LOCAL NEWS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIV, Issue 110, 9 May 1903, Page 6

LOCAL NEWS.

Colonel Porritt, ■of Paeroa, has receiv-' ed a telegram from the Prenijer, stating that he would be pleased to unveil the Bradford' memorial at Paeroa on' Saturday, the 16th May, if the time suited. Mr .Poriritt has replied,, agreeing to the date, and fixing 3 p.m. on the 16th for the The No. 1 Ohinemuri hifles arid the school cadets will hold, a daylight parade, and the battalion band will also be in attendance. It is intended to ask the business people to observe a half-holiday, and at the meeting of the County Council on Thursday afternoon, it was decided tp .co-operate with the Citizens' Committee in the ceremony, and no doubt the Council will Jake steps to suitably entertain the Right Hon. the Premier on the occasion,of his visit.

The Richardson - Bell criminal libel case was mentioned again I at the Court this ! morning, when the question/ of the j of the lengthy plea of the i two accused came under consideration. ! Richardson was not in attendance, and Mr Tole believed Richardson did not expect the case to be mentioned this morning. Bell, however, was present. Judge Coriolly informed , him that the Crowij prosecutor had filed a refutation concerning their plea. The accused would either have to accept the refutation or be prepared to argue it. Probably they would not be prepared to argue it this morning. Bell replied that he had not yet seen the refutation. His Honor said he thought it would be better for the matter to be deferred till Monday morning at ten o'clock, and ordered accordingly. Mr Tole'promised to supply the accused with copies of the refutation in the meantime. Dr. Pomare, accompanied by Mr: Jas. Mackay, has been inspecting the Maori settlement at Paeroa, inquiring into the sanitary conditions, and in an interview with our Paerba correspondent, he expressed himself very strongly, on the absolute want of pure water in all the settlements, owing to the Ohiuemuri river, on the banks of which, the natives live, being used as a sludge channel. The doctor says he will not cease to urge upon the Government the urgent necessity of this matter .until it is remedied. Several natives have died within the last few weeks of supposed fever, and another Maori suffering from typhoid fever was yesterday sent to the Thamep Hospital by order of Dr. Pomare.

Permission having been granted to the Bavarian Band to perform on Sunday afternoons in the Albert Park, they will to-morrow afternoon at 3 o'clock open with the following programme : March "Tannhauser," Wagner; overture, "Poet and Peasant," Suppe; selection, "H Trovatore," Verdi; fantasia, "Lohengrin," Wagner; dirge, "The Garland of Flowers," aranged by Mersy; overture, "The Caliph of Bagdad," Boieldieu; • march, "Preciosa," Weber; "God Save the King."

The death is announced of Mrs Alice Cottle, of Arawa-street, an old "identity. Mrs Cottle came to New Zealand in 1863 with her husband, the late Rev Henry Wyatt' Cottle: They settled in Whangarei, where Mr Cottle took charge of the Anglican Church up to the time of his death. . Mrs Cottle afterwards came to Auckland, ajid has resided, for many years in St Sepulchre's Parish. She leaves three sons and four daughters. '"A public meeting held,in Christchurch the opinion that the State '■ should make adequate provision for neglected and criminal children committed to its care, and take steps to provide more suitable homes and more rational treatment. The meeting also urged the need for proper classification of State children, and better technical education to provide them with means of livelihood, and suggested that local boards should be set up to control institutions for neglected children.

Messrs Hall and Perkins held a sale of two allotments in Hopetown-street yesterday. There was a fair attendance. The upset price on each, was £7. The first lot, No. 10, was sold at £14 15/ to Messrs Buttle Bros, for a parsonage site, and the next lot at the upset price to Mr A. L. Watson.

A Daniel came to judgment this morning at the Police Court before Mr Brabant, S.M., a negro of that name bejng charged with drunkenness. No Christian name was on the charge sheet, and in reply to' His Worship Daniel said that he did not possess one. "I am," he added, however, "a velly good man; only the drink make me bad." Ten shillings expiated his offence.

Preparatory to the opening meetings in connection with the centenary of the British and Foreign Bible Society, which will be held* early next week by the deputation from the London Bible House, the local committee has made arrangements whereby the claims of the society and what the Bible has done for the Avorld at large, will be brought under the notice of the community _by setting apart one Sunday in the year as "Bible Sunday," to-morrow, being devoted to this object. From the advertised list of preachers, and their subjects, it will be. seen that a large number of the ministers oi the city and suburbs have taken the "Story of the Book" as their themei It is hoped that in this way an increased interest will.be taken in the work of this great missionary society.

Further particulars oi the fire at Mr L. B. Marriner's store at Mount Wesley, near Dargaville, on Friday morning, sliow that the lcfsswas very serious. The store and contents were valued at £2000, a thousand pounds' worth of gum being stored in it at the time the fire, while the stock was valued at , £500. Mr Marriner had only just completed the weighing out of £500 worth of gum for shipment by the Aotea the day after the fire. This was destroyed, as well as a very fine collection of gum worth about £100, which was accumulated by the late Mr W. Marriner during his 50 years' residence in the Wairoa. Unfortunately for Mr Marriner, the insurances were only £250 oh the building and £150 upon the stock, the policies being held with the Northern Assurance Company, Owing to, the isolated posi.tion. of: the store and the approaching winter a policy of £600 upon the <gum was recently allowed to lapse. Mr Marriner left the store on Thursday at five o'clock,'and passed it again about 10.30 p.m., when things appeared to be in * the usual condition. About i 5 o'clock the next morning, however, Mr Walter Wright noticed flames issuing from the front of the shop, and as they had a good hold before being discovered nothing could : be done to save, the bmldmg or Big clouds of black smoke rose from the burning building fdr two hours, caused by £he comhusition of the. gum ana a quantity of keroseno which wail stored there,- How the ■' fire osourred camiot be explained. ';:' "■'"':■