LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1815, 30 July 1913, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

"As to , it was urged that ho was a notoriously slow driver, but he managed, according to the evidence, to pet up a speed of 29 miles an hour," observed jju. M'Arthur, in Riving judgment yesterday respecting informations for breaches of the speed limit by motorists" at the Hutt. ''It may only have been a spurt," he continued, "but it happened at an unfortunate spot." The "unfortunate six>t," of course, was the place covered by the time-keepers. "I am very pleaded to say that tlio reports are all good, and vary from satisfactory to very good," said II r. Lee, at yesterday's meeting of the Wellington Education Board, referring to the inspectors' reports on schools under the board's control. Judgment of" the Court of Appeal will bo delivered this morning in the following cases: The Sugar Case, the Southland lease, lioss v. the Minister for Public "Works, and Hex v. Aitken. Tho City Engineer (.Mr. W. Morion) reports that good progress has been mud© with the construction of the new recreation ground at Lyall Bay. About fourteen acres of the site, which was formerly part of the Crawford Estate, but is now civic property, have bee" levelled; and most of this area has also been topdressed. A large number of trees aro being planted down one side of the reserve, which will be available as a iron, eral playground for citizens. TJic work of constructing the new recreation ground at North Ivilbiriiie is also well advanced. The question of increasing the number of public conveniences in tho city, which lias been mentioned at: several, recent ;meetings of. the City Council, ,'is- receiving attention. Tho Mayor (Mr.' ,T. P.* Luke) and the City Engineer (Mr. W. Morton) have gone fully into the matter, and it is expected that a definite report will be ready for consideration at the next council meeting. A new system of monthly school tickets on the tramways is being instituted by the City Council Vriday next. The tickets _ will' bo issued to scholars attending primary or secondary schools, who aro under tho ageof IT years, and may 1m obtained at the Thorndon tramway offico, tho G.P.0., and Courtenay Placa depots. Tho prices in the city range from 2s. Gd. for two rides daily over two sections, to Gs. for four rides over three or four section's. The prices for two rides on the Karori and Wadestown lines aro 2s. Gd. A ticket for two rides on tho borough section?-of tho Seateun and Miramar lines w.iil cost 2s. The .tickets will not lia available on Sundays or public holidays. The council of tlie New Zealand Chess Association held its quarterly meeting on Monday evening at tho offices of tlio secretary, Mr. A. G. Veil'. A letter was received from life Excellency/tho Governor accepting the office of patron, and from Mr. C. J. Parr, Mayor of Auckland,, accepting that of president. The council decided to adopt, in lieu of Porta I and II of tho British Chess Code,' tho law,-; of chess which were adopted by tho British Chess Vederation in 1912. It was agreed that not more than six' rounds should be played per week at tho annual chess congress. and that the time limit should be as follows: 18 moves (or more) to bo made in tlio first hour, 3G moves (or more) to l>e made in the first two hours, and so on. Messrs. Barnes, W. E. Mason,, and Fell were appointed a committee to make tho necessary alterations ill the rules. The Carterton District High School was granted minimum status, and the Canterbury Chess Club restored to major status. A petition bearing 1715 signatures was presented to the House of lU'presentatives yesterday afternoon by 111'. W. H. D. Bell, all the signatories being residents of those portions of the Wellington suburbs and Otaki electorates that lie along the Mauawatu railway line, between Wellington and Paekakariki. The petitioners set forth reasons now mado familiar Infrequent repetition why in their judgment the terminal of tho Mauawatu line should bo Lambton and not Thorndon, and they alleged that tho necessary alterations could be mado at comparatively small expense. They pointed out also that tlio inconvenience caused to passengers by the trains through having to de. train n mile from the centre of the city had retarded settlement along the line, in districts which could easily accommodate nu added population of 2(1,000 people, and so materially relieve congestion inWellington.

A man was arrested yesterday by Detective Mason on a charge of stealing an overcoat. Detective-Sergeant liawlo ond Dntectivo Cameron arrested a man yesterday on charges of forgery and theft. Entries for tho practical examinations in music under tho auspices of Trinity College, Ixmdou., close on Friday. The examination will be held in September. Tho theoretical examination will bs held in December, and entries will be received until August 21. Several subjects of .interest are on tho order paper tor' to-night's meeting of tho Wellington Philosophical Sccifty. A proposal to establish a geological >ect.ian will be discussed, and the following papers will be lead"Experimental Psychology in Australian Universities" (Professor T. A. Hunter). "Notes 011 liecent Earthr|iiaK"s" (.Mr. G. Ihogbcn), "Tho Native? of South-East l'.apua" (Mr. D. •Tenness). The secretary of the Taneatua Railway League advises that public meetings of settlers at Ta.noatua and Whakalane unanimously endormd the Te Puke deputation's contentions that tho allocations for the East Coast railway should bo spent in extending the railway/ towards Opot.iki. Tho Eastbourno Beautifying Society is in pursuit of vandal who 0. day or two ■ago tore out bv tho roots one of tho trees planted in Mnlraro Hoad, Eastbourne, 011 Arbor Day. Each of these trees was in the charge of a squad of school-children, who had undertaken to care for it during tho year. The society is ottering a reward for information as to the identity of the offender. "At Schenectady we saw the electrical apparatus which is to be installed at Panama when the canal is ready," writes a correspondent of the "Sydney Morning Herald." '"Phis electrical device will be crected in the vicinity ot the canal. Tho operators will have a complete model of the various parts of the canal, such as the entrance gates, locks, levels of tho water on Atlantic side, in the inland lakes, and 011 the Pacific Ocean side,' and by means of electricity the gates, locks, and levels of the canal will be connected with the model in the signal house. Tho model will show the exact position of the gates and locks, and of the traffic proceeding through the canal. Out of sight of tho canal, the operators in tho signal-house will control flip canal, open the gates, and get th'c levels right. In the model one can see tho water rising or falling in tho locks."