LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 9487, 17 April 1894, Page 5

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Wk would remind our readers of Sir Robert Stout's address this evening in the City Hall on «' The Aims and Methods of the Liberal Party." His Worship the Mayor will preside, The dress circle will be reserved for ladies accompanied by gentlemen, and admission to the platform will be by card. Out of courtesy to Sir Robert Stout the annual meeting of the Athenaeum Literary Society has been postponed. *

A very large number of applications in Chambers and Banco were disposed of yesterday by Mr. Justice Conolly, prior to his departure for New Plymouth in the evening He was fully occupied from 10 o'clock until 1 o clock, and although at first he entertamed little hopes of being able to dispose of ah the application*, he did manage to clear off the lists before rising. The attendance of members of the legal profession was larger than has been seen in Chambers for a very considerable length of time, but then the applications had been accumulating during His Honor's previous absence in Uisborne ana the prolonged sittings of the Criminal and Civil Courts.

The funeral of the late Lieutenant-Colonel De Quincey, Serjeant-at-arms in the New Zealand Parliament, and an old army officer, took place yesterday, leaving Cambridge House, Vincent-street, at half-past three o'clock for the Purewa Cemetery. The first mourning carriage conveyed Messrs. F. Peacocke, Gerald Peacocke, Colonel Haultain, and the Rev. L. Fitz' Gerald, incumbent of St. Matthew's Parish, the second carriage was occupied by Messrs! Jas. Wilson and Hancock and O. Outhwaite. Colonel Burton's private carriage conveyed Colonel Burton, Sergeant Hildritch, and Mr. W. Wildman. Amongst others whom we noticed attending to pay their last respects to an old friend were Sir G. M O'Korke, Messrs. J. T. Boylan, Thomas Thompson, and Dr. Beale. The service at the grave was impressively conducted by the Rev. L. FitzGerald, of St. Matthew's church.

Commenting on the recent proposal to create bishops for tho Wesleyan system at Home, the Joyful News, a paper claiming the largest circulation among We.?]eyans, condemns tho plan in vigorous and uncompromising language. "If wo want bishops," it says, " let us go where we can pet the real thing, and not some cockney imitation of it. If we are to imitate the* Church of England, let us copy that which has made it such a power today. We mean the activity of its clergy." Commenting on the foregoing, the Church Times remarks: "If the followers of Wesley have revived tho old maxim, 'Nil sins. epUcopo,' they need only revive their old allegiance to the church which their founder forbade them ever to leave."

Some of the officers and members of the Fire Brigade and Salvage Corps who took part in extinguishing the fire in Kempthorne and Prosser's drug store, Wynd hamstreet, on Saturday morning, are suffering severely from the effects of tho acid fumes which they inhaled at the time. The general effect is on the lungs, and it produces very considerable pain and irritation. Superintendent Hughes was affected to such an extent that, 'he was spitting blood, and he still suffers from the effects of the poison. Captain Field has also suffered, and was confined to bed on Saturday and Sunday. Several of the firemen are temporarily disabled from their ordinary duties, but the man who appears to have suffered most is Mr. Solomons, of the Salvage corps. He is now confined to bed, and is being attended by Dr. Dawson, who has ordered him to remain in bed or in his room for five days, by which time he hopes to be able to discover the extent of his injuries. He is suffering acutely in the meantime, and his case is very serious. It has been suggested to us that there should be some by-law or other provision to prevent the storage of combustible acids in the heart of the city. The storage of much less dangerous commodities, such as kerosene, gunpowder, and dynamite, which are not subject to spontaneous ignition, is provided for under stringent regulations, and only very limited quantities can be kept in store.

At the meeting of the Devonport Borough Council last night, Mr. Edwin Harrow, of Lake Taknpuna, was present, and drew the attention of the Council to what he considered would tend to a pollution of the wafers of the Lake by drainage near the water 'line. The Mayor and Mr. O. Mays, however, stated that there was no cause of fear. Mr Harrow also stated that he had seen a drain from one of the properties running towards the Lake, which would cause pollution, but that was some months ago, before the present waterworks scheme was started with. In answer to the Mayor, Mr. Harrow said that he did not know of any snob drainage going on at the present time, but he would like to have an inspector appointed to examine into these matters. The councillors, however, wore of opinion that Mr. Harrow's fears were groundless, and the matter ended.

Mr. Orchiston, who has just been promoted to the position of Inspector of Tele graphs, Uunedin, in charge of the Ota go Telegraph district, left by the Takapuna, yesterday, for Duuedin, being accompanied by Mrs. Orchiston. During the time that Mr. Orchiston has been in charge of the Auckland district, now over 13 years, there has been considerable advance in electrical matters. When he took charge, there were only 645 miles of telegraph and 38 telegraph .stations, the telephone being unrepresented, whereas at the present date there are 1170 miles of lines, 150 telegraph and telephone stations, as well as the telephone exchange* at Auckland and at the Thames, with over 800 subscribers. The lines have also been well and efficiently maintained, the paucity of faults in the Auckland district being a proof of this, and although the lines have been kept up to a high standard of efficiency, the cost of maintenance has been remarkably low. On reference to the annual reports of the postal and telegraph department, we notice that although the line in the Auckland district cost on an average" more to maintain than the rest of the colony before Mr. Orchiston's advent thoy have cost considerably lower under his management. The apparent saving shown by the last annual report representing a sum of no less than £20;K), as compared to the average of the rest of New Zealand. It will no doubt be a consolation to the working men to know that the saving has nob been effected by the cutting down of wages, as all the workmen, including the foremen and linemen have been in receipt of higher wages than formerly. Mr. Orchiston's motto has been good pay for good work, and nothing for the loafer. The excellent results achieved have fully justified his action. It may be interesting in this connection to refer to Mr. Orchiston's official career. Mr. Orchiston joined theserviceof the Telegraph Department, Wellington as a cadet, on the 15th January, 1874, and was appointed telegraphist and postmaster at Hawera, Taranaki, on the Ist April following. After serving as postmastsrat Hawera for three and a half years he was transferred to the construction and maintenance branch, where he served hi« apprenticeship under Mr. Gordon Gibson. He was promoted to be an acting sub-inspector, at the at,a of 21, and sub inspector at 23, when he was promoted to take charge of the Auckland district in September, 1880. Prior to leaving Auckland, Mr. Orchiston was presented by the officers of the Auckland Telegraph District with a silver tea and coffee service and a handsome marble clock as a mark of esteem. The presentation was made by Mr. Furby (officer in charge of the Auckland Telegraph Office), in an appropriate speech, and the gift was suitably acknowledged by Mr. Orchiston.

There has scarcely been a time in Auck land at which two articles of food - fruit and' fish -have been to cheap as at present. Yesterday bananas were sold retail at three halfpence per lb, and four mullet for a shilling An Aucklander who has just returned" from depressed Melbourne, says he was -imply astounded at the high prices realised recently in that city for fljunderß nd uchnapper.

The Commissioner of Taxes notifies elsewhere with regard to assessment for land tax that person* having disposed of, or having acquired, land or mortgages, may make new returns of land and mortgages as at Ist April last, the land values to "bo those assessed at Ist November, 1891. Owners liable to land tax who sold land before the Ist mat. should forward particulars of sales to the Commissioner of Taxes. Having at his own request been relieved from the command of the Union S.S. Company's steamer Mararoa, < 'aptain H. ». H. Chatfield has been appointed to the Kotomahana. Captain Chatfield's home is in Melbourne, and this change will enable him to visit that city more frequ nt.ly than if he retained command of the Mararoa. At Wellingson on Saturday last a pleasant gathering took place in the captain's room of the Mararoa, when Captain Chatfield was presented by his brother officers with a massive handsome silver afternoon tea and dessert service, suitably inscribed. The presentation was made by Mr. McMurrich, chief engineer, who alluded feelingly to the regret of all on board at Captain Chatfield's retirement from the ship, and called on Mr. Bourne, chief purser, to read an address. The address testified the respect and esteem felt for Captain Chatfield by all under him for various acts of kindness rendered to those on board, and expressed hope that his retirement was only temporary, concluding With wishing Captain and Mrs Chatfield every success in life. Captain Chatfield briefly but feelingly responded. A very pleasant half-hour was afterwards spent, the health of the gallant skipper and his successor being drunk in bumpers. A presentation was also mule to Captain Chufield from the stewards and stewardesses.

An old Aucklander has just died in Fiji, namely, Sergeant- Molloy, at the age of 85. A party of armed Native Constabulary, under command of Lieutenant Ralu Epiti, fired the usual salute over the veteran's grave. After he quitted the British Army in August. lt»G7, Sergeant-Major Molloy was commissioned by the War Olfieo to take charge of the guard of pensioners on board the convict ship Fairlie, for Tasmania. Thence he went to Victoria, whore he immediately received an appointment as drill instructor of the police at Bendigo. After some few years he was appointed SergeantMajor of the \\ illiamstown division of volunteers. While there, the convicts rose and murdered Mr. Price, the InspectorGeneral of Prisons, And then broke loose ; but they were all captured and secured by the Sergeant-Major, with the aid of the volunteers, before a company of the 40th Regiment, who had been despatched to the scene, could arrive. For this he received the thanks of the omcor commanding, and of the Government. He took part in the Waikato war, having been appointed by Colonel Pitt Senior Sergeant of the 4th Waikato Regiment, and, volunteering for the front, was appointed Colour-Sergeant.

At the Police Court yesterday morning before Messrs. E. W. Alison and T. Tudehope, J.P.'s, a young man named William John Paine was charged on remand with having feloniously and fraudulently endorsed two promissory note*, one for the sum of £2") in the name of Pufaur, ami the other for I'll) in the name of P. A. Lindsay. Mr. W. J. Napier appeared for the defendant, and asked for a further remand for eight days. Mr. Hudson Williamson, who appeared for the prosecution, offered no objection, and the remand was accordingly granted.

A Waiuku Correspondent writes : —The Wainku Road Board was the Local Body appointed by the Governor's warrant to carry out the Licensing Election and Local Option Poll in the Franklin district, and had the expenses cut flown most vigorously ; so that it has cost less than half the cost of the November election ; bub yet it takes a large slice of the licenses to pay for it. There are only seven licensed houses in Franklin paying £140 a year in fees altogether, two being at present accommodation licenses at a very low figure. The election cost £61 14s Id, or 9* 3d in the £1 on the license fees collected, and as there wore twenty-eight polling places ami 3,'200 electors on the roil, it evidently was done at a much lower rare than most others. The Waiuku Board has now called on the six Local Bodies who receive the license fees to pay over to it their respective quotas in accordance with the provisions of the Act in order to meet the expenses incurred.

The usual drill of the St. John Ambulance Corps was hei'l last night at the drill-shed when Surgeon-Major Dawson put the men through a short course of drill. Afterwards a business meeting of the corps was hold and several important matters were discussed. A committee was appointed to make enquiries as to the cost/ of uniforms, and another to draw up rules and a scale of charges for the use of the litter and stretchers in cases where they are required to remove invalid.-. The subscription for members of the brigade was fixed. It was also decided to post up in various places the lists of the town addresses of members of the brigade available in eases of accident.

Our Wellsford correspondent write : — It is with regret I have to report tiio decease of another of the pioneers of the settlement, Mr. Thomas Hunt. Mr. Hunt came to the colony in the first ship (the Matilda Wnttenbnch) of the fleet "which brought out the Nonconformist settlers. Ho served in tin Waikato militia during the Maori war, and was present at several actions, obtaining the rank of corporal, He hold the New Zealand war medal. Mr. Hunt had been in delicate health for some time, and a-< a last resource wont down to Auckland Hospital. He, however, sank rapidly, and passed away a few days after his arrival. Ho whs interred at the Watkomiti Cemetery. Mr. Hunt leaves a widow and nine children to lament their loss. Death hits been thinning our ranks rapidly during the last three or four years. It is a melancholy fact th it, within a radius of a few miles from here there arc no less than 16 widows, a large proportion to the number of families.

A meeting of the newly-formed Auckland Graduates' Association was held last evening in the University Buildings, the Rev. Canon Nelson presiding. Mr. Lippiatt submitted a number of rules which had been drawn out by a committee appointed for that purpose. The rules were carefully considered, and with slight emendations adopted. With regard to tiie name of the Association which had been fixed at last meeting, it was decided to alter it from "Auckland Graduates' Association" to " Auckland University College Association of Graduates." The officers of the Association are to consist of a president, a vicepresident, and a secretary, who shall bo elected annually. The fee for membership was fixed at the small amount of Is. It was decided that, voting by written proxy should bo allowable at all meetings. Mr. Lippiatt drew attention to the fact that it would be necessary for the Association to shortly consider the question of appointing a representative to the College Council. Several members present thought it would be best to call a special meeting for that purpose, and an adjournment was accordingly made to next Monday evening.

Last slight Constable Abrama brought up by the s.s. Wellington a man named Pringle, charged with being of unsound mind.

A late Singapore paper states :—" We arc credibly informed that the Chinese fleet now in our harbour will neither proceed to Batavin nor to Australia. Two of the vessels will go as far as Penan",'. On the return of these vessels the squadron will go straight to China." The Bank Notes Bill has been assented to by the Governor of Now South Wales, and is now the law of the land. The measure make* the notes of the banks named therein a legal tender, except at the head office in the colony. No bank is allowed to i-huo or to have in circulation at any one time in the colony notes to an amount in excels of one-third of the paidup capital of the bank up to £2,000,000, together with the value of the command gold bullion held in the colony. The issue of notes by anv one bank is limited to £1,000,000. The notes are to be a legal tender so long as the bank continues to pay them in gold on demand at the head office in Sydney, and in the event of a winding-up they are made a first charge on the assets. The Act increase- the note tax from 2 per cent, to 2J per cent. Very heavy penalties are provided for any infringement of the Act. The operation of the measure is limited to IS months, it boiii;.' understood that the Government will in the meantime [ bring forward a comprehensive banking ; measure.

A Sydney journal contains the following naval items of interest :—A court-martial was held on board H.M.s. Orlando, yesterday. Only one case was brought up. It was that of an engineroom artificer belonging to H.M.B Rapid. He was charged with embezzling a large sura of canteen money, and, being found guilty, was sentenced to nine months' imprisonment. In connection with the movements of the fleet, H.M.B. Ringdove is expected to leave for Grafton next week. The Lizard, Ringarooma, and Rapid are also expected to get away next week. Captain VV. H. E. St. Clair, of H. M.s. Mildura, left by the Melbourne express en route to England, and was accorded a hearty send-off by the ship's company, amongst whom he lias been very popular. Captain St. Clair lunched on the warship, and at two o'clock took his leave, being rowed ashore by the ship's officers, the commanding officer pulling stroke. On leaving the ship's side three hearty cheers were called for their genial skipper, and given by the crew in true British style. Landing at Fort Macqutirie, the captain made his way to the station by cab, and on the way was met by a party of the ship's crew, who, to complete the send-off, unharnessed the horse and dragged the cab up to the platform. The sight was a novol one, and was the cause of much amusement to a crowd of unlnokers. At the station a number of the officers of the fleet had assembled to wish Captain St. Clair goodbye, and as the Melbourne express started three cheers were given. Captain St. Clair proceeds home by the R.M.s. Australia.

There are soveral new buildings being put up in the suburbs, the moderate price of building materials, labour, and the hardening of rents for residence purposes being the inducement.

At St. John's WesleyanChurch.Ponsonby, last night, a lecture upon "The Special Characteristics of American Life" was given by the Rev. T. W. Vealie. There was a largo audience, Mr. W. Thome presiding. Mr. Vealie could speak with authority upon the subject under considertion, having been for six years connected with the Methodist Episcopal Church of the United States. He dealt with the political, social, and religious life of the nation, with their love of pro-eminence, their love of liberty, and their manner of living. The lecture was interesting, instructive, and humourous, and was listened to with maiked attention. This evening, Mr. Vealio will lecture at Kiug-dand, on " Some Characteristics of the American People."

The Sydney Daily Telegraph of tbo 11th insb. has the following :—Customs officers J. T. Dunohoe and Bragg made a seizure of 1001b of tobacco at the R. M.S. Alameda. The tobacco was passed through the porthoi-) of the vessel to a lighter which was lying alongside the steamer at Woolloomooloo Bay, and was placed in the engineroom. The officers named boarded the lighter and seized the stuff, which was done up in neatly bound packages. It is probable that proceedings will bo taken against the people concerned in the smuggling.

The benefit concert tendered to Mr. and Mrs. Anderson in St. George's Hall, Newton, last night, proved a complete success from every point of view. There was a large attendance, and the very hearty and frequent applause was ample proof that the audience were thoroughly satisfied with the entertainment provided. His Worship the Mayor of Auckland {.Mr. J. .1. Holland) presided, and opened the proceedings with a few remarks, referring to the kindly and generous manner in which Mr. and Mrs. Anderson had at various times assisted in charitable causes. The inmates of such institutions as the Hospital and the Costley Home had good reason to be grateful to them. The performance was commenced with a Scotch reel, followed by the songs " Dublin Bay,'' by Mr. A. Tail;; "Mary of Argyle," Mrs. Wright; and "Four -lolly Smiths," by Mr. Menzies. Each of these items was warmly applauded, and the last two were encored. The next item, the Reel of Tulloch, by Miss and Master Simpson and Miss and Master Johnston, was admirably executed, and enthusiastically received; and the Sword Dance, by Miss A. Johnstone, was equally successful. Madame Tutschki's song, "Star of Bethlehem," created a very favourable impression, an encore being demanded ; and Miss Fitzpatrick and .Mr. Hyland also sang with fine effect. After this followed a sailor's hornpipe, danced by Mr. Johnstone, and a treatise, danced by Mr. J. Hendry, both being well received. Mrs. Wright scored another success in "Flora McDonald's Lament ;" and the duet, " Maying," by Mrs. R. Anderson and Mr. A. Tait, was also highly appreciated. Master Tutschka gave a violin solo in excellent style, which was followed by Miss Fitzpatrick's enjoyable rendering of "Happy be Thy Dreams" Mr. A. McLean's Highland Fling was a clever piece of dancing, as was also Mr. Wiggens' Skipping-rope Dance. The songs, "If Love Were Only for a Day," by Mrs. Tutschka, and " Auld Grannie," by Mr. Menzies, were heartily applauded. The singing of "Auld Lang Syne" brought an enjoyable evening to a conclusion.

The v uckland Amateur Opera Club gave their sixth performance of the charming opera, " Madame Favarb," at the Opera Mouse last evening. There was an excel* lent house, and the opera appears to go bettor with each successive performance. All the leading numbers were encored last night, and the principal performers were heartily applauded. They were well supported by the company. The cachuca dance had to be repeated. The season has been extended to Thursday next, owing bo the public patronage which has been accorded to the Club. To-nghb Mr. John Fuller will sing an interpolated number— " A Serenade Song."

The sixth concert of the popular winter concerts at the City I fall, under the directorship of Mr. A. H. Gee, will take place to-morrow evening. The full programme appears in another column, and comprises songs, glees, trios, quartettes, pianoforte and violin solos.