IN OTHER CENTRES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 179, 24 April 1908, Page 5

IN OTHER CENTRES.

' ' AUCKLAND. - - ."'' v April 2,3. - ' The ; Katikati' correspondent of . tho • '', Hc- . raid " -is-informed on good authority that tho Public Works. Department, on the advice .of. the engineering staff; is now considering tho construction of the proposed East Coast Railway via Tauranga to To Aroha, .through Thompson's Track at the. Eotokahi' dairy factory; .instead of building the lino from Tauranga through Katikati to tho existing Waihi-Paeroa railway. • Typhoid. Now that cooler weather has . set in, typhoid fever in Auckland is on the decrease. The number of cases in: the city reported to the Public Health Office from- April 1 up till yesterday was seven,'as against. 25 cases for the month of-March 1 . . Newmarket and Eden Terrace;' which wore each responsible for : four' Cases last, month,''have so far provided ' only one case each .during April. Four or • fivo'cases' have; been reported from Grey Lynn, and of those three occurred in tho ' yicinity of Cox's Creek. ;Qn the whole, how- , ever,-the cases, show a. marked decline, on the records of the previous few weeks. Labour—Main Trtrnk Staffed. ' .!,' • The demand in. the Auckland District for .all- classes:'of both skilledj and unskilled ' ..labour continues sufficient to' meet the' ap- ' "plications'of all men calling at tho Labour monthly ' period ended oil' Saturday last,some,2oo men wero providedwith "employment... A'great many wore sent to. the Helensville Northward and .Railway Works,' while othersobtained; .employment, with private employ- '. ors.. No' men'have been dispatched to'tho Main Trunk Railway works from Auckland for some time,"-the number already ait work being regarded as sufficient, for present regijirenients.

Ons VVay of Emigrating. ■ A pathetic story was unfolded before Mr. C. C; Kettle, S.M., at the. Police Court yestorday, ,whe.n William Garrett was charged with, deserting from the steamer Wakanui. Girrott, when tho charge was read over to him, said:—"l have a wife children at home, where I lost my position through the introduction of mechanical stokers, and I tried very hard "to getwork,night and day for five -, (i months. ■ I trod the streets and docks of ! Londoiv trying to got a job, until at; last I was/told that wo would have to go to the Union workhouse. That' meant, sir, that me and my- wife and the"'.children .would be separated, .to say'nothing'of the disgrace , .of a't.' Then. I heard of the prospects of work inr New. Zealand, so l left the. wife and children, at. Homeland .worked mj' .;way out and deserted when I, got here.'/1 don't, drink'nor interfere. with; anyone, ' but !I. have a 'good wife,-and ,I ; want to get, her out here' to livewith me in,this land of plenty. I havo , a iob to go to ih Auckland, and thit was '..further .temptation to desert." The charge was : allowed to!.stand. over until ! ; this morning to .'see if any arrangome'nt eould .be made . with the captain of ithe steamer, to secure the man's release". • , , '"/!;- : !. Native Land Bill. ,'" V ■ ' Questioned ; ;as. to Native land "legislation, tho Hon.; J.. Carroll (Native :Slinister) .said that; the- details of. the; Government's propo- - sals have not' yet been finally: settled, " but," he added,-" the principles laid' down in the Act• of'bst I 'session'wilt, 'generally'speaking,- - bs adhered to.i The provisions then enacted. ■ may require'strengthening'or modifying -in ! certain .rospects,--; but 1 ' tlie leading -features ■ ■ will "departed.from." ■■ • Moan Theft. : " ' - !' ! ' ■'. i A conteniptibie thief was punished at thn Jlagistrato's Court yesterday in the person of.a, middlc-ag'ed Scotchman' of weak health, .named William Peter Smith. Ho was charged .with j stealing at; Epsoin on- April 13 ■ the'.-sum 6i j£2, tho property of - William - 1 Clarke'.'/.; Chief.-' Detective". Marsack that tho wa_s;.'mi.ssecl! inmate-of''th'o Costley THoffief arid : suspicioh ».w'a's ; i a"rqusStl' : by J 1 / eccu's£kl-going • back to -the 'Home 'in .an in- : toxica t'ed'-/condition. When' a'skeil !'ab'out ; 'the' matter, "he / said'.'h6 :had''no' "moneyoil'.liim,>.but : Detective'JSkin'her,'(on '.searching liim, found: £2;-.-.'-Accused - then'said that -Clarke . ■ had; given! him the money.-' . Clarke was seri- ■ : oiisly .ill.:at';the time, and denied giving ac- ,'' cused"the,ta'oney, saying 'iii the presence" of : ! Detective v'Skiniier ./and accusdd. tliat- tho . .latterrhad', admitted' taking; 'tho' money. ..but. had promised to''-ret-urn'-it!to,him.. Clarko v .had since died.: /A'cciiscd, said lie had ' denied ' the: accusation\in the'detective's offica arid' v.beforo.',tho.-"inspector. ./Clarke , aaid!' himself had/been-mates in a te-nt/(tho, consumptive 'a.njioxo'at- the' Co?tley .Hom-e).;/ The doctor' oi dcrod' Clarke to'' bo removed to the / Horne, lfr. being understood /that - ho .was,. dying,Clarlra! gave'- him the/ money because ho. said it'was !a shamo .for. .t-h'e - authorities - to - " collar " !all tho money a'man left wh-en"he ; .died.. ,The money was a gift. '. The mistake .ho,'made was to go' and' get somo drink, i' whicli'causwl tho wholo trouble. Mr! Kcttlo sliid he did not belicvo aticused's sie'ry,! ar.d considered : ho had committed • a most contemptible theft '. in :.taking, -money,' froma dying' man. " Clarke, is-not hero to spoak! for ,himself; he lias , gono. beyond ' recall," said Mr. Kettle, "-'therefore year".'action is doubly contemptible. - And what was it- all for? Drink!-.' feu will be sontencsd to.three .> imprisonment.'', ..To -tho police JUr. -: Kettlo remarked:''" I■ prtsunio this man,' being a consumptive; will have spccial treatment." . /■'..' ■

CHRISTCHURCH. April 23. • Rciercnce to the: successful working of the Lytteltbi)' -Municipal - Gasworks- during . tho, kst year • was; mado- .by tho':!Town' Clerk ..in his annual report presented at last* night's meeting,'of, tho; Borough "■ Council.v • The report .stated-that .the net.profit came-out at.£B94, or a -few pounds over'; the.' previous year's results. 'It might be said - that during'fivo years' and four months of, civic control tlio undertaking lias paid its; way; and in addition has;' producckl : sufficient, .surplus', .to- .vote £1110 to ,tho'.sinking'-'fund,-account/ to:, find £232-1 for extension iof* isrbrksy :• to :give the consumers , rebates by way of reduction's'in tho- price of gas. equal-,to almost',£looo 'per year, and 'at[the - samo-time to provide, a modest £500, in relief, of rates. . ■ ' '• 'The .carbonising, results were oven better ;thaii; those of :last..year,' which 'were spoken of by one of tho English technibal: journals, •"Tho' Gas' Engineers- Magazine,'.' , as being "really far above tlio' average."!' In the matter, of ■ capital outlay in relationship . to actual ; structural - value, something has also been ; do'no; 'to.' counteract the disadvantages of a:i inflated ■ capital account; . The Town Clerk's,estimate'.cf, the. structural, value; of the plant/ which -had cost the Corporation £20,000,' was£ls,ooo,' tho' discrepancy' being represented y by the ■- goodwill paid to tho Council's. pred«sessqrs.-v:.Tho amount was. high, but the results had shown that it was not, unreasonably so. . . Stormy, Weather. V ; . Cbnsiderable anxiety was felt yesterday for the :safety of ;the' motor fishing boat. Amuri, which left-ICaikoura on Monday for Lyttel-; ton/ and; had "'not-'arrived : up -to! yesterday afternoon.- All fears; however, :wero set at rest' by her arrival at'Lyttelton about .seveir o'clcck last'night. M'Kinlcy/' who 'was ill' charge,/, stated that the 'vessel .had . a ' very bad time in the heavy gale' on Monday , night, arid lost.the sail.: .Tho riiddor was disabled, .end the engine rendered unworkable byi the water that' came' aboard. 'They,- however, , rigged-a/small sail and steered the boat by means of an.oar.'' Captain-Manning, of the .Botoinaliana, .told a'/reporter" that on' Monday morning,, when a south of Cape' Campbell; the Rotomahaiui passed the. small ' yacht ,Petrel ,'of -about' five tons, hound from 'Wellington' to Dunedin.>'The little vessel was running before tho heavy 'northerly gale, but was .-making ';go6d • weather' of' it, and appeared to be in no danger: : . Olympic Games. : iii/, H. St. A. Murray, who will represent New Zealand in !the Olympic Games in London in July, left for Sydney to-day by the Warrimoo in order to join the Oruba, .which Bails from Sydney on, May 2.. The canvass by tho officials, of :the Canterbury Centre of tho Amateur Athletic Association met with

a very gratifying response, and sufficient money to enable Hurray to "make tho trip was guaranteed by the end of last week. New icalanti Mont. , . lii a leading article in the "Press" in February last a referencp was made' to the fact that New Zealand ewe mutton is now excluded from! army contracts. A eorresiiondent, writing from Bartilly, India, remarks: —"That, may be so, but still that does not prevent it together with Australian and Argentine moat, being, delivered in fulfilment of contracts. I have frequently observed that..happen since I have been in the Army. I'may also' state at the same time .that both Queensland mutton and beef and 'tinned meats' aro preferred by the men to all others. On thoiVoyago out from England, when there were over" 2000 men on board, wo had exclusively Queensland mutton and beef, and during the whole trip thcro was not a'single complaint. Though I am a Now Zealander, and havo always stuck up for the meat from my! own country, I must confess that I prefer • Queensland frozen meats to all others." '' Antarctic Expsditicn. The. "Times"- points out that to-day tho sun will set at the winter Quarters of the Nimrod, Antarctic, expedition, and will not rise again uiitil four months havo passed; but at first there, will be some twilight in the daytime.This will got. less each day for a fortnight or three weeks, when total darkness will bo tho lot of Lieutenant,Sliackleton and his party until twilight-again appears to herald tho returning sun. . Methods of Votins. In .his annual report l to ■ the . Lyttelton Borough Council the Town Clerk 'referred to the method of recording votes at local elections; and expressed the opinion, based "on many years' experience of electoral, matters, that the existence of a dual system .of voting at elections does not make for simplicity in a matter which should be, and very simply could be, stripped of tho least element of doubt. - In tho ono case, that of local , elections, the voter is required to mark a cross opposite tho name, of tho candidate for whom ho desires to vote, whilst at parliamentary elections tho namo of the candidate not required is struck out. "Tho latter," said Mr. Lewin, " would appear to bo a perfectly natural system,-., and whilst I. am "not sufficiently conservative to suggest that tho now plan is entirely devoid of merit, yet its advantages are not very obvious, and certainly do ; not compensate for tho disadvantages attending' a dual: system such as that which now prevails!". • . ■. NAPIER/. ! - ■ April 23. Mr. A. ;V. Penu, who for the past six years has' held, tho position' of Customs Landing Waiter at Port Ahuriri, was on the evo of leaving for Greyir.outh, where lie has been appointed collector, presented at a represen-tative-gathering of the mercantile community ill the Masonic Hotel this'evening, with a substantial purse of sovereigns to hand to ; his wife.. The Mayor (Mr.- J. Vigor.Brown) presided, and referred in complimentary terms to the-esteem in which Mr. Penn was hold by. the business people of' Napier. ! A'Genuinq Maggini.' Mr. Rudall Hayward,, a -well-known • member of the Brescians- Company connected,with ■West's Pictures, has' inspected the /violin discovered by ..'lnspector M'Dorincll, and gives it as , his opinion that it'is a'genuine Mag-, gini. Mr. ■ Havward : is a recognised authority on tho subject, and a thoroughly qualified judge. -From inquiries:'he hasmade, Inspector M'Donriell is inclined to doubt jNfr. Wilson's statement that the . violin was brought' to New -Zealand by Maior von •Tempsky, as : his investigations' show that the/instrument wr.s won in a raffle in .Wellington 40 years ago'by'a man named Hcaloy, who disposed of: it to Mr. Tim Howard, a member, : of /the Armed . Constabulary. Tho i'lispectpr can discover no actual proof of.the instrument having been in, Von Tenjpsky's hands'. '~/ ' ~