LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 10837, 22 August 1898, Page 5

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

The Union Company's steamer Ovalau arrived from Sydney and the Islands last night. Owing to measles being prevalent at Fiji the steamer was not allowed to discharge' oi ship cargo at the ports in the Tongan Group, the " authorities being very strict in seeing that no communication was held between the steamer an d the shore. At Vavau and Nukualofa, Captain Crawshaw, of the Ovalau, had great difficulty in inducing the authorities to send off the mails for New Zealand, but ultimately the postal authorities consented to communicate with the steamer, and place the mails on board. A case of measles broke out on board of the Ovalau on the passage from Sydney, but was only of a mild type. A letter from our Samoan correspondent appears in another part of this issue. . The Auckland football representatives played their fourth and final interprovincial match of the season on Saturday afternoon, when they met and defeated Hawke's Bay by 18 points to 10. During the course of the first half of the game U. Caldwell, one of the visiting players, fell in the course of a scrummage and others falling on him he had to he taken off the field, when it was discovered by Dr. Erson, who was promptly in attendance, that his ribs had been crushed, though the injury was not particularly serious. Of lute the youths of the town have taken to flaying football on Sunday. A Sunday or two ago the game was played in Nelsonstreet. Yesterday afternoon a new departure was made, and about 30 or 40 lads had an exciting game in the playground of the Wellesley-street public school. We wonder if the members of the school committee are aware of the uses to which the property entrusted to their care is devoted on Sundays. Select card parties of boys also enjoy themselves at cut-throat euchre near the freezing works and Freeman's Bay reclamations, while the other Sunday in Custom-street West a group were whiling away the time at" pitch-and-tnss." A private telegram received in town on Saturday states that Mr. Daniel Mcleod, the well-known bookmaker, met with an accident on Friday last at Waitara, He was out driving in a buggy, which capsized, throwing out Mr. McLeod, who had one ot ins arms broken, and received other injuries. He was taken to the New Plymouth Hospital for treatment. Mr. McLeod had been attending the Canterbury races, and was on his way back to Auckland, via Waitara. We have to hand the August number of the journal of the Department of Labour. With respect to the state nt the labour market in Auckland, it is stilted that the building trades are fairly busy, but a few tradesmen are idle. The engineering trade is quiet, and there is a slight falling-off from last month. The boot trade is in a fair condition. The clothing trade is quiet in all its branches, and the general retail trade is normal. As to unskilled labour the market has been greatly relieved by several parlies of men being sent away to co-operative works. There are still a number of married men applicants who want local work, and do not care to take a job in the country. The tenders are given for the cast-iron'tower, East Cape Lii'uuiouse, that of C. Judd, Thames, at £988 19s 6d being accepted. The other tenders were as follows :— Luke and Co., (Limited), Wellington, £1246 12s; and Beaney and Son, Auckland, £1298. There were on co-operative works in July, under the Survey Department, 1804 labourers; and under the Public Works Department, 112 artisans, and 930 labourers, which, with the occupants of the State Form (Levin), makes a total of 2860. In our obituary column will be found recorded the death of Mrs. Rebecca Graham, of Onehunga. an old identity. She died on Saturday at the ago of 64. The funeral took place yesterday, leaving her late residence, Trafalgar-street, for the Catholic cemetery of the township. There was a large attend* ance. The burial service was conducted by the Very Rev. Monsignor Paul, V.G. Mrs. Graham leaves a son, Mr. J. A. Graham, of Onehunga, and a daughter, Mrs. Mathias, wifo of .Mr. Mathias, manager of Te Akau run, Raglan. A start is to be made this week with the work of building the new Anglican church at St. Heliers Bay. It is expected that the church will be ready for opening in about two months' time. ' The contractors are Messrs. Keats, vV'atts, and Hutchinson. The widow of the Into Mr. McClintock returned on Saturday to the boardinghouse at which sne and her husband were staying. It appears that Mrs. McClintock did not leave the boardinghouse at the same time as her husband, but on the following morning, and before tidings of his having been drowned arrived at their lodgings. St. Mary's Cathedral, Parnell, has just been completed at a cost of about £7000 to the designs of the late Mr. B. Mountfort, of Cbristchurch. In consequence, the consecration will take place on Thursday morning next, the Bishop of Wellington being the preacher on the occasion. A telegram received from Dunedin on Saturday announced the death of Mr. Frank Smith, a son of the Hon. Lee Smith, M.L.C., at Dunedin. Deceased, who was resident, at Coromandel about three months ago, contracted typhoid fever, and on his convalescence he returned to his home in the South. He never thoroughly recovered from the effects of the fever, and has passed away at the early age of 18. A petition is in course of signature in Ponsonby, to the Board of Education, requesting the Board not to erect any buildings on the ground recently purchased for recreation purposes for the children attending the Ponsonby school. A petition to be presented to Parliament in connection with the anti-gambling movement is in circulation in Wellington. Its text is as follows : —" That your petitioners consider that the evil of gambling is now eating into the heart of our colonial life, and that it will spread if steps are not taken to suppress it. Tnat with the object of checking the evil your petitioners pray that your honourable House may be pleased to pass legislation (1) making 'it unlawful for newspapers to publish betting odds ; (2), illcgalising the tntalisntor; (3) prohibiting the issue of permits. At a meeting of the Managing Committee of the Auckland branch of the New Zealand Educational Institute, held on Saturday, the president of the branch, Mr. R. D. Stewart, gave a full report of the Thomas libel case. He said that Mr. Thomas, teacher of the Totara. Flat school, in the Grey district, was suing Mr. Campbell, ex-chairman of his committee, for an alleged libel contained in a letter to the Grey Education Board, in which he referred to Mr. Thomas, and asked the Board for Mr. Thomas' dismissal. the Grey branch of the New Zealand Educational Institute had, Mr. Stewart stated, received a lettei from Mr. Grundy, secretary to the New Zealand Educational Institute, stating that the central executive had taken Mr. Thomas' case into careful consideration, and had unanimously come to the conclusion that it was a case affecting not only Mr. Thomas, but every school teacher in New Zealand. They had therefore decided to spare no expense in taking active and decided steps in support of Mr. ihomas action. Mr. Grundy further mentioned in his letter, that the executive considered Mr. Thomas' case on all fours with, though more serious than, the Wrigley case in Auckland. Mr. Scott, of Dunedin, assisted by Mr. Beere, of Hokitika, was retained for the plaintiff, whilst Mr. Hannan, of Greymoiitb, had charge of the case for the defendant. Mr. Scott was at present ill, and if he was unable to attend, it was probable that the executive would send down Mr. Jellicoe to watch tire case in the association's interest. Ifte case was to be heard at Hokitika in September An inquest was held recently at the children's hospital, Glebe (Sydney), toiling the death of a child named Herbert Russell Pluck, aged six months, which took place in the hospital on the previous aftanoon. The child was brought to he institution about two p.m. the same day by his mother for the purpose of undergoing an operation for a growth on tho face Ut. Wassell administered an anwtnetic, arid Dr. Chisholm proceeded to perform the operation and continued in the work for fooi« minutes, when the child's breathing suddenly stopped. Every effort wasi* once made bv the medical men to Restore omniation, but without access. child was in perfect health, except for the growth which had existed from the time hat he was three weeks old. After ring the whence the jury returned a verdict that the cluld died from failure of the heart's action whilst ; under chloroform for a surgical mntui They further found that the anesthetic was | properly administered, and that after un- ' favourable symptoms manifested themselves -; every effort was made to restore animation.

had hf, ay ? eported that » r °*>W had taken place at the residence of Mr. W LTfi Ugh /V f Point-street, Mount Eden traveller or Mr. D. Arkell, brewe,. The inpl™/etU^n fOUn(J tllat *»» house had been entered, and a gold watch and chain were n»«ing, also a "Jubilee" sovereign, and a pair of earrings. The same day the residence of , Mr ; Gilmore, Park Avenue who s employed at Donald and EdenborouS' QWeet, was also entered, and £15 Hlltll of ,6Well y stolen. On Saturday, Eden, y wll ere * I>layln ß on tho tfl ° f Mount Wen, when "\ came, in & quiet place upon what mined to be a "plant" of some sort, covered over with fern leaves. On uneaithmg the deposit they found it to be the C* ° ft 0 two robberies, which had been ? la , nted ; till the affau had blown over. I™. ?n f/ 4 * ,e jeWeller y llas been recovered, all that is missing being the " Jnbilee soverczn One of the boys, named MeQui an, handed the find over to Constable Hinton, of the Mount Eden station. The Nelson Colonist reports the discovery of a peculiar fish. Its measurements are said to have been 12ft 6in long, depth Ift Zin, and breadth 4in, and is described as the Regalccus argenteua New Zealand is an especially favoured spot as regards their visits. On the British coasts from 1759 to 1870, a period of 119 years, only 16 specimens have been recorded, and none in anything like a perfect condition, whilst in New Zealand, since the first recorded example, in October, 1860, to the present one, there have been 12 recorded. It L evidently, from its construction, a deep-sea fish, and when alive and perfect is a most beautiful creature. Its great length compared to its breadth gives it the appearance of a long band or riband of polished silver, with here and there jet black markings, whilst the varied bright red tints of the dorsal fin (which extends the whole length of the back) enhances its beauty, which is mill further enriched by the ' nuchal" (or neck) portion of the dorsal fin being elongated into a crest, the rays of which vary from 2ft 4in to 6in in height, the lower ones being ornamented with plumes or spatulate extensions at the tips. There is a description of the same species of fish in the "Transactions of the New Zealand Institute, 1889." from the pen of Mr. F. E Clarke, of New Plymouth, A very fine specimen of opal (says the Sydney Telegraph) is now on view at the establishment of Messrs. Llewellin and Co., 117, Pitt-street. The stone, which was brought from the White Cliffs opal fields, near Wilcannia, by! the firm, in the rough, weighs 21b. It is most unusual to get a stone, even of inferior quality, this size. In this instance, however, the stone is of superior richness, and exhibits most beautiful green and red flashes. It is anticipated that the stone will yield a gem of 50 carats, in addition to a number of smaller ones. Messrs. Llewellin and Co. have determined to cut tlio stone for export.

An item, bearing on the authority of policemen, which is of interest in view of recent events, appears in tho Christchurch Press of August 17. Constable Fahey was giving evidence in tho Supreme Court regarding admissions, mado in reply to questions by the constable by two persons accused of assault -on another constable named Russell. "Where did you get your authority to go and cross-examine these men ?" asked His Honor, Mr. Justice Denniston. Constable Pahey replied that he went to make inquiries into the affair, with the object of reporting the result of his inquiries to his superior officer. His Honor: " I don't know by what right yon did so. Yon knew you were going to arrest them. lam not aware of a case of a police-constable going down and examining and cross-examining .inspected men. It is a very different thing if a constable makes inquiries as to who is the proper person to arrest. I don't understand the practice. It is all very well making inquiries in a legitimate way, but I am not aware of any (right to question men in such a case as this. They may have imagined that the constable had some authority. It is quite certain the police were going to arrest these men. The practice seems to be a dangerous one."

A case of an unusual character was heard in tho Melbourne District Court, recently, by Mr. Shuter, P.M., when a young man named Andrew Richard Loihy was charged under section 14 of the Shops and Factories Act, with having falsely pretended to be, an inspector under the Act. Accused pleaded not guilty. Mr. S. G. Williams, who appeared for the prosecution, said the section provided for imprisonment up to three months without the option of a fine. Leihy had caused a good deal of annoyance to the Chinese in small factories, and counsel was afraid that he extracted money from them by representing himself as an inspector. John Norrish, agent, said that on July 25 he went to the house of Ah Yung, in a lane of Little Lonsdale-street, to collect rent. He saw defendant come up, and heard him use abominable language when Mrs. Ah Yung told him to go away. Defendant forced 'his way into the house, saying he had a right to be there under the Factories Act. Witness said, " If you are an inspector, you are a disgrace to the Department," and threatened to report Leihy to the chief inspector. Defendant stated that he was a cabinetmaker and French polisher, and he had understood that a man had a perfect right, when he heard knocks or sounds in a Chinese shop " after hours," to go and see what caused them, and to give information to the polico if the provisions of the Act were being evaded. That was why he went to the place of Ah Yung, who" had been guilty of a breach of the Act, and he told Mr. Norrish that he had a right to go there, as he (defendant) was an informer. Mr. Shuter (to Mr. Williams): You cannot ask me to imprison this man. It has not been proved sufficiently that he pretended to be an inspector under the Act. (To defendant) : You have had an escape, but had better look out in the future. Had you gone a little further I should have had no hesitation in giving you a term of imprisonment. The case is dismissed. You may go-

A somewhat curious incident occurred in Sydney recently in connection with the trial at the Quarter Sessions of two young men, named respectively Boston and McOarty, who were charged with having asaulted a constable with the intention of preventing him from retaining under arrest a man whom he had taken into custody. The jury having been engaged in the consideration of their verdict for some time, intimated that they had agreed. When they returned to Court, the foreman, in a hesitating kind of wav announced that they had found McOarty guilty of the minor offenco'of common assault, ' B.eston they found not guilty, and His Honor was about to discharge him—indeed, he had left the front part of the dock, and stepped down towards the door— the jury were discharged until the following morning, when something peculiai in the manner of two or three of them attracted Judge Murray's attention, and lie asked if their verdict 'had been rightly stated. The foreman again hesitated, and Boston was told to go back to his place. Aftr a few moments, in which the jurymen conversed amongst themselves, His Honor suggested that they had better retire to their room again. This they did, and when they came back they pronounced both prisoners guilty of common assault. After the lapse of about four years, tho Payne Family of bollringers and musiciaiis have returned to New Zealand. Since their last appearance in Auckland they have performed to Hacked and delighted houses in the United Kingdom, Africa, and the colonies The Opera House being engaged for the next fortnight or so, the company are unable to commence their third tour of the colony in Auckland, and in consequence they have arranged to give their first concert, at Onehunga next Thursday night. Mr. W. J. Payne has brought with him an onto* now ret of 75 hand-bolls, and a set of sleigh-bells of 16 strings, specially cast for the company by Messrs. Warner and Sons, o London. In ,kli ion to the hand bell-ringing, the compi have a repertoire of popular musical 14 His Worship Mr. H. W. Brabant, S.M., presided at the Police Court on Saturday Sag, "hen George Cain pleaded guilty o wilfu ly breaking a window, valued at 7s 6d ««d to using obscene language. Mr Barter appeared for the defence, and asked the Bench to deal leniently with the accused, on account of. Ins Prions good oharact m His Worship nflicled a fine of 20s on lie farmer charge, and ordered the^ accuse to „ay for the damage done. On the inner charge Cain was convicted, and ordered to noma for sentence when called upon wit b* months . Sarah Harper, charged with dV, kenness, was fined % & default seven days' hard labour. Two little girls, Edith and Ellen Donovan, were committed to the Parnell Industrial School. Sergeant Clarke S the little ones had been deserted by their mnthor. .. ..' ■ ;•: fe' •