LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1894, 31 October 1913, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The postal authorities advise that the 6.3. Ma'heno, which sailed from Sydney for Auckland on October 29, has on board ail Australian mail; also.an English mail via Suez. The Wellington portion is due to arrive per Main Trunk express (4.12 p.m.) on Monday next. _ The Mayor of 'Wellington, by advertisement in this issue, invites citizens to enrol as special constables to-day (Friday) at his office in tho Town Hall, between the hours of 9 o'clock and 6 o'clock. Tho Minister of Railways stated. On Wednesday that tho issue of certificates by the Machinery governed by Section 22 of the Inspection of Machinery Amendment Act; 1908. The holder of a railway certificate who lias been enrpkiy&d for a period of two years driving a locomotive or stationary engine in tho Government Railways Department can, on presentation of such certificate to the Machinery Department and on payment of the ( proscribed foe, obtain a certificate from the Inspector of Machinery. To a suggestion by Mr. Veitch -that engine-drivers' certificates issued by the" Railway Department should' be recognised as equivalent to engine-drivers' certificates, issued by .the Machinery Department, tho Minister replied that a big principle was involved in'the question wliich lie would be glad to bring before tho Inspection of Machinery Department.

It was reported at last night's meeting of the City Council that a letter had been reeeweijj from tlio Wellington Stationary Traction and Locomotive Engine Drivers' Union with reference to the proposed agreement to bo entered into bet/wcen the union and tho council, covering the engino drivers in the em* ploy of tho corporation. Tho union intimated that as a protest against the City Council's action "in going away from the position taken up by their ropresentativo before" tho Conciliation Commissioner, and two members of the Arbitration Court," tho union declined to enter into the agreement. Tho Rev-. J..C. Fitzgerald, who conducted the mission at St. PeteT's Church during the Anglican general mission of 1910, is to conduct sorvices at St. Peter's on Sunday nest, and on several occasions during tho week following. Ho is also to liold services in St. Paul's during the Week, and on the following' Sunday; Details of the services will bo found in advertisement columns on Saturday morning, Seatlioldefs were told last Sunday that seats would not be reserved in tlio evening after 6.55 o'clock. His first service will be at 7.30 p.m. on Saturday. Tho bathing sheds at Kilbirnie aro to bo' extended and improved next year, tlio City Council last- night deciding to give tho Kilbirnie Ratepayers' Association's request in this direction their favourable consideration . when next year's estimates aro being drawn up. As a protest against tho charge of 20 per cent, of tho gross takings imposed by the City Council, the Wellington Athletic and Cycling l ulub have decided not to proceed with their proposed sports meeting on the Basin Reserve on November 1, A letter.to this effect was read at last night's council meeting. The charges for tho use of the City Reserves and tho Public Baths by. athletic associations were discussed at Inst night's meeting of the City Council. It was decided that for cricket matches 10 per cent, of tho grojs "gate" collected Be charged, and for athletic meetings tlio charge be £20 per full day and £15 for any afternoon meeting, or an alternative of 20 per cent, of the gross "gate," also that 20 per cent, of the gross "gate" when tho Thorndon and To Aro I'ublio Baths are used for swimming sports should bo charged, with a minimum of £-3 per day. An amendment by Councillor Fuller that the charges for cricket matches and athletic meetings bo tho same—lo per cent. — was defeated, as was his further amendment that 35 per cent, of the gross gate 'of the swimming sports be charged, instead of 20 per cent,, Councillor Frost remarking that the highest revenue derived from Dwimmiaa «p«rts Iwd been £8 SOn.

r In order to keep tho reserves expenditure within the estimate, it- Was decided at last night's meeting of tho City Council to instruct tho superintendent of reserves to limit tho expenditure on the Botnnical Gardens to £35 per week, on tho Newtown Park to £15 15s.- per week, on tlio Basin Reserve to £4 per week, with an intimation to rearrange his staff on tho other reserves so an to mako further economics as far as possible. Tho tender for alterations to a shop front in Riddiford Street waß let at last night's council meeting to Mr. E.. llougli, and that for tlio iron-bark poles to Mr. I>. R, Baillio. 1 Tho new standing orders of the City Council wero adopted last night, and the Mayor (Mr. J. p. Luke) complimented tho chairman (Councillor Atkinson) nnd committee on tlwir painstaking work. Olio of tlio largo plate-glass window fronts of Sir, Henry Fielder's warehouse in Manners Street was badly smashed at about nine o'clock last evening. The causa of tho accident was the violent fall against the window of an individual, who will in all probability be brought to book for th?> olleneo at a lator date. The Minister of Defence is to bo asked by Mr. Witty, in the House of Representatives, whether it is a fact that at the camp of tho Fifth Regiment at Irentham in February last a number of men wero fined various sums, from 4s. to £2, for refusing to obey an order to cross tho Hutt River. Tho election of offioers of the Young Men s Christian Association for tho en*u.l,lS J'°ar took place last evening. Tlio following was tlio result:—President, Mr. W. Goss; vice-presidents, Mr. T. C. Jield, Mr. H. Holland, and tho Rev. John Mackenzie j treasurer, Mr. J. I. Royds; recording secretary, Mr. W. G. Mason. A few minutes of unusual excitement, not provided for in tho bUI-of-rare> ,«-as aifonbd the general public un n v ' ic ' a Bay Show, when Casey, 4 lingo monkey exhibited on the show grounds and oho of his associates, indulged in a little horseplay. The owners sought to restore peaco, and endeavoured to separate the animals, but this interference was greatly resented by "Casey," who struck' his owner on tlio mouth with a bar of iron, and knocked out several of liis front teeth', as well as inflicting a nasty wound. Several stitohes were rendered necessary. The prohibition of tho killing of birds of paradise in British New Guinea is a mistake, according to Mr. Joubert, a Port Moresby trader, at present on a, visit to Sydney. "The l)irds_ are as thick as boos up there," ho said, "and if the 600 white people on the mainland of Papua, which has an area of 90,000 square miles, did nothing but hunt them all day long they couldn't- possibly exterminate thosi for years and ycare. Tho birds would always find a Ennctuary in the mountain fastnesses. In German Now Guinea tlio Government gets an export duty of £1 per skin, and quite a considerable rovonue is derived from this source. It soems to me a pity that wo don't avail ourselves of the Same opportunity of getting a big 'revenue every year." Notification is given, ill tho current "Gazette." by the Postmaster-General, .that the orler prohibiting tho issue of any money order to David Ross, P.O. Box 101, Wellington, lias been rescinded. Particulars of the mishap to the Now Zealand Shipping, Company's steamer Wliakatane, Vricny reported by a cablegram received resently, reached Sydney on October 10. It appears that whi'lo tho Whak&tano was appro.iohing Montreal from Cardiff, she ran ashore. The accident is accounted for in a peculiar way, the idea being that a dense. fire which-'lind'Taged alongitho.banks of the St. "Mwroftco >IM> previous night 3iad caused smoke to ohscuro tho loading lights,' just- as a fog would do, and during the haze the helmsman lost his bearings. Fortunately, howevci;, the Whakatano did not suffer any damage, and reached her destination safely, subsequently loading tho cargo originally intended for her, and sailing on October 1 for Melbourne, Sydney, and the four New Zealand main ports. Amending regulations under Part 2 of the Fisheries Act; 1908, relating to trout are published in the current Gazette as- follows: —No person taking any trout affected by any disease shall return such trout either alive or dead into ally water wherein there are trout, or leave it oil or near tho bank or margin of any such water. Any person committing a breach of this regulation shall be liable to a fine of not less than £2 or more than £20. Notwithstanding anything contained in any regulations heretofore made under the Fisheries Act, 1908, it shall be lawful for any person to buy and sell fresh trout and smoked trout taken and branded by or under the direction of tho Department of Internal Affairs.