LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1873, 6 October 1913, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

An English and on Australian mail arrived at Auckland by tho Mnheno from Sydney at 8 a.m. yesterday. The southern portion of tlieso mails will arrive in Wellington by this afternoon's Main Trunk express. A distinct earthquake was 7ecorded by tho Milne seismograph in Wellington oil Thursday last. Sir. G. H. Hogben states that the preliminary tremors readied Wellington ut 41ir. 28min. 42sec. Greenwich mean civil'timo (3hr. GBmin. 42sce. p.in., Now Zealand time), and tho long waves 4Gmin. 36sec. later. This would correspond to a distance of 108 to 110 degrees, so that probably tho centre was near, or at least within, 125 miles of Colon, on the Panama Canal. This is evidently tho shock referred to ii- tlio cable messages of Friday last.

Tho Public Works inquiry into the Oriental Bay tram fatality was to have been continu'od this morning, but has been adjourned until Friday nest owing to tho indisposition of the City Solicitor (Mr. J. O'Shea). Tho Bishop of Wellington conducted a confirmation service at St. Thomas's Church, Wellington South, last evening. , ' Tho final date for receiving tenders for tho construction of the flew Parliamentary Buildings ha 3 been extended to October 15.

City financo is the subject of a circular issued by tho Mayor (Mr. J. P. Luke) to members of tho Financo Committee of tlio City Council. Tho circular shows that tho position to September 30, 1913, is that thero is a net credit balanco of £354 lis. 5d., as against a net debit balanco of £2918 15s. lid. on September 30, 1912.

Tho Rov. A. W. Brough, of Erode, South India, and tho Rev. G. J. Williams, organising agent of the London Missionary Society for Australasia, conducted tho sorvioes at the Congregational Churches yesterday, and will address meetings at tho Courtenay Place Church this evening and tho Terrace Church to-morrow evening.

Total rates collectable in Wellington for the year amount £155,000. Of this sum £39,284 has already ueen collected. Of tho lattor sum, the greater part, £20,G50, camo in during tho inonthi of Septembor. Tho rate notices were not circulated until August.

A special school of instruction in musketry for Territorial and Senior Cadet officers and N.C.O.'s. is to bo hold during the evenings of next week at the Drill I-lall, Bucklo Street, and company parades for that period havo consequently been cancelled.

A young man who, it is alleged, lifted a two-guinea overcoat from a Wellington boardinghouso will be brought before the Magistrate's! Court this morning.

. A postal ballot was recently taken by tho General Labourers' Union on tho question of remaining in affiliation with the United Labour Party or joining tho Social Democratic Party and tho United Federation of Labour. Tho result of tho ballot is announced as follows:— In favour of remaining in the United Labour Party, 2f)3 votes; in favour of joining tho Unitod Federation of Labour, 100. The secretary of tho union, Mr. SI. J. Eeardon, states that the question of affiliation with tho United Labour Party has now been before members of tho union twico within tho past twelve months.' Tho vote latest recorded shows a three to one majority for affiliation.

For the relief of starving wives and children in Dublin, Mr. M. J. Reardon, of tho Trades and Labour Council, has received additional anonymous donations of £5, £1, and 10s. Tho officials of tho Trades Hall havo now cjecided to niako an appeal to all unions for assistance. Tho public will also be invited to contribute.

i News is coming through very slowly with regard to details of tho catches of trout in Canterbury since the opening of the fishing season on Wednesday. A •report in from tho Lower Sehvyn stated that ono parson had scoured a basket of twenty fish with tho fly, six averaging in weight a pound and a half each. On tho Avon on Wednesday, morning a catch of nine fish had been made, but they were all small. /

Several Now Zealand architects contemplate entering for the competition aEnounced by the Canadian Government in connection with the erection of new Departmental- buildings at .Ottawa, and have applied to the Canadian Trado Commissioner (Mr. W. A. Beddoe) for plans and information. The Canadian Government contemplates an expenditure of about £2,000,000, and tho successful competitor will tako charge of tho work, while those sending in tho iivo next host schemes will receive prizes of £GOO each. Tho competition,is open to architects in tho British Empire. .

It ia probable that legislation dealing with the Waipoua kauri forest in tlio .North of Auckland will bo introduced by the Government during tho present session. Tho proposals to bo embodied in tho Bill will, it is understood, bo practically 011 tho lines of tho recommendations of tho Forestry Commission. The area to be reserved will probably bo about two thousand acres. It is stated that the keas are committing depredations in the Kaikoura district, and 110 fewer than ton rams have been lately killed or injured 011 Swyncombo. Keas wore not unknown before, but it is some years since they appeared to bo so numorous as at present, or did so much damage to the (locks out on tho hills. Although tho oentre of a dairying district Balclutha has a household milk problem, and tlio local borough council has adopted a recommendation by tho Reserves Committee that an effort should bo made to devise some plan for securing a regular and cheap supply oi nuro milk for the town, 'i'ho council uopes to promulgate some schemo whereby a 00-operative. system may bo established for the sujjply of milk to tho" residents and for doing away with tho present position of having tho largo reserve in the borough sot aside for grazing milk cattle, tho driving of which through the town four times a day tends to prevent any possibility of tlio streets being kept clean.

All tho fences enclosing publio reservos in Christchureli are being removed in accordance with a policy adopted by'the City Council about tlirco years ago. When the suggestion was first made, some members of the council feared that the reserves would bo injured, but an experiment showed that tho appearance of open spaces was greatly improved by tho removal of tile fencing and that the publio fully appreciated the duty of caring for tho commou property. Now, nearly all tho "squares" in the city aro open on all Bides, and the live and other fences aro being removed from the street boundaries of tho river banks. Tho toiidor of Messrs. William 0. Price and Co., of Wellington, has been .accepted by Lloyd's agents (Dalgety and Co.) for tho salving of tho gear, cargo, and fittings of the wrecked steamer Devon. It is understood that tho salvage work on tlio Dovon has been undertaken on a 50 per cent, basis—half the value of tho goods and fittings recovered to go to Lloyd's and tho other half t.he salvors. Messrs. Prico and Co. have arranged for tho uso of tho steamer Waihi to assist them in their operations.

Tho Rev. J.-0. Fitzgerald is to r<v visit tho Anglican parishes of St. Peter's and St. Paul's from November 1 to 10, not (says tho "Parish Magazine) to hold a mission, but to confirm and strengthen those who were specially touched and helped by tho great mission three years ago. The parish has been assossed at £15 to pay the expenses in eonneetion with the visit, and it is ■hoped to raise that sum by special con-, tributions.

Visiting New Zealand nt present is Mr. Hubert Boeckon, who lias for many years been a successful inventor of varied mechanical appliances, and more especially of machinery for treating fibrous products.. Some time ago, at tho suggestion of the .High Commissioner (tho Hon. Thos. Mackenzie) Mr. Joseph Liggins, of Tokomaru (president of tlio Manawatu Flaxmillers' Association) interviewed Mr. Boecken at Honje, and explained tlio nature of New, Zealand flax and tlio difficulties experienced in treating it. Mr. Boeckon at once procured sufficient samples of New Zealand flax to get to work on, and invented a machine which, can apparently treat our phorniium by a single process and without waste. Tho green flax goos in at ouo end of the machine, and the marketable product is turned out ready for baling at tho other. Plant embodying tho machine has just been erected for Mr. Liggins at Tokomaru and tested.

The chief officer of the steamer- Veronese, wreckod on the coast of Portugal some months ago, was Mr. Ernest V. Hugo, brother of Mr. T. Hugo, Government Inspector of Firo and formerly superintendent of the Wellington brigade. On the occasion of tho wreck, Mr. Hugo showed conspicuous bravery. Latest advice received from Mr. E. Hugo by his brother is to the effect that ho has not yet recovered from tho injuries received while effecting tho rescue of tho immigrant' women and children, and is now recuperating at Bournemouth. In recognition of his work, Chief-officer Hugo, together with Lieutenant David Blair, R.N.R., of tho Bame vessel, was publicly honoured in Liverpool recently, when the Mayor presented him with a gold medal and illuminated certificate from tlio Liverpool Shipwreck and Humane Society, while Lieutenant Blair was tho recipient of a bronze modal and diploma or the Royal Humane Society. For bravery at sea, both officers had been previously awarded tho King's medal. Tho extent of Mr. Hugo's injuries can he gauged from the fact that when the Board of Trade inquiry was held at Liverpool, ton weeks after tho wreck, lie had to bo carried into tho court in an ambulance.

Under tho auspices of the Social Domocratio party, Mr. H. Scott Dennett delivered a lecture on "Tho Economic Basis of Morality" beforo a largo audience at tho Opera Houso last evening. Mr. P. C. Webb, M.P., occupied tho chair. Tho speaker dealt at length with what ho termed class morality in tho usual manner; adopted by members of the Social Democratic party.

Completion of a main arterial road from Marlborough to tho West Coast was advocated by a deputation of Marlborough and West Coast local body representatives, which interviewed the Hon. W. Frascr last week. It was stated that the.distnnco from Blenheim to the West Coast was 170 miles, and that only forty miles of road over this distance, remained unformed. The completion of the road, it was further stated, would make it possiblo for residents and mails from the West Coast to reach Wellington in one day. In addition, access would bo provided to Lakes R-o----toiti and Rot-o-roa, and some five scenic reserves stocked with deer. Ako, somo 339,000 acres of Crown land would be opened up. Tlio Minister made a sympathetic reply, and said that lie had. already ordered a survey of the routo to be made. Until ho got a report he could not act in the matter, but it was certainly a work that had to .be done somo day. ■ If he could not provide for it this year he would do so next year. It would bo necessary, ho added, to do. tlio work in stages. ,