LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1783, 23 June 1913, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Hie s.s. Wimmera arrived at Auckland from Sydney at 4 o'clock yesterday afternoon.. The inward English and 'Australian mails will arrive in Wellington this evening. To-day, the I'rince of Wales's Birthday, is not being at all generally observed as a holiday. The City Council offices will be closed, but all the Government oflices, insurance ollicos, and banks will not. A few wholesale firms are closing, 'but all the retailers will be opeiuas usual.; Parliament win uo opened on Thursday by Commission, ami the llouso of Representatives will at. once proceed with the election of a new Speaker. The Commissioners to open Parliament oil such occasions ore generally members of Ihe Legislative council, ft. is probable that on this occasion they will be the Speaker of the Legislative Council (the lion. C. C. Bowen), the Hon. 11. J). Bell, Leader of the Council, the Hon. Charles .lolmston, and the Clerk of Parliament (lli - . 1,. Btowe). The number of children whom the Roman Catholics of the llominion are educating in their own schools is M.flHI), not tl),(lull as was Muled in Ihe report of Archbishop O'Slusi's address on Saturday, j

Tho Mayor of (lie city lias invited tho school headmasters, tlio cliairincn of school committees, i\n<l others interested in tin? i>lan( of vacant spaces in Wellington lo meet liini in his room ill; the Town ITnlI oil Wednesday at 5 o'clock, to discuss a scheme for the proper celebration of Arbor Day. The festival falls 011 Wednesday, July lfi.

The steamer Putiki's troubles with her creiv still continue, telegraphed our Wangnnui correspondent 011 Saturday. On Friday night a new crew arrived from Wellington, and with the exception of one man, who promptly went nftra.v, sinned the original agreement". The missing sailor was given till Saturday morning to put in an appearance, but he still failed to (urn up, and another man signed 011 in his place. Willi tho crew completed, it looked as if the vessel's troubles were over, but meantime one of those who had signed on slipped away for a jaunt: ashore, and up till Saturday afternoon had not been traced, though it was hoped lie would be "roixul in" (luring the evening. The six men who refused to sign the new articles returned to Wellington by train.

The ITiitaitai Municipal Electors' Association has set up a beautifying committee to view sites anil recommend suitable shrubs for planting in various parts. The association has also decided to bring under the notice of the City Council the «cci'?sity of erecting lamps in tho road leading to Rcsencath as it is considered unsafe at night owing to the increased motor traffic in that: part.of the city.

During the coining session a Parliamentary Committee will be asked to consider tho proposal to establish a' Board of Scientific Advice and cognate matters. It has been decided to refer to thfc same committee for its consideration two alternate proposals regarding the provision! of better accommodation for the Dominion Museum. In announcing the fact, the Hon. H. I). Bell refalled that soon after the present Government came into ofliee it was considered that the portion of the old Parliamentary Buildings now used as a library and committee rooms could bo used as a .museum building. If it were possible to wait until the completion of the new Parliamentary Building, ho added, a very large sum would be raved by adopting tho proposal -mentioned. 011 tho other hand there was space for tho erection of a new building on tho site of tlio present Museum, and on. portion of old Museum ■ Street. It had now been decided to refer both proposals to the Parliamentary Committee of which ho had spoken.

The Government has already shown itself alive to tho need of adding to tho number of workers' homes in Wanganui, gays our ■ Wanganui correspondent. To provide tlie necessary land, the State has just concluded the purchase of five and n half acres of lajid in the Gonville district, which is to 6b subdivided at once. The residents of 'Mirainar aro much interested in the of the suggested amalgamation with the city, and a public meeting has been, convened to consider tlio advantages that would ba gained from such a union. Messrs-. John Brodie and H. P. ltawson, who are supporters of the proposal, Have been, asked to address the meeting, the date of which will be anuounced later. In view of the Prince of Wales's BirtliJay, to-day, there will bo a'short sitting of the Magistrate's Court at 9 o'clock this morning, when some ten persons, including three women, will brought forward on charges of insobriety.

An interesting address was given before tho Men's Brotherhood yesterday by Dr. Valintine, who spoko of his work among the sick of the Dominion. Dr. Valintine stated that Wellington was tho bestequipped for administering help to the invalid, but Auckland nearly equalled Wellington. He spoko of the hardship anil suffering that women had to endure in tho ba6k-blocks and tho necessity of .sending trained and district nurses to help them. No country in tho world, 110 said, had so many hospitals as Now Zealand, and our mortality stood the lowest among the nations. Cancer, 110 stated, was increasing, or perhaps it was that the facilities for' tracing the disease were greater. Again there might be some factor in our modern way, of living. to .promote tho increase of the.disease. ...A. vote of thanks was passed to Dr. Valintine'for his address.