LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1378, 2 March 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A meeting of tho Wellington branch of the New Zealand Educational Institute was licld in tho Technical School build*ings Inst night. Mr. C. Watson presided. The chairman reported that Mr. J. S. Tennant had offereel to give a lecturo to the institute on what ho nad observed of educational methods during his recent travels in Europe. He had left it with tho Institute to say whether they preferred that he should talk of British or of Continental schools. . It was decided to ask Mr. Tennaut to lecture on March 29, and that he be loft to choose- his own subject matter. On the motion of. Mr. 6. Flux, tho following resolution was carried:— "That this branch of the Now Zealand Educational Institute desiros to congratulate Mr. .T. S. Tennamt, ox-Inspector of Schools, upon his appointment to tho Wellington Training Collego, and desires to place on record its senso of loss to the Wellington education district in his retirement from the staff of inspectors." The motion was supported by manv of the teachers present, and carried unanimously. Tho special business for which tho meeting had been called was to receive from the delegates a roport as to tho doings at the annual conference. This report was duly given by tho delegates, and commented on briefly.

In a question in Parliament, addressed to tho Minister for Railways, Mr. E. Newman suggests that season tickets available for one month should bo issued at the same rate in proportion as thoso issued for three, six, or twelve months, and also that tourist excursion tickets Bhould bo issued for socond-class paßSongors as well as for first-class. Mr. Newman notes that at present a person who can afford to pay for a season ticket in one lump sum savos nearly one-fourth of the value of the annual ticket as compared with the cost to a person who can only afford to pny for his ticket quarterly; also, first-class passengers can procure excursion tickets enabling them tp travel for four weeks over the wholo of the North or South Island railways for M, but second-class tickets aro not issued at a proportionato reduction for tho benefit of workers of the Dominion desiring to make similar uso of tho railways.

In the House on Thursday, Mr. W. IT. D Bell intimated that ho would ask the Minister for Lands whether, in view of the fact that tho Potono llorough Council has not purchased from the Crown the liuuls at Norinnmlnlo described in the second schedule to tho I'elono WaterSupply Conservation Act, lilOi, ho will now offer tho said lands for application under tho Land for Settlements Act, 11108. Tho alMve-mcntioned land, Mr. Hell statrs, is held bv the Crown under the Land for Settlements Act, 1008. but owing to the passing of llio'Pclonc Water-Supply Conservation Act, 1(1(17. which empowers the Crown to soil and the IVtone llorough Council to purchase lh« land ns pnrl of a catchment area, il has not been ollerod for application.. Tim I'elono H(«rnUßlj Council has not purclinsed the land, and it. has, in consequence, lain idle since 1007, and is now covered with noxious weeds.

Ycsterdav morning a child named Mona Jupp, aged 15 months, daughter of n tram conductor, whilo playing in her parents' residonco, in Abel Smith Mreet, pulled n table on lop of hoiwlf. 1 he. result <vns that hor skull was fractured, Tha nhiM TOP i*nt U> th<t houpiUL. but ibt dJad man tita wmlratoa.

"Spoiling of the new defend scheme as a whole," said General Godley when interviewed at Auckland, "1 Hunk it is proving more satisfactory than 1 over ventured to hope. Tho people of the country, as 11 whole, are giviiif? tho scheme strong support. The spirit of opposition is very small, it being confined to only a few people, and to n few localities where tho scheme is not yet thoroughly understood." In referring to 111© training camps, General Godley said ho has attended three of the four camps that have been held up to tho present time, viz., those at Oringi (Wellington) and the two Otjigo enmps. All three cnnips had been very successful, and in nllmling to the two Otago camps he said: iho attendance was very satisfactory, about bU per cent, of the men being in camp, mo remainder were accounted for by changes of residences, and a few cases of genuine hardship to employers or employed, in which leave had to be given to the men to do their training with another regiment later on. This, of course, is not satisfactory, from a military point of view, as it is so much better for men to do their training with their own regiments. 1 was very much struck at the.camps that 1 have visited at the willingness and good spirit displayed by the men. . In conversation with them I asoertained that as a rule those who have attended the camps have quite enjoyed the experience, and that they are looking forward to next year's camps." The man who was knocked down by a tramcar in Willis Street on Thursday evening died in tho public hospital last night. His name is still unknown, and the nolico have had no inquiries concerning liim. Deceased was about 40 years of age, and he was dressed in working clothes when picked up. He wore a heavy fair moustache.

The first of a series of services for men will be held in St. Mark's Church at 3 p.m. to-morrow afternoon, as advertised in another column. An address will bo given bv tho Ucv. C. V. Askew, vicar of St. Mark's. Mr. Askev; has had unique experience of work amongst men, and has conducted many services for men in tho large cities of Yorkshirei and Lancashire with great success. His bunday classes for men at Blackburn numbered over 700, the monthly servioo having an average attendance of fourteen to fifteen hundTed and on occasions reaching upwards of two thousand men. Commencing at 2.45 o'clock the organist (Mr. L. F Watkins) will render several selections on tho organ. A solo will also bo sung before tho service commences by Mr. Culverwell. It is anticipated that there will, 1m a large gathering of men at tho service.

The following notice appear* in this week's Gazette :-"At 1 p.m. oil cluouometnr rating days a galvanometer signal for rating chronometers will be sent trom ■the observatory to tho Public Telegraph Office Customhouse Quay, 1 ' and to tho Dominion Museum, Wellington. The needle will move at 1 p.m. exactly of New Zealand standard mean time, when a chronometer set to Greenwich mean time should show 13 h. 30 m. Any difference will be the error of tho chronometer on Greenwich mean time. At 3 p.m. on chronometer rating days correct .time will also be signalled from the observatory by means of electric, lights. A green light will be switched on at about 8.45 p.m.. a red one at about 8.55 p.m., and a white one at about 8.59 p.m., and all tho lights will bo switched off at 9 pm. exactly of New Zealand standard mean time. The preparatory switchingon of the lights must bo considered as onlv approximately correct, and must not" 1)0 used for rating chronometers, the correct time for rating will be given by switching off the lights simultaneously at 9 p.m. Notification of chronometer rating (lavs is given in the AVclliiigton daily newspapers. On application to the I'ost and Telegraph Department arrangements can usually be made to send a galvanometer signal giving correct timo at rp.m. to any telegraph office in the Dominion.

Several thousand people waited on Dalgetv's Wharf, Sydney, for two or three hours on Friday last for the arrival of tho Rangatira, which brought out nearly 1100 new Australians, the (Treat bulk of them being women and children who nave come to join relatives. From as early as 6 o'clock in the morning, husbands, brothers, friends, and nominators. of those on board begau to assemble, till at 11 o'clock, when tho steamer eamo alongside, llio throng was so great that there was scarcely room to nwc. The mass of humanity on the wharf was a of that aboard tho ship itself, mostly Scottish, North Countrymen, and Midlanders, from whoso fresh complexions tho hall-mark ofthe immigrant has not yet been worn off by tho warm Australian sun. When the Rangatira approached the wharf (says tho "Sydney I'oniing Henld"), and shouts of recognition filled tho air, women became almost hysterical, and sobbed and laughed, and even tho men had difficulty in hiding their emotions. The excitement when tho gangways wore lowered, and streams of people flowed up on to tho decks, was intense. Soon thousands of people were embracing one another, and the hugs and kisses were of the wholehearted Bort. Nobody cared for the nonce who was looking on, and after little intermissions they clasped eaoh other in their arms, anil kissed again. The hum of conversation that arose from the hundreds of little groups as messages were exchanged and future prospects talked of in a dozen different dialects, was someAt the meeting of the Reserves Committee of the City Council on Thursday a good deal of attention was paid to the matter of improving the Kilbirnie Recreation Ground, which wa3 originally presented to Kilbirnie by the late Mr. H.

6. Crawford. Although the council at the timo tho citj* absorbed tlio, Melrose borough and subsequently when a policy of providing recreation grounds was considered and given effect to, had tho best of intentions towards the south-eastern portion of Greater Wellington, the particular ground has proved a kind of Cinderella amomg tho city reserves. A good bit of tho Evans Bay foreshore on which

the reserve abuts was reclaimed when Constable Street wa9 lowered a few years ago, and somo .£BOO has been spent in one way and another on improvements. Now tho Reserves Committee have decided to recommend tho council to expend the sum of .£2OOO on tho reserve during the coming winter in order to provide a good plnying ground for Kilbimie and South Kilbirnio, and tho City Engineer (Mr. W. H. Morton) is to bo consulted as to tho manner in which the money will be spent. "I believe that the funeral car must come sooner or later," said Mr. Stuart Richardson, Tramways Manager, yesterday afternoon. This question wa9 raised a year or two ago, when it caused a good deal of comment. It w.as then stated that tho long drag to Karori up hill and down dale, for a distance of about four or five miles (according to where tho cortege started from), could not long remain the custom now that there was an electric tramway service to tho gates of the cemetery. _ Mr. Richardson says that the institution of a funeral car would probably cull for tho orection of a mortuary chapel at some convonient and central pi "ice on a siding. To all intents and purposes a funeral oar could be built much on tho lines of an ordinary car, with a receptacle in front for tho coffin, and the remainder of the oar fitted with compartments for the mournerß. At the request of the exeoutlTe committee entrusted to manapro tho funds recently subscribed for tho widow and children of the lato Mr. Pcarco, of Brooklyn, the Public Trustee has consented to' administer the balanco of the money. Tho trustees, Messrs. A. Unto nmd Q. Frost, have accordingly handed oyer to tho Public Trust Office tho mono.vs in hand, amounting to a sum of J327.1 12s. 9d. This does not represent the whole of^tho amount subscribed, «s various disbursements have been made on behalf of the beneficiaries during the past few months. From a letter lately received br Captain W. Rosa, of Auckland, it appears Mint tho humoano which did such extensive damage in Tonga nnd Fiji did not louolt Win two islands of Niaufoott and Koppel, in the northern part of tho group. Hurricanes in tho Islands have fairly well defined trucks, running east and west. When it was understood that the Tfaapai group had been visited, the opinion was that Uio storm would not iuivo reached far enough in a nortiherlr direction to affect the two islands mentioned. N'iaufoiiii and Keppel support » fair population, and as copra is the staph product, a hiirrieaun would have been dc>usd'Mi* to tho inhabitants. The Hesevves Committee Ims decided to recommend the City Council lo favourably consider the granting of a sum of money towards the erection of a bathing shnil 'for the Mnranui Life-saving Club. Notices of Sunday servioca in various churches will be found on paire 2 of this issue.