LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1611, 30 November 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

During the course of his remarks at the supper tendered the judges by the committee of the New Zealand Competitions Society on Thursday night, Mr. Leon Cohen, judgo of strings (whose name was inadvertently omitted from the paragraph about the gathering in yesterday's paper),' said that he believed that the system of marking was a trap for the unwary. What judge could say which was the worst feature to play out of tune or out of time, and how was one to say if the one should ■ lose six marks and the other seven. It was absurd. He assumed, of course, that it was a concession to the competitor, but it might on occasions be a wrong guide. When he had been asked what was his system of marking, he had. scratched his head, and admitted that he had none. . He could tell who played the best, and could explain why one played a piece better than another, but .where was the judge who could in a minute or two give marks for time, tune, phrasing, accent, tone, and general conception, and bo quite accurate? He had yet to be found. (ApulauseJ "We ought to have compulsory bookkeeping in all our schools, said' Mr. T. M. Wilford yesterday at a meeting of the creditors in tho estate of Messrs. S. R. Riddler and Henry Firth, builders, of Kilbirnie. During the hearing of a case in the Supreme Court in Christchurch counsel 6tated that he had written to the beneficiaries under the mil concerned, who resided in EngLand. "Did you point out to them the powers given to judges in New Zealand to alter wills?" asked the judge. "If you did not they will wonder what on earth a judge meant by proposing to alter wills in this manner. They will not understand that this is a domestic form of quite exceptional powers." F. J. Pinny, Ltd., piano warehousemen, of Willis Street, who presented a Chappell grand to the New Zealand Competitions Society for this year's champion solo oontest, have already repeated their offor for next year. Several leading merchants, too, have promised special prizes for next year. Christchurch claimij the records in tar and water. Discussing the matter of the dust nuisanco with a "Press" representative, tho city engineer, Mr. A. D. Dobson, 6aid that in proportion to the street mileage more water was placed on tho Christchurch streets than on the streets of any other town in Now Zealand. There was also a greater area of tarred streets in Christchurch than in any other town in the Dominion. Altogether about twelve miles of city streets had either been tar paved or tar topped, and there was no dust from these streets exccpt what blew on from elsewhere. As showing what was being done in tho way of tarring the streets, it was possible now to travel from Bealey Avenue to Brougham Street, Sydenham, via Victoria and Colombo Streets, and to have a tarred surfaoo under foot >11 tho way>

While the steamer John was loading scrap iron yesterday a piece of projecting iron caught in the hatchway, and the result was that Mr. Sliaw, the mate of the vessel, and Mr. J. Wadley were thrown down tho hold. Sliaw had a rib broken, and Wadley was removed to tho hospital, where it was found that he, too, had sustained a fractured rib, in addition' to other injuries. Jupp's Band will give a performance all Newtown Bark tn-morrow, commencing at 3 p.m. The monthly meeting of the Board of College Governors was held yesterday. Mr. A de B. Brandon presided, and Messrs. 11. Lee, W. 11. Field, W. P. Ward, A. Warburton, and Miss Kiclimond wera also present. The balauce-sheet showed £232 i in the hank and .£B2 cash in hand, which, deducting rent paid in advance, left a balanoe of ,£2346. The following payments are required: Wellington College, .£550; Girls' College, .£431; thirdterm fees outstanding, Wellington College >£1140, arrears J578; Girls' College, ,£996, arrears .£B6; rents outstanding, _ ,£244. Total, .£3902.: Accounts amounting to i£9UO were passed for payment. Mr. Brandon pointed out that as they had to go through December, January, and most of February, without anything coming in, at tho present rate the caßn balance would be exhausted, and more would be required. It was decided that the prizes at Wellington College be distributed on December 11, and at the Girls' College on December 12.

Several new by-laws have been adopted by the City Council to eovern the control of the city reserves. On the motion of' Councillor Frost the clause in the bylaw regarding admission to the Zoo has been amended, to provide for a charge of 3d. admission, instead of 6d., as originally provided. The charge will como into force when the Zoo has been set apart and fenced.

Messrs. WilfoTd and Levi write protest* itg that our report of the recent action, Godwin v. Davidson, contained an inaccurate and damaging statement to the following effect: By reason of the receipt of this telegram and the instructions it contained, plaintiff had teen unable to purchase any skins, the whole o£ the skins in fact having been purchased by a representative of the defendants.'' It should be explained that the above statement is an extract from the statement of claim filed •in the action, and Messrs. Wilford and Levi, who_ appeared for defendants in the action, inform us that "the sworn evidence taken in Blenheim of the manager of the Ixsan and Mercantile and Dalgety"s proves that Godwin was a buyer up to lot 26, which he purchase;!, and 50 per cent, of the skins sold were purchased not by D. Wilson and Co., but by Blenheim buyers." It is estimated that immigrants, ap« proved "by the High Commissioner _ in. London, and arriving by E.M.S. lonio at Wellington to-day, are bringing .£SOOO into the Dominion. The various occupy tions of the "assisteds" are:—7o domestio servants, 15 farm labourers,. seven farmers, one ploughman, and 15 wives who are rejoining their husbands. Many of the domestio servants are coming out under engagement to employers in Hawkes Bay, Canterbury, and Otago. They Bra in charge of two matrons—Misses A. A. Aitken and M. M. Rhodes. The total number of passengers for New Zealand on board the lonic is 631. Of this number. 31 are in first class, 106 in second, while 494 are .travelling third class. The assisteds" number 164, and this numbei? comprise 130 adults and 34 children. Exoellent'progress is being made by, Messrs. Sanders Bros., contractors for the Wellington Opera House Company's new theatre in. Manners Street East. • TJ 10 building has already been outlined by trenches for the foundations, the sinkuig of which has not been very arduous work, as the ground consists of gravel, with ]ust enough soft earth to keep the banks, per. pendicular, thus doing away with the necessity for lx>arding. On the eastern 6ide of the block the excavators came upon, the brick culvert which encloses tha stream which flows from Polhill Gully across Te Aro to the harbour. : One side of the culvert- forms the! side .of-.one of- the wall foundation trenches,'whilst the outer wall of the structure will bo on the eastern side of the culvert. The fcotpatlropposite the block is about four feet higher than the level of the.section, and has..:been' held up for many years by. a 'stout wooden wall, depending on 18-in. totara posts. This wall was talien away , yesterday, when it "was fouiid that .apart from a little hit of decay in the buried ends, the totara posts were' as sound aa when erected over forty years ago, and. ore being used again m the new fence . that is being erected te shut off the block from the street.

The following is the report of the Sp<v oial Committee of the North Canterbury Farmers' Union, set up to consider and report on certain phases of the land question, of direct interest to farmers:—Recommendations: (1) That farmers be urged to resist the agitation for the application of the single tax principle, on- the ground that it is an attempt to_ seize, on behalf of the community, what justly belongs to the landowner j (2) that the Farmers' Union approve and support the Gori ernment in their intention to grant, the freehold and, to settle Crown lands on the optional system; (8) that where landholders cut up their land into small farms and lease them with tho option of purchase or on the same oonaitions as tho Government imposes on tenants, they shall' bo relieved of the graduated tax upon land so dealt with ; (i) that where farmers pro-' vide approved homes for married workers rent free, with sufficient land to graze a oow and keep poultry and a garden, in addition to providing regular employment,, there should be relief from penal taxation. to tho extant of the tax on .£2OOO foreach worker's family so provided for; (5) that in these cases where the worker can secure freehold of a 5 or 10-acre blook: of. land on- or near a farm, the Government should build him a home on similar terms to tho9e offered workers in the cities; (6) that as the extension of land settlement has created a great shortage of agricuk tural labour throughout the Dominion, and as this is a serious handicap to thq primary producers, the Government tx! urged to arrange for the immigration of selected farm labourers and domestic servants.

A man who is alleged to have desorted from the s.s. Kia Ora' at Wellington on November 26 was arrested by JJetccti-e Mason last night. The Kia Ora is new. on tho high seas.