Untitled

Auckland Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 107, 6 May 1913, Page 4

■The Harbour Board's engineer. Mr. W. H. Haaner, in a letter to the Board .tliie afternoon, wrote that he noticed that bridges were proposed aero« the Mannkau at Onehunga, and the Tamaki at Panmure. He understood, the former woirid have no lifting span and he at no great height above high water, while it was reported that the Panmnre bridge would be sufficiently high to allow craft to pass. "If," wrote Mr. Hamer, "the Auckland Harbour Board should take over the control of the Mannkau Httr■bour, and if the proposition for a canal from the Manuk&u Harbour to.- the -Tamaki River is ever likely to be seriously considered, I think' the Board should satisfy itself that proper provision is being made in each scheme for the presage of traffic likely to use any such canal."

Very considerable increases in the prices of English china. ;tnd earthenware ha-ce. been reported during the last six .moiitbe; in fact, ever "since the big strikes -of last year 'prices have been steadily'-on the : up-grade. The advances recently announced range from 5 to 20 per cent on all classes of: household china and earthenwaTe, with an. average of probably -12 J per cent. Porcelain baths, an importrtnt item, arc now 10 per r**nt dearer than formerly, and fancy china-las gone up in come cases nearly 40 iper cent. In thp course of some inquiriee among leading wholesalers this inorning,-it was- ascertained that the. uicreasee. were expected to be permanent, Sβ ithe reasons advanced for tbem ineladed: (a) increased wages, (b) higher ■Imperial and local taxation, (c) higher insurance fates, and (d) largely in-creased,cost--of ■coal and other commodities. Unring the recent strikes one the potteries had been, closed -for six weeks, which meant that -when work again they had come £8,000,000 worth of orfens to overtake, and this would, tend to raise prices quite apart -from other considerations. There had been no eudden intaease in prices during the past six months, but the rise had 'been steady, and was likely to be maintained henceforward.

There ■will be no lack of legal know-ledge-in-±he Wellington. CHy Council. Of felro nine lawyers, cxndid&tes who went to 4she yoU, -five were Tetarned: MessTa. A. K. MkSnson, T." C. A. Hialop, A. H. ffindmaish, H. Buddie, and if. F. Ltickie. Titoae rejected 'trere Messrs. W. Perry, T. JiTeare, R. B. Wuliatna. and C. W. Tanner.

When the recent gale at Wellington was at its height a large albatross, afocnt ten. feet from one. wing-tip to the other, after braving the elements for some time in the Straits, jrave up in -disgnst, and came ashore at Island Bay. A ■resident captured the ";->ird. and intends to present i& to-the.Wellington Zoo.