LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 10419, 17 April 1897, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Yesterday forenoon telegraphic communication with the rest of the colony south of Tauranga was suddenly interrupted owing, it ia presumed, to a tree having fallen across the wires and breaking them. Dp to the time of going to press communication had not been restored, and in consequence our usual European cable messages and other telegrams had nob come to hand. The mail steamer Alameda arrived from Sydney yesterday afternoon after a good passage of jueb under four days, although during the greater portion of the time the engines were running at a greatly reduced speed. Very bad weather was experienced during the passage, a continuance of westerly gales and rough leas prevailing, whioh made it somewhat uncomfortable for the passengers. The Alameda leaves for Apia, Honoluld, and San Francisco, this afternoon. An English mail of London date, March 5, arrived from Newcastle by the Rotokino early this morning, and will be delivered this morning. Anglo-colonial notes, personal items, and latest mining news, from our London correspondent, will be found in another part of this issue. The Government steamship Tutanekai arrives at the Manukau early this morning, having on board the Hon. K. Seddon, Mrs. and Miss Seddon and Mr. Crow (the Premier's Private Secretary). This morning a special train will be sent to Onehunga at 7.46 to bring the party to Auckland, where they will embark in the mail eteatner Alameda en route for London, to take part in the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. The season for shooting native game opens today. It i<, reported the birds , are fairly plentiful in some districts. A number of tportsmeh have lett by rail, both for Helensville and Waikato. Owing to the rain and the web itatefof the am tb Graf ton Road, the matches in the bowling tournament were nob played yesterday. The contests are arranged to commence today, m f ollowi : - P»i« Matchtt, 9.30 *n>.; tad Rink Matcbw, 2

The Auckland section of the MshTl Association holds its next quart*. ffi T? U I of members in the Lecture Hall o J" | Rooms, Queen street, on Thursday ... § ing. Mr.Massey, M.H.R., will"hi!? , • There is to be an open dUeuuinVT* ,, '' 1 "The Present Political I« 9U es.» P r j£? !' are specially invited. District meS f should also note that they are invifciT ; f meet the. Council tho same aftern on J' three o'clock. ■"» *» "■. t \ 'The Bishop of Wellington (Dr. YVillto accompanied by Mrs. Walljs, wilb. ),v passenger by the outgoing San Francis ' mail steamer to-dav. The Bishnn , '■ i Melanesia will remain i/ An g n °P fe Monday, when he will be present at. f^vi well early communion service at T Sepulchre's prior to leaving for the island, £ He is announced to preach at Epiphany * Church to-morrow morning, and at «■'■ Sepulchre Bin the evening. ■ ,?; V ■ For some years past the MunioiJ ! authorities have been endeavouring ' ■ • beautify some of the leading thorough?,,* ■ - 1 by tree planting, both for shelter to DBflV : ' * trians in summer weather and for ornamaii ' 1 ration, but their efforts have not \Z appreciated by a section of the cominiiQiu ' '«l who have never seen Continental cities and I the system of tree elude prevailing then. --' I In the Franklin Road alone about 30 tre* ''' t have been injured or destroyed in varied ' I ways, and in some cases the vetv t~l ' I guards pulled up and overturned ThH $' could be excused for destroying the trees I planted in Patter.<on-street, at the foot m ■■ I Franklin Road, as when they grew «n ; they would block the residents of Franklin & A Road from having a view of Freeman's Ba» 1 and the sea, but that these shade hZ rl should be damaged or killed opposite i I'l church, and atotiier points in the roadway ' - is past comprehension. Vandalism of thai ■R? description, by whomsoever perpetrated H (and the offenders are (lot known), should %] be detected mid punished. The same sort i; of despicable practices were perpetrated in 1 I ' Hobson-strect, the trees being ringed. Hid "' ■ the intentions of the City Council been ' carried out successfully, that thoroughfare would now be one of the prettiest thorough, fares for promenading in the city. :' i Yesterday afternoon a respectably, i dressed man, name unknown, met with » '■< ;l accident on the eastern tee of the Queei - ; ll street Wharf. In attempting to save Mi ■' 1 hat from being blown over the wharf in tJ« " \\ strong breeze prevailing, he aooiden- '"1 tally tripped and fell, being precipitated J into the harbour, and he and his umbrella '"•! !, | were soon parted, Being a good swimmer 4 he reached the landing steps, and was aooa : 1 on terra firma again, none the worse for his I mishap. Much to the amusement of tie k bystanders he heaped reproaches on the 'H gingham for sinking, as otherwise it was bit I intention to have gone in after ib, feeling I } that his bat wits lese valued after the losaol 1 i the other accessory. ■ ! What might have proved a seridoi - accident occurred at the Maori race meet- ' ing at Orakei yesterday. During tbi 1 running of the Maiden Plate, Dot, one oi : the horses engaged, fell, throwing th» ■ ' jookey, Richard Oantneel. The latter man- | aged to roll clear, and beyond receiving a . * severe shaking was unhurt. Fortunately 1 the horse rolled clear of the course, other- t wise the consequences would have been : serious. The animal received such injuries : : as to prevent its competing in any other 1 race. ; In anticipation of the arrival of Butler •'• in the s.s. Mariposa, a newspaper artist and ' four press representatives, all attached to-. Sydney papers, came to Auckland in (he ■ Alameda, to await the incoming mailboat and travel with her back to Australia. A ' second artist, also representing a Sydnei • ■ ' journal, has been here for the part week ' u| part of his mission being to voyage witt. m the noted criminal. j ;■ The writer of the volunteer news in the '' • Christchurch Press of April 7 has tht | following -.—Referring to the speech madi ! by tho Hon. R. Seddon on the occasion of i f Volunteer banquet given in Wellington, in i ; which he referred to the quality of thj'p ammunition supplied to the Government t by the New Zealand manufacturers, the I hon. gentleman stated he would find where , S the fault lay. I note the report presented ■ ¥ by the shooting committees of the "E" ' Battery and other local companies con- 1 '.'■ demns certain ammunition on issue to them W by the Government for being loaded with ,ft "perished powder." Now, I know that 1 the New Zealand manufacturers have to *| load their ammunition with powder sup- '% plied by the Government here, and in the 1 case of the powder being " perished," as % stated in the report, the fault does nob lit f, with the manufacturers, nor does it lie witk m the New Zealand Government, for thic f reason, that before the powder is shipped ? oub here ib has to be passed by the Wai ft Omce authorities in England. If, there- I fore the powder is not suitable for ,1 loading Martini-Henry ammunition, the I Premier will do well to make the fullest | enquiries as to how powder, presumably of V s an inferior quality, came to be delivered fa J them as good serviceable powder, and, V before laying the blame on the manufsc- 11 turers of making faulty ammunition, find f j out if the material supplied to the local I company is good, for there is a prettv wide- t spread feeling amongst volunteers that the 1 powder, and the powder alone, is to blame. f * rom information that can be relied upon, j£ there is no doubt that this accounts for • much of the inferior shooting made by cer- " tain ammunition on issue during 1896. It 1 has been noticed that ammunition man* *'\ tactured during certain months in that year, although serviceable from an Imperial point of view, will not make match shooting, and it has also been noticed that this ' ammunition is loaded with powder of an inferior quality. The Government probably are aware of this, and should take immediate steps to send samples of this powder li *^j"n h t0 bo tßßted and to eneu «» that, if deficient in quality, no powder of a nmilar description be supplied to them in . the future ; also the least that the Gover* raent can do is to recall all ammunition on issue, which has been loaded with this class of powder and store it for volley-firing. There were in the lock-up last evening three persons on charges of drunkenness; and James Todd, of Paeroa, arrested by Unstable Douchett, on a charge of present- . ing a loaded revolver at a cabman named . James Hagan. It appears that about four . 0 clock yesterday afternoon Todd wai coming up Queen-street from the direction : of the wharf, when Haan addressed him, ! "Cab, s.r?" Todd turned round, and after ' uttering an exclamation pointed the » i ' volver, which 13 said to have been loaded is V i nve chambers, at Hagan. Todd w«i !; :. arrested, and a great crowd assembled I and surrounded the police when taking their " | prisoner to the station. Some of the crowd . | were rather hazy as to whether the mail | steamer was from Sydney or 'Frisco, and I the rumour went round that tho police (one | Of whom was carrying Todd's revolver), v : were engaged in taking Butler to the Higbstreet police station, and frantic were th» J efforts to get a glimpse of thai notorioil personage. Todd is said to have been S acting in a very eccentric way for several S days past. . ,'•' The Easter Carnival to be held next week } ' at the Drill Hall, in aid of the Church -' Mission to the Lanes, should prove most 'j attractive. The oriental costumes, and the '-. characteristic dresses will vie with the artistic decorations to make a brilliant ■ scene. The numerous and careful arrange- A ments that have been made for the com- 5 fort and convenience of visitors, and the ' large collection of articles to please the fancy '■■ and supply the wants of all should meed j every requirement. Eastern magic will | bavo a place, and the juvenile section of % the community will be as amply provided if for. There are also side shows of the best A description. The opening ceremony will 4 take place at seven p.m. on Easter Monday j evening. Excellent music will be provided -• by bands and orchestras. i The limelight service held yesterday 5 evening, in the Foresters' Hall, Newton, | was largely attended, and the programme } was successfully carried through, under the I direction of Mr. Geo. Aldridge. After an • .■• able address, " From the Garden to tin : ; Cross," had been delivered, the following ; solos were sung:-"The Shadow of the ;, Cross," by Miss Davis; "Calvary," Mi» \ Grindrod, and " Thou didst not leave," bj Mr. C. B. King. Appropriate anthetni were sung by the Church of Christ choir, ' : and the illustrative limelight views added ' much to the effect of the various items.