LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2236, 24 August 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The weekly oversea mails; —English and Australian —via Auckland, will not arrive here by the Main Trunk train t'his afternoon as the steamer failed to connect with the train , . The mails may arrive hero to-morrow morning, if not, they will arrive here in the afternoon.

The Telegraph Office notifies that communication with Brussels is interrupted. Telegrams cannot be accepted for the provinces of Limherg, Liege, Namur, Brabant, Luxemburg, or Antwerp, excepting the town of Antwerp:

A fire occurred at Lansdowne yesterday morning, says our Mastertou correspondent, by which the stables -and whare owned by Mr. O'Connor, of Tenui, were destroyed.

. In reply to a reporter yesterday, the Prime Minister (the Right Hon. W. F. Massay) said that tho supply of household coal in New Zealand was good at present. There is a strong demand on Westpqrt coal for Admiralty purposes, but this does; not affect the supply of household coal: ' v '

It is a recognised fact that, where a public can get anything for nothing— or next to nothing—it takes full advantage of it. This fact is perhaps most apparent at Sunday concerts. For the largo Town Hall the record "gate" for a Sunday concert was £44,. whichrecord was put up by the Wellington Professional Orchestra a year or so ago, when it gave Tsehaikovsky's great "1812;" Persons familiar with tho voluntary contribution giving propensities of the Wellington public thought this record wc-ukl stand for all timo. Last night, however, the fire of patriotism entered the pockets "bf the Sunday concert-goer, and with the Mayor's Patriotic Fund as the beacon the collec-, tion realised about £47, a sum that broke the previous records, with not nearly luch a. packed audience as was present when tli» £44 record was established. Moreover, in the hall, when Kipling/3 "The Absent-minded Beggar" was rejCited by Mri Alexander Watson, tho \vordiiiESiitiro)np.tpapoAfui!Jihefefc6llection,, 'which totalled over £35 12s.

, Puring the past week a considerable amount of shipping has been handled at the port of jWellington, and present indications point to this "week being just as busyi if not more so, than the previous one. On \Saturday. there 27 vessels at the various wharves, and practically every "berth was occupied. Wharf labour has been veiy scarce lately, a»d it appears as if tljiis stato of tilings will 'continue till the troop ships take their departure. During tho uexfc day , or so some 20 vessels of all descriptions are due in port, included amongst which are - several oversea' eteamers. A large number of vessels have been delayed here longer than was expected on account of the shortage of labour. It is anticipated, however, that normal conditions will prevail when the transports leavo for Europe.

It is announced that between 40' and 50 waterside workers who aro members of the Wharf. Labourers' Union have joined the Expeditionary Force. The union has decided that from the.date of their joining the troops they will be exempted from paying further sub-; scriptions, but their uuion .membership will §till be kept open for them. If they return and resume work on the waterfront they will not have to pay an extra entrance foe.

Owing to the effect of the war crisis on theatrical business, there is likely ta ho a curtailment of the tours arranged for New Zealand if the war lasfs. much longer. A fortnight ago tlio tour of Mr Harold Bauer, the distinguished pianist, was cancelled by J. and N. Tait, and now the season of the Williamson Comedy Company—a very strong combination—which is. to open ■hero to-night, has been reducedto four nightsf in order- that tho company may return to Sydney by Friday's Boat. As to future tours, the Little Theatre Company, ploying • through New Zealand under the management of Mr. Beaiimont Smith, is already in Auckland, where its performances have been giving lively satisfaction to those who enjoy realiy artistic and literary plays. Later on we are to have tours of the "Mr. Wu" Dramatic Company, tho Julius Knight Company, and tho "Bimty Pulls the Strings" Company, whose original dates still hold, but which aro likely to be altered at any moment at a time like the present. The theatrioal business has. suffered con-, siderably in New Zealand through the excitement of the first few days of the war, but there is every reason to believe that it will rovive, as tho community arrives at a more settled frame of mind.

The Denniston and Millerton coalminers declined to accede to tlie request of the Westport Coal Company to work on the fortnightly Saturday pay-holi-day to accelerate the fulfilment of Admiralty rush orders. It is understood tlio men contend that the same result of improved output could bo achieved by an increase iii the number of truckers and other variations of conditions, and giving the hewers more tubs. The company, however, canuot obt-aiu any more of tile lattor than are at present employed.—Pros3 , Association.

The New Zealand Picturo Supplies, Ltd., are. about to remove their stock department from Brandon Street to the Opera Houso in Manners Street. .As 1, the old theatre has now been adapted for the purposes of a picture show, tlio largo space occupied by tho stage is to bo transformed into a film warehouse, where the firm's stock of filnvaiid printing will be stored, and the programmes will be made up for the company's numerous clients throughout; New Zealand. To make this possible, tlu> City authorities insisted that the building should bo divided into two,' so that in case of fire one part of the building would bo completely cut off from the other by a stout brick wall. To do this, a-brick partition has to bo built round ■ a restricted stage, and carried up 'to the proscenium. This work is now being done by Messrs. Sanders Bros.'ln the meantime tlio stago itself is being partitioned'and shelved for the reception gf tlio firm's ever-moving stock. ■ The old property recess has !>eon w.'ilied hi, as.it is to be used as a run-through room, where the company's censor can sije for himself what each, film represents, and inakft such' alteration as lie deems necessary with the tciMovs,

Stops arc being taken, says our Masterton correspondent, to form the rille clubs in tho Wairarapa into ' infantry companies. Three companies are being formed with headquarters at Masterton, Groytown, and Pahiatua.

A decree nisi, to be made absolute in three months, was granted Ellen Louise Barnes against Joseph G. Itoriies, by His Honour Mr. Justics Hosking, in tha Supreme Court on Saturday morninp:. The ground of. the application was desertion.

The following statement has been issued by Mr. M. central secretary for the Panama Exposition in Wei. lington:—"Owing to the outbreak of war between Great Britain and Germany and Austria, many inquiries are being received as to whether New Zeaparticipation at, . tho PanamaPacific Exposition will be cancelled. I have, therefore, beon instructed .to inform all concerned that tho Government has decided to proceed with the New Zealand display at San Francisco as originally intended. Cabled advice is also to hand from the New Zealand Commissioner at San Francisco, stating that tho Exposition' will open on the date previously fixed, February 20, 1915."