LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1347, 26 January 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The postal authorities advise that the s.s. Mihcno, which sailed from Sydney at noon i n Wednesday for Auckland, has on board an Australian mail, also an English mail, via Suez. The Wellington portion is duo to arrive here by Main Trunk on Monday next.

The conference at which delegates representing the State mine employees at Point Elizabeth met the general manager and the local manager, to discuss details of a working agreement (to replace that which expired twelve mouths ago), terminated satisfactorily. It is understood that the basis of a new agreement was formulated, and will be submitted to the Government on the one hand, and on tho other to the State Miners' Union, for ratification.

Mr. R. W. Shortt, Assistant UnderSecretary to the Public Works Department, left for the south last evening. He is to act as a commissioner in hearing a number of disputes between local bodies as to their respective liabilities in regard to the upkeep of boundary roads and similar matters. Mr. Shortt has frequently discharged duties of this kind, and has dealt with some twenty or thirty of these cases since the Act was passed which provides that (he Government shall appoint a commissioner to deal with them. In rcsponso to a request by the Kilbirnie Ratepayers' Association, the City Council has decided to make provision for asphalting Courts Street on next year's estimates. Proposals to lengthen the men's bathing-shed, and to erect conveniences at the Kilbirnie Reserve are under consideration. With a fatherly eye to the health of the consumers, the Wellington City Council has added the following paragraph to the by-laws:—"No person shall sell any food stuffs by auction in any auction mart or other premises in the city unless such food stuff is stored on a platform or counter at least two feet above the level of the floor, provided that this regulation be not insisted upon in markets where the fowl stuff is stored in boxes or sacks." Mr. R. W. Holmes (Engineer-in-Chief to tho Public Works Department) left on Wednesday morning for Napier, lie is to examine the route of the Napicr-Gisbome railway. Surveys of the route are now proceeding from both ends, and Mr. Holmes, in addition to seeing how they are progressing, will assist in determining questions that arise as to the line to be iollowed at various points.

Under the Workers' Compensation for Accideuts Act, passed last session, a householder is liable for compensation in the event of a domestic servant in his employ accidentally sustaining injury. Insurance companies, anticipating that many householders will desire to insure themselves against possible claims, are preparing a scale of rates. When the Bill was before \the House, Sir Joseph Ward estimated that, in operation, the scheme would cost each employer about 10s. per year. Instead of servants being personally insured, the plan adopted will Ix? for an employer to take nut a policy indemnifying him, up to n certain amount, against compensation claims made by a servant or servants. The employer is not liable in respect of an accident which disables a worker for less than •a week, nor for any injury due to an accident caused by the serious and wilful misconduct of the worker, unless the accident results in death or permanent disablement. The maximum weekly sum payable as compensation is X 2 10s. Domestics employed for a period of less than one week do not eomo under the Act, which will come into operation on March 1,

In consequence of his having been reported for drunkenness. the licensc of one of Hie city taxi-cab drivers is !o be cancelled by the City Council. In future the casual employees of the Unserves Department of (lie Wellington City Corporation will be granted a holiday for the corporation employees' annual picnic. The New Zealand Master Bates' Association is to meet in conference in the Town Hall on February 7. Delegates will assemble here from nil parts of New Zealand, and it is understood that the conference will also be attended by some master bakers from Australia. The gathering will last for three (lavs, during which time the delegates are to bo entertained socially by the Wellington Master Bakers' Association. Dannc.irke's new theatre, designed by the Hon. William Pitt, of Melbourne, will be ready for occupancy in about a month's time. According to the architect the new house of entertainment, which will scat 1200 people, will bo equal to anything its size in New Zealand. It has a large stage, which is designed in such a manner that it will take the scenery used in the large centres. Hitherto sonic of iho touring companies have had to cut down their scene "flats" or provide themselves with a special set of small scenery for towns like Dannovirke, but with theatres like those being erected in Diilinevirkc and Napier this will be no longer necessary, and a considerable saving will be effected thereby.

That Jam Tin Gully has possibilities for grazing purposes was evident from an application for the lease of the site for this purpose, which came Iwforc the.City Council last evening. The application was refused. As the outcomc of a meeting lield in the Hotel Cecil last evening, Mr. W.' H. LingarJ in the chair, it was decided to form a company, the business of wliicli shall be to erect a picture theatre anil skating riulc combined on a site to bo selected in Thorndon. Information was received in Wellington yesterday that the New Zealand United Fire Brigades Association's annual conference ha? been fixed to be held in Rotorua on March 1 and succeeding days. As the result of a scries of organ recitals by Mr. Maughan fiarnett, given in the new Town Hail, the Auckland City Council has benefited to the extent of X'2oo, after giving the organist as much as seventy guineas in fees.

A youth_ of 12 years was before the Juvenile Court yesterday morning 011 a charge of stealing a bicycle, valued at 4:3, Hie property of Walter Miller. 'J'lie bav pleaded guilty. He was cautioned anil disehirged, and tin; bicycle is to be returned to its owner. An animated discussion took place at the meeting of the City Council last evening upon a recommendation by the By-laws Committee that the Radium Polishes Company, Ltd., should be permitted to store turpentine in bulk in a building situated in Adelaide Road ■South. Councillor Fletcher offered strong opposition. The by-laws, he said, very properly forbade anyone to store more than 20 cases of turpentino in the city. Now it was proposed to allow .a firm to store 200 case-; of turpentine. This was the same application as had been rejected by the council at a previous meetin™, with tho difference only that it was benzine last time, whereas now it was turpentine. Councillor Cohen seconded the motion. Councillor Frost defended the application, remarking that a ]wrmit could be granted to store more than cases of turpentine. Councillor KhjrtclilTp opposed.the recommendation. Some business houses, he remarked, were compelled !o g« out.-idc the oily to siore large riuantitics of nil, and all should be treated alike. Councillor Barker said that industries using far less inllaimnable material had been forced out of the city. Councillor Fitzgerald agreed, and declared thai insurance rates would if a store nf the kiwi proposed were permitted. Conncilk'r Trevor, chairman of the liy-laws Committee, complained that his fellow-councillors had been guilty of ungrounded assumptions, but the recommendation of the committee was rejected 011 the voices. An election will be held in Wellington on Monday, Jlarch <!, for the purpose of electing two members each for the South and North Island to the Teachers' Superannuation Board. The poll wilt be taken at the office of tho Education Department. Gorcrxuueflt Building*

In granting tho use of the City Concert Hall to the Methodist Central Mission Sunday School for .Horning, afternoon, and craving services on March U, for (he sum of Jtn 10s., the Cit>- Council last evening decided (hat this fee is to be considered u schedule charge for this class of engagement.

Certain correspondence which was read at the meeting of the City Council last evening disclosed the fuct that the corporation engineers have at the back of their minds the possibility of the trunk ear line running through tho Basin Reserve at some future date. .Mr. YV. H. -Morton (City Engineer) was of opinion that some improvement should be mads to the curve at the Ellico Street-Kent Terrace corner if the introduction of trailer cars were contemplated. This could he accomplished by taking a slice off the Hasin Reserve. There was, in tho opinion of the City Electrical Engineer (Mr. Stuart Rielrndson), no immediate necessity for improving the curve. At some future dale tho car line would probably run through the Basin Reserve 'iliis could be done without materially restricting the sports field.

At St. Hilda's Churchroom, Island Bay, lost evening, a conversazione was hold to welcome the new vicar, Mr. M'liaverty, and to farewell the Rev. Fancourt. On behalf of the parishioners, Mr. Thomas Proctor gave a cordial welcome to the new vicar. Mr. Airey, churchwarden, as a farewell gift, presented tiio R-ev. Mr. Fancourt with a Thermos flask, a clock, and an autograph book, the latter containing all the signatures of the parishioners. Mr. Fancourt briefly thanked parishioners for tho presentation, and stated that the five years which he had sjx'nt amongst them bad been one of the happiest times of his lifo He would still have pleasant recollections of his late parish, and, as his now church was not far away, he hoped to be able t<r come down and see old friends occasionally. During the evening musical items were contributed by tho following: Misses M. Carte, Parker," Peakd, and Lockwood, Mrs. Hindmarsh, M<?ssrs. Allen, I'eake, Read, Nces, Milson, and F. Proctor.