LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVII, Issue 109, 10 May 1909, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

At this morning's call of the Stock Exchange, brokers reported the following sales : — Palmerston Gas, £7 7s ; New Zealand Portland Cement, £2 0s 6d ; Waihi Extended, 6s Id ; Waihi Consolidated, 2s 4d; and Pride of Waihi, 9d, 9|d, and lOd. The spurt in Grand Junction values has naturally directed increased intention to the speculative possibilities of several of , the cheaper Waihi issues. In the other section of the market Gear Meats (£4 paid) were wanted at £10 2s 6d, and Bank of New Zealand would have been accepted at £8 19s. Owing to the Maheno failing to connect with the Main Trunk express at Auckland last night, the usual English and Australian mail will not arrive here till to-morrow afternoon. An American mail dated San Francisco, 15th April, is due at Wellington on Wednesday by the Talune, which was to have connected with the R.M.S. Mariposa at Papeete on the Ist inst. During the week ending Saturday the total amount of Customs revenue collected at Wellington was £11,428 9s 9d. Of this total £317 5s 6d was for bear duty, and £870 5s lid to-day's taking. The figures for the corresponding I period of 1908 were :— For the week, £9964 Is ; beer, £311 15s ; for the day, £1696 13s 2cl. During the months of April the total output of coal at Westport was 45,744 tons, and the total export, 43,383 tons. Westport Coal Company's mines pro- , duced 31,274 tons, the State coal mine 4479 tons, and the Westpori-Stockton mines 9036 tons. The amount exported includes 3208 tons shiped to "foreign" ports, viz., 2603 tons "to Sydney, and 605 tons to Melbourne. "Kissing the Book" will not be such an ordeal for the juries in the Criminal sessions at the Supreme Court this week, as it used to be when the old Bibles were to the fore. A new set of Testaments clean, neat, and sanitarily bound, lies on the table of the court awaiting the lips of the twelve good men and true, who, in each case will decide the fate of a fellow-citizen. I The work of extending the Oriental Bay promenade proceeds but slowly. The wide asphalt esplanade and cycle track stops short at Te Aro Baths, with a broken end dropping sharp into the sea. A fence js greatly needed here, as on a dirty night a stranger might walk right over the edge. The place is particularly dangerous, and, pending the advancement of the promenade, should be properly protected. Residents hope that the work of improving the sea-front may be carried on. expeditiously under the new regime. Hugh Mullin appeared before Mr. W. G. Riddell, S.M., to-day, charged with (1) insobriety In Tavanaki-plaee on Saturday ; and (2) with assaulting and robbing Michael Mallcy of one bottle of beer valued at 6d. On the first information, accused was fined ss, with an alternative of 24 hours' imprisonment, and on the second was remanded until Wednesday. An expressman, named Wm. Standen, was fined 10s with costs (7s), for leaving his vehicle standing unattended in Greystreet lasj> Tuesday. The penalty for default was fixed at 48 hours' imprisonment. James David M'lntyre and Martin Luckie were each convicted for riding after dark bicycles without lights. [In addition the first-named defendant was ordered to pay 7s costs. At a meeting of the subscribers to the "Harry Drummond" fund, held in St. John's Parlour, Mr. G. A. Troup occupied the chair. A statement was submitted showing that the total amount collected, together with interest, was £126 5s 4d. Outstanding subscriptions were expected to realise about £6, mak- | ing the gross total nearly £132. The expenses for postage, printing, advertising, etc., totalled £4 6s, so that the net balance will be not less than £128. It was decided to lay aside the neressary sum oat of this balance to provide a suitably framed enlarged photograph of the late Mr. Drummond, such photograph to be hung in the Boys' Institute, together with a memorial tablet to be j erected in tho same building. This would lea?e a balance of, approximately, £120, and this amount is to be suitably invested, the interest on same being paid over annually to the committee of the Boys' Institute for the purchase of prizes, which are to be awaided in connection with the Boys' Institute, such prizes to be known jjs the "Harry Drummond Memorial Prizes." Messrs. G. A. Troup, C. S. Moore, and J. Hislop were appointed <|l\ifetees to administer the fund. A number of letters received from subscribers- were redd, all giving evidence of the esteem and affection in which the late Mr. Drummond was held by those acquainted with him. It is interesting to note that over 156 separate subscriptions were received, many of these coming from distant parts of New Zea- i laud, " J

One of the Chinese fined at Dunedin, on Tuesday for playing fan tan was the cook at the police barracks. The New Zealand Boxing Council has allotted this year's boxing championship to the Otago Boxing Association. The Wellington Association also applied. An inquest was considered unneces* sary by the coroner in connection with/ the sudden death of Mrs. Willina Edna Archer, at a boaruinghouse in Martin* square on Saturday morning. H.M.S. Challenger's brass band played musical selections in tho Hospital Grounds yesterday afternoon, mi'! the Wellington Garrison Band give ;i similar entertainment in the 'Botanical Gardens., The suggestion is made by the Weber County Council that power should ba given by the Legislature to county councils to take firewood for burning papa required to form or repair public roads, A sailor belonging to the Ka : para, fell into the harbour on Saturday night, noar tho head of the Queen's Wharf. He was drawn up, none the worse for his immersion, by some members of thai*Kiripaka's crew. {: The Otago Students' Association, bjj 110 votes to 72, decided( telegraphs our\*, Dunedin special) to disallow alcoholic liquor at any of their functions, and also decided to discontinue the annual University ball. For some time past, says the Feilding Star, pupils at Horopito, on \iuk Main Trunk line, have been taught in a structure, the walls of which consist of calico. It has been decided to ask) Government for a building. A man o'-warsman, David John Johnston, was charged in the B.M. Court to-day with having unlawfully assaulted a little girl, aged 13 years. On the application of Chief-Detective Broberg, accused was remanded until Wednesday. A prohibition order was granted in the S.M. Court to-day in the case of Bridget Kelly Killeen. For disobeying an order to pay his sister 7s per week (arrears* £2 9s) Richard Stratford waa fined 20s; in default, one week's mx« prisonment. A fine of £5 was imposed this morning by Mr. Justice Chapman on C. E. Fabian for failure to attend the Grand Jury. Exemption from attendance on the conin mon juries was granted to Samuel Dal-i ton, Wm. Henry Johns, C. J. Holland^ and J. Jenkins. A big log of wood, said to measure about 50 feet in length, was seen from the Putiki on her voyage from Wanganui to Wellington yesterday. The log was of considerable thickness, and had the vessel ran against it she would probably have received serious damage.. At a banquet to the Hon. Thos. Mackenzie at Catlins, Mr. Malcolm, M.P., was called upon to make a speech, and he convulsed those present by stating that he did not suppose ho would have been invited to the banquet had he not become a celebrity through being present at Amy Bock's wedding. B.afore Messrs. Mothes and Short, "J.P.'s, at The Petone, Police Court on Saturday, Thomas Cross was fined 5s for disorderly conduct while drunk in Petone. A prohibition order was also> issued against Cross. A charge of using obscene language was preferred against George Anderson, and defendant waa fined 40s. The District Health Officer (Dr. Frengley) reports thai the following cases of infectious diseases have beea notified to the Health Department for the week ending Saturday, Blh May :—: — In the city : Scarlet _fever 4, enteria fever 1, tuberculosis 37 Hutt County : Scarlet fever L Petone Borough : Diphtheria 1, scarlet fever 1. A man-o'-warsman, William M'Bride, who, whilst under the influence of liq« uor, took control of the Prince of Wales Hotel, • appeared in the Magistrate* Court this morning to answer a charge , of having refused to leave licensed pre- , mises when requested to do to. A fine of ! 20s, in default 48 hours' imprisonment, $* was imposed. Five first offending inebriates were also convicted. An elderly witness, giving evidence ift the Supreme Court this morning, was so affected by the dignity of his position that he persisted, in spite of their modest disclaimer, in addressing both counsel aa "Your Worship." He was asked if ha was prepared to deny what another eyewitness would say. "Yes, I will bear out whatever he says, though I may bft wrong." The loungers were much amused. At a visit of the Woodville suppliers of the Dairy Union on Friday, the question of cheese-making v. buttermaking was discussed. The manager of the Dairy Union said the union was •greeable to put in a cheeso plant, provided suppliers gave a, three years' guarantee of supply. Finally it was agreed to ask the union to put in a plant, suppliers agreeing to give tha guarantee osked for. In the Mangere district farmers are complaining of the conduct of shooting parties. The Star reports that one farmer found a valuable cow dead, riddled with shot. Another party had robbed a hen's vest and coolced the eggs. The writer observes that wnile the farmers readily consent to visitors shooting over their farms, it is thought that the man who cannot hit something smaller than a cow ought not to go shooting. In the opinion of the Farmers' Union Advocate, the horticultural portion of the Momohaki experimental farm should not be sold, but remain iv charge of the Govei-nment Biologist (Mr. T. W. Kirk) for experimental purposes. The Advocate also thinks it will be a great mistake if the chemistry division of the Agricultural Department is not attached to tho experimental part. "The chemical division began under, the eye of Mr. Gilruth, and was for' many years in the same building as his office ; but th.6 evolution of time has brought it into touch with the farmers, and so it should remain. If it goes to the Stock Department it will gradually be alienated from farmers' work, and its benefits forgotten." "We will have a lot of landlords toon," said the Commissioner of Crown Lands, j at last week's meeting of the Land I Board (reports the Lyttelton limes), ' when an application for leave to sublet was received in respect to a holding on the Tamai Hamlet. He added that \ there was a growing tendency to .sublet on such holdings, but in the case before , him the application was for one year, j and there appeared to be valid reasons j for it. Dealing with another appheaj tion for permission to sublet for three I years in the Kohika Settlement, he re- | marked : "If we once encourage this subleasing there will be awful trouble. If they want to sublease for that length of time they can tiansfer."' A member of the board suggested that in the case of ill-health of the applicant the board might give permission to. sublet on production of a doctor's certificate. Another member rejoined that any man could get a doctor's certificate if he p-iid for it. The Commissioner remarked | that the precedent would be dangerous. , j Permission to sublet for a year waa given, the commissioner remarking that if good grounds weie shown the permis&ion might be renewed. Women's black cloth double-breaated Coats, loose backs, storm collars, nicely lined with squirrel fur at £5 15s 6d — Xirkcaldie and Stains, Ltd.— Adv4.