SOUTHERN NEWS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 68, 19 March 1908, Page 5

SOUTHERN NEWS.

(By Telegraph.—Press Aesoclatlon.) THE NAPIER CARNIVAL. NAPIER, this day. Heavy rain, which set in last evening, still continues, and the carnival committee postponed the first day's swimming championships till to-morrow. ADVANCE GISBORNE. GISBORNE, this day. Gisborne borough valuations place the rental value of the town at £91,420, an increase of £13,027 upon the figures of the previous year. HOSPITAL AND CHARITABLE ATT), WELLINGTON, this day. The Hospital and Charitable Aid Bill, which is to be submitted to Parliament next session, was briefly discussed by the Wellington District Hospital Board. It was resolved: "That clause 23, section 31, of the bill, should be recommended to the forthcoming charitable aid boards' conference for deletion." This is the clause in which the Government proposes to reduce the subsidies. The motion was carried. It was further agreed to recommend that legislation -should be introduced enabling harbour boards to collect all charges in connection with cases of accidents arising on board ships in port or on the wharves where such cases require hospital treatment.

DUJNEDIN HOSPITAL. DUNEDIN, this day. The Dunedin Hospital Trustees discussed a proposal to apply to the Hospital Board for £ 12,000 for the incoming ' year's requirements, or £4000 in excess of that applied for, and granted, last

year. The necessity for the extra amount is said to be partly due to the proposed abandonment of the practice of former years of using bequest moneys, donations, Saturday hospital collections, etc., for general hospital purposes, and thus keeping down rates. Another cause is the increased cost of extra beds in the new wards and the employment of extra nurses and attendants owing to the reduction of the present nurses' hours to eight hours. The matter was referred to the Finance Committee for a report. PROTECTION OF INFANTS. NEW PLYMOUTH, Wednesday. Lady Plunket addressed a largely attended meeting to-day on the protection of infant life, and outlined the scheme as advocated by her in other centres. Several medical men also spoke and hospital nurses gave a demonstration of making humanised milk. There is every likelihood of a society being formed here. POLICE FORCE SUPERANNUATION. WELLINGTON, Wednesday. Misapprehensions seem to exist regarding the position of the police force in respect to the public service superannuation scheme. At a meeting of the Wellington force it was resolved that mem-; bers would be placed in a false position ! if brought compulsorily under the Public | iSorvice Superannuation Act. The Minister ! I for Justice (Hon. Jas. McGowan) ex-' plains that there is no intention on the part of the Government to compel members of the force to drop their own scheme (the Police Provident Fund) and join the newer one. The decision rests ! entirely with themselves. The law provides for merging the police scheme in the public service superannuation scheme, if upon a ballot the majority of the force wished to make the change. Regarding the postponement of the ballot, Mr. McGowan explains that certain omissions 1 have been discovered in the clauses of I the Public Service Superannuation Act I relating to the police force, and until j these are supplied the ballot will not be taken, as the Government intends thai there shall be no ambiguity in the matter. ALLEGATIONS WITHDRAWN. WELLINGTON, this day. A statement recently made that owing >to defective accommodation at the quarantine island in Wellington, a valuable Devon sow belonging to Slack Bros., lost thirteen out of a litter of 17, valued at £50, is ofiicially denied. The litter was only five, and one was born dead. Messrs. Slack, in withdrawing t-he charge, explained that it was based on a statement made by a Government official. CULVERDEN ESTATE. CHRISTCHURCH, Tuesday. Proceedings in connection with the compulsory acquisition of the Culverdeu Estate were continued to-day.

Mr. Findlay addressed the Court on behalf of the Crown. He stated that the Court had to deal with the estate at a rather difficult time, and there would be a considerable disparity Detween the estimates of witnesses for the claimants and those for the Crown. The lowest value put on the estate on behalf of the claimants, excluding township lands, was £127,382, estimated by Mr. Sim. Adding the price as claimed by the trustees for the town lands, the total was advanced to £130,838. The average of the Crown witnesses would be fully £25,000 below that, and £45,000 below the amount requested by the claimants. After evidence had been heard in support of the case for the Crown, Mr. Stringer said tliat an agreement had been come to in regard to the leased portion of the estate (12 acree of the township), the Crown agreeing to pay £2216.

Mr. Findlay said that no agreement bad been come to, but he had offered no evidence regarding the leased township lands. He could give no undertaking regarding Ihe school and church sections.

The Court adjourned until Monday to enable counsel to submit a memorandum with regard to land under lease; and his Honor remarked that his decision might be ready by that time. MISCELLANEOUS. HASTINGS, Wednesday. Mr. W. C. Maddison, chairman of the [School Committee, ex-member .of the Education Board and Borough Council, and a leading man in local affairs, died ASHBURTON, Wednesday. Shortly after one o'clock this morning ' a two-storey house owned by the Hampstead Town Board, and occupied by the I Misses Fawcett, was. with its contents, totally destroyed by fire. The building wa sinsured in the North British for £250, and the furniture in the London, Liverpool and Globe for £150. WELLINGTON, Wednesday. George Reid, a married man, 3D of age, fell down a stairway while work-

ing at his trade as a plumber at Newtown to-day. He is now in the hospital, being treated for seyere injury to the spine. ASHBURTQN, this day. Heavy rain fell throughout the night, and still continues. For ihe 12 hours ended nine o'clock t.Tiia morning, lJ.9in were registered.