LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1702, 19 March 1913, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The under-mentioned hours will Ix 2 observed at tho Telegraph Office on the 21st and 24th instant, Good Friday and Easter Monday Good Friday, 'J.3U to 10 a.m. and 5 to 5.30 p.m.. liaster Monday, 0 a.m. t) J p.m. and 7 p.m. t'o midnight. Tho Telephone Exchange will bo open continuously. Midnight cablo service as usual.

Mr. L. 0. H, Tripp, Consular Agent for Italy, acknowledges receipt of tho following subscriptions on behalf of the widow and fumily of the lato Guiseppe l'isani, harpist, who were left so badly oil (further donations will be thankfully received at the accountant's office, Messrs. Chapman, Skerrett, 'l'ripp, and. Blair, Brandon Street):—Miss Richardson, 10s.; J. Staples uml Company, Jil Is.; the Bookbinders Government Printing Office, Jtl Is.; Sympathiser, 2s. 6d.; Mrs. L. O. 11. Tripp, £1 Is.; Chapman, Skerrett, Tripp, nnd Blair, £3 35.; Sympathiser, 55.; J. B. M'Ewan, £1 Is.; Bell, Gully, Bell, and Myers, £1 Is.; total, £9 ss. Gd. A deputation from the Jlorowlienua County Council waited upon tho Charitable Aid Board yesterday, asking that the transfer of Wirokino and Tokomaru ridings, which include the Borough of Levin, from the Wellington to the l'almerston hospital district should not be opposed, by the Wellington board. 'The members of the deputation all urged that the district lay so much closer to I'almerston than to Wellington that most of tho people actnally went to l'almcrston for medical aid, aad if they had to go into hospital they were compelled to pay very high rates at private hospitals in Palmerston. They rarely came to Wellington, and, in any case, it was a hardship to'require people to como seventyfivo miles to AVollington, when they could get tho best medical attention possible at a distance of nine miles in Palmcrstoii. It was agreed eventually, on the motion of Mr. B. 11. Gardener, that tho board should not object to the severance of the districts nahjed from the Wellington hospital district.

.The non-commissioned officers of the New Zealand staff, wlio recently qualified by examination for commissioned rank in the New Zealand Territorial Force, have not yet been posted to their future districts. There has been some speculation in local military circles as to tho probable destination of Lieutenant J. M. itose. till recently the popular and higli-ly-respected regimental staff-sergeant-major of the "Fifth.", Napier has been mentioned, and also Masterton. In the meantime Lieutenant Roso is to have charge of the machine-gun detachments at the big infantry camp at Oringi next month. In view of the current attempts to promote a fusion of the United Labour Party and tho Federation of Labour, it is worthy of note that Labour wilL contest the forthcoming municipal elections in Wellington under the auspices of tho United. Labour Party, 011 the platform adopted at the Unity Conference held in Parliament Buildings last year. It has been decided that 110 platform work shall be'undertaken by the Labour candidates until after the Faster holidays, but that in the meantime the organisation and enrolment of electors shall be promoted in every possible way.

Tho Reserves Committee of the City Council have received a letter from Mr. CJ. W. Wirth with respect to the lioness at the in which 110 asks that he should receivo first refusal of any cubs the council may have for sale. Tne following suggestion lias also been received from Mr. Wirth, with respect to the naming of tho cubs:—"Get the public interest-' ed by having them give tho cubs a name. This can bo done by having a letter-box in front ■of tho cage and allowing tho public to place tho suggested names therein." The council last night promised to give Mr. Wirth the'option'ho asked for over cubs for sale, and to adopt his suggestion also. The Mayor (Mr. D. M'Laren) and Councillor Atkinson have been appointed to represent tho City Council at a conference to bo arranged with respect to the Hstt Pipe Bridge aud connection streets. The ; City Council last night adopted the proposal of tho Tramway Board of Management that on the afternoon of Easter Saturday and Easter Monday all Newtown cars except tho regular cars be treated as specials, and a minimum fare of 2d. be charged between Newtown Park and Veitch and Allah's and Courtenay Place respectively. , ;

In order to overcome the present disadvantages of the system of school tickets on the trams, a 24-trip ticket, available for one month from date of issue, is to ba adopted. The tickets will bo available at the Courtenay Place and Post Offioo depots, in addition to the Thorndon office. Authority has been granted to the Tramnay Board of Management to make arrangements for the running of ail observation car in connection with the Citizens' Carnival on the 25th ' and 2Gth instaut, provided the weather is favourable. Notices are to be erected on the eastern portion of Lyall Bay beach, stating that practising riding horses on tho beach after tho hours of 10 a.m. tvill not bo allowed, and riding will bo restricted to the eastern end, and will be subject to the control of the custodian. Fourteen acres of tho Lyall Bay Reserve have now been, formed, and the Forester has been instructed to confer witli'the City Engineer with respect to tho planting of a belt of trees round tho reserve.

A Gisborne visitor, who has returned from a tour of the North of Auckland, expressed surprise that nothing is being done to preserve the historic relics connected with the early colonisation of New Zealand to be found in'the neighbourhood of Russell. This old town, the first capital of New Zealand, lie states, is fast falling into ruins. The historic church, which lias so many hallowed traditions, has to be propped to prevent it falling into ruins, and there are old gravestones in the churchyard, well worthy of preservation, which are'crumbling away. There is also at Paihia the first organ brought to NewZealand, and at Waitaugi'the first Government House in New Zealand, where the Treaty of Waitangi was signed. This building—a real landmark in New Zealand history—is being allowed to fall fast into ruins.—Auckland "Herald."

Although about ,£IOO or more was taken at the swimming gala in connection with the Citizens' Easter Carnival on Saturday, Mr. J. F. Atkins, organiser of the carnival, hopes yet to increase that amount somewhat. Yesterday, Mr. Atkins forwarded a letter- to the City Council asking them if they would give the Gala Committee 25 per cent of the tram takings on tho Lyall Bay route for Saturday afternoon, over and above the amount taken on that route on an ordinary Saturday afternoon.

It is understood that the postponed | conference between representatives of the Marine Engineers' Institute and tho Wellington branch of the Shipowners' Federation, in connection with coastal engineers' demands, will bo resumed after the Easter holidays. Representatives of the Merchant Service liuild and Marine Engineers' Institute liavs appointed committees to confer in regard to tho proposed reciprocal agreement between the two l>odies. In tlio course of a long gallop with the oouthwood Hounds, a fox caused great excitement* by entering a blacksmith's shop at l'arlestliorpe, Lincolnshire. • Being closely pressed, he jumped 011 to the forge and climbed up the chimney, emerging at the top as black as a 6weep, and then jumping from the roof. Hounds killed him in the churchyard, r,™r Eho(i « s (PostmasleiGenoral) informed a reporter yesterday that tho facilities recently afforded for the transnnssion of week-end cables at reduced rates had been much less extensively taken, advantage of by business men than it was anticipated they would bo when the new arrangement was established. The attention of tho Hon. E. H. Ithodes (Actmg-Miuister for Defence) was drawn yesterday to an editorial in tho Christchurch "Star" which suggested that the decision to -release tho recently-im-ported musketry instructors from tho area-duty in which they have been hitherto engaged had been influenced by comments made at the recent Trentham rifle meeting. The Minister replied that these comments had had nothing whatever to do with tho decision arrived at. As a fact, the appointments of the four musketry instructors to districts had been under consideration before the Trentham meeting. "I thought," added the Minister, "that I had made this clear in the few remarks that I made, on the subject in Christchurch." Although tlio musketry instructors will lmvo their headquarters in tho four chief centres, each of them will carry dut instruction iu various parts of the military district in Which ho is stationed.