LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2791, 8 June 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The Postal authorities advise that tho mails which left New Zealand on April 30 arrived in London on June i. In the House of Representatives yesterday afternoon Mr, T. M. Wilford gave notice of the Hutt Park Amendment Hill. His Honour Mr. Justice Hosking raised an audible smile among tho land agents engaged in a compensation case at the Supreme Court yesterday by repeating a witness's value of tho land as being .410 per foot. His Honour made a slip, however, and said: "The value of this land is ,£lO per acre." Witness: "i6IO per foot, Your Honour," corrected the witness. "Ah, I said per acre; well, perhaps that was nearer the mark!" His Honour explained subsequently that in Dunedin it was seldom that land was valued at other than per acre. The diphtheria epidemic in the Napier and Hastings districts shows no sign of abating, says our Napier correspondent. In addition to tho concession which it has granted to returned soldiers on final' leave, the Union Steam Ship Company * has deoided. to grant a' reduction of 20 per cent, in inferbolonial fares to any , member of the New Zealand Expeditionary Forces travelling on special leave, on production of. a certificate* from the' Defence Department. A little breeze livened up Inst night's proceedings of tfye Onslow Borough Council, tho members of which are not a happy family in regard, to the riparian rights in connection with the proposed water scheme. One section of tho council believes that the claims of firms for said rights are not well grounded in law; another seotion holds an. entirely opposite opinion. In the course of debate, Councillor Budd accused the Mayor (Mr. Crump) of attempting to muzzle him, and also accused the Mayor and Councillor Smith of ignorance of the standing orders. This was too much for the Mayor" who vigorously protested against Councillor Budd's remarks, and added that the latter was sure to use the most scurrilous language he could. - Councillor Budd emphatically stated he would not stand that, and in default of a withdrawal would leave the room. " The Mayor declined to withdraw, and Councillor Budd withdrew. Afterwards councillors discussed the matter, opinion • being divided as to who was to blamo for the scene, but thq upshot was that Councillor Budd was recalled, and he and the Mayor withdrew all objectionable remarks, and agreed to bury the hatchet, without, leaving the handle sticking out. Writing from London on April 21 a Correspondent states that the Sellar family, who were prominont in New Zealand for their opposition to the Military Service Bill, are now faced with the same form of "tyranny" in their native land. They are living in a small town in Essex, -where Mr. Sellar, sen., and one or two of the sons are at present engaged in bringing out a small publication called "Mufti," which seems to champion the rights of the subject to remain civilians. As soon as "sufficient wood-blocks are available it is the intention of the City Counoil to push on with the blockin? of the eastern end of Courtenay Place (the northern side of tho plantation). A. triangular section of roadway was left unblocked, when the rest of that important thoroughfare was blocked, and now it has been decided by the council that all vehicular traffic, whether bound east or west, must use the northern side of Cour. tenay Place in order to leave the southern side free for tramway traffic. The engineer is to do the work as soon as possible.- - . As the outcome of a suggestion made by tho Mavor of Wanganui, a Sailors' Saturday collection will be taken up at Hastings on Juno 17. That the idea ,of constructing a canal across tho Isthmus of Panama is not a modern one was illustrated by Mr. W. A. Beddoe, tho Canadian Trade Commissioner, in a ieoture in Auckland this \ieek. He said that Samuel Champlain, who founded the city of Quebec in 1608, crossed the Atlantic 18 times in 20 years. Once he visited' Panama, and suggested cutting through the isthmus. The idea, of a canal was, therefore, promulgated over 300 years ago. When tho Seddon Government of years £veo commandeered that section of land iu Manners Street for the purposes of A police station, it gave tho city that section of land in Buckle Street, which has for many years been used as a public pound. Now that the land on which the police station has stood is Teverting to the city, tho old pound site is being handed back to the Government. The old Manners Street police station is to be sold for re. moval shortly, and the money realised for the bricks, timber, eto., will be handed to the Government. The .new police station in Lower Taranaki tStreet is being found to be a big improvement on any police station in Wellington. There is every indication (states the "New Zoaland Herald") that the scarlet fever epidemio in Auckland is somewhat abating. The number of cases admitted to tlhe general hospital during the last few days shows a marked decline. There are now 150 cases under treatment. The Clyde-Cromwell railway construction is going on steadily. The bridge at Leaning Bock Creek is finished, but not yet available for rail-laying, as in such a work the concrete has to be allowed to "cure," and this will probably take two months. Mr. M'Kenzie, district engineer, is arranging for the grain from Upper Clutha district to be carried by rail from Leaning Bock instead of its being cartcd to Clyde. The new milk control by-laws adopted last week by the City Council reach out to the proprietors of manufactured milk, which presumably means condensed, dried, or prepared milk. By-law 10 says: "Where milk in connection with which there is a breach of any of the provisions of this by-law is sold in an unopen package any person who appears from any statement thereon or attached thereto to have prepared such, food or to have enclosed it in such package shall, -unless he proves the contrary, be deemed to have so prepared or enclosed the same, and shall bo liable to tho same find as.if ho had actudlly sold the same." Under tho new motor by-law, approved by the City Council last week, it is enacted that the owner or person in charge of any motor car or motor-cycle which may for the time being bo standing on any street or public place, shall, when requested by any City Council inspector, whether traffic inspector or tramway inspector, or any police constable, move such vehicle as directed by such inspec. tor or police constable when, in the oiiinion of such inspector or constable, it is necessary to move such motor-car. Mr. Andrew Thomson, an old and respected citizen of Wanganui, died at-his residence in that town, yesterday forenoon. Mi. Thomson, who was nearly 80 years of age, has ben identified with the educational life of the Wellington provinco since the early 'sixties, at which time h-. arrived in New Zcalaud from Scotland. During the troublous times following o tho Te Kooti massacre at Poverty Bay he had charge of a school at Wairoa (Hawke's Bay), and, with his wife and several young children, was exposed to very danger. At a later stage in the Maori, war, Mr. Thomson was school teaching at THirakina, where again he and his were subjected to alarms and rumours of -night Taids. A few years later Mr. Thomson had established an educational seminary at Wanganui, the pupils of tlwt institution including in their number Mr. Justice Sim (of the New Zealand Supreme Court Bench) and Mr. 1). A. Aitkbn (general manager of the Union Steam Snip Company). After the inception of the Education Act, of 1837, Mr. Thomson joined the service of the Wanjanui Education Board,- and finally retired from the educational profession in 1895, after having been for a number of years headmaster of the Bulls public school. In 189G ho removed to his old home in Wanganui and has resided there ever since. Mr. Thomson took a keen interc-st in church and Sunday school matters. He was an elder of the Presbyterian Church and had a record of over 53 years' unbroken service as a Sunday school teacher. Ia his mori> vigorous days he was' an nrdent quoits player, but latterly confined his recreative exercises to "bowls. Tho late Mr. Thomson i 3 survived by his widow and five sons and five daughters. The eldest son is Mr. A. D. Thomson (As-sistant-Public Servico Commissioner), and the others include tho Bev. J. M. Thomson, Mr. P. B. Thomson (Auckland representative for Cadbury Bros.), and Mr. .T. A. Thomson (storekeeper of Wanganui and Marton). Sergeant-Major R, E. O. Coatos, itho went to the front with the Main Expeditionary Force, has received a commission.

A Boot for comfort—Glace Kid, no toocap, 245. Cd., 255. 6d. Geo. Fowlds, Ltd., Manners Street.—Advt,