LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1771, 9 June 1913, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Victoria, with mails from Australia, arrived at Auckland at 3.30 p.m. yesterday. The Wellington and southern portion of tho mails will arrive horo by tho Main Trunk express this afternoon. Mr. C. A. Wilkinson, member for Egmont, will move tho Address-in-Boply to' tho Governor's Speech at tho opening of Parliament. Speaking to a reporter on Saturday the Primo Minister said that tho Government hoped beforo long to make an allround advanco in tho limits imposed on borrowing from tho State Lending Department. A few weeks ago tho limit in tho Advances to Workers' Branch was raised from «£SOO to jBiOO. This has been followed up by raising the limit in tho Advances to Settlers' Branch from to .£7OO. In tho matter of loans to local bodies, Mr. Massey stated, tho limit of .ESOCO imposed by tho preceding Government had not in all cases been strictly adhered to of late where local bodies had development works to carry out. Tho citizens' wclcome to tlio Hon. James Allen will bo held at the Town Hall on Friday evening next. In addition to Mr. Allen, the Prime Minister (tlio Hon. W. F. Massey) and other Ministers will address the gathonng. Commissioner Richards, of the Salvation Army, at tho public welcome to officers attending the Army Congress, referred to the Salvation Army bonnet a3 in aid to beauty. These remarks, as reported in The Doiiiniox, were endorsed by a leading Wellington clergyman, wlio in writing to tho Commissioner, acknowledging invitations to tho public meetings of the congress, said ho agreed with tho reference to the Army bonnet. .It suited nil faces except tho sour face, f This acknowledgment was read at yesterdays meeting of the Army, and tho letter also stated that the writer once heard one of Uie most prominent men in the Dominion oay that he was yet to see a sour faco under a Salvation Army bonnet. Whilst bound from Lyttelton to Vclliu»ton the steamer lliniitangi picked up a small flat-bottomed open Doat, 10 feet in length. The boat was taken aboard at 2 nin on Saturday, when the Hunitangi was about 15 miles north of Lyttelton, and was brought on to Wellington by the vessel. There were 110 oars or rowlocks in the punt. Winter school will begin for tho boys in training on tho Amokura to-day. Somo 15 lmys have finished their course of instruction and have been drafted into various steamers in the mercantile marine, and several new lads are about to ioin the Amokura. Their names, and tho place 3 from which they hail, are as follow—J. -\V. Douglas, Milford, Temuka; L. B. Loeder, Timaru; J. I'arkes, Raglan; 1! D. ITavward, Invereargill; I. J. Turner, Auckland; T. E. Govnn, Otautau; N E. Bowater, Falmerston North; D. J. Leith, Auckland; S. H. Eaulkener, Devonport; F. li. Weston. A\aitara; L. P. G Fox, Timaru; N. Davis, Englan; H. 11. Thorpe, Flat Creek; E. G. Sundgren, Lower Ilutt. July 4 next will bo the fiftieth anniversary of the arrival in Auckland of tho 18th fioyal Irish Regiment, which came lo ~ud in the ship Elizabeth Ann Bright (Captain P. Starkoy), telegraphs our" special correspondent at Auckland. The regiment, commanded by LieutenantC'olonef A. A. Chapman, was composed of 10U men, and was tho first in action during the Maori war in tho Waikato. Tho following have been elected officers of the Wadestown Municip.nl Electors' Association for tho ensuing year:—President. Mr. C. It. Smith; vice-president, Mr. F. Brookes; secretary, Mr. J_. 11. Goyden; treasurer, Mr. E. J. Widen; committee, .Messrs. .T. M'Pherson, A. Parlane, G. Taylor, W. Ellis, anil F. A. Besant; auditors, Messrs. E. Wylie, and G. T. Withers.

At a inoctiiifr of the Dominion executive of the Nov.' M'.'ilanii Civil Servico As.so- - ion, held on Friday evening, it was decided 1.0 hold a conference ut delecates of all branches in Wellington 011 Jul? 11. TIIO general Kccretitry (Mr. .T. M. Avery) was given instructions to organise the formation of branches in towns where they do 1101 now exist, ft was reported Hint I lie Public Service Commissioner had oliicially recognised the association. Messrs. A. llatrick and Co., Ltd., tho well-known merchants and motor-car imixnters of Wangamii, Wellington, and Wnitara, have purchased the freehold harbour frontage situ at the corner of Wakelield ami Taranaki Streets, from the Union Steam Ship Co., on which will shortly bo erected a largo warehouse. Mr. "1". T. Moore has written _ Mr. Iliudniarsh, M.V., asking liim to interview the Prime Minister and ascertain whether the Government is willing to bring down legislation in the coining session malting King Country "timber-cut-ting rights" renewablo leases,, so that sawmillcrs can rcafforest the areas of land they are now cutting out. Mr. Moore points out in his letter tjiat "in America tho timber people there perpetuate tlieir supplies by producing trees in from 20 to .10 years. The Oregon pine imported by this country is the product of recent growths. . . . Tho areas of lend held by King Country millers are large enough to keep their mills going continuously if replanting began immediately. Small areas of land would be useless for reafforestation. Tho area must necessarily be large enough t<) grow trees from Hi) to 30 years ahead of tlio time tho mills require them." At the Wellington City Men's Brotherhood yesterday, Mr. W. T. Mills delivered an address on' the subject of "Atheisni in tho Church and Atheism oh the Street." There was a fairly largo gathering, and the Rev, Mr. ltnowles Smith presided. Notice has been given by Councillor H. Budvllo that at) tho next meeting of the City Council 110 will move: "(a) That a return bo prepared showing which of the lessees' or occupiers of parts of tho Town Belt aro committing a breach of their obligations! with regard to gorse; (b) that tho HesorJes Committee be requested to report as to what steps should be immediately taken to cope with the gorse trouble on tho Town Belt; (c) that the Legislation Committee bo requested to- bring down a report as to the introduction of legislation providing that if privato ownera of land, after proper notice,_ do not eradicate the gorse from their land the council or other local body shall havo power to do so at tho owners' expense, and that the cost thereof with interest shall be a charge against the land, and registrable as such, and that service of any notico may be effected by affixing such notico to tho land 1 ." .