LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2215, 30 July 1914, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Tho postal authorities advise tliat the s.s. Marama, which sailed from Sydney on Monday • for Auckland, is bringing Australian mails and also a small English mail via Suez. The Wellington portion is duo per Main Trunk express 011 Saturday morning next. The s.s. Maunganui, due from Svdnpy this morning; is bringing Australian mails only. The highest value placed on land in Wellington by tho Valuation Department's officials under tho new scale of assessments is £325 per foot. Tho location of this land is certain sections on Lambton Quay, between Willis Street and Woodward Street. This represents a rise of £50 per foot on previous Government valuations.

An invitation to attend, the Science Congress, which is to sit in New Zealand in September, was yesterday extended to the delegates to the A. and P. Societies' Conference by Dr. C. J. Reakes, secretary of the agricultural section of the congress. Dr. Reakes said tliat. 6ome of the members of the congress were closely associated with scientific agriculture.

According to the Labour Department conditions have improved considerably since last month in respect to employment in the Wellington district.. There is a big demand for farm labour in the Wellington district, and the Department can only supply tho numerous calls upon it in this direction with some little delay. Yesterday the Department sent two batches of men each 15 strong to works up north.

William Leslie Belat, aged 32 yeais, who while town traveller for Arch. Clark and Sons cashed valueless cheques to the extent of £128 in one day, pleaded guilty at the Magistrate's Courtj Auckland, yesterday, and was committed to tho Supreme Court- for sentence.' He was arrested in Brisbane. —Press Association.

. A newly-born infant, two weeks old, was found on a in Montreal' Street, Christchurch, on Tuesday night (states a Press Association telegram from. Christchurch). There was a basket of clothes alongside. The infant is now in the maternity, 'home.

Replying to a question in the House of _ Representatives yesterday, ' the Minister of Public Works (the Hon, \V. Eraser) said that he proposed to lay upon the table of the House the report of Mr. F. W. Furkert, Inspecting Engineer for the Department, 011 his observations on light railways and road construction on his recent' trip to America and to' Europe, and also the report of Mr.. W. S. Short, Assistant Under-Secretary for Public Works, on the methods of administration of roads and road construction in Australia.

A motion for a decree nisi to be made absolute.in the divorce case, Edwin Joneg v. Jane Jones and Edmund Crow, was heard in the Supreme Court yesterday before His Honour the Chief Jus-tice-(Sir Robert Stout). The respondent, for whom Mr. W. Perry appeared, moved for the order, which was op-, posed by the petitioner, for whom Mr. It. H. Webb appeared. The opposition was raised on the ground that the corespondent had; not fulfilled tho law in respect to the damages (£100) allowed' at the hearing. His Honour reserved his decision, but remarked that he did hot think ho could refuse the decree. •

A suggestion was made iri tlio Houst of Representatives a. few days ago bj Mr. Payne that the, Minister of Custom! had made 6ome arrangements Tvitli booi importers excusing them from the neces sity,of stamping shoddy footwear as required'by tbo Footwear Regulation Act 1913. The Hon. F. M. B. Fisher stated iir reply yesterday:—"lt is not a fact that liny arrangement 1 of any kind.'has been made with the boot manufacturers, A rigorous administration of the Aci immediately, on its coming into force would have imposed great hardship upon those persons who were carrying large stocks, and the Department is taking reasonable care that the operation oi the Act at its inception should cause nc undue loss to those in trade;" , Some time .ago the city authorities conceived the notion that the streets surrounding the General Post Office have not been lighted in keeping witl the dignity of the structure. As the result of negotiations, the City offeree to supply electric current to t four ornamental iron lamp-posts, to be' erected or the corners of the Post Office block providing the Government supplied the posts. This was agreed upon, and the posts, about twelve feet in height witl: projecting brackets for {our high-power-ed lamps, have been erected, and are al present being wired and fitted. - The additional lights should be appreciated bj many who have business to transacts the Post Office after dark.' The Government is being asked bj Mr. Poland, member for Ohmermiri, te amend the Plumbers' Registration Acl this session in order to give relief to a number of qualified men whs througl want of opportunity in their early years have not been able to passthe examination required by tbe Plumbers' Boarel. Notice has been given by Mr. T. 'M Wilford, member for Hutt, to ask the Primo_ Minister whether ho will, in the unavoidable absence of the Minister oi Railways, instruct the officers in the Railway Department to report on the valuo of the invention of John Lawler, of Fitzherbert Street, Petone, which invention deals with an improved means for automatically applying the brakes of a train-passing a 6ignal at danger. • 'j Judgment will be delivered this morning in eight cases heard recently before tbe Court of Appeal or before a Full Bench 'of the' Supreme Court.. The judgments will be read • in the following order: —Weld v. Dillon (Court' of appeal) ; Kairanga County Council v. Bannister (Supreme Court); Waipapakura v. Hempton (Supreme Court); Res v. Young (Court of Appeal); M'Carthy v. Madden (Supreme Court); Ridd Milking Machine Company, Ltd. v.- ! Simplex Milking' Machine Company, Ltd. (Court of Appeal); in ro the Awatuna Dairy Factory Company, Ltd. (Supreme Court); and the Wellington City Corporation v. the Attorney-General (Supreme Court). Tlio Prime Minister stated in the House of Representatives yesterday that the revaluation of th'o City of Wellington was now approaching completion. As it was found necessary to compile new plans and verify the descriptions and measurements of each property, tlin progress of the work hnd been delayed. The total values would, however, be available for the City Council authorities before the end of the present monthCTo a suggestion by Mr. Hindmarsh that the law should bo altered to make it compulsory to strike rates in every yeor on tbo-values appearing in the amended roll of the previous year Mr. Masscy said that the matter re quired careful consideration before he coiild decide whether anv definito step should be taken in that direction.

The annual report of the Registrar of Industrial Unions, which was presented to Parliament yesterday, shows that at the end of 1913 there were 13-1 industrial unions of employers, representing n total membership of 4700 in tliu Dominion. The northern (Auckland) district contained 36 unions, with a membership of 1135, the Wellington district 28 unions and 800 members, the Canterbury district 2G unions with 144G members, and the Otago and Southland district 31 unions with 1093 members. 'Hie number of workers' unions registered in the Dominion wa5.372, with a total membership of 71,544. ' 'Hie Northern (Auckland) district contained !)G unionsj with a membership of 15,472. the Wellington district 97 unions And "7,561 members, the Canterbury district (>(* unions and 11,858 members, and the Cjtago and Southland district '6 unions and lp,Blo members.

.Asked yesterday by Mr. A. E. Glover, •1 • i! numerous requests which have been made for tlis provision 01 sleeping-car accommodation for s-econd-class passengers on the Main I. rank trams, the Hon. W. H. Herries (Minister of Railways) said that practical _ experience in connection with sleeping-cars in use slowed that thoy were expensive to .haul, and were not popular as day cars. Generally speaking, passengers showed a'disinclination to ride in them during daytime if tlioy could obtain seats in the ordinary cars. It was not intended to increase the number of sleeping-cars at present in use nor to extend their use to secondclass passengers. The receipts from sleepmg-berths did not compensate the Department, for the cost of hauling tho sleeper, the curtailment of ordinary seating-capacity, and consequent loss of passenger revenue. ' 60 liorse-power two-passenger Caudron aeroplane is being brought to Agw Zealand, by the Kaikoura, duo at Auckland'on August 15, to tho order of Mr. Scotland, the well-known New Zealand aviator, who came to grief at Newtown Park a few months ago. The aeroplane will- be brought on to Wellington by the Kaikoura, and from hero will be transhipped to' Christchurch, where--Mr. Scotland is at . present located. As soon as the new machine is fitted and Mr. Scotland-will give a. number of exhibition flights in various parts of the Dominion, and later on may start an aero school .in Canterbury. Mr. Harry Turner, late'of the City Corporation's power-house staff, will act as Mr. Scotland's mechanical engineer.

At the Lyttelton Magistrate's Court on Tuesday a miscarriage of justice was oJ vl j"-tpd by a double accident (states the Lyttelton Times"). Two men,'with somewhat similar names, were charged jutli drunkenness. When the first had been fined ss. as a first offender, tho clerk toW the Magistrate that tho maii was a third offender. . "It's too late now, _said Mr. Bishop philosophically! But when the second man was Drought up, it was discovered that he was the real third offender, while the first' man first offender. "It's'a good job 1 didn't niake-it'heavy for the other man, said Mr. Bishop, as he infiioted & line of 30s. A '

In reply to a request that a petrol electric motor engine and trailer should be init oil tho Napier-Hastings run, the Minister of Railways stated, that the petrol railway-car. had not been iu| commission a sufficient length of time to enable a definite opinion to be formed jf s its utility, and until it had been fully demonstrated that tho cars wero a commercial success it would not bo possible to 'decide for what portions of Hie railway system they would be suitable.