LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 157, 15 October 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Mr. John Baillie, who brought out a collection of modern British paintings fpr sale in New Zealand, has completed an arrangement with the authorities of the Auckland Exhibition (to Lo held next year) to superintend and arrange an extensive art section. This will consist of one main gallery and four annexes.. Tho main gallery! will be divided between oils and water. colours to lie imported. One annexe will lie devoted to the works of New Zealand artists, ono for etchings, engravings, and black and white drawings, a third for water-colours, and for tho fourth Mr. Baillie has the idea of borrowing a number of old masters. The collection should be a feature of the exhibition.

On Wednesday afternoon a large party of members of the Wellington International Correspondence School Students' Association paid a visit of inspection to tho Government Railway Shops at Petone. On arrival they were met by Mr. Carstens, and were conducted through the works by Messrs. H. I. Johns and P. Barker, fellow-students, who hold positions in the workshops. The members of the party were very much astonished at the variety and extent 9f the work carried on, and the visit was altogether most instructive and interesting. On Saturday night tho members have arranged to pay a visit to tho Union Steam Ship Company's laundry at Evans Bay, and on October 25 a lecture is to bo delivered by Mr. W. H. Morton, Jt.I.C'.E., City Engineer. This lecture will be open to the public, and particulars will bo duly advertised.

"The word 'secular' was first applied in connection with education by Sir Henry Parkes many years ago," said Canon Garland at Christchurch last week, "as the antithesis of a State-aided system of education under ecclesiastical control, to define a system of education, which was supported by the State, but not under ecclesiastical control; but that he never meant it to bo applied in the sense of atheistic or anti-religious education is shown by the fact that the introduction of the word as applied for the first time to education was coincident with a careful provision for the regular reading of Scripture lessons, and definite teaching by ministers of religion."

According to a return presented to the City Tramways Committee yesterday afternoon, the electric lighting rovenue and expenditure accounts for the half-year ended September 30, show a net credit balance of ,£10,886 after meeting interest, sinking fund, and depreciation charges, or ,£2377 better than for tho corresponding period of the previous year. The total number of lighting, heating, and power connections now in use amount to 73G0, an increase of 1259 connections during the last twelve months.

Sir Arthur Guinness is seeking to ascertain in the House of Representatives from tho Minister in charge of tho Advances to Settlers Department (tho Hon. James Alien) why the Advances to Settlers' Department has deoided to refuse to grant any advances on property in the town of Eeefton and the district, . and whether tho Minister approves of this action of the Department. -

Mr. W. D. S. Macdonald presented a petition to the Ilouso of last evening in which N. Nicholson and -12 others, co-operative workers engaged on the Gisborne-Motu section of tho Ea6t Coast Main Trunk Railway, protested against tho proposal to abolish the co-oper-otivo system of carrying out public works.

Interesting tests of the capabilities of the'wireless stations which were recently opened at Freniantleo. and Adelaide were made by the Federal expert, Mr. J. G. Balsillie, on his return to Melbourne in li-.lt.S. Orricto (states the "Age"). For three days after leaving the Western Australian port the mail steamer was in touch with the station at Applecross, and at night she also communicated with tho stations at Adelaide and Melbourne. Ten messages were received from the Adelaide station over a distanoe of 520 miles without a mistake being made. An average speed of about 20 words a minute iwas maintained. The Commonwealth's representative in London has informed the Department for External Affairs that of the steamers railing regularly at Cape Town about 70 aro equipped with wireless telegraph installations. The station which had been erected at Slangkop, near Cape Town, had a range of 400 miles over thj sea during, the daytime, and COO to 1600 miles at night. An average of 400 radio telegrams per month was dealt with, representing a, revenue of about JCIOO.

A party of Maoris were selling whitebait in Stratford on Thursday morning at Is. Bd. per pint. Their "fish-cart" was a motor-car, in which the catch was hawked about tho town.

Some idea of the wealth that is invested in motor-cars in Hawke's Bay might have been gathered at- the Napier Park races on Saturday afternoon (says the "Telegraph"). At one period of the meeting no fewer than 85 cars were counted in the paddock enclosure, while there were 15 oh other parts of tho course. Averaging these at ,£4OO each, which would bo a very moderate estimate,, the value of these cars might bo sot down at £40,000. This, it might bo added, is not even a Quarter of the in use in the istrict, but it is seldom that so many cars, and of such considerable value, are seen together in'one paddock.

In a District Order, Colonel V-. S. Smyth, Officer Commanding tho Canterbury Military District, draws attention to an extract from tho King's regulations:—"Deliberations or 'discussions by officers or Soldiers with, tho object of conveying praise, censure, or any mark of approbation towards their superior, or any others in his Majesty's service are prohibited."