LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1847, 5 September 1913, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Epidemic: The following bulletin was issued by the Deputy-Chief Health Officer at 5 p.m. yesterday:—The District Health Officer, Auckland, reports: —No cases reported from Auckland City or suburbs. One fresh case is reported at Waikare, about twenty miles from Kawakawa.

Whilst, discussing various solecisms in tho Now Zealand dialect at secondary schools yesterday, 0110 speaker mentioned tlio request mado to him by a scholar: "Please, sir, may tho 'footer blokes' gof"

Amalgamation with Wellington City is being talked of by tho Miramar Borough Council, and tho City Council has decided to invito a committee from tho Miramar Council to discuss the question witli tho Finance Committee of the City Council. •

"Free" labour does not necessarily mean cheap labour. This waß emphasised by a glance at the wages paid to a gang of seven meai who worked on tho. Devon on Saturday and up till 12.30 p.m. on Sunday last. These men worked throughout Saturday and that evening, and on Sunday until shortly after noon, when tho weather became too rough to continue. The m&n had been engaged to work up till 9.30 p.m., and wero paid up till that hour, and their total for tho two days camo to £5 Bs. Gd. each. In addition to receiving tho amount mentioned, tho men wero given regular meals on both days. Under the agreement the union men are to receive 3s. per hour from 7.30 p.m. to 6 p.m. (working wet or dry), with two hours ofF for meals, for wliicli timo no payment is mado. Working full time, this will mean an average of £1 lis. 6d. nor day, which is not so much as tlio l; rree" labourers received (wlioso big figures wero mado up by tho ss. per hour paid for Sunday work). Small parts of tho old plant at the electrical lighting station, stated by tho Director of tlio Technical School to bo of value for educational , purposes, have been presented by 'tho City Council to tho Technical School. Owing to the heavy swell at the Heads, no salvaging work could be done in connection with the cargo of the wrecked steamer Devon yesterday. It is undorstood, however, that tlio gang working on the vessel employed part of tho day in hoisting cargo from tho lower foroliold to tho 'tween decks in order that it can be' more easily handled when tlio occasion serves to tranship it to tho tenders. The diver will not bo ablo to resume his survey of the hull until tho weather moderates a. little. One thousand pounds per year is the amount which a Turakina fruit-grower is said to pay in wages. A dozen seats are to bo placed on tho beach at Island Bay. This was decided by tho City Council last niglit. Irrecoverable city rates amounting to £345 7s. Bd. havo been written off. Phenomenal though the' passenger traffic from Australia to London was last season, advices received by the local manager (Mr. H. Cramond) from tho Sydney office of Messrs. Thomas Cook and Son, indicate that last season's record will bo easily broken next year. This belief is founded on tho unusually heavy bookings thaJt Qiavo already been made for steamers leaving for Homo during the mouths of February, March and April—tho months during which the bulk of the booking is usually done. Late last month (August) as many as ■ 220 first saloon passengers had been booked to leavo for London by the Orama, sailing from Sydney on March 25 —seven months ahead. Other steamers leaving about the same timo are already filling their berthing lists. Bitter experience has taught the Australian public to book well ahead if they do not wish to court disappointment. Tho City Solicitdr is to tako action to liavo the titles of the land encroaching on Upper Willis Street rectified. The City Council issued this instruction at its meeting last niglit. The City Council has resolved to tako' immediate proceedings against those persons who havo not complied with tho notices served upon them to connect their properties with the drainage system. One-hundred-pound debentures to the valuo of £13.250 havo been paid oyer to tho Wellington Steam Forry Company by tlio Eastbourne Borough Council, which body is now in full possession of the harbour steamers Duchess and Cobrtr. This is mado obvious. to tho public by the flying of new flags at the mastheads of the steamers branded with the letters "E.8.C." The appointment of manager of tho ferry service for the Borough Council has been deferred for two or three weeks. Kelburno viaduct is to bo redecked. Last night tho City Council authorised tho city engineer to' proceed with tho work, and authority was granted to havo tho Tram Road and Main Ifarori Road closcd wliilo repairs were being carried out. Billiard saloon keepers are petitioning tho City Council to havo tlie Jiightly hour of closing extended from 10.30 to 11 o'clock. Miss Scott, of the D.I.C. has returned from her visit to Australia, nnd is prepared io meet clients with relation to their Spring and Summer Costumes. Needless to say, Miss Scott' 6 visit to tlio fashion centres of Australia has provided a fund of idciM that will prove valuable to our slionta—AdrL

Safety signals for railway level-cross-ings seem to bo engaging tlio attention of inventors at tho present timo. Ono device, invented by a Petono resident, was mentioned in tho Houso of Representatives on Wednesday, and yesterday Mr. Poland cave notice to ask tho Minister whothor ho has received from Mr. Troutbeck, of Waihi, particulars of an automatic signal for level-crossings, and whether ho will givo Mr. Troutbeck an opportunity of exhibiting it to tho Minister or his responsible engineers.

In regard to tho Miramar Borough Council's action in reducing tho minimum frontage of a dwelling to 33ft., Councillor Stone lias given notice of motion for tho next meeting of tho council: "That the amendments to tho bylaw relating to frontages, passed, by a meeting of tho council on August 28, lie rescinded, and tho by-law .76, as originally drafted, be adopted."

During the year (says tho animal report of trie Wellington Employers' Association) an appeal was made to members to contribute to a fund being lished for tho purpose of granting a measure of assistance to those _ who might bo in financial difficulties owing to strikes. A ready and generous response was given, and tlio sum contributed by the association was duly appliod to tho above purpose.

More than ordinary interest attaches to tho passing of the old Theatre Royal, which is to close its doors for good and all to-morrow evening, following upon its condemnation by the City _ Council. Sir. James Lockie, of Majoribanks Street, who was at ono timo one of Wellington's prominent builders and contractors, states that when tho Theatre Royal was built by himself for,, tho Wellington Public Hall Company (of which he was a director) it was called simply the Public Hall. Tlio work was commenced on August 1, 1872, and tile hall was opened during the succeeding year, which makes tho , theatre just forty 3'ears'old —about tho averago life of a well-built wooden building. What is most interesting in the data supplied by Mr. Lockie is tho cost of tho building, compared with the amount a similar structure would cost to-day. Tlio contract price was £2430, and tho extras amounted to £736, a total cost of £3166. Tho actual cost of tho building was £2730, as Mr. Lockie states that his profit amounted to £436 on the contract. Ho adds that Dr. Johnston was tho original chairman of directors. Representations of tho Miramar Borough Council with respect to tho running ot the borough tramways liavo been considered by the Tramways Committee of tile City Council. Tho Miramar Council is to bo asked to allow a representative of tho City Council to look into tlio financial position of the undertaking, in order that tho matter may bo fully reported on.

"All application lias been received from tho ICelburne and Karori Tramway .Company for a supplji of electrical energy to'operate the company's plant, and this application has been referred to the Tramways Board of Management for the purpose of . an agreement being entered into," —This was a report by tile Tramways Committee of tho City Council at last night's meeting. The report was adopted. Tho Basin Reserve is to be closed for winter games after September 20, and tho remainder of the city reserves will be closed after September 27. The Financial and tile Tramways Committees of tho City Council recommended the council last "Eight that provision should be made in the agreement to be entered into between the council and tho Engine Drivers' Union, that inembors of tho Australian Institute of Marine Engineers, together with the members of tho Amalgamated Socioty of Engineers, should bo, exempt from tho agreement. Tho recommendation was referred back- to tho committees, but while it was under discussion the Mayor said that it was thought unfair to compel members of bodies of skilled men to join unions of unskilled men.

Yesterday's "Gazette" contains a regulation that every license hereafter granted under the Fisheries Act, 1908, or regulations made thereunder, to any person or for any boat engaged in sea fishing shall bo subject, inter alia, to the following conditions, viz.: It shall be illegal to carry explosives of any description whatevor on board any licensed fishing-boat without the written consent of a Collector of Customs. Any person committing a breach of tho above regulation shall be liable to a fino of not loss than £5 nor' more than £20, and the' Minister may cancel tho license of tho boat.

A meeting of tho Wellington Accountants' Students' Society was held last evening in tho Accountants' Chambers, Johnston Street. Mr. W. P. Hudson was in the chair, and tho proceedings took the form of a series of ten-minute papers, which were delivered a3 under: —"Station Accounts," Mr. W. J. Atkinson; ."English Stock Exchange," Mr. James Macintosh; "Doublo Account System," Mr. H. D. Edwards; "The Audit of Stock Sheets," Mr. J. F. Sullivan; "Responsibility in an Auditor of Companies," Mr. F. A. Allen. All tho papers proved highly instructive, and gave rise to much interesting discussion. At tho conclusion of tho meeting a resolution was unanimously passed extending to Mr. A. T. Clark, A.C.A., the congratulations of the society on his being appointed president of tho New Zealand Society of Accountants. Mr. Clark has been a vice-president of tho Students' Society for many years.

A sum of £25 has been votod by tlie City Council towards tho cost of copying and framing early records in tho hands of tlio Early Settlors' and Historical Society. Tho voto is in connection with a recent request by tile Hon. Mr. Jenkinson, M.L.0., who appeared before tlio Libraries Committee on behalf of tlio Early Settlers' Society.

A special general meeting of the Hoard of Governors of tho New Zealand Institute will be .held at the Museum this morning to disduss tho provisions of tho Science and Art Bill.

Tenders aro to bo called within two months for several expiring Lambton reclaimed land leases. • The tenancies aro to bo for varying terms. In some cases tenders will be called for 21 years with right of renewal for euccessive periods in perpetuity, or in tlio alternative for 50 years outright, at a flat rent. 1