LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1803, 16 July 1913, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The postal authorities advise that the s.s. Ulimaroa, ivhich sailed from Sydney on Saturday, lias 011 board an Australia!) mail. The s.s. Tahiti, which left Sydney on the same day, is also bringing a small Australian mail. Both steamers'are due in Wellington to-day. The mails which left Wellington on' June 6, per_ s.s. Moeraki, and connected v:ith the Naples dispatch, per H-.M.S. Orvieto, arrived in London 011 July 13. The neiv badges which will shortly be issued to memlwrs of the Xew Zealand police have now arrived in New Zealand irom Home. The badge, which constables will wear on their helmets, will be of dull bronze, larger than the one now worn, and different in design. The design of the central device in the new 1 badge is the monogram, N.Z.P. (New Ze.v | land Police), the letters being elegantly I interlaced, circled by a fern leaf 011 cither side, and surmounted by a crown, Tho badges to be worn on the offices' 1 helmets will be the same in design but of rather better metal. A smaller badge will be worn on officers' cap 3, but the shape of the cap is to be changed. The new cap to be worn is to bp similar in shape to that worn by Territorial officers. No silver braid will be worn 011 tho caps of officers. Iheir rank will be designated m tho m f ame W «.V «s that of military officers: Tho .Commissioner will wear on his shoulder-straps a crown and two stars; sujKH'infcendents will wear a crown; inspectors will wear three stars; and sub-in-spectors two stars. Already senior sergeants mr a crown on the sleeve instead of foui* stripes, but no change is contemplated in regard to the badge of rank of sergeant, Ihe "early days" were briefly mentioned at last night's meeting of tho Wellington City Council. It is tho custom at tlra coun'cil to deal with notices of motion atter other business has .been disposed of, and it has been the'fate of many a councillor to sec his notices of motions deterred tirno and again because thp preceding business has dragged on till a very late hour. Some time ago Councillor J. duller gave notice to movo in a certain direction, but the motion was not calhd on until last night, when it was one of a large batch of deferred notices of motion. "I ask leave to withdraw it now," said Councillor Fuller when his turn came. "It is not worded as I would liki. to see it worded now. It was what I wanted when I gave notice—back in the dark ages." The member for Palmerston (Mr. Buick) is quite confident that ths proposed agricultural college will have to bo somewhere near Palmerston. In. his speech last night in the House of Kcprcscntatives, life referred to the central position of Palmers-' ton, and claimed that 110 other centre wa9 so well adapted to bo the homie of the coming institution. One member suggested Waikato, and another facetiously asked "What about Woodville?" Mr. Buick, however, held to the opinion that Palmerston was tho one and only place for the oollege. , According to the tanmial defence report presented to Parliament yesterday, the . special central camp of instruction held last year at Trentham for permanent; officers and non-commissioned officers will be repeated this year in Judy, and all officers and N.C.O.'s of tho Now Zealand Stall Corps and Permanent Staff, and the permanent cadres of tho Royal New Zealand Field Artillery will be assembled for a "refresher" course, and formed into an instructional squadron, an instructional field battery, and ail instructional battalion, which will, the Commandant hopes, be a pattern for all such units. A limited number of Territorial officers and N.C.O.'s and Senior Cadet officers, will also attend this camp. "The Government should prevent private speculators from buying up lands in advance of railway construction, and thus reaping a big profit," said Mr. F. Mander, M.P., in the House of Representatives last evening. He considered that the Government should have some say as to who should get the benefit of the increased value given to tho land by the expenditure of public money. The concert which was organised in connection with tho Moral and Physical Health Society, and held in the Assembly Itooms of the Y.M.C.A. last evening, was very largely attended, and was very successful. Her Excellency the Countess of Liverpool was present, and was received by Dr. Platts-Jlills, president of the society, and Dr. Von Danneville, as well as by members of the coinmittee. Dr. Platts-Mills presented her Excellency with a bouquet of violets, and Mrs. W. F. Jlassey also received one.

I A claim for „CBIO against tho Welling- . ton Qty Corporation has (according to a , statement made by the Mayor at last night's meeting ol' tho council) been lodged by Messrs. Holmes and Harris, of ' Ivaiwarra, as compensation for land taken ; tor tho purpose of constructing a septic | tank and for alleged damage to adjoining land. On the motion of tho Mayor, tho council gave authority to file a denial of ■ the claim. ; One of tho advantages of the frnit- ■ growing industry was pointed out by Mr. ! J. 0. Wilson yesterday to the Fanners' i Union Conference. Fruit-growing, ho said, | was an occupation that women, if they were so inclined, might become very suc--1 eessful at, and it might be combined with poultry-farming with advantage. Tho Spoils Protection League was given i a word of praise by the president of tho Trotting Conference (Mr. John Itowo) yesterday. In his annual address, Mr. Itowo said: "At our last conference reference was made to (lie Sports Protection ; League of New Zealand. lam pleased to . say that since that time considerable advance has been made in the organising of that body, but much remains yet to be done. We must have, before the next triennial (lection comes round—if our sports are to be protected—a branch of our league in every town and village in the Dominion, so that when the time conies that any of our legitimate amusein ents are attacked we will present a united front to tlioso misguided fanatics who would allow us no pleasures in which they themselves did not wish to participate." "Tho question of railway crossings has assumed quite a different aspect since the advent of motors," said Mr. J. G. Wilson at the Farmers' Union Conference yesterday. "Many crossings that would lie safe for horse vehicles are rendered unsafe by the paco motors travel at. Something must bo done to avoid tho many accidents which are happening, though often tho faulMies with tho chauffeur. I am sure tho Department is aware that some better form of warning of an approaching train should bo given, and the public would like to know that this is being provided for." "Although we have got millions in loans from London, money is still very tight," said Mr. J. G. Wilson at tho opening of the Farmers' Union Conference yesterday. "Motor-cars!" was the explanatory statement of a delegate, and the members smiled. The demands of the Fire Brigades' Union were before the City Council last night, and were referred to the Fire Brigades Committee of the council, which is to confer with the union's representatives. Dr. J. S. Purdy, the Chief Health Officer of Tasmania, states that the recent Australian Food and Drugs Conference has been most successful in drawing up uniform regulations and standards for adoption by all tho States. Speaking of the conference to a representative of tho Hobart "Mercury" the other day, he said: "Tho conclusions • which wero come to were such as to satisfy the reasonable requirements of the commercial representatives, and at the same time wero in accordance with the views of the chief medical officers of tho various States and of the Commonwealth. Australia is in tho proud position amongst the outlying portions of the Empire ot having led'tho van as regards legislation for tho control of the manufacture and sale of foods and drugs. Imitation has always been the sincerest form of flattery, and tho fact that Now Zealand, after the 1910 conference, practically adopted en bloc the recommendations of tho Australian conference is a precedent for the Dominion again adopting Ilia conclusions of the second, or 1913, conference," Strong opposition to thu present system of balloting for Crown lancK was expressed in the House of Hepresentatives last evening by Mr. F. Mander, M.P. One man, ho said, might draw a section at his first ballot, whereas another might try' for twenty yc-ars without drawing a section. This was enough to drive a man out of the country. Ho considered that special blocks of land should be set apart by the Government for the benefit of those who wer,s unsuccessful at ballots. At yesterday's meeting of tho Charitable Aid Committee of the Wellington Hospital Board, Mr. Truebridge presented a report giving statement of the charges for maintenance of the children committed *to industrial schools and receiving homes during tho March quarter. Tho number of children charged for was 207, the total sum being .£l2lO Bs. Bd., an average gross cliargo of 7s. per child per week. The Education Department had collected from responsible persons the sum of ,£342 IBs. Id., being about 2s. per child pw week. The average weekly charge oil the board was thereforo ss. per week. The Fire Brigade received, a call yesterday afternoon to a six-roomed dwelling owned by Mrs. Iv. Christie, and unoccuinied, in Frederick Street. The dwelling has been empty for about a week, and nothing is known as to liow tho fire originated. The back portion of tho house, was extensively damaged. Tho owner of the honso resides at Wailii. Ten teachers under the Nelson Education Board are at present suffering from indisposition, and the authorities are re- ( ported to be experiencing somo difficulty in making temporary arrangements to . fill their places.