News from Other Centres

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 14, 11 October 1907, Page 3

News from Other Centres

AUCKLAND. [BY TELEGRAM.- -OWN COItItESrONDENT.] Auckland, October 10. As was to bo expected, the provisions of the,, Tramway Bill circulated by tho Govornmont have boon viewed in Auckland from entirely opposite standpoints by the City Council,, on the one hand, and the Tramways-Union on the othor. Resolutions of. protest were passed at a special meeting of tho former yesterday, and one expressing intense satisfaction, by tho lattor. The objections of tho Council contro round the proposed abrogation of tho rights of local bodies.to govern their own affairs. Tho approvf t tho Union is based upon its opinion ;..;it tho Council does not know how to manage at least one of its own affairs—the.trams. '; - At tho recent meeting of tho Auckland; Acclimatisation Society tlio< Game Committee reported that they had, considered a letter, from the Wellington Society, offering to supply pheasants to bo dolivered noxt March at the rato of £1' per. pair.- -The prico ■ seemed - very moderate; and it appeared to tho committee that it would be well as an experiment to vote the sum of £50 for the purchase of fifty brace. Should this sum be authorised, the committee wbuldmako. inquiries to select suitable localities for the, liberation of; birds. Placing their views before a subsequent meeting of tho .Council, a suggestion was mado that the Society should breed pheasants on its own property, and, after a short discussion it was decided to. refer, tho matter back to the' committee to. report.. :.' ..... . : The tender of Messrs. John M'Le'an ahd Sons, at £16,717, has been ac-; cepted.by.the Auckland Electric Tramways Company for laying down theMount Edon and Mount Roskill tramway extensions.- The work on the. Mount Eden branch will be commenced on Monday noxt, and on its completion that towards Mount Roskill will be put in hand. : Tho contract timo for, the. completion of, both undertakings ;s eighteen weeks. 1 Further tramway extension is proposed by a local company' from Devonport'to Takapuna. A survey of "'the contemplated seven and a half miles of tramway is to-bo put.in hand at once. -'- '.. • . . . ; Tho Auckland Tramways Union somo time ago,asked Mr. Young, the general secretary in Wellington of. tho Now Zealand Federated Tramways _ Employees' Association, to givo evidenco before the Labour Bills Committee -n opposition to : thc' Arbitration- Act Amendment Bill. In reply, Mr. Young has written in particularly strong denunciatory terms of the-Bill. Ho says, "To put it mildly, .the Bill is one of the greatest - abortions' that has. oyer | been placed' before a'Parliament'constituted of English-speaking people. The greatest enemy wo can get to our ;cause is the man,that has been reared from bur own ranks, such as.-. : -Mr. Millar, wlio uses his practical knowledge of-unionism to wipe'the workers with, -but- he- will be called upon to answer for his actions when seeking the votes of the workers at:the ejections next'yoar. In. tho meantimo,it might b'o just as'w'ell' to give him" plenty of rope to hang himself politically. i He has most assiduously endeavoured to .belittle.'the Labour leaders of. this country by assorting.that tho unionists' support tho Bill, but,' outsido of "tlie .Dunedin carpenters', ho cannot placd his finger, on one single union that has 'published a resolution supporting tho :Bill. No.stone is-being left unturned . ;to,wipo this.abortion .right off tho : apolitical market." / '' .-'., A young New Zealander, Mr. W 'joh'an'son, of Devonport, has ..securcd•world patents.for <a internal combustion engine, for w.-iicn is claimed:doublo-tho horse-power,. of an-ordinary'oil-engino-of similar-size*- Ho achieves' -this result i by.-, exploding ,ti?e cylinder alternately ,top .and uottom,. thus getting power every second in- ■ stead of every fourth revolution. A model'''of the size •' of- an oi- ■ imodel. -'of • -tho size :of. an orgas- '■ engine, was-, ■recently exhibited to a number of experts and persons interested,- who .wore, satisfied :that it developed mbro than the powor. ; claimed-for .it ;by the inventor; aim if this be tho case there can bo nu doubt of the,-high value of tho invention. ;The designs; have' been submitted to experts in ; Australia and. England, wno aro unanimous in pronouncing .it t.no most important invention, in oil ergines of recent years, and- a largo bn- • ginecring firm-in England is in trcatv, !with the .inventor for tho. right to manufacturo.it. ...;,,;,;. . - v :