LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1885, 20 October 1913, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

. t • ' — » ■„ ' . . ( r. Negotiations are at present proceed- j ing between tho Commonwealth and c New Zealand Governments with a view }■ to tho permanent retention of the wire- j less station erected by the Mawson Ant- • f arctic expedition on Macquarie Island, -j During the comparatively brief period j of its existence tlie station has render- t cd good servico in notifying the metcoro- p logical authorities of tho Commonwealth I and tho Dominion of tho approach of ( Antarctio disturbances, and tliey have, r in turn, been ablo to issue a timely and much-appreciated 'warning to ship- 1 masters. Macquarie Island is under f tlib control of New Zealand, but it is ) understood ■ that tho Federal Govern- *] mont has intimated to the Government ( of Now Zealand its willingness to pay B half _ the cost of the maintenance or tno r station if the Dominion will pay the ,j other half. No decision has yot been arrived at by the New Zealand Government in regard to tho offer. Two pedigree dogs woro brought to New Zealand by tho llimutaka. which 1 arrived at Wellington from London yesterday. ■ Consigned to Mr. C. A. Whitney, of Auckland, was a Clumber spa- 1 uiel dog, from Mr. E. M. Lewis, East f Jlulborry, Shaftesbury, and a Pomor.i- ' nian dog was consigned to Mr. G. Lowis, £ of Linwood, Christchurch, bv Mrs. t Dennis, Uckfield/ Sussex. Both dogs i arrived in fino condition. < A deputation from Berhamporo is to J interview tho Hon. R. H. Rhodes ! (Postmastor-General) this evening about , postal matters. It will be introduced by Mr. A. H. Hindmarsh, M.P. 1 Tho Public Works Amendment Bill, c introduced in ' tlie Legislative Council- c by the Hon. H. D. Bell, provides that c any Judge of tho Supremo Court may t act as president of tho Compensation t Court. It also empowers tho Court to p allow costs in eases in which it is de- c termined that tho Court has no jurisdiction, and also in cases in which a I claim has been withdrawn or aban- E doned. In either case tho award of s costs will bo dealt with and enforced .in J the same manner as an" award of coin- , pensation. These provisions will ap- { ply to all claims which aro pending ) irtien tho Act comes into forco. The de- j finition.of "public work" is amended t by including any secondary school or university college, any high school, public school,. native school, and any lands f necessary for playgrounds or teachers' residences or for any other purposo in T connection with such college or school, f It seems as if Terawhiti was to <■ have another chanco. Tlie Torawhiti 5 Dykes, Limited, has been registered, £ having for its objects tho acquisition p and working of an area of 175 acres, c lying between tho Waiareko and Ote- t' ronga streams .on tho M'Menamen e< Estato, near Cable Bay. All tho tl shares offered for. subscription havo 1 been, taken up by Wellington people. 0 Tho directors of tho company aro Messrs. H. P. Rawson, T. C. A. His- t .i lop, and P. E. Petherick. A meeting of directors was held on Friday after- g noon, at which the balance of tho shares v was allotted. Mr. C. E. Stprio was t* appointed engineer and manager, and r authority was given for tho purchase of P tho necessary plant. Men aro being P put on at once to prepare the -site for B the reception of tho plant, which is ex- e i peeted to be hero beforo tho end of B i November. ' oi The first herald of Christmas camo to ?! hand yesterday in the form of tho "Weekly Press" Christmas annual. Excellent as theso issues of tho "Weekly i> Press" have been in tho past, tho tl number now before us is a still further p advance, oil its predecessors in tho ex- <!' celleiiee of its illustrations. Tho J* theme again is New Zealand scenery, !f sport, and industries, and the "Press photographers havo explored many littleknown beauty spots tar off the beaten track that will ho now even to most New Zoalanders. The issue is as usual a an excellent Christmas souvenir for posting to friends and relatives abroad, 111 and few of the Dominion's native born now ill other lands will be able to look nl through its pages without feeling tho (j call of home. \V

In. Christchuich they havo a municipal by-law governing tho sale ot theatre tiokots. Tho town clerk of that city lias written to the Auckland City Counci', in reply to a request for information, stating that purchasers cf tickots for the dross-cirolo or the orchestral stalls aro at liberty to select their soats, but purchasers of Boats in tho daytime for all other parts of tho theatre cannot do so; and that no more tickcls a:o issued for salo than tho thcatro is licensed for. A tendor lias been lot by tho Auckland City Council for tho budding of hot salt water baths in Jiobson Street, at a cost of £9379. A £10,000 loan was some time ago approved bv tho ratepayers for this work. The plans provide for separate swimming pools for men and women. For tho mon tho swimming area is to bo 100 ft. by 50ft., whilo that for tho women is GOft. by 30ft. On threo sides of tho men's baths thoro will bo dressing rooms, with a spectators' gallery overhead. It is intended to utilise tho thousands of gallons of hot water at present .running to waste from tho condenser at tlio tramway power station, and' it will bo possible to regulate the temperature according to tho state of tlio wQathor. Eight slipper baths will also be provided for private uso. After a lull of two months six fresh cases of the epidemic disease are reported (writes the Whangarei correspondent of the Auckland "Herald"). The number includes threo Native children at Poroti, two Europoan children at Maungakaramea, and an adult European at Tangowahino. Tho chairman of tlio Whangaroi Maori Council and Mr.' Wati Rawliiu left for Poroti yesterday to investigate tho outbreak, Tlio chairman' of tlio council has just completed a systematic inspection of tho various Native settlements in tho district, and at his suggestion a number of insanitary whares were burned. The matter was referred to at a meeting of tho MarsdenKaipaTa Hospital Board at Paparoa yesterday, as it had been. anticipated that Dr. Fmer-Hurst- would have recommended tho board to lift tlio restrictions in regard to travelling natives at tho end of the present month. It is now unlikely that tho embargo will bo removed at present. It was Mr. Trevor Holmden who was counsel for the successful party in the law case reported in Saturday's issue under tho heading "The Removal of a Caveat." Sir. Baldwin was not, as reported at the time, appearing for tho caveator. At a special meeting of tlio Wellington Typographical Union, hold at tho Oddfellows' Hall on Saturday evening, tho following resolution was ' carried unanimously:—"That this union, being independent of. both tho Federation of Labour and tho United Labour Party, is of opinion that tho majority 'of tho proposed amendments to tlio Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act aro inimical to. the best interests of bonafido trade unions, and that tho union's representatives before tho Labour Bills Committee aro, therefore, instructed to opposo such amendments."