LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1911, 20 November 1913, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The steamer Athcnic, which departed for London on Tuesday, carried 1295 bags of newspaper mail, and 178 pn.reel receptacles, ot a total weight of 02,7901b. This is tho largest mail over dispatched by ft direct steamer. The remainder of the contacts with the liemuera's passengers, who were suf--1 fering from scarlatina, cam* to town from Somes Island.yesterday. Tho patients aro reported to be progressusg favourably. The public .of Cliristclrarch has been warned by the "Press" against accept- ] iag gold coin, especially sovereigns, without careful'scrutiny. The warning arises out of the discovery by Mr. Beadell, teller at tho Christehuroh branch of the Union Bank, of several ■ sovereigns that were successfully passed: until they reached his hands. 'A representative- of the "Press" examined one of tho. coins. Tho imitation is almost perfect. There is just tho slight-, est suspicion of ■lightness, but in other respects the coins aro perfect facsimiles of good coin-ago. They ring fairly true, and it is only wlfeu tho milled edge of ■ the spurious coin is rubbed against the milled edge of a gomimo one that the Jraud is discoverable As a result of i tins operation, tho thin coating of gold on the milled -edge of the spurious ar* tiele is rubbed off, disclosing a white metal, probably silver, beneath. So far, about twenty of theso sputwus sovereigns havo been detected.' Several unusual, situations arose out of a civil action at tho Supreme Court, Auckland, oil Monday, in which all bat «n 0 . witness, the-.plaintiff, were Chinese, the witnesses for fcha plaintiff took the oath m the ordinary maimer, hut these tor tlio defence desired to declare their truthfulness by blowing out a match. \Vaea this was proposed, Mr, Singer ' who appeared for the plaintiff, said that he understood from liis client that the proper method of administering an oath to Chinese was to cut off a rooster's head, He had been assured, ho said, that that was the only form of oath which Chinese regarded as binding. His Honour Judge Cooper speedily put the point asido,' stating that ho had heard Chinese cases in. every city in Now Zealand, and the only method of administering tho oath ho had ever seen was by tho blowing' out of a match.. _ The Commission selected by tho President of the United States, which is visiting, all countries, inviting and requesting participation. in the' PanainaPacinc international Exposition, andnow in tho south, have expressed thej dosira to meet the members of the Chamber of Commerce and Wellington bitsiiiess men, so that they may. give all 1 information in regard to tho Exposition, and arrangements have been made for them to address a -meeting of the Chamber- at 3 p.m.' an' Mondav, November 24, _ Oriental Bay esplanade is to bo con- . toned ■ shortly. Money for the- work was put on. the -estimates at the beginning of the year, but various matters have hindered -the city authorities from proceeding with it up till the present, iVow, however, the Itoseneath. Rate payers' Association has been notified that the work will shortly be put in hand. A contmitteo of tho Oity Goutocil is to pay a visit to Sesefteath to look into various matters brought under notice by tho association. The special committee set »p by the Chnstchureh City Council to go into the matter of a site for a town, hall reported at Monday's meeting hi favour of the adoption of the site in the angle formed by Colombo Street and Victoria Street, at present occupied by tho band rotunda. Councillor Hunter protested against tho taking of tho Site for a town hall, as a more suit-able site would bo oft the other, side of the river. Councillor Otiey said it was tho only one in the city suitable for a town ball. Coiiiieil-" for Aeland said the band rotunda coiild be placed where the Victoria statue was placed, and the statue' could be re* moved to a position in. front of the Supremo Court. The report was ado-pjted. Owing to the stormy north-east winds that have prevailed during tho past'few days (states Tuesday's "Otago J)aily Times") very high seas have been driven eoflstWards.,-andTnjgo breakers havo been driven right over the wrecked steamer Tyrone. She is lying broadside on to the swell, and owing to tho fores of the breakers the salvage party has been obliged to suspend operations for the present, A large quantity of cargo. Was taken out during tile fine weather, and special permission has been granted ' by the strikersJo land Some heavy goods that- havo been salved from tho wreck. A man named Walter Coleman was ax- ; rested by Defectives! Andrews and Dcmpsey yesterday, on a charge of having stolen., ati Feilditfg, tho sum of £10, the property of IV. G, Haybittle. It is a matter of common knowledge that, whether by coincidftiieo or otherwise, the march of tho missionary in somo of the South Sea Islands has been ■ followed by a gradual decrease in the number of tho native inhabitants. Dr. Ramsay Smith, of Adelaide, in a, lecture ■ delivered last Week, provided a reason for this depopulation. He spoke of tho ravages of what he termed tropical langUof, bringing about poor digestion and fever. "The natives of tho South Seas aro an : active race and are- not lazy, as some people seem to think," he remarked, "in the past, tho missionary has sometimes some along and stopped the religious dances and other energetic observances which 'havo prevailed among the natives for hundreds of years, with the resultthat- it has meant 'extermination. This has been recognised now, and missionaries are beginning to trouble the people less with Sabbath observance, and aro not interfering so much -frith their ordinary activities. They aro getting them to do honest labour—looking after cows and pigs, coffee plantations, and So on." Ho mentioned the ease of one island, which had been considered to be the most Christianised and froo from alcohol,, and assorted that in SO years the population had decreased to one-tenth of what it had. been. It has been decided to make a change in the colours worn by the students attending the Auckland University . College. The light Miuj of the hat bands and snort.s,oostunie.s at present used has been foiind to fade very quickly under tho Influence of sun aiid rain. At the meeting of the College Council, authority ■ was given for the issue of lint bands of . a deep royal blues and, presumably ■ in order to secure uniformity, football-and hockey jerseys and cricket blazers will ! also undergo 'tho change. In accordance with the move to bo ' made by all branches of the New Zea- j land Post and Telegraph Officers' Ass'o- : million, tlio Wellington Branch is holding a special general meeting en Friday to discuss the question of the deadlock between the Public Scrvkc Com- .; in.i«nioiw» and the delegates who attendcd tho recant conference;- I i

ic The United Christian Association of ■ji Potone held its monthly meeting at the ,j; Christian Chapel. Thero was a largo [(! gathering, and the principal speaker was , s Sir. H. Grrastead, evaiigotist (Church p of Christ, Wa-nganni). 'Hie Eev, Thompson (Presbyterian) opened tho gather* '" iiig with prayer, air. Griiistead, who 10 was the chief spealwr, dea.it very fully '• with the subject of tho union of all S, Churches. Tho speaker acknowledged ir the great difficulties that faced the h Chiiwhes, and strongly deprecated tho j- giving up of principles for the sake of i § uni-forniity, bus the work m the ho.mo [i and foreign field domauded that Chris(i t- : ians should cultivate tho spirit of j unity and strive for tho union of -all '"' Gael's people, on tho tea.chi.tig of the 0 basis of union laid do-Wh by the ApoStlo 1:1 iiißph. 4. Mf. Gffiistcad, reviewing the iS signs of tho timeSi said there was great c reason to requice. The best men in all y the Churches were more anxious about •- winning nion for Christ than they 'were to make sectarians. Tlio address was • listened to with marked attention, Mr. Grinstead continues his riiissicii services each night, the sabject for to-night being, "The Basis of ITnion Advocated by the Churches of Christ." d The next annual .meeting of tho Now 'o Zealand Institute of Surveyors will ho ;1 held in Auckland, in the early part of )• January, 1914.. A poll of ratepayers of the Johnsonvitle Town District took place yesh terday on the question of rating only E- on improved values. The result was! n For the proposal, -61; against, 22, being i- a majority of almost throe to one in g favour of the more progressive system. Alterations in tho Victoria. College. / regulations to the effect that class fees ;" shall bo paid at the beginning of tho '> first term instead of in two instalineiits 8 were agreed to at the couneil's meet- ;• in.g last evening, on tho reeomtoCHdaS tian of the Professorial Board.' il . , '■ . .