LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 2 September 1907, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS

The monthly meting of the Nelson Chamber of Commerce will be held at the Chamber's Room, above the Dresden, this evenmp; at 8 o'clock, when a full attendance is requested. Prior to the business being proceed'd with at the meeting of the Harbour Roard to-day, the Chairman movetl that a resolution of .sincere sympathy I;.- passed with Mr Talbot (an esteemed member of the Board since, its inception) in his recent bereavement in the loss of his wife, and that a copy r;f the resolution be forwarded to Mr Till hot. The motion w.is seconded by Mi Lock, and spoken to by all the members, and carried unanimously. During t.he month of August there were registered at Nelson 27 births, 27 deaths, and five marriages. A lad of ten, belonging to the Stoke Industrial Schcol, died on Saturday evening. Ho was suffering from croup, and Dr Belt was called in and found tiiat the only chance of saving Ihe boy's life was by operating.. In spite of the operation, however, the lnd was unable to pull through. The Coroner considered that an inquest- was Unnecessary. A total eclipse of the sun will occur on January 3rd next year, the line of totality passing over two known island! in the Pacific, Flint Island has bcei chosen fcr American observation, anc two expeditions to visit the place hay, bsen. equipped. There will also lx> r total eclipse of. the sun on May 11th, 1910, visible in Tasmania, and a total eclipse of the sun will be visible in Sydney on April 28th, 1911. A meeting of members and intending members of the Nelson Horticultural Society will be held at the Chamber of Comerce Rooms (Dresden Buildings), at 8 o'clock to-morrow evening. The evidence produced before Sir Thomas Whittaker's committee in the House of Commons with reference to the conditions under which work is done by women at their homes, shows a state nothing short of slavery, says a London paper. Women in Birmingham, whose work lies in the boxing and carding of hooks and eyes and in the button trade, can only make from 2s to 4s a week, their average earnings being about 2s to 3s. In Manchester, according to Miss Emma Coppock, a better state of affairs exists at present, for homa worker scan earn from 6s to 12s a week at making shirt*, but she contends that all the houses occupied by these home workers should be cerified as suitable for the purpose and the right of compulsory entry given to the authorities. This was specially desirable in the case of infectious diseases breaking out, and Miss Coppock pointed out the great advantage to the outworkers of the order requiring particulars to be given of piecework prices as having tended to improve their rates of payment. Very great efforts are being made to stop the horrible sweating system whldj is practised by so many Bast-end employers, but the difficulties to be encountered are serious and many. One of the latest sufferers from the prevailing epidemic, influenza, v 'he Rev. C. H. Garland, who was ar "need to preach at St. John's Church \ .sterday, but who found it impossible to do bo. The Rev. J. Crump, with his usual readiness, occupied the pulpit morning and evening. / (

The Mayor returned to Nelson this morning, after an absence of about a month. Mr Piper appears to have benefited by his trip. The following Nelson candidates have succeeded in passing the local centre rudiments of music examination of the Associated Board.— Misses H. Kempthorne, K. Thorn, 0. Garland, B. Huffam. W- Hanby, B. Price. S. Pnynter, and D. Bi3ley\ As Herr Lemmar will be absent from Nelson all this week, there will be no practice for the chorus and orchestra <-f the Harmonic Society. The annual genera! meeting of the Phoenix Cricket Club will be held in the Institute, Richmond, on Wednesday evening, at 7.30. The Hinekoa ladies 'hockey team will arrive from Blenheim by to-morrow's steamer, and will play the Wainui Club on Wednesday afternoon. This should be an interesting match, and should ensure the attendance of all hockey enthusiasts. The visitors will be entertained by the Wainui Club at a dance on Wednesday evening. Tho steamship companies running steamers in the saloon passenger trade to and from Australia are under instructions from their head offices to incieiuse their present passage rates by a surcharge of 10 per cent. This is only part of a widespread movementcovering the whole Eastern trade, ?.2 large (ompanies participating in it. The Australian linos concerned are the t. and 0., Orient, Royal Mail Line, Mesageries Maritimes, Nord Deutscher Lloyd, Canadian Australian, G Thompson and Co (Aberdeen Line), Lund's Blue Anchor Line, and the Federal-Houlder-Shire Lines As yet the increase does not apply to third-class traffic It is understood that the step has become necessary in consequence of additional burdens imposed upon tho companies by recent legislation in Great Britain, by enhanced prices for most of 'heir stores cud provisions, and by great increase in the price of I coal Dr. G. J. Hodgson, of Alma-road, St. Kilda, Melbourne, had a remarkable experience the other evening while motoring. When the doctor, who was his own chauii'eur, was careering along Dandenong-road, he heard an alarming report, and instantly flames two yards long leapt up all round him. Realising his danger, ha promptly sprang into the road, alighting without injury. He said afterwards tho risk of the jump was trilling compared with the chance of getting saturated with the burning oil-giving flame, which he would have b^eu unable to extinguish. Directly he had regained his equilibrium and saw the flaming motor going away dow nthe road, ho set off in pursuit of it, and after a brisk run came up alongside and pluckily succeeded in putting down the brako and bringing it to a standstill. This was not done without putting his body through the flames, and in consequence he got slightly burned about tho head and wrists. The car, in its course, had leaked blazing benzine in all directions, and puddles of it burned fiercely for some time, whilst the motor flamed u way until the whole of the woolwork had been consumed, leaving only liio iron fiame. In connection with the quashing of the conviction of Mr Stannard, a missionary, on the Congo, it may be explained that the administration of the Congo Free State, since the rubber industry became so important, has been a record of the cruellest slavery, the natives being compelled, with soldiers recruited from other tribes behind them, to gather rubber for months at a time in order to retain the right to occupy their lands The soldiers had unlimited authority over life, and death, and unlimited opportunity to kill, violate, and plunder, and rob. The troops, when they found that the quantity of rubber was not coming in, attacked tho tribes, and cut off the hands of a certain proportion to make the remainder more agile on the next rubber expedition. These hands would be collected, smoked, and at the end of the expedition placed in rows before the commissary of the district, who would count them to see that the soldiers had not wasted cartridges. h.'o great has the outcry become that King Leopold, who from* his personal funds has financed the State, proposes that it shall be annexed to Belgium, but on suo hterms that he shall still control it, and that the Belgian Parliament shall have practically no voice in the government of the- country. Virtually it was beca-uso they did not agree to this proposal that the Belgian Miuitsry resigned a few months ago. The new Ministry has promised to bring forward an amended proposal of annexation. Whether tho specific charegs mads by Mr Stannard wero fully justmed wo know not, but no doubt he had fair grounds for his accusations. A correspondent of the Sydney "Telegraph" has the appended "good word for tea: — "After reading your report, under the above head, on ths 20th inst., of Dr. L. B. Sperry's condemnation of tea-drinking, I was be- | ginning to consider the advisableness of moderating my daily consumption of the beverage, if I did not wish to curtail my already limited number of years. However, 1 was somewhat relie 1 , ed to notice Dr. N. E. Yorke-Da-vies supplying a gcod word for Me the' in an articlo entitled 'Harmless Beverages in Relation to Health,' appearing in the 'Gentleman's Magazine.' I append a couple of his remarks in case your readers — and especially in view of the increased duty — may in abstaining needlessly therefrom, cause rerj.us loss t:> those in tho trade ; and take a harmful beverage as a substitute. He places among tne harmless beverages, water first (if pure), and te;i as the cecond. He .says: 'Tea seems to fill sonio want in the system that no other beverage- can satisfy. The active r-:m---ciple of tea, which is kn wi ;.s theme, is a powerful stimulant to the nervous system, but, unlike alcohol, it does no harm ; indeed, it is a solace and comfort to millions, and every >ear tea grows in popuuarity airl favour. I am a strong advocate of tea xs a beverage ,and curious as t m.iv seem, though tho consumption cf tea is universal, it is seldom that people will tako tho trouble to make it properly. If inordinate consumption of tea does harm, it is simply because it is not properly made.' iio concludes: 'As a dietist, I look upon tea as a valuable product in every lespect, and its price now puts it within the reach of th? humblest-. The moie it takes the place >f alcohol the better for our race, and 3 very endeavour should bs made to po pulraise it, not only by making it in Lhe very best form," but by offering it at such a price, as to supplant alcohol, in the form of beer, wines, and Bpirits.' It is a pity Sir William Lynehad not scon this and acted on it, before he placed the additional duty on tea, and left spirits, etc., as they were." Attention is drawn to Messrs E. MeVherson and Co.s advertisement.