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Auckland Star, Volume XXXII, Issue 54, 5 March 1901, Page 4

Cadet corps are being formed in connection with both town aud cuuutiy schools, and the manner in which the scheme has been taken promises, well for its success. We learn from Captain Grant, who is carrying out the wishes of the Government, under, the Auckland Board of Education, that he has been provided with six hundred model rifles for the cadets. These rifles have a barrel and bore, and will snap a cap, but will not fire a shot, and they will be most valuable for drilling the boys and teaching them how to handle fire arms. The cadets are to be boys twelve years of age and upwards, exception being made by including1 those under that age who measure 4ft 7in in height. Cadet corps have been formed at the following "schools: Wellesley-streel, Napier-street, Graf ton, Mount Eden, Parnell, Kaueranga (Thames), Waihi and in other districts cadets are being enrolled. It is Captain Grant's intention, as soon as the cadets are got into working- order to form them into a battalion, and they should form a valuable nucleus of our volunteer force of the future. His Excellency the Governor, on his arrival in Tau'po, met with a mos* cordial reception from the natives of Tokaanu, this being his first visit to the township. A splendid war-dance in costume by armed natives was given on his arrival, and before he left the great chief Te Hen Heu presented him^with a greenstone mere, kiwi mats, and other valuable Maori curios. In a speech the Governor referred to the amity of the Maoris, and hoped that both races would draw closer and closer together for the welfare of New i Zealand. His Excellency was to have left, the Sna-to-day for Kotorua via Waiptapu. The Federation Commission resumed its labours at the Municipal Buildings this morning. The evidence taken up to the luncheon adjournment was that of Mr A. 15- Donald, shipowner and trader; Mr T. T. Masefield, ironfounder; Mr Wesley Sprag-g, manager of the New Zealand Dairy Association; and Mr Stnrges, Vice-President of the Otahuhu Fruitgrowers' Association. Mr Donald expressed himself as strongly in favour of New Zealand federating with Australia, while the other three took up the opposite view. The duties of members of the Clsaritable Aid Board are manifold, and they require knowledge on a variety of subjects. For instance, at the meeting yesterday afternoon quite an animated" discussion took place upon the question as to whfether 50/ or 35/ was the fair price lor a ready-made i suit of clothes. The next grave point considered was whether three print and two stuff dresses per annum , was too much for a hospital nurse. The 35/ suit was fixed upon, but tin members wisely refrained from dealing with the question of female attire. Several inmates of Costley Home applied to the Charitable Aid Board to be allowed to leave that institution, as they had received old age pensions. The Board warned those who appeared that if they left the Home of their own free will, and spent their pensions, they need not expect the Board to admit them to the Home for the rest of the month. The applicants, however, all elected to g"o out. One old gentleman, 33 years of age, who looked wonderfully well, declared his intention to try and get something to do in order to supplement his pension and live outside the Home. The Board in this case decided that. a» he was not a man who drank his money he should be allowed to return to the Home next month in the event of finding he could not maintain himself outside. A game of cards on the Wakatere yesterday resulted in a fracas, and as a result two young men, Charles Crawford Lovett and James Bruce Ferguson, were given into custody on arrival of the steamer at the Thames. They were charged at the Police Court with using obscene language, and with assaulting the chief steward, Mr. T. Markwick. Accused were remanded until Wednesday next, bail being fixed, themselves in £25 each, and two sureties of £20. Information received last evening from Guratown states that Captain Swindle}' had the misfortune to break his leg above the ankle. He was riding in company with another man when his companion's horse kicked out, striking him on the leg, inflicting injuries .as stated. Among the passengers by the s.s. Ngapuhi, which arrived at the Manukau this morning,"was the Hon. Geo. McLean, chairman of directors of the Union Steamship Company. The Eev. A. Gordon, M.A., who with his wife and family arrived in Auckland on Saturday last, came to the colony for the purpose of taking charge of Hanover-street Baptist Church, Dunedin. The climate of Dunedin, however, did not suit* the reverend gentleman, who has been in a weak state of health, for the past two years, and to the great regTet of the church there, hte reluctantly relinquished the pastorate. Medical advice was to the effect that Mr Gordon must seek a warmer and drier climate, and he has come to Auckland to see how this part of the colony will agree with him. He is at present supplying the pulpit of the Mount Eden Baptist Churchl. During Mr Gordon's ministry at Dunedin he had crowded congregations, and had he remained there it was intended to erect a new chnrch. Mr Gordon was pastor of a church! in Liverpool for twelve years, and came to the colony in search of better health. A meeting of the Waikato Hunt Club was held at Cambridge on Saturday afternoon, Mr Bullock-Webster in the chair. Reference was made to the loss by death of Mr Edward Hewitt. The secretary's statement of accounts showed a debit balance of £18 2/6. It was decided that hunting members subscribe to wipe off the debt, and most of those present subscribed a guinea. Mr BostonCowper was appointed secretary, rice Mr Banks, resigned.

Amongst the native witnesses in attendance at the Supreme Court to-day in connection with the Miranda murder trial, was the old Maori chief Hon i\gaka.pa. te HJbumauuga, a, deeply tattooed warrior, waosawservicemtne Uaikato campaign, and who is u» last surviving eiiiei of rank m the :\gati-whanauuj>a tribe, of Coromandei and the Miranda. Hori is a venerable aad interesting link with the eufiy history of this city. He, when a. young man vi ~'O or so, was one ox the braves of the .Ngatipaoa and other tribes who made the memorable invasion of Auckland in their canoes in ISSU, in consequence of the arrest ol one of their chiefs, and he took part in the warlike demonstration on the beach at Waipapa, now known at Mechanics' Bay. in 1863 he joined in the Waikato war and led an attack with a number of his tribe on a force of jsoldiers at "Martin's Clearing,' on the road near Drury, where a sharp fight took place. He also fought at Rangiriri, and with many others-men and women—escaped from the p:* by swimming across a creek on the fall of that strong-hold. Hori's grandfather was the celebrated old centenarian chief. Te Taniwha ("Old Hooknose"), who was a friend of Sir Geo. Grey's in the early days, and who as a boy saw Captain Cook's ship sail up the Hauraki Gulf.

At a meeting of the Ellerslie School Committee held in the school last evening-, an application from the Rev. F. W. Walker, Vicar of Christ Church, Ellerslie, for permission to impart religious instruction to the scholars for about twenty minutes each week, and for the use of one of the rooms for that purpose, was granted.

The postponement of our annual regatta has not, we hope, lessened the interest in that interesting event, and we look to see next Saturday honoured as the occasion deserves. The popularity of yachting amongst us was again shown in a very marked fashion last Saturday, when the Ponsonby Sailing Club held their picnic. In the "Graphic" this week, published to- morrow, is a splendid series of pictures of the enjoyable outing, and at the same time a couple of pages are devoted to the watchmakers' and jewellers' picnic, a function that was a great success. The representations of military and Oriental pageantry which have adorned the pages of the journal for the past weeks now give place to somewhat tamer, but, not less interesting, scenes. The scenic beauties of "the colony again assert themselves and matters of colonial and local interest bulk more largely. To judge by the number, the mnrrmge bacillus is particularly busy here just now. This issue of the ''Graphic" contains illustrations of no less than Tour Auckland weddings. Passing from pictures to reading matter, the amount of good literature, including serial and short stories, sketches, notes and news that the paper crams between its covers is marvellous. In no other journal of the colony will there be found such a rich association of excellent fiction and entertaining reading suitable for all classes, while the tastes of the ladies and the young folk are specially looked after. On Sunday night last the Rev. Father Augustine delivered his second sermon on The, Church, "Is One Religion as Good as Another?" He 'saifl the Catholic Church had four distinctive marks by which she was uni- : rersally known —unity, sanctity, aposiolicity and universality. He dealt in an exhaustive manner with the first of these attributes. Captain Grant, late District Ad* jutant, received yesterday a telegram from the Defence Office, Wellington, informing him that his son, Samuel A. Grant, who left with the Seventh Contingent, had been selected for the rank of lieutenant. This officer is at present in charge of the telegraph and postal department in the Seventh Contingent at Xewtown Park, Wellington. The. Executive of the Imperial Troops Reception Committee have resolved that at the next meeting of the General Committee, it will recommend that the surplus funds ISe retained in hand of the hon. treasurer, the Mayor, to form the nucleus of the fund for the reception of the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York. As His Worship the Mayor sta'ed he was willing (notwithstanding1 that, there is a surplus of about £300) to donate half of his guarantee of £25 to the fund, it was resolved to appeal to the guarantors to d,o likewise, and if there is a liberal response" the Committee will recommend to the general meeting to donate out of such further enlarged surplus the sum of £65 as a subscription towards maintaining the bands now arranged for to play in the city parks, A meeting of the Veterans' Association was held in the Wesley Hall last evening, there being 87 Imperial and Naval veterans, and the widows of 25 deceased veterans present. Lord Ranfuly was elected patron, Captain Slattery president, Mr H. A. Hitchens vice-president, and Mr Leeky secretary. A, Disastrous Hailstorm.—A Duntroon correspondent writes to the New Zealand "Farmer":—A very severe hailstorm has passed over the district the last week in January, doing an immense amount of damage to the crops, which were almost ready for cutting. Jn a few cases it strip* ped oats quite bare, only leaving tho straw standing", and some wheat is not worth cutting, while in other cases farmers. have lost one-half or onequarter 'of the x crop. Turnips end clover for seed are also badly damaged, looking as if a large mob of sheep had been driven over them. A few ducks and fowls were, killed, and windows broken in all directions, while in several cases iron roofs of houses and sheds were pierced, and the mourning draperies at the railway station torn down. The way gardens suffered can be better imagined than described. The hail only fell for fifteen or twenty minutes and covered an area of five or six miles, and the hailstones varied in size from marbles to—in a few cases —an inch and a half in diameter. It is a good thing the aa*ea is not larger. The weather keeps wet and stormy, very unsuitable for harvest. To-morrow Blyth and Co. sell at Grafton Road, furniture, books, etc., of the late Mr Owen Ilbert, M.A. The following tenders have been received by Mr E. Bartley, architect, for the grandstand at the Avondale racecourse:—^. W. Jones £1864, J. Matthewson £1749, R. McCullum £1693, 8. White and Sons £1690, J. Farrell £1682, R. Kay '£1678, R. R. Ross £1657 (accepted). Entries for flic Auckland Anniversary Kfcgatta close to-morrow night

_ — Captain Edwin reports 1 pan,'.--"Strong westerly winds; glass rise;, ordinary tides." rr A steamer will leave the Ferry Tee at 10.30 and 1.30 to-morrow for Rangitoto Island, returning from the Island at 4.30 Bharp. The Premier picnic takes place on Saturday at Motutapu. Full par-, ticulars are to be found in our advertising columns. The committee meet to-morrow at 8 p.m. at McLeod Bros.', Queen-st. . The latest in windows: Ties 'in o-reat variety all at <3d in Arcade windows, and the very latest ties, ex Rimutaku, in Geo. JTowlds' Queen-st. ~ window. Just see them.—o*.) English, American, and colonial oilskins from 9/6, working suits 21/, trousers 4/11, Taiaroa trousers 1/9. Great variety at Geo. Fowlds.-(Ad.) The boys' delight: Knicker trousers 1/9, Norfolk suits, extra quality, 7/11, shirts 1/. Good value at Get), Fowlds'.—(Ad.)