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Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 80, 2 April 1908, Page 4

The following is Captain Edwin's weather forecast for 24 hours from 9 a.m. this day: "Westerly strong winds to gale. Rain probable after 16 hours; glass fall." An accident happened at Morrinsville on Monday morning last, whereby a son of Mr. C. Manuel sustained a fractured skull and a severe cut in the corner of his left e3'e. It appears that young Manuel went into a paddock to catch his pony, usually a most quiet and docile creature, but on this occasion the animal was evidently disturbed by the presence of two dogs, for when the young fellow placed his hand on the hind quarters of the pony, it reared and struck Manuel fair in the face, with the above result. Dr. Seville attended to the sufferer, and in the evening sent for Dr. Kenny for consultation, and together they did all that medical skill and kind attention could do. The young man is progressing favourably. The old practice of " sweating " gold coins is said to be rife in Sydney at the present time. The Chief Secretary has had the matter brought under his notice, and he has determined to take action , with the view of stopping the nefarious practice. A reward of £100 is to be offered for the apprehension and conviction of any offender. Instances of the practice came to light a few days ago in 11 ChrisiehurcK

A house at WhangaTei occupied by Mr. Boofhby, Kamo, was destroyed by fire on Tuesday night. An auction sale had been held on the premises during the day, and' the furniture had been sold, but had not been removed, and it was consumed. At a mass meeting of women, held in the Choral Hall yesterday afternoon. Lady Plunket eloquently pleaded for support for the Society for the Promotion of Health of Women and Children, which she said was subsidised by the Government to the extent of pound for pound up to £100. In the last decade 15,905 infants under 12 months of age had died in New Zealand. Including these, 20.309 children under five years of age had been lost to. the country. Lady Plunket wished it to be known as widely as possible that 2SJurse Chappel, who was coming up from Dunedla under the auspices of the Society, would arrive in Auckland on Thursday next. A witness in the farm labourers' dispute now being heard at Christchurch went to some/pains to show the uselessness of the town-bred boy compared with the country boy at farmwork. He said the boy from town who had attended a primary school, and had been "topped oft" at a high school, would be a very great loss to the farmer, while the boy brought up in the country was invaluable. To keep a boy at school until he was 17 of 18 and then send him to a farm was simply to ruin him. "I think," added the witness, " that we are a little wrong in our education system. I would like a boy when he has passed the sixth standard, instead of going into town to lose two years, to go into the country, where he will be practically attending a technical school. The town boy loses any amount of time in the morning, when he could he picking up hints on the farm. If he could be on the farm between seven and nine o'clock in the morning, and then go to a high school near at hand, it would be all right." A meeting of the City Council in committee is being held at 4 p.m. to-day to discuss the preliminary resolutions in connection with the new drainage scheme. An inmate of the Mental Hospital escaped yesterday afternoon about three o'clock, but was not at liberty long ; being recaptured by Constable McGlone at Onehunga, at midnight. Mr. Joseph Neylon, late of the 18th Royal Irish Colonial Forces, writes: "Today is the 44th anniversary of the battle of Orakau, the last stronghold of the Maoris in the Waikato, tvho fought very stubbornly. In reply to Mr. Mair, the interpreter, sent by General Cameron, X.C.8., to inform them that their pa was sapped;- and that unless they surrendered they would be all blown up, they said that they would never, never surrender, and would all die together rather than give up their women and children. The losses were heavy on both sides. The Maoris had about 70 killed and 40 wounded. On our side we lost the gallant Captain Ring, of the ISth Royal Irish, who was mortally wounded on the 31st March, and died on the 2nd April. His remains were buried in the Anglican Cemetery in Symonds-street, and a monument was erected over his grave by the officers, N.C.O.'s, and men of his corps. Miijor Hereford, of the militia, also lost his life whilst gallantly loading his men. I believe this was the first time-thai-the Imperial and colonial troops fought in a general engagement together." The annual meeting of the Auckland Hockey Club will be held at the rooms of the Auckland Amateur Sports Club on Wednesday next, at 8 p.m. A meeting of electors of the borough of Grey Lynn will bo held in St. George's Hall. Great JTorth-road, to-night, at 8 o'clock, for the purpose of discussing the drainage' scheme for city and suburbs, so far as it affects Grey Lynn. The city engineer (Mr. W. E. Bush) will be present to outline the scheme. The Orchestral Society open their fifth season on Thursday, April 9, with an attractive programme. It includes, among other items, two movements of Beethoven's great "Pastoral" symphony, Liszt's Preludes (first performance in Auckland), and Berlioz's Hungarian March. Mr. H. Wilfred Manning has kindly consented to assist. Among the novelties to be introduced during the season are: Wagner's famous "Ride of the Valkerie," which will be given as performed in the opera with voices; his great overture to Reinzi; "Death and Transfiguration," by Richard Strauss, a composer who has ventured further from the beaten path than any great living musician, and whose orcliestral work is I practically unknown in Auckland. The i system of reserving seats for subscrib- | ing members only, introduced at the last I concert, mot with such general approval, that it will be continued. The box plan at Wildman and Arey's will be open on Monday, Oth, at 9 a.m., for reserving I scats, and-extra tickets may also be purchased by subscribers. -Mr. W. J. Napier has been retained by the Stamp Department in an action brought against the Crown on appeal by the executors of the proprietor of Williams' Pink Pills. The case was called on at Wellington yesterday before Mr. Justice Chapman, and adjourned until Saturday morning next. The question involved is the "goodwill" of a patent medicine. Regarding the anomalies in respect of sales of poisons, Dr. Mason (Chief Health Officer) admits that the existing Poisons Act is altogether out of date, and inadequate. An amending bill was brought forward last session, which, he believed, would have proved a very suitable, measure, but, owing to congestion of legislation, it was not passed into law. Dr. Mason hopes that a bill will he brought forward with more success next session. The measure introduced last year ho says, contained one or two provisions that ' were not pleasing to chemists, but he thinks that these difficulties could be smoothed over. Chemists would like to see country storekeepers prohibited from soiling poisons altogc-the'. but such a i provision would never be accepted by Parliament, as the country ' members would oppose it as one man. The election of a member of the Epsom Road Board to fill an extraordinary vacancy, was held yesterday, Mr. John Edgerley heading the poll with 111 votes, while Mr H. Conquer received 30. Mr' Edgerley was subsequently declared elected. Messrs. Samuel Vaile and Sons hold an auction sale of freehold properties at their sale rooms, Queen-street, at 2 p.m., to-morrow, when they will offer houses at Newton-road, St. 'llelier's Bay, and New Lynn, and a building site at St. Helier's Bay. j Mr. J. M. Cullen, of Upper Symonds- | street, having disposed of his drapery I business to "The' London Drapery and Clothing Company," the premises are closed for the. week preparing for a clearj ing sale of the stock, which commences j on- Saturday morning at 10 o'clock.—Ad.

It is said ichat there is no safer place than a railway carriage. It is an open question, however, whether it is not nearly or quite as safe to be in a passenger steamship. The Liverpool Steamship Owners' Association estimate that during j the past twenty-five years upwards of 7,000,000 persons have passed through that port on voyages to or from countries out of Europe. The majority of these voyages were made across the North Atlantic, in one direction or the other, and out of these 7,000,000 passengers only forty-one lost their lives from sea perils. The figures are astonishing, even for a port which boasts the finest passenger ships in the world. The manager of the Government Viri- • cultural Station at Arataki, Hawke's , Bay, has informed, the "Hastings Standard" that he is convinced aft-er three season's trial, that the- best varieties of ° table grapes can be profitably produced i under natural conditions at 3d per lb. - to the grower. More especially will this be the case when the Department is able to supply in large quantities the young -J vines of the new sorts now under trial. The manager expects to graft fully 10,- I 000 vines this season, and the demand is so great that this will not be sufficient s to fill all orders. c "The New Zealand Times" says that j the coal-man who deals with fuel in a , small way is looking black. One coalman complained volubly to a reporter . that the merchant was assuming a threatening attitude towards his small brother. "The State entering into competi- s Aon with us didn't exactly make our for- „ :unes," the small man said, "but when ] :he merchant threatens to stop our coal ' supply for the winter if we don't keep l our orders up in the summer (when people don't burn half as mtich coal), "* it's red hot." He also remarked that there was likely to be an all-round shortage of coal during the coining winter, owing to strike troubles and the cantankerousness of the big merchant. He predicted a rise in the price of fuel and the abandonment of the trade by the small men in the business. The vital statistics for Auckland for , the past month are as follows: —Births, ; 259; deaths, 105; marriages, 112. The . statistics for the quarter just ended are: Births, 7SO, as against 640 in the corres- • ponding quarter last year; deaths, 360, compared with 270; marriages, 318, as against 267. The increase of births for the past quarter -was 140, deaths increased by 90, and marriages by 51. The , excessive mortality is attributed to the epidemic of sickness which had been pre- : valent. During the month of March 37 births, 13 marriages, and seven deaths were registered in Giaborne. The birth-rate is unusually high and the death rate proportionately low for the month. On account of the very limited accommodation for the clerical staff in the present railway station . buildings in Auckland, the authorities recently decided not to renew the present lease of the railway refreshment rooms, and to devote the extra space thus regained to the extension of accommodation both for the staff and for the public. One of the two larger rooms will'be set apart as an addition to the parcels office, and the other to afford better accommodation for several members of' the stationmaster's staff. Only recently, the removal of the engineer's staff from the station building was all that rendered unnecessary the occupation of the refreshment rooms by the.traffic manager's staff. The Agricultural Department is satisfled that it took a wise step when it purchased Angora goats in South Australia for breeding purposes in the Dominion. The arrivals have multiplied in a wonderful manner. A large number of the goats have been sold to settlers in various parts of the country, and are proving invaluable in eating down the noxious weeds and shrubs. The demand for Angoras is greater than the supply. A purebred Angora male goat is worth from 15 to 20 guineas. Some time ago the Department placed forty or fifty common goats in an enclosure in the Pelorus Valley, infested with briar and 'blackberry, and it has been found that they eat the bushes with zest. An effort is now being made to secure a larger area in orderto further demonstrate the usefulness of the animals in clearing land of useless vegetation. With regard to the case of a deaf mute resident of New South Wales, who recently came to New Zealand to a situation as a slaughterman at the weekly wage of £5, and was refused admittance into the Dominion, the Australasian Deaf and Dumb Association has sent a communication to the New Zealand Government protesting against the provision of the law which penalises shipping companies for landing deaf passengers. The letter states that "Such a law could only have been,brought into existence through lack of knowledge as to the true condition and capabilities of flic deaf and dumb." The Shaw-Savill and Albion Company's steamer Tokomaru, which sailed for London to-day, shipped a large general cargo at Auckland, in addition to heavy freighting from the South. The steamer's cargo from Auckland includes shipments of specie valued at £44.250. The National Bank shipped 13 bars of bullion, valued at £9,900, and the Waihi Gold' Mining Company six bars and eight boxes of gold valued at £34,350. Large size Holland and print cooking aprons, 1/3, 1/G, 1/9, sound value. Smith and Caughey, Ltd. — (Ad.) Ladies are invited to walk through our establishment and inspect the many novelties on view in all departments. Smith and Caughey, Ltd.—(Ad.) Before you get a new hat, you should just have a look at some new ideas in soft felts here. —Geo. Fowlds.— (Ad.) For best value iii men's and boys' ready-to-wear clothing and underwear, go to Kushbrook and Bridgman's, just above the Grey Statue.— (Ad.)' Mothers who are careful buyers should just look at the natty things in boys' wear in. our windows. You will save Geo. Fowlds.—(Ad.) Fancy foot covering. Our little window will surprise you with some sparkling designs in fancy sox. Geo. j Fowlds.— (Ad.) I Ladies' smart new raincoats, from 16/8 I each. Navy circular cloaks, 32/6; very j special value. —Rushbrooß and Brid"man, Queen-street. — (Ad.) A perfect-fitting double-collar for gents. 4-fold Irish linen. Ask for "Glengarifi'." Obtainable only from Smith and Caughey, Ltd.—(Ad.) The best climatic coat for Auckland is the reversible rubber coat. Very attractive and just a nice weight. Our price, 12/ G. Geo. Fowlds.—(Ad.) Men's perfect-fitting colonial tweed suits, 21/; strong tweed trousers, 4/11, 5/11, 6/11, 7/11 pair; grana value.—At Rushbrook and Bridgman's, just above the Grey Statue.—(Ad.) Little items that are mighty useful at times. Anything you need in studs, links, braces, belts, brushes, towels, etc., , we have it.—Geo.- Fowlds.—(Ad.), j