LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2372, 30 January 1915, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The postal authorities advise that the s.s. Riverina, which sailed from Sydney on Thursday for Auckland, is bringing Australian mails only. The Wellington portion is due per Main Trunk express on Tuesday morning. A heat reoord was established at Palmerston North yesterday; the thermometer registered 91deg. in the shade. Owing to the dry weather steps have been taken by the Borough Council to conserve the water supply.—Press Association. The 'Wellington Harbour Board received the following tenders for contract No. 173, additions to Wool Jetty:— Donald M'Lcan and Co., £9540 (accepted), and John M'Lean, £9589 lis. 4d. (declined); Herbert Saunders, £10,618 9s. 2d.; T. Dillon, £11,090 17s'. 2d.; John O'Donnell, £11,756 4s. 5d.; and J. H. Meyer and Co., £11,915 12s. 2d. The engineer's estimate was £10,800. In St. John's Church to-morrow the Rev. J. R. Fleming, late of Newcastle, England, takes the services morning and evening.. Mr. Fleming is using his time in this Dominion in gathering material for the compiling of a further book. He is the author of the "Burning Bush." He is also a correspondent lor a number of newspapers in tho Old Country. Some time ago there appeared in the Press a statement .to the effect that two men near Eltham had caught eels, which, on being opened, were found to bare shags inside them. The fact was looked upon as very extraordinary, but a Wellington gentleman called at this office the other day and throw a little new on the habits of eels. A few years ago he and a bushman were riding round a swamp area. They heard a tremendous hubbub among the swamp growth. Clearly it was from fowl of sr.me description, and the bushman explained that that was how the wild clucks behaved when the eels raided their nests. The riders dismounted and investigated, and saw an 00l and a duckling disappear into tho water. . The | bushman had watched the nest for some days, and had noticed that tho cradle was becoming moro empty every day. To nod one's head can signify many things. Counsel for the defenco in a case at tho Magistrate's Court yesterday differed from counsel for the prosecution. Denis O'Neil was charged with failing to pay his car fare. Mr. E. M. Beechey said that the conductor had gone through the car several times in which accused was, asking for fares, and each time accused nodded his head. "As a 'matter of fact," said counsel for the defence, Mr. W. Perry, "O'Neil was returning homo on Saturday evening, and had had a few drinks. - Ho was sleopy, and failed to notice tho conductor. No doubt, the' nods wero tho result of accused's sleepiness." Tho Magistrate, in turn, nodded his head, and imposed a 'fine of 55., with costs 19s. Three Napier icecream vendors are being prosecuted for soljing ice creams not containing ths reauired amount of JluUer-i&t.

Fire slightly damaged the residence of Mr. W. E. Fuller, Marine Parade, Sea/tjun yesterday morning. The outbreak, caused by the fusing of an electric light wire, was extinguished before the brigade arrived. His Worship the Mayor, or Mr. L .0.H. Tripp (Consular Agent for Italy) f will be glad to receive subscriptions from Italians and others in aid of those who have.suffered through tho terrible earthquakes which have lately taken place in Italy. Any subscriptions received will bo acknowledged through the Press, and will be sent to Italy through the Consul for Italy at Melbourne. The necessary association of a collection of books of such value and importance as to deserve the name of library with a building in which these books may mostly be housed was discussed by the president of the New Zealand Institute yesterday. He was of opinion that the institute should not concern itself so much with tho building as with the library itself, and he made this little dissertation on the question. "In biology, we are familiar with what we call vestigial organs—remnants or survivals of organs or structures that once were nseful to their possessors, but have long since ceased to have any useful function. By the struggle for existence among organisms these survivals are finally got rid of altogether, or so greatly reduced -that their presence causes no inconvenienco, but among the institutions and customs of civilised societies we have many survivals that, unfortunately, are much more difficult to get rid of, and form serious hindrances to progress. The idea that a building is an essential part of 'a library is a survival from previous centuries when books were scarce, and consequently of great value, and were housed in some building near the centre of the village or the community, and-when the rapid means of transport and of inter-com-munication from one end of a country to the other than wo enjoy in the 20th century were not dreamed of."

For the sixty-third time James Oliver Armstrong took his place in the dock of the Magistrate's Court yester-' day morning. .Armstrong is now almost a Court institution, and when iff is not_ a charge of drunkenness he in- . variably pleads not guilty, and relates an imaginary account of how his name' has become connected —quite legally— with the charge against him. The: charge preferred against him yesterday came about through a visit lie paid to; the second-hand.storo of Archibald Hutton, and his attempt to depart without' paying for some sweaters and waistcoats. Armstrong persistently pleadei ; ho had not stolen the articles, but that the owner of the shop was asleep, and that he just shook him to wake him. : Armstrong was sent to prison for a. 1 month. The annual Karori and Makara flower show will be held at the Parochial Hall, Karori, on Wednesday and Thursday next. Mr. 11. A. Wright, the member for the district, will open the show. The compilation of the municipal roll is proceeding satisfactorily at the Town Hall, but the staff engaged is capable of dealing with many more applicants than present themselves each day. The roll closes on February 15, and those who have not already availed themselves of the opportunity should do so at once, and' so avoid the inevitable crush which is usually experienced during the last few days on which the list ' is open.

The system of numbering pleasure craft' for identification purposes is rej-, ported to be working well on the Aiick[and Harbour. At the commencement of the season, with a long programme* of sailing and power races in view, the members of the Auckland Yachting A&-> sociation devised a scheme whereby cruises and races might not be unduly f interfered with. At that time it was' necessary for every class of vessel to. report to the examining steamer anchored well down the Rangitoto Channel,! and this obviously meant a long detour for boats proceeding to, say, Howick or Waiheke. The Defence authorities accepted the Yachting Association's scheme of numbering, and a duplicate. of the associations register is kept on board the examining steamer.' Pleasure •oraft bearing a registered number are permitted to pass without reporting. Quito recently it was found necessary to fire on a launch whose number was not placed in such a position as to be plainly seen from the examining vessel. All that the Defence authorities ask is that the number shall be fixed in a conspicuous place, that all boats shall ■ report after dark, and that all boats shall keep well away from Motuihi Island (wnere prisoners of war are interned). The new telephone line between Pa~ hiatua and Palmerston North is almost completed. The route is a much shorter one than the old line, and traverses the road over the Tararuas known as the Palmerston Track. At the Magistrate's' Court, . church, yesterday;' says a Press Association telegram, five vendors of milk wore charged with selling milk below the standard. The defence was that the milk, though admittedly below the j standard, bad not been tampered with, I and nothing had been taken from it. At this time of the year very few cows produced milk above the * standard. Counsel for the defendants contended that' the percentage of cream and fat required by law was too high. With on a exception the defendants were fined 40s. and costs. Tlie National Defence Reserve has already reached a strength of about 1500 in Wellington, and the prospects are for a big increase in the number. Branches of the main Wellington body have been formed in three of the suburbs, and meetings aro pending in other suburbs where the movement is to extend it 3 influence. While Auckland is burnt dry and Hawke's Bayjs showing similar effects of the drought, there are somo districts in New Zealand which are in excellent condition. In an article on the dairying season, published in The Dominion recently, it was stated that Taranaki was looking particularly well, and '> Manawatu fairly well. South of Manawatu lies the Horowhenua district, and the exceptionally good condition of this piece of country was the subject of much favourable comment by visitors to the Levin Show this week. Some of the paddocks near the railway lino are deep in green feed, and all round there is evidence of prolific growth. The crops about Otaki (potatoes and other vegetables) are splendid.