LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1975, 4 February 1914, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The postal authorities advise tltafc tho s.s. Manuka, which soiled from Sydney <ju January 31 for . Wellington, brings Australian mails only. She is due today, During the year cm-led December 31. 1913, tho Government provided' land for '2H3 selectors, the- total aer-cago being 677,900 acres. It is understood that this rate of settlement is being niorc than maintained at tho present time. The following is the text of tho Mayor's notice of motion respecting charge for admission to tlio RoyAl Artillery Band's concert to bo held in tho Athletic Park on Sunday Isext:—"Thai the resolution passed at the ordinary meeting of the Wellington City Counoil held on January 26, granting the Royal Artillery Band permission' to make a -charge of one sh-iHiMg or -sixpence for admission to the band performance to bo given by them at tho Athletic Park on Sunday, February 8, be rescinded." The above is to be considered at- a special meeting of'tho City Council fixed for' Friday afternoon. The hotel staff took charge of the new Hermitage at Mount <3ook yesterday. The flitting was completed, today. The old house- is iitilf 'avail-Side for sleeping accommodation if required; Press Association, No -official statement was issued regarding the caucus meeting of the Opposition party -which, was held in Wellington yesterday, tat it is understood that the business dealt with was in the suftwo of party orgiiiiisation -and campaign planning. iThe best available., information is that qnly about a dozen members were presfiiit. These-included: Sir Joseph Ward, Messrs, G. W. Russell, Q. W. Forbes, H. G. Ml J. CblvijH W. J. Diddo/li'. M. Isitt., T. Wilford,' and A, B. Glover.'

Cbilsiftei'jvbla improvements aro being .mad* At present to the. entrance to, Shortt's ■ Rictiiro Theatre in Willis. Street. This wilt involve dispensing, with the front shop,, and the utilisation;, of the area so acquired for the purposes of a. portiere.,. to lie .gracefully 1 arched and 'finished in white plaster. 11l .keep-.' iiig. With this sclicnie the preseiit entrance is also to bo arched, awl .tho ticket-box; will. Opi?i.i into the- Stew POJPtipro instead o'F. into the passage, *ho' .alterations moan an ex-te.i.isio'n'of .the. entrant* frontage from 'dft. to 21ft- . Information was received yesterday by tho Hoik B, H. Rhode? {Minister in. Charge, of Tourist Resorts) that a.susr pension bridge oyer the .Arthur River, : oil tlio Milford Track had been washed .away.. The track will not bo blocked by.the removal.:©!' tho bridge excejit in bad weather, tliuler ordinary cbiiditioijfs travellers are. able to cross the. river ; i'n boats. . Beyond tlvo bare fact of tho destruction of the bridge, iio details have yet come to band. Tlio structure stretched high above tho river, and was commonly regarded as absolutely safe. Th.e annual inspection. of the city . waterworks at Waintji by tho members of the City Council lias been feed for Tuesday next (weather permitting). Tho ■ municipal party will leave tho Town Hall at 9,30 a on.,' returning to- town ' about 6 pan. ;■ \ While tlio members of the City ■Council Reserves Committee -were- iii.'spe'cting tho ladies' baths a;t Clydp Quay yesterday afternoon, Mr. T. Shields,, an. eii- : t-husiftstio advocate of swiftming . IOJf young and old, was engaged An teaciiii.g a squad of youngsters,their first pace's in the useful a-ri. Mr. Shields has; his ■own way 'of imparting .knowledge-. ..Ho positively angles thoni into tho belief that it is inipossiblo for.-.t'hom to sink iif .tlioyatseithoimarms and legs properly and refuse to imbibe from tlio 'ocean's measureless abundance. That is to say, hq> conducting l.ii'a class iii doep. water-, : IjaV avsprfc of .sling attached to.,the end Of a rope which, hatig's .fronta ste'iiti j>qlo: held % tho tutor. Standing oil tho platform,' polo in hand, Mr. Shields _ .resembled a "fisher of men," if tlio litt'lo pink dot .suppttrted by tlio cradle sling could be.called a man. Now and again bo slackens the strain and. allows tlio water to sustain tho ' weight' of tho' learner., who at tho samp time is informed how' to strike out. By this sa'fb aiid gentle moans confidence is gradually given the learner,, and after two or throb lesso'ils they find they can swim a few strokes, then across 'tho baths.,., and afterwards the- full length. Many hundreds of children, have been taught ■to swim in this manner by Sir. Shields, Mr. Shields Will attend at the. To Aro Baths this afternoon to tcaeli ai.iy childr yen swimming who may wish to learn. At to-morrow's meeting of tho City Council Councillor R. A, Wright is, to inevo:—'That permission bo granted to citizens to water their gardens .-through 1 it hosts between tho hours of 7. .and. 8 p.ni. during this months of October, November, December., .January, tUldFebruary, subject to withdrawal by advertisement should circumstances so demand." ■. Extension of the wood-blockiiig dowii Cuba Street froi.n its junction with Manners Street will shortly be put in hand. , Tho OHy Ewgrncflr has informed th.e jl-ayor that the- blocks .have,arrived, and tirat a- start-will be niado at an early date to put in the foundations aiid': lay'the Mocks. Tito ciigiiiee'r lias also reported that the trani-tracli along tho lino of route to be ■d'sdH, with stands iii some need of rejsniiV. and this work will bo oairied out simultaneously with tlvo .wbod-b'loekinr;. Other improvements iii prospeet- include a reduction of tho' right angle which .now exists at tho intersection of Wakefield Street. and Mercer Street, -arid, the .paving of tlio streets in tho reclamation, area with woocWiloekiiigt SttwVi praise of tlrt home he was in and of his oinployor was contained in .a letter received bv the Miotlr. DenaTtnici.it yesterday front ono of tlio -Sedgwick hWs, who is employed as a groom, at Takapau. Tho.boV state'that bis work was light, allowing bin; plenty of Spar© time* yet he was getting .£1 per we'ek and his keep. As ho is not -yet 21 years of ago, and lias only had thwo years' oxpsrienco in country war!;-, his ■case seems to prove that the farmers are not anxious to retain boys brought out by tho Government at less than the ■ruling rates of pay for such work?