LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1508, 2 August 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Tlie postal authorities advise that tho s.s. Ifalai ra, which left Sydney at noon on the 'jytli ultimo for Auckland, has on board an Australian mail. The Wellington portion is due to arrivo hero by jilain, Trunk on Saturday. Residents in the vicinity of Nowfown Park who havo been in the' habit of picnicking on a pleasantlv-situateil area of about two or three acres at the eastern si'lo of the Zoo, have lately discovered that this pleasuro ground has heon fenced in and given over to somo donkeys and horses. As tho paddock in question also gave access to' a knoll which commands a fine view of the Straits and the Iwrbour entrance, they consider that thev have a grievance against the City Council. Testerdny afternoon a deputation, of which Mr. ionks was spokesman, interviewed tho Reserves Committee of the Citv Council with regard to the matter, and presented a petition in support of their afitn-t-ion for the removal of tho four-legged intruders. After hearing the evidence, tho committed agreed to pay a visit to the locality on Wednesday next, and see what could be dono in the matter. The tender of Messrs. Chambers and hou, of Wellington, has been accepted Indie Minister for Mines for tho sunplv delivery, ami erection of boilers for Hio Point 'Elizabeth State coal-mine. The contract price is =62186. Other tenders were Dispatch l'omidry, Greymouth *£2290; John M Grcgor and Co., Dunedin ,£2100; Stevenson and Cook. Port Chalmers, X 2420; Andersons, Ltd., Christchurch, 1 £2.j,")l Blenheim is shut out from the outsido world, as far, as communication bv sea is concerned. I'or some time past tlie Wairau bar lias been unworkable, and tho small steamers which trade there from Wellington are unable to negotiate the entrance owing to there beiii" little if any water on the bar. After"havin" been stuck in the river for nearly a furtnight, Ihe steamer Blenheim reached the wharf yesterday morning. The Wniiau has been "tied up" inside for some con'sideiable time, and her crew has boon paid oil', because there is very little prospect. of the vessel getting out 'for some lime to come. The Upawa. another regular trader to Ulenhi'im, arrived at Wellington yesterday, and her crew wore aUo paid oil'. Since the bar has been unworkable, the Opnwu has made a lew trip; to Ricton with Blenheim cargo. It is alleged, however, that fncililies for handling car™ at tlie port of Marlborough. are lacking, nnd the local agents state that, under the existing circumstances, it would not pay expenses to continue running. An instance of the timo taken to discharge the Opawn, and 1 0 ,k1 her again, was given by the ajrenK Oil lier !a*t trip to Picton !he Opawa was alongside the wharf at Piclon readv to discharge at S a.m. on Tile-day. 11 "took her two day-; in unload and 'load again, whereas under ordinary working conditions flic lime should have been six hours. .Mr., tiiclurd Krone, of Wellington, has pti relinked from the Dixon K-tale Ihe valuable city properly in ('u-tomhoiise Quay, at present in the ornipalion of Mr. A. I.i'vi. oi-nli.-l. Thompson and lirmviu loud agents, and Mr. Kerne, financier. Tho property hn- a frnntn"« lo the '|May of ,'lflfl. by * depth nf Wllf With a pari wnud nnd I'Mt bj'icls tv.-o.jlpvy Jbmlduur thereof

Ultpflior ii jvns I lit* samo animal i hat vi>ift»il the water* ni' I'orl \ieli<il-(in liarbuur on Tuesday or not, is lianl 1.0 but yi'>lonlay urnming a seal was •-''Hi idiiihl llu> lunvs ii)' lh(j steamer l.Miimiroa ni I In* Queen's Wliari*. As oil the previous oeeasiun, Hie visitor altrai'ti'il considerable attention. An unciuni'orlalde rumour i> ili-l Hie minils ut' tlie residents of Dili' Tree Hill, Aik-Ulan<l. H reported n few !k'. vs "ml' ii had I"' 1 '" discovered llmt Mount. A 1 ;ui loiind which so iiiiiny residences urn clustered, was .-.I ill Hip scat *jl' dangerous volcanic action. Tho vuinmir Ix-cume more inti'i'c-liiis as il circulated, ii ml i< now l:i ill v jji-i»l liiitf Willi startling details (writes our correspondent). ll was Milled tliat lava ivas bubbling from a rout in the crust ul' the crater, and owners of properly in the vicinity were beginning to foci thai their t< nancy was :invtliinvr but secure. lleavy!!Un lirinji a few nights since sent people hurrying lo (lieir to peer fearfully into Hie darkness Inwards I lie mountain, but all appeared as usual, anil it. was decided tlml I lie time nf [lie eritplion was lint yet.' The solution of the myth appems lo bo that two pollers on tho linns un a very cold day recently noticed, in hunting for an elusive ball in one of (lie rocky figures, that I here was a soil of murky warm in the air. Tlie.v mentioned the fact casually lo a number of tln'ir friends, and the story has Ijeen growing ever since. Tho vital statistics for the mnnlh of June show t.liat Chri.-lcliureh had (ho lightest death-rate of the four centres, with Wellington next, and Duiiedin in the least enviable pasition. The percentages of deaths per 11)01) of population were as follmv:—Auckland, 0.87; Wellington, 0.82; Christchurch, 0.70; and Duucdin, 1.11. There were 201 births and 711 deaths recorlied at Auckland during the month; 138 births and 58 deaths at Wellington; 172 births and 4!) deaths'al; Cliristchureh; and llli births and 72 deaths at finnedin. The Secretary of the Treasury ■ acknowledges the receipt of tho sum oi' 2s. "conscience money," forwarded to tlio Collector of Customs at Auckland by tome unknown porson. The annual social gathering- of the Wellington branch of the Ktiyal New Zealand Association of 11 is Majesty's Veterans is to bo held in the Burlington rooms, Willis HI reel, on Monday evening next, -The J'rinio Minister and the Hon. fir. Pomare arc to be present. A long programme of musical items and a formidable toast list will test tho nerves of those who have braved the battle and the breeze. A deputation from , tho Island Bay lialepaycrs' Association approached (lie Ifeserves Coinniitteo of the City Council yesterday afternoon, with a request that tho Superintendent: of Reserves (Mr. Cileu) might lo permitted to visit the district and adviso the association upon a scheme of tree-planting which it was proposed to carry out by way of assisting the City Council with the general work of beautifying the environs of (ho city. The depii-t-itiou received a sympathetic hearing, 'and was informed that their request would l>t> recommended for the favourable considsration of tho council. It is reckoned that tho evidence collected by the Cost of Living Commission will be printed by August 5. The volume will bo at once circulated among the members of tile Commission for their consideration, and on August 12 the Commission will re-assemble in Wellington lo fra'me their report. It is thought that the report will have been compiled, printed, and sent forward to tho proscribed quarter by- August 19. The decision delivered 'by the Full Bench of the Supreme Court*on Wednesday, exempting the Ohiro ilotne from rates will have such a far-reaching.effect that it is considered probable in v som quarters that liia be necessary to meet the position. Th Court has decided that the term "Wpi tal .should not be read in a ''restricle sense, and in view of this it seems pro! able that private hospitals, orphanage! and any institutions established for char table objects will como within tho c emptioii. Should this prove to be 111 case, it will, of course, mean a'great d< crease in tho revenue of local bodies. At' the annual meeting of members < luiox Church, Auckland, on Tttesdr evening, there was an interesting discu sion on psalm singing. There appears ■ bo some differenco of "opinion amongst f Church members regarding the eonten ot tho new Hymn-book now used in tl Presbyterian Churches, the chief bone . contention being whether prose p«aln and metrical psalms shall both be use in the service. Some of the older man bors are averse to chanting the pro. psalms in the church, and the minis)(the Rev. J. M. Simpson) will not autho lse the prose psalms to be sung unless tl session consents. Nothing was decided tho meeting, although the church organi (Mr. ,T. 1. Dennett) tried hard to g the minister's consent to have the matt, thrashed out thero and then. He co tended that the metrical psalms shou be sung to metro and to chants, and tl prose psalms should be reserved fi chanting. The matter will be discusst at tho next meeting of tho session. The contingent of twenty New Zealar cadets,which is to visit Canada, left We lington by the Main Trunk express yjste day, to conncct with the Jlakura Auckland. x The rainfall for July in Wellingh was exceptional. There were no re than twenty-threo wet days, on whi< 10.08 inches of rain fell—the biggest Jn fall for some years. The maximum on day fall was on July IC, ivlien 2.33 inch, was recorded. For the months of Jul and July 16.41 inches of rain fell i Wellington. The now theatre erected according i plans prepared by Mr. H. E. White. i Wellington, for Mr. E. Parker, of Blei heim, is to be opened on August 12, pr bablv by a talented concert party fro' Wellington. A return presented to Parliament v« terday showed that on December .'il the: were 307 industrial unions of. workers r gistered under tho Arbitration Act. Tl total membership was 55,629.