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Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 167, 14 July 1908, Page 4

The following is Captain Edwin's weather forecast for 24 hours from 9 a.m. this day:—"Moderate to strong winds from between west and south and southeast. Rain probable. Glass rise. Weather much colder." ■In Auckland shops there are no less than 2918 assistants employed, 2209 in Wellington city, 2539 in Christchurch, and 2197 in Dunedin. The wages paid in Christchurch last year amounted to £228,713, Auckland "came next with £221,097, Wellington third with £212,097, and Dunedin's total reached £189,215. Working out the averages, however, the order is reversed as follows:—Wellington, £96; Christchurch, £90 11/7; Dunedin, £86 1/-; Auckland, £75 15/5. It is anticipated that the butter exhibits at the Auckland Winter Show next year will conclude one of the largest exhibitions of our staple product ever seen in New Zealand. The exhibits at the recent Waikato Winter Show were very satisfactory, the butter, which had been kept a length of time, equivalent to the time occupied in conveying butter to the English markets, when opened was in splendid condition. Some of the exhibits did great credit to tho province. At .its last meeting, the Parnell Borough Council received a petition from a number of residents praying for the closing of the St. Stephen's Cemetery. The matter waa handed over to the Finance Committee, which last evening referred it back to the Council, together with a counter-petition, headed by Sir John Logan Campbell, from others having relatives interred in the cemetery, protesting against any attempt being made to take away their rights. Tho Mayor (Mr. G. W. Baslcy) thought that" if ■too many interments were taking place it would be necessaTy to stop them. They must consider the welfare of the borough and tho convenience of people visitin"the beaches in the vicinity. Other members advocated only allowing near relatives to bo interred, and tbat the cemetery be closed. It was decided that a deputation wait on the Trust Board in connection with tbe matter.

The Rev. A. A. Murray, of St. Andrew's Church, Symbnds-street, wa a the victim of. the enterprising -burglar on Sunday night while he was conducting service. The manse, which is in Wyn-yard-street, was left temporarily deserted during church time, a fact which was taken busy advantage of by a thief or thieves to effect an entrance through an unlocked window, and make a hasty exploration for booty, a general disorder of fife visited rooms taking place in the process of search. From Mrs. Murray's bedroom some £4 odd and a quantity of gold and silver jewellery was looted, but in the hurry a purse containing £5 in gold was overlooked; from Mr. Murray's study downstairs the thieves gathered I<>/; while the servants' bedroom yielded them 22/ in money and a silver watch and chain. Evidently dispatch governed the movements of the searchers, for in the room by which they entered was a collection box, which they left untampered. The bid was a bold one, as the raiders had little more than an hour in which to prosecute their exploration, Wynj-ard-strect is not usually a deserted thoroughfare on Sunday evening. From the smah ooy who unwillingly learns that school classic, "Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are," to the matter-of-fact grownup, we all- would like to know which is which as we gaze at the heavens, "inlaid with patines of bright gold." The times are too uusy for us to study astronomy, a science which has fascinated all ages, and so most of us are content to go through life without getting beyond the wondering stage. Very few people could be positively sure of more than the Southern Cross, Venus, and perhaps Orion's Belt. There is no royal road to astronomy, but a chart in the "Graphic" this week will enable the star gazer to identify all the- principal constellations, planets, and stars without any previous knowledge. This simple introduction to a wonderful science will appeal to all, and, after studying the chart, "the glory of the heavens" has an added charm, as, instead of looking merely at a maze of twinkling points, j-ou are gazing at the oldest picture gallery in the world, where the ancients commemorated great deeds and greater men. A well-attended meeting was held last evening in the Fountain of Friendship Lodge, Lome-street, for the purpose of taking steps to inaugurate a female branch in connection with the Manchester Unity Oddfellows in Auckland, Bro. H. A. A. Le Houx, Provincial Deputy Grand Master, occupied the Noble Grand Chair. Bro. E. Leydon, P.P.G.M., occupied the Vice-Grand's chair, Bro. John McLeod, District Secretary, occupied the Grand Master's chair, and Brother Carl Westphal, P.P.G.M., occupied the Secreretary's chair. Interesting addresses were delivered by Bros. Le Houx, Leydon, and McLeod on the advantages of membership in the Manchester Unity. At the close of the meeting a considerable number of names were handed in for membership. It was decided to open the new Female Lodge in the Fountain of Friendship Lodge room, Lome-street, on Monday the 27th inst. As instancing the benefits of membership in. a friendly society, it was stated that a member now receiving sick pay in one of the lodges in the Auckland district of the Manchester Unity of the Indc-' pendent Order of Oddfellows, has already been paid considerably over £1000 in benefits. While conveying the mails from Hamilton to Raglan on Thursday last, the contractor, Mr L. Sutton, had the misfortune to lose a valuable horse. Through the heavy rains the Waipa river became Hooded, and at Bruce's covered the road and bridge, also fences, for some distance. The mails had to be boated over the flood waters. While the horses were towed behind the pulling boat used, one horse got tangled up in one of the wire fences. Mr" Sutton endeavoured to free the animal, but without success, and he had to leave it to its fate. While endeavouring to save the horse, Mr Sutton narrowly escaped losing his own life through the animal struggling. An accident that might have had serious results occurred at Te Mata on Saturday. A young man named J. Dorm, employed by Messrs. Covnville Bros, clearing the Te Mata, had the misfortune to get his face cut open over the eyes through an axe flying back from a scarf in a tree, which lie was felling. It is supposed that the accident occurred through a chip sticking to the blade of the axe. Dorm was conveyed to Raglan, and the injury attended to by Dr Sanders. Another shooting competition for two medals presented by the National Defence League has just been completed at the miniature rille range attached to the Parnell District School. The competitors are the members of the Parnell School Cadets, who are also members of the League. The conditions were 15 shots, with a possible of 75. The best r< ;ire appended: —Bugler Fraser (si ..-edal), 73; -M. Fraser (bronze medal), ii; Drummer Lecky, 71; J. Passmore. 71; Corp. F. Smith, 70; A. Gick, 68; Sergt. J. Wright, 68; G. Westbury, 66; B. Ha3'nes, 06. Six others made 65. Mr W. T. Sharp, organist of St. Andrew's Church, Ixjwer Symonds-street, gives another organ recital on Thursday evening next, when Mr O. E. Farrow will contribute two solos. The Salvation Army's new People's Palace, in. Cuba-street, Wellington, was opened by the Plime Minister yesterday afternoon. The building contains 9G bedrooms, with 134 beds, seven sittingrooms, and a large dining hall. The Palace will not supplant the old Workmen's Hotel, which will he kept going for casuals, and will provide cheap beds and meals as in the past. The Palace Hotel will supply a superior class of accommodation. The funds for the undertaking have been advanced from the Salvation Army property fund. Any profits will go to support the social work of the Salvation Army, and towards the upkeep of other homes that are not self-supporting. The heads of all departments will be Salvation Army officers, and all the cooks and other employees will be paid wages at currant union rates. The value of the principal lines of produce exported from New Zealand during the month of June is quoted as follows in the export leaflet issued by the Department of Industries and Commerce: Butter £31,519, cheese £22,889, Beef £39,845, mutton £96,981, lamb £208.606. oats £7360, hemp £37,035. The. Mayor of Parnell, Mr G. W. Basley, telegraphed this morning to Mr J. S. Dickson, Chairman of the Remuera Road Board, at Taihape. stating that Messrs. R. Lusk and F. Fitt had been appointed delegates to proceed to Wellington to join Remuera in opposing the passage of the Auckland Drainage Bill in its present form, also that Mr McVcagh would give legal assistance. The Ladies' Committee of the Society for the Protection of Women and Children, etc., have handed £52 16/6 to that Society as the result of the euchre and bridge party.

-On Sunday afternoon next (weather permitting) the six local bands affiliated with the Auckland Provincial Band Association purpose giving a massed band concert in the Albert Park, and taking up a collection in aid of the widow of the late Mr Barton, of Onehiinga, and the widow of the late Mr Miller, of Auckland. The bands, which are in heavy practice just now for "fleet Week." intend to put on a first-class programme, and the Association has sent specially to Lieut. Herd, of Wellington, to select a new march for the massed item. "When the ambulance is summoned, who pays for it?" asked a member of the Mt. Eden Borough Council last night. He thought the position should be made perfectly clear, as under a previous contractor a charge had been made on the individuals who had occasion to summon the ambulance. The Mayor was of opinion that the cost incurred was .borne by the Hospital Board, but it was decided to have the position defined. In aid of the Children's Home, Remuera, a concert, organised by Mr. A. J. Hall, choirmaster of the Tabernacle, was held in the Baptist Tabernacle last night. There was a large attendance, and the very excellent programme provided was thoroughly enjoyed. Auckland's leading artists gave their services gratuitously for "the occasion. Items were given by Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton Hodges, Miss Blanche Garland, Mr. Herbert Bloy, and the Lyric Quartet (Messrs. W. Aspinall, H. Blakely, A. McElwain, and J. W. Ryan). The accompanists were Mrs. Ernest H. Queree, Miss Phyllis Mills and Mr. J. K. Wells. During the evening the Rev. Knowles Kempton (pastor of the Tabernacle) took the opportunity of advocating the claims of the Children's Home on the people of Auckland. At present there were 54 children in the Home, who might otherwise be neglected. They were being carefully trained and fitted for useful and honourable careers. He paid a high tribute to the noble self-sacrifice of Mrs. F. M. Hay, and on behalf of the committee thanked Mr. A. J. Hall and the ladies' committee associated! with him. As the result of the concert it is estimated that the funds of the Home will be augmented by about £50. Some criticism was passed by members of the Mt. Eden Borough Council last night, regarding statements which had appeared in the Press with respect to the suggested repeal of the vehicle tax. The Mayor (Mr O. Nicholson) thought there was ample evidence of the amount of damage done to the roads by heavy carting. The tax did not pay the Council in any way for the damage done to the roads. He thought that the Hon. G. Fowlds and Messrs Baume ,and Bollard should be asked to notify the Council of any move directed at the repeal of the tax. The Streets Committee of the Council were also directed to investigate the question. Work on the Canterbury end of the, Arthur's Pass tunnel on" the Mid/.nd Railway will be commenced shortly. Mr Leslie Reynolds, the engineer in charge of the works, who has been iv the North Island for the past five or six weeks investigating harbour schemes at Wairoa, Gisborne and Tokomaru Bay, states that it is possible that the work may be put in hand in about a month, and at the latest in three months. Mr Samuel Turner, ot England, an alpine climber and explorer of some note, has arrived in Wellington from Sydney. Since Mr Turner was in New Zealand last he has visited Russia, and whilst in St. Petersburg he was awarded the silver medal for exploration by the Royal Geographical Society of Russia for discoveries made by him when scaling the Altai mountains in Siberia a couple of years ago. Mr Turner is one of the few climbers who has scaled Mount Cook, and his hazardous climb of Mount Ngaruhoe in the winter will be remembered by those who take an interest in mountain-climbing feats. At present Mr Turner is in New Zealand on business. A series of piteous complaints concerning the parlous state of certain roads and footpaths in the Mt. Eden district met the members of the local Council last night. Indeed, the complaints were not confined to the ratepayers, for one member in a burst of indignant protest described one spot as a "dirty, muddy, dark hole." Another followed with a vivid description of a "tpiagmire" in another street. The wail of another unfortunate was that he could not approach his gate without sinking to the knees in mud and water, while still another epistlo pictured the residents picking their way through the mud, guided by the flickering light of lanterns. The Council fully realised the justice of most of these woeful situations, and authorised various improvements, the Mayor adding that extra labour was being employed so that attention could be devoted to the side streets as well as the main thoroughfare. The small steamer Rothsea, trading on the West Coast, became disabled eight miles outside Kawhia, yesterday morning, owing to the breaking of her crank shaft. Captain Roberts, the master, had the cargo shifted, rigged up a sail, and sailed to the lee of Albatross Point, where the steamer anchored, and rockets were fired to attract attention. Two seamen went ashore iv a boat, and in landing were capsized in the surf, having a narrow escape. They sent word to Te Maika, and launches were quickly sent out to the steamer, which was subsequently towed into Kawhia. It was impossible to lift the vessel's anchor, which had to he cut away. The steamer had £200 worth of cargo on board. Special train arrangements for Saturday, July 18, and Saturday, July" 25, on which days the football matches, Britain v. Auckland and Britain v. New Zealand, are to be played, are announced by the Railway Department. Excursion fares at the rate of 2d per mile first-class and Id per mile second-class (minimum 4/ and 2/ respectively) will be issued from all statioois to Auckland on the Friday in each case, and by trains arriving in Auckland before 2 p.m. on the Saturday, tickets being available for return up to and including the Monday following. Mileage is counted one way only, a_d such tickets will not be available for break of journey. Mr Henry Brett has accepted the position of honorary local representative of the Associated Board of the Royal Academy of Music and Royal College of Music, London, of which Mr H. J. Edraiston is the local secretary. Messrs. John Wilson and Co. have just introduced blasting by electricity (Mr R. Sprague's method into their quarries at Te Kuiti, and intend shortly to instal the rock drills. The intention is not only to ease labour, but to make it safe for the workers. The electric method is not only effective and economical, but far surpasses any other with regard to safety of the workers. The machine is a dynamo electric one of small size, occupying about half a cubic foot and weighing less than twenty pounds.—King Country "Chronide." '

CounciUor Foster brought before th« Parnell Borough Council last evening tho matter of a library for that moving that the town clerk provide the; Council with the conditions under which a grant could be obtained from Mr. Andrew Carnegie. Three of the Council members, he said, had looked over the old building, and had deemed it only waste of time to go on with it. The motion was carried. The Council also decided to leave the leasing of the old building in the hands of the Library Committee. Great excitement prevailed last night (telegraphs our Waihi correspondent) owing to what was supposed to be a serious accident in the Waihi mine. The horn was blown at midnight as usual, but, owing to breakage, the driver was unable to stop it, and the prolonged blow gave an impression in the township that something of a very serious nature had occurred. Crowds of people got out oi their beds and rushed up to the mine, only to learn that nothing more serious had occurred than a valve having been blown out. A full account of the accident which occurred in the Talisman mine on Saturday is given by Mr. M. Paul, Mining Inspector. He states that 'On examining workings where the accident occurred, it was found that all the holes (15) had gone off and broken out to the bottom. It was almost impossible to tell exactly how the accident happened, but from the position of the bodies it would appear that Chester was trying to turn on the air, which is the usual practice just before the holes go off, in order to blow the smoke out. The air valve is 47ft away from the face, and it would appear as if Chester, when he got back to the valve after spitting the holes, was looking for the spanner, Lewis being only 10 feet further out, or 57 feet from tbe surface, waiting for him. On trying to find the spanner, which must have taken longer than either of the men anticipated, the holes went off. The first hole threw a large stone, which passed Chester, who was in a stooping position, and struck Lewis on the head, killing him instantly. The smaller stones probably injured Chester and knocked him down. Apparently John Chester and his mate spent too much time looking for the air spanner, or one piece of fuse must have been cut shorter than the length found. Both deceased were practical miners, and accustomed to this class of work. At the annual meeting of the Otahuhu Presbyterian Church a very satisfactory financial position was revealed. The church site had been paid for, and there was a small credit balance. Messrs W. Wallace, R. Graham, R. Dick, E. West, S. Jenkins, J. McClurg, and W. Andrew were elected a court of deacons. The Onehunga Borough Council and the collectors for the Barton Fund met last night. It was reported that £355 2/6 had been collected. It was decided to invest the amount in a savings oank and allow Mrs Barton £ 1 weekly. Messrs J. Rowe, McCarten and Bulcraig were elected trustees. Our Paeroa corespondent telegraphs that Detective Cooney and Constable Henry arrested four Maoris, Rapata Keeti, Puti Kiri, Patea Turei, Enoka Haki Keeti on a charge of having stolen cattle valued at £16 from Mr Henry, Dajley at Maratoto. They were remanded until to-morrow. The adjourned case in which Henry Brown, licensee of the Falls Hotel, Henderson, is charged with various breaches of the Licensing Act, will be heard before Mr Dyer, S.M., on Monday next at 10 a.m. The new bath buildings at Rotorua are now practically completed. During the visit to Rotorua this week of Mr T. E. Donne, Government commissioner, in connection with the American fleet, the buildings were lit up to test the efficiency of the new electrical service, the result being that the lighting -was found to be very satisfactory. There still remains to be installed the telephone service between the various portions of the building, but this work should not take more than a day or two. McKinley, the driver of the Waipiro coach, and a uuiuoer of passengers, had a thrilling experience in crossing the Mangahone Creek. The current was- so strong that the horses and coach were swept down for some distance, but the passengers succeeded in getting ashore safely, and the animals managed to scramble out after narrowly escaping drowning.