LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2246, 4 September 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Postal Department notifies that postage on. letters addressed to members of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force at Samoa is to be Id. per ounce or fraction thereof. The Secretary to the Treasury announces jn the Gazette the receipt of two shillings and sixpence, "conscience money" forwarded to the Railway Department. \ "Dominion Day," to be celebrated on Monday, September 28, will be observed as a holiday by the Public Service throughout New Zealand. ■ The, Government is leaving no stone unturned to provide good cooks for the Territorials whilst in camp. In this week's Gazette a notice appears to the effect that members of the Territorial Force shall receive in addition to pay of rank extra duty pay at the rate of 7s. 6d. per day in tho caso of master cooks, and 4s. per day in the case of regimental cooks while, performing such duties in camp. Cooks whilst attending camps or olasses for instruction shall receive 2s. 6d. per day in addition to pay of rank. "There is an entire lack of regard for appearance in tho manner in which trade and other advertisements are displayed as a rule at,railway stations," says Mr. E. H. Hiloy, General Manager of Railways, in his annual report. "In many instances tho trade advertisej ments aro a positive eyesore and a disfigurement of the station buildings, rendering them a discredit to the neighbourhood. Steps \vill be taken to remedy this condition of affairs as tho existing contracts expire. The net revenue at present obtained from advertising contractors! does not compensate for the disfigurement and damage of station buildings after due allowance has boon made for free conveyance of men and advertisements and the cost of the Department's labour in fixing and removing tlio sanio. Unless tho revenue from this source can be materially increased, I propose, to abolish altogether public advertising on railway property. If the practice is continued, tlio method of exhibiting advertisements will be strictly regulated." The following gifts to the Wellington Zoo were reported on to the City Council last night, and it was decided to thank the donors:—3 pairs red ; browned finches, one ditto nutmeg finch, one pair ditto pennant parrakeets, Wellington Zoo Society; one fallow deer, G. Harper, Wanganui; six pair- Californian quail, Tourist Department; one kiwi, Dr. Fitchett. A woman named Francos Coyne, alleged to have boon concerned in an assault and robbery upon a deaf and dumb man, Henry Hague, appeared in the Magistrate's Court yesterday morning. Tho deaf and dumb man in question is stated to have been walking along Upper Cuba Street when two women, evidently ou tho watch for him, rushed out of a house, pounced on him, tore a pocket out of liis clothes—the pocket, by tho way, contained half a sovereign—and decamped. As tho offence is an indictable one, accused was remanded till Wednesday next. Applications for registration under Scotion 64 of the Amended Trade Marks Act. were granted by the Chief Justice (Sir Robert Stout)' yesterday in rcspcct of "Horlick's Malted Milk," "Californian Syrup of Figs," and "Primus," as used in connection with stoves, soldering apparatus, cream separators, and dairy utenslla,

■ As the result of the altered cohdi- ; tions consequent upon the European i war, several fixtures that were to nave [ taken place in the Town Hall have been [ abandoned for tho present, and tho j bookings of tho hall have been scratched. Among these are the Orphans' Club "ladies' night," which was to have beon held on August 29; tho Tramways • Band, and Wellington Football Associa- : lion's bazaar that was to have extended from November 16 to 21, and other i minor engagements. The Karori Borough Council desires to havo the proposed water and drain--1 age schemo for a portion of tho borough deferred, and the City Council has decided to take no further action for tho i time being. 1 The city engineer has roported- to the Outlying Districts Committee of the iCity Council that he is favourably impressed with the working of _ the system of the corporation district men undertaking the duties of district rangers. A very beautiful wreath, which has been artistically arranged by Miss Murray, of Willis Street, is being sent Home by the local branch of the Navy League, to be placed on the base of the Nelson Column, in Trafalgar Square, London, on Trafalgar Day, October 21 —the one hundred and ninth anniversary of the great naval engagement in which England's' arms were gloriously victorious. The wreath is to bo carefully preserved within a solid block of ice, and will turn out as fresh and frag-, rant in London as it is-when submitted to the refrigerating _ process. The wreath will be on exhibition at Miss Murray's for a few hours to-day. It is the intention of the Navy League to hold a big patriotic gathering at the Town Hall on tho evening of Octobor .'2l. An unusual operation was performed at the Aramoho Zoo last week, when a Large fish-hook was extracted from the . lion's mouth. The lion was lassoed and chloroformed by his tamer and trainer. A local veterinary surgeon in a few minutes cut tho deeply embedded hook from the beast's mouth. The animal is now progressing well. The Maori Committee, which was to havo commencpd its deliberations on Monday, is finding some difficulty in securing a quorum of properly authorised delegates. There are a goo'd many Natives in town at present, but representative delegates have not arrived in any number. A meeting was called for 2.30 p.m. yesterday, but at that time the only persons in attendance were the president, Te Heu Heu, tho acting-scc-retary, and a lady delegate from Auckland. Tho secretary, Mr. W. TJru, is expeoted to arrive from tho south today. One breakaway was made by Mr. G. W. Russell, M.P., from the non-party speech which he delivered in the House of Representatives last evening on tho motion \into Committo of Supply on the Estimates. He declared that the policy proposals of the Government would involve borrowing to the amount of about eight millions "sterling in one year, and asked tho Minister of Finance whether lie admitted it. "I admit nothing," replied Mr. Allen laughing. Mr. Russell said that he would strike only one party note—by pointing out that the borrowing he had mentioned was proposed by a Government which took office on a' reduction of borrowing policy. "Are you on the rails now, or off?" asked the Prime Minister. "He has been dying to get that out for days,'.' said Mr. Fisher. Mr. Russell admitted that-the temptation had been too great, but claimed that he.had_ been exceedingly moderate in his criticism! In this week's Gazette Regulation 7 of those made under .the'.Law Practitioners' Amendment Act, 1913, is revoked, and the following substituted: "No accountant shall be deemed to be qualified, within the. meaning; of these regulations, unless he is a member of the New Zealand Society of Accountants, tho Incorporated Institute of Accountants of New Zealand, or the New Zealand Accountants and Auditors' Association approved by tho Solicitor-Gen-eral, or if he is or at any time within . twenty-four mouths before tho date if his report has been a clerk, servant, or partner of the solicitor whose accounts are so audited by him, or if he is. a clerk or servant of any other practising solicitor, or he is himself a pr'actis-" ing solicitor; provided that the Solici-tor-General may,, if he is satisfied that no accountant qualified within tho meaning of theso regulations is available, approve of any competent accountant nominated by a solicitor to audit his accounts." The action of the Tramways Committee of the City Council in recommending that the advertising contract of a business firm, for an advertisement in tho Gourtenay' Place waiting-shed, should bo accepted, was criticised by Councillor J. Fuller at last night'r meeting of the City Council. He did not think the council took onough advantage of their sheds for placing therein notices of interest to the travelling public. The council did hot support the suggestion thrown.- out, and the contract was agreed to. "Does it include Samoa?" asked- a member of Parliament last evening when the Prime Minister was referring to certain legislation regarding the Cook Islands. "Samoa is not in the Cook Islands," replied Mr. Massey. "Perhaps we'll have some legislation about Samoa later. What we are talking about now is not legislation for Samoa, but some more legislation." (Laughter.) Yesterday Detectives Rawle and Cameron arrested a man for stealing a ru" from tho s.s. Mokoia. Ho will bo charged in Court this mornmg with the offence. "Sons of the Sen" was sung at the Labour reunion in the Burlington Tearooms last night, as a means of applying the closure to what some of those pressnt appeared to interpret as a proGorman speech. The speaker was replying to tho toast of the ■ "Building Trades," and was interrupted first of all by a point of order. Ho declined to take any notice of the point of order, • and some forcible expressions were interjected from various parts' of the room. Mr. E. Kennedy, secretary; of the Building Trades Labourer'. Union, next interposed, and objected to a continuation of tho speech, -which lie declared did not express the views of the allied building trades. Finally the chorus of "Sous of tho Sea- was takon up, and repeated a second time. The speaker -was still 'on his feet as the strains died away, bnt he was informed that the gathering did not desire to hear him further, and lie then left tho room. Reference te the automatic alarm dovico for level-crossings is made' by Mr. E. H. Hiley (General Manager of Rail- . ways) in his annual report. "The experiments that have been mado with tho level-crossing automatic alarm installed at Levin haying proved satisfactory," he says, "material has been ordered for three hundred machines, which it is proposed to install at busy crossings and at other crossings where the view of the railway lino is restricted. It will take three years to complete the installation, which it is proposed to undertake at tho rate of 100 machines per annum. The expenditure involved will be approximately £22,500." A Labour reunion, uiider tho auspices of tho Trades and Labour Council, was held in tho Burlington Tea-rooms last evening, and wa.s largely attended. Mr. J. M'Konzie, president of tho council, was in tho chair, land among.those present were tho Hon. J. T. Paul, M.L.C., and Messrs. W. A. Veitch, M.P., A. > H. Hindmarsh, M.P., J. M'Combs, ] M.P., P. C. Webb, M.P., J. Robertson, ! M.P., and J. Payne,' M.P. Toasts • honoured during the evening included: "The King"; "Army and Navy"; t "Trades and Labour Council"; ''Build- • ing Trades"; "Parliament," aud 1 ■".Unity.,." 1.