LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1875, 8 October 1913, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Postal Authorities advise that the s.s Warrimoo, which sailed frgm Sydney for Wellington direct on October 4, has on board an Australian mail. Slio is due arrive to-day. The mails which left Wellington on August 29, per s.s. Maunganui, and connected w;tli the Naples dir.patcli, per R.M.S. Orsova, arrived in London on October 5. The first mooting o£ creditors, of Herrman Lewis is set do mi by the Official Assignee for 11 a.m. on October 15. A gang will go down to the wreck of. tho Devon by the steamer Admiral to-, day, and tho work of salvaging the gear, fittings, and balance of the cargo will bo commenced by Messrs. W. 0. Prico and Co. During the progress of salvage tho men will be quartered on the steamer. It is not intonded to uso tho Admiral ovcr ( v day. The workers on the Dovon will get as much gear together on the deck of tho steamer as possible, this will be transferred to tho Admiral as opportunity occurs. The Rhodes Scholar is shortly to be selected by the Professorial Board of Victoria College, and towards tho end of next month the names of four candidates will be submitted to a board consisting of His Excellency the Governor, tho Chief Justice (Sir Robert Stout), the next senior Judge, and tho chairmen of ' tho Professorial Boards, who will select one of the four. Mr. C. C. Malthus is tho Canterbury candidate, and the Auckland and Otago candidates liavo yet to bo chosen. Tho contempt of court charge Attor-ney-General V. Geddis and Blonificld will como on in Court to-day.

Certain proposals in connection with a new award, put forward by tho Merchant Service Guild on behalf of tho masters and officers of tho smaller coastal fleet, were discussed at a meeting of tho Wellington branch of tho Shipowners' .Federation yesterday afternoon. The press was not admitted. After tho meeting tho chairman informed a reporter that thero was nothing for publication. • It is understood, hqwever, that somo of tho proposed increases asked for by tho Guild wero not entertained. Unsightly advertisements on tramcars have given rise to comment of different kinds from time to timo. Tho question has recently been re-oponed by n now style of advertising. There may be somo discussion in connection with tho matter at tho next meeting of the City Council for Councillor Tregear has given notice that he will then moyo:—"That any municipal officer who has deceived the -City Council by drafting or approving specification's for drapery and _ other trade advertisements hung outside tho city tramcars be at onco _ suspended from duty, pending official inquiry." Tho Wellington Plasterers' Union has decided to affiliate with tho United Labour Party. Tho Chief Administrator of the Canadian ■ Fisheries Department (Mr. E. Prfnee) is to come to Now Zealand to investigate our fisheries iu January next. It was at first proposed that Mr. Princo should como to New Zealand in September, but this arrangement was varied, and now lie is to come, as stated, in January, which is regarded as tho most suitable month of tho year for his investigation. Epidemic bulletin.: The District Health Officer, Auckland, writes:—"No fresh cases arc reported in Auckland and suburbs or district. The. cases remaining under treatment at Point Chevalier are nine, at Kaikoho nil, at Ahipara oight, at Sweetwater nil, and at Taut'.anga six." Tho Royal Artillery Band has, says our Auckland correspondent, agreed to tho proposal that- it should play at Dimedin, Christchurch, and Wellington <m tho way. up to Auckland. i

Constable Malioney, of Upper Hutt, received word on Monday of an assault on a child of fonder years on tho banks of the Hutt River. It appears that tho assailant was frustrated by a companion who raised tho alarm.

Tho rapid construction of tho Stratford—Ongarue railway from tho Stratford end was urged by a deputation consisting of Messrs. J. B. -Hine, H. J. H. Okey, and G. V. Pearco, which waited yesterday upon tho Hon. W. Eraser (Minister of l'ublic Works), and tho Hon. W. F. Massey (Prime Minister). Tho representations of tho deputation were intended as a counterblast to an agitation which has recently been raised ill tho Auckland province with » view to having attention concentrated upon tho Auckland ond of tho railway. Mr. liino stated that t'ho Oliura and W'haligamomona Counties had joined in formulating a request that work at the Stratford end of tho lino should be prosecuted vigorously. Both Ministers stated that there would bo a substantial voto for the railway this year, and that they had no intention of curtailing tho work at tho Stratford end.

A mishap in the post office at Raetilii is described by the local paper. It was a case of haniper-and-eggsl The contents of that hamper were sorted with tho aid of fire-tongs, and from out tho glued-up chaos a perspiring and indignant staff fished a half kerosenetin. From this tangible clue supposition worked out a likely theory, viz., half a kerosene-tiii filled with "fresh laid," each carefully wrapped in paper; the tin securely caulked down by placing a piece of paper on fop; tho whole wrapped in browii paper, labelled and consigned. The consignor was either a practical joker or had unbounded faith in Providence. A railway journey, nine miles by coach, and several prize "settings" wore churned to a fino consistency. Some letters miraculously escaped, but the papers had, to bo tediously torn apart and identified. A Foxton Maori sold some land recently, for which ho received £600. A few aays later lie exchanged tho money for an up-to-dafo motor-car, despite the fact that his dwelling could liavo been made more habitablo and sanitary for a quarter of that sum. A sound financial position was disclosed in connection with tho Exhibition at a meeting of the Finance Committee held on Monday afternoon, telegraphs our Auckland correspondent. The secretary (Mr. W It., Holmes) reported that tho revenue received to date already exceeded by about £5000 tho gross receipts of tho last Auckland Exhibition. The balance-sheet to October 16 showed total receipts at £19,191 4s. Gd., and expenditure and liabilities at £29,776 15s. lid., leaving a debit balance of £10,585 lis. sd. Against this debit Mr. Holmes stated there is, roughly, £10,000 to como in, irrespective altogether of tho gatc-monoy. Season tickets sold to date have realised £326.

A survey partv, consisting of sovon members from tlie Land Transfer Department of the Native Land Court, in charge of Mr. H. Smith, left Wellington by tho Himitangi for the Chatham Islands last evening. It is expected that they will be away for aoout four months. Trades' unions' representatives met again last night to consider tho new Arbitration Bill, and it is understood that they decided to ,give evidence :on certain lines before tho Labour Bills Committee, and that representatives were appointed to give this evidence. Writing in the "Literary Guide" of his experiences in New Zealand, Mr. Joseph M'Cabo says Jig left tho country after six weeks' of laborious lecturing poorer than ho went into it. largely on account 1 of tho costly ana cumbrous organisation of the tour and the climatic conditions. , He. says,,that though New; Zealanders flatter themselves they live in a country that knows not tho rigour of the English winter, and there is not a hall provided with artificial heat, yet tho cold in the south is as great an it normally is in London, and tho audiences sat in rugs and greatcoats, while the lecturer "shivered visibly on tho platform."