LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2009, 17 March 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

\ During th-o last week the Ma'yftr lia-.s ■teeft waited on. by softie dozens of jueu soliciting work. Some of the applicants, stated that tlicy had tried to find employment in the country Without Sliccßsa, The- rush, for work from the eor* poration is a little earlier- than u-siial this year, which iftay indk'ate that tliojo is likely to bo-' a surplus of labour duriijg the winter months. ' As far as the city is concerned, there is atttt much big work doing just now, as .it is the fag elid of the. fi'iKiiicial year, kit with the prfldtftio-vi. suid adaption of the estimates for the coming year and. ths possibility of certain loan proposals being adopted, there may ha a better chalicefor the casual labourer later on. Some rcwarkaht-B catches of eels have taken place- of Into in -the Wain-m Stream. A psrtv of three wont ceiiftg in tlie stream on three nights recently. Oh, the- first night they caught 120.eel's, on the second 86. and on the third %%. all between Grace's -woolshe.cl. and the top of Grouse's property. The average .length of. tlio eels caught was 2Jft, 6*., and the largest measurer} ssft. fiiu,, a;iid weighed 4iljn. s'lost fif the 'eels -caught 4U iieing laid open are found to contain young trout, ' A (nesting of the csccutiva of theWellington Wharf Labourers' Itoton was hef-cl last evening to consider what action should be taken in regard to the niofi, who were dismissed from Work on various vessels because they were not members of _ Slid tiJwii. After discussion it Was decided that the wliqrf lube-m-ora -in question could, if they wished to do so, join tlii>. union, provided that '.hoy paid ., the necessary entrance fco, cm] aba tlio ■weekly subscription froiii the tijito that they mmmew.dd work, When this anftotiflceiueiit was made last evening, several men joitied the union, J lie lowest j'.l,ili.scripUoM received being iltn.e shillings. In soine oases fourteen, and j fifteen shillings wers paid to join. It is often wgwl by wittMsci iu courts of justice that mnrnod men slMiiid' be leniently dealt with opt -of etW-sideratio-ii fur ttvoif ftu-nijioß. 'jli»> Chief Jtistioo ■ (Sir Robert Stout), hoWorer, told a prisoner yesterday that the fact that: lie was married should bring, junj additional pttrtishme-iyt. A wan with others doi'-Widenf.. on him ought f.6 be .-more careful even than a sragfc niai). "Yoii have no gfoWr -t«iw« of' your hilitjes," Hi's Howmr co'iickded.

The chairman's annual statement., which was presented to the Harbour Board .yesterday,, sho'wed that the speciiil rcson'e fund aiuoinitpd to £16.867 10s. 4t1., and an additional f8'785 18s. Bd. was to be added, nra'king a total pf £33,153 13s. Mr. A. H. llkdmafsh was anxious to know tor what purpose the frod was to' be employed, Mr. R-. Fletcher (the chairman) replied that it was for any special purpose which might arise, It might, lip said, be necessary to call upon the fund for £10,060 or f 12,000 during the coming year. Shovt circuits in Wet weather Jiave been a constant source bf cc.mplaint by Htitt telephone subscribers who may wisit to call up the city. Ths reason was that the casing pf tit© &itt cable was pftnetured and mi watbrpropf, the punctures being partly the resviM .of ordinary wear and tear, but mostly the result of pea-rifle bullets. These pu«c--tjirßS are being doDtitmally feaud iii the cable by the repair ntoil!' Tlris difficulty will be gat pver when the underground pipes are laid to receive the new cables. Already the pipes- have been put down between the city and Petonb, and the cable h>,is i-ww to be d-raiv-n thrown. 'Jliis cable will earr-y 209 pairs of wires. The laying of the pipes from Petone to Lower Hutt will bn delated for a timo cwing to the supply pf suit* able pipes httviiig run out. "This is a very serious .matter." said tte chairman, of the Harbour ' Bpa-rd (Air. H. Fletcher) at tlio board's aniHial meeting yesterday. The roiiiark was in reference to the fact that coal far the Government handled at the frliarjcs last year, and,-an which no wimrfaKe is paid, amounted to 06,335 tons, as against 40,;u50 tons for the previous year. Mr. li. A, -Wright .agreed With the chairman, and thought that a _ deputation from -the board shfful'd wait upon the Government. By this means ibcy mfarht -get tfeo Government to aKreo to a ljtttitod smbiMit oft which no wharfage should bo paid. He did not think, ho-wevcr, tlia* th.ey wsaid get the 'Government to agree to pay for all the coal, but a .limit might he fixed, j , .'flatter stood they were bound to handle larger amounts each year. The longevity of .people in Westland ■lias often becu remarked upon. 'The' following: figures compiled Iry the ivii,' inai-a Hegfetrarr of Deaths show a vsr;y : hmli average- of ■persons who died "iii luiiiiara- during the last year. Por ■ teen consecutive registrattoiis the ago' iivverage was 74} years. Leaving out the registration of a lad (18' years of ap), who was killed, and tak'iiig in the previttiis regmtivitions the averace works out for eighteen persons at 761 : years. Tire following, are the ages (in. years) of deceased .persons registered: consecutively fe Knmara grin's tlje !S St J ca l;-? 0 ' 80 * S6, 18 (Jailed,, %' «(, W, 81, 80, 70, fB, 69, 79, 90, 76,: 67, ,-2, 74, 73, Thore are scores pf' octogenarian residents in the district- ■ The ppenriig pf the session of the' Uurt of Appeal has been adjeur-rfed till ■ April 6. • March 23 Jins been fixed as the date for_ the seemid bearing of tho . case . "Times" v. BasiiNroN,, for alleged iibel _ The AVigyam Shield, won by the AV.eh liiig.ton Life Saving team at Blenheim' last month, is at present b'n view in Messrs. Perry aad M'lntosh's- window,. in Manners Street, The recent visit ©f the itoy-a-I Artillery : Baiid was mentioned app-reefotiv.elv .at ■ the last meeting of the -Auckland Exhibition Executive. In repk to a question . tlie president (Mr. ij!. Eftiot) said that „ the cost of the band altogether liarj beei.i about £9000. What revenue it had brought would be estremely -tliffib-rtt to say, hut it had been a most- satisfactory-. venture and it was .a- renTa-rkij'blD feat, tor such an- arrangement to be -madei Mr, G. L. Peaepeke said that it was the-, general opinion. ,<ef musical exports that tjiij iiaiid had, had a'dis'tinet efree't : in m:USiie?ll circles," in iniproiviiig ideals til regard tb baud inlisic.. This wa-s lio't a -coiu-nlei'ei.al aspent. .of the matter, hut : it was one"' regarding which iliey could feel imich satisfae'tSflu.. The president ■ said the band had'done jjtowj. to uplift! and educate musical taste in Auekiand ■ than any other musical combination that had ever via-itcd. New Zealand, Tlie Dutiediii eftrrcs.poiide.ht of the "Lyttoltou Times" slates that,, itfr. M- '■ V. Wright, of ifoslyu, .a Wel.Uknbwu oHm-ber, has rctiirued to .Quoenstowii:' fffter five Weeks' clftitbiug aiid tioil ju the AVakatipu hiuterlajid with '• different parties. Ho s,cft'led', thi'.r'teeii : peakSi twelvo of which had never beeu.' ascended hefofc. -Dii eight .e'spelitions ■ lie acted as leader. This recprd' .of high' cliinbiiig is probably the best for one i seaseii so far in New Zealiiud. The chief scenes of cpe.v'abibiis were on.tlio Ree-s, Dart, Matuldtiiki (Lake Ay : ap"ak.a).' ailtl Arawata divides. ! Mr. Wright sj«safe oiit'lntsrastiijaliy of this c'cnM'try 1 froni a seoniij point of view, Pealt.s iuvo'lviiug iee and rock climbs of from; 400Q.ft.' to. 600'G'fi.j and glacjor'S' nhßost. as fine a-s those iii tho Miouut. £obh di.S'. trict were met with. Mr, AViright spent a manth with -CJaptain. Head aiid party, -. taking part in- thsir Alpine ivq'j'l? aii the :j head of Lake AVflkatipu..

An interesting innw-ittio.ii is being, liladc in connection with th'ij New Zea.laud Territorial Forces, providing -iiiiatin future each, reginieut is'to hsivj) its own regimental mare-li* The, .marches are being arranged so that, during tho Match jfiast in ii re'yiow tho mirsHid bands ivill pfity the. ijiafcli .of essc-ii tegl' W.ei>t as it passes the salutiiig base. The- Ist (■Ca'rrterfaijTp) jins adopted tbo march of the- {:Q.ueeji's Own) Rajral'W.e.st Keiitish Rxigiiji.e'lvt, Hth -which it is alKed. The- nta'rsi'i Is tho sve'H-faiown "A Hundred Pipers." Tile 13th .(North Canterbury aM Wetland) fegimettt is adopting Die ''Irish .\Yaalterwfljiiau" miijeli., an-u for'tha Jit Siouiitecl .Rifles '(0.Y.0.j a Special 'march. . tjtas bee* composed by the. IsaJidjiias'tbiP. tt is also being arranged tii.ij't tlie other; of tftc 'Canterbury Jlouuted .Brigade, the; Aftillerj', tli.o flffgiiicors, and the- Ineld Atniiiiia-ne-e Conjpaiiies will have their own marches,