LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1530, 28 August 1912, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Mails which left Wellington en July 12 per s.s. Moeraki, and en .Tuly i 9 per s.s. Ulimaroa, and connected with the Naples mail at Sydney per R.M.S. Oi\:uy, anved in London oil August 2G. The report of the Commission on the Cost of Living has been completed, and will be forwarded to the Governor either to-day or Thursday. Trials of a petrol motor car which.- it is proposed to utilise on Dominion lines aro now almost completed, and it will bo placed in commission shortly. In his animal statement to Parliament, tho Minister foT Railways says that tho experiments being made in tho Australian States with motor cars are being closely watched. Full inquiries have also been mado concerning (ho experience of foreign railways with regard to motor cars, so that when cars are being obtained they will bo of the typo that has been found most satisfactory in actual every-day railway practice. Tho Auckland railway platform prior to tho departure of the Main Trunk express on fino Sunday evenings is usually crowd- v ed with people. Some go there to witness tho departure of friends, while a very largo number apparently go to enjoy tho animated sceno. Tho throng on the platform was unusually largo last Sunday evening, and it was quite difficult to move about with comfort. Tho cause of tho largo gathering was tho fact that many Wellington residents had come to Auckland to witness the football match on Saturday, and together with tho Wellington team wero returning south. As tho train steamed out of the station there was much cheering. The Department charges 2d. to people desirous of going on tho platform on Sunday nights, so that tho revenue, judging from the crowd assembled, must have been particularly heavy. Tho train wm more than usually well patronised, as thero were about 450 on board. Particulars given in the Ifailwnvs Statement indicato that notwithstanding alterations made in train services, the trains as a whole have maintained punctuality. Long-distance passenger trains were late qn an average by 2.23 minutes, as against 1.88 minutes last year. Suburban trains arived on an average by 0.52 minutes, as against 0.54 minutes last year. Tho average late running of long-distance mixed trains was 2.90 minutes, as against 2.80 minutes last year. These figures include delays from all causes, accidents, slips, floods, etc., included. Profcsior Thompson Flynn, lecturer of biology in the Tasmnnian University, has accepted control of tho dredging operations on tho Antarctic steamer Aurora. For fivo or six weeks from October 1, the Aurora will operate between tho southern portion of Tasmania and the latitude of Macquarie Island, and it will take the place of the dredging which proved resultless owing to tho recent heavy weather. "Another matter which is engaging my serious attention," says tho Minister of Railways in his annual statement to Parliament, "is the number of accidents which occur to railway employees, especially shunters. Fortunately, during tho last financial year the average of accidents, fatal and otherwise, was lower than usual, but thero are still nioro than I think there should be. I have directed the general manager to look closely into tho conditions of shunting, and report as to whether it is possible, either by mechanical means or.by a different system of handling the rolling stock, to minimise the danger. On receipt of tho report, I hope to be able to take such steps as will lead to a diminution of these accidents." Good progress, according to the Railways Statement, has been made with tho grado improvement works on tho Auckland section of the Main Trunk line, also with tho deviation works at Manawapou on tho New Plymouth line, but tho completion of tho viaduct will bo delayed owing to the difficulty in obtaining materials from Britain consequent on tho recent strikes there. Mr. A. H. Vile has given notice to cove at tho next meeting of tho Wellington Education Board: "That in tho event of legislation being introduced this session in tho direction of extending the scheme of agricultural instruction, tho Minister foT Education be requossxl to adopt the recommendation of the luxation Commission that as soon as the attendance in tho secondary department of a district high school in :.n agricultural or pastoral district reaches t.n avnago of 80 (this board' recommends 40), an agricultural high school should be established on the lines of those recently set up in Victoria and Now South Wales." WONDERFUL "TRIUMPH" PERFORMANCE ON PAEKAKARIKI. Probably tho most brilliant victory ever achieved by the "Triumph''' niotor-bicyclo in competition in New Zealand, magnificent though its competitive record in tho Dominion has been, was its performance in the Manawatu Motor-cycle Club's hill climb on tho celebrated Paekakariki Hill on the 3rd June, 1912., Thero was an exceptionally big field of starters, twentysix in all, representing all the best-known makes of motor-cycle. A icaturo of the event was tho prcso-nco of six big 7-8 h.p., twin-cylinder machines. It looked as though G. B. Brown, who was riding a fully-equipped 31-h.p. single-cylinder freccngino "Triumph," weighing, with equipment and rider, 3721b., would have no chance of approaching the speed of the big twin-cylinder machines. However, Brown got going at a simply terrific speed, the single-cylinder developing power out of all proportion to its size. When the results were announced it was fouud that the little "Triumph" had broken the record lor the hill, covering tho distance in 'linin. 19 2-ssec., and milking fastest time. The fastest of the big twincylinder machines took twelve seconds longer to tackle this terrible hill. It is performances like these that justify the claims we make for the "Triumph." Remember that it has not only proved its hill-climbing powers, but won the fiftymiles speed championship of Canterbury on the Hat, and has several times'put up records for economy of petrol. We have good stocks of the 1012 "Triumph," and can givo immediate delivery.- Free-en-gine ,ESO, fixed engine .£7O. In stock at Adams, Limited, Palmcrston North anil Wnngiinui, also Sutherland and Rankiiie, Mercer Street, Wellington, Tourist Motor C-n-. H-ifltus;*, and Skcatei aud While, Aucklandi ' \

Good work is l>cing ilnno by tho Church of England Men's Society in Great Britain. Tho Anglican liishop of Wniapu (Dr. Avcrill) told an Auckland reporter on Sunday (hat Uio work of the society was being taken up enthusiastically by largo numbers of men, whoso efforts had brought new lifo into church, mailers at. Home. "It is quite, tho most hopeful sign in church affairs in Great Rrilain at tho present time," added tho Bishop, "ami the men in tho Old Country are now taking a much keener interest in tho church, than formerly." It is mentioned in tho Railways Statement that 2357 modern stool a.xles were placed under cars, vans, and wagons during the year in. substitution for old iron .axles, and by this means tho carrying capacity was increased by 2 tons ucr wagon. Tho sides and ends of a largo number of high-sided wagons were raist-d, thus increasing the capacity of. this typo of wagon. Tho seating accommodation of seccnd-elnss carriages on mail and express trains is being improved by substituting chair seats for tho longitudinal seats previously in use. Cars of all classes aro being fitted with platform gates and gangways. Additional lavatory accommodation has also teen provided, and improved lighting is being provided on tho smaller sections by substituting- acetylene gas for tho old typo of oil lamps. Tho amount spent on now and improved machinery for the workshops was ■£27,495. _Sleepers to tho number of 287,383 and 372,000 cubic yards of ballast wore used in maintaining; tire railway tracks of the Dominion dunng tho year. One hundred and eighteen and a half miles of track were relaid, 88J miles of main lino with 701b. steel rails and 32 miles of branch lino with steel rails taken out of tho main lines. Tho labour troubles in tho United Kingdom delayed delivery of the material on order, thus retarding relaying operations. Second-hand rails are also being utilised to provide check-rails on some of tho sharp curves, and it is anticipated that the wear on the ontor rails of tho runningtrack will bo considerably lessened by this means. The following motions will bo moved bv Mr. F. T. Moore at tho next meeting oi tho Wellington Hospital Board:—"(1) That with a view to remedying grievances and improving tho internal economy of institutions under tho board's control, Messrs. Smith, Godber, Nash, Fitzgerald, and the mover be appointed an Administrative Committee, with power to hear evidence (in camera),, and receive suggestions from any servant of the board or member of tho public, and to frame recommendations for submission to tho board. No member of this committee to disclose tho source from whence evidence is obtained, aud no person shall bo penalised in consequence of any evidence given ljcfore this cofidential committee. (2) That in futuro all probationary nurses bo selected by ballot, and a preferential ballot granted to applicants pledging themselves not to marry .for ten years." Tho following reference to tho Hutt Head works is embodied in the Railways Statement presented to Parliament vestordav:— I'ho works connected with tho "Hutt lload and railway improvements being now practically completed, it is necessary and desirable that those local bodies who arc responsible for tho upkeep of tho road should tako it over at an early date. With this end in view, arrangements are being made to appoint a commissioner, in terms of the Hutt Road and Railways Improvements Act, to apportion the charges incurred in the formation of the road among the respective local bodies concerned. In the meantime, the wholo of the expenditure incurred on tho road is being homo by tho Railway Department and charged to a special account, so that full details of the charges will ho available for tho use of tho commissioner when ho is determining the matter. Those interested in modem building construction according to the Litest American methods should seo the new His Majesty's 1 heatre in Courtenay Place. In the stage now reached practically tho whole of tho structural design of • tho new theatre is revealed, from the broad concrete foundations to the network of steel high overhead forming tho roof principals, which span tho full breadth of tho auditorium (80ft.) without support other than that given by the sido walls. Already the joists are being placed in position, and a few weeks' time will see the roof on.. Tho joists of the stage aro now in position, and standing on them ono can get a good idea of tho spaciousness of tho auditorium. As the floor of the theatre is to bs "raked" down practically from tho street level, a good deal of excavation has to be done yet before tho floor can bo laid. In tho meantime tho brick and concrete walls between the massive 6t«l standards aro growing rapidly, and another mouth's work will hido the greater part of tho skeleton of the building. At a recent meeting of tho Timaru branch of tho Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants, strong exception was taken at tho action of the Timaru Waterside Workers' Union in not approaching tho local branch in regard to the grievance tho watersiders had against two of the members in not joining the Waterside Workers' Union. The secretary was instructed to write to the Waterside Workers' Union resenting the attitude adopted by their union in this matter.