of tho present cable to Doubtless Bay and re-transmission is receiving tho acl.ivo consideration of the Pacific Cable Board. On Monday Mr. John Milward, manager of the board, visited Onchunga with a view to ascertaining what; suitable sites would bo available for landing the cable on tho West Coast, and is now in Wellington consulting the Postmaster-Gen-eral. To lay a new cablo from Sydney would cost, about ,£193,(1011, mid thu chief difficulty in the way is getting a cablo track remote from possibilities of disturbonce. Tho direct service would moan a faster service, and a greater efficiency by decreasing tho inaccuracies inevitable in telegraphic re-transmissioa, and there is a probability that tho direct serrica will be decided on. Tho waterworks at Miramar are to bo opened on Saturday. At last night's meeting of the Miramar Borough Council, the Mayor reported that all arrangements had been made. Tho opening ceremony is to be performed at Wonderland by the Mayor, and tho hour fixed on is 3 o'clock. In future, states an order from junior cadet headquarters, the physical training of the junior cadets is to be strictly limited to free exercises, without apparatus. Physical drill with rifles is to be discontinued. It has been reported' to the Reserves Committee of tho City Council that there has been a large encroachment on Grant Road by some of the people living in that neighbourhood. In one place, it is reported, tho whole road has been fenced in. In some parts the road is not formed, and is ut present (so it is stated) doing duty as backyards. Th? tender of Messrs. S. Luke and Co., Wellington (£2%) for tho erection of a new funnel on the s.s. Tutanekai has been accepted. The following were the unsuccessful tenderers:—Mossrs. Robertson and Co. (.£305): W. Cable and Co. (.£307 Ws.l; W. Crnbtreo and Sons (.£310): Neilsoii, Murray, and IVedric (-£325 10s.). Mr. Coleman Phillips, of Carterton, has petitioned Parliament in favour of the establishment of a capital city for the Dominion between h'eat.herston and Greytown. Members of the Douse of Representatives were amused when the petition was presented yesterday by Sir Joseph Ward,

As all the steamers usually trading between Grcymouth and the West Coast ports of the North Island aro laid up on account of the shipping dispute, a beef fainino is threatened on tho West Coast, tho local markets depending entirely on small supplies from South Wcstland (says the Christchurch 'Tress"). Tho position will reach an acute stage- unless tho Wanganui service is restored by next week. A Christchurch lawyer stated on Wednesday that somo of tho eccentricities of New Zealand law-makers had created ii.oi-o pitfalls in this Dominion's statutes than could bo found, probably, in tho statutes of any other country in tho world. As instances, ho said that the Public Holidays Act repealed an important clause of tho Hanks and Banking Institutions Act, and one of tho vital amendments of tho Land Transfer Actin its way the most important enactment Parliament: had ever made—was in the Probate Act. A sitting of the Nativo Appellate Oc-urt will be held at Wellington on Octobor 24 ot as soon thereafter as the business of tho Court >rill allow. The Reserves Committee of the City Council has recommended to tho council that the planting of Oriental Bay quarry should bo gone on with. In a question addressed to the Post-mastor-Genoral, Mr..Myers, M.P., suggests that telephones should bo attached to large steamers immediately on their arrival at wharves in tho Dominion. Mr. Myers states that this is dono at many of the larger i ports of the world, and is a great convenience to passengers, and also to officers and commercial people who aro .working on tho ships.