LOCAL AND GENERAL,

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1887, 23 October 1913, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL,

The postal authorities advise that the E.s. Niagara, which sailed from Sydney for Auckland on October 20, has onboard an Australian mail, also an English mail via Suez. The Wellington portion is due to arrive per Main Trunk express at G.oO a.m. on Saturday next.

At 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday next, the Hon. James Allen, Minister of Education, is to lay tho foundation stone of the new infant department of tho Training College and Normal ' School at Kel-. burno.

Tlie musketry ccuirsa recently conducted by Lieut. Rose at Wellington will be repeated in various centres. The following dates have been arranged for North Island towns; —Masterton, October 20 to 2o; Napier, October 27 to November 1; Palmers ton North, November 3 to 8; Wanganuij November 17 to 22; New Plymouth, January 12 to' 17, 1014; Gisborno, six days during the first fortnight in March; Hawerii, March 16 to 21'.

Tho Defence Department has decided to allow a certain t number of non-com-missioned officers of Senior Cadets to continue to serve in their companies on attaining the age for transfer to the Territorial force. In each company not more than one colour-sergeant and two sergeants may be so retained. Their service will count as service in the Territorial force, and they will be entitled to the same camp pay and privileges as Territorial "non-coins."

The success which attended the King s Birthday parades ill thevarious centres of the Dominion in June last has encouraged tho Defenco Depart-, jnent. to make them an annual fixture. It lias been decided to make tho parades ccmpulsory in future, each of' them counting as a whole day parade. The salute will be given about 9 a.m.. but the parado will be over about an hour afterwards.

A Mining Dill is to be introduced this par, according to a statement made by tho Hon. W. Frnser, Minister of alines, m the House of Renresentativos yesterday, when replying to a question.

A long statement wa3 mad? in tha liouso of Representatives yestordu}* by the Minister of Education as to the allegedly extraordinary demands being made on tho time of school teachers in connection with the medical inspection of children. Tho Minister nointed outthat tho work required of tho teachers was such as could best bo done by them, and work such as was in fact done by teachers in other countries where a system of inspection similar to oiirs was in existence. Tho Minister pointed out that tho scrutiny which a teacher was required to make did not amount to a medical , examination, teachers were expected to note only abnormalities more or less striking," and defects of sight and hearing which' they would have tho best opportunities for observing. The work this year was ex« pested to bo heavy, bnt it was intended to allow tho whole year for it; but from various causes the work bad not been done. A circular was now lffiing printed to the effect that wily the record cards for tho children iji Standard II need bo done this year. This would reduce the work to about one-sixth. Ho pointed out, also, that a card lasted right through a child's school career, and that tho work of keeping tho cards up-to-dato in later years would not be nearly so heavy as in tho first year.

The whole subject of appointing additional medical inspectors of schools is under consideration, according to a statement made by tho Minister of Education in the House of Representatives yesterday, but no decision has yet been arrived at.

A proposal that teachers ought not to bo required to pay an entrance fee of £1 before sitting for their certificate examinations was recently made to tho Minister of Education (the Hon J Allen) by Mr. J. H. Eseott. M.l'. Tho Minister made the following statement on the subject in the House yesterday: "Tho cost of the public examinations is very heavy, and although Parliament saw fit last year to abolish the feespayable for tile Public Service examinations, yet I am not prepared to throw the extra burden upon the public-funds of meeting the whole cost of teachers' examinations. A great deal is being done now to enable uncertificated teachers to qualify for certificate':. Classes are being held in all tho education districts for their benefit, the oost being met by annual grants. I may add that the cost of tho examinations held by the Department last year was about £2000 above tho fees received; further, it was found that tho. abolition of fees causes tiie entry of candidates who have no serious intention of s/tting for the examination, causing work in tho preparation of papers, and so on, and consequent expense without any corresponding benefit."

The question of whether the operations of.building societies in the matter of balloting for loans brought those societies within tlio operations of tho Gaming and Lotteries Act was brought under the notice, of the, Government last week. Tho Prime Minister stated in the llouso of Representatives yesterday that the Government bad notbeen made aware of the difficulty referred to, but w.ould consult the Crown Law Officers on the subject, and if it- were found necessary would introduce legislation for the purpose ■of exempting societies from the scope of the Gaming Act.

Tho tramways conference convened by the Minister of Public Works will bo held to-day in the Town Hall. Tho conference will bo presided over by Mr. R. W. Holmes, engiiieer-in-cliiei'.

Tho lotter-cnrriors will make one delivery only on Labour Day (iMomlay, October 137), leaving the Chief Post Oifico at 8 a.m.

The economical woman "cuts her coat according to her clotli." Her hewing machine will cost. her Irs* if she purchases a "Werthfiim" now. Trices have been cut to reduce stock, and we have a few special bargains at extremely low rates. One demonstration of the "Wertheim" will convince you that it has 110 equal in workmanship and finish. Oscar Ilewett and Co.. mi Cn.ba Stm Wellington*

Referring to the Panama Exhibition in Sail Francisco in the llousp of Representatives yesterday, tile Prime Minister said that the Now Zealand Government would mnku an exhibit, and it was hoped that private exhibits from the Dominion would be numerous and worthy of our industries. Replying to a question in the House of Representatives yesterday, the Post- : master-General (tno Hon. R. H. Rhodes) said: "This Government has not received any communication from ' the Government of the Commonwealth regarding a conference of tho Postmas-ters-General of Australia, New Zealand, and Canada to consider the question of cheaper cable rates to and from tho United Kingdom by way of Canada. The Government is, however, quite pre- ] pared to favourably consider any suggestion for a conference." ' Tho tender of Messrs. Watts. Bros., i of Wellington, has been' -accepted for ! the erection of a large warehouse- and garago building block for Messrs. A. Tlatrick and Co., of Wellington and Wanganui. Tho new building, which is - to bo erected on the site formerly occupied by tho Union S.S. Company's repair yards in Wakefield Street, will have a frontage to thai thoroughfare of 68ft., and another to Lower Taranaki Street of 100 ft. Tho building will consist of a substantial two-story brick and steel structure, which ivill provide for 0 fine suite of oilices, a large showroom {50ft. by 24ft.), and a very big garage (70ft. by 68ft.), with double doors opening en to Lower Taranaki Street. The upper floor will consist of _a partitionless flat, where all the fittings will be dons in connection with the firm's motor business. Later on, it is Messrs. Hatric-k and Co.'s intention to extend the premises along Wakefield Street some 47ft., taking in tho brick building formerly occupied by tho Union S.S. Co. Tho contract price is £4731. Messrs. Crichtoii and M'Kay are tho architects. How to keep six lions for less than tho cost of keeping one. This seeming impossibility was explained by the president of the Zoological Society (the : Rev. J. Crowes) at the annual meeting , last- evening. "When King Dick was the only lion in tho Zoo," said Mr. Crcwes, "it was necessary to buy a certain quantity ■of fresh butcher meat every day. If there were six lions to lie ■ fed, theii old'horses are killed to pro.vido.for them. The old horses can.bo , gob for next to nothing,-and their hides . aro readily marketable. This course is being pursued at the Zoo at the pre- , sent time, and the four lions in captivity \ there do not cost as much to keep as i King Dick did alone." i The Wellington Zoological Society . some time ago secured a number of , valuable birds from Mr. W. W. Smith, of New Plymouth. One of these, a kiwi, suddenly disappeared, and was mourned' as lost. Recently, however} it reappeared, and it was discovered that it was living in a burrow which it had excavated. The question arises: has a ' new habit of the kiwi been discovered '• in the burrowing propensities of this in- 1 mate of the Jfoo? ' 1 Mr. ,0. J. Clark has constructed at i West Beach, Island Bay, an up-to-date < salt-water bath, which has been in- 1 genioiisly planned so a-s to secure a < constant stream of fresh sea wafjbr i from Cook Strait. Tho water is hoated i in an original manner by a plant de* 1 vised and installed by the Wellington i Gas Company. A private view of tho 1 new baths is to bo held this afternoon. ; Mr. W. W. Pilkingtoii, of Welling- ' ton, who returned from a visit to Eiig- 1 land yesterday, brings news of the du- ! velopment at Home of a new. motor- ] spirit, which, it is stated, is likely to 5 become a rival to petrol. This is benzol, a spirit extracted from coal, which is ■ now being manufactured at several of J the English i collieries, itud,, gasworks. > "Tho coining!of benM],'':said'Mr. Pilkingtoii, "has been a check oh the riso in the price of petrol. It is selling at Is. 4d. a gallon, as against Is. Sd.and Is. lOd. that is being paid for petrol. 1 was informed that it was even more effective than petrol, and tliat^. tho amount of jiotrol that would drive a car twenty miles would take tho same car twenty-live miles. Another fuel > that is l being tested is aleo'liol, which j is also proving successful. Inthjs case , tho supply would be inexhaustible,; as it c is derived from potatoes and other vege- s table matter, which can bo easily ? grown." . ' Notice of a question was given ill tho 'J House of Representatives yesterday by i Mr. G. W. Russel suggesting to tho ( Government that the Public Service Act should bo amended to permit of ofli- E cers who appealed, appearing before the -t Board to state their cases, and to pro- j vide that reasons should bo stated in f cases where appeals were disallowed. t The Prime Minister is to be asked by i Mr. Wilford in the House of Represen- 1 tatives: "Whether it is a fact that ho ( iutends this session to introduce licens- * ing legislation by which tho local option 'J vote will be done awa.v with and a 55 t per cent, majority bo as the ma- £ idrity for national prohibition." 'J ' ' t 1