LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1619, 10 December 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The postal authorities advise that the s.s. Manuka, which sailed at noon on December 7, has on board an Australian mail. She is due to arrive here on Wednesday next, December 11. The mails which left Wellington on November 1, per Ulimaroa, and connected with the Marmora at Sydney, arrived in London on December G—due date. Three oil paintings adorn the walls of the Supremo Court in Wellington—portraits of past Judges. Only one of these bears a name plate. Recently the portraits were removed for somo days for "spring cleaning." On being returned they were much improved in appearance, but it was noticeable that the name-plate had been removed from one of them and affixed to another. The result is that one of the portraits that bore a name is now ' without one, and another has one which does not belong to it. Following is an interesting extract from a letter from Lieut. Knox (late E.N.), to the hon. secretary of the local branch of tile Navy League (Mr. C. W. Palmer). It was written from "Canal Zone," Republic of Panama Arrived here after 12,000 miles' trip through Magellan, Valparaiso, and Cailao. Formed branches of the Navy Loague at Buenos Ayres and Valparaiso. ' Have seen all the canal (a marvel), 1 and been received by Colonel. Goethals, who mode it, and by Colonel Gorgas, who swept up all the mosquitoes. The Canal Zone is quite healthy for its 40,000 employees. The great Culebra Cut —greatest of all canal problems—is 9 miles long, 350 feet dieep, and 1900 feet wide," As soon as the Hinemoa returns to Wellington, which will probably be during . tho present week, Minister for Marine (the Hon. F. M. B. Fisher) and officers of the Marine Department, will go out to inspect tho proposed sites for a light house at Cape I'erawliiti and Tongue Point. Mr: Fisher stated yesterday that he hoped to have the matter of the location of the light decided before Ghrist- ; mas. The Prime Minister informs the "Otago i Daily Times" that a conference of Com- , missioners of Crown Lands will te held | during tho Parliamentary recess, to con- ' sider the conditions upon which grazing runs are held. These are, Mr. -Massey says, at present of a character that really leads to the deterioration of the. land. That very busy tramway stopping-place, at tho eastern extremity of ■ Courteiiay Plaoo is now well provided with shelters. In addition to the old one (which . was always inadequate), the pavement that flanks the mid-street plantation has been covered by a substantially-built sheltershed, about 40ft. in length, which will be available to the public this week. ■ The | new shelter, which is pnmded with, a ' seat, will be a flno protection from the 1 northerly rains, but being quito open to • the south will not be so useful when there is wet weather from that quarter. ; The new brick shelter and ladies' wait- : ing-roonij which has been erected in' the centre of the General Post Office triangle, ' is approaching completion, and should be 1 made available for the public in a day or two. The structure, which is rather : picturesque in style, is a model one of its . kind. Sir Joseph Ward,, when interviewed by a representative of the "Argus" , in' Melbourne, was not inclined to discuss politics. "At the present," he 1 said, he preferred not. to. say any--1 thing- on the subject of New Zealand i politics, leaving that -until his return at the end of May next, or early in June. , On the several occasions of his visits to England important official missions had precluded anything in the nature of freedom to move around and see things, or to take a leisured holiday. The present occa- , sion would afford him that opportunity, which he had often wished for. He was feeling just in the humour to enjoy the sights and pleasure of an extended holiday in Great Britain. Speaking on the subject of New Zealand's general outlook, Sir Joseph Ward said that the Dominion was in for a very good season. Until . quite lately the outlook was far from promising. Tho season had been very late, as in Australia. Now, however, there were the best of assurances for the harvest all round, and; he anticipated a large increase in the Dominion exports ; for the year. i Mr. E.. Newman, M.P., has received intimation from the Hon. W. H. Herrios, . Minister for Railways, that he will visit the Rangitikci district in the third week of January. He wll go to Foxton, and go thence over the tram lino, and continue ' nis journey to Marton by motor, over tho probable course of the tramway extension, so that ho may be able to form an opinion as to the desirability of the connection, • ; Hearing of the industrial 'dispute between thie hotel employees and the employers of Wellington, city and suburbs, is to come on before the Conciliation Council on January 6 next. The union's award was timed to expire on August 1 lost. An informal conferenoe took place 1 some months ago between the two parties, ■ but no settlement was effected. In the claims to be presented to tho Conciliation Council, the workers are asking for increased wages for kitchen hands, barmen, and night and day porters. For workers in other branches of the trade no advance is demanded. A fuller preference clause is asked for, and one or two other minor improvements. The union is not asking any award regulation of hours and holidays, in view of tho promised legislation in that respect next session. The assessors for the union are Messrs. T. Long, H. O'Mally, and T. Marshall.

Says the "Taranaki Daily News":— There is at present at large in the town a gentleman who is busily engaged in distributing some of his own type-written effusions, portions of which are distinctly I objectionablo when placed promiscuously, as they havo been, in the hands of children. So far as adults are concerned, these documents are simply amusing, but we most certainly strongly object to their being placed in the hands of young people. We cannot very well quote tne objectionablo features of the productions, but an evidence of his peculiar temperament may bo gathered from his statement that lib is "a military, athletic, moral writer, orator, humorous, original, philanthropical prodigy, but," lie adds, "as I have lost thirty-two years of my life through not being put on the right track at the start, I can only be an amateur. Now, had I been what I know I could have been, I would have been one of tlie wonders of the human race." At the final rehearsal of the Municipal Orchestra last evening Mr. Maughan Barnett thanked the members i'or their unfailing loyalty and enthusiasm during the two years he had had the pleasure of conducting them, and expressed his high appreciation of the manner in which they had responded, and the splendid progress the orchestra had made. They were now able to tacklo almost anything in the way of orchestration, and he complimented them on their splendid performances. The concert to lie given to-night is their twenty-fifth, • and to attain to their present standard they had attended wine eighty-two rehearsals. Mr. Barnett also expressed the opimon that the advance of the musical community in "Wellington at the present time depended on the progress of its orchestral work, and consequently the existence of the Municipal Orchestra was of privee importance. He hoped that his successor would carry 011 the work where he had left off, and would be given the same intense loyalty and kindly regard whisii he felt had always been his lot, and in return learn to look on this—the only Municipal Orchestra south of the Line—with the saine love and enthusiasm that he had.