NEWS FROM NEAR AND FAR

Evening Star, Issue 12687, 13 June 1907, Page 7

NEWS FROM NEAR AND FAR

At the ‘New Zealand Times’ building last Monday, Mr A. Hamilton, the wellknown scientist and curator of the Lational Museum, on entering the building along with Mr Longdcn, British Art Commissioner of the International Eshibi- - tion, fell several feet through a trap-door, which had been opened for the removal of a gas meter, and suffered a severe shock, as the result of which ho is now confined to bed. j A “Peace Monday” for Wellington this year is assured. Mr Lloyd, secretary of the local branch of the Peace Federation, , said that he had received favorable replies to the Association's circular to the clergy requesting them to preach on peace'on the j Sunday following the opening of The Hague Conference. Bishop Wallis and the (Donnell of the Churches have promised to recommend the proposal to the clergy throughout the district. The success of this overture has stimulated tbo secretary to a further effort. As soon as he gets definite information about the date of nio Conference he will despatch letters to the clergy of other centres asking thorn to folloa: the example that is to be set in Wellington.— Post.’ The Hon. J. B. Sinclair presided at the ninth annual meeting of the Dunedin Chrysanthemum Club, held last night. The report, as published in yesterdays issue, was adopted. The following officebearers were elected: —President, Air J. C. Thomsonvioe-prosxlonfcs—Messrs Ed. Webster, S. Solomon, A H. Fisher, and J. Rennie; committee—Messrs Wall- Youngeon, M’Laren, Hamel, Poole, Mitchell, and Wilson; , secretary, Mr H. Adam; hen. auditor, Mr Jas. Brown. The sum of £5 5s was voted to the secretary for his services. A hearty vote of thanks was accorded the retiring president (who did not seek re-election) for his past services. Lionel Terry, who is serving a life sentence for the murder of a Chinaman m Haining street, Wellington, considerably over a year ago, has been imprisoned in Lyttelton Gaol since December 13, consequent on his threat while at tho Sunnysido Mental Hospital to murder an attendant. Terry having been declared insane, tho hospital of the gaol was gazetted a lunatic asylum during his occupancy of it. Terry has now been removed to the Sea-

cliff Mental Hospital, and it is understood that b© will bo cent to La-iiiaoh. s Castle, which is to becomo a. criminal mental hospitaL “It is not improbable that these bones belonged to Maori victims taken in battle and slaughtered for culinary purposes,” wrote an Auckland ‘ Herald ’ reporter, describing the find of bones in a cayo at One Tice Hill last week, but no direct evidence is furnished beyond a reference to “molars much worn down.” Some of the limb and other bones showed that their , Maori owners were throe or four inches i over six feet in height. I A man who was arrested at Makatote (North Island Main Trunk line) on a | charge of having imposed on a resident ! by selling cold tea as whisky appeared beforo the Tamnartmni Police Court on Saturday last. Ho was found guilty, and was fined £lO, with £9 16s costs, or one month’s imprisonment. He went to gaol, i The Geraldine agent of one of the in- j smonce offices has received word that in j consequence of the frequent fires in that town the insurance rates will be raised i or the business declined altogether. Every j effort should bo made to bring the crim- ; inal to justice', and if, as the writer un- I derstood, a particular individual was suspected, the authorities ought to be made I aware of that. The agent replied, sug- . gesting that the Insurance Association | should bring some pressure to bear upon the Police Department to strengthen means of tracing the fire-raiser. In the meantime a night-watchman is being employed. | The Horopoto correspondent of the | Mangawcka ‘Settler’ writes:—Then came-1 a break in the monotony. Two men managed to get through with three cases of whisky. This was soon disposed of at 20« per bottle, and navvies, gangers, and overseers had a good time. One man alone is said to have given £lO for ten bottles of the nectar. Just fancy a man making £27 profit on three cases of whisky. Is it any wonder that storekeepers complain of the risk they ran in supplying food to the men on the works? The use of tobacco, by growing lads especially, has often been denounced, but the statement of the Rev. G. Bowden at a Baptist conference at West Hartlepool recently must surely Jbe said to stand alone. It was to this effect: —“ Every child of a smoker was cursed before it came into the world. It was poisoned more than it should be. No stock-breeder would breed any form of animal life under the conditions that we were producing children in to-day. Many social evils were wronglv attributed to drink. It was the use of tobacco that was responsible for a great proportion of the insanity, the physical degeneration, and the crime that existed.” The Wellington Conciliation Board yesteiday filed their recommendations in the building trades laborers’ dispute. The Beard recommend that forty-five hours constitute a week’s work, not more than hours to be worked on Saturdays. On other days the working hours shall be between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., but in May, June, July, and August any employer may require his men to commence work at 7.45 a.m., with only half an hour for dinner. At other times three-quarters of an hour shall be allowed. The minimum rate of wages for scaffolders is placed at Is 4d per hour, and workers engaged in any other capacity are to receive_ not less than Is 2d per hour. Overtime is to be paid at the rate of time and a-half until 9 p.m., and at double rates thereafter. Youths are to be employed in the proportion of one to every four fully-paid label ers. Preference to unionists is conceded. Contrition has often been described as a popular form of insurance against fire amongst people whose health is no longer I robust. A Balaclava solicitor received this note during the weak from a man who once worked for him : —“ Dear sir,—Please find enclosed postal note for 7s 6d from

Blank, who is very pnwell, for damaging your grass-mower and taking a blanket and nine hen eggs from your residence when he was in your employ a number of years ago. Re damage to grass-mower. Is sd; taking blanket, ss; nine eggs, Is. He is very sorry for his sinful acts, and asks your forgiveness, and to accept the enclosed postal note for the above amount as restitution for the same.” The solicitor) in returning the postal note, explained that if the hens didn’t miss the eggs he didn’t; that in summer blankets are rather an encumbrance than a valuable chattel; and that it is the way of lawnmowers as a class to get out of gear just when you want them most, so that eighteenpence worth of damage was probably not a greater punishment than the lawnmower deserved. The Chicago correspondent of a London coi temporary, describing the end of Dr Dowie, says that his old coachman was present at the end, as was also a stalwart negro, who, during his master’s troublous times, served as his bodyguard. A few who remained faithful to their old leader were also present in the death-chamber. Dowie refused the assistance of a doctor, saying; “I' have cured others, and if I cannot cure myself let me go to my rest. I have fought the good fight.” Almost to the last the bald-headed, long-bearded little man retained a fine command of that vituperative language which first served to bring him to notice while preaching at the gates of the great Chicago Pair. Dowie, in fact, died raving at his enemies. His disastrous experiences as a missionary in London were really the beginning of his great downfall, everything going from bad to worse when he returned to America. The “Prophet” never forgave London, and many a time ho has delighted Irish-Amoricans by predicting the destruction of “that city of beer and wastrels,” as he called the metropolis. “Elijah ” had hardly breathed his last when M" John Hatoly, official receiver of Zion, seized Shiloh House, with its trappings and furnishings, including the “Prophet’s” gorgeous apostolic robes, and held the same on behalf of the creditors.