LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1448, 24 May 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

9 Alarm bells, to warn people in vehicles tuul on foot of the approach of trains, are to be installed at some of the level railway crossings in Palmerston North. Mr. J. A. Nash, Mayor of that town, reminded the Hon. A. M. Myers yesterday of a promise by his predecessor in the ofiico of Minister for Railway.", to provide tho bells. Mr. Nash stated that fatal accidents had occurred in the past at the level crossings, and that others had been narrowly averted in more recent times. Tho Minister promised that two sets of hells would be provided in the meantime, and that a report would be obtained as to tho necessity of providing others. Mr. 13. I!. (Mayor of Levin), who was present when the matter was raised, put in a similar claim on behalf of his borough. He slated that two or three lives had been lost, at the Queen Street crossing ill past years, aiul urged that alarm bells should ho provided. The Minister promised to obtain a report.

The misplacement; of two lines of type was responsible for an error in the very interesting article contributed by Mr. G, H. Scales and published in yesterday's issue. In his analysis of the closer settlement which luis gone on during the past ten years, Mr. Scales divided the lioldinfs 'into four groups, (a) 11 to 320 acres, (bf 321 to 1000, (c) 1001 to 20,000, and (d) those over 20,000. In the first three groups he showed there'had been an increase in the number of holdings and total area: in the fourth a decrease. It was in relation to the fourth that tho error occurred, making it appear that, while the number of holdings had decreased the area had increased. As a matter of fact, both had decreased. The paragraph should have read as follows; "The nest j ni<i last group f-Viws :i ( i r -. create of 3S in the number of holdings, ef|iial to about 14 per cent., and a decrease in area of nearly 2X00.000 acres, lining about 17 per cent."

Bel ween thirty nnd_ forty master'bilkers from all parts of New Zealand ascembled in the rooms of Iho New Zealand Employers' Federation yesterday to di«cu« die terms of the prenosciT Doiuini-ni award that is being asked for by the employees in the baiting trade. Tim "hair was oeeumed by Mr. "ft . Pryor, who will conduct the case for the New Zen'and Master Bakers' Association in t'ii" Arbitration Oo'.irt, The conference will sir. again to-day.

The (otnl births during April in tho four chief cities of the Dominion unci their suburban bnroiißh< amounted to IS.'iT, against 010 in March, an increase, of 17. The deaths in April wctb 22ft—an incre'aa< of twenty as compared n'itli hi.-t month. Of tho total de;iihs males conhibuk'd I°B females 92. Thirty-nine of (he deaths were of children under fivo years o'f aee, lieins 17.3 per cent, of the whole number ;~33 of these were under one year of sap.' "including the suburbs the death rsfp at, Puwdii' i« Hw liis'hest, and .it Vclliajtoa ia tho Jowost*

A special meeting of tho Miramar Dorough Council will be held at noon 011 Monday next io mako and levy the rates for tlie* current year. About eighty Chineso are through pas-,-enger.H by tlio Tahiti from Sydney to San Francisco this trip. A few are bui;nd through to l?arotoi'.ga and Papeete. Delegates to the late Local Government Conferenco will visit the hospital to-day, on the invitation of tho Wellington Hos ; pital Board. Cars placed at their disposal for this purpose by the Mayor will leave tho Town Hull at 10 a.m. "The Minister for Finance desires me to acknowledge tho receipt of fid. in halfpenny stamps forwarded to the Treasury by some person unknown as 'consciousmoney' to the Now Zealand Government," slates Mr. .1. W. l'oynton, Secretary to the Treasury, iu this week's Gazette. A deputation representing the I'angitikei liacing Club will wait upon the Hon. 11. W. liusseil (.Minister for Internal Affairs) at 8 o'clock this evening. To-day is Kinpi.ro Day proper, but; owing to the proximity of tho King's Jfirthdny (.1 une :i), tlio Government has decided'to bracket tho two in one. holiday. It will lie open for .school teachers to set special lessons for to-day bearing 011 historical and geographical phase.s of the British 'Empire, but 110 set form or arrangement lias been made. The Wellington branch of the Iloyal New Zealand Association of his Majesty's Veterans will celebrate the day by holding a social in tho Masonic JI a 11, Daniel Street, thin evening. 1

A mooting of tho Sussex Society of New Zealand was held tin's week ill Messrs. Vero and Kastgatc's oHices, Christchurch. Mr. C. Gibbs lloukctt presided over a weilattended gathering. The Sussex of i\'e\v Zealand was definitely formed, Air. K. J. Jlnwkings was appointed honorary secretary, and the following gentlemen weic elected a committee of management:—Messrs. T. St. Hawcs, W. il. lirowne, \V. Climpsoii, C. G. Beckett, and E. Haw-kings. Tho objects of the society are the promotion of goodfellowship and" friendly intercourse amongst Sussex people in the Dominion, and to pronioto a permanent club iii Chvistchui'e.li, wheref moiiibers and visitors may assemble. Members' qualifications consist of connection with the county of Sussex by birth, descent or marriage or residence in the country for not less than five years. A general meeting will be held at an cany date.

T])b prospect? of tho Local Government Bill were referral to by Mr. I'. M. «• Fisher, who is now in Auckland, in. the course of ail interview with a "Herald representative. "Little can be (lone with the Bill in the coming session," he taid. "or in any ordinary session. The Mm would require n special one, and it would take fttllv three- months to deal with it. It is mectinsj with a great deal of opposition, the chief being directed against the method of naving for education locaily. Obviously sueli a system would lay a very heavy burden upon the country districts. I don't expect the Bill to bo dealt with for many years. No real effort has been made to deal with it. I'ov the last It! or 17 years it has only been introduced into the House for tho_ purpose of haying it printed. Its circulation and criticism is a step further than it lias ever gone before.

A deputation from the Northern Union Football League, consisting of Cj. Giliett (organiser) and M. J. Rcaruon, waited yesterdav upon tlio Reserves Committee of tho City Council to ask that Newtown Tark should 1« made available for an inter-State match in August nextNo definito reply was given. The chairman of the committee (Mr. G. Frost) stated that the grounds had been let for the season, but that the committee would approach tho football clubs concerned and ascertain whether they would vacate tho ground for one day in order to make it available for tho League match. The deputation also asked that in the event of "tho ground bang let to the League for the day, it should be granted permission to charge for admission. Mr. Frost stated that tha committee t would ascertain what power tho council possessed in this matter and would then deal with the' application.

Professor A. W. Biekerton, kte of Cliristchurcii, has founded a non-political club for ineri and women in London called "The Nobodies" Club. It aims at removing tlio loneliness which so often afflicts tlio stranger in London, tho idea of the club being to bring strangers together, and those who would act towards them as friends and helpers. Tho subscription is J!2 2s. per annum, with special rates for tlioso who pay short visits to the metropolis.