LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2343, 28 December 1914, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Maheno arrived at Auckland , at 1 p.ih. yesterday with an English -mail, via Suez, and an' Australia- mail. The southern portions of the mails will arrive here by the Main Trunk express at 2.40 this afternoon.

The takings at the Zoo on Christmas Day set a new' record for one day's receipts. The previous best day's return was £20 os. Sα., but on Christmas Day tie sum ofv £22 12s. 6d. was taken, and £20 17s. rras taken on Boking Day. When it-is considered that the charge for adinission is only 3d. for adults, and all under 15 years of age are admitted free, the, above, figures inust be regarded as highly satisfactory. . Anotherlarge crowd visited the Zoo yesterday; when no oharge was made for admission.

Mascagni's opera, "Cavalleria β-oeti-oana," is the work marked for the/first performance in rthe New Year by the Royal Wellington' Choral Society. Thie work has, been performed in concert form in Wellington on'two other occasions. . '

As the result of a collection taken lip on the Wellington Bowling Club's green on Boxing Day, the sum of £9 was raised for the benefit of Belgian, children who have Buffered during tho War-which has devastated their oountry. At the conclusion of the day'e play the president (Mr. Edwin Moult) thanked the members for their generosity in remembering the suffering little ones at Christmas tune. >

The chairman of the Besewes Committee (Mr. George Frost) reports that a sad tragedy occurred at tho Zoo on Christmas Eve. ; Yesterday week one of the liewly-arrived Bfia n'onesees from the Auckland Islands gave birth to a boonoing baby by the pohd-eide, and there ]was" general rejoicing that Christ-mas-time should have been graced by siioh an everit. The newcotaer took to the water with evident rclisu, but on Christmas Eve it dived in and never came up again. Whetner it struck a vital part and was drowned, or whether the boisterous adults kept it underneath too long as. an adjunct to their everlasting, gambols, will probably nevor be known, but the curator (Mr. Langridge) drained off the water from the pond, and the ehort-lived baby was discovered <luite dead. One of the marvels of the Zoo is the manner in whioh the sea lions manage to live at all for removed from their native elements water and a rigid olim.ate. That they take quite kindly to the fresh water is evidenced by the fact, that a sea lioness has been resident at_ the Zoo now for seven years; Mr. Langridgo states that a sea' elephant from distant Macquarie Island is doing well in fresh' water at the London Zoo.

Tho official opening of the new people's park on Hall's estate, near Fa-nia-tua, took ' place to-day, with a pionio and sports. The weather was fine, and there was , a large attendance. The park, which covers an area of over 15 acres, the , greater portion bding beautiful native bush land, cost £800," and the Government granted a Subsidy. Speeches were delivered by Mr. Escott, M.P., and Mr. Baucko (lato preaidont of the Association).—PreSs Association).

"The whole troubje," remarked'an Auoklahd returning officer in referring to the electoral trouble, "arises from tho', multiplicity of .instructions artd duties placed upon the deputy returning dfficbrs; Tlib eleotorel system, is all rightj biit thfe men aro ovfer-Weiglitcd with instructions, and are consequently, ill fcortie cases, likely to bstioWe" cbnfusedj when a simpler instruction would leave no doribt in their mind ris to the oorrect course. In rily.opinioh there should be aii officer appointed iii charge of evory polling; place,. whose duty it should bo to denl wily with absent voters' permits, declarations, and iii keeping 6fder iii the booth. The tle'puty ieturiiing doing the locitl electoral work wotild not then be interfere'd with .in their duty. Thi§ appbiiitment. should be hiado a doihpulsoi'y one by tlie Hegistrnr. If the duty of each deputy returning officer wero caiifinod, say, to the' liandling of ballot papers of liis own electorate; instead of including absuiit vdtors' , perinits and dcClaratibiis, tliere would b6 'practically no room for a mistake of ally sort. With iin experienced cloput.V iii charge of tho bootli, and parcels of 500 or 000 voting pnjicrs fnt , cncli rnnn to ditil wiOli, a- scllobluoy « ; olil(l do tlie work as well.as mi nccounttlil. Tin's, with ■ simplified instructions—for the average njali is ribt goiiife to study url elabd'rafe divectianß for the! sake df Olio day every', tri'reo years—wbula db unifib)

Quite recently the Auckland Harbour Board sought to impose new obligations on the Devonport Steam Farry Com-, pany. At Wednesday's meeting of the board, Mr. E. W. Alison, speaking on behalf of the company, .eaid ■;— "l am now in a position to inform thie board that if the new charges had been in force the Ferry Company would have made an absolute loss on its operations during.the past six months. Therefore there is no alternative but that the new charges must be passed on to the public. It is unfortunate at a time like this that suoh a burden ehould be forced on the people by the imposition of chargos for whioh there is no justification. The charges are monstrous, and I feel compelled to make known to you that tho board is acting most unjustly in this matter." The ohairman (Mr. W. Gunsbn) said that the company had never availed itself of the invitation to disclose its, crarreait financial position, and if at the end of the year it could show that businese was unprofitable, Mr. Alison might then be able to influence the board.

It was only, a fortnight ago that the scaling and whaling party from Tβ Awaiti, Marlborough, which is on Campbell Island, heard that war had broken out between Germany and Great Britain, states . a southern paper. The news was taken to the islands by the Amokura, and nearly all the men at once expressed a great desire to go to the front. All the members or the party a're well, but have not had the best of luck in whaling during the past season. They are now going in exten-sively-for sealing, and report successful catches. By their contract they must remain on the ieland until 1916. ■' "A.H." writes to the Sydne? "Son": Most persons (Including our Ministers) appear to imagine that when a German subject takes the oath of allegiance to tJhe King of England, and receives a certificate of naturalisation, he ceases to be a German and becomes a Briton. Suoh is by no means the oase. He certainly receives all the benefits and privileges of a British subjeot-«e long as he Keeps put of Germany.. Bui he does not cease to owe allegiance to tie Kaiser, nor is he free from rendering military servioe until he has received from the German Government a certificate of "emtlaßsungschein"—a document by no means easily obtained. Every German who obtains naturalisation without entlaßsungsqhein knows perfectly well that he still Temains a German. It is ae well that those in authority here should also know it.

We understand that as the reeult of prospecting operations in the Whangamata district an important' disoovery of gold-bearing lodes ha 3 been made, says the Thames "Star." The ' exact locale is being kept a secret, while the principals, who are said to be located at Wellington and Marlborough. are being consulted ae to future- intentions, It is , said that one of the lodes disoorered_ has_ been ascertained to be the continuation of a well-known and valuable reef system whioh' has been worked to advantage on othr parts of the field, and that tests have already proved the correctness of this theory. No official details are available, and will not he made known for stone time, but we ire informed on what should be reliable authority that the assays and other tests so far made show the discovery to be one of considerable value and promise; . ■-.j j . .. , .• ■; •

At the Opera House iaet evening Mr. 0. W.i Webber, late organiser for the London "Daily Herald", League, delivered fin address entitled "An Exposition of, Sooialism. ,, , ,

Decomposed and beyoncS recognition, the body of a man was found on the beach -at Te Awaite on Christmas Day f It is believed-to be the. remains of one of thft'.;steamer. Kahu'ehmfen lost from launch at the end of last 'montih. :■: -'■■.'.

Identification of the man's body fonnd in. the harbour .on Friday last has not yet bean established; The police description is 'as follows i—About i>o te 6S years of age; sft. 7in. high, medium build, dart- brown hair, turning grey and bald on fop, grey moustache only, slightly hooked noeej egg-shaped burn mark on outside of right thigh, droßßed in a, square-cut single-breasted dark tweed coat, with' a grey stripe, and grey tweed vest, with light coloured bone buttons, cotton shirt wjth green stripe cuffs attaohed,. "made expressly for Laidlaw and Leeds, Auckland," on neck band; heavy, "Petone" woollen singlet, blue dungaree trousers, and leather belt. ~ ; •'. ... ;,'..

The following Petone members of the St. Jobi Ambulance Brigade (Petone Division) successfully pasted an examination in first aid, oonduoted by Dr. , E. H. 'Wilkinß on December 18, Dr. Ross being the lecturer:—First-year pupils: S. E. Ciwther. R. Jenkins,.* , . W. Greenfield. W. J. Burke, B. Hartley. Wm. Holgate, S. Oolea. Second.jrear pupils: W. J. Baker, J. Kyle, A'. H. Medhurst. ' Free fighting was indulged in by some of the freqnentere of the Leger Reserve at the Mana-watn Raoing Ol'uVs Summer Meeting at Awapuni on Saturday. Just prior to the last race two fights were in progress at the one moment, but not a policeman was m the immodiate vioinity, end the contest* did not terminate until the.onlookers stej>ped between the combatants. c A Maori, who was a principal m one of the, contesfe, was rather badly, marked about the face, but after receding this punishment" he knocked Ms opponent down and adopted that particularform d: attack known as "putting the boot hi. We have to acknowledge Christmas end New Year greetingsi from his TFor61>ip the Mayor and Mrs. Luke, the Thorndon Amateur Swimmuig Club, and thertaffs of the "New Zealand Times," -North Otego Times," and "Pongafoa, Mail." ; :