LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2471, 26 May 1915, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Post . Office authorities announce that parcels for H.H.S. Pyramus and Philomel should be addressed to the care of the .Chief Post Office, 'Wellington. The postage in- the case of the Pyramus is ninepence per lb. For the Philomel the rates are as follow:—Not exceeding 31b., 25.; not exceeding 71b., 35.; and not exceeding 111b., 4s. Through an unfortunate confusion of Christian names it was made to appear in our issue of yesterday that Mrs. Julia _ Callingliam was fined ss. at the Magistrate's Court on a charge of keeping her shop open for trading purposes on Sunday. It was another person of the same surname who was fined, and wo 'have to express our regret that the error mentioned should Save received publicity in our columns. Fourteen Chinese were among the steerage passengers from Sydney by the Manuka last evening. Owing to the ever-increasing interest | in the war bulletins, and the manner in ! which the public is blocking up the vestibule of the General Post Office to read them, the Postal authorities arc placing the notice boards on the front of the building, where they are much more easily read by a concourso of people. A stag's head recently donated by Mr. Hugh Mackay to the Belgian Fund realised altogether £802. After expenses have been met a balance of about £750 is expected. The stag's head was bought by Mr. S. V. Rodney, of Pahiatua, who donated it to the Pahiatua District High School. According to the annual report of the Chief Inspector of Wellington City (Mr. .Tas. Doyle) the buildings of Wellington on March 31 last were made up as follows: —Dwellings, 8847 ; butchers' shops, 62; milk shops and dairies, 57; other shops, 1263; stables, 336; hotels, 47; private hotels, 2S; billiard rooms (licensed), 13; public buildings, 18; private hospitals, 12; factories, warehouses, and offices, 848; churches and schools. 80; dwellings in outlying districts (outside the old city boundaries), 4161; total, 16,072, lesi> shops being part of dwellings (792), 15,280. During the first four months of this year, Now Zealand exported 11,466 tons o! tallow valued at £325,048., as compared v.-ith 10,252 tons of tho value' of £293,939 for (lie corresponding four months of last year. The wool exported ficm Now Zealand for the lour months ended April 30 totalled 383,735 bales or 137,099.9021b. valued at £0,098,18-1, while for tho corresponding lour months of last "ear the exports wore 393,734 bales, totallim; 140.618,1161b., and valued at £6.746.313. Thus there were 9995 fewer hales shipped this year, but owing to the rica in values the amount, by .wool-Rrowera was £321,871 greater. 's

In view of the entirely satisfactoiy results which attended the patriotjo concert at the Town Hall last Sunday in aid of the Fund for Nei\' Zealand Wounded Soldiers and Sailors and their Dependents, it is the intention of th« Combined Committees of the Commercial Travellers', Warehousemen's Merchants', and Central Clubs, to hold another grand patriotic concert next Sunday at 8.30 p.m. at the Town Hall. Lieutenant Herd, of the Natives' Association Band, intended giving a concert next Sunday at His Majesty's Theatre, but ho has kindly cancelled the band concert in order that the patriotic concert at the Town- Hall may be well supported. The committee of the Commercial Travellers' and Warehousemen's Club desire to thank Lieutenant Herd for his kindness in this matter. It is understood that an exceptionally fino programme has been arranged, including the Working Men's Club Orchestra. When consulted yesterday the Mayor (Mr. J. P. Luke) did not know whether there was likely to be a representative gathering at to-day's conference in connection with the National Fuud, but, judging from the replies received, prospeots were not very encouraging. During yesterday afternoon Mr. Luke received a telegram stating that the Mayor of Christchurch (Mr. H- Holland) and.the Town Clerk would attend as representatives of the Canterbury Patriotio Fund. Auckland's reply came in the form of trie following telegram from the Mayor:—''ln reply to yours of May 22 re conference National Fund for wounded soldiers and dependents, I have bien -unable to advise you, but the matter will be considered by the Executive Committee to-morrow. —(Sgd.) J. H: Gunson."

In the report of the figures for the tramways and electric light departments for April, published in yesterday's issue, when comparing the figures for April, 1914, a drop was debited to tramways, whereas it Bhould have been debited to the electric light department. The report shows that the tramwayß revenue was £804 in excess of whet it was for April of last year, which is a very substantial increase, though it is noted that working expenses increased by £623.

The question of the Sick and Wounded Soldiers' Fund was discussed by the Pahiatua Farmers' Union yesterday afternoon, the outcome of a suggestion from the Wairarapa to have one combined central fund for the Wairarapa, and this district. The feeling of most of those present was in favour of a Pahiatua district fund controlled by a local committee, the money raised to bo eventually merged in a Dominion fund. It was resolved that the Mayor be requested to convene a public meeting tn discuss the matter, at which, probably, a committee will bo appointed.

A meeting of the Municipal Electors' Association was held at Khandallah last nisfht, after tlie E-e----serve parade. Mr. E. Cowles presided, and there was an attendance of about twenty-five. The rules prepared by th® committee were presented and adopted bv the Khandallah branch, and it was decided to hold the _ general meeting during the first week in June. The proceedings terminated with a vote of thanks and appreciation to the committee for their work, and this was carried by acclamation. In- connection with_ the Tango Tea at the Town Hall this afternoon, 110 pot plants (the whole of a hot-house kindly donated) will be submitted for sale. The proceeds, of course, will be donated to the great fund in aid of New Zealand Wounded Soldiers and Sailors and their dependents. A deputation from the Wellington Branch of the New Zealand Patriotio Society, consisting of Mr. H. G. Hill (chairman), Mr. J. Lewis (secretary), and Messrs. Collie and Carter, introduced by Mr. R. Fletcher, M.P., interviewed the Hon, K. Heaton Rhodes, Postmaster-Genera!, yesterday, to suggest that his Department grant permission for a special stamp to be affixed to letters with the view of augmenting the patriotic funds generally, and in the first instance the funds of the forthcoming Wellington Carnival. Mr. Rhodes pointed out that he had had similar applications from several sources since the war began, and if he made a concession to one organisation he would have to make it to all. The matter Had already received the consideration of Cabinet. Mr. Rhodes mentioned that another suggestion was that the postage rates should be increased as a war tax, but no decision had yet been arrived at by Cabinet. He' informed the deputation that he had just received a specimen of a Canadian one cent stamp over-printed "war tax." 'This stamp was apparently required to be attached to every posted letter in addition to the regular postage. As. hedges are things of beauty besides being things of usefulness, the Wellington Education Board decided yesterday that "live" fences should be grown where possible, as they would save portion of the cost of the ordinary fences, and the school boys could do a great deal of the work entailed in planting them. The North Canterbury Education Board has a proposal to hold a conference of Education Boards to discuss the subject of the Act of 1914. This proposal was submitted to the Wellington Education Board yesterday, but the Wellington Board considered that it was rather early to hold a conference of the kind, and decided upon a postponement of the matter. The sum of £152 realised by the sale of a flag was handed over by the Plim-mer-Hall Company to the Mayor of Christchurch (Mr. H. Holland) last week. The Petone West School as overcrowded, and the recently-built Shannon School is too small for its purposes. These facts were reported to the Wellington Education Board yester9ay, and the board decided to ask the Education Department for funds with which to add accommodation to these schools.

The Roseneath School Committee has asked the Wellington Education Board to revise the school district boundaries Jjo as to include Hataitai in the Roseneath district. The Education Board decided yesterday to ask its Finance Committee to report on the matter. Workers' dwellings were mentioned at last night's meeting of the Karori Borough Council (luring a discussion 011 the question of loss of rales on Crown Lands. The discussion arose out of a letter received from the l'etone Borough Council, and it was stated that t-lie Petone Borough loss of rates on account of the land for workers' dwellings. This drew from Councillor J. W. Henderson the remark that there was a gTeat deal of land in the ITutt Valley for workers' dwellings, but that on some of it tliefe would never he workers' dwellings until Doomsday. "I have just heen through the north part of New Zealand, andT am now on my way south," said Mr. J. Macleod Boulton, of Sydney, at a social gathering of the Christchurch Commercial Travellers' Club oil Saturday evening, "and while-1 won't say that New Zealand is booming, I will say that *J®"her at Auckland, nor Christchurch, is there any indication of it going back. This is a result that is highly creditable to the country, and I hope the prosperity of this Dominion will 'continue." Writing from Sydney, Mr. Hugh J. Ward says:—"Regarding New South Wales Belgian Day, I think we did a world's record here on the 14th, as the followng figures show:—Street cok lection, £23,000; inatinee at Her Majesty's Theatre, £21,000, arid with donations from the. city and country the total is now about £110,000. The matinee figures, of course, include sales in the'theatre and donations received during the performance."