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Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 72, 25 March 1919, Page 4

The Weather Bureau forecast for 24 hours from 0 a.m. this day is as follows: The indications are for westerly winds, strong to gale and backing by west to south. The weather will probably prove equally and changeable; rain probable. Barometer rising shortly. Tides moderate; sea rough off shore.

I The Union Co.'s big cargo steamer Leitrim, which commenced the discharge of New York cargo at Wellington yesterday, carries a pair of "paravanes," the ingenious torpedo-like devices that protect the vessel from mines. The London '-Daily Mail" says.—The paravane saved us approximately £40,000,000 worth of warships, besids-s merchant tonnage to an unknown, though enormous amount. Like many other Teat exceptions, the paravane seems a quite simple thing. Hawsers with kites at the end of them are put into the water on each s,de of the ship. As the ship moves a i ong the „on t])e fe . P the hawsers, which stand out in a straight line on either beam and sweep up any mines that may be met with

trLt y tXC CUy CoUndl to contribute to the upkeep of Normanby R oad which is within the Mount Eden Zvough but has to call a] , the traffic to and from the quarry leased by the City Council, was reported to the Mount Eden Borough Council last night by its en* "eer. Mr. C. Hudson (Mayor) stated that t was regrettable that the City CouneH should take up such attitude and a proposal by the engineer that the matter should be brought before the borough sohc.tor ror his opinion was referred tn the Streets Comm ttee.

At the Police Court, Hamilton, a Oh.na man nameJ James MoQk monthe. The police affirmed that the lUttaJuJT a trOUUeSOme -bject'the" Cabled advice received at the local office year 1018 j a slightly ove r £1,000,000,

The fate of five missing bicycles *•* solved at the Magistrate's Court, g2 I borne, on Saturday, when James Edward ! Condas, alias .1. K. Williams, alias J. E ; Williamson, alias Thomson, 17 years of ' age, appeared on remand before Mr. J, a Barton, N.M. on five separate oh'arget Detective MeLeod said that accueed had 1 intimated his intention to plead guilty Ito all charges. Accused had come tft Wellington about three years ago from Victoria. For a time he worked on a, etation near Gisborne, and ultimately came to live with an uncle and aunt in town. He had become lazy, and committed a series of bicycle thefts In Qj,. home, at which practice hia earning* amounted to £3 a week. Accused would steal the bicycle and dispose of it to a second-hand dealer or privately. Xhij class of oiTencc was very difficult to detect. Accused was 17 years of age. The magistrate said accused would b» committed to three monthe' imprison* ment with hard labour on each charge sentences to be concurrent. The magi*. trate added that he was considering a term of probation afterwards, but had decided to allow accused to expiate the crime with the three, months' imprison* nient. The adjourned caee in which Mc» Donald Bros., farmers, Otaua (Mr Vallance) claimed from the Northern .ship Co. (Mr Meredith) £21 5/4, value and freight on a bale of wool alleged to have been missing from portion of a shipment of ten bales sent from Port ' Waikato to Onehunga for delivery to Qv W. Binney and Sons, Auckland, was continued in the Magistrate's Court before Mr F. K. Hunt, S.M. The case was further adjourned to obtain the evidence of officers of the steamer Arapawa, which; is bar-bound.

( The harvest in the Rangitikei district is exceedingly satisfactory. Some crops I have yielded 05 bushels of wheat to the J acre, while a number have gone over 50 bushels. The average for the district will probably work out at 35 bushels, which is 12 bushels over the yield for the lust two seasons. The oat crop has al3o been good, and as usual the bulk of it will be chaffed. The average for the district will probably be two tons to the acre.

At a meeting of the Otago Returned Soldiers' Association it Was decided to write to the Minister for Lands protesting against the present constitution of the Land Purchase Board on the ground that intending settlers were not represented; also to urge the Government to amend the law so as to enable the Association to nominate a representative on the Land Board and the Land Purchase Board to look after the interests of the soldiers affected by the decisions of, these bodies.

A little concession, which will com' mend itself to persons who have to travel beyond the suburban termini on the tramways, was notified to the Mount Eden Borough Council last night, when the tramways manager informed the Council, in reply to its representation! on the subject, that conductors had been instructed not to pull down their trolley poJes at the terminus of the line until incoming passengers had alighted. Hitherto the practice of hurrying to get.the trolley poles down at the terminus h»d resulted in the pasaengers being left in darkness for an awkward moment or two when about to negotiate the steps.

A pleasing function took place'oii the 9.30 run of the Devonport ferry this morning, when .pass'erigers tpok occasion to euftatfly reco^iree^tlie'*%tß!% ? {ftftdnrt of Captain Matthew Scott in effecting the rescue from drowning of the lid Victor Jones at Devopport recently. On behalf of the subscribers to the testimonial Mr. Percy Tayor made the presentation, and paid a tribute to the 'courageous conduct of the recipient, who had several times distinguished hinuelf in similar circumstances. In handing to Captain Scott an illuminated address and a nurse of sovereigns, Mr. Taylor stated that the gifts were assurances of the people's appreciation of two good qualities possessed by Captain Scottcoolheadedness and courage—both o! which he had more than once displayed in a. noble purpose. Cheers were given for the recipient, who made suitable acknowledgment of the recognition Qt his services.

For neglecting to attend cadet parades, Robert Simcock, a lad of 17, was fined £5, in default 28 days' mili« tary detention, by Mr Poynton, SM., at Hamilton, yesterday. It was stated, that accused had not attended a parade for six months. ■ '

I The Bayfleld public school was burg* lariously entered some time between 3 p.m. on Sunday and Monday morning, and school funds, approximating £2, i were stolen. When school was resumed on Monday morning the whole building .was found to have been ransacked, and articles scattered about the floor. Entrance was gained by a window which •had been left open for ventilatioa purposes.

The Hon. T. M. Wilford, Minister of Marine, has replied to the request mad* last session by Mr. T. A. H. Field, M.P. for Nelson, that some means of communication, -wireless being suggested, should be established between the Brothers' Island lighthouse, Cook Strait, and the mainland. The Minister, after pointing out that in 1900 an estimaU of the cost was made for connecting tb* lighthouse ,by telephone, and that on the different" routes it varied from £ 4280 to £ 6200, 6 aid that the cost it present would be considerably greater. He agreed that the best form of COB' munication would probably be by wire* less, but added that such plants wer» hard to obtain juet now. As soon, hoW ever, as things had settled down after the war, the question of obtaining the necessary wireless plant would be considered.

The prolonged lawsuit, G. H. Cates t. A. G. C. Glass, made further jn'ogress at the Supreme Court to-day, before Mr. Justice Hosking and a jury of four. The dispute consists of a claim and » counter-claim respecting the manage, ruent of a farm by the plaint'H , for the defendant. Counsel wore addressing the jury this afternoon.

Mr. Tom Bloodworth, president of the United Federation of Labour of Nβ* Zealand, was questioned this moraine regarding the trouble at Waihi. H* said the report that the matter had been referred to the Federation of labour, and that a representative of that body was at the mass meeting of miners on Sunday, was quite incorrect "The Federation of Labour," said Mr. Bloodworth, "has never had the Waihi trouble before it, and is not in any way connected with the affair. No doubt it is the Miners' Federation and not the Federation of Labour to which the Waihi miners referred the matter." Ihe time has again come round fof the Farmers , Union executive to draff «p an agenda for their annual conference. The matter is being considerel at a special meeting of the Executive, which is being held to-day. The arrangement of the various branch remitt for discussion at the conference, and several other mutters held over from » previous meeting are also bein<* attended. to. - -■'