LOCAL AND GENERAL,

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1722, 12 April 1913, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL,

: In the fire which broke out on the ilaluira oil tho trip from Sydney to Auckland oil Monday evening last, fifty bags of postal matter for New Zealancl wore damaged, and a few bags were totally destroyed. The mails shipped at Sydney consisted of 358 bags of English' mails (via Suez) for Now Zealand, and a small quantity of mail matter from Australia. well-known house and land agent in Wellington gives practical testimony to the steady improvement of business in his ine during the past six months. "Things have taken a decided turn for the' better," said tho agent, "and such is the position now that we cannot supply tho demand for certain classes of property. Five and six-raomcd houses anywhere near tho city are in eager demand. Why, tho othor day a man camo to 1110, ami offered 1110 a premium of .£3 over and above tho usual commission if I could get hold of a decent six-roomed house for him. The owners of property at all close to the city, say, the slopes of Mount Victoria or Oriental Bay, which are in favour, aro pretty independent. I had an offer tho other day of .£ISOO cash for a placo round Koseneath way, and I'll bet tho houso was not worth moro than iMSO, but tho owner, ' who \vas the occupier, would not listen to it. It opened my eyes. There aro properties for salo and to let, perhaps, on four-penny sections— away out in tho suburbs—but there aro no places of tho size mentioned that are short of good tenants at present, and anyone who can find room to build . suclv houses need have no far of not getting an immediate return, Some time ago Mr. TV. S. Short, Assistant Under-Secretary for Public Works, was appointed to act as a commissioner in allocating the cost of the Hutt Road amongst tho local bodies interested. Now that Mr. Short has .returned from Australia, the proceedings leading up to a final allocation of the cost of the road will shortly be resumed. It will be remembered that tallies were taken of tho vehicles passing over the road, and upon these tallies a basis in tentative apportionment of the cost of the road was made Ly tho commissioner. The next step in the proceedings will be that Mr. Short will convene a meeting of representatives of tho local bodies interested 'and invite them to show cause why tlie apportionment based upon the tallies should not be given effect to. JL'lio various parties will have an opportunity of bringing any ovidence they may consider necessary in support of whatever view they adopt. By far tho largest proportion of gold produced iu the world each year comes from the British Empire, South Africa, Australia, and India, still ranking, high among or above tho producing nations. Of the gold output of the. world nearly 10. per cent, probably remains within territory the prosperity of which depends upon the protection of Great Britain. For this reason the currency; laws of the British Empire have great influence on the movements of gold, and are of gravo import to the world. Thcro appears to lxj great conflict of opinion among authorities whether tho output, which) has so enormously increased during the last 20 years, has not provided a surplus, after satisfying tho demand for industrial consumption, above wliat is actually required for purposes of currency. It may be that tho gold burying Hindoos are after all in a rough and ready manner providing against a surplus of circulating gold. It is certain that a pood deal of the golden metal is actually lost that way.—"Sunday Times" (Sydney). . British tobacco-growing is looking up'. It may some day become a flourishing industry. A Peterborough farmer has ordered ten ounces of tobacco seed— onough to plant several aores; there is an experimental, plantation at Crookham, in Hampshire (Eng.); while Lord Iveagli has decided to plant 25 acres with tobacco seed on -liis estate near Bury St. Edmunds. Ireland has beaten England in this new industry, for sho has not, only grown tobacco, but even put cigars and cigarettes on tho market. The rolls of suburban boroughs, including Miramar, Onslow, and Eastbourne, closo on Wednesday next, April IG. Tho nominations for Mayors ana councillors of tho tame boroughs closo on Wednesday, April ,23. Tho Conciliation Commissioner, Mr. T. Harlo-Giles, leaves for Waihi on iilonday next to preside at a conferenco for the purpose of effecting an agreement between tho Ohinemuri Engine-drivers' Union and tho mine-owners of tho district. A conference was held 011 this matter when tho Commissioner was last in Waihi, but owing to the fact I that tho Union'a rulosi did not givo it tho power to mako ail flgrooment, the matter was adjourned until tho rulos had been amend, cd. 'This , lms now been, done.. On his re< turn to Auckland tho Commissioner proceeds to New Plymouth to hear the Taranaki painters' and decorators' dispute, nud after that ho goes to Gisborne to hoar tho dispute between the slaughtermen and the freezing companies of that district. CAR ECONOMY AND THE BAYARD. A keen demand) has arisen in late years for a light, moderately-priced, economical small car. Such a car fills tho requirements of tho commercial traveller, or of the motorist who, owning a big. pleasure car, requires a small, reliable, cheaprunning ear as a town runabout. The 8-12 11.p. Clement Bayard is tho car that fills tho bill. Its .price is .£295, inclusive of hood, wind shield, and five lamps. It seats three persons. Its weight is llcwt., and its nominal h.p. 12, practically a hundredweight to the .horse-power. Its petrol consumption is ono gallon to 40 miles; lubricating oil, one gallon to 500 miles. Tyres to last 10,000, cost ,£l7 2s. for four covers. Speed, 10 miles per hour on tlw flat. Hill-climbing ability: car can climb tho Faekakariki llill on tho second gear at 15 miles an hour. It is built by A. Clement, Paris, tho celebrated French automobile engineer, and its running espouses, inoluding nllowanco for depreciation.,do not exceed .C 52 per annum. It can be had finished in cither green, dark blue\ or French grey, and we can give delivery in live minutes. Adams Limited, Agents for Clement liuyaid cars, Garage, Tuti'n Street, Clirislchurch. Depots at Wauganui and t'ulmerntoii North. Agents, Tourist Motor Co., ULastiiiga.—

It is sometimes said in sarcastio strain that soma people "seo tilings," Last evening one ot theso visionaries apparently imagined that ho saw something, for ho was responsible for tlio City Firo Brigado being hurriedly turaod out. Perceiving Biiioko—it really camo from the destructor chimney—issuing (as lie thought) from the back of a house in. Roxburgh Street, lie put n premature and ivholly unnecessary fist to the nearest fire-alarm. The brigade respouded, but tlio man was naturally somewhat puzzled when they camo to look for "the fire." Inquiries jvere made as to .who gave the alarm, but the person evidently anticipated something, mud had disappeared. Tlio remarkable activity that lias pre- , vailed in and around Auckland during the past two or three years in building ntew schools and adding to old ones was referred to by tlio chairman of the Education Board (Mr. G. J. Garland) at the opening of tlio now Te Papapa School. Mi'. Garland said the board liad the largo family of -14,120 children. They, also had SM schools and 100 part-time''schools. Last year's work, ho said, showed ail in- . crease of 23 new schools and 2374 scholars; I'lie expenditure for tho year had been .£208,200, and the board liad sot dSido .£20,000 to malt® provision for replacing old schools. Then they had 230 schools giving agricultural instruction, and as this vffork was proving so very satisfactory, it liad been deoided to appoint another instructor. There were 170,000 children ro-, ceiving a free and secular education in tho Dominion, and lie claimed that the present system was eminently satisfactory. (Applause.) A Press Association message from Hastings states:—A motor-car, driven by Miss Russell, daughter of Sir William Russell, collided near Stoncy Craft with a spring Dart driven by Jolin Hasett. .Both were thrown out, and each occupant sustained a broken arm. A Mosterton resident, who lias been reading the accounts of. the doings at the Sheai-crs* Conference in Wellington, called at the "Age" office to say that there was another side to the shearers' accommodation story. He stated that ho had visited a station in tho Masterton district and was shown over tho shearers' quarters. He found that fliese wero up-to-date in every particular. They wero furnished as elaborately as tho ordinary town boardinghouso, | "But," said tho resident, "I was disgusted to find the condition in which the men had left their .quarters.■ One of tho rooms was lilted with tins, lemnants of old clothes, and refuse gene;, ally, whilo the remainder were in anything but a clean condition. If the men are willing to livj under such conditions then the least they pay about improved accommodation the better." Announcements regarding to-morrow's church services will bo'found oil page. 1 I of this issue.