LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1650, 17 January 1913, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Tho postal authorities advise that mails from the' United Kingdom, Canada, and Amorica, via Vancouver, aro duo in Wellington per Main Trunk train on Monday next. At its meeting yesterday tho Hospital Committee decided to send a special letter of thanks, per Mr.,A. Dorset, to tho anonymous donor of .£SO to tho Victoria Home and tho Convalescent Home,

Some timo ago tho General Labourers' Union submitted claims to tho City Council, and these wore referred to the City Engineer (Mr. W. H. Morton) to deal with. It has now been arranged that representatives of tho union will meet Mr. Morton : next Friday night, January 24. ■

A Collard and Collard grand piano is to lw donated to tho Citizens' Master Carnival by Mr. G. E. Tolhurst,' who announqid his intention yesterday morning to Councillor G. Frost, chairman of the City Koserves Committee. Mr. Tolhurst will leave tho method of the disposal of tho instrument'in the hands of the Carnival Committee. Councillor Frost has tendered tho thanks of tho oomniitteo to Mr. Tolhurst for his generous donation.

A remarkable' example of the memory of animals (states the "Wairarapa Ago') is reported from tho Apiti (district. Some (time ago Mr. Watson, drovo 6omo'animals from his farm at Apiti to a new section vrhicli ho had taken up near To Kuiti. 'Among the beasts was a/bull, which, after spending a few days on tho Te Kuiti property, decided that he .would go back to his old homo at Apiti, and although the distance is about'lßo miles, he arrived there safely. -

Eadiators are to be installed in , the Children's Hospital and the. Maternity Ward. This recommendation, from the Hospital House Committee, was adopted by the board yesterday, •/..'..•:

• Hospital Saturday and Sunday is to be held on February 15 and 16. It was decided at a meeting of the Hospital Committee yesterday that letters, be sent to the representatives of the various asso-. ciations and churches in tho city and disSict,' soliciting co-operation. The city bands are also,to bo approached. '

'iA recommendation was unanimously adopted' at ■ yesterday's , meeting "of the Hospital Committee, thanking all;donors of cheques, dfts,, and; toys to.the hospital during Christmas time. '_ " At yesterday's meeting of tho Hospital Committee it was deoided that in future tho Otaki Sub-Committee would.-meet at Wellington, 'except on; special occasion*, as the meeting at Otaki docs not warrant the expense incurred by so' many people travelling. ' .■';'•.,' ■. ;'.' Our'Masterton' correspondent states that a whale, eighty, feet'long, has beeu stranded oh the beach at Mataikoria. ~:■.

. Tho: Government training ship Amokura; whichis to return on Tuesday front an instructional course in Cook Sl.ait, is to. bo flagship at tho Fetone yacht carnival on the following;' day. ''

'.'The Hon. F.'.M.-.'B.'' Fisher is fer roceivo a deputation to-day from the, Wellington Typographical-. Association. , .The proceedings, will bo'; private..'. ■■•,■;• ;i. ■■ Several Government' Departments are about to be provided with new quarters. Tho lately-established Department of Immigration is to be accommodated on the first floor of tho Union Company s building on Customhouse Quay, and the whole top floor of the same structure : is to be occupied by the Department of Agriculture. The State Coal Department is also to be. provided with offices in thojjmon Company building. 'The Pensions Department is to remove from the General Post Office to tho Customs Building. • ■" "The.demand for land has'never been as keen in 'New Zealand as it is' here in the North," remarked, a deputationjst to the .Prime Minister at day (says the Auckland, "Star ).' v Tbe speaker added that gum lands in tho' Nor-' them Wairoa: district. were'sclling ; freely at .£8 and 1 £o 'per acre.. This was mentioned as an argument-for tho opening up of more 1 Crown lands, which Mr.! Mossey promised to do.'as quickly and os extensively .as'■possible. He remarkod that the Government were.'making arrangements for a value'svsteiii of'land tmrohased for. settlement.,' He' mentioned : that'in tho past Government had been; paying \ip' to .£ls an acre for land no better than some which; ho had seen in the, North that day. ' - ..V ' i : -. .'■-'. ■;' i: '.'• '..''- ■' Tho toheroa*'(a : tasty shell-fish) formed the subject' of a'Native deputation to tho Prime Minister at Waipoua on; Tuesday. Mr. Massey was; informed that the. toheroa is 'found only lo'u'v.th'e. 'beaches north of or, in. other words',

only in the kauri gum area of, the? North Island. The Maoris stated that , J, 6ome cannihs factories had been started on'the West Coast, to 'deal with toheroasi and they asked that the; Govornment' i should introduce restrictions which would' provent, shell-fish from being taken out with spades',and pioks-ronly with 'J the hand, .Mr. Massey said he. would refer the matter., to ,the Minister'for Marine,' and, if ' possible, something'would be done to'prcverit the beds f ronribecomi'ng exhausted.— Auckland '•"Stah";iV •';''•■ ''■ '