LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1988, 19 February 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Tlio Conciliation Council sat again yesterday jnorning, to further consider the Milkmen's demands, especially in regard to wages. No progress was. made, but in ail probability all paints will Ire cleared up before the matter goes before the Arbitration Court.

Friday last was- t-ho anniversary of one of the most tragic deeds ill the Maori wars—the massacre of eight white people at White Cliffs, in Taranaki. On February 13, 1860, tho Rev. J. Whiteley, a. Weskyan missionary of forty years' standing, was riding to visit a loek-hotj.se at the White Cliffs, where. Lieutenant Gascoigne ai«l his family lived, Early that day a band of Maoris had suddenly appeared atthe outpost and slaughtered all its inmates, Gascoigne, his wife, and. three children, and two other Englishmen. When tho missionary, who had in the previous War gone among tho Natives with impunity, approached the. scene, qaito unaware of tho tragedy, he was challenged by the Maoris, fie rOdo -Oil, and a volley fired which killed his horse. J)[r. Whitoley was' seen' to kiiecl in prayer. Another volley was fired, and he fell dead. Tlurtidi-Ugj of the massacre spread apace, and Taranaki, fearing_ a general' Maori rising, Was for some time in a state of great alarm,—Auckland "Stair." ' '

Always' alive to. the interest of the' Wellington "Zoo," Councillor Geo. ftosi accompanied by Mr. Geo. Yi'irth (of Wirtji's Oirouq) visited the municipal menagerie in Newtowfu Park on Tuesday, and as tlio result obtained a, pair of silver foxes in exchango for a oonplo of monkeys. Councillor Frost also endeavoured to obtain a polar bear,.& Jeopard, awl a young JiqiA, Mr, Witth was quite willing to exchange one of his lions for one of "King Dick's" cabs, but thought tha:t tlie cnba should remain another year , ill their present habitat Negotiations ■ will therefore be opened a year hence. Regftrding ; t : he; jrolar bear and leopard, Mr. Wirtii'jrroniised to consult his brother on his return to' Melbourne,

At the meeting of tile Victoria College CoimoiS last night, the Hoik. A, L. Ilordmau moved that a committee consisting of Messrs. Ferguson. Ostler, alid Morion bo si>t up to lepori on any plana 'iii ejsisteuca. for the extension of the college buildings, to submit a sohemo for tho. extension of tho buildings-if they thought another scheme desirable, and to submit ail estimate of the cost of it; and' to suggest a plan for the. improvenipnt of tho grounds, with the cost of tho 'proposed sclie'hie. The Jnotio.rf also, gave the committee {k>'iw?r to engage the services of an architect. The motion was carried.

! On the list of new judges for the flaxdressing machinery. competition for the Government bqmiß 'of £12,000 are: Messrs. E. L. Broad, H, Grrig, R. T. Bell, L, Siefert, A. .Boss, and 1L Alters. They will act in conjunction with two Government nominees—Mr. Duncan, inspector of' machinery, and Sir W. Fen is, chief grader. The .esaininatieu of the exhibits has not yet commenced.

Good weather favoured ' the picnics at Day's Bay yesterday, and those who journeyed to that resort to' attend the Central Mission and Brooklyn. School fetes had a good day's outing. To-day the Sacred Heart School and Education Department's picnics will bo held.

At the conclusion of the meeting of the Executive Cominit-teo of the Wellington Citizens' Carnival last, evening tiro Mayor (Mr. J. P. Luke) took occasion io express his hearty thr.nks for the excellent work that was being done by the members of all the committees connected with the carnival, lie s»id that every man and woman was pulling together loyally to mains a success of this year's fete. Ho. wished to oxpress his great appreciation of the services of the secretary (Mr. Antes), who was very zealous; and wfcs not sparing himself at all. Mr. A. Paape had offered his services to assist the secretary fob two weeks before the carnival, if his other work would permit. During the next week or two citizens wer'6 to .be approached•> to assist ill easing tho financial strain of the carnival, and ha )iop. rf d that the response, would at least be as good as last year.

Detective Mason arrested'a man last evening who, it is alleged, deserted from the jfew Zealand Shipping' Company's Eotor.ua at Lyt.tcßon last month.

An anonymous donation of £0.0 lias been received by tho Wellington Automobile Club for the erection, of signposts at road-crossings and danger points in the Wellington provincial district. In order to secure <ii hiuch uniformity as possible in the erection of guiding signs for motorists, t" e secretary of the chili (Mr. Dillon Kelly) is communicating with the Hawke's Boy Automobile. Association, request'* l ? the fullest information as to the style of the signboards that have been erected in that district.

"I believe Wellington is oil the ere j of very good times," said the Mayor (Mr. J. I'. Luke) yesterday- "The I popple here do not as a rule make a ] fuS's, no matter what happens, hut there nfc signs of a gradual improvement ill things all found, and I be- : liove the peiiuiilum of prosperity is going to swing our way again, jl do not wish to speak of other plasfs in Now Zealand, as it seems narrow and parochial to do so, but if some of the peaplo had tho spirit of tire average Atieklawler, Wellington would not suffer by it. Mr. liolman was right when ho siiid that bo believed that Wellington is and must always be the commercial centre of Ne.w Zealand. \V» are ahead muiiicijially, and must keep ahead—that is going to be one of the factors in building up a great city. Our harbour is our fortune*—there is none to approftsh it in New Zealand, and being situated dead in the centra of the Dominion, there is no doubt that this will always be the premier .pijrt."

At last evening's meeting qf the executive committee of the Wellington Citizens' Carnival tlio chairman (Mr. J. I'. Luke) mentioned that lie had received a communication Iron; his Excellency the Governor stating that ho and Lady Liverpool would not be able to return to Wellington in time for tlie carnival, but were quite willing that tho carnival should be field under their patronage.

At the meeting, of_ the Carnival Committee last evening it was decided tbiat the Mayor {Mr. J. P. .Luke) should communicate with the Government asking that a general "holiday be proclaimed hi Wellington as from nooit; on Wednesday, March 4--tho first day of tho Carnival—and that lie, as Mayor, would proclaim a general halfholiday as far as. tho City was concerned. In speaking on tills point the Mayor said that lift would- bp <3nly too glad to fall in with the wishes of the committee, and cou'hi do So with all the better grace as ho had had to resist considerable pressure in tho matter of proclaiming public holidays when requested to do so from time to time. At tho annual meeting of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce the president (Mr. S. J. Xatlian) referred to the fact that, in spite of tho epidomjo and t'be ; strike, the past year liftd been a satisfactory _ one. . Financial matters had been fairly satisfactory, although the tightness of money had been, felt iii some quarters.. . The rirtes for mones> bad been high, it wag true, but the easier state, of things that now obtained on the London market would no doubt be reflected at a very early'date in this country, sq thai any financial ■Stringency remaining should lio much relieved, In fflct, matters wore much mofe hopeful in this connection than had hcen tho ease for a considerable time past, and, with tho high prices that were ruling for our products in the Homo and other markets, business prospects for tho coming year wero more than encouraging. Mr. Bart Kent is president of tlio chamber for tho coming year —(Press Association,)

"Many coneort artists harp their eyes Oil this part of the world," said Mclllo. Aiitoni.a Dolores, iii'tho course of a conversation yesterdav. "And' why notf For its. population, there is no country in the world like New Zealand. There arc so many places to visit, the people are all masift-lovin.g, if not actually musical; every place is so interesting. Then there liiivo been so many reports of artists making big mtinoy out here, too.. That is a big cwiiicitratiQ.li., ij.nd one, I think, that will moan that many fine artists will .visit .Australia,,and .New Zealand in the near future.''