LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2199, 11 July 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

.., Hie postal authorities advise that tho s.s.- Manuka, .which, left ■; Sydney. oii Wednesday for Auckland/ is , bringing Australian -mails; and also an English mail, .via. Suez,' the' , 'Wellnigtori ' portion of, which, is due per Main Trunk express 'on'Mpnday.^afternoon. , '.;; .;,. .; ;\j' .■' '...-The Court of Appeal (first division) will sit tljis morning to deliver reserved judgment' in an /important question as to costs , in the .case of :;Ranapiri v. the iPublio.Trustee.:; . ; :; ,: : '.:; ; :;'~'! , , ; ;•'■. ,' The Labour .Conference has. decided to delegates.to:interview the Minister of Justice (Hon.:A. L. Herdman), to' request the release of the '. strike prisoners.: •'' ;. ~: ; v ■'■■>.-, : ;■'.,'■/- -;|- Mr. Charles' Zaehariah is still acting as Official Assignee in Wellington, vice Mr. Simpson, who has been .indisposed for:.some time ■ past. : is that .the. Public Service Commissioner .favours the .idea of, making: the Official Assigheeis'office'a brhnch of the Public Trust Office, tlio business of which is corelated to .the■businpss : transacted .'by tlie:'Official; Assignee. ; i, ■"■:■. ■■ [-'■■''''/) ' The,deputation■ycsterdaj;:;;to .-the Prime Minister : friJm the Anglican Synod .of .Wollington had. : some/striking features.,. There 'ivas lio organised profession'; but a crowd of men cirhe across from the Sydney Street Schoolroom* to , the grounds" of Parliament Buildings,' the .windows of •which were lined with spectators. On entering the building, the passage-way .was bo' blocked'that tho; attendants had to mako: arrangements for allowing the usual habitues, of tho bnildiiiß'to.get ingress; and: .when , .tho deputation .reached, ..the' Prime ...Ministier's rbbni. : it filled not only, his room, but tho ddjjpinuig room, arid tailed off into the corridor. 1 ' 1 It;, was noticeable' tlio large proportion of laymen present l —leading commercial men of the city, lawyers, 'farmers,, and other men from country'places, including several teachers, representing diverse, interests, in the community. , The Bishop, who: introduced the deputation, was followed, by four laymen, ;*.;.two.' of. lvliom .were teachers .of thirty-five years' , and forty, years' experience respectively. The unsatisfactory position at present ruling in regard to level-crossings was stressed at the annual meeting of tho New Zealand Automobilo Union yestorday. "Some yery strong : representation: should be'iiiade in regard matter." said Mr. T. M. Wilford,' speak•ince on; tlio subject; .; Dr. Prendergast Knight declared that tlie present ar--ranßement.was 'farcical. ''■'/. . : ; ■•:; ' A petition was presented to Parliament by Mr. T. M. Wilford, member for. Hutt, on behalf of Mrs. Mahoney, widow, of Police-Constable. Denis Mahoney, who. lost .his life in tho Upper Hutt fire disaster.-. . It "asked that some adequate sii.m; should bo granted to tho widow for ■ the maintenance; of herself and family.;; -~■;,;.,;;:. : ; .'i , "The other evening,, when I was coming from the Hu.tt iiito.town, \ passed no fewer than fourteen unlighted.ve-. hides," declared Dr. Prendergast Knight »t the annual meeting of the; New Zealand Automobile Union yesterday.' This, remark was made during tlie discussion of a remit from the Wairarapa Association that it;be made compulsory for vehicles to.,carry head-lights and tail- ! lights or reflectors. ; "Tills was only one evoning.'V said Dr. Knight, "and I am sure the samo.goes on overy evening. It is a very grave 'menace,"'.'."' A deputation, which included the Anglican Bishop of Wellington (Dr. Spr'ott) and the Eev. W- J. Comrio (representing the Presbyterian Church) waited upon tho Hon. James Allen (Minister of Education) yesterdav, and asked that the Government should makfi somo superannuation -provision- for teachers-.engaged -'in. the Anglican and Presbyterian Maori. schools. The Miiir ister replied that ho cortld not , see his way to grant tlie request. If he did sphe would practically open the door to similar requests from all orivate schools,

Tho.City Engiueer's department is at present engaged on the preparation of the working plans in connection with tho alteration of the frontage of the corporation's Willie Street property, the four brick shops north of tho Mer- " cor Street intersection, commencing- at liastori's etudio.: This block, ■ four wooden shops higher" up, and the Duke of Edinburgh Hotel, arc now' theonly ; properties that>arc not set back to the. now street, alignment.As soon, as the plans are/ready, the work of clipping ten feet off the block in question will' be proceeded with. Alternative tenders : '~ -are W .be-called (I)-, for doing the work '- in one job, and (2) doing one shop at; a time. The council is inclined to favour the latter 'method, as the one that would cause the .least inconvenience to me -tenants. .In, respect to'Easton'a '■■ studios the engineer is providing for: a false frontage to be provided on i the Mercer Street.side, as later on the'eouncu proposes to widen that thoroughfare by setting hack the properties on the nort]iern< side by sonie teii feet, in order to give some .relief to Willis Street. V ■ at the point where it is usually most congested. . ••.-. .. .-.-:.. Relief crews , for* H.M.S.' Psyche, Pyraimis, and Philomel will arrive ir Wellington from London by the Arawa on Tuesday morning; .Altogether 204 officers and men are cominc out to join the vessels mentioned. The lonic, which will leavq Wellinntan for Lon- : don on Thursday, July Iβ; will take Home 122 officers and men. r '.: : A meeting was held in the Mayor's Room, Petone Council Chambers," last', evening, for thenurposo-of- fornrul.it">J? "• scheme, ; whereby ''. a memorial might be raised to-the memory of the late Rev. A. Thomson, of Petone. Thero .was an. enthusiastic,- attendance, pro-: sidrd over by'.tho Mayor , (Mr. J. W. M'Ew'an), The Rev!. J.i Patterson, of Wellington, was also , present,: antl ad-; dressed the gathering. It was decided.; that; all present form a general comhiittec, and, a small executive, with Mr. Morris as .secretary; anil treasurer,' was set up; to make arrangements to-, : ; wards furthering the "object: -;;;:■..; Mr v Cv W. Palmer; secretary of the Navy' League, takes : strong exception., to Councillor Hislop's, remark/at the City Council meeting OnThursday leven-rv ing, to the effect that the '■ Navy.. 1 League , '■' was. purely a -"political,body formed for political "purnoses."',; Thpre is, he says,: -nothing.-'political in the 'constitution of the Navy league, and the execu-;; tive committee of the League in London included names of people on:both : sides-.:": of. politics,/as well as those .riot allied. in any way; to politics. -It/was a body • formed to interest the nation in its ' first lino of defence, and keep it.well in .',-' the, forefront as ; rulers' of. the sea:, ; : .-' Some'reference to the need for speeding up the Wellington-Napier exnresa ; train 1 was made by , Mr.'6.'Hunter in> ■ tho House of Representatives yesterday. ; : . . Last'' session,; he said,. lie ? had ipiit. a.. ■question te tbe Minister bn'ihe subject, '■'■ and he then .received a reply that; the : matter .was "under consideration.". -.He . had repeated .the' question:tins session;' ! aiid;; he'had been: informed 1 that the.' question was now blunder;,'-inyestiga-!' ' tion,'- , . so that very, little progress had; ■been made' in : - the,' past. , eiglit-- or-.ten': ; months'. Theslow speed, and:the long, ; tiresome delays' of the' Welliugton-Na- ' pier train made people most .unwilling; to travel by it., This was greatly to the 'detriment' of Napier. ; Ho hoped that .the-' minister would expedite th'oTDepartment, arid thib as a result;the ser-' yicewould beamprovcdi"; '; : . : '■•'';-':-i\- '■■;",. : Intbresting information regarding the' ■: use , of : coin-iri-the-shot telephones was : supplied by the Postmaster-Gcrieral to; : the House of Representatives yesterday.'. The revenue derived , for the financial';' year ■ended- Ma'rch'MiSloKlast : fromt-'thej.r machines'" wasi'£2633l'-arid-'.the'number; i; of machines installed at tho end of the , -year was 93. Tho revenue for the month, of April, 1914; was ! £338, for May, £317-, . ■■and'fo'r-Jinie.£323.. : The.; aveifago/Aafe.',.; ings per machine for A'prir\vas;£3 135. ; . 6d., and for May £3 6s. T]ie,number.pf; , machines in operation on- J un0;30,1914, was 99. Instructions been issued for -the installation of ' machines;' as ■ quiokly iis possible at cicht sites in ; -Auckland, 'eight sites in Cliristcliurch,;; fiye eitesinDxincdin, thtcosites in' New., sonj one eito atßecftoh,' one site, in' Westport, and eight sites in Wellington, i The estimated total cost of these; new machines ariiounts to £4691.:' '' '; ijadiy lit or unlit vehicles are,' according to Commissiorier; Cullen, a .grave i; danger:in our streets'. Hβ says iu'.his annual report on the Police Forco: "I , suggest that the Police: Offences Act, 1008, be so amended as to,compel the drivers of all Vehicles to keep"good, lights burning on their .vehicles when;.:, ever in use in any road, street, or other public place, hetweeri: tho hours of sun-.:; set'arid /sunrise; Many' serious accidents,- some of which'havc proved fatal, have; ocourred of. late:,; Probably these; ■' mishaps would not havo .taken place ■ had the vehicles which'; caused the' accidents been, provided sufficient lights." . ... .;.;'" i :.,■" ■ . --"'. r ;■:.'■■

•' Messrs. Baldwin andllayward, patent attorneys, of .215 Lambton Quay, report „ that; they havS filed the_ following appli-". cations for patent of Now Zealand fc- k cently:—M'Arthur Millikiin and; : Co., Kaiwarra,'turning'cheesb; the Kobortson Marine Engino Brake Co., Ltd., , 'l'imaru, steam engine, etc., recording ;. and controlling; W. Swalhvell and J. Smith,' Hastincs, butter, etc., outline;, .appliance"; A. Manson, Maniakii, mould-" • ing dough; W. M. : Stubbcrficld; Linwood, Christcliurchi coin freed mechanism ; O.'.A. Bicknell, Hoponni, railway train controlling apparatus; S. Huston, Jnalewood. construction of for, l>irid(xes ! ;" T. .Stewart, ■Waiorongaomai,■ nut for bolts, etc.; V> : . -T. Turner, Auckland. fanlight; H. L. Stocks," Kirkald.v, Scotland, , electric signalling apparatus ...- for,-ships'; A.\.W. I'irio and H. J. Bull, • Napier,; ventilating "roof.