LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2204, 17 July 1914, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A declaration, or a certificate of vaccination, is not now required from New Zealand passengers >vho desire to land at Fiji, as the restrictions which were imposed by the Fijian Government liavo now been removed. Ten hundred and fifty sacks, valued at £32, the property of Messrs. Murray, Roberts" and Co., ; were recently stolen. Yesterday Detective-Sergeant llawlo and Detective Cameron arrested ;t man who will be charged with the ofTcnco before the Magistrate's Court this morning. "It looks to me as if Ilutt has motorcar on the brain," said Councillor 11. T. Michaels (Auckland), during the consideration of a bunch of motor-car regulation rei'nits. The. remark found reflection in many quarters "1 the conference chamber.

When the Union Company's mail steamer Willochra was a day out from I-apeeto on her way from Wellington to San Francisco on May 31, a _ Chinaman named Yell Tso Chi was observed- to fal over tho stern of tho vessel into tho water. On tho cry "Man overboard!" being raised, life-buoys wero thrown overboard and tho Wiliochra's engines, stopped. The ruglit was <lark and the weather was 'i}° ™U(rh for a boat to bo launched, the Willochra cruised about in the vicinity for over half an hour, but as no sign of tho missing man was seen, silo was-put on her cour-se again. ■ of gentlemen outside the Prison and Police services to act as probation olficers under tho Crimes Amendment Act has worked satisfactorily (says tho annual prison report), and it will probably bo necessary belorc long to make . similar appointments ill some of the country districts if suitable men can bo found for the purpose. Tho frost at Gore last night was the most severe for four years, lldeg. being recorded (states a Press Association telegram). There has been only 40 points of rain for the sixteen days of this month. ' Mr. and Mrs. Robert Pearson and Miss Pearson, of The Terrace, Wellington, who have been on an extended holiday in Australia, wero passengers bj the Mokoia yesterday. Jack Tar is noted for enjoying his fun on shore, and yesterday he gavfc those people. on tho Glasgow Wharf, when R.M.S. lonic sailed for London, a sample of his versatility in this direction. The big liner took away a large number of officers and men who have been paid off the three warships in port. Usually at this time of the year the scene on tho wharf when a Homo liiier is taking her departure is a quiet ono; yesterday all was animated. Maior-Goneral Sir Alexander Godloy and several staff officers were there to say farewell to the naval officers, and dozens of bluejackets and their friends were also there to say "au revoir" to their shipmates. The sailors were congregated in the after part of tho lonic and tho fun was fast and furious. Jests were interchanged and popular songs were sungr The "comic opera," as ono man put it, was kept uii till the lonic turned her head towards the harbour entrance and commenced her long journey, with the men-o'-wa-rsmen "pay-ing-off pennant" streaming out behind her. During-Wednesday night the carcass of a- fairly largo whale was cast up on the 'beach under fort Dorset. It was much decomposed. For the past few weeks several'of the whales killed by the Tory Channel whalers, have beenlost, and' it is considered likely that the carcass which has been washed ashore at Seatoun is one of these. ' Tho management of : tho King's Theatre lias invited the delegates attending,, the Municipal Congress to witness the master-picture "Antony and Cleopatra" during their stay in* Wellington. A letter was _ received by the Onslow Borough Council, at its meeting last night, from the _ Wellington Hospital and Charitable Aid Board in reply to a request of tho council for a statement of uncollected amounts charged to pati-: ents treated at the Wellington Hospital during the year ended March 31 last. The letter stated that the total amount of outstanding accounts for maintenance for the period mentioned was £9062 4s, 7d., of which £3006 18s. 2d. has since been'' written off. Last year the sum of £4750 12s. was collected for maintenance fees. The letter was • "received" Without comment. At' last evening's meeting of . tho Onslow Borough Council,' the Mayor (Mr. C. 0. '.Crump)' received'from tho. Primo Minister (the Hon. W. F. Mas-' sey) 1 a letter stating that, the petrol railway car had comploted its trials, ! and had been put into commission"'to' run a service between Thorndon and Johnsbnv'lle. The service was purely experimental, but it was liopeo that business would develop to an extent that would justify a continuation of the running of the present service, and ultimately a more frequent service. Mr. Crump (the Mayor) stated that . tho Department was willing to do its best to accommodate the "esidents of the suburb in the running of tho car. Ho stated that should it be desired, parties going to or from Johnsonville could arrange to travel -by the petrol car, by communicating to the 'stationmaster at Thorndon. It was decided to draft' a letter thanking the Government for (lie installation of tho car, and its desire to accommodate the residents of the suburb ' Brickmaking at Mount Cook is still the principal industry in which prisoners detained at Wellington are employed, and at the Terrace bnotmaking, gardening, etc., were carried on during the past year as usual. ■ The women wero emploved at laundry, knitting, and other suitable work. At Point Halswell, in addition to the usual work'for tho Defence Department, tree-planting has been carried on. and about 131.300 trees, principally pines, were planted, and are doing well, although the continual dry weather after the planting .was unfavourable to their growth. The extension oF instruction in physical drill to the Auckland prison during the past year, the Inspector of Prisons states in his annual report, has proved an undoubted success. The prisoners selected for the squads evince a considerable interest in the work, and their condition and general demeanour are much improved by the various exercises, which are carried out both singly and collectively in a very creditable manner. The work carried on at [nvorcargill in this direction is also vr>rv well done, and the warders in each place who act as instructors-arc worthy of commendation! Tho evening schools at Auckland and Invercargill, the Insn»ntov also stntos. are h»ing well and effie.ientlv carried on. The Auckland school was started in November last, and the experiment- is proving, sntisfactorv. all the prisoners selected for school work nnne'oring to be much interested in their lessons, and nono of them havinir <7'vcn the' sHabtnst trouble dnrincf school hours. As the work.of instruction became too onerous for one orison officer, an experienced schoolmaster has recently I>'p»h !>neag<;d to carry on the'oKsr.es, with a prison pfiicci- as his assistant. Queen's Drive, Wellington, is a beautiful road, according to Mr. W. R. Davidgc, the. lecturer on town planning, but. ho considers that it could bo improved and mado more attractive still. From tho timo tho Union Company's steamer Willochra left Wellington for San Francisco till she arrived back in port yesterday afternoon, she was never out of touch with news from'the outside world. Some exceptionally good work who accomplished by the vessel's wireless apparatus. On 0110 occasion she was within range of Key West station, Florida, at, a distance of 4SOO miles. The Willochra received Press news from San Francisco when she was 3100 miles out from that port. 111 addition to several other long-distance "talks," Wellington station was "picked lip" at a distance of IG2O miles. In this week' 3 "Gazette" the Public Service Commissioner invites applications for the position of Palaeontologist to tho Mines Department. The qualifications embody a good knowledge of geology, and experience in original work in connection with palaeontology. The official's chief duties will be to classify tho fossil collections of the -Geological Survey; to specialise in sotno branch of New Zealand palaeontology, preferably in Connection with the Cretaceous and Tertiary fauna or flora; to assist field geologists iu determination of fossils, ctc.; and to perform anv necessary field work in connection .with general palaeontological work. Tho salary has been fixed at £345 per annum, rising to a maximum of £400.

A heavy sea was running at Napier yesterday (says our special correspondent), and shipping was unable to come alongside the breakwater. During the early hours of the morning a sea came over the Parade wall and half-way across the road. Detective Abbott arrested a man yestenlay on a charge of theft of money and goods, to tho value of £13, from a wliare at Lyall Bay. The accused will appear before the Court this morning. Tho motor-car and its regulation, as far as local bodies are concerned, came 111 f°r, a good deal of attention at the Municipal Conference yesterday. Tho greater number of tho remits received under this heading were from Lower Hutt, and the Mayor of that Borough (Mr. H. Baldwin) had to put up with a deal of chaff from delegates whose sympathies wero with motor-car owners. One important remit affecting motorists, that was carried, was the following (moved by Palmerston North): "That the _ executive of the Municipal and Counties Associations jointly confer with a view of deciding upon 'the best method of making provision by legislative authority to tax motor vehicles on a graduated scale for the upkeep of main roads and streets, and aa to tho fairest method of expending the said tax." • Complaints made by a Nelson newspaper that the Government should have •pushed ahead with the construction of the Glenhope railway without waiting for Parliament's sanction of the, necessary allocation were mentioned 'yestertv,to the Hon. W. Fraser (Minister of Public Works). He stigmatised the complaints as nonsense, and said that the position at the moment was that no money could bo expended upon this work becauso nono had been provided by Parliament. He had promised that a vote for the line would be placed upon this year's Public Works Estimates, and this promise would be kept. In the ordinary course the money would become available about November next, i and the work could then bo proceeded with. It was impossible, the Minister remarked, to anticipate the Parliamentary , authority of expenditure except when a lot of money was lying idle. A move of great, importance to Labour organisations was made at a meeting of the executive of the Wellington main branch of the; United , Labour Party on Monday last, when it received a deputation from the Social Democratic Party to consider the political situation as it. exists to-day, with two Labour parties in the field, with the object," it is ;stated, of endeavouring to stop the splitting of the .Labour vote at future elections. Both sides represented at Monday's meeting arc to report to their respective organisations'. It is hoped to have the matter satisfactorily settled at a further conference to be held at a later date between the two parties. The secretary of the Boot Trades •Federation (Mr. G. R. Whiting) is to proceed on to Dunedin and luvercargill shortly, with the object of stirring up interest in the proposal to introduce a national stamp for New Zealandmade articles, and the inauguration of a liatioual movement in favour of creating. a demand for locally-made goods in preference to the imported. ; article. Tho New Zealand Federated Boot Trades Unions' executive has already communicated with the New Zealand Industrial Corporation, asking it .to convcne a Dominion Conference of representative manufacturers and unionists in the .trades affected. While down south, Mr. Whiting intends' to urge on both employers and employees affected to send representatives to tho New Zealand conference. "I should liko to congratulate ..the citv on',the manner in" which ; it is. decorating the Town Hall in honour, of Your Worship's birthday."—-Remark iof ,fi delegate at ,th ( e,,Municipal..Conference' I'esterday. '' ' ''' " A.t yesterday's session of the Munieinal Conference, Mr. H. W. Wilson (Town Clerk of Auckland) made a itrong protest against the usurpation of power from the local bodios in regard to the control of the electric trmiways under ' tho Tramways Act, 1908. He quoted a case where a. simple complaint had been made about a certain noisy car, and, as they wero unable to have the matter rectified, they' approached tho Government, and had ;to wait two months for a reply—a lit- 5 tin matter that could have been recti-' fied within twenty-four hours. A remit, to restore the powers to local bodies which the passing of tho Tramways Act deprived them of was unanimously approved. "I speak as a returning officer of many years' standing, and I say that the cross on voting papers is the worst manner of voting ever brought in," said Mr. W. H. Collingwood,' of Palmerston North, at yesterday's session of the Municipal Conference. " He said lie knew of , plenty of instances where voters had declared that they had voted men out bv scoring a cross against the name.' They could not get it out of. their heads that in placing a cross against a name they were putting a '«ark against him. Mr. G. A. Lewin. Town Clerk of Dunedin, also said lie had had a long oxpcrietic© as a returning officer, and would ondorso what tho previous sneaker had said. If necessary, lie' could produce conclusive evidence that the cross was conto the voter, and not nearly so effective as 1 scoring , out 'the names in the old: way. '' At the Wellington Pickwick Club's |. monthly gathering, which was held on Arbor Day, it was decided to Send tho City Council the sum of ten shillings, with a request that in the planting of a tree the name of Charles Dickens would fab associated. A STRAIGHT TALK TO MOTOR-CAR • BUYERS. .; The farmer, more perhaps 'than any other class of the community, demands value for money , when ho is purchasing n inotor-eai .Tho purposo of these few lines is to demonstrate to him that 'in. the .Studebaker car the firm of Adams, Ltd., can offer better value for less money . than, any other firm in New Zealand. Adams, Ltd., are the largest importers of automobiles in the Dominion. The.v have had fourteen years of experience of importing cars to this country, and of driving them under all conditions. They know tho motor business from A to. Z, and they have selected/ tho Studebalcer car as absolutely the best value for money obtainable in tho world. Studebaker quality cannot bi> surpassed, yet the Studebaker car sells in New Zealand from ,£3O to .£SO lower than any other car fitted .with the indispensable electric self-starter, and eleotric lighting set.Studnbaker cars ar«i being purchased daily throughout New Zealand, and every purchaser is more than satisfied. The more experienced the motorist tho better does he appreciate the Studebaker. These nro the Studebaker prices for New Zealand:— 35-h.p. 7-seater Studebaker, .£395; 25-h.p. 5-seater Studebaker, 25-h.p. 3-seater cabriolet Studebaker, .?3!)5; 25-h.p. 3-seater Studebaker (body made to special order by Boon and Co., Ohristchnrcli), X'l7."). These prices include "Wagner" electric self-started, electric lighting set, hood, wind-shield, and. ' n fact, all tho ; items usually charged as "extras.". A shipment of -the new 25-h.p. Studebakers has just arrived, and the cars may bo inspeoted at Christchurch, or any of our agents.' ADAMS, LTD.,, Agents for Studebaker Motor-cars, Christchurch. Branches at Wanganui niid Palmerston North. "i DISTRICT AGENTS-Tonrist Motor Co., Bashings; Newton King, Nqyr Ply-' mouth and Stratford; J. 11. Lyttle, Masterton: Hutchinson Bros., Kk'tahunai A. and R. Donald. Pahiatua; E. A. RanEoiiie, Dannevii'ke; and Grove Motor Cm.,Welliiifitot.