LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1628, 20 December 1912, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Christina? issue , of The Dominion, which will be published to-morrow, will consist of 2i pages, included in the contents of which will be a number of specially selected short stories, illustrations, and special articles.

There ijspnie puzzlement amongst members of the public—tho only people who really need to know —why the very unornamcntal now clock in front of tlio new Post Office does not tell the time. ■ The reason is that the.case, which is to hold the machinery which will drive the clock, is 'not yet completed. It is expected that the clock will'be going regularly before longi

The revival in Sydney of the "Bulletin'Vßilleo Barlow case, in which the paper fs claiming the unpaid costs given against the actress in an action for libel, based on.the paper's comment on Miss Barlow's costumS. in a pantomime in Syd? ney, recalls the fflct that the present High Commissioner for the Commonwealth (Sir George Reid) was concerned in the.action, as counsel for the "Bulletin." At that time—now. eleven years ago—Sir George Reid was very active politically, and no issue of the "Bulletin" was complete without a caricature of tho politician with, his "dry dog" and monocle. His cross-examination of the cnMCatnrist (Mr. Hopkins, or "Hop," us he.briefly signs himself) and Miss Barlow stands, on record as one of the most brilliantly humorous known in the history of the Australian bar, and set a whole.continent laughing. ■ ;

What -was known ns the Auckland Competitions Society having placed its af fairs in the hands of a trustee, and liar inc expressed its intention of not holdin;; a. festival nest year, a number of citizens haye. decided not to allow the festival to drop. A new society hes been registered under the name of tho Auckland Competitions Society, i'he iirpt meeting of this new fociety was' held Inst night. ' It was pointed out that the .new society waa ■in no way antagonistic to the old' one, Tint only sought to carry on its work, sine© the old society had signified'its. intention of allowing the festival'to lapse. Thp following officers w,er« elected to.serve for the year.:—Chairman, Mr. J. fl.'Fray; secretary, Mr. IT. Born>d.ale; treasurer, Mr. 6. H. Harder; executive,' Messrs. H. Gregspn, W. H. Webb, and two others to he elected later. Port Darwin, with its white population of approximately 375, is being rapidly brought up to date. Tho Viwv-President of the Executive Council said in the Commonwealth Sendee on Decem'be'r 10. in reply to a series of questions by Senator Chataway (Q.), that iHWXi had been provided on the Estimates for a steam laundry, ami that tho Government was about to'call for tenders for the wor>. "What proportion of the whites are expected to patronise the Government laundry, instead of doinß their own washin??" the Senator inquired. Senator M'Gregor, with n fine assumption of seriousness, an-s swered: "Practically all the laundry work is now doho by Chinese, at expensive rntcs. It is hoped that the Government laimrtoy will be able to so substantially reduce the cosfc of tliis necessity that nil the laundry work- of the community emi be done therein." A titter of laughter was heard on both sides of the Chamber. —"Age."

■Tho peculiar actions of a well-drcwed man near the Bank of New Zealand corner in Christchiuch caused a good dcn'l of excitement on Tuesday. First bf all. he accosted n constable, awl asked to be arrested. When his 'request, was not immediately complied with, .ho .laid linnd* on ftp nit Hi. in blue, and then rushed shouting' A the top. of his voice into the Bank of New Zealand. Here he -jgain issued i\ ch.al'.eiiKc fnv apji'Bont to arrest him, and endeavoured' to leap the. counter. Ho was pursued by a constable, apprehended, nnd talcpn tD km}, and there put in a strait-jacket. The jnan, .who was said <o be insane, could give no account of himself.

The tniMet of ogriculttral edjttfttfou w/ifl brlf.tly referred to by Mr. C, H. Opie )h the coiirso of a speech m-.de in owning tho fair at the Bichrnond School, Christ church, on Tumlitj, While in Australia, Mr. Opio snid, ho had b«n greatly imjirdsftwl by tho fiystom of Affrionlturftl hieh whools In vogue there, which provided a two-year courr* for intending formers. While it y/as not contended Uifit thof/s schools turned out finished farmers, it was certain that they gave a vnluablo preliminary training to future tillers of tho soil which could not fall to i>o nf benefit fo thorn when they came t-o the nttual practice of agriculture.

Owing to interruptions in the lino north of Dnnnevirke, telegraphic business with Auckland, Napier, end Oisborne showed about four hours' delay yesterday afternoon.

'JTic e/inferanoo between the Shipowners Federation nnd tho Mfi-rine Engineers' Institute woe continued yesterday, and delegates will sit again to-tky. It is expected that i>. fi»Ulernont will Rhorly rx> brought ebont. 'i'he conforento is being hfild m camera.

A resident of Wfinptaratta (Victoria) named .1. Stanford, was startled on EOin» homo at mid-day on Saturday, Dumber 7. U> obsftrvo a brown f.nake coiled on the vCTandah at tho side of his twoyen r-old child, who was playing , with Roma toy.?. The snnke eeerned to be int«Btly watching tho child's actions. A3 soon a* Stanford approached, the snake glided off, going through a hole nnd nnder the rer. andah, and ho decided to dislodge him. A. fiftueer of new milk was pieced near tho hole, but as this failed to attract the snake, Stanford brought out a jtrama-. phone, and, placing it on the verandah, nut it to play a. lively piece of band music. This had the desired effect, for the snake glided from under the verandah towards the, instrument. Stanford was in waiting with a stout piece of timber, and he smartly dispatched the reptile, which measured «t. 6in.