LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1880, 14 October 1913, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The, dismantling -of tiro wrecked barque Okta nt tho Bluff is proceeding apace, and. Messrs. John Mil] and Co., tho owners, hoi>o to havo, everything removable ashore by tho end of this week. About a dozen men, chiefly exsailors, aro omploycd, and a quantity of gear and spars havo been landed. 'It is understood that tho successful tenderers for tlio unloading of tho cargo havo 'withdrawn from their contract, and word is now being .awaited from Lloyd's as to the disposal of tho timber. ■ , 111 connection with tho "every member" campaign by the New Zealand Council of tho Presbyterian Laymen's Missionary Movement to raise £11,400 for sites and buildings for tho Canton Villages Mission, tho secretary reports thd> following totals for tho different Presbyteries throughout tho Dominion: —Christehurch £1523, Dunedin £1453, Auckland £1165, Southland £750, Wanganui £718, I'imaru £067, Clutha £574. Oamaru £559, Hawko's Bay £453, ■Wellington £429, Mataura £299, AVaikato £286, Wairarapa £228, Taranaki £217, Nelson £200, Westland £186, and Dunstan £93; total; £9817; individual amounts, £1202; total £11,019. As thoro aro returns to come from aboutthirty churches it is expected to raiso the amount aimed at., A new evening paper for Stralloromooted, and a syndicate of prominent business mon is stated to bo interesting themselves in tho preliminary flotation' of tho concern. A meeting of the National Council of the Licensed Victuallers' Association will bo held hero to-day. "Wo have made no mistake in bringing Mr. J. Mauglian Barnett to Auckland as city organist," remarked tlio Mayor of Auckland (Mr. C. J. Parr) at tho'reunion of old .colonists at tho Town Hall, after. Mi'. Barnett had played an organ solo. Mr. Barnett, ,ho said, was a splendid organist, and tlio city was fortunate in being ablo to secure his services.

The Anglican Synod of the Diocese of Waiapu, which licltl its annual meeting this week passed, with complete unanimity, and much enthusiasm, resolutions reaffirming adherence to tne Dible-in-Stato-Schools' League ' platform requesting tho referendum there--011 as a single issue, mid assuring Can? on Garland, tho organising secretary! of the continued sympathy and conflt denco of the members of the Church. Tho erection 'of a freezing works in Coromandel is contemplated, says tho "Now Zealand Herald." The works are to bo principally employed in curing and • freezing fish. Tho hulk of the fish supplied to the Auckland market is caught, olf Coromandel, and considerable quantities from tho same source are exported in tho cool chambers of intercolonial steamers. Afow cases of early strawberries were sold by auction in Auckland a day or two ago at from Is. 3d. to Is. lOd. per lb, a much lower rate than was. realised for tho first fow "oliips" sent to tho market. Tho recent showers of ' rain have been highly beneficial to the gardens, but the berries, although slightly improved in quality, are ripening very slowly. Several inches of rain within a week or so would 1 ho warmly welcomed by tho growers, as a fall of this volume would give the plants sufficient strength for the season. The b ( est berrieß are beiug sold in the retail shops in the north at 2s. per lb. About five hundred Auckland shopkeepers will receive notice in the course of a fow days that they must comply with the following by-law:—"Every per. son who sells within tho city any meat or fish or any food which is ordinarily' consumed in the stato in which it is sold shall protect such food until it is delivered to the purchaser from dust' and flies by storage in covered receptacles, by covering with gauzo or by other effectual means, and no vendor shall carry such. food through the streets unless it bo protected as aforesaid." The busines6oß affected will be grocers, fruiterers, fishmongers, confectioners, and sweets shops. Hawkors will also bo included. This is not a now by-law, as it was passed 'some time ago, and tho City Council decided at its last meeting that it should bo onforced. During tho strawberry season hawkers will havo to keep their berries under eovor, though the same regulation will not bo enforced with regard to skin fruit such i\s oranges and bananas. In future one of the council's inspectors will devote tho whole of his time to tho supervision' of premises where food is. prepared. Much interest was evinced in Levin this month regarding tho installation of an electric alarm bell at tho level crossing in Queen Street. A representative of the "Chronicle" elicited the fact that tho bells woro a success as far as tho slow trains wero concerned, but failed to work with tho fast trains. The latter travelled so fast over the rails that they did not give the elcotrio curront time to connect witli the bells, thereby failing to give any alarm. The Gov-, ornment's experts in Wellington are at present experimenting with tho alarms, trying to mako tho two points that conjoin more sensitivo to take tho electrio current, and when this has been effect* ed lio doubt tho bells will provide a long-felt want at tho many dangerous level crossing's throughout the Dominion. • ' Awahuri land is known to bo exceptionally rioh for dairying, but when it was reported to tho Manawatu County Council lately that one farmer there had'a herd ,of sixteen cows and only three acres to graze them on, tho members of the'oouiicil thought the story of tho richness of tho soil too rich itself, and decided to impress on the courity ranger the necessity for a stricter supervision of the roads. A meoting of .. Importers and exporters interested in the San vices was held at the Chamber of Commerce yesterday morning. It had been called in pursuanco of a resolution passed, at last week's meeting of tlio Council of t'he Chamber. Mr. C. W. Jones. presided, and thore was a representative attendance of. merchants and others. The press were not admitted, but a rowortor was afterwards informed that tlio, meeting discussed both' sendees, and decided to place before tho Prime Minister (as Minister in charge of Industries and Commerce) its viows in regard to the San Francisco service, the contract for which expires shortly. A deputation _is to be arranged for as early as possible. Neglect of parental responsibilities formod tho subject of a striking paragraph in tho report of tho Order of tho Good Shepherd, presented at tho annual meeting of supporters of the Order in Auckland on Friday, states the "Herald." The Campbell Creche, in Grey Street, is conducted -by the Bisters of tho Order, and during the year 26 children wore cared for while their mothers were in hospitals, and there were 62 new day children. "We refuse to take as resident children many infants," the report continues. "Tho utter callousness shown by parents whose' only desire is to be rid of their children is ono of the ugliest features of present-day life. Tho number of young parents who seem 'without natural affection,' and who do not want to' give themselves tho opportunity of loving tlieir children, is appalling. They aro chiefly New Zealauders, and . are products of tho present system of education." Tho proposals of the late Australian Labour to establish meat works and a stc-iim laundry in tho Northern Territory havo not been taken up by tho Liberal Government for the present, at any rate. -The establishment of the meat works would have involved tho'expenditure of many thousands of pounds, but no provision lias been made for it'. "All that I know,'! said the Treasurer, when asked if the project was to he carried out, "is that it is not on our Estimates." The sum of £1000, which was placed on the Estimates last year for the purposes of the laundry, but which was not spent, has also disappeared. . _