LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1667, 6 February 1913, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

: '■' ■ ' ♦ .—■ A ■ i ' . ■, . i The Hon. E. H. Bhodes informed a ret porter yesterday that tho military 'adviser in London to the New: Zealand Govj ernment, who recommended tho purchase of ,tho mule guns which.wero recently returned to the manufacturers, as being obsolete, and whose appointment was on > that account determined, was an officer of advanced j-ears, holding the rank of General in tho Imperial Service. He received ' ,his appointment under the New Zealand Government years ago. Mr. Ehodes also said that the statement which had been . published to tho effect that ammunition for the obsolete mulo guns was- no longer manufactured was incorrect. Ammunition 1 oould have been readily obtained so long i as the Government cared, to retain the ! guns. , ; • i ."New Zealand can look forward to a big ■ futiiro market in Australia for, horses and ! longwool sheep, provided you send good t stock, and do not make 1 the Commonwealth the dumping ground for stock ; that is not wanted here." Suoh was the i opinion expressed by an Australian visi- . tor, speaking at the Feilding A. and P. Association's smoke concert.. . \ A kangaroo and an emu. have been presented to the City Council for, tho Zoo by Jfr. Goorgo Seifcrt, of Palmcrston North, .who has just returned from a visit to Australia. . ■ Sweet strains of "Marguerite" refreshed' the atmosphere of the Lambton Quay Police Station last evening. This and other items were tastefully rendered by a lady who was spending the night at the institution, and wllo had ' in other days i graced the stage of vaudeville... The Hugard Magician Company were very fortunate as regards the tiro at the N.Z. Express Company's stores on Tuesday night. A portion of their paraphernalia had been sent on in advance, and had been stored on the ground floor. Luckily the firo did not reach it, and the only damage was through th'e water playing -some of tho scenery. . The main portion df their effects arrives by Friday's boat, from Dunedin. A well-attended; meeting of. the general committee and others interested in tho approaching jubilee celebration of tho arrival of tho ships Devonshire - and Gertrude in 1803 was held at Auckland on Monday night. It was decided that the luncheon should start at 12.45 p.m. on Friday, and that photographs of groups Should be taken immediately after its conclusion. It was hoped that Mr. Justice Cooler would bo able to preside. Tho Mayor of Auckland and local members of Parliament would also be invited to take part in the proceedings. It was agreed that' the • memorial service (should be held in the Pitt Street Methodist Church on Sunday next. ' A rather -good story is told by a well- ; known Stipendiary. Magistrate,' Mr. F. V. : Frazer, rather at his own expense. At tho time of cite Waihi strike trouble, the Magistrate had occasion as visiting Justice to pay a visit to the-Mount Eden Gool, Auckland. During the morning of his visit a prisoner had; been released, and , about an hour later the Magistrate left the prison. Uefora lie had gone far, lie ; noticed a man who from his appearance : fhowkl unmistakable signs of having onco * been an inmate of the prison. Tho man • was evidently waiting for someone whom ho expected out that day. To tho worthy 1 Magistrate's surprise, tho ex-convict • lurched up to him, and said in a con- ! fulential whisper, "Say, any more coming i out to-day?" j Mrs. Fletcher Johnston's beautiful col- i lecliou of English water-colour drawings, i tfhich are on view at Messrs. W. 11. ] Turubull and Co.'s Gallery, -27 Panama i Street, has been the centre of attraction i for the art-loving public during the ; ivwk. 'I'lio exhibition will bo continued i for a £««• dayj longer. s, 11

Messrs. J. Muir and Stone, members of the Wanganui Borough Council, accom- 1 panied by tho manager of the Wanganui Municipal Gasworks, paid a visit to the t Wellington Una Company's new works at 1 Miramar Jesterday,: for tho purpose of 1 inspecting the new; gas-making plant, in view of the possibility of tho adoption of ; a similar plant at Wanganui. As tho re- ] suit of their visit data was gathered in- j dicating the big saving in labour effected 'j by tho plant', which will, bo sub- , mitted to tho council in duo course. The / party will return to Wanganui to-dty. , To-monw evening tho Royal Choral i Society is to couunenco rehearsing Uizefs t tine opera, "Carmen," which is to Ire sung ,in tho Concert form for the first time' in f Australasia at tho Town Kail on April 17. The society has purchased the Aus- ] tralasian rights of the opera, outright, the ] price paid-being about £125. * Mr. Harnett will be at St. John's Schoolroom At 7.30 | p.m. to-morrow for the purpose of testing ] voices of candidates for admission to tho 1 uetivo list of tho socioly. • At alxrnt half-past six last evening, John Buchanan was found in n bath at • No. 27, 'J.'ho Terrace, with his throat cut. Ho is. now in tho hospital in a sorious condition. For three or four months Buchanhn has been employed at' tho Union Company's yards as a shipwright, and prior to that ho lived in tho Thames 1 district. ' i Some months ago the' Auckland Hospital Board asked rarce prominent'public men to net as a special board to re- i ceivo applications for tho position of medical superintendent at the Auckland Hospital, and sclcct one applicant to be recommended for appointment. Tho original mcinbere of the board were tho Hon. W. F. Massey, Sir Joseph Ward, and tho Hon. E. H. Rhodes, Sir Joseph Ward had to resign the task on account of his trip Home, and was replaced by Mr. G. W. Russell, 11.1'. The members of the board have met in Wellington,, and havo reduced upwards of thirty; applications to four. This is tho position at the moment. Tho duty undertaken by the special board is to recomniond an applicant for appointment/- Tho actual appointment rosls with the Auckland Hospital Board. It is not expected that the final recommendation will be mado for' about a month from tho present date. For 'the fifth year ,in succession, tho Raglan County Council has collected all its rates (land occupied by Natives not being placed )on the rate book). For the year 1912-3 tho total of all rates was ,£6377 sOs. 3d., for which rato demands were post'ed'on August 1, 1912, and the last lot of rates-was paid on February 4, 1913. It is hard on tho European .ratepayers, who My up so promptly, to See Natives practically exempt from rating owing to tho.present oumlicrßome and defective law governing the enforoembnt of thfi payment of rates due by Natives, '■..... The fire received a call to No; GO Owen Street, Newtown, shortly before 9 o'clock Inst evening. . The fire broke out in a six-roomed house, occupied by Mrs. Annie Gallagher, The dining-room and its contents Were badly damaged, and the kitchen also suffered iiom'smoke and water. Tho outbreak was caused by tho burning of some linen which had beon hung before the kitolien fire. At a meeting of tho entertainment section of tho Carnival Committee, held last ovening, it was resolved to organise a oonoert to take place in tho Town Hall on . Saturday, February 29. It was, further decidcd that tho drawing in, connection with the art union should tako.placo during tho evening. Messrs. J. Dykes, R. A, Ivecnan, and Jai. Ilislop •vore ; appointed a fiub-com'mitteo to arrange the necessary programme, and to ro« port.at a future meeting of the Entertainment Committee. . ; . Before tho swimming. centre had. decided upon holding a gala day at Lyall Bay on March.-15 to forward the movement, for the ' citizens' carnival, the Hibernian Society "had already arranged for its 1 annual celobratiori of St, Patrick's Day on the same date. Tho committee of tho latter body, recognising' that their ' i in- 1 terejts ,would bo conflicting with a 1 cause ' whibh"Should' the'''wli<)l(S-hearted support :of the citizens (if Wellington, convened a mooting last evening to consider ths .question of an alteration in tho date. As. aconsiderable portion of the;, com•muhity would desire, :tt patronise " both, functions, and so that local Hibernians would not be prevented from attending tho galft, and in order to further the efforts of tho promoters of the citizens' carnival, it was unnnimously decided,to alter the St. Patrick's Day celebrations from Saturday, March 15, to Monday, March 17. Tho gathering is to bo held at .Newtown Park. . V-";: .■ ' "Money is tight because we are so beastly extravagant. Where we used to be satisfied with our trap, we now want-a motor-car." ' Such was the opinion ex-, pressed by Mr. F. V. Lcthbndgo at the smoke concert held in connection with the Feilding A. and P. show. Ladies, ho added, used to bo satisfied with hats that cost 10s. Gd., now. they must have one costing two or three guineas. , (Laughter.), .... •