LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2261, 22 September 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The Prime Minister informed a reporter yesterday that wireless communication with Samoa had been established. The postal authorities advise that'the 6.5. "Ulimaroa, which left Sydney on Friday for Wellington, is bringing Australian mails only, and is due early tomorrow morning. A money-order office under the auspices of the New Zealaud Government lias been opened at Apia, Samoa. This will facilitate exchange of money-orders between troops and their friends in New Zealand. Tlie Government has purchased the , block of 7000 acres known as the Wither Run, adjacent to Blenheim. Most of the land is hilly sheep country of poor quality, but there is also a good deal of low-lying laud at the foot of the hills which will bo suitable for cutting up into suburban lots. ■Tho Telegraph Office advise that the charge for the transmission of radio telegrams to or from ships trading exclusively between ports on the coast of the Dominion whilo such ships aro voyaging botweon tho ports of Wellington and Lyttoltou, from or to anyHelegraph office in the Dominion, is now 2Jd. (twopence halfpenny) per word, with a minimum charge of Is. 3d., equal to a message, of six words. A very lino view of tho new comet was observed from the Wellington Observatory last evening. Its position at 8 p.m. was approximately 2hrs. 33min. right ascension and 57deg. smin. south declination, or immediately under the star called Achemar. According to Mr. G. E. Adams, tho Government Astronomer, tho now comet was visible to the naked eye. It had the appearance <>f a ball of dull light in tho heavens, and its tail was not visible last evening. Up to the present it appears that Mr. Williams, of 'Christchurch, was' tho first to discover the new comet on Friday fast, and if his claim can be established tho new heavenly body will ho called tho "Williams Comet,"

It needs a brotherhood of optimists to combat pessimism at any timo, and perhaps in war time, more than at any other period. With that end in view, au endeavour is to be made to form an Optimists' Club in Wellington, and for that purpose a meeting is to bo held in the Accountancy Chambers to-morrow evening, when a report will be received from a sub-committeo on inatterß relating to the formation of tho club, officers elected, and lectures arranged. At a committee meeting of the Royal Wellington Choral Society held last evening it was decided to rohcarso Coleridgo Taylor's charming cantata "A Talo of Old Japan," for a performance on November 13.

At- an early hour yesterday morning tho Blackball Coal Company's steamer Ngakuta was fired oil by tho forts guarding tho entrance to the harbour. Captain Muir, of the Ngakuta, says that in response to a signal he hoisted the proper lights before, entering the channel. Ho was then signalled to stop, but before the vessel had lost its way, a blank. shot, and a shell were fired. Fort Ballanco reports that when the Ngakuta failed to go over to the examination boat a blank was tired. The vessel still continued on her course, so a shot was fired across her bows, and she then wont across to tho examination vessel. Owing to the dislocation of business caused by tho war, a number of the delegates who were to have attended tha New Zealand Employers' Conference, which was to have been held on September 30, have notified tho secretary that they will be unable to attend. In consequence it has been deoided to postpono the couference until further notice. Mr. William Scott", who had notified his intention to retire as employers' representative from the Arbitration Court, has decided to withdraw his deoision. . Hawthorn, trees, to the number of half a dozen or moro, adorned a portion of the Town Belt in Morniagton some little time back. Now, however, one may look in vain for the trees._ According to a speaker at last night's meeting of the Berhampore Municipal Electors' Association, they have been used for firewood by residents in tho vicinity. A largo gum-tree in the sanie locality was, he said, steadily bouig demolished for a like purpose. It was. decided to bring the matter under the notice of tho City Council. , At the opening of the half-yearly sitting of the Supreme Court at Masterton, Mr. Justice Edwards commented upon the diminution in 6erious forms of crime throughout the country. At AVanganui there had not been a solitary criminal case, while at Masterton and another centre there was only one case. At the animal meeting of tho Wel- ■ lington Society of Professional Musicians, held last evening at Messrs. Begg and Co.'s, the following officers were President, Mr. Bornard F. Page; vice-presidents, Messrs: Lawrence Watkins, Mus. Eac., and Herbert Bloy; secretary, Mr. H. Temple White; treasurer, Mr. Leo. Buckeridge; council, Misses Denhard and Segrief, Messrs. F. R. Johii6tone, C. W. Kerry, Hamilton Hodges, and O. H. Stephens. The practice of some local bodies, which has been followed by the Hamilton Borough Council, of transferring loan moneys to the credit of the general fund, in order to save interest on overdraft, has now been condemned by the Auditor-General. In a letter to the council that official stated that although the practice was fairly general, the Department was determined to compel local bodies to comply strictly with the law, and future breaches would be followed by' legal proceedings. The Auditor-General also ordered a Tefund of £781, paid out of tho council's streets as he held that the loan was intended for the "formation, metalling, and improvement of the streets," a term which did not cover such expenditure. . A good story is told in connection with a farewell ceremony which occurred in a North Canterbury country district., A certain railway official having received marching orders, the settlers entertained him at a smoke concert, and presented him with a silver-mounted pipe. The next morning the recipient's wife returned the present to a prominent members of the Farewell Committee. , The lady stated that another railway offioial who had left there some time before had been given a much more valuable present on the occasion of his leaving the place, though he had resided there for a shorter period than her husband. She ended by saying that they could "keep their old pipe." The poor man consulted the other members of the committee, and it was decided to raffle the pipe and give the proceeds to the Patriotic Fund. This course was adopted, and a sum of nearly £6 was in this way handed to the War Fund.

With the clouded war situation in Europe, said the "Musical Courier" of New York, just before the European mine exploded, came surmises from all quarters as to what would happen if the foreign male opera singers and other musicians now in their native countries were to be drafted into military service there, and kept over the winter. In the opera field, Berger, Caruso, Amato, Polacco, Toscanini, Campanini, I3assi, Sammarco, Reiss, Hertz, Braun, Weil, Jorn, Gilly, Rotbier—to say nothing at all of Gatti-Casazza—all are likely to be called upon if Germany, France, and Italy require their citizens as resorves to help the soldiery. Andreas Dippel also is in Europe, as well as Henry Russell. Of the symphony conductors under contract in America, Kunwald, Stokowski, Muck, and Stransky would be eligible in case of the calling out of reserves.