LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11712, 23 July 1901, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Yesterday morning His Excellency the Governor and the Hon. Chas. Hill Trevor, A.D.C., paid a visit to the Golf Club's links at Green Lane, and enjoyed a game of golf. In the afternoon the Governor christened the schooner Countess of Ranfurly, to which function he had issued a number of invitations."

An English mail, which : . left London on June 14, arrived from Sydney by the Jilingamite yesterday. Personal Items, AngloColonial Notes, Latest.Mining News, and other interesting ; news , from -' our London correspondent, will be found in another part of this issue.

The barque Kathleen Hilda arrived from Newcastle yesterday morning, after an exceedingly rough ' voyage. ' The • barque, which is under ; the command of Captain Mahpn, reached Melbourne Heads from the Thames just ;.. before the ~ extremely heavy gale ; which was so disastrous to a number of vessels on the Australian ; coast j at > the latter end of June, but i was ; : fortunate enough to just get into port ahead of the bad weather, although it was a very narrow escape. ;■'-;' t The Auckland barque Aldebaran was in the same gale, and had a very narrow escape of going ashore on the coast, 'she \ being in such .close proximity.,to the rocks, and with the gale blowing on to. the land /that at one time it was thought that she would have to be abandoned. Just, however, at the last; extremity, the gale lulled, enabling a little sail-to be put an the vessel, and she was hauled off the shore.; Captain ! Mahon ; describes the weather as being the •• worst which ■ he■, has experienced for the many years he has been going to sea. /vi; : : -;./ ■■" ' v.- '■'.<■■'■ ■ ■_-, " -•/.

Several motions, of which notice have been given, fall to be discussed at the ordinary meeting of the Auckland City Council on Thursday next. Mr. Masefield will move: • "That with a view to ■, increasing water supply to the city the waterworks engineer shall report to the Council within one month the estimated, cost of steel and galvanised iron flange pipes, 24in in diameter, from Nihotupu to reservoir at Titirangi, and S 21in cast iron pipes from reservoir to Arch-, ; hill, with necessary : fittings, exclusive of those already on '■ the track, stating the quantity of water pipes of those sizes will supply by gravitation: to the Ponsonby, reservoir, ; and allowing 12 months for supply: of same; also to report the, value of the 9in, lOin, and 15in pipes now on the track, and of the 15in steel pipes for which contract has been let." Mr. Garratt is moving for a bylaw to empower cabmen to give persons who refuse to pay then fares in charge to a constable, and another motion by the same gentleman will be submitted to secure crossings in Pitt-street, " Symonds-street, and Khyber Pass. Mr. Stichbury will move in the direction of securing . kerbing and channelling for the following streets in Ponsonby, viz., Scotland, New, Douglas, Vermont, King, Blake, Spring, and Seymour.

The Thames Magistrate's Court yesterday was occupied in dealing with a somewhat peculiar cow case, the details in connection with it being briefly as follows:—At the sitting; of the Magistrate's Court a fortnight ago, one Alexander Currie sued a > Mrs. Phyllis Taylor, or the return of a cow'which he claimed to be his,' and which he said he had lost in November, 1899. The defence was that the husband (now deceased) of, the defendant ; had purchased : the cow from a Mr. Townsend about the time plaintiff alleged his cOw was lost that Townsend had been communicated with in th? matter, but had not given any explanation as to how he " obtained possession of. the animal...; Consequently defendant could not dispute the ownership. ■'; Evidence of the identity of the animal was given by Currie and an order was issued by the Court calling upon defendant to give him possession, together with. the costs of the proceedings. Yesterday Mrs. Taylor sued W, Townsend for the sum of £6 18s, of which £4 5s was the price given originally to Townsend for the cow, and £2 13s costs that were incurred by Mrs. Taylor in hex case with Mr. Currie. Townsend denied that the- cow claimed by Mr. Currie; was the one that he had sold to plaintiff's husband.: After hearing considerable evidence, the magistrate (Mr. Bush) held that Mjs. Taylor nad proved her case, and gave judgment for £5 12s against Townsend, with costs. Mr Clendon appeared for Mrs. Taylor, and Mi." I Moss for Townsend. .

.An inquest was held at the hospital yesterday morning, by Mr. Gresham, ;■ coroner, touching the death of an Austrian gumdig.ger, 28 years of age, named Nicholas Dinovich. The particulars of which appeared in our yesterday's issue. Dr. R. Adams, resident surgeon physician at the hospital, stated that he had made ' a post-mortem examination, and found on the. brain a large mass of degenerated -brain tissue, with hemorrhage. When the tissue was removed, there was a cavity the size of a duck's egg. The cause of death was this substance, - which formed in theT>rain, with the hemorrhage. Ihe jury returned 1 -a'-"verdict in accordance with the medical evidence.

A cool robbery took place , ns , , < last, when ib is alleged a boy wag M * teriiig the shop of Mr. Philip Crowe \ Hobson-street, and taking away jl^ l appears that this box was the tilLr '* lane adjacent, he appropriated the em.* * - and left the empty box. When seen U • • the shop a spectator thought he wm « ? ing away a box of nails, and had busing* the premises. He has not yet been m 1 * fled, but the police have the matter info I*"'1*"' At the Thames Police Court yesteri, ■' six cyclists were fined Is and 2a cos*» ?' riding on the borough footpaths. S~L'!! Clark explained that numerous compkj ? had been made of late regarding Li; * riding >on the footpaths, and the Viii had therefore laid themselves out to c* ture the offenders, with the result thy number of them had been caught. ■* ..

A serious railway accident occurred m July 13, near Werribee station, West Ant tralia. A train from Perth, with lo»<U coal trucks, was ascending an incline b*. tween Werribee and Wooroloo, when a S of couplings broke, releasing 10 truck* They started downhill, gaining impetus they swept along, and dashed . throuA ' Baker Hill station, which fortunately *« clear. Three permanent way men oil* trolley, saw the runaway, and" jumped off and attempted to remove the trolley bus : the trucks crashed into it, killing one ffi * ' named Coles. The collision derailed th* trucks, which tore up the line for a considerable distance. " The Northam station" i master sent out a relief train. The damaga' was so great that a deviation of the l line was required to maintain the traffic while repairs were being effected. . :The>"trucks'! were all smashed up, and the place looked like a coal heap, mixed with splinters of wood. The telegraph lines on the Perth ■ •ide were carried p.way. The man who fas' killed had just resumed work after the srike. -, ''

' The experience with big fires in Sydney reentry has brought into prominence the fait that the protection-, against disastrous • conflagrations in that city is deplorably & adiquate. The subject was mentioned to Mi. See, the Premier. His answer was that he was going to introduce to Party milt this session an Efficient Eire Brgades Bill. "Tnat, it can i» y argied, is a meaningless promise,' 1 - sayt the Sydney Daily Telegraph "if viewed in the light of the unde< niabV necessity for a thoroughgoing im<9 provqnent. No one doubts, for instance, that- he present brigade is efficient—thas; 7 is to lay, it is competent, able, and active, but it is not large enough. _ This is the/ real tomplaint, which nothing short of ready ] Parliamentary interference win remedy. ; If it takes all the strength of the existing brigade and the whole of the present appliances to cope with one- consider* able fire; what would happen, it is asked,; if two bioke out at the same time, whidj is not a; all an impossible contingency. This question was put to Mr. See. The Premier dd not appear to regard such state of thngs as likely, and another Minister who avis present, said, 'Suppose there were three 1' : ■ Such a method of looking it' the matter Joes not help it, and ; the'publia| are very properly beginning to realise that the affair is i.very serious business, requir< ing immediate attention, however Ministers may in a flippmt mood regard it. More* over, there are, not ma,ny people who sea clearly that it is any part of a fireman's duty to remove 'damaged timber and chap" red bricks. Tlat is work, it is thought,' that should be dftie by others, and the : men left to their own special line of duty.'

On Saturday evening last a meeting of ' 1 On Saturday evening last a meeting of I representatives iron the leading bands of I the ; Auckland province was held at Waters' I Coffee,; Palace, .Queen-street, to ■ form a ■' 1 Band Association, which was successfully i accomplished. Tht, object is to raise to 1 standard of our brass bands, both musically I and socially, 1 and;m&e them equal to any 1 in the colonies. "Tie association will M § known as the Aucklard Provincial Band As* 1 sociation. The executive is in hopes of be* 1 ing able to hold a con-test in a few montlrf I time. This, it is felt, the public will ajn 1 prove of, as a step in the right direction/ 1 and it is hoped that leading citizens and th« 1 public.generally will heartily support the as- : 1 sociation. :Mr. A. H. Vcrrall has been ap-/' [i pointed secretary, and Bandmaster Impey is .treasurer. ~',' \ :'-- l : iYesterday afternoon, shortly after tout" I o'clock, Constable Cahill «id a 1 >1 officer arrested a number of lumpt ,-ojtiaj S 1 steamer Tomoana, on a charge of broaching . 1 cargo, namely, 421b of tobacco, Hugh Davies, i Antonio Mathieson, Joseph Shera, 'Alex. : •' I Cameron, Chas, Paterson and Alex, Muriil son. They were taken to tht High-street- ,1 lockup, and placed in custody. jj There has been a good deal of pilfering I of cargo of late from vessels. Las? week j the s.s. Cereda hauled into .the Queen-street.. I Wharf and unloaded a quantity of tobacce i into the Harbour Board sheds. Subsequently ■ J one of the boxes was seen floating off th» j end of the wharf, and fished up by the Ha!- i bour Board dredge, and 'the Customs J,tobKjf; [ possession of it. It is not known how the j box came out of the shed. A theory is that | some pilferers were disturbed and pot 'tits M case over th© wharf. j . ■■'•- •.•'. •■■•', : '--M ; -: Our Paeroa correspondent telegraphs that'' at the Police Court yesterday a butcher, ; named Joshua Tetley, of Karangahake, was :| fined 10s, with costs £3 ss, for haying thrown a dead horse into the Oninenuiri River. Defendant admitted burying tie' animal on the bank' of the river, and said the carcase must have been washed out by,, afresh. ' , ■ An inquest was held on Friday, by Jfc Gresham, coroner, on the body of a child named Wm. Henry Rewcastle, aged three j ears and five months, at the dwelling, off' Mr. George Rewcastle, Canada-street, Netf* J ton. ; John Malcolm, tinsmith, it "appears, was passing through Canada-street, when ha saw the deceased t child lying at full length ,-. near the gate of the house. His face w»>.; downwards, and between his hands; there was a little froth issuing from the mouth. He took him across the road to a woman who was there. The child was placed in charge'of his elder sister. Florence Margaret Rewcastle, sister of deceased, stated the body was that of her brother, he was apparently in:good spirits on the day in , question, and playing about as usuaL Shortly after noon he said a little girl had struck him in the face. There were is marks- whatever on his face. Clara Eliza Rewcastle, mother of deceased, -when [ she,arrived at home at ten minutes to four p.m., the child was in convulsions; she had last seen him well at one p.m. Dr. Gran* first attended the child, and afterwards Dr. Bedford, who was the regular family pky sician. The child died next morning at ** i quarter to four. Dr. Alice Woodward, who performed the post-mortem, stated that tha child was well nourished, and well -grown. - There were no marks of external violence - The cause of death was cerebral congestion, resulting from reflex irritation. That would arise from undigested food. The jury returned a verdict in accordance with th» medical evidence. The" handshome illuminated address &no [ the valuable plate, presented by the citizen* of Auckland to the ex-Mayor, Mr. D. G° l die, as a recognition of his services to the. city, are now on : view at Messrs. Bartlett ■ (jeweller) premises, in Queen-street. Both.. the address and the silverware are attract' ing a lot of attention. The Diocesan Synod of Waiapu has just had placed in the north transept of Napier Ca- • j thedral a handsome tablet bearing the in* scription, In memory of the late Bet.; Carl Sylvius Volkner, who met his death j in the ; service of . the Lord Jesus Christ »_ j the hands of the Hauhau fanatics at OpotißiMarch 2, 1865. 'Be thou faithful unto death and I will give thee Crown « Life.'" ° ■ A sad sequel was attached to a wager mada - in the Fitzroy Hotel, Melbourne, the other , day, when a man named Andrew Atkin»« j >undertook-. to swim across the Yarni**' South Yarra. A cab was called, and the bettor, with two friends, proceeded to th» j river bank, where Atkinson divested himself. ■ of his clothing and plunged'into the icy co« j waters of the river. Before he reach*} half-way across he'threw up bis arms ■"» disappeared, his companions looking helplessly on. Deceased leaves a ■'■widow » n * three children. . I

r-npnl Bundle, on the march to Stander- .! tvn=A 5000 horses, 3100 cattle, and ■ uaaO sheep- besides 42 waggons "** carts ' T?J£ only now transpired that last month •J, ," ae l Pi lcher defeated a Boer attack in ■- th 'a Bullfontein district/the enemy suffering loss of seven killed and 25 tonnded. The British surprised '"olTier's commando near Honingspruit, capturing 14, including two of General Prins-i loo's sons, besides horses, rifles, and ammunW / tion The death is Announced of Mrs. Kruger/ It took place cat Pretoria, in her own homfr from which she had not been ejected. Hir It ink 14> including two not British. Prins-i Ws sons,'besides horses, rifles, and ammunM | imx xhe death is announced of Mrs. Kruger/! It took place at Pretoria, in her own homj I from which she had not been ejected. Hi I i;„„i attendants were not British. 'Jo | •' w Sed husband the blow has been greafer I • than a Boer disaster. He had hoped fa : Sn her some day, and her death Am to have come upon him unexpectedly. They,j were according to all accounts, a devotedly , attached couple. While sympathy /will I naturally be felt foi the old ex-President, thus suddenly bereaved while separated from his wife, it cannot be forgotten that bat lor ■A his criminal obstinacy in prolonging a hopeless struggle that separation need not have been, nor need there have been the unhappy loss of life which as occurred and is still occurring. The bnt.'heiy of wounded British by Boers 8 b Vlakt'ontein is confirmed. It is stated, that Botha recently deplored the demoralisa- ■ tion of the Boers and the impossibility of repressing these brutal outrages. It is officially stated that all the Powers follow Britain's lead in China. The Chinese have cut the telegraph wires near Tientsin. A Chinese official, implicated in the massacre of Europeans, is still in office, despite an edict deposing him, and his immediate removal has been, demanded by the British Jlinister. ~,.- ..'■ =~ A private cable message was received in the city hist night stating that the Union. 1 ! Company's steamer Bakanoa had arrived af Newcastle from Fiji. The steamer lei? | Suva on July 5 bound to Auckland with tip j hull of the barque Occident in tow, but hiyond the intimation that the steamer his reached Newcastle there is no information jo . hand. ________________ I