LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1756, 22 May 1913, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A Press Association telegram from Christchurch states that over 130,000 fleoplo have visited It.M.S. New Zealand while she has been at Lyttelton.

At about 5- o'clock yesterday afternoon Lieutenant J. 11. "Smith, 'an officer in tho Territorials, was juTested by Detective-Sergeant Casadls and 'Detective Mason on a charge of having, on or about January 1, 1913, at Trentham, committed an indecent act on the Treiithnm liii'e Knngo with intent to insult a certain cadet.

"What have they boon doing this past 37 'years?" asked Bishop Cleary, when speaking of tho religious instruction uiven bv the body of tho iiible-in-schools in tlie course of his address at Tiniaru recently. Keplying to his own question, the Bishop said: "They've slept beneath the sun; they've lived the life of going-to-do, and died with nothing done."

At Inst night's meeting of (ho Victoria Collcko Council it was derided to award (lie two Jacob Joseph scholarships to tho following-.—-Jliss Winifred Angus Cathie, who gained first-class honours in botany; anil to Mr. Frank Oswald Victor Achevon, who sained b'vCiiiul~tlabs honours in international law, contracts and torts, and company law.

Tho stormy weather experienced at Gisbornc last week has caused tho stranded steamer Star of Canada tp disappear almost entirely. Up. (o a few weeks <ii»o tho vessel's stern was high out of the water, and although her bows were not. visible, her decks, from the foremast running aft, were well above water. The wreck lias now sunk fully 10ft. by (ho stern, hor roils and deck bcins awash, part of the deck cabins and funnel bcins alone visible. Tho doomed steamer's back is evidently broken, while her foremast is imngitiK over the sido <it an angle of IMeg. The Auckland "Herald" states that when the Maitai left Gisliorue on Saturday the heavy sons were breaking right over 'the steamer. In the opinion of several shipmasters another such g.ile as that reeent:ly experienced will see the last of this one-timo splendid ship.

It is usual for Ihe State schools of Wellington to take the mid-winter vacation in two sections of a week each, but this winter the first section will cover leu days. This, however, does not mean Hint tile children will cct ten days' clear holiday, as the term includes two_ Saturdays and Sundays and the King's liiriliilay. The holidays will extend from h'riilay next io Wednesday. .Tune t.

The Wellington branch of the Hoform l.eague have taken rooms in liallance Street, which rooms will be the permanent iillices of I lie letigue. A general secretary ha< b-n-n appointed, who will be in at tendance to give information regarding the objects of the league to all who may a J k tor it.

Shortly after noon yesterday the Government steamer Tu tauekai left port for Aharon, « here she is to act as fonder to 11.i11.5. New Zealand. Tho warship is due io arrive at that port on Saturday next from LyltoHon,

"Good work is being dono by Mr. Perry and his staff at the Newtown Museum in classifying tho bird specimens," said the Mayor (Mr. J. P. Luke) yesterday. "1 was up thero last (Tuesday) night . . . and there had been a meeting of the Advisory Board of tho Museum, tho members .of which invited mo to havo a look at what was being done. One thing keen observers-will miss for tho futuro will bo tropical birds with an Arctic background and Arctic birds among trees. Tho birds aro being set olf in surroundings which arc ns nearly as possible an imitation of their nature conditions. As wo have not now tlio services of Mr. Yuille, I am looking round for a taxidermist to sltilt and set somu good specimens of bird-lifo well worth displaying."

The project to raiso funds for installing a clock in tho empty tower of tho Town Hall is being energetically taken up by tlio Orphans' Club. A meeting of members of the club was held last night, at which tlio scheme was discussed. It is estimated that tho cost of a suitable clock will l)o about JCI2OO, and that is tho sum the promoters have set out to raise. A strong committee was set up by the meeting, and it was decided to seek tlio cooperation of other musical societies in Wellington in organising a scries of concerts or entertainments to raise tlio necessary mon»y. Tho committee havo [rawer io add to. their number. It is proposed also to ask tho assistanco of tho proprietors of picturo theatres, in tlio slmpo of benefit nights. Tho committee meet on Friday night, and later a meeting will be held to which representatives of other societies will probably be invited.

A gloomy outlook 6eeins to prevail in Auckland for furniture-makers. A local return prepared bv the secretary of tho union shows that from the beginning of January up to the present liiiio more than 500 days' work has l>cen lost by tho 300 odd members of tho local union. Thoro is always a slackeuing-otF in tho trado during tho winter months, but it seems to be mora pronounced than usual.

Tho necessity for deepening Westport Harbour and making it available for deep-sea transport is being strenuously urged by Jlr. F. F. Munro, chairman of the Westport Harbour Board. At tho last meeting of tho board Mr. Munro pointed out that tho Empire might at any day bo engaged in an international struggle, and they would havo a better chance of winning the fight if they had tho best coal. 110 believed they could render much_ greater service to the Empire by making a deep-sea harbour on the coast to allow of tho coal being obtained for the Admiralty than in any other way. They might appeal through the proper channels to tho Admiralty to make a cool port at Westport. They could store 50,000 tons of coal at Westport, selling and replenishing in order to keep the supply fresh, 110 believed tho Admiralty, if appealed to, would contribute in order to mako Westport a coal port.

During tho past year 372 men, and 141 women were students at Olago University. By far tho biggest classes were in tho arts course, in which 128 liven and 95 women wero enrolled. Medicino followed with 112 mo.il and 9 women. Including exempted students, 539 took classes.

■Duncdin is probably tho last of tho centres to tako up seriously tho arts and crafts section of technical education, but beginning late, sho docs so with thie best equipment in the Dominion. A sum of nearly iIOOO has been spont to transform tho old Moray Place School gymnasium into an arts and crafts school and to install complete equipment, and the workmen, tho "Star" state?, are now ready to leave. The principal studio is 50ft. long by 35ft. wide, and contains bench accommodation for 28 students, each of whom has his separate electric light. There is also one 120 candle-power lamp fixed on a radial arm, so that tho light, may be thrown, full on the living model. In all there are five studios, including the instnictor's private one, which will also 1)0 used as a classroom.

A glowing pictnro of tho possibilities of tho coalfields at Blackburn was painted by Mr. 'F. F. Munro, chairman of. tho Westport Harbour Board, a ton- days' ago, at a meeting of tho board. Mr. Mi:nro said they should get tho necessary authority for "the opening up of these fields, which lie about six miles beyond Mokiliinui. He had talked the matter oyer Willi Mr. Jforgan, Government Geologist', who stated that there did not appear to botliecoal in the Jlackley district that had been anticipated, but there was an enormous field at Blackburn quits equal to" Stockton and Millerton combined. It could probably bo opened for .£150,000 or JC170.000.

The "Southern Cross Log" will in future be published in Auckland, under the editorship of the Rsv. W. G. Monckton (Lake Takapnua). The Bishop of Melanesia has appointed Archdeacon 2vei!d (of Dunedin) as general secretary nnd bisnop's commissary, and ho will take up his residence in Auckland on July 1. In tlio meantime Archdeacon Caldcr will continue to act as bishop's commissary.

Owing to tho scarcity of milk, Auckland dairymen, in tho majority of cases, have reduccd their rounds to ono per day. This, they state, has been rendered imiKTativo by the serious falling-oiY in supplies. The. price of milk in Auckland l.as not yet been raised beyond <tkl. per quirt, except in a few cases; but should tho shortage continue, it is not unlikely that there will bo a further general increase m tho price. Grocers, oil the other hand, oro stated by the "Herald" to Iw reaping a harvest from the greatly-increased sales of condensed milk.

A Gisborno motor-cyclist (Mr. G. Anderson) travelled from ltotorna to Gisoprno on Sunday, a remarkable journey, considering the rough nature of the' country and the unfinished state of the. roads. Ho left Rotorua at 7.15 a.m., and reached GisIkinie at 8.15 p.m., the run of 2TO r.iiles being accomplished in 13 hours.

Tho residents of tho Catlins and other districts of Southland, where opossums exist to any extent havo been making largo cheques since the protection H'j.s removed, and many have left their ordinary occupations to follow the more remunerative calling of opossum tr.inping, which promises to continuo to yield px Iden returns so long as the supply lusts. The 6kins are fetching from ss. to Bs. o.lch. Tho other day when a buyer visited Catlins, a lad came, along with 30 skins, which were tho result of his morning's work.

The member for Hutt, Mr. T. M. Wilford, has addressed the following letter to tho Minister for Railways, the Hon. 11. Herries:—"A slip has occurred on tho Hutt lioad; the amount of spoil deposited on tho road through the 6lip is estimated at 40,000 tons; to shift such spoil would cosit tho local authorities having control of this road at least 2s. per load; local authorities may have, no placo to deposit, such spoil; the possibility of other such slips later on is not remote. Tho construction of tho Hutt Koad was undertaken by the Railway Department; tho recurrence of slips may mean in tho future a liability on tho controlling authorities of many thousands of pound# annually. In view of these facts, I should like to know whether tho Government iniomls, on vesting tho road in tho local bodies, to indemnify such local bodies against liability in the cns<» of further slips occurring,' seeing that tho construction of such road and side walls was. carried out by the Hail way Department."

In order to prevent overcrowding til its luncheons the New Zealand Club h.is decided tlial no visitors who nro residents of Wellington will be permitted to attend in future. In yesterday's report: of (lie annual meeting it was inadvertently staled Unit no visitors not Wellington residents would lx> allowed to attend.

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