YESTERDAY’S TELEGRAMS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2128, 29 February 1908, Page 1

YESTERDAY’S TELEGRAMS.

NA.Pllfl.lt. Marry Wilton, aged 38, plasterer, employed on the Caledonian hotel, died to-day as the result ol injuries sustained by a. tail from a. scaffold. Deceased was single, anil .so lar na is known, has no relatives in the eol°"y' AUCKLAND. In reference to the ease ol an old age pensioner made at the inerting ol the Auckland Charitable Aid Board, and telegraphed that a pensioner 82 years of age, who had live different medals, against whom there was not n single bliiok mark, had been derived of his pension for live years. Mr Ruddock, deputy registrar, has informed the' Hoard that on a first conviction lor drunkenness the pensioner was caution.-d that on a second offence he would lose his pension, lie was again convicted and the Magistrate refused fo,renew the pension. The Mayor of Auckland to-day presented each member of the Auckland cricket team which won tho Phinkot shield with a handsome medal to com-memora-te‘their victory, placing Auckland at the head of cricket in tin; Dominion.

Continued dislocation of the tramway service, due to insufficient power, attributed to the accident ,in the power house, was subject to loud complaint at a. meeting of the Auckland City Council, which decided to call upon the Tram Company to remedy the present state of affairs forthwith. AYISI, LI NG TON. The Scriptures sheet containing tho ten commandments, recently autliorisd by the AYellingidu Education Board, to be hung in Mie schools of this district, was under discussion by the .Board yesterday. One committee, tho Pongaroa, has refused to have anything to do with tho sheet. A member asked what was the Secretary’s instruction upon the matter. Tho reply was that copies of the sheet had been forwarded to committees, with the request that they should he hung on the school walls. Mr Vile: Tho Pongaroa school committee has absolutely refused to place it in their school, and I think wo should he more emphatic. The Board should issue instructions to tho headmaster to comply with tho Board’s decision. No action was taken. lie'llry George Hegaty was to-day committed to the Supreme Court for sentence on a charge of having converted to his own use £35 9s (id belonging to the Vacuum Oil Co. Proprietory, Ltd. lii cross-examination, of the manager of the company, it was elicited that the accused,who was engaged as cash clerk, was paid £2 2s (id per week.

The Hon. A. J. Millar, Minister of Labor, does not deem it advisable to say anything at this juncture regrading the trouble at Blackball mine. Tho position, lie added, is a serious one, and will require careful considortion on the part of the Government. The biennial conference of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants opened yesterday. Nineteen delegates were present, representing branches of the Society in all parts of the Dominion. Mr Mack, the newly elected secretary was present. The conference decided that lie should take up his duties at once, Mr Edwards, the late secretary, being appionted as his assistant for the conference. Mr Edwards was also granted 12 months' leave on full pay. Several hundred motions appeared on the agenda paper, and it is probable that the 'conference will last a fortnight. .A 'argo number of-these motions relate to wages and classification. There are half a dozen motions, echoes of Mr McCullough's case, in favor of Government servants being given full rights of free speech. The conduct of the secretary’s journal, the Railway Review, is to come up for discussion. The conference is not open to tho press. A lad named Lay, son of a storekeeper at Upper Mutt, was playing in front of his fathers shop, when he was 'knocked down by a dray; the wheel passed over his head, and he •died on the way to the hospital. NELSON. Mr Stead Ellis, secretary of the Nelson Education Boil'd since 1880, died to-day after a short illness. He was taken ill on the Bth hist., and had a stroke of paralysis on Wednesday, and never recovered. He had been ailing a long time, but was not incapacitated till a few days ago, when ho was granted three months leave of absence. No rain, except useless light showers, lias fallen here since Christmas. The winter’s outlook for vegetables and feed is gloomy. The water supply of the city is fair. ASHBURTON. At the Magistrate’s Court to-day before Mr V. G. Day, S.AL, T. Sutherland and Jas. Donart were charged with stealing £9 ,10s from the house of Edward Acland, at Window. Accused reserved their defence, and after hearing evidence for tho prosecution ; the Magistrate held that a prima facie case had been 'established, and committed them for trial at .the Supreme Court, Christchurch on May lltli. Bail was allowed. William Geo. Barrett, charged with stealing a cheque for £l2 16s 2d from J. Rudd, pleaded guilty and was remanded for the probation officer’s report, bail being allowed. CHRISTCHURCH. Another very hot day is being experienced with no prospects of rain. Mr Merritt, injured in the recent motor ear accident, is progressing slowly in the hospital, hut has not wholly -recovered consciousness. DUNEDIN. Vah jnti (mu for greater Dunedin for 1908-9 show an increase of £12,207 on last year, the total for the current year being £396,918 as against £384,711 for the previous year. The price of first-grade factory butter advanced Id per ib to-day. and tlie .wholesale tariff now stands : Bulk Is Id, prints Is IRI booked, and Is ljd cash. The reason given for the advance is that North Island linns have been buying butter in this market to fill orders for export, and in order to ensure a supply for local requirements the Taieri and Peninsular Company have been compelled to put lUC i,rk ' C ' TIMAIUI.

The Coneilation Board sat lioro today to consider the timber and coalworkers’ dispute. A conference was held between the employers and employes ; when an agreement was arrived at to accept the Board’s recommendation in the Christchurch dispute, with two exceptions, which it was agreed to leave it to the decision oi the Board without appeal. The l-larhor Board to-day selected from 25 applicants F. W. Clair, of Perth, for the position of resident manager, at a salary of £4OO. I here were applications from all parts of New Zealand and Australia.

A GREYMOUTH. The position 'lit Blackball remains unaltered. No work was done to-day. Tlie company have only enough coal Lu lill one more steamer. The manager interviewed by a Gre.ymouth Star reporter, slated that the company desired to wrti'k toil hours a day, giving the men overtime. This was refused, and when the eight hours was gone back, to, lie had to dismiss some men who eon Id not bo profitably employed. HOKITIKA. A six-roomed dwelling house in Beale.v street owned by W. Whillcn and occupied by J. Maioniey, was totally destroyed by fire at three o’clock this morning. Tho occupants had to escape through the window. The brigade turned out smartly, and had tho first jot of water on very quickly, thus saving the adjourning residences. The building destroyed was insured for £l5O in the Northern. The adjoining premises of Mrs Harkov, which was severely scorched, were inauraljor £IOO in tlie Manchester. ' ' 'NEW PLYMOUTH. Tlie annual meeting of the North .Island Brass Bands’ Association was held last night. Mr M. Cohen presided. The annual report said that 55 hands were now affiliated. The financial position was sound, the Association having a cash balance of £157. Mr Cohen commented adversely of tlie withdrawal of the Knikoria Band from the present contest and characterised it as unsportsmanlike. A proposal to hold tlie annual eisteddfod was held over. It was decided to revise and re-print the rules. Hastings will be the scene of the next contest. Jt was decided in future to allot different music to .second-class hands and to elect three judges instead of one lapsed, there being no seconder. PALMERSTON NORTH. A cable received to-day by x commercial firm in town states that the butter market in London lias fallen further. New Zealand butter is now quoted at 130 s to 131 s, and there are no buyers. It is expected there will he a further decline to 120 s. Tho cheese market is reported firm.