LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1735, 28 April 1913, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Owing to eiimi'.T.toring a heavy southeast gull.', V.'j.Tuera was not expected to arrive ir. Auckland fTOiT. Sjdncy until about; uiulnignt Inst night. Consequently tbo lirijli'-ii (via Suez) ami Australian pioils she brinya will not arrive hero until to-morrow morning. A mild sensation was causocl in Willis Street on Saturday at 9.15 p.m., when a man put a. Ki.cne through tho pMc-glnss window of the fancy-goods ishop occupied by 3tr. Soatou. Tho.stone-throwoj will bo given- a chanco to explain his action in Court to-day. A couple of tramcars negotiating tho points in Vivian Street on Saturday afternoon came into collision. Tho impact was not severe, and no, great dama'go. was. done. , Dp till tho prcso'it tho General Poft Offico Square (which is. a geometric, mis- ■ nomer). has been sacred to the Labour ticket between, the hours of noon and 1 p.m., during tho present, municipal campaign, but commoncing to-day candidates of ail colours ojkl classes arc to invade tho al fresco forum to lay their views before, tliose who can. sparo tho timo to listen. A conference of delegates of Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is lo ho held on May (i. Tho Wellington .Society will appoint its delegates at tomorrow evening's meeting. I Last Friday evening- Detective-Sergeant i Cassells saw a certain man. go into a secondhand shop in Manners Street. Ho followed him into tho shop, and found that ho was endeavouring to sell a nearly new acetyleno bicycle-lamp for a couple of ■shillings. The detective asked tho, man wkero ho got the lamp, and tho reply was: "That's my business." . Detective Cassells arrested tho man, arid, charged ; him with tho theft of the. lamp, and in | the Magistrate's Court on Saturday tie ■ accused pleaded guilty. Tho police, however, havo not yet discovered the owner of tho lamp.

'Tor men may come and men may go, but womon's tongues go on for ever — paraphrase, of Tennyson's, lines by a, Ityman Catholic priest at the termination of a sermon delivered yesterday, morning 011 tho sin of scandal-inongcring.

A rather curious find was made by Mr. T. Taylor while at work upon tlio debtruction of an old stump near his. homestead, Molawe&ea, yesterday (writes, our \V anganui correspondent).. He had wrenched out a large piece of wood, and was about to land another blow, when he noticed the licck of a/ bottlo seemingly buried in the rotten wcod. Pursuing his investigation further, Mr. Taylor eventually discovered a bottlo of whisky, which some "dropper" had evidently planted in days, gone by. To judge by tlio age of the bottle and its position in tho stump, tho burial ceremony must have taken place at some time during tlio Maori' war.

At a meeting of farmers at Inver-. cargili on. Saturday, a resolution was passed' approving of tho organising scheme now- being earned on by tho Now Zealand Employers' Federation, and pledging thoso present to assist in every possiblo way. Tlio. cxecutlvo of tho Fanners' Union was recommended to affiliate with tho Southland Employers' Federation — Press Association.

Some city electors seem to bo unaware of tho full extent of their franchise.: For instance,, it is not. unusual to hear electors who know (hat they aro entitled to voto in, tlio election of Mayor and councillors inquire whether tliey ■ aro also entitled to vote in tho election of Harbour Board and Hospital Board members. It may Ire worth whilo mentioning, therefore, that electors whose names appear on tho Wellington, municipal roll aro entitled to voto not only in tho. election of a Mayor and fifteen councillors, but also in tho election of four Harbour Board, members and fourteen members, of tho Hospital Board.

People who.attend Sunday 'concorts—and their names aro legion—ahonld for the sake of others consider seriously. whether they can eparo tlio>timo, to sit tuo concert out. This is written becauw of tho largo number of people who .commenced to troop, out after the third and fourth items, on. tho. programme of tho, Wellir gton City Band's concert at His Majesty's Theatre, last evening. Not only do, tliey leave after certain items, but many wero inconsiderate enough to leave during an item. This habit is not only unsettling to tlio. rest of the audience, but is the. reverse of oomplimenta'y to tlio artists who are, providing a good concert for practically nothing.

Respecting tho visit of H.M.S. New- Zealand to these waters, the following resolution has been handed to tho Dunedin "Star" for publication:—"That the Dunedin branch of the New Zealand Socialist . party endorse the National Peaoe. Council's circular ro the visit of the warship Now Zealand, and ask tlio. workers of Otagp to refrain from visiting it,, as a protest against tho useless expenditure of tlio, workers' money, and point out that the building- of warships'and the oontinued 'increaso of Ihc army are only Irenefieial: to armament contractors and financiers and dircotly opposed to the best interests of tlio workers, and further, that tho olaim that tho navy is built for tlio, pro-, faction. of comiuerco in war time is fallacious,. inasmuch as that task is ail impossible one."

Stateraoits published in a local antiReform. now-sparer oiv Saturday in preference to tho control; of the Public Trust Office wero brought by a reporter under tile notice, of tho Hon. A. L. Herdnian (Attorney-Go-ioral). Tho newspaper article in question stated that duties in connection with tho appointment of oißcers, belonging properly to tho Minister for I'inance, had been carried out by tho At-(orney-Geuei-.il, and. thai in connection with one appointment Ministerial influence, had been brought to beur. Mt. Herdman gave ail emphatic denial to tho charge of Ministerial influenco having been cmi>lo.ye<J, and staled that no appointments had been, made to the staff of the-Public Trust Oflico since he had been, connected with its control, save on the recommendation of tho Public. Trustee or his. deputy. As to the-duties of one Minister being' carried out by another, Mr. li-ord-man remarked' that in practico Ministers constantly delegated their duties to other . members of the Cabinet. This, was. necessarily done when Ministers wore absent , from Wellington, and did not involve- any new departure. The. portfolios of (he lion., Jas. Allen, aud'the Hon. F. M. B. Fisher are at present distributed amongst their colleagues. Apart from this,, when, a Minister is absent fiom Wellington some of his duties are- necessarily performed,by those of his colleagues who re- ■ main in town. Mr. Hordman is bbtainingf> detailed report upon tire circumstances of the appointments which have been criticised iii tho article referred to.

Tho Hutt branch of the Manawatu Hunt Club held a meet at Lower Hutt on Saturday afternoon, and a largo number followed tho hounds. Tho lay off was from Bellovuo Gardens, over August's paddccks, and round White's Line. Most of tho riders wero in at tho kill, although several had difficulty in negotiating tho water jump near tho finish.

A Gazctto supplement issued on Friday gives particulars of special shooting seasons in various districts throughout the Dominion, and enumerates tho places in which tho killing of game is prohibited. Tho honorary organiser of a .£701)0 building fund for. the Kcmuera Children's llome, Aliss 13. Spedding, of Auckland, Arrived in Wellington on to carry her appeal into this .district, 'l'lio money is wanted for a. new building, the old one having Ijeen condemned by tho authorities, while, it has also reached tho limit of its capacity. "When the Government notified tho managers that not. moro than. 10 children must bo kept, and that tho building must 1m abandoned at Iho earliest possible moment, this/moved ten business men of Auckland to purchase tho now site, and presont it to tho trustees. Tho cost was XSOO, and tho area is acres. It is located 15 or 20 mile 4? from Auckland. Tho new building, which is to be of brick, roofed with slate, and is to provide accommodation for GO children and tho nccessa.ry staff, is to cost JE7OOO. , Over .£IOOO of this will come from tho sale of tho present building and site, and a. further .C2OOO has already been, secured or promised. The balance has now to bo raised. Though started and controlled by the Bnplists of New Zealand, tho home makes jio sectarian distinction. Tho widened opportunities afforded by the proposed new building have caused the Board of Management to niako a general ! appeal for public support. Miss Spedding • is staying with Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Long, : of 11 Bumell Avenue.

Tho proposal to arm Melbourne policemen with revolvers meets with general approbation (says tho Sydney "Sun"). Tho .sale of revolvers has increased largely sinco the outrages by armed burglars l)e??.n, and most -householders now sleep with a pistol under their pillows. Chief Commissioner Sainsbnry intends to issuo special firiiig instructions for constables, and the best, shots wilt bo placed in tho. night patrols. It is understood, also, that their orders will-bo to drop their man as soon as he shows a. firearm. Contests between armed bursters and unarmed police have been very unequal, and better results in captures, aro. expected' when tho constables liavo their guiw.

After nearly two years' work with a bucket dredge in an endeavour to deepou tlio upper reaches of the. river, the Whnngarei Harbour Board have arrived at the conclusion that the present method is unsatisfactory, and ' therefore they are now deliberating on. ,the advisability ot -securing a Priestman dredge., or an efficient suction drudge. It has been pointed out, hswever, that by scouring a suction dredgo'not only could tlio water in the vicinity of the town bo deepened to such an extent as to permit tlio passajo <if eoastni steamers at any state of the tide, but that also a largo area of tidal flats near tlio town wharf could be -reclaimed, which would 1)0 extremely valuable for, buildiiifj sites.

■ Mr. W. E. Hagger, officor in clinrgo of the Ciiristchurcli branch,, of tlio Department of Labour, says that the conditions arc fairly good for tlio time-of tho year. There are not many applications from unskilled workers, and he has ha£ no difficulty in placing such as wero good, upstanding,, willing men. It is his opinion that this will bo a good winter, despite tho rn/hor general belief that there will be slackness in some branches of tlio building trade, notably amongst bricklayers. There is still a most marked sliortago o£ female labour, and lie says, "I don't know that we shall ever catch liup with it."