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Auckland Star, Volume XXI, Issue 120, 22 May 1890, Page 4

Evictions are of rare occurrence in New Zealand, but it is quite probable that th e present week will witness a number of events of this kind in Obago. It will be remembered that when the strike of colliers at the Shag Point mine took place, the management of the colliery gave, the men notice to quit tho cottages which they occupied, and which were tho property of the owners of the mine, The men refused to go, and legal proceedings were accordingly taken to effect their ejection. Five of the oases were heard yesterday, and in all bub one case ejectment warrants wore issued with costs, 18s, the defendants being ordered to vacate the houses occupied by Saturday, In one case, on account of the illness of the wife of the defendant, he was granted till June 21. The remainder of the cases were adjourned.till Tuesday. The mon intend, when ejected, to pitch tents or put up huts on the foreshore to watch the course of events. The strike which led lo these troubles arose through the dismissal of a workman named Blackie. The manager says he was dismissed because of complaints that etone was being Bent up with the coal he was taking out, while Blackie holds that it was because of his conneo.ion with tho Union, Taking the latter view ot the matter, the men to

the number of seventy went out on strike and then called out the enginemen. Hence the proceedings for ejectment from the cottages. It is to be hoped that the troubles will yet be amicably arranged, and a resort to the extreme measures of eviction avoided.

It is gratifying to learn that the longstanding dispute between the Pefcorie Woollen Company and their hands was settled yesterday at a conference between the directors, the Trades and Labour Council, and the Maritime Council. The directors agreed to take back at once thirty or forty of the operatives now out, mostly young people, and make room for others by discharging hands where there are several members of one family engaged, married women with husbands in full work, etc. This is to be done in favour of the operatives now out, who are badly in want of work. Both Unions are to be disbanded, and a new one formed. The arrangement was accepted as satisfactory by all parties. It will be remembered that this st. co was remarkable for the fact that when the operatives met the management and i;tatters in dispute were discussed, the men agreed to return to work, but the girls went out on strike. Capt. Edwin telegraphed to-day: "North to East and South-oa3t gales with rain after twelve hours from now. Glass fall again soon." Two members of the legal fraternity were surprised at the R.M. Court this morning. The proceedings of this Court are at times tedious, and solicitors often go away for half-an-hour. Two gentlemen did so this morning, and remained away a little too long. In each instance cases in which they were concerned were called, and as solicitors appeared for the defendant, they got the cases struck out and a guinea costs. Shortly afterwards both solicitor- arrived and appeared somewhat astonished. They, wanted the cases reinstated, but Dr. Giles quietly said he could do nothing in the matter, as the other counsel were not in attendance. He said that he could not sit on the Bench ..doing nothing to oblige solicitors, who, he added, should look after these matters themselves, if they could not trust one another. About 6.30 o'clock last evening a young lady named Miss Thompson was passing along the Karangahape Road when she noticed a man taking three kits from the doorway of Mr John Spinley's shop. The matter was promptly reported to Constable Bernard, who went in pursuit of the sneak thief. He found twomen named respectively William Fitzgerald and James Austin in the shop of a second hand dealer in Grey-street trying to dispose of the kits, and they were, of course, at once arrested. They appeared at the Police Court this morning before Messrs W. Duncan and W. Crowther, the presiding Justices, and pleaded not guilty to the charge of stealing the kits. Evidence was given by Misp Thompson, Mr Spinley, Mr Roxburgh, and Constable Bernard. The defendant Fitzgerald gave evidence au to the kits having been given to him by a man to sell. This story was too old for the Bench to accept, and they inflicted a fine of 20s and costs on each defendant, or in default 14 days' imprisonment with hard labour. The annual football match Banks v. Law will be played on Monday next. The match is looked forward to with much interest. The following will represent the Banks :— Messrs C. C. Creagh, P. Gould, H. Hammond, J. Howard, F. Hull, C. P. Hulme, F. Jervis, R. Mair, D. F. McCormick, H. Pritt, E. Reea, Rudd, A. F. Sage, J. C. Webster, A. Whyfce, C. White. Emergencies, F. Johnston, H. Kitchener, H. Gordon, and J. HulL The following team has been chosen to compete against the Engineers on Saturday next in carbine shooting match. "O " Battery team: Lieut. Webster, Sgts. McCalluin, Ronayne, Corps. Cruickshank, Airey, Gunners Greenshields, Hall, Brown, Elyett, Head. Excramen : Quarter-masters Reeve, Bombardier Stewart, Gunner Watford. News came to hand by the mail from Sydney to-day that the mainland natives at New Guinea have made a murderous attack on Pitt's beche-de-mer station at Haggorstone Reef. The lugger Alice arrived at Thursday Island with Charlie: Burstow and Dan Maynard, seriously injured. They reported that Pitt must have been murdered, but Pitt came in a few hours afterwards sailing the lugger Annie, with a dingy in tow, having been alone four days without food or sleep. Pitt states that when on board the Island lightship on Sunday afternoon, the native crew cleared away with the cutter, but as he had intended to anchor under a. sandy bank be suspected nothing until Monday morning, when, the cutter being still away, he then borrowed the lightship's dingy and proceeded to the station at Haggei stone Reef, Which he found deserted. When he went aboard the lugger Annie, which was anchored • there, he found the cabin all besmeared with blood, and tomahawk cuts on the hatches and scuttle. Several broken stingaree spears were lying about, also human teeth, hair and brains. Charles Burstow states that about three o'clock on Monday morning ho was awakened by hearing Dan Maynard crying out. He jumped up and put his head out of the scuttle, and immediately received a shower of spears on the left side of the head. Three spears struck him close together, between the left ear and eye. While taking them out another struck the back of his neck, and he was forced to break it before he could go bolow again. Ho snatched up a Colt's repeating rifle, which was loaded, and soon cleared the deck. Maypard had been asleep on deck when he was struck by a tomahawk across tho right eye, and when he rose he fell overboard through giddiness, but his wife, a native woman, jumped in and rescued him. Dr. Salter, who is attending both Burstow and Maynard, drew the spear from the former _ neck. He is not dangerously injured, but Maynard is almost beyond recovery.

At a large and representative meeting o* the lady members of St. Patrick's Cathedral held yesterday evening, at the Presbytery, Wyndham-street, it was unanimously decided to hold the annual social in aid of the building fund on Wednesday, 25th June. Mrs W. G.. Connolly was elected treasurer, and the following ladies will act on the " social committee " :—Mesdames Dignan, Dervan, Dufly, Mahony, Hutchin son, Condon, Nolan, Hiscocks, Mulligan Misses Shanaghan, Lynch, Regan, Gaugh, Ryan, Harkins, Kavanagh.

Further particulars in reference to the fire by which the lecture room of the Thames School of Mines and" its contents were destroyed yesterday afternoon, show that tho fire originated in the evaporating chamber, where some Gem bullion was being dried on the sand bath in the ordinary manner. The flame in some way came in contact with the sides of the chimney, which were of wood. Work was being carried on in the adjoining building, where the plant is situated, and one of the students named Walker, who had been in the experimental plant room, was the first to discover the fire and give the alarm. The building was completely gutted, and will require to be pulled down and practically re-erected, every part but the floor being more or less destroyed. The insurance on the lecture room was £150, and £150 on the brick building. The latter was uninjured. The loss will be much more, than the insurance* and will probably amount to at least £150 or £200 over the amounb of the insurance, which 18 in the New Zealand Office. A meeting of the committee of tho School of Mines is to be held this evening to consider what should be done towards replacing the building and its contents.

Dr. J. Giles, R.M., sat as a Trust Commissioner under the Native Lands Fraud Prevention Act yesterday afternoon at .the R. M. Court. Mr J. Stewart applied for the Trust Commissioner's certificate to a conveyance from Turuhira Poha, Miriama Keritahanga, and Matia Kaimate, to Alfred Price, George Price, of an interest in the Parareha block at Grabamstown, Thames. Mr Brown acted as interpreter. After hearing evidence Dr. Giles granted the certificate. Mr Stewart applied for the Commissioner's certificate to a memorandum of transfer from Ruta Rangikiuhi to Celia Birch, of a part of Auhuraa Block 1 D. This was adjourned for a fortnight in order to offord opportunity for evidence to be taken before the R.M. at the Thames. An application for a certificate to transfer a lease between the same parties was likewise adjourned.

An operative writes as follows to our evening contemporary, the Christchurch " Star ":—Many of the outside public may think that railway operatives are making more fuss than there is occasion for, but if they will think over the following facts and figures, they must conclude that the service is drifting into a nursery for incompetents, and a mill for grinding down wages. At Dunedin, in the blacksmith's shop, there are eleven adult smiths, two just out of their apprenticeship at 7s and 6s 6d per day respectively, and twelve boys I In the fitting shop, nineteen men and nineteen boys ; in the boiler-makers' shop, five men and six boys ; and in the painters' shop, three boys to every two men. The carpenters are not quite so boy-riddeh, but", labourers at 6s 6d per day have been removed, and cadets (?) at 3s per day taken on. This it authentic information. Now, sir, at this rate the question will not be "What shall we do with ourboyB?" but ] "What will become of our men?" They may well call this "non-political management of our railways," for they are poor, '*] short-sighted politicians indeed who sap the foundation of a country's greatness by , degrading the industrial classes.

I The proprietors of Wirth's circus, which. opens in Auckland next week, are an enterprising quartet of brothers, sons of a doceased circus musician. They and their , sisters were " born and brought up," as the saying goes, " under canvas," and have all their lives been associated with sawdust and spangle*, and they are therefore particularly well qualified to conduct a business of this kind; The brothers divide tho work among them, and each is proficient in every branch of it, from check taking to bareback riding, or cornet playing. The members of the family are in fact all members of the Company. Formerly their mother used to travel with them and look after the wardrobes; now, however, she has quitted the wandering life, and is settled down comfortably in Sandhurst (Victoria). Manager Wirth, who is, to use an expressive, phrase, " all there," haa a good deal of foresight and tho speculative faculty. He says Australia is a worn-oub field for circuses, and that the only novelty that will pay there now is a " Wild West Show ;" and acting on this theory the brothers have sent on_-o{ their number to America to arrange for thq formation of such an exhibition, and tho transport of it to the colonies. Meantime. the Company will go on its tour till winter approaches. They expect to lay up in tha North, and await the re.urn of summer tq take the road again. . Within the last few days, an Emerald Minstrel Troupe has been formed in Auckland. The troupe can boast of four corner men, and six sentimental and comic singers, while Mr Jas. Ridings takes the part of Mr Johnson. Mr George Vallack has been appointed stage manager, Mr Waddington pianist, while the general management 13 in the hands of Mr Binghajn Mason. The «f.\. first performance, which will take place early next month, will be for the ben.-. o( .he Prison Gate Brigade Home. V The Auckland Working Men's Friendly Aid Society will celebrate their eighteenth <: J| anniversary to-morrow night (Friday) at \ Parnell, with a soiree in the Oddfellows' '. Hall and concert and dance in St. Bona- .. Ventura's Hall. Mr Moss, M.H.R., will - preside at the concert. This Society has <J been in existence now 18 years, and although very little is heard of it, it has done a greab amount of good. Some idea of its scope ',m and operation may be gathered from the fact that it ha 3 paid during the last year to sick members upwards of £200. From the programme we notice the names of sonje .' old favourites. The Committee have worked H|t hard to make the gathering a success, and all that is required now is the support of ' tho public. Tho Rev. H. T. Robjohns, B. A., will deliver an address in the Young Men's Chris- , ,i lfl tian Association this evening, at „30, the 2 subject being, " The Divine in Trade; |* Some Words of Help for Young People in . Business." A collection will be made on behalf of the Association. , ,|9 The polo match between the Auckland and Onehunga "Reps." took place at One-.Jjlf hunga last night, and after an interesting and exciting match, resulted in a win for | the Auckland team by seven goals to three. , A. Hough (3), D. Anderson (3), and J. Eaton (1), were the scorers for the ." A return match will likely be played at tha ( > Columbia next week. . ', --§§« On Saturday next the return match South Franklin Mounted Infantry v. Newton Rifles takes place at the Mount ' .. Eden Rifle Range, when the local teamjfK hope to wipe out the defeat they received at the hands of the former some months'|||| ago. The team chosen for the Newton, consists of Sergeants Pitkethley, M_lerjjfra| Rotheram, Volunteers Nutt, Hamilton, Good, Koether, Henderson and. Dormer. ' jsK-