LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1264, 20 October 1911, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

» The postal authorities ad<viso that tho e.s. Maneno, which sailed from Sydney at noon on October 18 for Auckland, has on board an Australian mail; also an English mail via Sue?.. The Wellington portion is duo to arrive hereby Alain Trunk train on Monday next. A number of letters nro in typo, and wo hope to publish them in to-morrow's issue. The grocers' petitions wcro discussed by the City Council again last night. Tho Mayor said that' tho petition in favour of early closing had .a majority of cloven signatures a while ago, and on Wednesday the majority had reached 11, but since then ten letters had been received from people asking for their names to bo removed and added to the- counter-peti-tion. The matter was a puzzle for a Philadelphia lawyer. At present thero was a majority of five in favour of the objection. Tho City Council decided last night that (he request of tho Hntaitai Municipal Electors' Association for the establishment of a penny tram section from M oxham Avenue, Kilbirnie, to the General Post Office, be not granted.

Messrs. Crichton and Mackay, architects, of Wellington, are preparing skotch plans for a new store and warehouso for Messrs. Dalgcty and Company at filonlicim, to replace the premises destroyed by fire somo weeks ago.

'i"he Minister for Public Works promised yesterday to havo a (lying survey made, during the recess, of unsurveyed portions of the Waikanac-Akatarawn railway route. Tho Minister stated that present surveys indicated that a spur 1300 feet high would havo (o bo negotiated, but Mr. Wilford stated I hat an easier route could lx> pointed out. It was arranged that Messrs. Wilford and Field should communicate to tho Minister the names of settlers ablo to supply this information.

The Finance Committee reported to tho City Council last night that they had reconsidered the question of tho continuance of the Municipal Orchestral concerts, and recommended that (ho council should pay .£25 of tho deficiency on Inst year's working, provided that the guarantor renewed their guarantee for a further term of 12 months. The committee also recommended that vocal items should be permitted at theso concerts. Wbora the recommendations were road before ths council, Councillor Godbcr moved that the amount should bo made XSO. Tho motion lapsed for want of a scondor, and tho recommendations wera adopted.

Tho corporation employees havo been granted a holiday on Saturday, November 25, for their annual picnic.

In the early part of yesterday afternoon's Bitting of tho House of Hoprenenlativc*, it was often impossible to hear whj.t members who held tho floor were raring. The Speaker appealed three times to" tho House to maintain order, remarkin'; on tho third occasion that ho could mj£ hear what was being said, and did not suppose tho press could hear it either. The Prime Minister, who was making a spwch at the time, remarked that, under such condition?, a man could scarcely do tho thinking necessary in order to make a speech. Despite these appeals and complants, tho bur.z of conversation continued with littlo abatement.

During last season the newly-formed Wjiikato Acclimatisation Society, which is now applying for registration, paid out 3d. each on over 5000 hawks' heads. To sportsmen who know how destructive hnwks tro to young gamc-'Cspec.ially btrd life—ths importance of this work is <ipparent. The new Waikato Acclimatisation Society seems to be particularly active- in tho" importation and preservation of game, and a great variety of shooting should b? avnilnblo to sportsmen in that district within the next year or two. Already English partridges and mallard ducks can bo said to bo firmly established, i

Tho«o property owners w.hom the City Council consider aro encroaching on Grant Eoail are to be given notice to set back their fenow "to the correct street lino."-

The. Citv Council decided last night tlitil Mr. D. M. MacPhail should ho offered the sum of .£75 for the New Zealand library of the late Dr. Cook, subject to tho books being in good condition. The general election of mombers of tho various County Councils throughout New Zealand is to bo held on November 8. Certain exceptions to the rule, all in the South Island, appear in tho current Gazette Mr. R. S. Gray has beon appointed a member of tho Christchurch Licensing Committee. A notios appears in the current Gazette forbidding tho forwarding of correspondence or money orders to It. C. Culver, of Market Street, Sydney. Tho Wellington Harbour Board has sanctioned the appointment of Mr. Q. W. Robinson, chief tolls clerk, to attest claims of enrolment as agent for the Registrar of Electors for Wellington North. The board has also allowed an electoral roll to 1)0 deposited at the tolls office for inspection. This roll is ono of tho older editions, and many alterations are not shown in it. Next week, however, it will bo replaced by a later issue. The Baths Committeo recommended to tho City Council last night that the following alterations in tho price of tickets to tho baths should bo as-recd to—Adults' ticket—3o clips for 2s. Cd., altered 15 for :i?. Cd.; adult's yearly ticket altered from 10s. Gd. to 15s. ' After discussion, it was resolved not to adopt tho recommendation, and tho charges remain unaltered. "Let tho people wash themselves as cheaply as possible," said Councillor Fuller.

The Kilbirnie Recreation Jtesorvo »m referred to by tho Mayor (Mr. T. M. Wilford) when tho fin&nco and property report had been adopted at the City Council meeting last night. His Worship said that as chairman of tho Finance Committee, ho had a statement to make. While he was absent from tho council, a resolution was passed for tho expenditure of .£2OOO on tho Kilbirnio Reserve. Though tho vote had beou • carried and tho money authorised, there .was no money (o expend on it and no fund from which it could be furnished this year. It would be difficult enough to como out even at tho end of the year. His Worship said he was not fmdiug fault with councillors for passing tho vote. It was the right thing to do. Ho considered t'liat the work should be ono of the first undertaken next year. In tho winter it would afford employment for a lot of men, who would then bo unemployed. Councillors generally agreed that tho work should bo ono of tho first undertaken next year. Councillors Fitzgerald und Cameron expressed regret that tho work had not already been proceeded with.