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Auckland Star, Volume XXXII, Issue 206, 11 September 1901, Page 4

Captain Edwin advises for twentyfour hours from 9 a.m. this day: — •'Moderate westerly winds, glass rise, good tides."

The telegram was sent to Mr. Geo. Fowlds, M.H.R., to-day: "Captain of a coasting cutter .ays that about three weeks ago he passed the trawler on her way homewards, and that the sea was strewn for miles in her wake with small dead fish. Can nothing be done to stop this?"

Mr C. J. Parr will move at the next meeting- of the City Council: "That the opinion of Mr William Ferguson, C.E., Engineer of the Wellington Harbour Board, who has recently returned from Europe, be taken upon the question of the most suitable material for paving Queen-street."

The steamer Upolu, while on the passage from New Plymouth to Wellington yesterday, broke down off Cape Kgmont, and drifted about for 10 hours. Temporary repairs were effected, and the vessel finished the trip under easy steam. One of the pumps had become disarranged.

Owing to the indisposition of Mill. W. Brabant, S.M., who is suffering from influenza, the adjourned quarterly meeting of the Parnell Licensing Committee had to be further adjourned from to-day until Wednesday next. The special meeting of the Auckland Licensing Committee, fixed for this afternoon, was also adjourned for the same reason until Wednesday next.

Mr Justice Conolly, who returns from Gisborne to-morrow, will hold a sitting of the Supreme Court in chambers on Friday, and on Monday he will take the case of T. W. Qjtbus-n v. W. H. Grove, an action claiming '.'2OO damages for slander, postponed from the last civil sittings.

The Rev. Mr Goldstein, secretary to the Patriotic Fund Committee;* informs us that applications are frequently received from returned troopers, who complain of the difficulty they experience in obtaining from the Government the moneys due to them. In the case of one trooper, to whom £41 is clue, the delay, it appears, has arisen through the official pay-sheet having miscarried. The Government should expedite the settlement of these claims as much as they can, and where amounts are known to be due advances through the Defence Office might surely be authorised to satisfy immediate wants until the official vouchers are forthcoming. Some of the claimants might, perhaps, take a hint from the course adopted by one of the unfortunates who have suffered by reason of the inconceivable delay by the War Office in "settling- up." He inserted the following advertisement in the London "Daily Graphic": "What Offers? —Claim for £50 against the War Office for pay due to an Imperial Yeoman who returned in June; particulars on application.—Apply Box 1,181, 'Daily Graphic,' 194, Strand, W.C."

A benefit concert will be held in Mount Albert Hall on Friday evening, the proceeds of which are to be given to the widow and children of the late Charles Henderson.

The City Council intends immediately to re-deck, repair and paint the Hobson-street bridge.

The contractors for the electric tram service are making good progress, and the sub-contractors (Messrs McLean Bros.) are getting on well with the. laying of the double line oi' rails on the City-Ponsonby line by way of J^reeman's Bay. Work was stopped for a while this morning on account of the heavy rain, but the men got to work later on in the morning, excavating the trenches for the rails in College Hill, and laying the rails from Hobson-street onwards to Freeman's Bay. There are some sixtymen on the job, and they are working exceedingly well. Mr Anderson, late city engineer, is foreman of works, superintending the operations. The line of work is fenced off along the streets in which the rails are being laid, and the trenches cut out, and traffic is to a certain extent interfered with. The chief difficulty will come when the Queen-st. section of the service is commenced later on, as the laying of the double line of rails takes up a large portion of the street; the temporary inconveniencing of traffic cannot be well avoided.

With reference to the liabilities of the local bodies interested in the Mangere Bridge, to keep that structure in repair, the following telegram was received by the Onehunga Borough Council from the Hon. Duncan, Minister for Lands, through Sir (}. M. O'l.orke: "1 have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of 26th inst., forwarding a report of a committee on the subject of the readjustment of the proportionate payment:; by the local bodies towards the cost of maintaining the Mangere Bridge. Iv reply I beg to inform you that Government is willing to set up a Commission for the purpose of dealing with this matter, but before this can he done it will be necessq]*- jj_r either the Mangere Road Bo_- or the Borough of Onehunga to take the initial steps by formally asking that the cost be reapportioned, and stating in such request the various local bodies which they consider should contribute and the proportion each should pay respectively, and which they are prepared by evidence to support. This is necessary iv order that when the local bodies are cited by the Commissioners they may have some knowledge of the claim made by the borough or road board, and thus be prepared either to agree to some or to defend it by suitable evidence." The telegram was read at a meeting of the Borough Council last evening. The Mayor moved, and it was agreed, "That a copy of the letter be sent to the Mangere Road Board and that they be requested to appoint a deputation to confer with the Onehunga Borough Council on the matter as .early as possible."

The s.s. Star of Australia, which arrived from' London this morning, landed at Melbourne 20 Eskimo dogs for the ship Discovery, now on her way out to the colonies from London to make an exploration of the Antarctic regions. The dogs were brought from Siberia, and when lan.de under the care of Mr Weller, were in first-class condition, though during the trip they were affected by the heat of the tropics. The Discovery will call at Lyttelton before proceeding on her exploration.

The Taranaki "Herald" reports the death of an old colonist, Mrs Hirst, who died at New Plymouth^ fit the patriarchal age of 96 years and 3 months. Mrs Hirst, in company with her late husband and family, came out to .New Zealand in the ship Gwalior in 1852. They had a most disastrous voyage lasting sij: months, shortness of food and water, mutiny, a captain in the "horrors," who eventually committed suicide, a leaky and badly trimmed ship. That they ever reached port was. only due to the lucky circumstance of having to put into Capetown for water and food, where they shipped the late Mr Cliantrey Harris,, /ifteruards a well known Wellington pressman, as first mate, who by sheer pluck and good seamanship brought the ship, a partial wreck, into Auckland harbour. Mr and Mrs Hirst and children abandoned the Gwalior off the Bay of Islands, going on by a small coasting schooner to Auckland, where th.-? state of the ship was reported to the authorities, and H.M.s. Pandora was sent out to bring the Gwalior into port. After a short rest in Auckland the Hirst family went on to Xew Plymouth by the cutter Eclair, and resided in the Bound House for a time, but later took up land at Bell Block, which they occupied until the outbreak of the Maori war in 1860, when they were driven into New Plymouth j and their homestead burnt. Tn this year Mr and Mrs Hirst left on a visit pto the Old Country, and in returning [fo New Zealand the following year in ! the William Brown were overtaken by

i terrible disaster, the shin being

burnt some 300 miles from Madeira. After beinsr out all night in an open boat in a stormy sea. they were picked up by a Swedish brig and landed at Madeira, travelling thence to England via Lisbon. Mr Hirst took the first boat for New Zealand, but Mrs Hirst, whose nervous system v;as for the time completely shattered, remained with her relations. • for another year, returning- to New Zealand by the Silver Eagle in October, ISG2.

A pleasing incident took place at the Bombay Public School last Friday, when Miss Keesing, who is leaving the district to take up the position of first assistant in the Cambridge school was presented with a very handsome writing desk and purse by the children attending the school. Miss G. Evans made the presentation on behalf of the pupils.

The Eden and Epsom Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club's dramatic performance takes place to-morrow evening. Full particulars appear in our advertising columns.

Mr Grant has now taken over the charge of the. Auckland .Sailors' Home and has the place in excellent order. There are not very many sailors in the Home' at present, owing to the fact that the majority of the men of the seafaring class are now pretty steadily engaged, and are not ashore seeking for ships. There are about seventeen boarders -now regularly getting their meals at the Home;

Mr. W. J. Col well, dental surgeon, has opened the Australian Dental Institute, Wellesley-street East. Every modern appliance and convenience has been added, and the. dental rooms have been.well furnished.

At Dunedin yesterday Mr Justice Williams delivered judgment ; on a preliminary point in the case of the Assets Company v. the King, a petition for a refund of £1500 paid rtn error by way of license fee. His Honor held that the facts as stated do disclose a cause of action cognisable under the Crown Suits Act, and that the claim is not barred either by the statutes of limitation or by section 39 of the Crown Suits Act.

The water question at Birkenhead and Northcote is making promising headway. The conference recently held is said to have been satisfactory to the representatives of both districts, and there appears to be every prospect of a joint water scheme being carried through at a very early date. The value.of such an undertaking in the district is incalculable. A feeling was expressed at the-con-ference in favour of obtaining a site near the trig station on Mr Wilson's property for the purpose of the reservoir, on" account of it being the highest point in the neighbourhood, and considerably higher than the position previously selected by the Northcote Ratepayers" Committee. It has the further advantage of being on neutral ground, as it comes within the area of the Waitemata County Council. Mill. M. Wilson, the engineer engaged in the case, has pointed out that although the former site would have been "suitable for all domestic purpose-, vet for extinguishing fires the increased elevation of the trig station would be of great value. At the present time the members of the conference are waiting for Mr Wilson's estimate of the additional cost of layin? mains along the mile of ground to be traversed between the formerly selected reservoir site and the trig station. After this estimate has been discussed, the scheme will be formally submitted to the public in the respective districts.

At a meeting of the Auckland Cycling Club, held last evening, it was decided to hold a road race in the second week in October, starting from Parnell firebell, through Otahuhu. Mangere and Onehunga, finishing at starting point. Numerous prizes have been promised by the trade. A special prize' will be given for the fastest time registered.

The usual meeting of St. David's Literary Society was held last evening. A paper was read by Mr. S. I. Clarke on "Proverbs and Sayings."

An attractive programme has been arranged for .the concert to be held to-morrow (Thursday) evening, in St. David's school hall. Items are beingcontributed by Miss Laing, Mr. Steele, the Waiata quartette and others. The proceeds are in aid of the organ fund.

The Onehunga Literary Society met last evening. "An Evening With Thomas Moore" was opened by Miss Austen reading a sketch of the poet's life and works. Selections from Moore's works were then presented by the Misses Edith, Lile, and Lucy Austen, Messrs Bellingham and Somerville, the Misses McKenzie. Wilding. L: Austen aud Mr Bellingham, Rev. C. Griffin. Miss.McKenzie.