LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1447, 23 May 1912, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Tho Postmaster-General (tho Hon. H. G. 1011) announces that a daily mail delivery is about to be established between Porirua and Johnsonville. Tho service will be performed by a Departmental letter-carrier mounted on a motor cycle.

The compensate!! case wherein Hector M'Leod, of Miramar, claims .£IO,BOO damages from tho Wellington Harbour Board in respect of land taken for reclamation purposes, adjourned from Tuesday till •t p.m. yesterday, has been further adjourned till -i p.m. to-day, when the decision of the Court will bo given.

Councillor J. Fuller, jun., has given notico that ho will move at the next meeting of tho City Council:—"That tho Pitianco Committee consider a report as to the advisability of fixing a maximum and minimum salary to bo paid to tho staff and officers of the city corporation concerns." An arrangement of Jho nature indicated in Councillor Puller's motion was at one time adopted by the City Council, but it broke down when it hecamo necessary to raise the salaries of some of the higher officials above the limits which had been fixed.

Hearing of tho Merchants' Assistants' dispute will bo continued at tho Town Hail to-day, before the Conciliation Commissioner (Mr. P. Hally).

The new Wainui main has now boon completed along the Hutt Road and 'i'horndon Quay. Sections are at present being laid in Lambton Quay and in Nairn Street. Tho pipes have been laid across the now Hutt bridge, and are now being carried through Potone.

The Court of Appeal was yesterday adjourned till July 1. A short sitting was held in tho morning, when judgment in the Levin-Coinmi'ssioner of Taxes inn action to determine tho right of tho Commissioner to tax an unregistered annuity), was delivered, Mr. A, Gray (counsel for the Wellington Law Society) mentioned the matter of two applications under tho Law Practitioners' Act (the ease of Somerville and Stevens). Tho Chief Justice indicated thnt in view of tho proximity of circuits it would bo impossible- to get throo Judges to hear these eases, and there was no course open but to adjourn them.

A man. who was asked how he pleaded to a charge of insobriety, fold the Magistrate's Court yesterday that his case was one of "half and half"; he was "guilty and not guilty."

A man was arrested by Detective-Ser-geant M'Jlvejiey and Detective .Bailey yesterday on a charge of having stolen a suit of clothes from the doorway of Messrs. C. Smith and Co.'s drapery shop. Detective Mason arrested another seafaring man yesterday on a charge of having deserted an ocean-going' vessel. It is alleged that this man deserted the Opawa on January 9, when fiho was at Napier.

The drought in Australia had not broken when the Maheno left Sydney for Auckland, and passengers by the Maheno report that serious consequences aro being felt in all parts of the Commonwealth. "There is not a haystack to bo seen anywhere," remarked one gentleman to a "Herald" reporter, "feed is scare* in all tho favminir districts, and tho burnt-up appearance of the country tells the sorrowful plight of the farmer. There has been no rain in Australia since January, and when I left Sydney there were no indications of a change in the weatheT." Trior to the time when tho drought set in, farm labourers wore scarce in Australia, and farmers were forced to strip their crops and burn the hay on the ground, as they could not get it carted and stacked. Tho milk supply is low, and the scarcity of feed will be reflected in a general deterioration of the quality of stock and dairy produce.

Prices for timber, which have been steadily advancing during past years, experienced yet another rise quite recently. Kauri is becoming increasingly difficult to get, and more expensive to work, while royalties have been quadrupled during recent rears. Moreover, there is more deterioration in the logs brought to tho mill, and all labour in turning out the sawn timber is costing more. On April 22, says the "New Zealand Herald," prices for first and second-class kauri advanced Is. per 100 ft. for boards, up to Hin. wide, aud 2s. per 100 ft. for boards 12in. wide and over. Third-class kauri advanced If per WOft. for boards liin. wide and over. Trices for rimn over Oin. wide were increased by Is. per 100 ft. on May G and for heart of rimu, for which there is a very strong demand, as much as .'ls. per lOOf't. was added.

In yesterday's list of subscriptions to the-National Gallery Fund, a donation of £i Is. was erroneously attributed to Mr. ,[. S.'jamioson, instead of Mr. J. S. Jameson.

The I'atea Meat Freezing Company and its employees, other than slaughtermen, have just concluded an industrial agreement on tho lines of the agreement recently matlo in Wellington. Like tho latter agreement, tho one made in Patea provides that a minimum wago of Is. 3d. per hour shall be paid to labourers, and that eight, hours shall constitute a day's work.

\ deputation representing tho Foxton Harbour Hoard will wait upon the Minister for Uaihvnys (tho Hon. A. M. Myers) at a quarter past two this afternoon to lay before him their views on the wharfage question upon which the board nt different times made representations to his predecessor.

A Federation of Labour Dominion Conference is to open at tho offices of the "Maorilaml Worker" this morning. Members of the executive sat yesterday to ari'aiigo the agenda paper which is to bo dealt with to-day.