LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1905, 13 November 1913, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A report is being obtained by the Postmaster-Gclioi-al on the question of placing slot telephones at the' inter* ■Section of Mo-lesworth Street and Tinak»ri Road, at Northlands, Kelbufne, Karori, Newtown, To Aro, and Wadestotf'ii.

For tlis time at least the boom ill the whaling business, so far as foreign companies tiro concerned, scoins to li&ve eiitire'ly subsided. Many people who afo in a position to speak authoritatively are of opinion that the fizzling out was entirely duo to too many fleets operating at one. time, and thoy point to tho fact that New Zealand companies continue to make highly satisfactory pro- . fits, as, high,as, 120 per,cent, b.o&ig;, recorded. last Season, it is quite 'on' ttjo cards that, next year a flotilla., probably owned a Southland company, will bo operating in southern. waters.

A committee of experts is at present considering the best class of building-s-toiie to bo used in the construction of- the now Parliament BuildingSi

The somewhat extraordinary conduct of a man, apparently a fireman from one of the boats- in port, caused a iittlo amusement tho other afternoon at Puuedin among the fairly numerous crowds that now assemble on the waterfront. The young man strolled slowly down to tile wharf, evidently from tho vicinity of a neighbouring publiehotiso, and, making a remark to the effect that "things wero a bit sultry/' ho dived head first into the water with, all his clothes and his hat on. After disporting himself for some timo in the water, and incidentally _ showing considerable prowess as a swimmer, lie returned to land, and. apparently for tho edification of those present, proceeded to fepeaifc tho _ performance. Finally, he wended his way up the street, seemingly in the direction of the publielioEso from which 110 had appeared to come, leaving a dripping trail behind on the footpath.

Tho suggestion of Mr. J. Payne, 51.1'., that the Government should acquire State _ steamers, to secure the farmers against losses from the layingup of shipping, was not considered favourably by the Government. The following reply was given to Mr, Payne's question in the House of 'Representatives yesterday"Tho capital funds of the _Bo.mi.uiou are mere urgently required for development purposes than for the acquisition of a State shipping sorvice."

The- petition of E. Piteaithly for compensation for lass sustained by the passag© of the Wellington Barbour Board Empowering Bill, 1910, and tho consequent abandonment of the Wellington dock scheme, was reported to the House of Representatives yesterday by the M to L Petitions Committee. Tlie Committee recommended,, and tho House i agreed, that the petition bo referred to the Government for inquiry. Mr, Piteaithly was a tub-contractor to Messrs. M'Lean Brothers, for the supply of shingle and sand for the making of cone.reto for the dock, and he equipped an expensive plant for the preparation and transport of tho material. Owing to the abandonment of the contract no material was required, and tho result was that Mr. Piteaithly, then a Comparatively wealthy man, was mined, Ho lost in all, .it was alleged before the Committee, seme £25,000, now ho was earning Ws._ a day as a clerk. In the course of discussion in the House Mr. Buddo remarked that the case was one of the hardest lie had ever known arising out of legislation. Members who spoke, however, stipgested that the responsibility for. Mr. Prteaithly's ruin was on the Harbour Board, who promoted the Bill, and were very glad to be rid of the dock enterprise-.

Tli.o Scottish Society of Now Zealand is now receiving its annual contributions of heather from Scotland. Already about 200 boxes have come to hand representing some 250 donors artd many more are advised as on the way. Tho heather comes from all over Scotland, and many of tho bunchcs wore culled on historic ground, s-uoh as Cullodeii, Falkirk, Appiis, and the Bob Roy country. It is being tied up into sprays, labelled with the Bonder's name, and the chief distribution will take place at tho "Gathering of tho Clans' this week. It is also sent by the society to many Scots throughout rsew Zealand.

Advices were received in Sydney last week of a smart piece of work carried out on the steamer JJenlandic shortly before she left Liverpool for Australia on her present voyage. It ivas decided to (it- the vessel with two ..1,7-inch guns, under tlie Admiralty's scheme for arming merchantmen- In the short period of eight days the firm of Messrs. Barclay, Curie, and Co. had strengthened the built and Silted tho gun platforms, and docked and overhauled iirr. 'fii« vessel left iii iicr anointed timoi

The Civil Sittings of. tho Supremo Court will bo resumed at 10.30 this iuomitig.

Particulars have reached the Dominion concerning tho priccs realised by the first and part of the second consignments of honey sent t-o England through the Waikato Beekeepers' Association. The first consignment of 130 cases real* ised from 3'3s. to 4.65. 0(1, per civt,, the whole lot showing ail average of 435. -Id. per ewt. Soroft of the lower-priced lots wore described by tho brokers ss "pnfo and rather lumpy,'' "setting (lark and sugary," '.'set. _ dullish, lumpy," otC: Tho highest-priced lots ivero described as "set amber," Of forty cases of the second shipment sold, tweiva realised 375. Gd.. per <nvt., and the other twenty-eight lveiit far 435. 6d. per cwt.

"One of tho worst systems that over cursed Sew South Wales is tlie day labour system as carried out by tho present Government," declared Mr. W. Stuart last week at a combined meeting of master builders and public works contractors in Sydney. "Its very basis is political influence..and it is bolstered up by intrigue." Ho added that there was deterioration of work under tho system, Every mail who had been in the Government service for a Certain tirno became absolutely unfitted lx> do a, fair day's Work. No contractor to-day was getting as snitch work .from his employees as ho used to, for the reason that at some time of oilier most of the workers had passed through the hands of tlio Government as day labourers, piiskilled labour was fairly plentiful just now, but would the men work? No. This system, which was held up to tho country as one of the reasons why_ the Holmatt Government should retain office, was costing Australia 'hundreds of thousands a year.

Mr. Thomas Halin, superintendent of tlio Frejiiautle (W.A.) Gaol, lias been discussing tho case of tho Chinese prisoner who refuses to be released, because ho likes this place, and because ho docs not know who would chap tho wood of th© prison if tie went. "1 have never in all my life," said Mr, Uahu, "■come across such an instance as this, and I lvavo been in. charge of prisons in tho Old Country, South Africa, and Ceylon. I can't iiii.agi'no that a mail would voluntarily stay in prison, for 20 .years of his life. Of course, jie does not mis with any dangerous criminals. As a matter of fact, there is lie crime in Australia, comparatively speaking. People do not liavo to scratch for their living, and fight each other for their daily bread, and if a man is hard ivp for a bod ho can ensilv go out in. the park and sleep under "a tree."

Ah' uausual eatcU was made from the Sumner pior ouo evening ja.st week (■says the "Lyttelton Times"). One of a group of fishers fclt a weight on his line tnuch'_ greater tba.ii is usually experienced ill the locality. Conjectures wore i'ifo as to what lmd been hooked, and slowly and laboriously t'Jio line was banted in. Tho csitoh was anything but ftsh'-like when brought to the surface, and proved to bo a bicycle, "btirrowed," probably, for ft® rido down from tho city, and then thrown into tho sea,