LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2240, 28 August 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

On inquiry at the local office of the Now Zealand Shipping Company yesterday the officials stated that they did .not, entertain any fears as to tho Kaipara's safety. In the ordinary course a steamer of her typo would take about 44 days to complete tho journey from Lyttclton to Avonmouth, for which port the Kaipara was bound. Tho day on which tlie vessel was reinsured' she was 46 days out, and to-day she is uow 43 days out on tho journey. The long trip is considered to have been due to tho fact that Captain Makepeace lias nodoubt altered his course as a precaution. Tho Telegraph Office advise that paid service telegrams (requests for repetition cable messages, etc.) may now bo accepted for transmission by either route. They will be subject to strict censorship, and will only be answered in case of mutilation or other error of service.

i A Maori congrcss will open at the - Methodist Hall, Sydney Street, on Tuesi day next, under the presidency of To Heu Heu Tukino. Between sixty anil L seventy delegates, representing all tho , tribes and districts of Now Zealand, , will assemble to discuss matters of | moment to the Native race. Tho case of James George Bruco and , another v. J. L. Radcliffo and others— an action involving the status of tho ii harf Labourers' Union—is sot dqwn ; for hearing in the Supreme Court this • morning before His Honour Mr. Justice Edwards. , Tho master bakers of Christahurch, | in view of the increase of £2 10s. in ' tfio price of flour since March 5, aro Urging the Government to remove tho 1 duty from flour for six months.—Press 1 Association. ' A rowdy element is reported to have beon in evidence on the last car to 1 Miramar during tlie past feil niglits. 1 A. councillor refe'red to tho matter at ' tho meeting of the Borough Council last flight, and declared that men in uni- ; form were.at tho bottom'of the trouble. The Mayor (Mr. F. Townsend) promised to speak to the officer commanding in reference to tho complaint. ; Although tho petition emanating from ' the Moderate League, asking that the | general elections bo postponed in view 1 of the disturbed state of affairs, was only circulated lato on Wednesday afternoon, already somo 1800 signatures have been obtained in the city, and it : is the intention of the executive to prei sent- these to tho House to-day as an : instalment. It is expeoted that by the end of the week a further list of over . 2000 will be obtained. The movement has been taken up enthusiastically by v ; branches of tho league in other centres/ and it is anticipated that a monster petition will be available for presentation to the House next week. A meeting of the Wellington District i Institute N.Z.E.I. will be hold this ' evening, when Mr. Tamblyn will move: ''That the Senate of the New Zealand University be asked to-amend the hon- , ours course so as to inolude education, and, further, to so alter the conditions of tho Doctorate of Literature as to allow the presentation of a thesis embodying the results of original research' ili educational practice of literature." Tho proposed, teachers' contribution to tho Empire Fund will also be considered. News from Gisborne states that a new form of shell has been invented by Mr. Featon, of that town, and that it is proposed to bring the shell under the notice of the military authorities. Tho claim of the inventor is that the shell receives increased impetus after the period of flight. This announcement is strangely coincident with the invention of a Wellington consulting engineer, Mr. L. G. James, who recently sub- 1 initted particulars of a shell for ordnance having similar ' claims. This shell was submitted to Colonel John-' Bton and Major and was forwarded to tho War-Office on the former's recommendation. It is, of course, impossible to the respective merits of the shells, as Mr. James, deeming the secrecy of such an invention in the best interests of the nation, only disclosed the details of his shell to the authorities. Oil fuel is used to a large extent at the power-house at Miramar, and when certain shipments wero held up at .Australian ports recently the Borough Council feared that a shortage of supply, would be the result. Representations were made on the subject to the Prime Minister (tho Right Hon. W. F. Masfey), and at last night's meeting of the council a letter-, was-.received stating that the Federal Government had been .conimunioatod with, and had removed the embargo on the cargoes of oil.' Supplies should therefore come forward in due time.- V: '' A piece of land (8 aores 29 perches), which was taken by the Public Works Department at Worser Bay for Post and Telegraph purposes, was valued at £550 by the Miramar Borough Council, and compensation was claimod in Tespect thereof. After correspondence had passed between the parties for some time, the council has been', informed that th© Minister of Public Works cannot recognise the .claim, and the matter is now to be left in tne hands of the council's solicitors to take action. ' • A return laid on the table of. tho House of Representatives last evening showing the area of Crown land in tho Nelson land district available for settlement gives tlie area open for selection as-51,439 acres, the area being prepared for, settlement as 121,803 acres, and the area remaining for future disposal as 1,173,331; a total area of 1,346,573 aores.. Bees and the bee-keeping industry are'always a fascinating subject when dealt with by an expert in. normal times, but those are not normal times, and the absorbingly interesting lecture on the subject delivered by Mr. O. R. Bostock (tho biggest bee tanner in the Hawke's Bay district) , at the Concert Chamber last evening, in aid of the Patriotic Fund, did not attract the attendance it deserved. Mr. Bostock showed 1 an easy familiarity with the lifehistory and -habits of tho bee, and his lecture was lucid, most interesting, and highly educative. His . remarks on beekeeping and honey-making -were admirably illustrated by limelight views. Mr. R. A. Wright introduced the visitor, and at the conclusion of the lecturo thanked .him for a„vory delightful and educative evening. The Prime Minister (the Right Hon. W. F. Massey) has written expressing to members of the Now Zealand Football Association the hearty thanks of tho Government for their loyal offer of an' ammunition wagon and also tho offer of assistance in connection with tho present war. At the meeting of the council last evening letters were received from the Wellington, Wanganui, and Canterbury Football Association stating that they were unable to offer any _ financial assistance towards purchasing .an ammunition wagon for tho Expeditionary Force. Tauranga, Poverty Bay, Southland, and Otago notified that they would assist, Other associations, have promised to raise funds in their respective distriots. The effect of tho war crisis on tho public is aptly illustrated in tho gate receipts for tho Wellington Zoo at Newtown Park. For tho month of July the takings, amounted to £40 10s. 9d., whilst from August 1 to 26—covering a spell of remarkably fine weather—tho recoipts only reached £27 12s. 6d.

In his lecture on the wonders of tho honey bee at the Concort Chamber last evening, Mr. 0. .R. Bostock, of Hawke's Bay referred to the socialistic habits of tho insect, remarking that tho bee had solved the problem of perfect socialism thousands of years before man [ commenced to fret and fume about the subject. A careful study, however, of tho sooial system of the lieohive had filled him with doubts as to its application to tho human race. For example ■no remarked that tho very hour that tho worker bee ccased to be a producer he oithor went away and died or wa« put to death by tho official executioners of the liivo. Tho •wings of the worker in a busy season lasted about throo weeks certamly never more than sis weeks at tho very outsido. and as sooii as lie found ho was unable to fly with his load of nectar ho know that his little day Was done. Thero was no sentiment about the bee, no feeling for one- another. They lived for tho general good of the community, but had not the slightest compunction in killing offthoso past work, and even the queen, who. in the heyday of her producing powers was tended by a whole retinue of ladies-in-waiting, had the mortification of peeing her successor nurtured to take her place, knowing full woll that it portended her death.*