LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 11056, 6 May 1899, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

. His Excellency the Governor has noil; almost finished the corresponednce vhidi Mad accumulated during his absence si i Rarotonga, and hopes to have everything i completed before leaving on his goldfieldi ■ and country tour on Monday. ':§ The Herald Monthly Summary, for trans-' mission by the next outward San Francisco mail, will be published (in Friday morning. 1 hose desirous of forwarding the Summary \ t0 ... If'' '™ em ' in Europe, America, etc.', 1 will have ample time to do so, as the neirfr!. paper mail closes on Monday week, at !$• ° clock a.m., up to which hour papers for mailing may be obtained of runners at tbi' post office. This mail will be due in Low' don on Wednesday, June 14. -jSjj The Right Rev. the Bishop of Welling' (p r F. Wallis), who, together with ■ Mr. Pennefather, has been requested by thaj Anglican Bishops of New Zealand to eii'i mine into all matters relating to St. John's' 1 College, is expected to arrive by the Eotoitf' this morning. We are informed by Canon : Nelson, who has been asked by the Friy mate to make the necessary arrangement,'' that Bishop Wallis will preach at St. Matj, thews Church to-morrow morning, and".' St. Paul's in the evening. -*|| The colonial mails which left Wellington; by the R.M.s. Aorangi on March 30 wij delivered in London on Wednesday morn' i ing last, due date. ?f| At the inquiry into the origin of Ming . Quong's fire, before Mr. Bollard, M.H.R.fi; yesterday, Mr. 0. J. Parr, who represented i the insurance companies interested, said thai •: lie wished to correct any impression thai i ■; might exist that the proceedings weri i instituted by the assurers. As a matter of; fact, the inquiry was an ordinary policy! inquest, and through the courtesy of th®,; coroner, the insurance companies were per- ? mitted to watch the proceedings on theiiij own behalf. i ; : ; a A story, amusing to those not directly. L connected with the incidents, was told yw| ;■ terday at the Police Court, by Mrs. Ad®',: Cassells, a shopkeeper in Grev-street. && corcung to her statement, at about seven;? t o clock on Thursday evening last a young l s woman named Helena Norman came into: t the shop, and being evidently in a " tired s n condition, wished to sit down. It nwj have been that there seemed to Mrs. CaS' j sells little prospect of doing business Tiitl, the young woman, at any rate she request ", her to leave the shop. The request J,® : answered by a passionate protest, the ac< ■ ■; cused breaking two of Mrs. Cassell's gla^' | tumblers in order to give point to her prt'yj •? testations. She then left the shop, but <®v. | to return almost immediately afterward} ... with a plentiful supply of rotten eggi.l which she threw with unwomanlike P%. cision at the object of her wrath. f; Cassells' dress was soon bespattered, ijdj--* the supply of eggs running short, her jj sailant continued the assault by pelting Cassell's own fruit at her. How the effl were so readily got was accounted for W: - r ; Mrs. Cassells, who said that a neighbour®? ■ hbourinjf grocer, who was jealous of her being ®|;; trade, would be "only too glad" to pWJSf with the eggs, if he knew what the accuse® intended doing with them. The presidingh magistrate, Mr. Wardell, S.M.. sentenced;the accused to one month's hard labour/ the charge being that she did commit. ffl'/J.j | chief by being guilty of the above-mention 6 ®/! | acts,, > .3

The question of the San Francisco mail Service and the proposal to make Wellington an alternative port of call with Auckland, when the fortnightly service is instituted, was discussed at yesterday's meeting of the Chamber of Commerce, and it was decided to cu-operato with the City Cnncil in arranging for a public meeting and the selection of speakers to deal with the subject, Tho Trades and Labour Council have also intimated that they are willing to assist. ° A considerable amount of annoyance and discomfort has been experienced during the sitting of the court of inquiry into the origin of the recent fire at Ming Quong's Store, at Epsom, owjng to the unsuitable position of the room for such a purpose, The inquiry is being conducted at the Metropolitan Hotel, and the constant rumble of waggons up and down Durham-street West makes it almost impossible at times for the witnesses to be heard. The strains of a band of itinerant musicians the other day, though agreeable at most times, did not tend to improvo the temper of those engaged in the case. The Auckland Chamber of Commerce do not intend to allow the matter of a direct line of steamers between New Zealand and Manchester, brought under the notice of the local Chamber by the Manchester Chamber of Commerce, to drop. At yesterday's meeting the opinion was expressed that the liroposil was a most important one. and should receive ths early attention of the Chamber. The new jetty off Quay-street East, to be known as No. 4, is being pushed on with rapidity by Mi. David Gouk, the contractor and IS expected to be completed and ready for occupation in about a month's time The work of dredging the approaches to the jetty is to be commenced at once, Dredger No. 121 having been placed in position yesterday. We understand that Mr. J. M. Shera has been asked by a number of persons connected with the mining industry to become a candidate for the Ohinemuri constituency, from which the present member (Mr. Cad'man) is retiring. Mr. Shera is favourably considering the proposal. A correspondent write! from Ohaupo: — In your London correspondent's notice of Major-General McNeill and his bravo feat in the New Zealand war, at a post called Owapu, which appeared in yours ol the 2nd Inst, your readers would hardly think that the place meant was Ohaupo, within a short distance of which, on the Cambridge Road, the incident occurred. Another verv similar affair, and equally meritorious, Lappened to two troopers oil tho Ta Awamutu side of this township. 1 here were some fine specimens of hapuku on view at the shops of Mr. F. Williams, Queen-street, and Mr, Bishop, on the wharf, yesterday. Tho fish camo from the Barrier, and varied in weight from 601b to 801b. It appears strange that more oi this variety of fish do not find their way into the market, as they are said to be vory plentiful along the coast. The contractor for the Gas Company's reclamations (Mr. D. Fallon) is making excellent progress with his contract, also with tho filling in of Freeman's Bay and the const met ion of the Freeman's Bay sewer. ! The first section of the sewer is now completely finished, and the second section has the botto mand sides almost finished, and will be entirely completed about Monday. As soon as that is completed the brickwork of the cover will be gone on with. The third section is well in hand, only about 30 of the piles requiring to be driven. As soon as the second section is finished tho work of filling in will proceed with in- I creased rapidity, so as to get as m u-h done i as possible before the winter sets in. At I the eastern side of the bay the silt from the Harbou. Board punts is being steadily de- : posited, and in a few months the greater part of the reclamation work will bo com-' pleted. ' |

The committee of the Auckland Jubilee ; Kindergarten have decided to close the in- ! station after the 17th of the present month. It seems that for some years past the kindergarten has not met with the measure of public support that its usefulness warrants, and one of the main reasons that has prompted the committee in coming to the i decision mentioned is the want of funds to carry on. • Of late there has also been a falling away in the number of children attending, of infants in the creche, • and of meals provided, but this is accounted for in nc small measure as the matron, Mrs. Williams explainsby the prevalence durin„ the past two or three months of the measles epidemic and of the whooping cough. A large number of thoso who have taken advantage of the kindergarten, for the safe keeping of their little ones, • during their absence at work in the day- ' time. are much disturbed at the decision of' the committee. It seems regrettable that it should be found necessary to close the kindergarten. |

A correspondent at Helensville writes: — With reference to the accident to Mr. Findlay. whilst crossing from the Helensville railway station to the wharf recently, as re- j corded in the columns of the Herald, it is stated that this is only one amongst many i of such occurrences. 'I he facilities for the ICaipura passengers to reach their steamers on arrival of the trains have been simply disgraceful, especially so at night time. There lias been scarcely a trip, but either j a man, woman, or child (and oftimes the i two latt-ir combined) in traversing the wharf from station to steamer, has met with an accident by being caught in the railway points, resulting in a fall. Now, however, after so many years of danger, thanks to the publication in the Hebai.d of this incident with Mr. Findlay, wooden protections have been put to the various points on the Helensville Wharf, that will prevent people s feet becoming again entangled. But more than this is necessary for the safety of the travelling public. They should not be allowed to traverse the wharf at all. A good path is required alongside the line of railway and a propel barrier should be placed, preventing the use of the wharf, where shunting at suij] times is continually going on. A kind of narrow path has certainly been made and heavily scoriaed, but its formation has caused between this and the road a hollow, which, in wet weather, constitutes a small lake, and is very muddy at other times. An apology for a fence has also been put up, but it is devoid of pailings, and the posts, being about 12ft apart form, no obstacle to divert from the right path. If these were properly completed, and fingerposts erected, directing passengers to avoid using the railway line, it would add to the safety and convenience of the public and be a credit to the Railway Department. But it must be remembered that it would tend also to lessen the Hon. R. Seddon s boasted surplus to an extent of about £4 15s, which is a consideration to be weighed against danger to human lite and limb. The Swift branch-pipe and spray nozzle, for which Messrs. Dunn, Smith, and Co. are agents, was given another publi? trial yesteiday afternoon in Lower Albert-street. Inn patent was manipulated by members of the Auckland Fire Brigade, under the direction of Superintendent Hughes and His Worship the Mayor (Mr. D. Goldie), Mr. T. Whit® (Kauri Tinibei Company), Mi. James ationbury, and a number of other gentlemen who witnessed the trial, were much inipressQ with the value of the invention for fire purposes, damping timber, etc., the Mayor also recognising in it an excellent means of watering the streets. Our Pokeno correspondent writes: A very pretty wedding took place at Mararnarua on April 26, when a large number of friends and relations from Auckland ana surrounding districts assembled at the result nee of Mr. George Mclnnes, to Witness the marriage oi his eldest daughter, Isabella, and James, second soil of Ml. W. Appleby, of Maungabawiiiri Valley. I'm ceremony took place at two o ' c l° ck > ™! e Rev. F. W. Findlay officiating. The bride was prettily tired in a cream cashmere, tiimmcd with liberty silk and pearl trimmines, with veil and orange blossoms, ana carried a lovely bouquet. The bridesmaids were Miss Olive Mclnnes and Miss Appleby who wore exceedingly pretty pale blue nun s veiling, trimmed with white chiffon ana lace About 80 sat down to the wedding breakfast, which was laid out in a room, specially erected ior the purpose, and look-" very pretty, with floral decorations, usual toasts were drunk and responded to. The bride Was the recipient of many useiui and valuable presents. Yesterday the Primate (Bishop Coww) sent a telegram to the Rev. C, F. B. E- arl '* sou, of Coromandel, stating - that he. is ir&Me to visit Coroniandel. this week.. - liishop lad previusly arranged :to tfreacu and hold a confirmation at Coromtodel . tomorrow.

T^ 1 Unction took placi. at the •fiffpranftn Survey De l^ rtmen t yesterday x--- , ' ¥} % officers met together Irprnnt! !I, ° ? h - R • Pollen, on bis E m w £ dr ? teman at Blen-dnft-iman •' M i. ' Kensington, chief Cm lS' 1U 5 etlce of Mr - G. Mueller, S 1 S ° ner ° J Crown Lands, in a few Po In ™ vT'r re , mwks ' Presented Mr. stiff win fce ¥ l of the field and office Lv t VP a!tmooD tea salve,, in which 150 'M a mar 'f of the esteem m Which he was universally held by the ofn3?, many years he has been ledced 'Mr " t) °" en acknowfn - 1.1 g "1 a neat s P eec h. He leaves week new sphere of duty early next

nam,J A?£ issue wo stale d that a girl a chirm* m Hansen had been arrested on of charge of lunacy by Constable Finnerty, hll , c ? ,ans Bay .police .station. He i' lni-o i! wandering in the streets at L', i lour » and a fire bad occurred in evpnin '"tf 1 ' m . the Door of Hope, the same evening, the origin of which could not be ■ oun ed for. On going the rounds of the Lif n i early . yterday morning, Sci- ? ' . * W den noticed that she seemed to be pain. She was crouched in a corner, ant from the manner sho was grinding her teeth he thought she was going to take a of some sort. He aroused the police matron, meanwhile Sergeant Forbes got the girl to open her mouth. It was then found 1,1 she had a quantity of pins, needles, tacks, nails, etc., in her mouth, and she told _ e sergeant she had swallowed some pins. the police persuaded her to empty her mouth. Dr. Sharman was sent for, and a er examining the girl, ordered her removal to the hospital. Although, at the outset, the girl appeared to be in pain, it gradually wore off when riie got to the hoi pita . Prom what she told the police she had been collecting the pins, etc., at , 8 Doot , oi Hope, and had kept them in her mouth for two days. On inquiring at tiie hospital last evening as to her condi--1011, our reporter was informed that she was getting on well, and appeared to be quite rational m her speech. Her conduct seems somewhat unexplnineble. T'ho taking oyer of the work of daily inspection by the Government may possiblv lead to the appointment of a Government vetf-rirary inspector resident in Auckland. It is the mtehtion of the Government to utilise tlii services of veterinarians as far as possible and as the Government inspectors will have a larger field of work than tho present local inspectors (the condition of butiei factores, and similar establishments coming under their supervision, as well as tile premises of milk suppliers), it is considered probable that liie inspectors in each district will bo nndei the control of a comptttnt veterinary surgeon. Farmers have for long desired that a Government veterinary should be avail ible in Auckland, and it is hoped that the changes now being arranged for will lead to this end being attained.

Pheasants are reported to be very scarce this year, one of the reasons assigned being tho opening ot the native game season a mcnth before flat for imported game. The gn.eral opinion appears to bo that, the shooting that has taken place since Easter to the Ist inst. has not been confined t> indigmous birds. Sportsmen arc declaiming bitterly at the action of those responsible for ignoring the recommendation of the Ac climatisation Society' to open both seasons at the same date. Another reason against the early opening of the duck season 'is tbo limber of young birds about. With respect to tlie scarcity of pheasants there must ba taken into account, among other thin"?, the lavages made by those inveterate pinchers—: and weasels. These vermin are fast overrunning the country, and owing to the immense amount ot cover, it is rat to impossible to cope with the pest. V here a spoilsmen used to reckon on thi'-e or rou. biaie of birds, he has now to be content with oue, and considers hjmself lucky to get that.

The 89th half-yearly meeting of the Colonial Sugar Refining Company was held at the company's office, O'Cnnnell-stroet. Svdnev. on April 28. Mr. Edward Knox occupied the chair. The directors' report for the halfyear ending March 31 was submitted, showing that the profits made during that period, after, providing for interest and all other charges, amounted to £85,580 17s 7d, to which sum was added the balance brought forward from the last half-year, £90,250 Is 5(1, leaving available £175,830 19s. From this amount the board propose to appropriate— payment of dividend at the rate of 10 per cent, per annum, free of income tax, £85,100, leaving to credit of profit and loss account £90,730 19s. The output of sugar from the company's mills during the season ol 1898 has been very large, and has been produced at a cost somewhat below that of previous years. For the coming season the prospects are satisfactory, except that the dry spring in Queensland' has done some damage to the cane, and that in New South Wales the uncertainty as to the retention of the sugar duty caused a temporary diminution of the area under cane, which will, to some extent, affect the crops ol this and next year. The refineries have been kept well employod, and the export of the surplus sugar of last crop lias now been almost completed. A resolution was submitted, relative to the issue of new shares to the proprietors, which was carried. The report and balance-sheet were unanimously adopted. Mr. A. Watt was re-elected a director.

At the Thames Police Court yesterday, ! before Messrs. Tizard and Reiißha'w, J.l'.'s, a number ot persons were charged with neglecting to have their children vaccinated,' m required bv the 152 nd section of the Public Health Act, 1876. The majority of the charges, however, were adjourned for two months, on tin ground that the children concerned were in ill-health, and consequently not in a lit state to be vaccinated. but in a few eases the defendants were fined 2s 6d and costs. We understand that in consequence of the many cases of sheep-stealing that have occurred from the coast and islands of the Hauraki Gulf, several of the owners have proposed to form an association, and to advertise a reward of at at least £100 for information that would lead to conviction. The Canterbury Chamlier of Commerce is endeavouring to obtain information regarding the operation of the patent laws of the colony, with which tlioy arc apparently dissatisfied. A communication was recently fonvarded to the Auckland Chamber, which has promised to assist, It is stated that- an influential Southern company, conducting business in Canterbury and Dunedin, intend establishing a farmers' and general co-operative association in Auckland, and that representatives are to visit this province shortly, and ascertain the views of the producers upon the subject. The following is a return of births and deaths in the district of Auckland, registered during the month of April :Auckland, births 79, deaths 41; Birkenhead, births nil, deaths nil ; Devonport, births 13, deaths 3 ; Newton, births 6, deaths 3 ; Newmarket, births 2 ; deaths 1 ; Parnell, births 8, deaths 4. The Hon. George McLean, and Mr, Archibald Denny, of Dumbarton, who is on a visit to the colony, arrived from the South by the s,s. Gairloch yesterday, and leave for the Hot Lakes district this' morning. Rain set in yesterday, which will prove very acceptable in improving the state of affairs at the Western Springs. There is no reason to believe, from the timely rains which have taken place at intervals, that the city will suffer any inconvenience, for this year at any rate, as regards its water supply. Among the passengers by the s.s. Ovalau last evening, from Rarotonga, wag Detective Bailey. He had in custody with him W. H. Hoskins. whom he had arrested at Rarotonga, on a charge of a breach of the Bankruptcy Act. The accused will be brought up at the Police Court this morning. This afternoon the War Exhibition Company will give a matinee' ill the Agricultural Hall, when some splendid war and miscellaneou views will be shown. An exhibition! will also be given in the evening, at the same place. This will bo the last opportunity of seeing the pictures prior to the departure of the company for the Thames. The inquest on the man -diet. Smith, killed by a fall of stone at the Kiripaka mine,, has been adjourned till to-day, to obtaiii attendance of. the inspector., A correspondent calls attention to the bare aspect ot the enclosure at Emily Place, and suggests "that' in the' angles . some; evergreen New Zealand trees should be planted, such as karaka or puriri. _■ - .p. ; •