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Auckland Star, Volume XL, Issue 17, 20 January 1909, Page 4

Captain Edwin's weather: forecast. for the 24 hours "from 9 a.m. to-day is as follows:—"Southerly, moderate'to strong winds; glass little movement."

We beg to acknowledge another donation of fifty guineas towards the fund for the Italian earthquake catastrophe from the Auckland hotelkeepers. This amount increases the sum forwarded to the Auckland "Star" to £159.

A letter was received yesterday afternoon by . the Auckland Harbour Board from the manager of the. Northern Steamship Company, pointing out that the fire hose was not in a serviceable condition, and would not stand the water . pressure ■ -when called into requisition bnTfaturday, January 2, in connection with the fire on the Sj*. Wainiarie. In urging- the seriousness of the matter, he stated that on making inquiries he found that had the hose been in perfect order the fire would have been extinguished earlier, thus saving the company from the loss it had sustained through the hose being imperfect. He suggested that a periodical testing of the hoses should take place. The nightwatchinan of the company reported that when he turned the hose on he could see it would not stand the pressure, and so he shut the water off a little, but he believed the pressure was turned on again by the fire brigade, when it became practically useless, and had to be replaced by one from the end lof No. 3 jetty. The matter was referred !to the Board in committee. The Engi•neer said that the Board supplied hoses lin accordance to the requirements set I forth by the fire brigade. Mr. Bradney considered that something should be done" |to keep .the. sun from -the hoses. •-- : "

| A deputation, consisting of Messrs. F. E. Jones (president) and W. W. Charters (treasurer), of the Industrial Association, was introduced to the Prime Minister in Christchurch yesterday morning by Mr. H. G. Ell, M.P., in connection with the proposal that a series of lectures should be giren to the children attending the public schools on the industries of the Dominion. It was explained that the idea was to give lectures, illustrated by kinematograph views, of the processes of manufacture in the various local industries, in order to interest the rising generation in the industries of the Dominion. The Prime Minister expressed his li\-artdest concurrence with the proposal, and undertook to let the association have the loan of slides illustrative of some of the industries of the country, and to bring the request of the deputation under the notice of the Minister for Education.

The question of the public right-of-way to the wharf at O'Neal's Point, which was raised at the Harbour. Board's Committee meeting last Friday, came up at the Board meeting yesterday. The chairman (Hon. E. Mitchelson) said that a public road, 6Cft. wide, would be dedicated and taken over by tho Waitemata County Council so coon as finished by the Takapuna Tramways Company. The contract for the road had been let for £ 3400, so that the question of the public right-of-way had been cleared up, said the chairman.

Addressing a meeting of ratepayers on the subject of the proposed loan of £200,000 to complete the breakwater harbour scheme, the chairman of the Napier Harbour Board (Mr. J. Vigor Brown, M.P.), said the money market being now fairly favourable, it was proposed with the consent of the ratepayers to) offer the loan for application. The Board's financial position was much better than it had ever been. Last year's revenue had been £6300 more than in 1907, which up till then had been a record year. It was anticipated that the immediate increase in revenue from shipping would be £2000, and it would be much more when the breakwater was completed. It was proposed, if the loan were carried, to put a further charge of 3d per ton on all goods entering and leaving the port, which was estimated to procure about £2300. The Nautical Commissioners' report, signed by Captains Roio, Babot, Davidson, Cameron, I and Todd, stated that mien the proposed works were completed the port would havo tho best artificial harbour In the' Australasian colonies. The Nautical! Commissioners were all in favour of tha breakwater work being continued. At a meeting of tho ratepayers in tha Napier harbour rating district, hold yesterday, to consider thu Board's --.reposal, a. motion In favour of a poil hplag taken on the proposal was carried. I

j The Abandonment of the Manukau Control Bill by the Auckland Harbour i'Board last session, owing to the Railway Department's refusal to hand over the control of the Onehunga Wharf to | the Board, is not in accordance with the | opinion of Mr. W. J. Napier, who yes-' terday persuaded the Board to pass the following resolution:—''That the solidtors be instructed to have the Manukau Harbour Control Bill be re-introduced in Parliament next session." In a speech delivered last night at a social given to Mr. H.. G. Ell, M.P., in Christchurch, the Prime Minister stated that the postal and telegraph revenue for the December quarter of 1908 showed . a very satisfactory increase upon the corresponding quarter of the previous year. The excess of postal revenue was £15,000 and of telegraph revenue £10,000, making a total of £25,000. The total revenue for the quarter was £250,833. At the end of tbe present year he expected that the revenue would not be far off £900,000; at least it would be £800,000. "As the sea borne trade of Auckland largely depends on the supply of local steam coal, this Board urge the Dominion Government to place a suitable light at Whangarei Heads to enable vessels engaged in the trade to enter that port in safety at all hours and in all weathers," was a resolution, moved by Mr. Dacre,* that the Harbour Board passed yesterday. It was also decided, at Mr. Napier's suggestion, to recommend the election of a beacon on the north-eastern end of Whangaparoa Reef. " Receipts " does not often appear as a heading in the return of election expenses -which a Parliamentary candidate must furnish to the Registrar. It appears in the return furnished by Mr. Byron Brown, who" unsuccessfully contested the Otaki seat" atf the general election.; His " receipts " are set down as £2000 in " improvement in character and political knowledge." His "expenditure" amounted' to £2159 7/10, which included £1000 each for " improvement of character by example set to be avoided " and " knowledge of how to win at next election." Other items of expenditure are: "Bribes, lies, humbug, etc., £0000," " wear and tear on character, £000," and so on. His actual cash expenses amounted to £159 7/10. A very fine specimen of a - Cornishwoman, who recently arrived from England, escorted two of her daughters to the Christchurch • Labour Bureau the other day with the object of getting them a start in life in their new country. She was greatly terrified and ultimately astonished at the apparent black magic of the telephone, which she had never seen before, and which was requisitioned in the quest for a job, but when she found that the instrument was offering herdaughter 42/6 per week as a domestic she became reconciled to the still small voice. "Do you mean to say you are talking about my daughter?" she exclaimed. "Twelve and six; that's a power of money," and she left with visions of great savings in days to come, and a very keen appreciation of the functions of the telephone.

• The recent discovery of hydatids among rabbits in various parts of New Zealand reveals a grave danger to the community of contagion, says the Wellington "Post." Hydatids are singularlytenacious of life, and may be communicated in several ways. Dogs are very susceptible, and the disease is not seldom contracted by children through caressing animals. It wrjuld be well if the Veterinary Department and Health Department would take steps to see, first, if the disease tends to the extermination of rabbits, and secondly, if means can be taken of preventing communication to human beings.

llr. L. Sutto, who was in Christchurch yesterday (says the Christchurch "Press" of Monday) is engaged upon an interesting enterprise in the South Pacific. He represents Pathe Freres, a large Parisian firm, which manufactures cinematograph pictures, and distributes them to all parts of the world, to be placed before the millions who throng the entertainments provided by proprietors of "moving pictures." He has completed arrangements with the Tourist Department in Wellington to take films of New Zealand. They will probably represent Maori life, natural esenery, the geysers, the hot" springs, and the butter and cheese, frozen meat, woollen, timber, flax, kauri gum, and other industries. The programme has not been definitely decided upon, but those are the lines that have been suggested. The New Zealand films, which will measure several thousand feet in length, will be developed in the Dominion. Tt Is necessary, indeed, to do the developing on the spot, as if one set of pictures is not satisfactory, the photographing has to be done over again, perhaps five or six times. The developed films will then be sent to Paris, where they will be included in programmes offered to the managers of entertainments.

The police have been informed that a young man named James Dearce, aged 18, and residing at 27 Anglesea-street, Ponsonby, has disappeared. He is employed at the Kauri Timber Co., Ltd., and went home on Saturday night at about 9.30. Soon afterwards his room was found empty, a note which he had left stating that he had gone, but did not know why. No further information was given, and though a search is being made, no trace of the missing youth had been found up to the time of going to press.

The following resolution, moved by Mr. C. C. Dacre, was passed' by the Harbour Board yesterday:—"That the Engineer report as to the advisability and site for erecting a patent Blip in the western end of the Freeman's Bay Reclamation, with the object of undertaking the work now done by the Auckland Dock, and with a view to the early closing of the same for the improvement of the foreshore."

Tenders were received by the Harbour Board yesterday afternoon for the construction of a steel bridge at the Birkenhead wharf for vehicular traffic. The Board's engineer estimated the cost at £1050, and the tenders were—William Johnston, £1226 16/11; Massey Bros., £908 2/-; and Fraser and Sons, £1086 13/8. The tender of Massey Bros, was accepted. Tenders for spring buffer piling at the new ferry jetty were—W. Matthews, £1669 8/-; 'Martin/and Co, £1563 12/-. Martin and Co.'s tender was accepted.

Attention is drawn to the advertisement of the Auckland Co-operative Terminating Building Society in this issue, announcing that £4,400 will be distributed by ballot and sale at the monthly meeting for appropriations, to be held at St. James' Hall on Wednesday next; and members are notified that Monday, 25th inst., is tho last day on which shares con be made financial for the moeting.

Mr, J, H, Dalton auneunes* In thi* Issue a clearanse sale cf hie wholesale department of ladles' garments. Up to fho present Mr. Dalton has handled Lislics' tailoring in the wTioie.sß.la department only, but has now decided to deal direct wlili the ladles of Auckland.— lAd.)

■That the hemp industry is reviving was the gist of communications made by Mr. C.. J. Fulton, Chief Government Fibre Expert, to an "Otago Daily Times" reporter. Some little time ago this industry was, aa far as Otago and. Southland were concerned, .reported to be in a somewhat perilous state. Now it has taken a more hopeful turn by virtue of the fact that millers are devoting their attention to turning out a fine grade article, which is worth from £4 to £5 per ton in advance of good fair grade hemp. In the North Island some of the big mills are profiting considerably by this new move, for they are reaping the advantage oi the extra price, with very little additional cost in production. Where labour is costly and royalties are heavy, and the mills are not built on such big linos, as, for ' instance,' in the Manawatu district, it has been found a difficult problem to keep going at a profit, but the fact that a big percentage :of the mills running are turning out fine grade hemp is, Mr. Fulton states, decidedly encouraging. Then, again, millers are now each year becoming more acquainted with the finer points of the industry, and this is resulting in the production of an improved article. One thing that has to be contended against this year, said Mr. Fulton, is the existence of diseased leaf, which is pretty general throughout New Zealand. When it comes to "Trading, the presence of this diseased leaf is responsible for a lowering of the grade, which is doubly unfortunate, occurring in a season such as the present.

The steam launch Presto and the oil launch Myna collided in the harbour off the" eastern end of the Queen-street wharf yesterday. The Myna struck th? Presto's cabin top, which was damaged slightly.

Mr. J. Harold Evans has. written to the Harbour Board protesting against the launch Ruru being put on to ply for passengers on the Stanley Bay service. He stated that on the day he referred to there were 30 to 40 passengers, mostly ladies, who, to avoid being drenched to the skin, had "to huddle in a hole facetiously called a cabin." The water came on them through the skylights, and many were sick. Mr. Alex Alison, manager of the Devonport Ferry Company, stating that-with the weather prevailing on that particular day, no matter what steamer was sent the trip would have been uncomfortable, as there was an awkarard sea running. The Ruru was put on that trip owing to a slight accident to the Britannia. Mr. Napier said that it was never intended that the Ruru should be employed in the day service. It was decided to forward copies of the letter to Mr. Evans and to the harbourmaster, with an intimation to the latter that the Ruru was only allowed to carry oh the late service.

At the meeting of the Auckland Harbour Board, yesterday a communication was received from the local manager of the Bank of New Zealand respecting the execution of the £250,000 of debentures of the Board's £1,000,000 loan. The letter stated that it would be necessary to have the debentures executed by the Board, and it was therefore proposed to take the necessary steps to have them prepared here for signature. In order to obviate the necessity for insuring the debentures, it was proposed to enface them as effective only on counter signature by the Bank of New. Zealand, London, as the Board's fimncia.l_ agents, ran the letter. The Board's solicitors wrote in respect to the same matter, presuming that the necessary steps had been taken to appoint. Commissioners for sinking fund creating purposes. 'The Board decided to execute the debentures, and appointed the chairman and secretary to sign them.

The additions which are being made to the Government buildings in Albert-street are rapidly approaching completion, and already the work of finishing and putting in the interior fittings is in hand. To relieve the congestion at present being experienced in several of the the offices of the Lands and Survey Department, a number of the rooms will be made available for occupation in a few weeks* time. A largre apartment has been set apart as a Board room, and it is probable that the Timber Department and an additional draughting room wi 11 also be located in the new structure.

Mr J. T. Stevenson, F.R.A.S., writes: Another period of earthquake frequency will probably occur during the interval from the 20th to the 25th January. Shocks will likely occur again in Italy and at Messina during this period, while the great Savaii volcano should be very active about the 23rd inst. It is unlikely, however, that this period will be so destructive as the one which caused so much damage at Christmas time. A finer and warmer spell of weather is now setting in. Two large sunspots are again visible on the solar disc, one being near the centre of the disc.

"it do think," said Mr George George at the meeting of the Education Board this morning, "that the commercial plumbing in Auckland is excellent, being better than any I have seen during my recent trip. This, I think, reflects great credit upon the City Council for the way the work is supervised and carried out."