LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2228, 14 August 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The postal authorities advise that on the advice of the-. Imperial Post Office the Suez route for the dispatch of mails for the United Kingdom aijd Continent of .Europe has been abandoned. Correspondence will now be forwarded by the San Francisco.and Vancouvewnail steamers leaving fortnightly.- The San Francisco mail which was advertised to closo at Wellington on Friday, August U, has been postponed, and is now expected to be , dispatched about August 20. 11l view of the temporary cessation of political campaigning the' Reform Part? organiser iMr. A. A. P.aane) has addressed the following circular letter to the seventeen branches of the Reform League in the Otaki electorate:—"ln deference to the Right Hon. W L -F, Massey, aud in view of the momentous struggle in which the Empire is now involved, I have to ~rlvise you that the conference of delegates set down for Saturday next, August 11. Nt fevrn, has been postponed indefinitely. I shall be pleased to givo you ample notice when the date is fixed." The , .task nf the conference was to liave boon tho selection of a Reform candidate for the ■CHaki electorate. . Tho war is already having a serious effect on the building trade in Wellington. One contractor states that pending contracts have almost without exception beeu shelved indefinitely, and that several persons who had given architects instructions to proceed' with the -work of getting cut plans .ami. specifications' have hod suoh orders cancelled, not altogether for financial reasons, but owing to .the uncertainty which exists as to I:hq arrival of buililing material. Tho building trndo is likely to bo tho first to feel tho effect of the general eruption in liuropa, ■ ' ••>•,■

A partial solution to the mystery at Evans Bay oii Wednesday evening, when in' answer to a cry for help from tlio beach a nightwatchman discovered a man immersed to his neck in the harbour, was disclosed in tho Magistrate's Oourt yesterday morning, when a ftrstoftemling inebriate, an old'ago-pensioner, appeared to answer a charge of drunltcn-ne-s Accused's left eye was .much swollen. "I had an accident, and got turned out of a taxi," he replied, in answer to the ; chargb. Tho police ' explained that accused was drunk whon discovcrod, and beyond tho fact that he, a taxi driver, and sonio others ' set out in a car and eventually upset, the Court was not further enlightoned. Accused wae convicted and discharged, nnd ordered *o pay -costs incidental to his adventure. _Tho Special Committee set up by the General Executive of the Citizens' Carnival Association to determine in what iuaunor the money made at tho last Carnival should be utilised is to report at a special meeting of the association to bo held on Mondny_ nost. It is anticipite<J that the committee will favour the expenditure of the money on the improvement of the plantation find f/nce sur. roundin;; tho Basin Reserve. At 8 6'clock the same evening tho executive of the -association will meet to consider the committee's report, and the proposal to cooperate with the Now Zoaland Natives Association nnd Early Settlers' Association in holding a combined carnival in January next. . * . Mr. L. C. Anderson, a commissionef' of the P-aiianinl-Paoific Exposition, arrived m Wellington yesterday on his wny to bydney. Mr. Anderson states that the New. Zealand site at the Exposition kqs dedicated on July 23, and work was to be commenced right away, but he had not heard of the latest developments since iho European crisis. According to Mr. Anderson the relations between New Zealand and tho Exposition authorities are the imost friendly, and tho latter thoroughly appreciate the attitude the New Zealand Government has adopted and will gladly do all they'i can to assist New Zealand. • ■ i (The New Zealand Boxing Council (states a Press Association telegram from Christ, church) lias decided not to send a team to to competo in the Australasian championships, because of the war. , In view ; of the fact that the work of students is likely to bo interfered' with-by military duties within and -without • the Dominion, the Professorial Board is prepared specially to consider.the cases of students whose college work has been thus interfered with. Students who desire to have their cases considered should apply immediately to the registrar. Mr. v C. A.- Wilkinson, M.P., states that enough some delay has occurred in connection with the Opnnake Railway Works the first contract for earthworks will be advertised in a few days. In this week's "Gazette" the Public service Commissioner calls for applieu;ions for/the position' of manager' qi the JLiverpool Colliery at Greymouth. Messrs. G. H. M. M'Clure, H. J.' Middletoil, and Jas. Fleming have been appointed a Commission to classify pastoral runs in the Southland Land District. Two one-story brick shops v are being erected by Mr. F. Fanning in Courtenay .Place on a site adjoining the Royal Cafe. Mr. W.. H. Bennett is the contractor. Among the Willochra's passengers yesterday were a number, of Chinese hound for Tahiti. As that vessel's itinerary' has been altered they have been placed on the Haupiri in the stream, until other arrangements' can',be made to forward them on to their_destination. ~. A house owned by Mr.!R.,-Jenkins and occupied by a man nnmer Martin and his family, was destroyed by fire at Masterton about four o'clodj on. Thursday morning. The-occupants'of tho house had barely time to ' escape. An adjoining building also suffered some damage. Mr. Jenkins's house was insured for .£2OO in the Sbate Oflioo. The. furniture was uninsured, .-■•■■- v ... ....