LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2444, 24 April 1915, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

A short sitting of tho Magistrate's Court was held yesterday, presided over by Mr. G. Cruickshank, S.M. Two inebriates were convicted and discharged; one, a previous offender, named Elida-bet-h Musgrove, was also prohibited. A number of by-law cases were adjourned till next week. '

Tho Conciliation Commissioner (Mr. P. Hally) has fixed the following dates for sittings of tho Council to deal with the general labourers' dispute in country districts: —Palmerston North, May 7; Taihape, May 10; Dannevirke, May 12; Masterton, May 14.

The fire "brigade received a call last evening to 454 Upper Adelaide Road. The upper story, where the fire is supposed to have originated, is occupied by Mr. Frank Cooze, who occupies a workroom there. fhe~ damage was slight. The contents are insured for £55 in the South British. The lower story, which is occupied by Mr. Alex. Johnson, was not damaged.

The' stli (Wellington) Regiment, which has been in camp at Karori Park undergoing a special course of training in outposts-and attack during the past week,- will strike camp this morning, and, headed by the regiment's own brass and drum bands, will march through'tho City between 11 and 12 o'clock.

Amongst the speakers at the meeting to be held in connection with the Newtown Museum on Monday evening next will be the Hon. T. W. Hislop,' who opened the museum. .

~ A source of danger for many years to the unwary, the open ditch which runs beside Adelaide Road, between Doe Street and tho Island Bay Parade, has now been divided from the road by a substantial poßt and wire fence. In common with other suburbs, Island Bay has been greatly improved municipally during the past year, and a further improvement is about to be made in the duplication of a considerable section of the tramway track on, the parade. , .

At least one candidate for the City Council has- broad views as to the utilisation of tho Town Belt lands. Mr. W. H. Bennett cannot understand the reason for\,the council's "handsoff" policy of. tho past, and freely advocates tho enoouragmg of approved sports bodies to take up areas, and a fairly freo hand to put them into shape for tho sports they aro out to foster. "It is surely better to see well-kept sports grounds dotting the Town' Belt than a gorse-grown waste which is offensive to the eye, and used for nothing but .to graze a few cows 011. At present the public ia allowed free access to the Belt, but even if the whole of it were cut up into sports grounds, the- public would have a perfect right of entrance to any and all of them." Mr. Bennett promises to deal with th 6 matter at length on Monday evening.

Ail interesting grapli prepared by the Labour Department shows the amount of unemployment _ existing throughout the Dominion since war broke out'. The general direction of the curves shows that unemployment increased greatly from the middle of September to about October 10. The highest total was reached by Christchurch. whero there were over 300 people applying for work betweoii October 5 and 10. Afterwards the number of applications decreased considerably, though there woro occasional local setbacks at .various places until the end of December. ' During tho last few months the lines havo moved round the fifties. Auckland had an excess of unemployment at the beginning of January, but in 110 other centre was there any marked upward movement. During tho summer there was a remarkable and continued fall in the number of men out of work, and the position is qow more satisfactory than at any time since the war commenced. Practically since the end of January "the normal state of affairs has been maintained or improved upon. This graph will be extended regularly by the Department, and will probably form an appendix to the Departmental annual report.

"William M'Leod, an expert rifle shot, who has for some years freouented New Zealand showgrounds, will be sentenced by Mr. Justice Cooper in the Supreme Court this morning for having injured Lcslie_"Wilson, a young "Waikato resident, during a side-show performance at the'. Hamilton Show. M'Leod undertook to shoot the ash off a cigarette which Wilijou had in his mouth. At a critical moment "Wilson moved his head. auM the bullet penetrated his cheek.

A commercial man representing a big English house, states that owing to their inability to cope with the conditions imposed by the war, several English firans devoted to the manufacture of soft eoods were withdrawing from the New Zealand trade, temporarily at all events. All manufacturers of the heavier cloths, tweeds, blankets, etc.) were having large 'demands made on their,otitput in tho Old Country, and owing to the 'extraordinary high price of wool, the difficulties of transport, high freights, etc., tlie.y were finding, the oversea trade difficult to supply on a reasonably payable basis, and so were for the time being dropping out. The range of samples of tweeds for next summer was limited, and owing to the inability of manufacturers: to secure aniline dyes, for which England depended on Germany, the fashion for bright colours now prevailing _ was not likely to bo maintained during the coining season. Tho many family bereavements,' too, in tho Old Country were likely to have an effect, on the fashions, and tho neat, serviceable black and white checks and mixtures, and greys arc likely to come into favour. On account of tho difficulty in securing fibre, tho price of linen has already advanced CO per cent., and before the end of the year was likelv to he even dearer.

A Press Association message from Dunedin states that tho Shipwreck Relief Society has granted £2) to th 6 KakiUra's oisw—£3 to each of nine ,12631.

Councillor W. J. M'Grath, of Napier, holds tlio opinion that the milk supply, of Napier is not what it should be, and has given notice to movo at the next Borough Council meeting that, with a. view to making it coninulsory that all milk supplied within tho borough shall be of approved quality and properly; tested beforo boing sold, a Bill he promoted aud submitted to the next session of Parliament giving ' the council similar powers to those given to the Wellington City Council in the Wellington. City Council Milk Supply Act, 1910.— Special correspondent.

Tho Cameron Estate, comprising the greater portion of Gollan's Valley, and consisting of 2600 acres, has been sold to Messrs. Burden Bros., . Waiiuii-o-riiata. Tho purchase "price was £3 10s. per acre. It is understood that Messrs. Burden Eros, also purchased tho adjoining Native bloclc (Porangarahu), comprising about SUOO acres. Both blocks wore previously under offer to tho Government.

The following letter from the secretary of the Wellington Education Board was received at the meeting of the Wellington District Educational Institute last night:—"l am directed to consult .you in relation to a suggestion made that in place of the two single week terni holidays held in May and Septem-. ber respectively, tho board should revert to the former practice of allowing a holiday of two weeks] beginning, as under the old regulations, on the first Monday in July. The May holiday comes rather soon after Easter, and it is considered 'on tho '■ whole that the former practico has some substantial advantage." Mr. W. Foster thought that the week in September was a very necessary break in tho work of the strenuous year. Mr. Haslem, . who moved that the proposal bo not entertained, said that none of them would appreciate going back to tho old arrangement. The secretary (Mr. W. Rowntree) thought they should send a counter-proposal that they should take tho Easter week in full, and havo a fortnight holiday in August. Mr. Parkinson movod as an amendment that the matter should be referred to the Managing Committee, with' power to confer with the board. After further discussion it was decided: "That this meeting expresses its disapproval of tho board's proposal, and suggests in its place the proposal of Mr. Rowntree, for a week at Easter, and. two weeks during August." It was decided to intimate that this re-arrangement sliould not be made this year.

Tho Hataitai Municipal Electors'- Association ' had an attendance of between, fifty and sixty members at its annual meeting 011 Thursday. Mr. A. Leigh Hunt (president), who occupied the . chair, commented 011 the fact that the association had now been in existence for five years, and said .that looking back over that, period he was sure members would agree very useful -work had beeii done, and the district wants attended to to sucli an extent that it was now a suburb second to none. The election of officers resulted as. follows: President,' Mr. A. Leigh Hunt; vicepTesidcnts, Messrs. E. Batt, H. D. Edwards, and H. W. Tolan; committee,Y Messrs. C. H. Seville, W. Bear, W. C, Robinson, I. Kershaw, H. Nimrao, C. E. Bell, J. Fleming, H. Amos, A. Bayfield, and W'. M'Goldrick;. secretary, Mr. J. L. Arcus (re-elected): auditor, Mr. W. J. Gaudin.