LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1358, 8 February 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Attention is directed to a Government advertisement which appears in another column calling for tenders for tho erection of nrtillcrv stables for the Defence Department. This advertisement is not paid tor by (he Government, but is inKirred at our own cost, in order that our renders may uot be penalised bv the policy of bovcotting Inn Dominion for its ooliiicnl oainions. 71 is Excellency the Governor has Kigniried Ins intention of joining U IL < lulbirnie Lodge of Oddfellows Manclicstur I nity. The ceremony will take place in the Concert Chamber of the Town Hall Wellington, on Tuesday, IHruary 20. l!cl pi'csenbtives of the order from all parts ot .ho Dominion have been invited to alTho Fire Brigade turned out in response, to a false alarm at. half-past nine o clock last evening. Tho per.-on who gave the alarm was miO.ecl l,y <*•(,; lU , smoke issuing from n house iii Vivi-tii Htreet which was boins fiiuiisjated. Definite choice.of a n'to for an auxiliary menial hospital at Auckland lus now been made by the (iovernmoiit. Objection was raised by Hie Auckland City Council' to the use of what is known as'the \v l>s . k'rii Springs site and objection ras mud" by tlio'Jlount Albert authorities to the erection of Hie building in the main hospital grounds, but tho Government have decided to use the latter site. The work of ran-lniction is to proceed as soon as necessary aller.iii'ms of tho original plans have been completed. The Hon. D liudilo state/I yt'stiTilay (hat no delay would occur in providing the additional iiecommocMtioi! required by patients at the Avoniliilo institution. The work of laying (he rails of the railway extension to (.ilonhope, in () K . Xel«nn district, will k> completed by the Public Works Department in about a fortnight and the i.ra section will be handed over shortly to the Kaihvay Department. At 7.. r .r, last evening the Fire J3ri K ad.. was calli'il out to extinguish n lire which had broken out in a five-roomed hniiMi at No. I Gordon Street, owned bv Mr. \V. H. Knox, and occiini..,! by J| V s. FenelolT. The fire originated in a imnlry on the ground door, and before it wns put out the pantry, a siuirtuw, and purt of the side wall of the hou-e were damaged. The contents were damaged bv heat and smoke. The insurance' upon (he building could not be ascertained last evening, but the conti'iils weie insured in the New Zealand office- for .Cl7;">. 'J'hi.re will be a Chamber silling of the Supreme Court to-morrow iimrniug, when tho civil list will be call.-d over and the order of oases probably fkoJ,

The exigencies of the geuoral strilcu in BrMmue ha<l iiu Wfocl on (he i» '<■ jf Ino iK'Wsiw[)er-, vet notwithstanding (lit l fact tlmt Hip men ordinarily responsible for fln> mi-c'huniciil iiroiluction ol (lie "Daily Mail" were on strike, it continued to appear. Tin. , is.-ue of February 1 consist* of two p:igcs—our page of advertisements and the ollior reading matter, including strike new?. As previously reported the Government of rriijiiiiiy biis .-cut six professors from the Monte Video I'nivfrsity on a rovinj; commission rimwl Hit' world to :ic(|uiro information as to the bc4 iiml lmwt modern methods oi ajiricultural development irrigation, dry funning, shi't-p, cnitlc, and horse-breeding and every other phrase of work tin flic laud, "i'liu nu-ml>ers of tincommission are Professors Carlos I'raileri .liinn A. Alvarez, Ililario A. I'rbina. Jorge Mulliii, Carlos 11. Sanilogni, and Samuel .Morera Acostn, all ol thoin more youths. They arrived in Sydney lavt week by the Orsovii, having already visited England, Holland, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, (iiTiiiany, Switzerland, l'rancc. Spain, anil Jtaly. After touring -\'cw Hi nth Wales tlicv will go to Victoria, and from there to >ie\v Zealand, liionw to San l-'iauciseo, and. after n two'months' stay in the I'nitcd States and Canada, (hoy. will return to Uruguay. The Consul lor Uruguay for Australasia, Sraor Osar Muliero! Bu»tamrnte, of Wellington, will accompany tin- commission in its tour tliroiisrli Australasia. Sine* the trout-fisliing season opened in October, the reports of lho>e anglers who have communicated with the Acclimatisation Society fully hear out the hopr-s entertained lor a plentiful supply. Two or throe Australian fisherman, who returned t<l Sydney yesterday (says Tuesday's Auckland "Herald"), after a few weeks at Tiuipo. said the sea-sou, has been the best experienced for three or four years. Excellent weather lias been experience!, and the fish caught were generally in prime condition. Splendid baskets had been secured, and the. name of Taupo continued to be a prominent one in the trout-fishing world. The fisli are at present moving up the river to Wnitalinliui. There appears to be a plentiful supply of iish in Auckland waters at present. Large hauls aro ljeing reported daily. On Sunday last a party from Devonport. lishing from an open boat anchored near Brown's Island, landed 262 schnappor. The fish were caught with lines without the usual sinker, and in about 10ft. of water. Work 'ivas stopped at the Geat Meat Works at Pelone yesterday morning, and very quickly the rumour spread that there had been a strike. It turned out, however, that Hk> trouble was a very trilling one, in which the company are not at all concerned. Sonic trouble occurred among Hit- "boy?" who assist the slaughtermen. These "boys"—they are really men—are working under a contract, and they were apparently anxious, to reduce their number. One 1/oy was told to leave, and ho appealed to smother section of workers, the doormen. The result was a cessation of work for two hour.'i to discu.ss the matter. ]svo;i--tually work was resumed on the lindirslaiuiing that (lie men would meet in the evening to discuss it more fully. The dispute is entirely one among one section of men, doing; unskilled work, and the company are not involved, for, as the men are working under contract, it is impossible for the company to interfere. In any case, the matter is such a trifling one that it can scarcely lead to any further interruption of wort. In relation to the New South Wales Government's land policy, the Premier (Mr. M'lfowen) says that as soon as the House meets a Land Bill will be submitted, crealing perpetual lease tenures, which will guarantee largo increases in laud settlement by men of .small means, who have been entirely excluded under the policy of the late Government. He adds that he funis that in the counties of Bourke, Clarendon, ilitchell, ami Winyard, including the important, (owns of Wogga Wagga and Coolamon, and containing first-class country, suitable for closer settlement, there sire 250,000 acres held in ten holdings. In the Lockhart district there are 100,000 acres in ten holdings, mid within ten miles of Forbes there are 50,000 acres held in eight holdings. Detwtivc Mason yesterday arrested a man named William Watts, against whom it is alleged that ho deserted his employment, as n fireman aboard the Remucra, at Wellington, on December 1-i last. A. moeti'.ig of members of tho Reform party is to bo held in Wellington on Tuesday next, and it is anticipated that members of (ho Government party will also meet in caucus shortly. An unusual accident on Lambton Quay yesterdjy afternoon effectually blocked the tramway traffic on tho up line for about an hour, and the north bound cars wero sent along via the Ci'.P.O. loop. A large covered van, belonging to Messrs. King Brothers, carriers, of Petone, was being driven past the Commercial Hotel when tho near hub ou the front axle collapsed, and the van came to a sudden and doh'n'.te stop oil the tramway track, caiTDiiing over like a ship in distress. There was a very heavy load on the van, and this had to be jettisoned before the derelict could lie hauled oil tho fairway into Grey Street "The Tourist Department reports," says the "Otago Daily Times," "that a largo number of visitoia from America and Australia ha\o been arriving in Dunedin during tho past tew days, nearly all of whom have since gone south with the intention of doing the overland journey to Milford Sound, the fame of the scenery to be seen nn (his journey having evidently spread far afield. In addition to those who intend to walk to llilford and back, several ladies and gentlemen left on Sunday in the Manuka, which is to call in ;it the famous sound, and will there disembark and walk back. Two other steamers will also later on take round passengers who wish to walk (he track only one way, and land them at Milford. Tho Department states that there appears to bo a greater number of overseas tourists in Dunedin just now than at the corresponding date last year, and that the beautiful weather which has been experienced between To Anau and Milford for some time is greatly adding (o the pleasure of those who a.re making this trip." An exchange states that butchers in some parts of the Dominion have not been making fortunes lately. Those in a big way of business, as the saying is, havu lost a lot of money (so it is said), while many of those with little cash to lose have been pushed out of the trade. In and near C'hrisrohurch towards the end of last yp;\r no fewer than I.'t "small" butchers had to give up business, fntiui.ry as to the cause of this serious surrender goes In show that conditions in the retail market are similar (o Iho.-e said to rule in various trades and pro-fessions-keen competition and too many pockets for (he profits. I Labour sc.irce. metal doubtful, teams I wanted all over tho place, road contractors dem.iMcling logger prices, and workmen more wag?s. the Pohiatua Comity Council is in somewhat of a quandary 'according (o the local "Herald"). At Saturday's meeting, members vigorously advocated various requirements; in their respective ridings. One member sugsesifxl obtaining labour from Cantorlmrv. as it snowed fo l:-s very scarce in the Pahiatiia district". With reference to the dating of commissions in Hie Territorial Force, t.im general officer cninmandinK has decided Hint in future seniority will, ns a general rule, be given from thn ilal" on wliieh the wsirni'.l is forwarded to the "Minister for KiVnatitrp. and not, as in the rasl, from the dale of first recommendation. Tn many cases of recommendations for commissions lnle'y received at hendounrters. a i)"riod of several mnplhs Ins elapsed behvenn the s<Tninjr of the first i'eronimnn' , il'nn and the recent of I'iis recommendation at liwidqunrlors. This h;'s led In li'iich rnniiiaio" in armiipini; (b.tes, nnil necessitated dating appointments baclc. Tn connection with Ih" special pxnminn--1μ.,. f,,v nrnmniimi of -if|ienv= of (he Ti'mIni'isil Foitp (luriii? (he third week in March, it '•' inliniMeil Hint, in the r.n«p of nTiy regiments which may be in eamn at that l 'i ,lp > officers in tlieso regiments may sit for their examinations in camp. Tin- Weslport Cinrrisnn Band arrived in Wi'l!in"i'on from Woslp/irt by the Anihiirn last ni','lit. The band leaves bv (he Tar:.wcra for Clisbonip to-day in lake part l in (he forlhcoming brass band contest.