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Auckland Star, Volume XXXVII, Issue 73, 26 March 1906, Page 4

The Mayor (Mr. Arthur M. Myers) has received a reply from the FlagLieutenant to the Admiral, thanking him for his invitation to the men of the warships in port to attend a special performance at the Opera House by Mr. Fuller's artists, on Thursday or Friday next, but regretting that the arrangements made preclude its acceptance. H.M.S. Powerful is leaving for Sydney on Thursday, while tbr? other warships will be in and out of the harbour until the end of the week for the p-arpose of carrying out their firing off Waiwera. and tho*e which finish will then probably be coaling; hi?nee there will be no opportunity for the men to avail themselves of the Mayor's proffered courtesy.

Mr. Alfred Hill, of Wellington, has accepted the offer that was made to him to undertake the composition of the music for the ode to be given at the openir.g ceremony of the New Zealand International Exhibition.' Professor MacMilian Brown has completed his examination of the odes. He has made his selection and drafted a report, which will be laid before the Ode Committee some time during the prewnt week, '

' A requisition is to be gob up aßkihjg: Mi* John Rowe, JJP.. to contest the coming Mayoralty election at Onehunga. Mr. Angus W. Gordon, the present Mayor, will defend the position. There is a probability of Mrs. EL Yates once again entering the lists.

An outbreak of fire occurred in the Vanguard mine at Thames on Saturday. A dwelling-house used for the combined purpose of a changing house for men engaged in , the mine,, and as an office, was totally destroyed in spite of all efforts of the brigade. It was, however, through their exertions that the engine-house was saved, but most of the books and papers housed in the offica were lost.

After many months of work, which included some heavy earth cutting , , there was opened last week a truck line on the Kauri Timber Company's property at Matakohe, and known as the "FortyAcre." The line will be of the greatest service, as it is estimated that there are quite 20,000.000 ft of kauri to be got out. At the present time 25 to 30 men are engaged.

' The "Pres," referring to Mr. G. "Witty's recent tour of the North Island, says: "It would be well if other Southern members were to follow the example of the member for Riccarton and spend some time travelling through the North Island. They would find much to interest them, and the information they would acquire would be of great value in solving several important problems which will have to be dealt with by Parliament. The North Island Main Trunk railway affords many interesting points for consideration. The visitors see how necessary it is that it should be completed, and how shamefully it has been dawdled over in the.past. It is almost impossible to condemn too strongly the policy of planting settlers in the depths of the forest without railways within reach, even without passable roads to give them access to their holdings. When

the visitor comes to sum. up his impressions there is one admission he will be obliged to make if he is an impartial observer, although it may not be altogether a pleasant reflection to a Southerner strongly imbued with the local patriotism which most of us feeL It is that whereas settlement has nearly reached its limits in the South Island, there are still large possibilities in the North, and the time is not far stfstant I when it will outstrip the South, not 'only in population, but in productive power. This makes it all the more important that Parliament should approach the problems of the North Island with intelligence and sympathy, based on trustworthy information, and that better administrative methods should be adopted by the Government in dealing with the great questions involved."

As part of Onehunga. is within the boundaries of the Graf ton football district, the local players are bestirring themselves. A meeting was held on Friday evening to discuss preliminaries, and another will be called at an early date.

The area of the New Zealand Exhibition has already far outgrown the modest estimate originally formed. The total covered-in floor space now arranged for amounts to 440,000 ft, and will, no doubt, be still further increased. The original scheme provided for 290,000 ft.

Steps are being taken to procure the services of the curator of the Rotorua Sanatorium grounds and gardens for the purpose of arranging the laying , out of the flower beds and gardens of the New Zealand Exhibition.

Various improvements are contemplated (says the "Otago Daily Times") in connection with our trans-alpine tourist routes, as the result of Mr T. E. Donne's recent visit to the West Coast. It is proposed to place facilities in the way of climbers crossing the divide between the head of the Great Tasman Glacier, on the eastern slopes of the Mount Cook alpine group, and the Franz Josef Glacier, on the west, by erecting a mountain hut at the De la Beehe bivouac, high above the Tasman, and another on the Kallerey Eidge, above the Franz Josef. These huts will enable climbers to make the crossing of Graham's Saddle (the pass near the head of the Tasman Glacier) with much greater convenience and safety than is the case at present. The alpine journey from the Accommodation House at the foot of the Franz Josef to the Mount Cook Hermitage, or vice versa, by this route, will take about three days. Anotherroute on which shelter huts are to be erected by the Tourist Department is that from the Mount Oook Hermitage to Karangarua., in South Westland, via Fitzgerald's Pass the easiest and most generally used pass in the region. It is proposed by Mr Dunne to erect a hut at Welcome Flat, up the Copland Valley, twelve miles above Scott's Accommodation House on the Karangarua river, and another at the snow-line on the main alpine range, on the western side of the approach to the pass. The crossing from the Hermitage to Scott's takes three days, and tihe proposed huts will be of much advantage to trans-alpine travellers, and will greatly mitigate the present discomforts of the tour.

The singing of "Chin-Chin, Chinaman," from the "Geisha" is usually greeted with rounds of applause, but not go in Thursday • Island, where the singing of it at a Band of Hope concert recently has given rise to a lot of bad feeling. It appears that the local Church of England Band of Hope -was giving a concert, at which there was a large number of the leading Chinese and their ■wives and families present, when a little girl sang the song, whereupon the whole of the Chinese portion of the audierics got up and walked out, considering that the song , had been rendered as a deliberate insult to their nationality. One of the local papers took the matter up on behalf of th.3 Church people, and under the heading of "Silly Chinamen , ' poured a broadside of satire at them. A lady, Miriam Edgar by name, took up the cudgels on behalf of the Chinese, and pointed out that the incident is only a cloud no bigger than a man's hand, and then goes on to prophesy all kinds of dire calamities to Australia if such tactics are .persisted in. "as now we are in the time of the re.-' tion of all things, and the death-knell of 'White Australia 5 has been rang on Thursday Island by the Chinese residents." At latest accounts the battle of words is still going hot and strong.

Passengers to Tauranga this evening should note that the s.s. Waitangi will leave in place of the s.s. Aupruri, the latter steamer being bar-bound at Hokianga.

Mactfermott's biograph will exhibit the New Zealand made "Sims of the landing and reception of the""All Blacks" on Thursday next in the Foresters' Hall. Tho films show a fuse panorama of the Auckland Harbour, boats proceedingto meet the Sonoma, the New Zealanders transhipping from the Sonoma to the ferry bont;- a panorama of the crowds assembled on the vrhfirves, the brakes arriving et the reception ground, and photographs of the Premier end the tewn, . • '*"■"." v , ~" »

A senous railway accident Towly averted at Kaiapoi gfe?* Saturday mondng (says a ChrS? °a telegram). By som k on the main line, right oipositAfi, Po9lt, senger platform, hadl beJEK££the carriages of the Evreton w£?v*S« train had been shunted form, and the carriages" J!? left standing about a oopline, below the vMaT.SZ*** from the north, which was a W*** heavy one, was running M Q the 4 at a speed of eight or ten jAtaL*** .when the engine looplme. The engine-driver V *• applied the airbrake, and }*££& train up, with the locomotive S> few yards of the standing traiiT ■' danger of plague distributioTbf mm is made by the Liverpool of Comparative PathoW supervision of H. E. AnnSt Mrf B-P, H, of the is harmless to man, sheep, dogs, eats, poults, etc ouces in rats a disease which feiiJP" from seven to 14 days, Tuft W from animal to animal. Jfaav S hng instances of its success wS* reported. In the West to have been of immense benefit If cocoa planters, destrovin* rats* Wv nibble fallen pods. The now largely used in jS£?3SJ Barbados and Demerara, having been sent to the S alone during the last six moS B Mr J. a. Gilruth, Government ermarian met the Fmance CoiiiS of the City Council this consulted the members re f new abattoir buildings at OtabulTi ft is believed that matters, are nZJ ciently tar advanced for called forthwith. tend «* tobe A friendly quoits match Saturday afternoon between * bers of Edinburgh CastleanfisS? 1 ' head Clubs, and°resulted int2?T Birkenhead by a small fo? , The evidence at a. coroner , * i««rf Regarding the fire at . ChbSJSg in Englan last week disclosed theS that the outbreak occurred at portion of the buildiag, where. *q^ of chaff, sacks, etc v was stor&L ; ; /™3

Club have decided to hold their 3 carnival on Thursday evening next Z stead of the following Saturday attet noon as at first arranged The, 50; and 220 yards provincial championships wfll De contested. . ■

The French, despatch boat VauclW which, arrived at Thursday Island, from Toulon, via Batavii, on Tues&y last, en route to Noumea, has lieeii commissioned for service pa the Parifio station, replacing the jtfeurthe. She has a complement of eight officers: and 119 men. " ~>

Mr. W. Laird, assistant snperintendiiis engineer to the N.S.S. Co., rebrnedcte Auckland from Tauranga. yesterday.:, |

H.M- ships Challenger, Encounter, and Pegasus; -went out into the gulf this morning for firing practice.;

On Sunday afternoon a fine snotby the Wairoa Geyser, at WhakareW rewa, was "witnessed by a party which included the Hon. ilr Hall-Jones and Admiral and Lady Fawkes.