LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11687, 24 June 1901, Page 5

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

The American mail steamer Ventura, with the HKils of London, date Juno 8, left San Francisco on the morning of the 20th inst {time-table date), and is due at Auckland mi Julv 8

At the meeting of the Hariour Board, 'Which takes place to-morrow, tenders for House will be opened, and applications for the position of engine,- for the lain.eh Knaka will be considered. Mr. Cozens is to move: "That the Works and Tariff »nd Finance and Legal Ccunuii:tees be discharged, and that 1:1 future the Hoard meet in committee rs a whole, open to the press, an Tucsdavs for finance and legal business, aid on Thursdays for works and tariff busiiess." Mr. .Wuhefi.rd will move: "That the offices of the Board be ranged, and the official staff reorganised.

Mr. Gresham, coroner, conducted an inquest on Saturday at the Avmdale Hotel upon the victims, Fulton and Smythe, of the. recent, fatality at. Niholapu. After tearing the evidence, the jury returned a verdict of "Actklont.il death*' It transpired that the country in wheh the men ■were working at the time of tht fatality was of a dangerous and ueaoherous nature." The landslip occurred -with great suddenness, and was caused by a '• soapy aead" —being the greasy condition imparted to the surface of rock by the filtering through of water between it and the ground renting upon it. The body of Mr. Fulton was taken to Kaukapakapa for burial on Saturday morning, the remains of young Smythe being interred at Waikurnete yesterday.

Old Major Fo:c (Pukiha), who played a prominent part in the Maori welcome to the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall at Rotorua. is at present in a private hospital in. Auckland, under the care of Dr T. Hope Lewis. Pokiha. who is now- * very old man, caught a slight cold at die "liui."' which brought on his old complaint of asthma. He is now getting iiiong nicely, and should be able to return :o his home before long.

An amusing incident occurred at the bottom of Queen-street on Saturday forenoon. A large number of Maoris were present of those on their way to their homes from Rotorua. Parukau, of Waikato, who is a steadfast adherent of Mahura. was also there, dressed in full Maori costume. A party of the natives commenced a dance and chant, addressing Parukau. They sang, " Te Mahuta called to Te Tiuka, 'You slop at Ngaruawahia. and 1 will come and see you;' Te Tiuka replied to Mahuta, 'Go to Putney"' a vigorous Maori expression of which the above is a weak equivalent. Parukau. in no way daunted, was commencing a strong reply when two prosaic constables came down, and all parties had to "move on."

How best to pave Queen-street is now one j of the most important questions before the j City Council. A new sort of pavement is being tried by the Paris municipality. It* j inventor is a M. Garcher, who manufactures ! his product from finely-crushed glass, which j is subjected to Treat heat and heavy pres- | sure. The result is a substance which is | said to be less affected by wear than the best j and hardest of granite, and to support a pres- j sure of over 10,000 ib to the square inch. To : break a slab of the material a weight Of I nearlv five tons falling from the height of J 3ft was necessary. This glass pavement is being laid down at the expense of its in- ; vent or in several test places where the traffic j is exceptionally heavy. If. at the end of j five years the pavement has worn well, the : municipality has undertaken to adopt it on j a large scale; if not. M. Garcher, who evi- ; dently has confidence in his material, is un- | der contract to replace the old pavement it ; his own cost. Unfortunately, the new pare- ! ment is said to be noisy.

The Tyser liner Hawke's Bay. from London, and the Union Company's steamer j Warrimoo, from the Bluff and Hobart, ar- , rived at Melbourne yesterday. j

The Rugby football competitions were | continued at Alexandra Park (Potter's Pad- j dock, Epsom) and Dc-vouport on Saturday , afternoon, when Grafton defeated Suburbs i and North Shore beat Puraell, while Newton ' and Citv Played a drawn game, cither side , scoring "six points. The lust-named match j was splendidly contested, and the result ; leaves Grafton in the lead for the champion- , ship, with five consecutive wins, with Lit} second with tour wins and one drawn game I

The ham and stable of Mr. W. Downcs, Birkenhead, was burned down on Saturday night at a quarter-past ten. They were left apparently safe by Mr. Charles Downes, son of the owner, at a. quarter-past nine p.m.. when he fed the horse, snd found the stable on tiro an hour afterwards. The horse was rescued from the burning stable. Ihe building was insured in the Royal for hio. The barn and stable were valued at £50. About £18 worth of hay, harness, and a chaffctitter were destroyed. An inquest will be held on Use body of Mrs. Ada Eliza Flliott, wife of Mr. Elliott, farmer, of Awhitu. I -day, at ten o'clock. at the hospital, and will then be adjourned till a further date, to enable the police authorities to get the witnesses from Awhitu It appears that Mrs. Elliott was confined on the Bth ima... and was ordered to the hospital bv- Dr. Scott, where she was brought on* Friday, the 21st inst.. to nave an operation performed. '1 lie operation -was performed on Saturday, but the woman died yesterday morning at half-past six o'clock.

Teachers and students of music arc reminded that the entries for the next local examination in vocal and instrumental music, under Trinity College, London, must be delivered to the local secretary on or before Saturday next. The examiner this year to visit New Zealand is Mr. Alfred Mistowski, Mus. Bac. Oxon., a British subject bv birth, a former student of the college, having held the Henry .-'mart scholarship, a master of the pianoforte and violin, and a composer of considerable merit. The examination is to be held at Auckland about October. Mr. Mistowski is an old student of the institution which has now appointed .him to this important examinership. In the years 1890-93 he held the Henry Smart Scholarship, and studied under Dr. Gordon Saunders and Mr. Frederick Corder, and in 1893 he gained the Costa prize and goal aiedal for the best string quartette. He took Ids Mus. Dae. degree at Oxford in 1893. Mr. Mistowski has always made the pianoforte and violin his principal instruments, but he is also a player of the viola and an organist. His compositions are numerous, and include a dramatic cantata, "The Forge," two string quartettes, two symphonies for full orchestra, and a pianoforte concerto.

The annual show of the Newton Pigeon and Canary Club was brought to a successful conclusion on Saturday night at the Fo: esters' Hall, Newton. During the day and evening the exhibition wiw visited by a good number of the publi::. The cup for the best pigeon in the chow was not won by Mr. K. Wamock, as at first announced by tho officials, but by Mr. J. Walker, who carried off the honour with his English carrier, which he purchased from Mr. Arthur Capes, the well-known Southern breeder. The winning pigeon, which is 3£ years' old, is a splendid bird, and among other prizes he has annexed is the £10 10s trophy given for the best English carrier at the Wellington championship show. In addition to the officials already mentioned as having worked hard for the success of the show, Mr. Taylor, the treasurer, was also inde*fatigable. Now that the club has reached such a satisfactory stage it is to be hoped that the members will do all in their power to secure a. continuance of the interest shown, and endeavour to maintain the high standard of the annual exhibitions. In spite of the fact that the Maori displayin tho Domain was abandoned, a hastilyarranged programme of hakas was given in the Opera House on Saturday night by about 25 of the Wairarapa natives now in town, en route to their homes from Rotorua, and the interest excited by the recent gathering in honour of the Duke, was proved by tho large audience which assembled, the building being crowded in every part. Several hakas end. war dances were performed, and the public were delighted with the exceptional skill shown by the dusky dancers. The poi dance was a particularly popular item with the audience. A portion of the takings will be handed over to the Viet,, School for Maori Girls.

The Otago Daily Times says:—lt may be anticipated that among the proposals to be submitted to Parliament during the session that will be opened within the next fortnight will be measures providing for tin increase in the members' salaries and for an extension of the term of Parliament. The Libera] party in the Lower House may be depended upon to vote almost to a man in favour of raising the members' salaries to £300 a year. No feeling of delicacy will restrain the members of that party from supporting the Bill which the Government, in gratification of their wishes, will bring down on that subject, for one of their guiding principles is to be liberal to themselves. They have no right, however, to assume that the country is in favour, as some of them allege that it is. of their increasing their salaries. Before it expresses any opinion on the subject it desires to hear the reasons why a change should be made. Tho onus lies on those who propose the increase to show that there is any justification for it. The members have so far shirked this onus; they flatter themselves with the comfortable belief that the country appraises their services so highly that in order to retain them it will not hesitate about endorsing their action in adding 560 a year to the salaries to which the law entitles them. The colony has had no opportunity of expressing an opinion on the subject. The members were elected at a certain salary, and before they increase it they certainly ought to consult the electors who placed them in their positions. The proposal to extend the duration of Parliament is in the same category. The colony adopted the present system in lieu of that, of quinquennial Parliaments, because it was persuaded by Sir George Grey and the popular leaders of the period thai triennial Parliaments represented a plank of Liberalism. A new- school of Liberalism has now arisen—a school in which independence of thought is not necessary. If the electors are. however, desirous of retaining triennial Parliaments it will be advisable for them to express their opinions in that direction with no uncertain sound, and to extract from their members definite pronouncements of their views, and not to rest content with flabby undertakings to vote with the crowd. As a matter of constitutional practice we need scarcely say that any extension in the duration of Parliament would not apply to the existing Assembly.

The police authorities in Dunedin requested hotelkeepers to observe additional precautions within the time of the Royal visit. In a conversation with a reporter Captain Mitchell, of the Fire Brigade, said that the very best measures that could be taken to ensure safety is to employ a night porter to traverse the corridors during the night. An inch hose should be run out on each fiat capable of extending to the ends of the buildings, and if the presence of tire is disclosed by smoke issuing from any of the rooms it could be promptly and effectually dealt with. Messrs. J. and J. Watson, of Watson's Hotel. High-street, have just had built at considerable cost a fire escape which provides a sure and easy means of exit from each flat. It is in the form of a stairway attached to the exterior of the back portion of the premise.-. It is built entirely of iron, and the ascent and descent are so easy that little children can and have used it with safety. Before it was erected the plans were submitted to the inspector of police, and the captain of the Fire Brigade, who expressed themselves as highly pleased with it. The proprietor': of the hotel claim that it is the safest -".ad most effective fire escape in the

city. Mr. M. Foley has received a letter from his son. Trooper Dan Foley, who has been transferred from one of the contingents, through running down, and is now in Capetown. He says: "'1 am now in the Pay Department. 1 hope your worries will all be over at the dangers of the battlefield. J. have had a very rough time of it during the last 14 or 15 months, and can thank Cod that I am alive to write this letter, and have seen men fall thickly around me' mi several occasions, not forgetting the Sauna's Post disaster in March last year. That was a wild day, and will never be blotted out of-my memory. How our poor regiment was mowed down, and the brave gunners of the Royal Artillery, whom we were supporting. And then the curse of this war. the dreaded enteric. I came safely out of that, while strong young fellows died like sheep in the beds of my ward. I suppose fate was good to me. The plague is raging here, and seems to be getting worse. Dozens of waggons carrying the yellow flag are to be seen daily in the streets 'of Capetown, carrying the plague-str-eken victims and their " contacts" out to the locations. Capetown presents a busy sight at present, with troops coming in and going out. A large number of New Zealanders and Australians were down lately. The Australian Bushmen broke in a newspaper office for calling them "scum." It was a lively night. A large number of special constables were sworn in, but the Australians did as they liked wherever they went. At one hotel the damage was £300. It reminded me of federation night in Sydney. There are plenty of billets lure, but 1 will not accept any even if I get my discharge. I intend to get back to Auckland by Christmas"

Te Eongokahira Parala writes:—! "To Eongokahira, mentioned as having | been presented to the Duke, and Duchess ol j Cornwall and York at their arrival at Ko- | torua, and received by the Duchess at the I (fraud Hotel, is not known to Europeans ! generally by the native name. The lady j is better known as Mrs. C It. i'arata, | eldest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. David , Asher, of Tauranga, and daughter-in-law of ' .Mr. T. I'arata, M.H.lt. According to na- i live custom, and their wbakapapa (genea- i logy), Mrs. I'arata is one who can truce her ; ancestors from their landing in New Zea- j land. Mrs. I'arata, being connected with j N"aitiraugi and Te Arawa tribes, was es- ; lected it ttotorua as one with her aunt, '1 e j l'irakau, to represent the Arawu ol' the | Friday, when Mrs. I'arata Cl'e ttougokahira) presented a, valuable green-tone mere to the | Duchess, which was carried continually by Her Highness throughout her visit to Ko- ! tnrua. ° Amongst the many oilier presents j was a valuable mat, which was worn also, i All these valuable native garments were made |,v P.aheru 'i i kaiiuhiapo, grandmother of To; Rongokahira, and her sister-in-law, Miss . Irehapeti I'arata, of the South Island (Te Waipounamu), who also presented Her. Royal Highness with a, handsome kakakura ( muff." i

In the list of donations for the Queen- Vic- . toria (School for Maori Girls, the following ' names were inadvertently left out, viz.: - : The Primate, £5 11. G." Seto-Smitli, £10. j

Mr. Napier, M.H.R., communicated with the Minister for Railways in reference to the necessity of increasing the number of em- j ployees in the Newmarket railway work- ] shops, with a view of overtaking the arrears ; m rolling stock, and complaining of the re- i cent retrenchment of three joinery. Mr. j Ward has sent Mr. Napier a replr, stating ! that he will look into the matter of the I Joiners retirement, ar.d will communicate I with him. | A. meeting of the Devon port Borough I Council will be held to-morrow etching, l J -he .following notices (1 f motion have been i tables—By Bis Worship the Mayor (Mr. | M. NWcol): "That a committee of the Councftgo into the matter of reforming the i by-laws>*, t - the Borough of Devon port." Bv ! Mr. .-• Vhilson : " That the removal of shell I and sandVrcm Cheltenham Beach be prohi- ' bited. \ * I

Our V, ai\j ;tl respondent writes:— J. L. West,un old and much respected settler, died S'toewb'.it suddenly on Friday evening. He |omp!aincd of feeling unwell, and expired within jjf an hour, xhe cause of death was h^ r t disease, His age was 70 years. \

The following irisoners were in tire lockup last evening, lamely, Jeremiah Donovan, on a charge pi theft of a pair ol trousers; Henry Hichcr, on a charge of insulin::; language ;\ Charles Real, 'on a charge or Leer; clrui\ and disorderly and resisting the police: 4 < ,; ;i , j-jimmond." John Worker, Charles i',V;u, and Solomon Levy, on a charge of ii'yit of a quantity of clothing, etc., value £.'.>, property of persons unknown. \'

To-night, at eight o'tlo.i.-. ;-,; r . F. G. Kwington will give a popular lecture at the Auckland Institute, on "Brains versus Muscle in the Production of Wealth." it is an opportune time to such a question, when so many persons cl%i the right to the whole produce of labai.-; ;]!il ( others claim for " the workers" poiucal power, and employers of labour are mad* to take a back seat, because they are not, s\ popular estimation, producers. The %st opposite opinions prevail. Qucsnai, nd tin rTonch economists of hi.-: day. Uug\t that "Land, and not labour, is the SO>> CO of ail wealth,'' but Henry Coorge taught that •"Laud in. itself has no value; value tvis.es. only from human labour."'

this consumers are reminded that Tuesday, the 25th inst., at live p.m., is the suit day on which discount can be allowed or, their accounts.