LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1910, 19 November 1913, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The postal authorities advise that tho s.s. Marama, which sailed from Sydney for Auckland on November 17, has oh heard an Australian mail., and also aft •English mail, via Suez. The Woltingto.li portion is duo to arrive per Main Trunk express en Saturday next. Wireless advice received by the Telegraph Office last night from the MauJifiatiui, en route from Sydney to Wellington, stated that the vessel expects to reach her destination at 6 a.m. on Thursday. The spectacle was presented on Saturday morning in Timsfu (says the "Post") of a sergeant-major Smoking a cigarette marching at tlie'hesd of a military band. For. an officer in full uniform to m far forget military decorum and discipline rather disgusted sovcral 'old soldiers and volunteers. Councillor Fitzgerald has given notice to move- at this week's meeting of the City Council:—"That the resolution passed by the Council on Novembor 17, authorising the hire or purchase <of a motor lurry bo rescinded in. bo far as it applies to the purchase thereof." Among interesting exhibits which will ,no doubt attract attention, at t'lio Auckland.Exhibition will bo a collection of the arms and ammunition of the last century by the Defence Department, : The exhibit contains "items" which date from tho old flint and steel days, when each armed warrior had to carry his own powder and shot flasks, and made up his charges laboriously as ho went along.

Slot telephones for. the use of small shopkeeper's iu the chief; centres oi population are suggested in a question of which Mr, H. G. Ell, M.P., has given notice in the House of Representatives. He states that iu all the chief centres and in the suburban districts thereof there are a great many small traders who cannot afford to instai telephones on tlmir business premises, and who aro constrained to make vise of their neighboars* telephones, although they Would much prefer to use a public telephone and pay a small tolj charge if within reasonable distance of their busines, premises. Numerous iceberg?: wore passed Vy the' New Zealand Shipping Companj's chartered steamer Tokomani in the Gulf of St. Lawrence while tjio vessel was" bound from London to Montreal to load for Australian and -New Zealand ports. The Tokumaru arrived at Auckland oh Sunday _ morning from tho Canadian port, via Melbourne and Sydney, and tho officers report that the bergs were of great dimensions, several being over 1.200 ft. in length,, and well over 200 ft. in height. Tho presertdo of the bergs was most unusual for that soaso.n of the. year, and owing to their clnse proximity', extreme caution had to bo exercised in the navigation of the vessel.

An amusing incident occurred on tho arrival ef the Maheno at Auckland on Sunday (states the "Boraid"). One old lady passenger, on her first visit to Auckland, seeing numeroua special con* stables—mounted and unmounted—and big barricades on the waterfront, apparently thought that the city was in a state of siege. She refused to. go ashore, declaring that nothing would in-, duce lifir to run the risk of being shot. She roundly rebuked her fricudß for bringing her to such a dreadful place, but they, in spite of her remonstrances, bundled her. and her luggage into ( a taxicab, and in two minutes she was beyond the reach of "those terriblelooking mou," as silo designated the guardians of the wharves. The contrantor for tho erection of the ■ Scott memorial cairn on tho hill everlooking Fort Chalmers started work on Monday. The cairn is to be construct-. cd ef Port Chalmers stone throughout., and is to bo surmounted by an anchor in ferro-cenqrete. The cairn will bo 80ft. high, and as it is to bo.built on a rock it will, when finished, rise to a height of at least 35ft. abovo tho adjacent road level. The contract specifies that the cairn shall be completed on January 24 next. Tho advantage's of the coast route from Kaikoura to Canterbury Were illustrated in a striking way last week (says the "Lyttelton Times"). A party which left Kaikoura iu n motorcar at 10,10 a.ii!,, and took the coast road, roaehed Christfilnirch at 0.10 p.m., after stopping an honr and a half for lunch. The run wfts a non-stop one, except for the luncheon break. Some ether ears took the inland route from Kaikoura on the same day, and had serious trouble in the Conway River beds several being stuck up. The coast rente means a climb of 400 feet, against 2000 feet on tho inland route.