LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1681, 22 February 1913, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

. Tho postal. authorities. advise that tlio Mahen?, which Sailed from. Sydney. for Auckland on February 10, has on board an Australian mail, also an English mail via Suez. Tho Wellington portion should arrive on Monday next, per Main Trunk express. A new meeting-house of the. Society, of Friends was formally opened 1 at Auckland on Wednesday afternoon by. Sir. William B. Farrarid, who arrived' in New Zealand 50 . ytos ago ,on the ship Gertrude, Although ,members of the Society of Friends only number about 400 throughout tho TDommion, yet tho movement,-is of sufficient growth in Auckland to necessitate a larger iiieeling-hOiiso than the old olio, in Wakefield , Street (sriys 'tho "Herald"). A considerable .number of old identities Connected with the society, gathered together for the opening cere, niony, as well ': ad a largo concourse of •mßmbtrs ; and their friends. Tho new meeting-house, which is' admirably situated at th 6 corner of Mount Eden Road and Sylvan Avenue, is well-suited for its purpose. Tho largo hull is 40ft. by 24ft. and can bo paßitioned off . into two' separate rooms. There-are, in addition to the large'room, two cloakrooms and 1 a. luncheon room. The dark 'lantern,, or bull's-eye, traditionally associated with tho police force is doomed—at least:that is the belief of many members of tho' forco in New Zealand.', It is pointed oiit that the lantern is' cumbersome, I 'out-of-date, and, particularly in the Auckland district, is uncomfortably hot to carry. This latter objection.is put forward as one of the principal arguments against the use of lanterns, while in addition, it is stated that tho lanterns frequently get out of order and, becoming smoky, form an excellent danger signal to the ; burglar with the keen "os®' Tho adoption of electric torches, which.could-be stowed away' coriifortably like the baton, is considered essential.-— Auckland "Herald." . .. i .i: Twti hundred ■ and tliirtr entries "iave been received for. tho first musical and elocutionary competitions to be heldjn Hokitika in March next under the aus-' pnws.of the :Westland Competitions Society. -Two' hundtecLof tho entries ore for the, elocutionary section, which will bo judged by Mr. A. E. Lawrence (editor of the. "West Coast Times"). . Mr. and MrS. W.-B.: Cadi:ow, of Greymoutli, will adjudicate'in'-the sections for vocal and instrumental litusic. A very successful festival, is anticipated. The matter of the fine imposed on Mr. P. W. Haybittle, for failing to appfear on his. summons as a' special juror, was mentioned in the Supreme Court yesterday, morning. .On Thursday Mr. Justice Chapman had imposed a fine of Jcs. Mf; E. J, Fitzgibbon.' yesterday offered an explanation. for Mr. Haybittlo's absence, and his Honour decided to, remit the fine. A youth of eleven years'was before tho Juvenili Court yesterday on a charge of having broken into the Jolmsonville railway station and stolen railway tickets of the face value of £7 ICS. 3d., and UJd. in inoney; and a charge of haying broken intotho house of John Walter Brown, at Ngaio, and stolen in airgun, worth 4s. M. The youth was coniraitted to the Woreroa Industrial Farm. A fresh flow-of hot mineral water-was tapped last,week on Mr, R. Nicholl's property at Parateai, about four chains from tlie boro that is supplying Helensvillo hot springs .in direct lino with Mount Kex. lhe residents of the district and a number of •; Aucklandors, ■ consider it is time that tho Tourist Department took these ' springs over and developed them iu an up-to-date manner for tho benefit of the Auokland public as well as tho Dominion as a whole.—Press .Association. . The.Telegraph Department at Auckland is undertaking an important work, namely, the placing Underground of . all the mam telegraph wires in the city that lead" to the operating-room in tho new quarters ? Po i! ; offico ( sa J' 3 the Auckoin<L.i Those from the office in bhortland Street have already been placed in pipes connecting with the new officeand,a start.will be made shortly,to place all the wires beneath tho 6urface. This is, of course, a big undertaking, and will entail a lot of work, coupled with considerable expenditure. Tho wires are to como to the surface in the suburbs, and connect with tliose on the telegraph posts. At tho Chwf .Post Office -an entirely now equipment of instruments is being installed. The new quarters of tho operators on the first floor of the p<«t office measure 8-1 feet by 50 feet '8 inches. There aro, 29. tables, and in ' busy times' some hundred operators can bo engaged. No less than, two miles of wire are laid under the floor of this room, and connected with the/distributing board. Announcements regarding to-morrow's Churcli services will be found on uage ono of this' issue.