LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2124, 16 April 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Hospital authorities reported last night that Mr. Virgil 51 'Govern, one of the victims of the Htitfc disaster, was slightly easier, but had not wholly regained consciousness. Mr. Jas, fiagan ss progressing well,

A General Order has keen issued which states that information has been received that in. the case of candidates from New Zealand for appcrintitttmt to commissions in the Regular Army, two years' service in the ranks, including two annual trainbigsj will bo accepted in lien of the conditions laid down in the "Regulations muler which commissions in the British Regular Army .may bo obtained by offiefrfs «f the _ military forces of self-governing Dofthttous and Crown colonics."

Tins Labour Department is now making a selection -of mm statable for employment oil public works in various parts of tho dominion. It is expected that largo batches of men will bo 6<*nt shortly, both from Auckland and Wellington. This will relieve tho unemployment which has -existed in the two 'centres tor tt few weeks past; Watcrsiclo workers desirous »?f getting employment on public works will be included in the men sent.

• Although the committee of the Wellington lavage Club dcsvdcd sifter full consideration that, it was hnjwacticabh? to build just now (the Concert Chamber of the Town Hall not being avail, able for further occupation by the club), satisfactory •arrangements aro being made for Accommodation. According to tho annual report of the club, the council was approaAcd recently by the cAvn> ■crs of a. Wilding which is now. in course of construction, and a lease being draivn up giving tho club what is con. sidored as most commodious premisee 111© building should bo ready for ocett.pation before the i§ls season open6,_ and the council considers tliat the chili Is to be congratulated'an making siieha satisfactory arrangement; Tho first feorero of tho club this season is to be held in thfl Concert Chamber.

Tlit! Normal School, Kelburne, wa& opened yesterday. For some days past the enrolment for the. infants' depart' ment. kindergarten, and for Standards I and II has been going on, -and will continue, for some time, til) all the accommodation has been filled. Miss I). Fitch is in charge, and with Ivor is as< satiated a. staff of three teachers. Tho u-ew i building is in all respects thoroughly up to date. An opportunity will bo given parents to inspect the school from 2 to 4 p.m.. and. 7 to 9 p.m. t-s----nidrTow.

Conference's of employers and employees in the kioi tradoj of tho Domrnron were hold in Wellington yesterday, tho former being in the Employers' Federation rooms, and tho latter in tho Trades Hail. IMb conferences were in camera, and in the afternoon « .joint ecntowco of employers and employees Was hold., with tho idea of .bettering -the conditions of work in tho industry, An announcement was made Inter to the Press that- tho conference had nothing to dis-* close at'present.

■ Councillor IS. Tregcar lias notified the town elerk as follows:-—"At tko next meeting of the council I will uiovc that the services of tho city organist and tiro use of the city organ should not be made available for* political party purpose." With the exception of a. few estimates for tramway extension and improvotiient, tire estimates for the- works proposed to ho included in tho schedule of tho new city expansion and iwprovcMra.it loon have all beep prepared in the-Cii.v Engineer's department. 'Tlioy \yill ha placed before the Finance Committer of the City Council at its next mooting and discussed before being reported on to the council in full. As tho Ma„v./a] contest takes place on Wednesday week (April 21)). details of the proposed ten. will not bo available to tho public until after the election. Interviewed in Auckland, Mr. 8., W. Nortjicroft, Resident Commissioner of the Cook Islands, said in reply to a question regarding the- allegations made in Parliament last session as k> the, evil of "bush beer" drinking in ilia Islands that white it existed to- a certain extent it was showing a tendency to decrease. Moreover as the land was cleared and brought intfl cultivation, it would tend to diminish the practice, as is great deal of the present drinking was. done in secret in tin? hush, Every effort was heina made to suppress the practice, tthieTi, however, was not kwjmg tomuch lawlessness. Mr. Nort-hcroft- added that tire imlividualisation of land titles, so far as it had proceeded, was having a good effect on the habits of tlio natives. He expressed i-ho opinion that ibo I'll ion Company should employ a faster and more np-t<)'dflle bfltit than tho Tnlnnc in the service k'tweeli Atiekland and the Islands, An American company has offered i® build and deliver ten gasolene locomotives at lire rate of one a month for service on the Australian transcoutineuiid railway. These will ho guaranteed capable of hniiltjsg 75(MeR freight trains at 2d miles per hour on the level or of Inking 'JuO-Um .passenger trains from.KalgoerSie to Fort Augusta in 30 hours, with c'rHiujrh fuel and cooljns water on board to make the entire journey without a stop.

by tins iippenrni»:e of Lake Mtlt'snitjftj as si">ii from pushing trains, th<i (<'hriF.)':liun:ii "I'rfiss''' fiiatos, there is every prunp'.'Ct of a good suanon for HHorLiiin-n, buclt:) iii,!i puknJti aro on tho lain) ill lintidredft, nisi! [<j-enfc coveys risrj nl intervals of a. few hu'ndml yards when tho train passes. i*jt«:{; swans are(o be seen in iWiiMnds, and there are also a ('ood many pamdiso d-uclt». The laku is at present fairly high, t-'lio water being tt'ol) up over the forftnlmro near thu'raifwfey einlwulinie-ut. Ignite Korsytli, oii tlii) other hand, is very low JKst now.

With refftrenw to the forthcoming inspection *jf the Territorial Forces by tho lns]>i'ct.or-f,!enoral of Overseas (Sir Inn Ka-milbnn), a District Order has boon issued stating that at tho inspfctions at oamp at the various wnt-res tho General Officer desijes that no pains be spared to ensure the proper koC'i>ing in -order of tho jiarad.e ground, so that there- may l» no invasion of it by the general public, such a* Ij* understands was the case on the occasion <sf ti'w visit of IjOrJ Kitsvhencf-

/11k* Htato schools in tho Wellington district -reopened yesterday after tho holidays, Tho msfl-wiiitor holidays, of one w:ei£, will commenco on M-aaday, May 25.

At a tncoling of the Central Comrttiltfio of the Wfliinstonptovinco of the Ji!iii!e4n-S'tato-.Scteiols Lcagtic, held in tSt- J-ohn ! o Schoolroom on Tuesday night, Mr. G. A. 'J'roap prosidiHg. it *as I'pporled that arrangements had been made for the appointment of a paid secretary, for the province. A s'itl)-:om-mltteo was set up to raako -an. immediate appointment.

.Tho Masterton Count}* Council on Tuesday favourably considered the proposal of tho WelliHjrtort Centra! Chart' W of- CommcWß to hold a con'fereace< to diseuss (juoslions affecting tlso dovejopmenii of 'the district. This cliairmr v n of the council was appointed a delegate to-"tii-cj eonfercjsce.

The monthly meeting of the committee of the itlrevo Wsi«? was JieM «n T'ljesdiy, April 14 at the Levin Home, Britomart Street. Miss Greenwood was in the chair. 'Hie a.cting-n'>a,tfoti reported that the health of tho children had been satisfactory. One, *lrild had left }ho iiomo, and one had been admitted. The following gifts were acknowledged:— Mrs. Hdzlewood, 10s.; Mrs. Heittqn. books, etft.; Mills, quinces and apples; Mrs. Izard, jam and nuts; Mrs. Raymond, jelly: Messrs. Hnreojnbf! ajrf Sons, fkh Wiiekly; Mv. Hofrso, busss, cakes, etc. 'Miss jajiy (matron), is niak--hig a good recovery from her aih-ioss.

A meeting of the new Wellington Drivers' Union, which was formed during the strike, will bo held on WeAresdoy sie,x"t for the purpose of considering the union's legal status. Considerable confusion,at present exists as to v,-Mc'h .union holds the chief position. If the Labour Department takes actios against the qM union on a charge of going on strife}, and the union is convicted, art application can-be made for the .suspension of the old body, and then the hew union would ho on top. .. Only about a fortnight remains during whiali action may ho taken by the Labour Department,

The establishment of a Chair of Journalism at Sydney University was fare-s'h&da-wed by the State Minister for cation at a gathering. last week. Sir, Carmjchaei showed that something had beeii attempted for aft, science, and music, and lie saw no reason why the 300,000 school children of Now tjouth Wales should wot ho encouraged to enter the profession of journalism* :and, after those with the jiccessAry talent had been Schooled hi the practical work* it YWiiM rest with the University to finish thorn, of in the higher branches. Ho was fully aware, of eoarse., that "journalists were born, not matte''-""just as artists and ntusicfims—hut he believed tjmt> in this direction the aid of the fliiirersity could bo called in with advantage. . There happened at the Central. Foiiao Court in Sydney a few. days ago a battlo of wits of a sort that went in the end, : to show the truth of tlio statement, ■credited to the late Lord Bjahiptolii that to be successful ill tile manipulation 01 an alibi a man must have a good tiiemttrv. The accused person at the Central Court was a veritable encyclopaedia (perhaps Bundy-cioci would bo a better word) as to tlio times *itd places of his comings and goings on the day that mattered. And he seemed to be getting on wry well. But Sergeant Ms'ukcy, who was ciondu-eting the ease, for the police, Snared him eventually. The alibist asserted' that, because he bad looked at | a clock which was placed outside a watchmaker's, next door to the Tivoli, he knew the time at. which he had com© out of the theatre:, That seemed pretty .good, aud the sergeant led tjic cross-examination into other channels. Also he sent a constable round to the watchmaker's. In due. time the policeman came hack aiul 'reported •'no eleek!" The alibi, in consequence, was. shattered, and the alibist was fined.