LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 10628, 17 December 1897, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

The latest news from the Indian frontier shows that the British troops have been making some very trying marches, fighting the enemy night and day. At one time the rear guard of Colonel Westmacott's column wag in a very critical fir, the pouch ammunition having run short. The men were in grave peril until it was replenished. The tribesmen desperately otorged Colonel Westmacott's men almosb to the bayonet's point, but they were eventually repelled. The British loss was 60, while the punishment of the tribesmen was the severest they have experienced during the The King of Italy has succeeded in removing the difficulties regarding the inclusion of additional Liberal members in the newly-formed Cabinet, and the Ministry remains as constituted. The United Statea Government are organising a relief expedition to Klondike. Reindeer are to be used. The Groat Northern Railway Company are establishing a workmen's bank for their employees.

There Wβ! ng quorum ab the meeting ol the Works' ind Tariff Committee of the Harbour Board yesterday, only Messrs. \V. J. Napier; and Nicool attending. Id *aj decided torequeet Superintendent Bughos, in conjuuciion with the Foreman of Worka to report) ta to wliat fire appliances were necessary for the Queen-street Wharf anr office buiHings. The question of crani ■ nccouimodition was deferred for months, Regarding Messrs. E. Porter and Co.'3 applfcation for a separate magaiini for the stonge of explosives it was decided to recomnind that the committee sn\» nothing in .he way to grant the application j but tint th) magazine should be under the control of tie Board and that other large importers if explosives' should have the same priviliges, if they so desired. In yeateriay'a issue it was stated tint a man, a patent in the District Hospital, bad, in a fib of temporary aberration, escaped from the nstitution, was subsequently found at Cblsea at midnight, and the police apprised of the fact by some of the res;. T.re police wonb over ab an early hour yesteriay morning, and arrested the man, whosename is given as John Lincoln, and who hid been employed at the Sugai Works. H( was brought over to and taken ti the Auckland Police Station, Yesterday \fternoon he was medically examined as to his mental condition, and will be broighb before the Bench this morning. Saturday (Christmas Day), the 25th insfc,; being a Postiffice holiday, the Poet-office will be closed. Mails usually despatched on Saturday vill close at eighb p.m. ori Friday, the 24ih. The office will open frota seven to eight: p.m. on Friday, the 24th, for delivery of letters, including those usually delivered by letter-carrier. On Monday (Boeing Day), tho 27th Instant, the Post-otßie will open from nine to tea a.m. in all its branches, and there will be one deliver; by letter-carriers, commencing ab eight t.ru. Sea-borne mails usually made up 01 that day after ten a.m. will be closed at bat hour. Special attention is drawn to ihe hour of closing the mails fofj despatch by the outward San Francisco mail staauer, on Friday, the 24th instant. The male for Russell and Northern ports usually losing on Monday will nob clow until Tuesday, the 28th instant, at h&K-pasb live p.m.

The residence of Mr. Denis Tracey, of Whakapinu, was burned down the other morning inder somewhat singular ciccumstances. It appears he went to witness the Pahi Regatta, and returned home aboub one o'clock in the morning. He wae aa fatigued thut he fell asleep in hia chair, awakening aboub four o'clock, to n'nd the house on ire. He had, it eeems, in hie sleep, accidentally capsized a kerosene lamp, which was burning on the table near him, and in its fall it had set fire to the furniture. The building was and was valued at £40. Yesterday afternoon a whirlwind of unusual strength passed over a portion of the Mount Eden district. It was very noticeable at the works of the Colonial Ammunition Company (Limited). A pyramid of dusb and other debris, which reached fully 150 feet high and 20 feet in circumforence, swept past the gate and straight up the drive, blowing down stores of packing cases, banging doors and windows, and causing no small confusion amongst the employees. The whirlwind stopped at the dwelling house at the end of the drive, which is builb in a hollow under the hill, and rose vertically to a great height,; carrying up duet, paper, and a most mta cellaneous collection of debris. Fortu« nately no damage, eo far as we hnvo heard, was occasioned, bub the occurrence was very unusual. Messrs. W. H. Shakespear and A. Clements presided at the Police Court yeater-' day. The only case disposed of was one againsb Alfred Evans, charged with ns« saulting John Braslin by striking him in the face. Dr, Laishley appeared for the accused, who pleaded not guilty. The complainant's story was that he was standing outside the Thistle Hotel when accused came up and struck him without any provocation whatever. He informed the police, and later on in the evening accused met him again, and again assaulted him. Accused was convicted and fined £5, in default one month's imprisonment, Heinrich Pohlen, the Herapepe settler who now lies in Mount Eden gaol on iff charge of murdering a neighbour, will bs"' taken to Te Awamutu to-day, where on the following day, the magisterial inquiry will be held. The Hon. J. A. Tole will appear for the Crown, The action of the Tonson Garliok Com* pany (Limited) is to be commended, for the ashes of its burned down premises had hardly cooled before the directors took steps to repair the loss sustained by the. company, by ab once arranging for the erection of a new building better adapted for the repuirements of its trade, and of double the capacity of the old building. The new premises will, inclusive of tha basement, contain four floors, each 161 by 62 feet, or of a combined floor space of 41,176 feet, or nearly an acre. Even this largo area, judging by the rapid extension of the business in the past, will not beany too much to meet the demands of the trade. The fagade of the building is in the Italian style, pleasing in character. On the ground floor a spacioue central entrance gives accesi to the interior, while to the right and lefb large plate glass windows, finished with, enriched transome, and foliated columns/ afford ample provision for the display of tha company's artistic productions. On the firsh floor the windows are coupled and finished with moulded transome, and mullions having carved cape, while those on the second floorf have circular heads, finished with moulded architraves, resting upon enriched im* post moulding, etc. The whole is sum mounted by a rich entablature, supported upon pilasters having moulded plinte and foliated capitals, of appropriate de< sign, A handsome verandah, with curved roof, carried upon moulded, and enriched iron columns extends across the footpath. On the Lorne-street front, carb and othej entrances are provided to facilitate the firm's business. In the interior ample pro< vision has been made to economise time and ensure despatch. A lift is to be fixed which will run from the basemenb to the uppet floors, while a spacious main staircase will spring from the centre of the ground floor, and give access to the storeys above. From a large lantern light in the roof a flood of light will be thrown down the well-hole, and thus add to the cheerfulness of the building. The floors are to be carried by steel girders, supported upon iron columns of neat design. In a word, the establishment, when completed, will be a creclib to the city, and the company, which has proved its faith in the future of Auckland, by thus embarking in an undertaking which must prove beneficial nob only to tho shareholders of the Tonson Garlick Company (Limited), but alao to the whole community. The plane for the new building were prepared by Air. E. Belli architect, under whoso supervision it is being erected, Messrs. Cole and Moody being the contractors.

A meeting of the Auckland Council of the National Association was held in the rooms, Mercantile Chambers, on Wednesday. Mr. Edmund Bell, president, was in the chair, and Messrs. Bloomfield, Batger, White (Manurewa), Rnight, E. B. Vaile, Mander (Avondale), Squirrell, and Dr. Wallia were al?o present. Apologies for absence were received from several members. Printed :• copies for distribution of a paper on "The Influence of the Ideal," by Mr. E. A. Mackechnie, were acknowledged, and the secretary wae instructed to thank Mr. Mackechnie for his handsoino gift. It wal reported thab tbo draft Registration Bill in hand by the political committee and Mr. Backland had been found too complex an undertaking to complete before the end of the present session in Parliament. It w« resolved to wire Mr. Massey for a number of Parliamentary papers and Bills not yell to hand. The various reports were then considered. The political committee re« ported that two meetings had been held, when a programme of work for the current year had been agreed to. The following draft leaflets were also submitted for - approval :—(a) Roviow of tho work of the present Government; (b) Old age pensions J (c) Proportional representation; (d) Government influence over the public service. It) was resolved to print the h'rstnamed immediately after revision by a sub-com-mittee, which agreed to meet the following day. A reprint from the Canterbury section, with reference to " Labour Bills," wW tabled, and a large amount of correspondence was approved. The. Hniinco com , mittee agreed to meet on Thursday after , noon next, and the Council resolved M • cloeo the rooms from the 24th inst. I* January 10,