LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 10968, 24 January 1899, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Red-tape is a material that is rapidly going out of fashion, but it is still used to a large extent in many departments. Mr. H. W. Brabant, during the investigation of old age pension claims yesterday, required some particulars as to the value of - a property owned by an applicant. He wanted something official, and said to Mr. Culpan, the registrar, that he supposed the information could be obtained from the local Government Valuer's Department. M.. Ccipan replied that lie had supposed so too, but there seemed to be some difficulty about ' it. He had made inquiries of the valuer, and understood that a list of the properties, on which information was wanted, would first have to go to Wellington. His Worship did not say anything, but he smiled . - very broadly. At the Wellington Racing Club's Meeting,- ■ held yesterday, the horses earning the „• popular colours of Mr. L. D. Nathan scored a brace of meritorious victories. Rosella, a - two-year-old daughter of Seaton Delaval, led ott by annexing the Nursery Handicap, and in the succeeding event, the Wellington Kacing Club Handicap, Explosion, a son of .- Cuirassier, won his race for Mr. Nathan in , very game style, defeating a hot favourite ■'■' m the Hon. Mr. Ormond's horse Daunt, who . won the Wellington Cup on the opening , W. "'>"> R»sella and Explosion were bred ; By the Messrs. Nathan at Sylvia Park, and ; that circumstance makes their brace of vic- ." tories all the more acceptable to the Auck- . land sportsmen. A full account of the > racing will be found in another column. & The contractor for the Gas Company's ex- x cavations (Mr. Daniel Fallon) has" been % gieatly interrupted in his operations bv the ;; wet weather, but he is pushing on the "work % o Ming in Freeman's Bay. He has com- ', pleted Ins cofferdam, in order to get on,.| with the middle section of the sewer. The §■' first section is well in.hand. To-day or f to-morrow it is proposed to put in sluice % boxes to drain the enclosed pond, so as to % go on with the second section. Already ;?! ™ piling is being, gone on with in the-* second section for the bed of the. f,I sewer and the drainage of the sewer -M « ™ foot of Franklin Road g§ ?ii\i turned into th old channel "ft. till the sewer is completed. The Harbour ',0«oard are still depositing silt at the eastern ri cornet of the bay, and so helping in tie || ; gireral work of reclamation. 'rig Yesterday, at Messrs. S. Cochrane andgg hons Queen-street mart, the Pukekorsn M block, containing 30 acres, adjoining the Mi township of Helensville, was sold by aW% ! tion at 12s per acre, three allotments in the $■& same district fetching £1 10s each. A M small farm of some Si) acres in the Parish of Opaheke,*Maketu, brought £325. At » M property sale held at. the room ot Messrs.' g T. B. Arthur and B. R. Sceats, 20 allot- .;M ments at Goromandel realised £16. 40 acres W at Waitakerei brought £6 10s, 40 acres to.M aipareira £8, and 83 acres at Mangakara- , ; . mea £14 10s. \]Mm At the meeting of the Parnell Borough -M Council last evening, attention was draw? '. ft to a clause in the turncock's report, which 1 stated that a daily leakage of 6000 gallons, ~ from one cistern, had been taking place dur-' •'., me the last -six months. The matter i»< ; referredl to the Legal and Finance Commit;/ tec. The value of the water thus wasted j would amount to £900. ?«?#

P* ~~, nr„c<:rs Bruce, Wallace, H. »■*&S■ and J- Hadfield Onmoier, »»!> j R Wit heford at Ins prt*aiteli -L™ for the purpose of presenting « r«rf«V". d bv ' „ 'wards of 200 resi- * <*" Birkenhead dis ' *"" dlS.to represent the district on (net. « S »9 Board. Mr. Bruce, in intra- *"• tta deputation, said that in appreduC'n! the services Mr. Witbeford had. ai fii in England in furthering the in--16,1 ! nf the citv and harbour, an influential' -Id requisition, including the name KQ Auckland, and 200 other of . 'hid been placed in his hands for Nation. Thev had to acknowledge rS rendered while Mr. Witheford. "Vin Auckland, and again, for four years l, .iiientlv. when in London, he gave time 50 i Lev' unstintedly, to procure the csCent of a naval headquarters at ft He (Mr. Bruce) felt that it was Htv of th residents of the district to nflvriedee these service,?, as far as lay ■ their poVer. Mr. Witheford consented J, stand. His reply appears in another column.

»I don't know whether I am married or ~" plied an old soldier, in answer to L' jlagiatrat" examining applications for Id aee imwops yesterday. He went on to explain that lie had a difference with his alleged letter half a few months after ie cereniffliv, and they were taken before the colonel of the regiment. It. came out that the lady had some two years before ra-orn to love, honour, and obey another; "And" said the old soldier, "the colonel toed her." The colonel must have been a bit of a martinet, and certainly had somewhat unconventional ideas of settling matrimonial disputes. The applicant never heard c the fickle one from that day to this. A private telegram from Dunedin states that the Maggie Moore and H. R. Roberts Company are playing to crowded houses the "Trilby Burlesque," and that everything points to a record season.

Our Te Arnha correspondent slates that Mr 8. '!'• iSmardon, long and favourably known as lessee of the Palace Hotel, Te irolia, died on Sunday morning. He had heen in indifferent health for some months past, the immediate cause of his death being enlargement of the liv.i. Deceased was an old identity, having arrived in Auckland 34 years ago, in the ship liuoeii of Beauty. He ms for many years on the Thames, after irhich he left for Waiorongonmi. He then leased the Palace Hotel, Te Aroint, about 12 years ago. and has been associated with ft ever since. He leaves a widow and two sons, bath married.

Our Hclensvillc correspondent writes: — Our respected fellow-townsman, Mr. John Hunter, died on Friday evening last, aged 48 years, after a short but painful illness. Dr.' Walker was telegraphed for that day, but only arrived in time to see him pass array. The cause of death was peritonitis. The deceased had for the. past. 18 or 20 years carried mi the business of baker and confectioner in Helensville. He leaves a widow md young family in mourn their sudden loss. He was buried in the Helensville Cemetery on .Sunday, the funeral being conducted by the Foresters. Court Star of Helensvilk Xo. 6695, of which body he had acted as treasurer since its formation. The Rev. H. Richards (Anglican) conducted the funeral service at the grave. There was a very large attendance of settlers from Helensville and the surrounding districts to pay their respect to the deceased.

We have to acknowledge the receipt of a copy of a cliromo-lithographed card almanac for 1899. issued by Messrs. S. Kirkpatrick anl Co., the celebrated jam and marmalade manufacturer? of Nelson and Blenheim. The calendar part of the publication is represented in a series of 12 fruits, forming a circle, on which are shown the dates of the several days in the week throughout each month of the year.

The tender for the erection of the boot factory for Messrs. Dymock and Co., in Alexandra-street, has been let to Mr. J. ('). Gordon, at £173. The contractor commenced operations yesterday. Mr. de Montalk is the architect, under whose supervision it will be erected.

The escaped lunatic, Oliver Scott, was recaptured on Sunday night at Papakura, by Constable Foreman, and was yesterday brought back by that officer co the AvondalelAsylum.

A miner named James Worskey, who was employed at the Hikurangi coal mine, died somewhat suddenly on the 19th inst. He complained of being ill, and left to go home. He wis shortly afterwards found on the road, and died on being conveyed to his father's residence. An inquest, was held, and after hearing the evidence adduced, the jury returned a verdict of " Death from natural causes."

An inquest will be held to-dav at Miss Sparling's Home. Parnell, on the bodv of a child boarded out under the Infants' Life Protection Act.

A daring outrage was committed a few oays ago, in broad daylight, in Dandenong Road, St. Hilda, a suburb of Melbourne, there a lady was assaulted and rubbed by two ruffians. The victim of the robbery', who resides in the Federal Coffee Palace. tad been visiting friends in Dandenong llnad and was returning towards Windsor station, m the north side of the road. She had just passed the corner of Homby-street, when two young men approached in the opposite direction. Both were dressed well MM fashionably, and her suspicions were not «ven excited when they stopped in front of l«r. Surmising that thev intended making some inquiry, she paused also, but before She could speak one of the men caught her <*! the neck while the other tore her purse out of her hand. At this time there was a Postman about IGOvds away in the same «reet. and, seeing the whole affair plainly, ne rushed forward, while a gentleman passing M a bungy also witnessed the attack, and turned to the holy's assistance. But having Sttnred the purse, which contained £13, the ruffians instantly realised the situation, and scampered off through the park, completely Mtwnting the occupant of the buggy and to letter-earner, botn of whom had started i" pursuit. During the scuffle the glove of ™ victim was torn from her hand, but she escaped without any serious injury.

The Wellington to Auckland homing Woh was to have eventuated on Friday, ffie Utli inst., but owing to there being butwe starter (Mr. W. Flicker's Hnuraki No. M the race was cancelled. Mr. Fricker. However, determined to give his bird a trial WW the course, which is about 320 miles, taking the air-line. Mr. Clark, secretary 01 the Wellington Homing Society, liberated the bird, after having stamped it for Wtntih'cation. on the date above mentioned, we idea of the tinpropitious weather the o, ra had to contend with may be gathered 'few the fact that it only reached Auckland ™ Sunday last, although on a previous occasion ','' "red the distance from Foxton "» Auckland, which is only 60 miles less ! ton the journey under review, _, eight ™«« and 15 minutes. Mr. Fricker is to ™ congratulated on owning the first bird « Auckland to accomplish the feat of flying from Wellington to Auckland. tic?m' Soulh Wl,!es Miliist « fol Jus " hw tl M ' * las ; ' ecc i vea ' a return givn the number of persons confined in the gaols of the colony. The return shows a "grease from 2260 in 1897 to 2086 in 1898, C 8 - a den ' of 174 - During the last K,. <ao n tue "' lo ' population has decreased inu, or 29 l ,er cent 0n December 31, °*. 0. persons out of every 10,000 were in *™- On December 31, 1898, 15 persons wit of every 10,000 were in gaol. Thus, L en general population has increased J » per cent., the gaol population has *f»ased, actually by 15 pei cent., and lively by 43 per cent. .A plucky attempt to rescue a child from Swung was made a few days ago, at n pi atta ' by a Chinese named Ah Poo. m Chinese was working near Hunt's Creek, 5° en f was told that a boy named Maurice p««s had disappeared in a deep pond. Ah tot «*? >" tI,D s P ot and dived - but could »ana the boy. He went under a second ."». and found the body between two logs, «™ which he could not'disentangle it. Divi ° a "! lr f time, however, he wrenched it ™. and then tried by means of artificial reTh? to restore fife, but without avail. p o J^ roners 1 ? wan % complimented All r °oor, his conduct. There were in the lockup last evening, ,7*"". namely, Donald Stewart, on mS?*' scaling a shawl and other fiuw'jv P l,o^l of Jane Doncaster and n' ** Acting-Detective Kennedy^ S«fcS?.? ( aTOßted b )' Constable c «tti t, of Newton, on a charge of break- ' ?! aDd entering the shop of Mr. George . «V Karangahapie Road, and stealing I herefrom 4c*t of lead and 361b of line

The New Zealand Trade Review, referring to the banking returns for the last, quarter "rfi^mo'c^T -1116 total ° f liabilities . tto.Ulß.oia shows a decrease in the quarter of £275,430, caused by the withdrawal of free deposits to the extent of £313,455. Government deposits are also reduced by £13,395, while on the other hand fixed deposits are increased by £19,297 and noto circulation by £27,365. The total of assets niL 3^'47l, exhibits an increase of £500 949, • the , result of a growth of £377,i54 in the general advances and of £138,457 in the amount of colonial Government securities held by banks. There is also an increase of some £11,000 in the column " securities not included under other heads," while on the other hand there is a decrease of £23,571 in the vjlue of metallic reserves. There is thus, apart from the Government account, an increase of general advances to the amount of £377,754 together with a net reduction of deposits of £294,158 an aggregate of £671,912 withdrawn 'from the banks by the community in the three months. This is the usual tendency of the banking movements in the last quarter of the year, the withdrawals being principally needed to meet tho requirements of the settlers in connection with shearing and harvesting operations.

How one of a theatre audience was carried away is reported by the Bendigo Advertiser. The occurrence took place on a recent Saturday night, when Messrs. Holloway and Anderson's company was playing "Nancy and Her Sailor." 'in the second act Ralph Cartwnght (Mr. Stanford! has luted Beatrice Ashfield (Miss Helen Fergusl to a meeting late at night at (lie scene of*the old millhouse, and ruined bridge, where he is endeavouring by violence to make her swear to keep the secret of her disgrace from her brother at the point of the knife. The scene is a moving one, and the efforts of Mr. Stanford were so excellent and realistic that it had the effect of causing a strongly-built young man to leap upon the stage 'out of the stalls. He sneaked upon the would-be murderer of Beatrice Ashfield, like a panther. grasped him by the shoulders, and hurled him from the woman. Luckily for the actor an attendant rushed from the wings, and helped the young fellow to a hurried exit. At the back of the stage the would-be lescuer resented this interference, and threatened to " do" for Ralph Cartwright if he did not leave the woman 'done. He was quite agitated, and the man.Mionwnl thought it wise ti keep him out of the theatre for a time, when he cooled down somewhat, and promised to have better command over himself for the rest of the performance, which he did. The young man, it is said, came from Ellersmcre.

Gas consumers are reminded that to-morrow, the 25th iust., at live p.m., is the last day on which discount can be allowed on their accounts.

Another crowded audience was present at the Waxworks at the Agricultural Hall last night, the principal attraction being a comic singing competition, the competitors holding a sucking pig in their arms. Their various efforts were most amusing, causing roars of laughter, the pig not seeming altogether to enjoy the fun. The winner, on show of hands from the audience, proved to be Master McLaughlin, his contribution being " liuike McGurk." The runner-up was Mr. Sike Barchurd. who sang "Two Swells from Limerick." The first prize was a silver watch. Mr. Barchard also received a second prize. A splendid variety programme was gone through by Mr. John Fuller's Vaudeville Company, the whole concluding with an amusing farce, " On the Fire." the leading characters being sustained by Messrs. Will Watkins, Johnny Collins, John Flora. Fred Bluett, and Miss Warden. To-night an extra attraction will be given in the shape of the first appearance of Mr. W. .1. Blair, the light-weight champion heavy dumb-bell performer of Australasia, who will give an exhibition of strength and scientific sword tricks. To-morrow night there will lie a sentimental singing competition for ladies. The Waxworks are open daily from halfpast two to five, and half-past seven to ten.

The premier picnic of the M.U. Oddfellows, which takes place at Homo liav,, Motutapu, on February 11, promises to be a most successful and enjoyable gathering. The programme, which appears in our advertising columns, is a varied and attractive one, and most, complete arrangements have bom made for the comfort and convenience of the public. Full particulars are advertised elsewhere.