LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2169, 6 June 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The- postal authorities advise Hint the s s. Bivorma, sailed from Sydney on Juno 3 fer Auckland, ie bringinj; Australian mails onlj, tho AVcllingtoii portion of uliifh is dun per Slain Trunk express on Monday afternoon. SißiioJ photographs of the King and Ouwn have reached the Defence Department, Wellington. They aro intended for tho Ist (Ganfribiiry) Ikpimont, of which th« -King is Colouol-in-CMiiof, and will ht> foiwarded to Christchuich, Roferrinc to tho instnll.ation of a private fire-alarm coimcrttort hi a Tjfg wholcsalo .Hid retail varchouso in llio citv, the Fiio Brigado Superintendent remarks in -liir annual report:—"l trust tlinfc oioro of "tLoso people interested in iho krfic and ,ivell-stocked premises v.'ill lake adrantngQ of tho extra protection which tlioso systems afford, and thai further installations ol ojic or other of the approved systems wi.ll bo raatle this ycaj. An accident happened to tho Wclliin'.-ton-New Plymouth expresf yesterday, tcJegrcphs. ur WEnßanui'corresponucht, Wlien ascending iho Wnrgaoau BiH, nbout ten niilcß fouIU of Wangainii, the eranlvpin ot the leadinp; Miqjmo broke, but .tho promptitude of tho driver in pulling up averted; vdiat mipht have been. Gorioiiß coiise.quonecs. Tho tram was dufavctl ior f,omo time. The BJttiifg of the- Court of Appeal \Wiicli Eomo timo ago was fixed to be held yehterday was .idjouriicdi !),v tlio C'lnof Justico until Monday, June. 29, at 10.30 nan. To outward appearance tiling , ! Eeem to bo Eoniß smoothly ou tjio whanxs at present, and no complaints hove boon received recently by tbo complaints ,conmittoft as to, the treatment of prelerenee men. According to tlio ipvisod ntlo by pioferenco men had to leggier- on a special roll, ther.o aro jiow somo JOO men, eetiiled to pnorify oi empiflymcn'Ki "riiAToll is. now ciosod. Riid copies of it'Jiavobcen s>ont to tlio ]f arbour Hoard.and tho shipping companies. On June 15 next thero js to be a Rciipral nwtiup;: of members of the onion, to which admission will bo, Given, only to holders of pperial tickets, bems isbiied naw to fully-paid-up financial mombers of tho union. Of tliefo tieltets 000 lm\o boon if sued. At iho niccting it, was intended that a financial ftafoiuent of tlio affair? of the union would lici presented, but the audit lift* entailed so imiili flork.that tlio slatcnioitt maV not bf ready in time.

Tho widow ot Constable Denin's Ma--3 luney, uho was krllcci m tho ifocliArgo - of his diitj at tlio fire at Upper Hutt - on March" 29 last, lias been granted 3 compeisalion by the. Government -to the, ■ extent of £600. She- has also be»n - eranteil -£20 'to deh ay expenses conse- . qiicnt upon tbo death of bor husband. ! Increase in the fire-fighting corps of . tho city, and also better life-saving apj plinnccs are" nskod for by f-Superii.tend-ent Tait in his annual report :- i "Thera lias bec;i no addition to tlio numerical ' strength of ihc -brigade for three years, ! and the incrcase'in the city firo risks dminp; that time hns'bocn very conhidcrsule. 1 ft is absolutely necessary that the of--1 fieienrv of tbo brigade should lwep paw ' with the growth of tho city, Tlio ■ work new connected with the bripade is nlcT moio extensive, the present staff , is at times quite unablo to copo wtni . it. and an increase in the staff is bsdlv ■ needed. It is now" foiu toou .yceie rhico " tho last felescope-firc-eseapo (65ft.) wai rnirchased, and is n'ow quito out of dnte for tho requirements- of this city", Tho iareo and extensive promises orecteil ' sinco fill's rscajie <vaa puicbaßcd needs • little di-scribing, lire cb'ango ' during that timo being eo well known to your nonncit. -I am tbeiofore rcrommeadinc vour council to ruirrWc a lnechaniral firo-escaw capable of b'fin'c extended to <\ hcißbt bf 85ty. 'Hie City ef Auckland have hid )i similar machine' for hearlv two vcais. ,nnd Dimodin have ono arriving {\i it has not already delivered), and it it essential, for tlio pmper working-of fires in'tlw larao Ininnoss area of <!iis citv, Oiet 'your iiripade bo provided w'th fho latest ana bi»st npp'iaiicos for.doinc so. The proiMsals alieady placed brforo ißf council for the better nrotretion of tho oiitiviiiß districts "«i)l, I trust, b« pivrn the Forfoiis rnnsidAriliofl ihe.v dcivmul , by Ui" City Council this year, osnpciilly t-'ie Consttblo Street station for tlm bettnr 'protection of Nevtown. Kilhirnip, Hat<n'tai r Mpranui, etc. Tho rapid trrowth of these HKru'cli is oausinir Ilirm e.'irb v«w to become further and ] further linvond the proper control of tbo br'cide. The Valkato niul Tl.«»np<i Vnllev Mastor Dutclibr«' industrrol Union lm Iwi crinted recistr'atinn nn'ler the Conciliation and Arbitration Act.

'lha Hon. Jas. Allen informed a reporter yesterday that tho Victoria College Bill, to bo introduced next session, would bo very much on tho linos of tho Bill of last year, and that tho Government would also introduce a University Seuato Bill on the lines of the Billap-' proved by tho Sena.to.

Major-General Gbdloy stated to a reporter yesterday that tho total number of troops inepeoted by the InspectorGeneral of Overseas Forces (Sir Jan Hamilton), whilo ho was. in New Zealand, was 18,752. In tho account pub-, lished yesterday of Majors-General Godley's report to the Minister of Defence, tho number was given as 1G,752,

Much interest is being aroused in connection with the memorial meeting which is to bo hold in tho Grand Opera House at 7 o'clock to-morrow evening for all those who perished on the illfated Hnpr Empress of Ireland, when over 100 Salvationists were lost, . Mrs. Commissioner Richards will address the meeting, which will bo conducted by the Chief Secretary of the Salvation Army (Lieut.-Colonol Powloy). Tho Wellington City (S.A.) Band' will bo present,

■ Tho following tenders have, been received by tho Public Works Departraoiit:—Construction of slip for dredge. Waihou River i-r-Donald M'Lean and Co., Wellington, £1747 (accepted); G. M. Fraser, Huntly, £1774 17e.-6d.; D. Andrews, Paeroa, £1800 j Kennedy and Taylor, Paeroa, £2507, Kowhai River Road bridge, Kaikoura:— J. Haralyn, Timaru, £3496 (accepted) j A. Hadecko, Rangiora, £2567 los,: Donald M'Lean, Wellington, £2652; G. M. Fraser, Huntly, £2654 6s. 6d.; John O'Donhell, Wei. Inigton, £2740; Henry Green. Christchurch, £2824 03. 7d.;; Thos. Dillon Wellington, £2848 10s. • 10d.; Alfred FeVco, Kaiapoi, £2946; W. T. Johnson, Wellington, £3072 7s. 3d.; Watson Rhodes, Dunedin, £3865 12s. 10ft. "I would again call your attention to the large number of gorse fires.. The prcsenco of goxeo in somo localities during tho summer months is n constant source of danger, and some defiti; ito stopsishould bo mado to eradicate it." T|-,is romark is made by_ the Fire Brigade Superintendent in his annual report. Ho also; makes the following remark about false alarms: —"1 take'this opportunity of calling your attention to the increase in tho number of malicious false-alarms received, and would suggest tho maximum penalty bo asked for should < any ; offenders bo caught,'; The year's estimates for tho Petono Borough are to como beforo tho council for consideration at'a special meeting oh Monday. Asked by a reporteryestarday as to, bigworks contemplated for the coming year, the Mayor (Mr. J. W. M'Ewan) replied in the negative. "We have practically' as big a programme as wo can carry out at present," said Mr. M'Ewan. '

. According to tho secretary of tho Wellington Tailoring Union, tho tradeis very slack at'the present time, and n good number of hands are idle. These, are not new arrivals, but old hands, for whom work cannot be found. It, is said that the trado is oven quieter now. than it was during the striko period. After inspecting tho Railway Engineers' camp at Mahanga Bay yesterday afternoon, Major-Generar Godley and several officers i'rc.m headquarters visited: the wreck of tho Devon and surveyed at close quarters the damage done by the recent bombardment. ■ They found that thero were threo or four gaping rents in tho h'ul). Several shots had evidently gone through the superstructure below the bridge, and one had pierced the.mast. The stern, which ■was struck several times during the bombardment, was found to.have disnppeared altogothor,, the., process haying evidently been hastegedlby tjio>;wgrfj of tho Fort Dorset gunners; Arrangements are in'train for tho playing" of a•; representative hockey match at Palmerston North in , winter show week ' between "Wellington nnc Manawatu' teams.- It is probablo that tho Wellington team will bo selected after tho games .to-day/' : ■ •

Tjio Mayor (Mr. J. P. Luke) has received tho following ndditional donations to tho Upper Hutt Relief Fund:—Wellington Licensed Victuallers' Association, £5 55.'.; J". J. M'Grath, £3 3a.; Mr. Mncdonald, 55.; A Friend, ob. It should bo explained that many of tho licensed victuallers have already subficrib'cd to tho fund .in addition to the amount donated by the association. Encouraged by thpir euccessj in respect of hotel and restaurant workers, tho Trades and Labour Council have decided to send representatives to wait as a deputation on the Right Hon. W. F. Massey and the Hon. A. L. Herdman urging that the Government should bring down legislation providing that all workers in all occupatione shall have ono day's rest in every seven. Another of the Road Boards in the Wanganui County has ceased to exist, tho Kaukatea Road District having been merged in the county yesterday. Only two Read Boards at the remote end of the country.arq.now .left.. < At tbo Supreme Court to-day the case will.be heard of the New Zealand Shipping Company v- the Wellington Harbour Board./ Tho.caso.involves a motion, to quash by-laws. "J have heard of a country committee,, appointing a D certificate teacher instead of an A certificate, teacher, because they thought' the former was the higher degree," said Miss Coad at the meeting of the Wellington Association of Women Teachers last night, when advocating that Education Boards and inspeotors. should appoint tho teachers, instead of school committees. Continuing, she said that the country committee in question thought that as tho letter P was further along in tlie alphabet the certificate was necessarily highor than an A certificate. The statement wfts, greeted with laughter by the many teachers present. ■ . The Conciliation Commissioner (Mr. P. Hally) opened tho hearing of the cooks' and stewards' dispute yesterday morning. Tha discussion lasted over an hour, but no agreement was arrived at, and the whole matter will now go before tho, Court of Arbitration. The presont. award will expire on June 28, and the employees are now asking for a Dominion award granting all-round iii-. creases in wages.