LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 11163, 8 September 1899, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

An' English mail which left London oil August 4, will arrive from Sydney by the s.s. Waihora on Monday morning next. The colonial mails which left Auckland by the R.M.s. Alameda, on August 7, were delivered in London on Wednesday last, due date. At last night's meeting of the Auckland City Council, a letter from the Trades and Labour Council regarding the advisability of the Council providing a space for the holding of public open-air meetings v-as riad. Reference was made to the recent prosecution for street obstruction, which was designated a menace to the holding of open-air meetings. It was suggested that the Council might provide a space on the southern slope of Albert Park, while the va-yr.t allotment at ! . the corner of Grey and Queen Streets was also referred to as an eligible spat. The matter was referred to the By-laws Revision Committee. It is the intention of the Auckland City Council to effect an alteration in the present j system of collecting the rates. It appear!■{ that ratepayers have been in the habit ol ignoring the by-law which states that rates-; are payable fourteen day-; after demand for j same has been made, and paying rateS in time to avoid the additional 10 per cent, J added after a further lapse of time. The Mayor, at last night's meeting, stated that the Council's overdraft was £32.000, while the outstanding rates amounted to about the same sum. Ratepayers should be compelled to pay their rales within fourteen days after i demand for same had been made, and if that were done the Council would have to pay, interest- on i much smaller overdraft. VI An amusing incident occurred 't the Police Court yesterday morning. \V!::n M | old age pensioner, charged with false repie-W sentation, was discharged, the accused'svnfe 't said to Mr. Hutchison. S.M., the presiding j magistrate, "Thank you, your Worship.'.,! Mr. Hutchison: "I beg your pardon?" lie lady repeated her thanks, and Mr. !j Hutchison replied, "Oh. don't thank me, I| am only doing my duty." The lady, incommendatory tones: " You are doing your duty; you are the right man in the right'* place, and you will see justice (lore. - a (Laughter.) •$ At last night's meeting of the City Council the traffic inspector (Mr. C. Turner) reported that newspaper hoardings weekly placed in conspicuous 01 ':" tions in the principal streets, and on windy days were dangerous. It was decided to. refer the matter to the Streets Committee. Speaking to the motion, Mr. Jamieson saif- ; that on mail days newsvendors had erected near the post office, from ffhicn . they did business. In the main streets, topjij, men had books ranged on window-sills, OBJ this, he thought, should be stopped. »g was decided to allow the Streets Comnuw|g to discuss the matters mentioned by JttjS Jamieson. '|| Last evening the newly-erected Knfe Church in l'arnel! was dedicated. e CBr ". | mony was a most impressive one, and tt S congregation extremely large. The was preached by the Moderator of the MM ral Assembly, the Rev. D. J. Steele, «' and the prayer of dedication was o® er . /■§ Hie Rev. Hugh Kelly, M.A., pastor« "g church. The music, undei the direction m the organist, Mr. J. F. Bennett, was 1 ,te pressively rendered, the choir consisting; over 60 voices. The collection taken fe and devoted towards the reduction ot . gj| debt on the church amounted to the . some sum of £34 3s. The newly-planted strawberry beds Northcote, Birkenhead, Birkdale, an • I .: field, are very backward as a rule this R | son. This, no doubt, has been caused M « unusually heavy frosts experienced, fluf® the past winter. * Ma A special meeting of the joint of the Auckland City Council will be BUg this afternoon to further discuss JUl6lW|| posals in connection with the electric installation in the city. M There were six persons in the l ock ' u I evening on charges of drunkenness, . ... man named Robert Collier, on two cM„J| of theft of carpenters' tools from Jol" 1 Causland and Wm, Craig respectively..,;^

As tie question of controlling torpedo boats by means of Marconi's system of wireless telegraphy has recently cropped up, it is interesting to note that at the second lecture by Professor Brown, at the "i.M.C.A., on "Marconi's System of Wireless Telegraphy," that that gentleman showed a model which he had made for the purpose of illustrating a suggestion which he had seen in some magazine, as to the possibility of directing torpedoes by means of wireless telegraphy. The apparatus showed a rudder which was made to turn in one direction by means of a weight attached to en axle, and when the electrical waves of ether were transmitted from one end of the platform to the other they brought into play what is technically called a relay, a battery which actuated the model and caused the rudder to turn in the opposite direction even- time that the sparks were emitted at the other end of the table. This, together with the other experiments shown by Professor Brown, were much appreciated by the audience, and heartily applauded. Promisor Brown went to considerable trouble in preparing the model, and it is the first time this [ irticular experiment has been performed in I he colony, if not elsewhere. Yesterday afternoon a Maori prisoner, committed from Tauranga on a charge of breaking and entering a store, arrived ly the s.s. Wailangi, and was transferred to the .Mount Eden Gaol to await his trial it the next criminal sessions of the Supreme Court. I he suitability of New Zealand woods for all ornamental work, and even the depictins; of landscapes, with their lights and shadows, is to be seen illustrated in a beautiful ornamental table-top by that "artist in wood,' Mr. W. Seuffert, in the window of Partridge and Co., Queen-street. The seine depicted is " Redman's Bar-Archway on the Buller River." The various shadings of the inlaid work bring out every detail of the landscape, the foliage of the trees, the berries and the plumage of the birds. Nothing better has been executed in this department of art since the masterpiece executed by Mr. Seuffert's deceased father, whose work is in Windsor Castle, and attracted the notice of the Emperor of Austria: The weather seems to be changing for the better. Yesterday was one of Ibe finest days of the season, and a real precursor of glorious spring.

Mr. H. N. Abbott, of Auckland, has presented the Free Library with Tlios. Moule's topographical description of England, illustrated by a map of London, and a complete series of county maps, published by Virtue, 1837. The work is in two volumes.

1 lie Helensville Old Age Pension CVint resumed investigations yesterday at the Stipendiary Magistrate's Court, Mi. Hutchison, S.M., being the investigating magistrate. Several applicants absented themselves, and their claims were accordingly struck out. One claimant failed to produce the necessary corroborative proofs in regard to age and continuous length of residence in the colony, and furthci hearing of the case was postponed till next sitting. The following claimants through non-appearance had their applications struck out:—Catherine George, James Council, Samuel H. Cardwell, and Joseph Gager. Certificates were ordered to issue to the following for the full amount, viz., £18: Stephen Winfield, Jane Boyd, Sarah Woodford, Joseph Woodford, and Edwin Piatt.

A very old colonist, Mrs. Henry Smith, passed away yesterday morning, at her residence, Eden Terrace, at the advanced age of fourscore. The deceased had been in the colony for half-a-century, and leaves a husband and grown-up family of sons and daughters, as well as a large number of grand and great-grandchildren.

A copy of Bent's "Ruined Cities of Mashonaland," being a record of explorations there in 1891, has been presented to the Free Public Library by Mr. E. Eastham, of Devonport.

The handsome block of buildings in process of erection for Hayinan and Co., in Custom-street East, will shortly bo ready for occupation. They are a great ornament to that commercial thoroughfare, and a fitting monument of the enterprise of the firm. A start lias been made at the intersection of this street with Fort-street with the excavating for the foundations of the new four-storey store to be erected for Mr. Schischka, wholesale grocer, of Albertstreet West.

The prosecution of drainage work in the Surrey Hill portion of the Borough of Grey Lynn is being carried on in a systematic and economical manner. There is not one of the suburban boroughs which can show so good a record in this respect, and when Grey Lynn comes, as it will some day, into Greater Auckland, will have no reason to feel ashamed of its record for attention to drainage works and sanitation.

John D. Spreckels, of San Francisco, in whom all New Zealanders must take an interest, lias commenced the erection of a residence on the north-east corner of Pacific Avenue and Laguna-street, which will exceed in dimensions and outlay even the magnificent mansion in course of construction for William G. Irwin, his business associate, on the corresponding corner of Washingtonstreet. The Spreckels building will occupy a lot commanding a wide stretch of view comprising the Golden Gate, San Francisco liav, with its picturesque islands and hillclad shores, and the towering range of the Sierra in the distant horizon. In form it will be nearly a square, covering about 100 ft in everv direction. The material employed will be a arav sandstone to the first floor, with ? lightcoloured tcrra-cotta above, giving the effect of a creamy white construction. In style tlie architects, Reid Brothers, may be said to have produced an Italian renaissance. The residence will be one of the largest and most expensive erected in San Francisco, and will require at least a year in construction.

After a three-months' cruise among the Pacific Islands, the steamer Archer returned to Sydney last week, and reported having visited in turn. Baker's Island, the Ellice and Gilbert Groups, and the Marshall Islands, experiencing fine weather throughout. At all the places visited everything was found to be very quiet. The natives in the Gilbert Group are still in a bad way, owing to the prolonged drought, but they have to same extent been relieved by recent rains. Trade at the various islands, however, is fairly brisk, and the Archer returns to Sydney with a good cargo.

At the annual meeting of the New South Wales branch of the English Church Union, held recently, .Mr. J. S. Michael said an attempt was to be made at the next Synod, hich might lead to very grave consequences to the Church in the Sydney diocese. It was proposed, they were told, to attack the ritual of a church, which he would not name, in such a way that it would be curtailed. and that an attack would also be made on other clergy, whom a certain body, he was sorry to say a certain number of members of the Church of England, considered to be acting in a lawless manner. An attempt was also to be made to bring in an Act placing the Church in this colony in the lamentable position which it occupied in Ireland. He contrasted the action of the Bishop of Brisbane with that of "their worthy Bishop" in Sydney, "who was instituting men to orders who were only fit to occupy positions of second-hand clerks." People who feel a tenderness for gaol-birds will be pleased to learn that the prisoners in Pentridge (Victoria), are to enjoy the up-to-date luxury ol the electric light in their cold and lonely cells. It may have occurred to observant minds (says the Age), that the proposed Government old age pension for an honest man is just about half what is spent on the keep of a criminal in Pentridge ; and now the condition of the more favoured State pensioner is to be further improved. This is a merely incidental result, however, as the Government has found it cheaper to supply electric light from the Railway Department's plant than to take gas from the local company, so that there is an economical reason for the change. H the electric light had cost more than gas the Government would not have made the change merely for the comfort oi the prisoners. At the Armidale (New South Wales) Police Court the other day, 12 citizens were charged with congregating in a shed at South Armidale on Sunday, for the purpose of witnessing a cock-fight. The owner of the shed pleaded guilty to keeping and using the shed for the purpose of cock-fighting,, and was fined £2 and costs. Ten of Die others pleaded guilty to being present for the purpose of witnessing cock-fighting, and were fined 2s 6d each and costs. One of the accused pleaded not guilty, and the case was dismissed. An order was made for the birds to be returned to the owners, but tlie spurs were confiscated, <

The new Japanese Customs law, which has recently been brought into operation, is another instance of the advancement of the Jap. The revision has followed closely on the lines of European and other highly protected countries. The penal clauses are noteworthy. One provides that a person ati tempting to import, or importing, prohibited j goods, shall be punished by a fine corresI ponding in amount to the original value of 1 the goods in respect of which offence was I committed, and the goods shall be confisi cated. But this rule does not apply to cases I where a different punishment is provided by | another law. A person attempting !to evade payment or evading payi ment of duties, shall be punished by a j fine equal to treble the amount of duties the i payment of which was evaded, or in regard I to which the attempt to evade payment was I made, and the goods in respect of which the offence was committed shall be confiscated. With regard to goods liable to confiscation under this law, it is provided that they shall be confiscated so long as they were in possession of the person who was the owner at the time of the infraction of the law. If they have already oeen assigned or consumed, "a sum of money corresponding in amount to the value of the goods shall be expected from the offender. The Queensland Parliament will, during the next session, lie asked to deal with a number of important proposals for the construction of railways and tramways bv private enterprise. The chief proposals are in connection with the opening up of mineral country at Lawn Hill and Cloncurry, in the Gulf territory. At the Parramatta (New South Wales) Police Court recently a rather peculiar case cropped up, in which Joseph Brmrden was Sued by tho Land Tax Commissioners for the recovery of the sum of £3 4s Bd, two years' land tax. The defendant pointed out that he could not possibly owe the money, as lie had not owned the property for over seven years. For the prosecution, it was pointed out that the defendant had no locus standi in the Court, as he should have appealed to the Court of Review, as provided in the Act, The Bench said that the point was good, and tligp had no alternative but to give a verdict for the amount claimed. The defendant thought that was rather hard, considering that he did not own the property, and could prove that he had not owned 'it for the last seven years. The P.M.: " You should have brought it before tho proper Court, his Court cannot hear you in tho matter. It is one of those instances where a man should not he his own lawyer. We cannot help you. You should have appealed to die Court of Review, and then you could have given evidence. Under this Act, the production of the documents in support of the claim in this Court shall be held to lie evidence of the debt, and the defend mt has no standing in the Court." A verdict was entered for the amount claimed. The medical profession in Victoria has had a conference with delegates lron< the friendly societies over the old g-ie,-aace of the overworked lodge doctor. ['lie d.idcrs wanted the lodges to preclude members earning over £200 a year from receiving medical attendance at lodge rates, and otherwise it was made clear that the medicos are inclined to restrict the numbers of those vim benefit by their services through 'lie medium of society membership. The whole question is to be submitted to the lodges, and their decision is to be made known to a future meeting of the conference.