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Evening Star, Volume 12869, Issue 12869, 19 July 1906, Page 4

The caitago of material, etc., foT tho high-level water supply over the roads of Maori Hfll has provoked a complaint from the Council of that borough. It was read at last night's meeting of tire CLtv Council. It was pointed out that the City Council paid the Maori Hill Corporation no rates on their w-aierworks properties. In conclusion, Maori Hill hoped that Dnnedin would make good the damage. The letter was followed by a report on the matter from the consulting engineer in charge of the waterworks scheme (Mr G. M. Barr, C.E.), in which some slight repairs were recommended. There was no discussion on the matter, which was referred to the Water Comirrattee to act.

The method of administering chloroform at operations was touched on at the meeting of the Hospital Trustees yesterday. A new appointment of an amesthetic specialist—was decided on. Some inquiries made by a ' Star' representative to-day throw light on the position. It ha-s long been the practice for one of the house surgeons to administer the .amesthetic at operations. In this respect the Dunedin Hospital has lagged behind the practice at Home. Anyone who has been twice chloroformed or oftener knows that the method of administration makes a difference; the surgeon who has to operate knows it also. If the anaesthetist is timid and administers too little, an undesirable stiffening of the muscles of the patient takes place when the operation ■ begins. "It makes the operation very complin cated" was how one member of the surgical staff put it to our representative to-day. On the other hand, the administration of too much chloroform has its dangers. These are well known. So for some time back the hon. surgical staff have been moving for the appointment of an anaesthetist. The proposal met with opposition. The friends of the house surgeons seemed to feel that a slight on the 6kill of the latter or an interference with their duties was involved in the new departure. Neither was intended. Questioned as to this one informant said: " There is nothing in it beyond the growing medical belief that the position is sufficiently important to require a specialist." Asked for the names of the trustees who had first taken the same view as the staff on the matter, he said: " Well, as far as I can remember* it was Mr Mill and Mr Solo-

A* case of considerable hnportance to newspaper proprietors (unlimited liability) is about to engage the attention of the Engish Jaw courts. Tho proceedings have been initiated in Chancery by some of the smaller proprietors of the. London 'Times' against Mr Arthur Walter. ■ The plaintiffs complain that, -while their liability is unlimited, they are not allowed to have any voice in tho management of their own pro"perty, and that Mr Walter, refuses to allow them to sell their shares to anybody but himself, at a price fixed by him,' and to render them any balance-sheets or prdfit and loss accounts. They further complain that Mr Arthur Walter, having 'been appointed manager of 'The Times'by the late Mr John Walter, at a salary of £I,OOO a year, does not devote his whole time to the management of the paper, but has appointed some other person as manager, at a salary of £5,000 a year or thereabouts. They also complain that enormous sums of money were spent on ' Parnellisrn and Crime,' which had nothing to do with the business of a newspaper, and that Mr Wal'er has embarked on hazardous speculations in connection with the encyclopedia and other ventures, but particularly 'The Times' "book club." They call upon Mr Walter to produce the accounts of the profits and losses of these various speculations, and claim that 'The Times' shall be turned into a joint-stock company, with limited liability, a. board of directors, and published accounts. The Education Board have decided to raise tho amount payable to jnnior and senior scholarship-holders who reside at liomo to the maximum of £lO. Tho South Australian Government have made definite proposals, through Mr Smeaton, M.P., foT the munidpalisatkm and electrification of the Adelaide tramways, on tho basis of the cost being equally divided between the Government, the Corporation of Adelaide, and the suburban boroughs. Mayor Bruce does not think that electrification will jxiy over the entire suggested area.; he therefore proposes postponing dealing with certain routes for five years, and he insists on tho exclusion of Government control of and representation an tho Board of Matnageuwnt as soon as the city and suburban boroughs can see their wav to it pay the State's liability. Tn"e Adelaide Corporation have set up a special committee to deal with the question. A curious occurrence is reported from Stanthorpe (Q.). About, three years ago Harry Connolly, a son of Mr A. "Connolly, of Molong, who was carrying on business as a haker at Glen Inn«> (N.S.W.), mysteriously disappeared. Some time ago a resident of Glen Tnn.es was touring Quensland, and while in the Stanthorpe district he came in contact with a, young man locally known as Terry O'Brien, who was said locally to have completely lost his memory, except for events during the last three years. The man TecognWd O'Brien as Connolly, and forthwith wrote to Molong to the young man's father. Mr Connoly, sen., has left for Stanthorpe. He feels sure that O'Brien k his lost son. Connolly asserts that he was attacked in the street at Glen Inr.es, strhek on the head, and robbed of his money and valuables. He then lost hhs memory, the name of Terence O'Brien having been given to him by the nurse at the hospital witcre his wounds were dressed.

The proposal of the Tramways Committee of the City C-cnncil to alter the conditions of sale of concession tickets bv placing them for sale in some four shops in the City was challenged lairf. evening bv certain members of the Council. At the outset a motion was brought forward by Cr Brinslev that the change be not proceeded with, but that the Committee report on the matter to the next meeting of Council. The mover expressed a plain opinion that it was not so much a question of management as an alteration of the policy of the Council. The chief reason advanced against the change was that it will prove a serious inconvenience to the public. Many councillors, however, upheld the recommended change if only on this ground : that if the Council were going to criticise and annul the first action of their new manager before giving it a trial, what chance were they giving him? It was Cr Gore who disclosed the real reason for the change: "The Committee know they are being robbed, and that some conductors are making 2d in the shilling, though we have every confidence in the majority of our conductors." The chairman of the Committee (Cr Loudon) further allayed the ferment by the remark that it was only an experiment, that cost nothing—an experiment which, if it should not please the public, could easily be abandoned. When it came to a matter of voting, therefore, it fell out that Cr Brinsley's motion for delay and reconsideration was rejected. A supplement to the 'Gazette,' containing a classified list of teachers, thows that there are 2,816 persons employed giving public instruction in New Zealand. Of this number 1,371 arc males and 1,445 females, 95 of the latter being married women. By far the greater numher—6o4 to bo exact— are classified as " D 2." There are 469 names under "D 1" and 145 under "D 4."

Maori Hill School already has an attendance of 167, and the Board have dccided_ to build two more rooms, aud temporarily rent a room in the Presbyterian Churchl

On being interviewed regarding {he statement made hero that an increase in the price of boots was probable, the lmuagers of several Auckland firms stated that they saw no reason for the increase which was hinted at. The leather market, which had been showing an upward tendency for. *he past six months, wna still firm," bin, the state of trade was generally satisfactory to those engaged in it. There was also, it was Mated, reason for gratification in the fact that the public were beginning to recognise that the locally-manufactured boots compared very favorably with the imported article. Altogether theTe was no reason for complaint, and the future of the trade was being looked forward to with confidence. t About 500 invitations have been iesned for the laying of tho foundation stone of the new medical wing at the Hospital next "Wednesday. Theso have been sent to the mayor, city councillors, sulturban mayors, chairmen of county councils and road boards, members of the Legislature, ministers, members of the medical profession, and others. Tho claims of the ladies who made tho street collection in aid of the Hospital extension have Teen considered, but, on making inquiries to-day. Mr W. Wills, who 13 busy getting out the invitations, has been met, with tho fact that no record of their namej has been kept. It is probable, however, that some means of inviting them will be devised. .

'J. 1 he City Council last night threw out the Tramways Committee's recommendation that the sum of £lO be paid to Messrs Noyes Bros, for supervising the in of "the fronts of open cars. Cr Wilson brought the matter up. He said that Messrs' Noyes Bros. were supposed to get 10 per cent. on const-ruc-tion work, and therefore if they were entitled to anything for this work they were entitled to £l9. Cr Harrison supported Cr Wilson, and although the Mayor explained that the money was paid to "the engineers because it was work outside the contract the motion was carried. Mr Donald Uvaser, writing in the Rangitikei ' Advocate' on the subject of extortionate legal charges, says :—ln our days of pioneering there were no silk slippers or stuck-up collars, and not quite so many small fish for the sharks to feed an, I am a believer that the laborer is worthy of his hire, and as far as I myself am concerned, as an employer of labor, I pay men fairly, and also think that professional men should be paid reasonably. But I do not think that Nature ever intended that one man should give one hundred days of his hard labor in exchange for one day's labor of his stuckup collared and silk-slippered neighbor. Therefore I think that when the lawmakers of the country have found it necessary to make laws to protect the working classes against the employers it is also essential that the public should be protected against unscrupulous professional men. The majority of professional men are reasonable, and the majority of the public are honest. We only have to build gaols for the roughs; and we only want jnst laws to protect the public against the unscrupulous professional men who, I am sorry to say, do sometimes exist among us.

The City, Cbuneil notify that the Town Hall clock will be stopped until noon tomorrow to enable repairs to b'e effected.

What, it is hoped, is 'a unique case, and olso one without a parellel, was mentioned at last week's meeting of the Masterton School Committee. A boy who is nearly ten years of age and is only in Standard 11. has to rise at five o'clock every morning, meeting ji milk-cart at 5.45, and delivering milk till close on nine o'clock—the hour at which school opens. He has nothing to eat from the previous night till school is dismissed at 12.30 o'clock. His earpings for these early morning services represent the munificent sum of 2s 6d a week. Tho Committee decided to write to the boy's father and also to his employer, pointing out that unless the boy is more humanely treated some decisive action will be taken by the Committee. On the suggestion of Mr T. Mackenzie, M.H.R., the secretary of the Otago Education Board has promiEcd to arrange that candidates for vacancies in scipols are to be notified when their names are sent on to commit tees.

One of the Maori Hill Council's by-laws apparently says- that no ono shall blast within tho limits of the borough without pel-mission. A case was tried at the Police Court this morning, in which a defendant was charged with so blasting without permission. Tho information was dismissed, by Mr Graham. S.M., on the facts, but Mr Hay (defending counsel) incidentally remarked that it appeared to him that, apart from the facts of this particular case, the by-law was so wide that it could not be enforced by tho Council. Maori Hi.ll is a verr big wide borough, winch extends up Mounts Flagstaff and Careill, and Mr Hay put his contention this way: Is it reasonable that a woodcutter who cuts down a log on Mount Cargill should have to get permission from the Council to blast it open, when there could be no danger to life or damage to property? The magistrate assured Mr Hay that men or. councils were usually men of common sense, who used that sere?e in such matters. Mr Hay was willing enough to concede this as a general proposition, but ho seemed to have some doubts of its particular application.

The hearing of the charge of unlawful assault on a child of tender years preferred a.ginst a man named John Sharp occupied the attention of Mr 0. C. Graham, S.M., for the major part of yesterday. Accused was committed for trial at the next sittings of the Supreme Conrt, bail being allowed, himself in his own recognisance of £2OO and two sureties of £2OO each.

Our attention has been drawn to the statement from Invereargill to the effect that the demands made by friends upon members of the Commercial Club in that town have been so great that a meeting is to be called to consider the propriety of excluding '' friends." According to subsection 3of clause 50 of the Licensing Act, 1904, it is quite clear that the charter of a club, in so far ;is it confers the right to skll liquor, is suspended so long as No-license obtains in that locality; therefore it is not open to any club in Invereargill to retail liquor in any shape or form. The assistance given by the City Council to the scheme for establishing a Public Art Gallery—viz., £IOO a year for five years—was formally acknowledged in a letter received last night by the City Council from the secretary of the Puiblfc Art Gallery Committee (Mr C. R. Smith). A civil case, James Andrews v. the Dr M'Laughlin Company, was called on in the Magistrate's Court, Wellington, at the end of last week. Mr Lewey, solicitor for plaintiff, asked leave to withdraw the action, wliich was for £2O. He said his client was one of the. individuals who had bought an electric belt from defendant company. As a matter of fact there had been no service of the summons, as the company had disappeared, and could not bo traced. The rooms formerly occupied by the concern were now tenanted by a solicitor. He had found the summons beneath the door on entering upon his tenancy, and had communicated the fact of the company's no longer being there. The case was struck out.

Mr W. H. Warren lectured last night on the subject of ' The Church and the Worker.' He said in the course of his address that after careful consideration he had come to the conclusion that it was only by economy and morality that any permanent benefit could lie brought about. ■ Morality demanded that the hungry must be fed and the naked clothed, and the ChuTcit said that these expressions of charity -were the outcome of Christian teaching. In part that was true; and it was true in part only, because if the economic aspect of Christianity was practised it would abolish the need of charity, as it would abolish the cause of hunger and nakedness. The issue was a clear-cut one, and, summarised, it amounted to this ■ could the Church by confining her energies to the spiritual ajid moral conduct of her adherents so influence society as to bring about a system more worthy of the name of Christianity? Some men called themselves Christian Socialists. That was "a term lie could not understand. A Socialist was an economist, and he might be a Mussulman or a Buddhist or a Chinaman. In the course of the discussion on the lecture one man said it was a pity, seeing the grip Mr Warren had of the land question, that he did not stand for Parliament. A voice was heard in reply: "So he did." Well, continued the speaker, he ought to stand again and be returned. " I should like to know if the chairman can give us any idea into that," was the concluding sentence of a strong protest bv Cr Fiddis against the dismissal of half a do7.cn of the Corporation's laboring staff and surfacemen. He thought that, instead of men being put off, moTe should have been taken on. He,referred to the thirty or so children that woidd have to bo supported by these idle man—Cr Fiddis evidently going on the assumpti6n that they will never work again; but the crowning injustice, (o his mind, was evidently the fact that some of these men had been longer in the City's employ than some others who had escaped the pruning knife. Di-ciissiou on the Works Committee's report had previously been over the distribution of money for improving the condition of our City streets, and as soon as Cr Fiddis had sat down it was resumed on those lines. Nor did the chairman, in his reply, take note of Cr Fiddis's plea on behalf of the dismissed men; in point of fact, it looked as if the Council were disregarding Cr Fiddis. That councillor compnlled attention, however, a little later. Another councillor was speaking against allowing owners of properties to have private entrances thereto through the Town Belt, when O Fiddis suddenly jumped to his feet and said, excitedly: "Your Worship, I wish to draw this umbrella-maker's attention to order altogether. I don't know the man from a crow." Cr Fiddis got out one or two more sentences of a like nature before the gentle admonition of the mayor and the more or less suppressed laughter of the counciDors silenced him.

The long-drawn-out dispute between the City Council and the Benevolent True-tees over the payments for water at .the Benevolent Institution made a double reappearance yesterday. Proceedings afc the Trustees' meeting in tlie afternoon were reported in yesterday's issue. Last night at the Council meeting Cr Arlde, who is also a Benevolent Trustee, mentioned the matter when the Water Committee's report was l>efing considered Cr Loudon protested that the report contained no mention of the matter, and objected to its being discussed. The mayor ruled the discussion in order, so Cr Arlde proceeded with his statement of the case from the Trustees' point of view, his chief contention being that the Trustees were over-charged. He said they were willling fco pay £lOl 16s 8d per annum, which was the total of the charges according to the scale of rates. He denied that any special supply was used at the Institution. Some councillors representing Oaversham Ward—which borough in the old days ibefore amalgamation evidently had a blood-feud with the Trustees —joined in the fray. To a man these speakers were against the Trustees.' Cr Burnett, another Trustee, made a conciliatory speech, expressing confidence that the Council would deal justly by the Trustees. Several other councillors said that that was just the Council's aim, and the matter ended without any more definite BioHuse, '

Blenheim's needs were brought before the Acting Minister of Railways to-day. The Hon. A. Pitt and'the Hon. C. Mills were afterwards entertained at luncheon, and later attended the opening of the new Blenheim railway station, and also the Technical School. ■ >

The Tourist Department has (says the 'Wakatip Mail') taken over the control of the bowling green in the parkirom the local club.

'Oil the 28th of May last we commented favorably upon a suggestion of the RovW. Saunders that the Press of New Zealand should commend to the. attention, of the Government the desirability of approaching the Home Government with a view to arranging for periodical exhibitions in this colony of some of the great works of the old and modem masters owned by the nation. A similar suggestion now comes from Melbourne. On July J5 the ' Argus editorially said: " A great boon would be conferred on artists and amateurs if practical effect could be given to a correspondent's suggestion. There is a great wealth of notable pictures in English public institutions, without counting the valuable private collections. Could not our own art institutions in Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, and Brisbane join in trying to work out a feasible scheme whereby we might occasionally enjoy tlie sight "of a few selected works from, say, the National Gallery in London? Difficulties, of course, there are to be overcome. But Mr Booth took the risks, and, with present-day conditions, a voyage to Australia is really no more dangerous than a few generations ago was a journey from London to Paris. If we could not get, even as a temporary loan, the most precious of the pictures, we might still bo allowed, under proper safeguards, to have the occasional sight of works superior to anything in our own galleries. The idea is worth acting upon. The National Gallery trustees might at least sound the Home authorities to see if there were any chance of coming to terms." The idea, we trust, will yet assume practical shape as far'as New Zealand is concerned.

Vertical writing stands condemned by the Otago Education Board. Mr T. Mackenzie, M.H.R., said this morning at the Board's meeting: I bring before you this copybook —it is one of my son's—as a sample of writing that ought to be stopped. It is an abominable system, this erect style. I would sack any man in my employ who wrote like that. I think the Board should express an opinion as to the impropriety of teaching such a system, in fact, I will move a motion on the subject. I beg to propose —" That in the opinion of this Board tho regulation requiring erect teaching of writing bo abolished, as the same is quite unsuitable for commercial purposes." Mr Nicolson seconded the motion, and it was carried without dissent.

Tho Momona cases, whose orbit of late has not brought them within the public's scope of vision, appeared above the horizon for a few minutes to-day. On the sth inst. Mr J. F. Woodhouse, the arbitrator in these cases for compensation, delivered judgment in one of the claims, awarding the claimant (T. Horn) £ls, and directing each side to pay their own costs. The other seven cases Mr Woodhouse adjourned until to-day, so that before judgment was given in them claimants might study the conclusions as to law and fact which ho had arrived at and set forth in giving judgment in Horn's case. In these cases the arbitrator has tho full powers of the Supremo Court, and once his judgment is given there can be no appeal made on it to that Court. Mr Woodhouse's conclusions on law and fact, giyen in his judgment on Horn's claim, applied to the seven other claims, and the sitting of the Compensation Court held by him this morning was to hear if tho claimants had any points of law so decided by him to state for the opinion of the Supreme Court before he gavo judgment in their cases. The parties intimated that they did not wish any question of law arising out of the judgment delivered in Horn's case to be stated for the opinion of the Supreme Court, but the question was raised as to the power of tho Compensation Court in regard to costs. It was therefore arranged that on that point a case should be stated for the opinion of the Supreme Court. All the claims were then adjourned to August 15, at Dunedin. Tims no further judgments wero given by Mr Woodhouse this morning. The claimants interested wero Moynihan, Columb, Clark, Newman, Munhinick, Baird, and the Otago School Commissioners. Mr J. C. Stephens appeared for Moynihan and the Ot-ago School Commissioners, Mr J. F. 'M. FrasiT for the other Momona claimants, and Mr John MacGregor for the respondents (the Otakia Drainage Board).

Cr Walker advised the Works Committee of 'he City Council last evening not to waste money on certain crossings by putting down screenings*, but to put down wooden crossings, and to take into consideration the. whole question of crossings. Cr Shacklock considered that streets about the railway station should be attended to, as they were in a very bad state. Or Loudon asked •whether an estimate had yet been got of the cost of wood-paving or macadamising the streets near the railway station—Lower High str©Dt and Cumberland street. He referred to their condition as disgraceful. The chairman of the Works Committee (Or Wilson) informed the Council that the trouble in these streets was that the contractor had not supplied sufficient metal, but they hoped to fix ft up with him immediately.

" The tone of this ward has never been very high," said a member of the Hospital Trustees yesterday. It was No. 1 ward —a ward where " certain diseases " are kept in stock. The question was whe.thes the substitution of nurses for warders would improve matters. Some years ago the late Dr George Brown, then senior honse surgeon, brought the matter under the notice of tho Trustees. The proposal, somehow, was allowed to drop. Perhaps Dr Brown's death was the cause of the lapse from good intensions. Yesterday the House Committee recommended that the nursing in this ward be carried out by members of the regular nursing staff, with the assistance of a trained male dresser. This was agreed.to. One difficulty in the past has been the supervision of the ward on emergency occasions, such as when the regular warders went on holiday leave. The vacancies had then to be filled by "green hands." Under the new plan emergency occasions do not matter. Instead of having only two warders to meet such occasions, the Trustees have the whole nursing staff to draw on. Up till now the Trustees have hesitated to require female nurses to undertake the duties of this ward. The world and tho sentiments thereof move, however.

A nice point has arisen in reference to despatch of liquor from Dunedin to places north of Oamaru and south of Invercargill, both of which are No-license towns. The liquor has in each case to pass through the No-license area, and the question is : Does it become necessary for a person residing at, say, Waimate or Riverton, when giving an order for liquor, to notify the person to whom the order is given that the liquor has to pass through a No-license district in order to reach its destination where licenses exist' Further, is it necessary for the person executing such order or selling such liquor to furnish some clerk of a Magistrate's Court with a statement in _ writing of the nature and quantity of the liquor sent or taken, together with the name and address of the person ordering the liquor, as provided by the Licensing Act, 1904? Thirdly, must the vendor or person executing the order label the "packets containing the liquor, as provided by the same Act ? These questions are likely to be heard of in the near future. A" P e M ? US ' J - R > Prided at the Port Chalmers Police Court this forenoon, when a first offender was convicted pf drunkenness and discharged.

Tickets for the interprovincial football matches may be obtained by ex-representa-tives by applying to the secretary of the Rugby Union. ~" Last few days of T. Ross's sale, All jackets, furs, blouses, umbrellas, stockings, lined gloves, etc., to be cleared out at still further reductions.—TAdvt-3 The City Council notify that the Town Hall clock will be stopped until noon tomorrow to enable repairs to be effected. Why feel bo dull and lifeless? It's your liver. Dr Ensors Tamer Juice, a splendid liter Btedichny JJO9J

The treasurer of the Public Art Gallery Building Fund acknowledges the following subscriptions:—'Daily Times' fund, £l3 7s; Chas. Begg and Co., £lO 10s; Jas. Connor, £5 ss; Adams Bros., £2 2s; Jas. Mann, £2 2s; F. Z. and W. L. Moore, £2 2s; D.Scott £2 2s; W. J. Tonkin, £1 Is; Mrs 1 Jas. Connor, £1 Is; T. Hyndman, £1 Is; A. Fieldwick, £1 Is; R. J. Stark, £1 Is. The secret of good health is obtained by taking Dr Elisor's Tamer Juice. [lo9] Mr Sidney Wolf's choir and orchestra give their next concert in the Garrison Hall on the 25th inst. The vocal soloists will be Miss Florence Maclean and Mr E. Priest. Miss Ina Gow and Mr E. Parker aro on the programme for instrumental numbers. Sir Arthur Sullivan's 'Te Deum' will be performed at this concert.

Mr Morris makes the most charming portrait studies of all children. Their portraits are beautifully soft, naturally lifelike, and totally unstudied. Charges, 21s per dozen, cabinet size. Sec specimens in vestibule, the studio. Princes street. —[Advt.] A notice to members of Court Enterprise, A.0.F., appears in this issue. . Mountain King Astbttia Powder., proclaimed the best powder known. See testimonials. [lo9] Artistic hairdrcssing for evenings, etc., a specialty by Mr Hendy, who secured diploma of honor at the hairdressing comoatitions held in London last year. Hairdressing; from Is.—[Advt.] The road to health paved with good digestion.— Vegetable Charcoal, invaluable for indigestion, diarrhoea, fevers, etc. Powder, 2s, 4s, 6s; biscuits, Is, 2s, 4s; all chemists. Bragg, Wigmore street, London, England.—[Advt.] The members of the Caversham liaplist Young Men's Club are fortunate in securing such an authority as the Rev. D. Dutton for their lecture on 'Astronomy' to-morrow •vuiing. Mr Dutton will use large 'Hi-grams as illustrations. The meeting will bp an open one, ladies and gentlemen being invited, and admission is free.