LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1752, 17 May 1913, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

According to a wireless message received last evening tho Maheno, which is bringing mails from Australia to Auckland this week, is not expected to arrive at that port before 5 a.m. on Monday, so that the Wellington and southern portion of tho mails will not rcacli here until Tuesday afternoon.

Tlio express from Auckland to Wellington arrived in Wellington twenty-five minutes late yesterday; The train lost' <i Break deal moro than that time—upwards of an hour, in fact— tat a station beyond Jfaurimu, owing (it is stated) to one of tlio tablet staff, who should havo been on hand, oversleeping himself. Tho train reaches Raurimu before daybreak at this time of ycar ( so ttat such an untoward happening is by no means an impossibility. No ship over listed in tlio Royal Navy has received ono-tentli of the visitors that havo boarded the New Zealand since sho was commissioned barely six months ago, says tho Christcluirch "Press." Hundreds of ships, many as fiuo as the New Zealand, havo passed, and will pass, through their whole careers in tho Navv without receiving visitors other than officials and tho friends of the officers and crew. Nearly fear hundred thousand havo crossed the gangways of the New Zealand in threo months, and the ship has only completed half of her Dominion tour, and lias yet to cross the Pacific and round two sides of the American Continent. Soon after leaving the school at Cavrington on Wednesday afternoon, Miss L. Feist, tho schoolmistress, had a somewhat sensational experience (says i our local correspondent). Sho was driving home in her gig when tho horso took fright and bolted, and got beyond tho control of tho driver. After traversing tho road some distance, Miss Foist either jumped from the gig or was thrown out. She was found on tho roadsido in a dazed condition, having received ft severe wound on lver forehead, .and she was badly bruised. She was attended to at lier homo by her neighbours, and although much shaken ond bruised is not seriously hurt. The horsa continued i'ts gallop nearly into Carterton, where it was stopped by Mr. Jlawteu and taken back home. No damage was dono to either tho horse or figMr. Royd Garlick, Director of Physical Instruction, is to address tho members of the Wellington Branch of tho New Zealand Educational Instituto next Friday v.eek (May ,'iO), at 8 p.m.

Tho Marino Department received advice yesterday to the effect that Mr. W. A. Fraser, Government l.ightliouso Expert, who left Whangarei for Moko Ilinau lighthouse in accompanied by threo others on May i, had arrived safely at Whangarei. .Tho long delay, which' caused somo anxiety, was occasioned by extra work wliich had to bo done.

Tho Scottish Socicty of Wellington will hold thoir concert in t'ho Town Hall on Wcdnosday evening at 8 o'clock. . Admission will bo 2s. to tho balcony and Is. to the body of tho hall.

'l'lio examiners of tho Inspection of Machinery Department held examinations recently at Alexandra .South, Auckland, Christcluirch, Cromwell, Domett, .Dunedin, Uisborne, Greymouth, Invercargill, Kaikoura, Karamea, Napier, Nelson, i'ahiatua, ValniTstoii North, Timnru, Trypheiui, Wanganui, AVolliii(jtou, and Westport. Candidates sat for tho following classes of certificates:—i'irst-class marine engineer, second-class marine engineer, third-class marine engineer, river engineer, and engineers of auxiliary powered vessels other than steam (both for seagoing and river trade), extra first-class engineer, first-class stationary-engine driver, second-class stationary enginedriver, second-class sttaionnry enginedriver, locomotive and traction-engine-driver, winding-engine-driver (for mining certificates), and electric train driver. Of •the two hundred and eighty-six candidates two hundred and twenty-three were successful.

The sale of privileges in connection I with the Otaki Maori Racing Club took place yesterday. Tlio outsido Rales were sold to Mr. J. Cameron for .£l5B, Mr. J. 'l'ruman taught the two publican's booths for £73 and .£3O 10s. respectively, the outsido stand was taken l»y Mr. Hodgman for i's 10s., and the horso p'addock by Mr. If. George at M 2. At tho next meeting of the Makara County Council the chairman (Mr. F. T. Moore) will movo that the following be a remit for the counties' conference in July next: "That in order to improvu arterial county roads, in the interests of motorists, tho Counties Act bo so amended that a county may levy an annual tax not exceeding ss. per liorse power, upon all power-drivon vehicles, the owners of which reside in any county or in any city borough, or town district within tha boundaries of a county." Tho much-despised pinus insignis, tho same which is always being exclaimed against by road enginers and aggrieved neighbours for shutting out sunlight, has somo whole-hearted admirers among tho members of tho Forestry Comniission. Amongst a few interesting exhibits which tho Commission carries about is a wide board cut from a' pinus insignis log ;i and it has surprised nioro 'than ono witiiess. Grown under forest conditions, t'lio tree shoots up a long, branchless barrel, so that when tho timber is cut it is perfecti ly straight in tho grain, and frco from knots. It is fairly strong, charged with resin, and thereforo distasteful to tho dreaded borer, and it will stand any amount of nailing. It ia already used for building in parts of Canterbury, and experts have said that it might easily .bo used for butter-box timber if it ivcro seasoned and paraffined to protect tho butter from possible taint from tW resin in tho wood. It is not generally known that tlio timber treo with which tho Government liavo had most success in their afforestation endeavours is the Douglas fir, which, when it arrives here from l'uget Sound, is called Oregon pine. It has been tried in New Zealand only of recent years, but it lias thrived exceedingly well in our climate, evon better than it is supposed to grow in America. It is, of course, a sappy conifer, but tho trees grow with astonishing rapidity. Tho "thinnings" from tlio plantations aro available after twentyfivo years, and at 40 years tlio trees aro quite big enough to make reasonably big saw logs. Tho Wellington City Band will play at Nowtown Park (weather permitting) at 3 o'clock to-morrow afternoon (Sunday). Particulars of to-morrow's church services will bo found on pago 2.