LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1385, 11 March 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Maheno, with English and Australian mails on board, arrived »r Auckland at i) o'clock yesterday morning. The Wellington and southern portion of the mails will arrive by the Main Trunk express this afternoon. The fact that there was no referenre to licensing legislation in the Governor's Speech at tho opening of Parliament has been considered by the executive of the New Zealand Alliance, which body considers that many matters of far less importance were touched upon. The executive emphasises the. fact that the recent poll showed that (hero was a majority of 51,282 votes for National Prohibition over those polled against the proposal. Steps are now Id be talccn to urge upon Parliament the reduction of the three-fifths to a bare majority on the issue. Dannevirke's new Municipal Opera House, which, with furnishings, is estimated to cost Jjll.OOl), and which is being constructed on the most modern lines under the direction of Mr. Pitt, of Melbourne, is expected to be completed by the end ;,f the present month. The'initial performance in the theatre is to be given by the Dnnnevirke Operatic Society. A correspondent, who states that he travels frequently on the New Plymouth mail train to Taranaki and back again to Wellington, writes in a complaining way of an old Manawatii Company's firstclass smoking carriage, which he alleges repeatedly finds a place in the train amongst other cars almost equally venerable. This particular car, writes our correspondent, was constructed years ago, wheu space was more precious titan now, and when travellers were not asked to remain in their seats for thirtceii-hour journeys at a stretch. The scats are stiff, almost upright, and as clove together as those cross seats on tramway cars. Tho result is that the long journey up or down, passengers are subjected to extreme inconvenience, especially so when the car is filled. The racks are also much behind tho times, as they are too narrow to accommodate bags or parcels of ordinary size, and when tho train is rocking or swaying the fall of all sorts and conditions of articles is very trying to the passengers below. Our correspondent declares that complaints over this car on the part of passengers are loud .ind deep, and the question is asked: Why is not this carrhge relegated .to the suburban short services, instead of 250 mile runs, at an average speed of less than nineteen miles an In ur? Age is always a delicate matter to touch upon with an actress, -unless sho be a Sarah Bernhardt, who revels in the big tragic roles at GB. A report appeared in another paper on Saturday stating that Miss Ethel Irving was born" in 1571, which would make her 41 years of age. According to tho lady herself if that report bo correct this must be her second lime on earth, but not being a rcincarnationist she merely wishes to state that the report is an exaggeration, and that the church in which she was christened has not yet been burnt down. At the Waimataitai School, Timaru, a new system of prize-giving is being adopted. The headmaster (Mr. W. Thomas) explained at the last meeting of the School Committee that prizes for. merit and for marked improvement would be awarded at the end of each quarter. For each class there would be a first and a second prize for merit, and six prizes for progress, marks being given for attendance, conduct, neatness of books, and foi each of the ordinary subjects of instruction. Each child would receive tho minimum of 20 marks at the beginning of the quarter, and marks could be deducted for bad conduct during the quarter. Persistent unpuuetuulity would be regarded as bad conduct. All exercises, conybooks, and blocks would l>o examined before marks were assigned for neatness. A pupil absent without proper excuse would lose ono mark for each naif-day ho was absent. No marks would be deducted where a child was absent through sickness, through thu sudden illness of a parent, or the death of a relative. The committee decided that the parents should be advised by circu. lar of the details of the new system. Mr. W. Somerset Maughan, the English dramatist, evidently has a poor idea ot politicians.or rather of what tho people expect in a political leader. In "Lady Frederick" ho makes Mr Paradine Fouldes say to his young and wealthy nephew: "You have a magnificent chance, dear boy, with all the advantages of wealth and station. I beseech you not to throw them away by any exhibition of talent. The field' is clear, and the British people arc waitiug for a leader. But remember that the British people like their leaders dull. Capacity they mistrust, versatility they cannot near, and wit they utterly abhor. Above all, if you have a sense of humour crush it—crush it!" The' New Plymouth people are very keen on showing visitors their oil field at Motnroa, where the How from two of tho wells is plain en nigh (writes our travelling correspondent) to convince the most sceptical. The No. 2 well has now been running for about two years, and is going steadily.. No. 5, tho latest eruptive, has filled nearly EOO barrels, since it started a fortnight or so asp, and, except for a short stoppage on Thursday afternoon, its How is very pronounced and under no artificial pressure. No. 3, where oil was also struck, has its pipes choked with kerosene wax, and this is now being cleared out. The oil from the No. 2 well is particularly pure, with no sediment. The wells are being surrounded by immense carthern tanks, with a holding capacity of thousands of gallons of oil, and it is estimated that there are now nearly 480,000 gallons of the crude oil boxed up in these caverns. Calculating tho value of tho oil at 225. 9d. per barrel (42 gallons to the barrel), this store represents .£11,375. A special meeting of the City Council will he held to-morrow evening to deai with arrears of business from tho last ordinary meeting. A slight outbreak of fire occurred in tho premises of Mr. Morris Fruhauf, Manners Street, at 0.45 a.m. yesterday. The premises are owned by Mr. A. Hamilton, Knrori, and are insured in the South British Insurance Company, and the contents are insured in the Commercial Union for .£llOO. One side of a wall was slightly damaged. Tho police be pleased to hear of the whereabouts of Mrs. H. Ledez, who disappeared fro.n her home, 58 Devon Street, at 10.30 p.m. on Friday Inst. When sho left home, she was wearing a - grey costume, and black trimmed hat. The missing woman is about 51 years old, sft. Gin. in height, and has dark brown hair and eyes; The annual meeting of the Wellington Harbour Board for the production of accounts is to bo held on March 18. It is not customary for manufacturing jewellers to place tneir sweepings in a. box or tin at tho door for the rubbishcollectors to convey to the destructors. They are too valuable for that. Both the sweepings from the floors and benches, and the deposit in tho bottom of the bowl in which the men wash their hands is carefully stored, and parcels are made up periodically, and forwarded to England, in' order that the gold-filings may be won from the dust. This cannot very well be done in New Zealand, as the work has to be performed by a refining plant. For some long timepast the manufacturing jewellers of Wellington have been charged export duty on the gold recovered as though it was virgin bullion. Some little time ago a deputation of working jewellers waited upon the Minister for Mines (Hon. E. M'Kelizie), urein? him to consider the removal of this duty in respect to workshop sweepings. The Minister promised to look into the matter, and has recently replied to the deputation slating that the Crown Law Officers could not find anything in the statutes that would justify such an exemption, as such might leave the door open for exemption on ladings and oilier drn-s containing a percentage of cold. It is nmlor-tond thai the working jewellers of New Zealand now intend to make for .-penal to bring about the exemption required, en the cround that they are not exporting the i'old for use elsewhere, but only becnuaci llio Whip cannot b* recovered from , U;« dost in the Douiiniioi