LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1678, 19 February 1913, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Tho postal authorities advise- that the s.s. Manuka, which sailed from Sydney at noon on February 15, has on board an Australian mail. She is-due to arrive here toKlay.

Among the visitors to Wellington is MrJ Howard Butters, li'.l. Mcoh. E., managing director of the May Morn Estate, at Mungaroa.. This English oompanyhds secured a block of land, 15 miles by 3 miles, between Mungaroa and Otaki for tho purpose -of milling the timber (mostly, rimu) • in an up-to-date method, and afterwards cutting up tho land into farms. Between 180 and 150 men are at present employed on the work of'erecting a big sawmill plant on the Canadian plan, laying down tramways and railway sidings, and erecting ft bridge oyer tho rlvor at the TJpper Hutt. ,

So far, about 800 licenses undor thoJ Land Agents' Registration Act of last session havo been registered by the Department of Internal Affairs. In accordance- with the provisions of tho Act, licenses granted to agents who applied up to January '5 will l>o gazetted shortly. l Tho Act directs that the Gazette list which is to bo published in February of each year shall include all licenses granted ' up to January 15 . preceding. This year sonio 400 licenses had b»en granted up to January 15. The initial compilation of tho register has imposed a considerable amount of work upon the staff of the Department of Internal Affairs, but the task is now well in hand, al-, though tho timo allowed for publication ] of the register does not expire for about a fortnight; II: is hoped that, next year tho register will be ready for publication during tho first week of February. Ench license carries a fee of £H. Put of the sum realised from tos, the Espouses of. administering tho Act will first bo met, I and the balance will 'lie" handed over, to the Hospital Hoards in tho various districts in which the licenses have been granted. Klrkoaldio and Stains,' Ltd., are offerin;! n tpcuiol lino of Sport? Shirti in tweeds and heather miituMa, 38 to ii isoho in lenjth, at 153. Od, e»cli.—i.dvt,

Reference to the Antarctic disaster was mu<lo at tlio Hospital Board yesterday. Before tho ordinary business began, Mr. J. Trevor (chairman) moved a vote of sympathy and condolence to Mrs. Scott and relatives of those who perished in the frozen south. All members present; rose to the motion. ,

The quarterly meeting of-tho Teachers' Superannuation Board was held yesterday morning. A substantial increase in tho; membership was reported since the last meeting. In n number of cases where contributors had retired on the ground of medical unfitness, ve-exnmina-tion was made, and in all but ono case continuation of the payment was authorised. Under Section 12 of the Amendment Act of 1908, sixteen allowances, varying from £o$ to. .£350, were'approved. Under Section 12 of tho Amendment Act of-1909, allowances wero granted to four applicants, tho amount, ranging from .C7O to illo, subject to statutory deduotions. Five applicants for retirement as being medically unfit were granted allowances, ranging from to ,£182.' Under the Amendment Act of 1912 an allowanco of •£242 was granted. Four allowances to widows wore Granted. Tho decease of ono contributor and two annuitants was reported.

The annual general meeting, of the Wellington Commercial Travellers' and Warehousemen's Association was _Md in •the club-rooms on Monday evening. A highly-satisfactory report and balancesheet was presented and passed. Tho following officers wero elected for thoi ensuing twelvo months:—President, Mr. W. G. Duthio; vice-presidents, Messrs. A. CI. Croll, A. E. Exlcy, and H. C. Tewsley ware now elections! secretary, Mr. J. Coleman Penrico; hon. treasurer, Mr. A. W. Vermeil; trustees, Messrs. J. H. Owen, J. A. Piko, W. Clayton', and C. A. Briggs; auditor, Mr. C. B. Robertson i policitors, Messrs. Bell, dully, Bell, and Myers; committee, Messrs. Phelps, Samuel, Turnbul), Witt, Kinnibnrgh, Hueston, G, Wilson, jun., Larkin, Croll; Hchshihvoorl, Steele, B. Wilson, Goss, Ashbolt, Dixon, and Williams. On the mo? tion of ;Mr. F. W.' Manton, it. was decided to place tho mortuary bsnefit fund on a more satisfactory basis, Tho;meeting expressed itself strongly in favour of a Now Zealand .The appointment of delegates to meet tho Australian body was left to the incoming committoß. - A peculiar motor-car accident took piece in Queen Street. Onchunga, on Saturday, when an automobile, owned and driven by Mr. J. Sherrv., was.overturned in front of Hyland's bakery. Tho; car was proceeding nlonir at a steady pace,''when a dog dashed into it, niid getting; underneath affected th» steering gear, in. pome manner, with the result that the machine crashed into ono .of the 1 iron "verandah posts of the bakery.and. cut it out.. The car.then.twisted round and 'capsized, peine; somewhat damaged. Tha driver was brjiised and shaken; :■ Strange 'to say, .the do* escaped, injury. • :< ' ' _ '

it will boremembered that- during tho present wool season n good deal of troublo and delay ■ has arisen through an excessive accumulation of wool on. the wharves and in the Harbour Board's'/sheds at Wellington. The Brokers' Association have uisoussed ;tbis matter mdroj iliixu once recently, in au endeavour to get at the rcasoiis lor tho difficulties experienced. . Amongst.other.expianations ot causes of delay, tho'brokers have a lojig-standing complaint against farmers that they constantly, send wool forward without any accompanying specifications. At . thoir last.m,eetiug the brokers were ajinost on the point of .refusing- to catalogue wool under such conditions, but rather than hiko such a drastic step they ddcided that for the future a charge'will be- made to growers for every bale that has to'' be restacked owing to' the . absence of the necessary at the tjmo of the wool being received into store.

A boy named Granville Walker, agod 10 years, residing with' his parents in Kicniuond, Auckland, sustained.' rather sovero injuries on Sunday evening caused by • the 1 explosion of somo dynamite percussion caps, 'i'ho lad< was playing by hitnsolf in the garden, when the noise of an explosion was heard. Those who went to the- spot found tho boy .injured and uuablo,-,;toi!givqcianiyii.coherent explanation .of .the accident. Some-';dynamito ','capS, were, however, found in ' one of his pockets, and it is v supposed that one of theseexploded.- :Tlw unfortunate boy''was at once removed to the .'hospital,--where-'.it whs found; necessary to., 'tho thumb and two fingers of tho. right-hand. His light eye. is also somewhat, injured; and. it'is uncertain whether' ho will be able to'retain the sight of it. At present he is making favourable, progress.—Auckland "Star." ■.-■••;■ .>• "|-

A remarkable ; accident occurred last week nt South Melbourne; A little girl named Eily Bannister .was* playing in the front garden, when a dust storm came' up. The wind toro from the roof of the house a slate, w.hich fell as the .'child was lift-: ing her hand to her face, cutting'one of her thumbs clean off,; Tho little one was found unconscious in the garden with the severed thumb close by. .': : \ -. Invitations have been issued 1 .by . the Machine staff and committee of the Eosencath' bchool to the ceremony of unfurling; tho lloyal Standard of Scotland, which has been presented to : the local school by the scholars of the Eoseneath School, Scotland. Tho flag is to be unfurled, by his llxcelleucy tho Governor on Saturday afternoon at 3.?0 o'clock. ■~-..' • A. deputation of Island Bay residents representing the bathing public will wait X4ian - tho City Council to-morrow evening, .and present a petition signed by 2CO people, urging that ih'c City: Council- increase; the capacity of • tho dressing shed, accommodation on the beach. : '.">"■

.Tho Dunedin "Star" recently: gave publicity to a report that tho-executive of' the Marine Engineers' Guild had notified the shipping companies'that unless Mr.: Justice HigginsY award in Australia,' is, adopted in New Zealand, the men Would bo called out at the end of the current month, • When the report was' submitted yesterday to the secretary of tho Marino Enginoers' Institute (Mr, Wallace) he gave it an unqualified denial. The position is (ho' stated) that cortain proposals which have been roado by the Union Company are at present'being considered by 'tho marine engineers in its"en)ploy; A ballot is being taken by mail as to whether the proposals shall- bo accepted or rejected. Nothing can be done until th© result of tho ballot is'known, and it will not bo completed until tho end of this/month. Tho engineers on the- smaller boats runnings out of Wellington had ah abortive conference; with their employers before Christmas. In tho end the matters in dispute were allowed to stand over for tho time being. Another, conference will be called, but tho date has not yet been .fixed,'. It is, therefore, absolutely certain that no action whatsoever wlll.be taken, by tho ongineers until those 'in the cmploy of tho Union Company have completed thoir ballot. If tho result witails rejection of-tho proposals then, in the words/of one -of tho. engineers, "the position will have to bo reviewed."