LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11629, 17 April 1901, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

About half-past ten o'clock last night the water main at the junction of Durham-street East and Queen-street burst, and a volume of water to the height of about sft was" thrown up, flooding the street, undermining the pavement, and washing out a cavity of several feet deep, and about 17ft in length, between the shops of Messrs. T. and S. Morrin and Co. and J. H. Adams. The city engineer was at once communicated with, and the water cut off at the surroundin"- hydrants. A party of workmen were busily engaged about midnight in repairing the damage "done to the roadway and mains. It is believed that the cellar and floor of Mv. Adams' shop was flooded, as large quantities of water were seen to surge against the door and grating. .

Yesterday rooming, When Mr. Hani? Prime, ironmonger, went to open his shop - in Queen-street. Onehunga, he found that ' it had been broken into, and the contents ■'' of the till, amounting to' a few shillings, extracted. The door at the back is in halves, meeting in the centre. • One portion was secured with bolts top and bottom, and the second half, when closed, was merely bolted midway on to the other half. As the timber, being, comparatively new, ' had shrunk - about an eighth of an inch, the thief, or thieves, had effected an entrance by pushing back the centre bolt with a small instrument. The till also contained a quantity of papers and postage stamps. These Mr, r: &- Prime found strewn about the floor. Th theft was at once reported to the police.

Mr. P. M. Hansen, of the Auckland Eieo trie Tramway Company, has received tha bill of lading for 349 packages of rail accessories, which have been shipped from London by the s.s. Paparoa, due to, arrive here next Monday. The first shipment of rails, totalling 1150 tons, which were shipped from New York direct by the. s.s. Cereda, are now well on the way, and should reach Auckland about the beginning of next month. As soon as they arrive the work of laying down the lines will be commenced at several points, the College Hill, Newmarket, and Parnell sections being the first on which work will be started. Mr. Hansen has also received instructions to start work on the nower-houso in. Custom-street, at the beginning of next month, and the necessary excavations will bo commenced then accordingly. The work in connection with the installation of the tramways will bo begvfa immediately the first shipment of rails come to hand, and will then be pushed on a? rapidly as possible.

A deputation of Mount Roskill Road residents waited upon Messrs. Andrew, Sons, and Co., yesterday, with reference to the in crease in fares on their Mount Roskill, 'bus service, especially with respect to the charging of fourpenny fares beyond Prospect Terrace, and the increased price of, tickets. Tho company arranged that the price of tickets be 20s per hundred, and 2s 6d per dozen, beyond Prospect Terrace, single fares to be fourpence. The company's representatives said they could not see their way to make any concession with respect to the fares now charged for shorter distances. It' was pointed out, in support of the increased charges, that. the price of horses and the; rate of wages had increased considerably during the past year.

Tho New Zeaiand Trade Review has the following in reference to the half-million loan: "Recent experience has shown that the London market is not in. a favourable condition for floating colonial loans, and as the Government is, presumably, in need of. the money, the method proposed is probably, as good a way of obtaining it as could bo, found. Four per cent, is rather a high rate, but compensation may be found in ; the ! price, the minimum for which is fixed at£loo, while the burdensome charges exact-, ed on loans raised, in the London market' will be avoided. There is abundance of money seeking investment in the Australasian colonies, and the flotation should be a success. At the end of the three years' currency, the London market may, in all probability, be in a better state for raising money. This loan, together with the £500,000 recently paid off by the Bank of New Zealand, will give the Government a mii lion, the amount which the Treasurer d\y tained permission to burrow by the Act of last session."

Our Wade correspondent writes: The funeral of Mrs. Richards, who died at North' Shore on Friday, the 12th, took place at the Wade on Saturday last. The corpse was brought to the Wade by the s.s. Orewa. Mrs. Richards was a daughter of Mr. Dunn, of this district, and was only married about two weeks ago. The funeral was well attended. A large number of wreaths were sent by friends. The funeral service was read by Mr. Leigh. Great sympathy is felt with the mourners. ■

Onr Taranaki correspondent writes: It is with regret, that I chronicle the death of Mother Margaret Mary (Miss Maud Skelt), ; who passed away on Saturday last at the Monastery of the Presentation,,, New Plymouth, the cause of death being consumption. The deceased lady was formerly in charge of the monastery, at Stratford, bub owing to illness she was removed to !town„ where she has lingered for some time.. Deceased was only 31 years of age, and was very well liked by all who came in contact with her. The funeral took place on Monday, and was very largely attended.

A society has been formed by a number of halfcaste ladies who are the descendants of Ngapuhi chiefs of the North of New Zealand (writes our Whangarei corespondent). They call themselves the Ngapuhi sisters of mercy, and are qualifying themselves for nurses in the field, so that if our volunteers are called into active service they may bo able to tend the sick and wounded. They are well mounted, and it is needless to say. are all good horsewomen. Mr. Bridgeman: has been kindly giving them lectures on first aid. Their uniform is of khaki, the same as the New Zealand mounted volunteers, with skirt of same colour. —[Whangarei Corres* pondent.]

An inquest was held yesterday afternoon by Mr. Gresham, coroner, on the body of John Oscar Zanders, who had been found dead in a house in Cook-street in the forenoon It appears that deceased belonged to Warkworth, where his wife and family, resided. They were expecting him down, and as he did not come home, Mrs. Zanders came to town and went to the house, and found him dead, having been evidently dead some days. She reported the affair to Constable Finnerty. Mrs. Williams identified the body, and deposed that she had seen deceased 10 days ago, apparently in his usual health and spirits. Constable Finnerty deposed that from- information received he went to the house, and found the body. . He found a letter on the body of deceased addressed to Dr. Watson, signed by deceased, dated the 9th hist., stating thai he intended to take a little laudanum fm sleeplessness, and was going to Warkworth; and would see the doctor on his return. Dr. Sharman, by direction of. the coroner, made a post-mortem of the body, and found that death was owing to heart disease, rupture of the aorta. ;■ .

Judgment in the case, -Hancock and Co. v. Ryan, claim for hotel rent, will be delivered at the Supreme Court this morning. .

Our Ngaruawahia correspondent writes;' —On Friday last the Public Hall was crowded to its utmost capacity, the occasion being a farewell social to Miss Paterson, who is about to marry, and leave the township of her birth. The Rev. H. Mason presided, and in his opening address, spoke in eulogistic terms of the young lady. He said she had always given willing assistance to every good cause, which it was, in her power to promote. He then introduced Miss Joan Kellow to the meeting, t That young lady then read an address from the public of Ngaruawahia. The address was couched in most affectionate terms, and concluded by asking the acceptance of a tea service and the wish that it would serve to remind the recipient of friends, and schoolmates she was about to leave behind. . Miss Linda Kay then presented a beautiful silver tea service. Mr. E. Rathbone then, on behalf of the rowing club, presented the young lady with a handsome clock. Miss Jam Lockie, on behalf of the public school, children, then read an address, expressive of the high esteeTn in which the children hold her, and asked'her acceptance of a gift as a token of esteem. Misses Priscilla Lockie and Clarice Burr then handed a handsome eight-day clock and writing-desk to Miss Paterson. Mr. Paterson, on behalf of his daughter, thanked the people for their kindness to her, and for the handsome presents they had made her. Any assistance she had rendered had been given as a matter of duty. She had always found it a pleasure to work with the people of Ngaruawahia. A programme of songs and dances was then gone through, and a splendid supper served.