LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1592, 8 November 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Tho civil sessions of the Sufircnio Court commence air Monday next. .L'hc list will ] be called over before the Chief Jiistico (Sir Bobort Stout) lit 10 o'clock On bfttur- j (tay iiioi'itillg. A submarine cable, about 33 miles in length, and weighing about 30 tons, is bei'mr laid between the bay immediately to tho west of Point Brin and the head of Shoal Bay, Auckland. Tho work was lie(run on Tuesday by Captain Sharp and the officers and men of the, cable, steamer Iris, and bv means of a hulk the cable was laid in about three hours from l'oint Erin to within a mile of the terminus in Shoal Bay.' Tho new lino will be tho link between the Auckland Post Ofhoe and tho cable vtliich will, «bout tlio end of the year, run from Takapnna Beach to Norfolk Island direct. TJio Doubtless Bay station, i« to bo abandoned as a tvansiultUing station for cablegrams, mid.a new cable, joining with that laid on Tuesday., and with thfi onil of the ttSeseitt cab!© at Doubtless Bay, will bo laid as soon as tho cable steamer Silvqrtown lids put down tho line from Sydney to Mirriwai.

It bad been intended that the low brick wall which has been erected around tho grounds of Parliament Buildings should be finished with, a coating of cement. This was mentioned in the House of Itcpre'Sentatives last evening by Mr. T. M. Wilford, M.P., who recommended the Minister for Public Works to give instructions that the brick wall should bo loft uncovered. Mr. JFroser readily fell in with the suggestion. He said that ho did not like stucco, and would give instructions that the brick walls around the grounds should be left uncovered. Ho mentioned- ajso that he Would have tho space behind the walls filled in to within six inches of tile top 5f tho brickwork, sd that no space would be left for the collection of rubbishi

A commission to inquire into the: best methods of afforestation is to b& set up during'the recess. This Was announced by tho Prime Minister in {lie Hoiise of Representatives' yesterday. He stated, in reply to Mr, .6, M. Thomson, that lyis attention li«d bean; called to' the" unsatisfactory conditions of forests. in .the Dominion, an.d that ho considered It advisable to get a couple of practical men to look into the matter .and report.

When the , Supplementary. Estimates were being considered, in the House Of Representatives yesterday, Sir. W. E. Buchanan, called attention to.tha salaries paid jiL the Valuation Departlucilt, and cpjrtcilded that they tai're too low,. v and that there Was no hope' .of inatn.tainiidg an efficient Department while such salaries were paid us had be'Sn 'paid in the past The salary of one valuer Was Set ttewii at £165, which ttas quite ridiculous. The Hon. W. P. Massey said that tho item mentioned was only a part, of the salary of tlie officer refewed to; .For seme time there had been an agreement between the Wellington. City Council and the Government to jointly pay the 'salary of a valuer. Unfortunately, this officer had resigned his oifice under the Government, He regretted this very much, because the retiring officer was one of the wsry.best men in the Department. ■ The Primo Minister assured the jjouso that he intended tq procure thebest men. as valuers; anil to pay them according,to their ability and "experience.

Last night the Onslow Borough' Council passed the following resolution to the fact that same riders of motor vehicles and. -bicycles,, are in the habit of riding through tlie Kaiwari'n-Ngaio Gorge at csoessiye, speed to the,' danger of the public, this Council should have the road through tho gorge carefully;' measured with a View to enabling evidence as to "speed to be .acctit'ateiy/ taken; that advertisenients bo in the daily press of tie council's in.tonti<?n to ers, and''unless tho practice' of reckless riding or driving be promptly discoii' tinned, the council shall. immediately obtain evidence against" such person? as may Ae guilty of such action, and take legal proceedings ag'aihstthoin." 1 Says our Mastertoh . correspondent.:— The majority of the niemhers;of the 51'asterten Hospital Committee haw. tendered their re'sig'uatidri-. It is understood that this is partly on account of trouble over the nursing staff; ■At- 3 o'clock this' niorning B.M.S. Moana arrived in the stream from San Francisco, via Island ports. .The- vessel is to berth at the Queen's Wharf first thing this mb'rning to dischar'go .passengers and cargo,*

Owing to tho soft state of,the ground,, through the recent wet iyeather-i it has been deemed expedient to- postpone', today's sports at Wellington 'College' till Monday next'. ' . -,'■.'