LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1969, 28 January 1914, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Tlie postal authorities advise that thes.s. Moorakl, which sailed from Sydney or Saturday last, is bringing an' Australian mail only. Sho is dtto here da^'.

With an ore to improving their school ground the J'olin&mvUlc School Conuriitteo recently applied to the Minister of Defence for a graiit for ground improvcaiant, in view of the fact tliat tlio Territorials wore using tlio gravmd for drill. Tlio Minister of Defence replied to tho Wellington Edwcation Board yesterday statiflß that tho red,ucst -could not bo complied wit-It. Tto chairman (Mr. it. Leo) stated t-lmt tho school c3iM«itt«> had granted the use of t!i-o ground to tlio. Territorials, and if tho KJ-ant had boon made tlw mounds would have been improved for the Territorials.

A conference of chief school ins&cc* Uirs of the. Dominion will lie held at Wellington on February 5 and -6.

The new geared hifib-prcssuro turbines for tho Union Company's steamer Mahnno an> on board the steamer Ku- : niara, which reached Auckland on Sunday, from Liverpool. The turbines weigh about 12 tons and 16 tons rcspecttvclv, and are of the very latest typo. Several propeller shafts, proppllers, and a quantity of boring; out 'cw aro also on beard for Urn Mαheno's refitting. The Maheuo is at present driven by three propellers with power supplied by three- turbines. The centre propellin;; shaft will be entirely removed, and the vessel will in future be drivett by two wine or side propellers. Tho jlahouo's present estimated I'rorse-jjower is aboi.it six thousand five hundred, but wlicu she is ready for son afisin it is expected, that she will have n grea-tly iuwensed hnrse-jsower, and w'll Also develop a much faster turn of speed. It is uiiderstood that £lio intereolonial liner Jtauiwtantii wilt relievo tho Maheno in tho Aucldaiid-Sydnoy direct aervice during the six or «feljt weeks tho latter vessel is laid up at tort

Wo learn tliat tlio Sfawv, Savill, and Albion Co., Ltd., have opened! iin offica in WelliHaton tinder tho ohargo of Mr. Jaiiies Findlay, of tlioir Loncieu (head) oflkfl. Tho functions of tho now Now Zealand branch aro to bo clearly administrative, beinji concerned chiefly with the arrangement of Honiowafd oargo booldufcs ftn<l tho ailoeation of tonnage for tlio various Now Zealand ports whicii arc sorvod by tho steamers of the lino. We wo given to muhmRtand Mint this new dopartUro d 0.05 not effect- tlm status ef tho eojnp&ny's nsfluts lievo or «t other ports, wlio will coutinne Jo ft'lfil their osoewtivo func-tioii-s as hitherto. The compAtiy has opened ita office in tho Aceouhtfriits' Sonicty Building, Johnston Street.

A smart and plimlry action was performed on Saturday afternoon by a telegraph messenger , in Chrislcl-Hiroh (says Utu "Press"). Tlio hor&e in a van had bolted during the absenoo of the. driver, and was canang up Manchester Street <it a great rate. Tho boy jumped off his bioyclo, and climbed into tho back of tho van and over the w?at. Being unable in reach the reins By any other incjins, he stroidtod outhis leg, and lifted them with his foot, and then seizing them, nanaged (y -pull the_ horse up just as it was about to collide with a verandah-post near the isoeltier Hot«l.

flip executive, of tho New Zealand THiblic Service Association Jlntorpnra ted) is supporting tJio candidature of Sir. -George AJlpo-rt, Stcrctarv of Ma< line: Mr. H. W. Biskoji, Stipendiary Magistrate at Qifistchiifth ; nmtJlj-. ,T. V. MandwwUJ, solicitor to the Public Trust Office, Wellington, for election as nweubors of. tlio I'ufiiic Service Stiijerau.* nuation jlearil. llcccQi> visitor* to the Franz Jofiof Glacier district from oil. parts of t.lio Dominion are loud in their a.p.p-r-fceiat-ion (says the BoJcitiJia correspondent of the "Press 11 !, '*«t eay that something should bo dwiio by tho Tourist Department to bring, the water -from the springs into practical use. It is Btroiicly ur«t-d that the Government skrald put «.p an up-to-date tourist resort and tan. tho hot water from tlto springs, so that visitors may use some in the; hostel. Afc the Normal School, Wellington., t.li.CTo began yetterdny a special cburso of instruction far unccftificatel fcachors. These classes wore arranged some tm» nRo by tho Wellington Education Board for the benefit of those uncortificatod tcnehefß who aro h-andieapned through living in the back-blocks.' The board invited sumo of the other beards to send a limited number of certificated teaclters, and ni, yesterday's meeting-, Waiigaittri and IlawW-s Bay -notified their inability; to accept the offer. Teachers nominated by Grfey, "'Nelson, dhd Jfiulbnrougli Boards are in attoiwt ance, and by arrang&nonfc with tho scljonl cofnmittees tlio schools affected will bo closed temporarily. At last night's meeting of the Karor.l Borough Ouucil, Councillor Henderson, through a deputy, gave notico to iftovo at tho nest ttioc'tm-g of tho council tho following motion:—"That in view of tin? widespread desire- for the siipptr of :gas and the terms demanded by t-W Wellhigton Gas Company for 1 an extension of its system to tlio borough, the onsip.ees, prepare plans and estimate; for tlio most ujHte-da'tc plant for the baf-eugh." A rneetuig of the Citizojift' Defence Committee was held yesterday for tlio purpose of passing sonio accounts for ■payment. Matters in connection with the committee are to bo wound up within tho next Week or two. "Armoured trams" is the name, which the tramway employees have -given the latest centre-entrance style ■ of electric tranicar. Those in thp habit of using theso cars during rush hours find them tt> be tire most awkward type of car in t-ho Bc.Fvico. Thp car is divided into tfrd and nsiithe only entrance aitd exit to. each fs.iit tlie centre of tlio ear. At rush houwUhe rjltrenco pliitforirt becomes caiigested with pcofilo, olid the sight oft-oii presents itself of jwssengets iigivtinß tq get eut, wlivlst cthbrs arc attempting to crowd on. A very cnjoyaUo swoko coMevt was held in ttio Gentrnl Fire Outran last evening, the occasion being a fa well to Mr. if. GiUies (station officer), who ia leaving to tako up tho {losition of'mnna£e<! to t\\o VMua.litta-VoJvgMoa -l!(totoT Bit,s Co. -SupcrinteiKieiit lait, on behalf of yiu men, presented Mr. Gillies irifji a handsome lenthev' dressier-case, suitttbly inscribed, Musical items were contributed during ihe evening by liiembers of the brig-ado and their friends. 'News has boen rccoiv-ed in Christchurch of the death of Mr. Owen Piiec, a native of G-leiitiiiin.el, as tho result of ii b-oattug aceidenfc at Mount Morgan, Oueeiißlsiid. J.t ftppoare that on January 11, Mr. Price, who was a stroiig s-winuiver. Went out on a da.m for a tow with three oilier Jiieii and a youth liamed Arthur Furnoy. By sumo inca'ns tho boat becaino opsct, and tho ocenpairtK woro loft struggling in tho water. Tho men all reached tkc bank safely, with the exception of Mr. Price, whe, scGingiitJint,!tho, Jpfl-th -Ji'tttiicy was in difficulties,,- wcitt. to; 'his assistance, Both tho youth and Ji.is Would-bp. ws« oner, .-Jiowever,. became, cntunglcd in the weeds which abound in tlio .d!im,,,.a.uil sank bfiforo assiatiineo could reach them, the bodies being reeovcre'S about, threc-qwrtcrs of an lie-ur ktcr. The Into Mr. Price, who was thirty-four years of age, was well known in Can* terbury, Two of hi? Tjrotbers—Messrs. 8. J. aucl P. Pf residents ol Glentfliinol, and another brother, Mr. >T. Price, is a warder in the Ljttcltofi Gaol. ' A i Well-known angler informs the Auckland ''Herald" that with regard to tlio reports about 'blindness , in 'fish in Taupo lio believes that -many of the treat are in tho habit of moving tho 6tones on the bottom of tho lake with their- noses in an endeavour to securetjio food "that 'lies beneath. Hβ has caught -rivawy. fish whose daroagcd i heads eonld only be apcouijtod for in this -wa*, and considers it ppssi'hlo that many ol ! tho. trwit 'have injured their eyesj-n the endeavour to move largo rocks in this way. Malty anglers have been piiimte-d ns'to the reason why'fish aro frequently caugnt witit a -portion til the lo*ct jaw Horn awny, rmc] this defect can be accounted for by tho sanie theory. Tiro rocks and stones in Lwko Tnu-po aro iuoro or less of a pmnico nature, and (iontimial rubbing a.ud inis'l.viiig *t tl.wsh roukl easily damage the jnembrano of tho ey-o. Tho detfiri'oratk-H of tho fisli in Laico Taiipo, as elscwlwre, is iittrib-H----tabln to the fact that the onoriVious natura] incroS-se in tho trout has Baiisod tho M-atiirn) food to be- oatc'n ,out, aiin un-dor these circ-iiiiistaiic.es tho fish aro not liltcly tii aßain gvo-w to tho abnormal size- of past-y-ears. Tlio well-kiiowu firni of Scad-Gowins; and Crated, Ud., hidorpbrated insu-r----miBO brokers, of London, in order to facilitate tlw; cmtduet of their -biwincss hi (lib Dominion, liavo liow foflned ana registered in New Zealand, Soad-Gowijig and Cravon (Xew Zcnl-artd), Ltd., Mt. J. So.id-Gi)winft itiidertakine tho lnanag-in-K dircctfirsW'p, bohig also manager and atta-niey for tho Execs* In-suT)iiie6 Companv, Ltd., of taitfon. Tho Mpastct■od officefi ar-c sitimted at Grand Buildings. Cathedral Square, ClmsteriU-fcli; Wfcll-mgtfin Braiieh oflice, Bank of Australasia Chambers.