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Auckland Star, Volume XXXIV, Issue 306, 24 December 1903, Page 4

The "Star 1 ' will not be published tomorrow (Christmas Day), but will appear on Saturday as usual. Commissioner-General Green, of the St. Louis Exposition, has wired the Consul-General for the U.S. (the Hon. F. Dillingham) that he has definitely arranged with the Ministry that N.Z. shall be properly represented at the great exposition next year. The nature of the exhibit is not stated, but it is to be thoroughly representative of the resources of the colony. Mr H. W. Brabant, S.M., held a sitting of the Old Age Pensions Court yesterday, when new pensions were granten to the following:—Thomas Kelly, Mary A. S. Pledger, Mark Newton, Mary Allies, each £18. The following pensions were also renewed:—Charles McCarthy. £5; Frederick Saunders, Heinry Alfred Watkins, Alexander Johnson, Adam McCluskey, Jane A. Loekhart, Hannah Jenson, Mary Ann Woods, Margaret O'Sullivan, Marianne Cutler, Ann Garvey, Te Ngawe Nepia, Robert Reid, each £ 18. Three application. 1 , for renewal and three new claims were rejected. We are informed by the secretary of the Waitemata - Manukau Canal Promotion Company that the boring operations on the route between the two harbours have sufficiently advanced to prove conclusively that the Waitemata mare or soft sandstone formation exists along the whole route, to a considerable height above high water. This is an ideal formation of country for the purpose, for with modern appliances it can be removed at very small cost, and will stand without any protection, which also means that excavation can be made of dimensions to suit present requirements, and when the time arrived for it to require widening or deepening, this can be carried out with equal facility, without interfering with the traffic through the canal. Mr. Isaac Gibbs, general manager of the New Zealand Shipping Company, received cable advice from the London office of the death of Sir Edwyn S. Dawes, chairman of directors of the London board of the company. Sir Edwyn died at midnight on Monday at Teneriffe, where he had intended spending the winter. He had been a director in the New Zealand Shipping Company since 18S9. and chairman of the London board since 1895. He was also freeholder of the Blackball Coal Company's property in the West Coast, Avhich was purchased from the Midland Railway Company and from the debenture holders of the same company. He was very largely interested in shipping, and there is scarcely any large line that he was not connected with. The additional train put on by the Railway Department for Rotorua and Okoroire has been largely availed of by the travelling public, and has been of great use in relieving the traffic by ordinary express. The train starting at 9 o'clock this morning carried 40 passengers for Rotorua and Okoroire, and 150 for intermediate stations. The ten o'clock express had 50 passengers for Rotorua and Okoroire and 250 to 300 for way stations. The Kaipara Licensing Committee sat at Dargaville on Tuesday, Mr. T. Hutchison, S.M., presiding. A packet license was granted to the s.s. Gosford, and the license, of the Northern Wairoa Hotel was transferred from John Morrison to A. Raynes, and that of the Kaukapakapa Hotel, from Daniel Holland to John Innes. Other applications were adjourned. The exciting chase in Victoria-street yesterday morning between a prisoner and a detective has not yet ended, und the probability is that the fugitive, Ernest Edward Farland, has escaped into the bush. He is said to be a good athlete, and this will assist him in the ■firm"-, never-ending effort to escape the police. It is believed that he has escaped into the country, but the police are very sanguine of finding him sooner , or later-

James Sutherland, boot and shoe importer of Queen-street, has made a sworn statement of his affairs, which has been handed to the Official Assignee. In it debtor states that his assets amount to £1700 12/9 and liabilities £2705 18/3 The amount owing to 29 unsecured creditors is £2313 9/7. The principal items in connection with the last named are: E. Taylor and Co., £424 7/9: Coles and Co.. £44S 10/10; W. T. Da vies. Ltd., £370 6/4; Northern Boot Co., £179 3/9; Hoare and Co., £154 3/8; J. H. Penny and Co. (London), £143 9/7; J. G. Selby (Sydney, £100; M. O'Brien and Co., (Christchurch), £93 8/-. There is only one secured namely the National Bank of New Zealand, to whom Sutherland is indebted to the extent of £ 392 S/8. The first meeting of creditors will be held at the office of the Official Assignee next Tuesday afternoon. Dr. and Mrs. Haines, who left town about five o'clock yesterday morning in their "Locomobile" steam car, arrived at Rotorua at 7.30 p.m. the same day. This is the first motor car to do this journey in a day. A sale of Waimana dairy farms by the Assets Board was held, under difficulties at Whakatane last week: It is reported that intending buyers were informed prior to the auction sale that the bids and deposits would be accepted only on condition that the board reserved the right to reconsider the purchase. Bidding was slow, and after one section had been passed in at £10 15/----per acre, a person present demanded to know whether the board really wished whether the board really wished to sell,, to sell, and whether the property was already sold to a syndicate. When the next section was offered a dispute arose, and the buyers quitted the room in a body. About half of the farms had then been sold. Subsequently a farm of B2 acres was' sold privately at £11 per acre. Our Wellington correspondent wires that no surprise was felt at the appointment of Mr George Allport to the position of Secretary for Marine in the place of Mr W. T. Glasgow, who is to retain the Secretaryship for Customs. Mr Allport, who possesses best of credentials for this important post, is a native of Nelson, entered the Marine Department in 1575. and thirteen years later became chief clerk, which position he has held 1 ever since. Mr Handcock, the American engineer engaged by the New Zealand Governi ment to report upon possibilities of utilising water-power in the colony for generating electrical energy, will be a passenger for San Francisco by the Ventura, which is to leave Auckland on Friday. Mr Handcock has been in New Zealand for two and a-half months, and during that time he has travelled 4000 miles, inspecting principal lakes, rivers and waterfalls. He was unable to complete his report before leaving New Zealand, but has promised to forward it, as soon as he reaches San Francisco. At a meeting of the executive of the New Zealand Rugby Union last night, reference was made to the statement lately appearing in Sydney papers to the effect that the secretary of the New South Wales Rugby Union had been advised that an English footbaJll team was almost certain to visit Australia in 1904. The managing committee expressed the decided opinion that in the event of such visit eventuating it was desirable that every effort should be made to induce the Englishmen to extend their tour to this colony. It was decided to communicit'e with Mr. E. D. Hoben, of Sydney, requesting him to seek information from the' New South Wales Union on behalf of the colonial executive as to what prospects there were of the team coming to Australia, and also to wire to Mr. lallisler, the representative, of the New Zealand Union at Home, and Mr. Rowland Hill, secretary of the English llusjby Union, on the subject. Though the tour of the New Zealand representatives to Australia last season cost the. colonial union something- like £615, there will be a substantial sum to its credit when accounts of season are finally squared vp, The profit on the North v. South Island match at Auckland was about £225. The W.M. of Lodge Ara, 348,1.C., Bro. A. G. Lee, with his officers, visited the Children's Hospital yesterday, and inspected the Ara ward, which was furnished by the Lodge. Each little inmate w-as presented with a Christmasbox on behalf of the brethren of the Lodge. The visitors did not, however, confine their gifts to the children in the Ara ward alone, but had presents for all the little ones that have the misfortune to be laid aside in the Children's Hospital at this festive season. Mr G. J. Garland, chairman of the Hospital Board, was present, . and thanked the members of Lodge Ara for the kindly feelings manifested towards the children. In order to increase the office accommodation of the Auckland Gas Company, it is intended to pull down the old Shakespeare Hotel and replace it by a three-storey building. For this work the following tenders have been received: E. Morris, £2070; Jas. Morris, £2227; J. ETlingham, £2321; A. Grandison, £2347; N. McLean, £2377; J. W. Jones and Son. £2377: J. D. Jones, £2390; J. T. Julian, £2430; R. Farrell, £2450; Heron Brothers, £2555. The tenders have to be considered by the board of directors. The Kaipara Flats Public School had an exhibition in progress on Friday last, when prizes were given for cookery, flowers, vegetables, and fruit, writing and drawing, needlework, curios, etc. Sports also were held and an abundance of refreshments were provided throughout the day. The school children and others gave a concert in the evening. His Honor Mr Justice Cooper, in company with Mr F. G. Ewington, paid a visit to the Avondale Lunatic Asylum this afternoon. The prizes won by schoolchildren at the recent Horticultural Show were presented this morning at the Federal Club by Mr Geo. Fowlds, M.H.R. There was a good attendance, including Ihe teachers and a lot of scholars from the Papatoetoe school, winners of the banner. Mr Fowlds complimented the teachers upon the interest they showed in the pupils, and also congratulated the Society upon inaugurating such a good work as cultivating a taste for horticulture amongst school children. On the motion of Sir Sumner, seconded by Mr Wilson, a vole of thanks was accorded Mr Fowlds. Prize-winners who could not attend this morning nmr <»et their prize at the Sunday-school Union depot after the holidays.