LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1786, 26 June 1913, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The .mails which left Wellington on May-10 per s.s. Maungauui, and connected with the Naples dispatch per 11.M.5. Mooltan, arrived in London on Juno 22. Thirteen Departmental messengers, who have readied, or passed, the age of l>s years, have been notified that they will Ik? retired on superannuation as from September 30 next. On retiring they will be granted three month's' leave of absence 011 full pay, so that their superannuation allowances will commence 011 January 1, 1914. The Government now has under consideration a. recommendation by the Public Service Commissioner that messengers retiring in this way should liavo their superannuation allowances, where they would otherwise bo less, made up by pension payments to the following "scale:—Single men, 20s. per week. Married men (less than ten years service), 255. per week. Married men (ten years' service or more), 30s. per week." Thus, if tho recommendation is acted upon, 110 Departmental messenger wilV retire upon a pension ,of less than 20s. per week. The secretary of tho recently-formed Wellington Pire Brigades Union lias written to the City Council submitting a proposed new schedule of wages and regulations for time off and holidays. Tho union ask that these conditions be embodied in an industrial agreement, or, failing this,, that a conference bo held to discuss the demands, and, if. necessary, to draw up an amended schedule. Briefly, the union's demands are for nil all-round increase of • r is. per week per man, and for a full day oil' in every seven instead of the eleven hours a week allowed now. . The New Zealand Shipping Company's steamer Remucra berthed at the Queens Wharf yesterday morning, after her voyAge from Home. The vessel brought 143 assisted passengers, including 2fi farm labourers and 42 domestic servants, loiu; third-class passengers were found ito bo suffering from scarlet fever on examination by the Port Health Ofiicer. llio ■sufferers—two men and two childrenwere removed to the Infectious Diseases Hospital.

During a case in tho Magistrate's Court yesterday, in which two young rn.en were charged'', with being _ concerned in dishonest obtaining of jewellery belonging to Mr. Charles Jenkins, one of New Zealand's best-known jockeys, counsel for the accused asked Mr. Jenkins if some of his jockey acquaintances had not from timo to time visited his residence. "I meet a lot of friends, but I don't meet many .thieves," was the horseman's quiet reply.' Information was contained in a Press Association message from Auckland, published yesterday, to the elfcct that the Mining Committee of the Auckland Exhibition had criticised the reported intention of tho -Minister for Mines to abstain from installing an exhibit. Questioned .On the subjcct yesterday,' the, Hon. W. Fraser said that a certain' amount of the Exhibition was taken up by the Minister for Internal Affairs, on behalf of the Government, in March or April last. Cabinet had not'yet decided what Departments should be asked to exhibit, nor lrfad it decided how much should 1m spent upon tlie Government Court at the Exhibition. A portion of the space that had been taken would probably be used by tho Mines Department for a Mining Court. The matter of separate representation for New Zealand in connection with tho International Olympic Sports will come up for discussion at a meeting of the Olympic Council to be held to-mprrow evening. The executive of tho Wellington Orphans' Club have received a communication from the town clejrk accepting the offer of the club to promote funds for the niose of installing a clock in the Town tower. A'special meeting of the (;x----ecutivo has been called for this evening to consider the whole question, when a scheme -will bo drawn up and laid before all members at tho. Orphanosium oy Saturday evening in the Masonic Hall. • It is anticipated that the matter will be taken up with great enthusiasm, and the committee announce the fact that they will bo pleased' to receive and fullv consider anv suggestions from any member of the club on Saturday. Mr. E. D. llanlon will preside, and Dr. Mason, M.D., will deliver a short lecturette to members on Saturday. A copy of the. annual report of tho Royal Life Saving Society of London has been received by the chairman of the Wellington Centre. The report states that excellent reports were received from branches at Home and in tli? colonies, several having had record seasons. A further gratifying faot was ' that all the branches in New Zealand and four out of the five branches of Australia, now cnjoved tli? support and financial assistance ofi tho respective Governments.

Bronze medallions anil proficiency certificates lmvc'been awarded by the Welliii"ton Centre of :tho Koyal Life Sa\ing Sccictv to Miss 15. Gibbs, Miss M. Butler, and Miss D- Bolton, of the Seagull Life Saving .Squad, and to Mcsws. J. H. BLawrence, F. A. Beller, A, Mains, I'. L. Tyler W. Lorenson, A. J. Barton, H. L. Wilson, S. M. Bisli, and C. Dowiuud, Carterton .Swimming Club; and T. Woodcock, Lvall Bay Surf Life Sa\ing Club \n honorarv instructor s certificate has also been if sued Jo Chas. 11. Bowen, Carterton Amateur .Swimming Club. "The price of land, I belidve, is much the same no\£ as it was 12 months ago; but the price of cows is steadily on the increase, being now J.'- more than it was a year Thus spoke a farmer at Monday night's meet ill,? of the Auckland Wholesale Milk Vendors' Association. He commented on the fact that for . some time past the milk suppliers had been having a verv hard lime to make both ends meet owim; to the rise of all commodities used in the production of uiilk. On ill is top of this had come one of the worst seasons, from a milk point or view, experienced for some years.

Tho Wellington Accountants* Students' Society held its annual re-unionlast_ night in Godber's Kooms. Mr. W. B. Hudson presided, and Mr. J. P. Luke (Ma,>ol), Colonel Collins, anil Mr. D. Robertson were tho guests of honour. A short address was given by the president, who stated that tho Wellington Society was the parent body 'of all the kindred branch societies, -and was a power for good. A lengthy list of toasts was honoured. An enjoyable musical programme was gone through, the following giving items: Messrs. C. V. Molir, l'\ Ilowse, 11. Wilson, C. Kussell, A. Oakey, Devercnux, and 11. N. I'lelclicr.

"That .the Government be again urged to adopt .tho scheme of through booking bv vail and sea." This is one of the rtv hi its to be dealt with by the tanners 'Union Conference next month. Thii tcfn Chinamen returned lo the Dominion ye.-terda.v by the s.s. \\ llkichra, sifter u Holiday spent in China. The annual meeting of shareholders of tiie Bank of New Zealand to-day promises to be more then ordinarily interesting. Proposals are to be made, it is understood, that authority be sought Ijy the bank to increase its capital by the issue of new sliiires, and also to take '.lie necessary steps to have the boaril of directors so reconstituted as to give shareholders a greater representation on tiio board. At present two directors are elected by the shareholders and four are appointed bv the Government, and it is probable that it wilt be proposed that tho shareholders shall have four representatives oil the directorate, and llio Government two. It is 'likely that the matter of the retirement of the urllion sterling of capital guazanied by the Government will be discussed. The meeting may also decide to obtain' a ruling of the Court as to whether prefcrenfce sntrebolders' have any right to participate m the reserve fund, and whether t.'iey si'.fill bo entitled to share iu the issue of the new ordinary shares.