LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1523, 20 August 1912, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

No further important Bills will bo circulated by the. Government until after the. Budget debate has been concluded. An extension of one. week was given by the Government yesterday to the Commission on the Cost of Living. It will complete its report within that time. Tho report of the Public Service Commission : will, it is expected, bo made to the Government this week. "A million acres and 100,000 sheep under snow" was the cheerful news conveyed to the Prime Minister, tho lion. ]\V. V. Massey by telegram from a settler in tho North Canterbury district yesterday. Not any of the 100,000 are expected to emerge alive from tho frozen canopy which has covered them for threo weeks. The national conference of fruitgrowers of New Zealand will commence in Wellington this morning in tho Dominion Museum. It will be opened by Hie Minister for Agriculture (tho Hon. W, V. Massoy), at 10 a.m. ■ It has been arranged that a deputation from the Oliotu Lessees' Association shall wait on Mr. Mnssey, the Primp Minister, asking for tho freehold of their sections, probably on Wednesday next. Tho deputation consists of Messrs. C. L. Pcmber/on, E. A. Campbell, D. S. M'Gregor, C. L. Duigan, and others. It is expected by the Post nnd Telegraph Department that the Wellington wireless station on the Tinakori Hills will be ready for operations -in a fortnight's tinio. There lias been some delay owing to tho fact that n portion of the. material required for' the equipment cf tho station was short-shipped. It is hoped, however, that it will bo found possible, to make temporary arrangements pending tho arrival of tho rest of tho maternl. , /The Rev. Canon and, Mrs. Garland left for Christcliurch yesterday, where a meeting of the executive of the Bible-in-State-" Schools League is being held, and which it is expected will bo attended by delegates from all parts of tho Dominion. Tho object of the meeting will bo to form a plan of campaign, after which Canon Garland returns to Wellington, where the headquarters of "tho League havo been established. Two constables made the same mistake in Auckland on Sunday night.' ' Bach mistook tho other for a dangerous character, and proceeded cautiously to effect an arrest. An open door in Lome- Street aroused tho suspicions of one policeman, who proceeded "to investigate, and eventually reached the interior of Mr. 'Edson's pharmacy. At about tho samo timo a policeman in Queen Street was quickly summoned to duty by one of Mr. Edson's employees, who had heard light footsteps in the shop, which indicated that someone was moving about the premises. In a hesitating suspicious manner, the two men went warily about theif work, till thoy camo near to each other, and then suddenly two lanterns flashed floods of light, and the two constables mot face to face, and laughed, then returned to their beats. In Dursuanco of a recent decision (writes our Auckland correspondent) the Parnoll Borough Council lias hung up in Jfmiakau Road, near tho borough boundaries, tho following inscription in large letters, "Stop! Borough of Parnoll speed limit twelvo miles an hour, penalty £'1O." Curiously enough, one of tho boards is placed near the top of Parnell rise, at a point where- tho fastest motor-car could not possibly transgress tho by-law on nccount of tho grade. Presumably, too, tho council does not wish the injunction "Stop!" to bo taken literally, though tho word is usually associated with "look out for the cugino," or some, similar warning. Probabl'y it is only the council's way of recommending tho scorching motorist to make a, pauso and consider the error of his ways. A bond for XI2OQ had to be signed by the Brennan-Fuller management beforo the troupe of Chinese jugglers and acrobats, known as the Pecliilli Troupe, were nllowed to land at Auckland from the Wimmora on Sunday night. Tho troupe consists of four men and a boy of IC, and Madame Pcchilli, who acts as manageress only. Before the party came off the boat their fingar-printe were taken by tho Customs authorities. Mr. W. J. Pronse, Consul for Uruguay, has been advised that the Umgyan. Government has accepted the Clydesdale colt presented to the delegation from that country by Mr. Ernest Short, of I'eilding, and thank the donor for the gift. The colt will be forwarded to Monte Video by the Kaikoura on Thursday. On Sunday Mr. Laurenson, M.P., crave a. talk to a number of young Tnen at the Y.M.C.A. rooms. He veTy strongly emphasised that nothing done or accomplished would bo of any lasting pood unless tho Spirit of God was working; in and through it. Ho said thnt the samo Spirit of God must prevail both outsido nnd inside tho political field if the. world was to be really Christianised. He made an appeal to the young men to give time to tho service of God.