NEW ZEALAND.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXXX, Issue 10106, 3 August 1893, Page 5

NEW ZEALAND.

[Per Press Association.]

AUCKLAND, August 2,

Owing to some of the Country School Committees closing the schools without consulting the Board for lengthy periods on account of measles, the Board has passed the following resolution : —“ School Committees are reminded that there is no power to close schools unless in very exceptional circumstances, and schools should not be closed for more than one day without consulting the Board or its executive.” Some of the medical men intend to sue the corporation for fees due for reporting cases of measles. A test case will be taken into Court.

A meeting of the Woman’s Franchise League decided to communicate with the Auckland members, urging them to vote for woman’s franchise when the matter comes up in the House. The Waihi Goldmining Company had 1621 tons of ore crushed and treated for the four weeks ending July 29, yielding £330.

At a meeting of the Presbytery the Eev p. M’Nicol asked Mr Somerville, as a trustee of the church, for particulars of the recent litigation, and whether it was likely that any further proceedings would be taken in connection with the losses the church has sustained through the defalcations of its late solicitor- Mr Somerville, in reply, after relating the circumstances of the late action in the Supreme Court, in which the trustees were defeated, stated that the Board of Trustees had since fully considered the position. It had consulted several leading counsel in tho south, who were unanimously of opinion that the trustees had a strong case to go to the Court of Appeal, but having regard to the odium which repeated appearances in the Law Courts would be likely to bring upon the church, the trustees had resolved to proceed no further, in the hope that the General Assembly of the church to which they were responsible, will approve of their conduct, and submit to the very serious loss which must consequently be borne. WELLINGTON, August 2.

In consequence of statements charging the Ballance Memorial Committee with extravagance, the Secretary submitted his books for inspection, showing the total expenditure to date, exclusive of the coat of the public meeting, to have been .226 lls. The Committee considered the amount very satisfactory, as it would have been no more had .22000 been collected instead of £248.

At a meeting of the Liberal and Labour Election Convention, a letter was read from Mr M’Lean, suggesting that steps be taken to repair the breach between certain sections of the Liberal Party in Wellington. The Convention resolved not to take any action, as it had no dispute with the Trades and Labour Council. Mr Coleman Phillips will move at the Agricultural Association’s meeting to send trial shipments of stud sheep to South America and England. The Amateur Athletic Club has decided to abandon its cycling branch, and to conduct future meetings under the rules of the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association. The sum of ten guineas was voted towards the expenses of a New Zealand team to compete at tho Championship Athletic Meeting in Australia. DUNEDIN, August 2.

The Dunedin Presbytery’s Committee on Bible reading in schools intends inviting representative men in the city to a conference, with the object of introducing the London School Board’s system of Bible reading. Dr Stuart, as convener of the Committee, said that Mr Hutchison’s scheme is impracticable. Charles Burton, aged seventy-seven years, shot himself at Clyde on Tuesday and died to-day. Ho stated he was tired of life.

A warrant has been issued at Auckland for the arrest of a young man named Ernest T. Dawson, who was manager of the Dunedin branch of Cook’s Tourist Agency. This Dawson, like his namesake now awaiting trial, was known to be living fast, and hia friends wore uuder the impression that he must have private means. He left hero last Wednesday on his way north, where ho said he was going to spend five weeks’ holiday. He appears to have written to the Auckland manager that he waa absconding with the firm’s money, but since the warrant has been issued nothing has been hoard of him. Ho is believed to have left Lyttelton for Eio in the Coptic. The amount of defalcations^

ia mentioned as £6OO. Dawson came to Dunedin from Auckland. The City Council to-night decided to take no action in keeping Arbor Day as a holiday. It was pointed out that being Friday, when the shops are open late, it would be inconvenient to close the shops, besides which the fourth was the most important day of the month. The Tramway Company wrote that if the Government insisted on demanding >£Booo to defray tho coat of insulating the telephones, it was quite certain that the new Company would not proceed with the electric tramways. A large number of applications were received to be placed on tho burgess roll. Objection was taken to fifty-two of these, which it was alleged were made in view of the licensing elections. Practically all but one were passed.