LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1748, 13 May 1913, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A deputation from tho Wellington branch of the British Medical Association will interview tho lion. 11. D. Bell on I Thursday afternoon next. Although in some respects tlio close season for Native game, which otherwise would obtain throughout the Dominion I his year, lias been, modified, an absilutoly rle.-c season is being maintained so iar as pigeejis arc concorncd. A number of people, in ignorance of this fact, have addressed inquiries and applications to tho Minister for Internal Affairs,, but no departure has been made from liis announced decision on the subject. The draft of a proposed Order-in-Council is beiiijf prepared by the city solicitor (Mr. J. O'Shea), by which tho 'Wellington City Corporation will, if tho Order is agreed (o by his Excellency and his advisers, be empowered to exteud tho Newtown lino to the I'ark, and to duplicate the line in Upper Willis Street. 'J ho Order will also provide for the use cf coupled cars and trailers on certain section:; of line. Instruction in political economy should, in the opinion of the executive o! tho Tanuiaki branch of the New Zealand Farmers' Union, be made a compulsory subject in the higher schools. At the annual provincial conference, which is to be held on Thursday next, tho executive will table the following remit:—That with a view to counteracting the injury caused by the dissemination of fallacious viows by tho Socialists and single-fnxers, this conference urges that political economy bo made a compulsory subject in the higher schools. Tlio City Fire Brigade received a call to the Occidental Hotel yesterday morning'. The roof of the boiler-room hud become ignited, but tl.r l tire was soon siippm'scil. Very little damage was done. Auckland will be invaded this week by a large number of Freemasons. Tho occasion will be the- annual communication of the Grand Lodge of New Zealand,.which is to open in the Town 'Hall to-morrow mornin:,', and will coiviinuo on the following day. The feature of the proceedings, apart iron! the deliberative work, will bo tho re-installation of ,M.\V. Bro. Maurice (of Tnverc.'ijjiHl) into the office of grand master, 'to which lie has been reelected by tlio unanimous consent of (ho lodges of tho territory. It is anticipated, that the pathological and bacteriological block, which is being eroded in the grounds of the Wellington Hospital, will be completed in about a month's lime, and that the building will be ready for occupation about iho end of September or early in October Net until then will the new arrangement whereby Mr. Hurley will become tho joint-otlicer (.liarteriologist) of the Government and _ Hie board take effect. In accordance with a re-;i!uii.;n ya-.-ed at. the filial meeting of the old Jlo-jJilal end Charitable Aid Board, a cable message ha? boon forwarded to Dr. llardwieke Smith by Dr. Valintine (Tnspeclor-llonoral of cancelling his in-lruelions to engage a bacteriologist, but so far uo reply has been received. In council ion w.ilh I lie compel it : oi> for lite hot de-ign lor I lie I) un i u Town ilall. •« hicli is to tie erected -hoi'tli". .Mr. S. Iliir-I. Seager. 1'.11.1.H.A., of ('luiMchurcli. lie-* ti-'cu iipic l inl.nl a-. ;i , r- J to ilr.m up tho umililijlis of llio constifliliou. I

Yesterday, Detective Abbott arrested a man on a charge of his having committed a serious olfeuce ill the liutanical Gardens. A farmer, who was alleged to have been hit, by a pellet from a shot buii, was being cro-s-cxamined by counsel in the Supreme Court yi-skrday, and was asked if it. was Iml common tor a goi;d deal of rabbitshooting to bo done on his property, 'the witue.-s admitted that some was done, and .-laird thai, he would not, object to anyone >liooling a rabbit on his property, "t don't suppose I hoy would lake you for a rabbit:'' inquired the Chief Justice (Sir Ji.ii.i'i't Stout) wit'll (i smile, and the witness negative reply was lost in Die laughter Dial aroso from Iho back of the court. There lire 559 third-class passengers on board the K..M.S. Al'henic, which is duo at Wellington from London to-ilay. Of that number -10 uro coming nut under Government assistance. There are 7(1 domcMie servants, 2(1 farmers and I'annlabaurers, !)U wives who are coming out to rejoin their husbands, and 78 children. Passengers to the number oi' 113 were approved by tho llig'li Commissioner, and 117 were nominated by relatives iu New. Zealand. To this day tho surviving influence of tho Continuous Government's' policy prevents the settlement of A'ntivo lands, as was seen at the recent attempt of tho Jieform Government to buy Kawhia blocks (says tho Auckland "licrald"). 'J'heso blocks are still worth no uioro than a lew shillings per acre, and are only being held back, uncultivated and unrated until our British settlers are ready to bh rackrented. Already idle Maoris, who have never contributed a hand's turn to the. progress of 1 lie country, are driving about" in motor-ears, bought with rent-money, but we never hear a protest against this fleecing of our settlers from those who are so anxious to protect the country ( from the imagined machinations of -Mr. ilassey. The Deform Government has eliminated political influence from the Civil Service, is restoring business management to the railways, is proceeding to rcot out the monstrous "roads aiul bridges" system which placed electorates at the mercy of party wire-pullers, ami is determined to givo to tho small settler a homestead of his own; for all these doings and intentions (adds tho "Herald") it is anathema.in the eyes of those who were influential under tho old regime, and who, having no case, can only "abuse tho other side."

Reporting List evening on the effects of the recent storm, the engineer to lho Unit Boron,;h Council observed that tlio meteorological disturbance of May 8 and 9 was accompanied by a dowjipour of rain phenomcnu! in its severity. "Five hundred and seventy point's of rain fell in Wellington." he said, "and I have reason ' to believo that much moro than that fell in the Wainni district. Tho; greatest_damago dono to the roads was in the Waimii Hill, where there was a big wash-out in Sinclair's Gully. Portion of the road was ■washed away, and the remainder was completely blocked. 'J'here wero minor slips on (ho Waimti Hill, and ,sonie on tlie Belmont and Normandalc Roads, but nothing serious. A largo quantity of watercress and river weed gathered at the bridge over the Waiwetu Stream oh the Wainni Bead, and as it was obstructing tho ilow of the water has had to bo removed. A considerable amount of debris and rubbish collected in the catchpit on the western Ilutt Boad. The Toller aiul crusher were both caught in the river, but have since been taken from tho river-bed, little the warso for their misadventure." The new bridge at Moonshine (Ilntt) is to bo formally opened on May '24. A public lunchcon is to be held ill iho Oddfellows' Hall, Trentham, in honour of the event. To-morrow afternoon tho unveiling ot the.. Highland cairn which has been eroded in memory of the late Sir .Donald Jl'Leau will take placo at ■ Maplcr South. l''roM tho manner in which every nook and corner of tho Town llall is at present occupied by various branches of tho city corporation staff, it is pretty evident that further accommodation will have to be. provided in the not far distant future. An inquiry as to where o® officer was located revealed tlio tact that ho occupied one oi* the uyshiir? cloakroom** nt 'tho rear of tho main hull. An* other cloak-room was found to bo occupied by the Tramways stall'. The sinnll rooms on either siclo of the organ loft are at present fully occupied by draughtsmen of one branch of tho city engineer s department, and at least two rooms in the basement aro being used by clerks in tho employ of the chief returning ofheer. One, colloquially called the screen Toom (where the polling-booth screens are packed awav) had an inch or two of water in it when tho statf arrived yesterday morning, and a quantity of sawdjist had to bo strewn over the floor before tho cellar could be occupied. There the clerks were engaged in ascertaining the liajiio? of thoso electors on t(io re 1 who had pot recorded their votes at tho recent clec lion Each ono who is found to liayo neglcctcd to record his vote is to be communicated with forthwith in order to ascertain if ho or she is still available as a voter. This work is all being dono by artificial light. Swinging tho axo and smashing back doors an<l windows has been (says tho Sydney "Sun") a practice very much indulged in by thieves recently. lho latest case is reported by Arthur .J. Brown, of Carrington Road, KnndwicU, whose place was entered yesterday afternoon and ..Et in gold and X3O worth ot iowcllcrv taken from the front bedroom. The daring of tho thieves is apparent when it is realised that they answered a knock at the front door and to d a liulv who called to see Mrs. Brown that she was not in. and would not rctliiii lor sonio time. Mrs. Brown had lett; tho house some time previously. » hw' hei friend railed and a. wo l-dresscd man answered 'the door, she did not- suspect lhat the house was being overhauled by thieves, and went quietly awav. But on Mr* Brown returning home she ionwl the contents of. 'two bedrooms considerably (disturbed. All hough tho haul was a good one, the thieves missed some' money which had bseu placed m a to m »«« ' s-anio room as 'tho ono iroiu vliicli tlicy obtained (heir plunder. New Zealand is not doing enough to bring itself before tho British putyic, according to Mr. Jl. M. M'Calluni, who has i just returned to the Dominion from a visit to England and the Continent*. Itc pointed out"to an Auckland "Herald representative that the London oilices of tho'High Commissioner are situated in an insignificant building miles out ot tlio city, while tho .Australian and Canadian oilices, on the other hand, arc in cential positions, ami frequently attracted altention. Whilo admitting that the trade or (ho Dominion is being well looked after bv the new High Commissioner. Mr. M'Tallum considers that !Xew Zealand is sadly lacking in enterprise as far as ihe question of immigration is concerned.