LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11782, 11 October 1901, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

The chairman of tre Parnsll School Com* . mittee informs us that our report of the '' finding in the Kitson case was absolutely : correct. Mr. Kitson, he says, had prior to the meeting withdrawn certain charges, K and so far as his own children were concerned kt the committee's opinion as embodied in tie:;/; resolution was that nothing had occurred-S to call for any interference on their part; ; The matter ended in the way indicated in-, ■;': the Herald's report. * ;■;:;:

In reference to the reported death ofsl Mr. Harry Ernest Whitaker, in a railway accident, there is still a mystery which may not be cleared up for some time. By the last Cape mail, Mrs. Minnet, sister of! - ■ Mr. Whitaker, received a letter from Mr/ Edward Whitaker. Mr. E. Whitaker hadbeen in the hospital at Johannesburg when he heard of the railway accident, and of" the death of a Mr. Whitaker in it, who was stated in the Cape papers to be a son tf of the late Sir Frederick Whitaker, of New 1 Zealand. Mr. E. Whitaker at once wrotr to the doctor of the hospital in which Mr. Whitaker died, asking for particulars/ The doctor replied that Mr. Whitaker left* - no message whatever for any relatives ex-> cept one for an aunt in Chelsea, England. The Auckland Whitakers have no relatives: in Cheshire, and this statement of the doctor would show that the man who met with the accident was not Mr. H. E. Whitaker, of Auckland. Moreover, the name 4 of deceased is given as Harry Edgar Whi- 5 taker. But, on the other hand, in a tin a of war, in a large hospital, when numbers are dying every day, there is every risk of mistake as to messages which are left. Mr. Edward Whitaker stated in his letter that he would make personal inquiry so as to settle all doubt one way or the other. '? Mr. H. E. Whitaker has not written toi ?! Auckland since he left new Zealand, andvf it is said that he is serving with the corps vt he joined in a remote district of the Transvaal not easily reached. It is easy to under- 1 stand how the statement got into the Capetown papers that Mr. H. E. Whitaker -: who had been in the railway accident belonged to Auckland. There are many Auoklanders in and about Capetown, and - seeing it stated that Mr. H. E. Whitaker had been injured, and knowing that Mr, Harry Whitaker was in South Africa, they would jump to a conclusion.

In reference to the death of Mr. Geo., Twidle, reported to be from the bite of a katipo spider, Mr. H. Crispe writes : -"I believe an error has been committed in putting down the above death to the bite of a katipo spicier, for I hava just had an interview with Mr. G. Twidle, father of me deceased, and in the course of our conversation he told me that his son had had a bad attack of influenza for some time. He had been working for Mr. D. Roulston up to the Thursday before his death, was about Pukekohe and his home ut> to the Monday, when he went up the line as far as Taupiri to look at a flaxmill. On returning home he felt rather ill, and went) to bed, and on taking off his coat noticed a mark on his arm which was swelled up a bit. He remarked it must be another boil, he having been troubled with tnese before. But he was never aware of having had any sting of any kind. About midnight he was taken with dreadful suffering, and called in the doctor, who, on looking at his arm, said it was the bite of a spider or centipede, which was poisonous. But beyond that there was nothing to show what the swelling proceeded from in any way."

Applications for the appointment of milk and sanitary inspector for the Thames district were to have been considered yesterday afternoon, but at the hour appointed -ur. {' A - Dunlop, chairman of the Thames County Council, took exception to the who* of the members of the Borough Council, being present, instead of the defegates forming the committee appointed by the joint action of the Borough and County Councils. He consequently applied for the meeting to be adjourned for » fortnight, in order to give the County Council members an opportunity to be present. The town clerk (Mr. Bruce) also announced that in response to a telegram forwarded by him to the Agricultural Department, at Wellington, asking if the Government Inspector ot Abattoirs and Dairies would have lull power to inspect dairies supplying the borough and county inhabitants, he had received a reply that afternoon to the effect; wiac the inspector would undertake the inspection of dairies as well as abattoirs, and that the appointment of Mr. Sutton as inspector for the Thames district would probably be gazetted that dav. 4s this arrangement would do away with the necessity of appointing an inspector far milk, and probably lead to some alterations m the terms of the specifications upon which applications had been invited, it was agreed to consent to Mr. Dunlop's proposal to adjourn the meeting for " a fortnight, when both Councils could be called together to further consider the matter. It was announced that 10 applications had been received for the position, but they were not opened. It is not intended to receive any further applications for the position, but if fresh conditions are drawn up at the joint meeting of the two Councils mentioned, then it is probable fresh applications will be invited

A man named Alex. Angus, alias Stewart* was arrested by Detective Miller at Paesc" yesterday on a charge of stealing a silver watch, valued at £4, from the dwelling of one George Smith, at Hikutaia, on Tuesaay last. The accused was broungb to I names yesterday evening, and will becharged Wl th the offence at the Police Court there this inonung.

The war in South xica has lasted exactly two years to-d. and is not vet finished, though it is lie it has now resolved itself into a meiguerilla, campaign. It was on October 11,399, that the Boer ultimatum expired, ant that the struggle, which has continued along, commenced. The war was deliberate!forced upon Great Britain by the Boer (garchy, and they have paid a heavy prictor their arrogance and folly. Kruger anais gang are refugees in a foreign countrSteyn is a bunted fugitive in the State ofVhich he was once President, and the Travaul and Orange River territory have paed for ever from tho Boers, and are now corporated in the British Empire. The rections of Kruger and Steyn to-day must i ineffably bitter. But there are no signs at they desire to see the insensate strujle ended. The campaign of brigandag and marauding still goes on with t heir-auction and approval. And it seems lily to go on until every roving commando : the field is captured or slain. This prrtss of exhaustion may be slow, but its rait is inevitable. Every week the numb' of Boers still under arms is being reduid, as Lord Kitchener's reports show To-day further captures are announced, btlia is now said to have retreated north. Two hundred Boers were defeated at Hebron on the 7th, after a sharp engagement Kruger is reported to bo breaking up. The rSoer delegates in Holland now excise all authority Dr. Levels is said > have been deprived of power, and tc have become a more nonentity. At a lemonstration at 'the Hague to commemoite the outbreak of the war, prayers were oered for Kruger, Steyn. and the Boers ill in the held. Mwtial law lias been proclaimed in Capetown, Wynberg, Simoistowu, Port Elizabeth, and East Lonc'Ja This step was decided upon at the rcent interview which tie Premier of the olouy had with Lord iitchener and LordMilnei in the Transvaal.

The report of the eunion of old colonists will be found else-here. The function proved as suecessfu as any of its predecessors. The eonmemoration service in S;. Andrew's Churei was attended by old settlers from all parti of the province, north aid south, and frail the Thames. There ire still from 30 to 40 of the passengers lv the Duchess of Argyle and Jane Gifford lift, and some of thoa.\ who came by the Brillaat and Westminster. But from the way h which the ranks of the old identities tare, been thinned during the past year thy will soon all be gone. A word of prise is due to the executiv ecommittee for th arrangements made, which were carried of- without a hitch.

Kn accident occurred yesterday afternoon oi the Queen-street Wharf. It appears tht D. Munro, driver of one of Mr. J. J. Crag's four-wheeled waggons, was about teload his waggon, when the horses took fight and bolted up the wharf. They cane into collision -with a cart owned by M. Tooman, auctioneer. Queen-street. The cat was slightly damaged, and the horses irthe waggon were brought to a full stop though one of them falling down-

The Rev. J. G. Greenhough is the first pesident of the Free Church Council of G-e&t Britain and Ireland to visit the colores. He is a gentleman of wide culture, sid is in the front rank of preachers and '-t Hirers. Mr. Greenhough arrives on )ctober 19, and remains a week in AuekAnd. He lectures on " Our Protestant and 'uritan Forefathers" and " The Present Coalition of Religious Life and Parties in Eng.and."

YestereVvy morning a young man was cycling down Symonds-street, and when i :;ir Waketieid-street the front wheel of ' is machine became detached, causing him to be thrown violently to the ground, cutting his face badly and knocking in his front teeth. He went to Mr. Lamb, chemist, who attended tc his injuries.

During some wedding festivities in Edin-burgh-street on Wednesday night a pair of horses attached to a carriage bolted, owing to some boys ; ' tin kettling" and startling the horses." The man in charge, B. Savers, pluckily endeavoured to hold the animals, but he got knocked down and tranpled on. The horses and carriage ran dovn Howe-street, up Hepburn-street, to Ksrangahape Road, and then to Pitt-street, wlere they came into collision with a cart, aid then with a lamp post in front of the Narist Brothers' school, where they brought vp. The carriage was considerably damiged.

An elderly man named Rees Powell Williams was found dead in his bed at the Thames yesterday morning. It appears that deceased retired to his bed as usual on the previous evening, in ap parently good health, but on his wife awakening in the morning she found him cold and lifeless. Dr. Lapraik, the family physician, was immediately sent for, but all he could do was to declare that life was extinct, the doctor being of opinion that death had taken place about two hours previously, and that the cause was due to apoplexy. As the doctor was prepared to give a certificate to that effect, no inquest was necessary. Deceased, with hi family, arrived, at "the Thames about 18 months ago from Whakatu, in the Hawke's Bay district, where he had previously been in possession of a large farm. He leaves a wife, daughter, and three sons.

At the meeting of the Diocesan Synod at Napier last week, Mr. Hill moved, and the Rev. Heme Huaka seconded, " That this Synod is of the opinion that the natives of New Zealand should have the right equally with the Europeans to say whether they will or will not have licensed houses in their districts for the sale of intoxicating drinks. " This was followed by a long and interesting debate, the consensus of opinion being that a.s the Maoris are amenable to our law it is only fair that they should have the same right "as we possess "to decide in such questions. It was stated by several speakers intimate with the Maoris that they wish to have this right given to them. Fear was expressed by some speakers that the Maoris of the King' Country would vote for licenses, but it was pointed" out that if we are true to our principles we must vote equal rights for both pakeha and Maori, and must recognise the principle of allowing the Maoris of any district to decide for themselves whether they will have a hotel or not. The motion was carried.

A subscriber writes forwarding the name of a gentleman who lias been cured of varicose veins by an application which is strongly recommended for trial. He says: —"A well-known resident of Otahubu, who suffered for 10 years, found himself per fectly free from disease after two months' treatment. He can therefore testify to its efficacy, and in the interests of other sufferers he desires it given full publicity. The following is the recipe: ' Bathe the parts affected with a lotion consisting of one tea-spoonful of boric acid dissolved in one quart of warm water. Sprinkle a little of the acid on a piece of antiseptic lint, large enough to cover affected parts. Bind the leg round with another piece of antiseptic "lint, and then adjust bandage. If this lotion be used night and morning for a few weeks, tapering off as healing progresses, a perfect cure may be relied on.'

Two fishermen put out from Barwon Heads (Geelong) on September 30 bound on a fishing cruise- There \\\Vi a strong wind, and a heavy sea running, and when four miles out one of the men, Win. Luckow, went forward to haul up the stormsail. While so engaged the halyards snapped, and the young man fell back into the sea. His companion, William Jones, threw out a rope, which Luckow caught, but the boat was going at the rate of four miles, and dragged him almost completely under water. Becoming exhausted the drowning man released his hold of the rope, but managed to buoy himself up with a paddle thrown overboard. In the meantime Jones had hauled down the jib and returned to *.he spot where Luckow was bravely trying to keep his head above water, but almost when the boat was alongside of him he gave a cry and disappeared.

Yesterday Andrew Moros. storekeeper, di Dargaville, was adjudged a bankrupt, on the petition of Messrs. Sargood, Son, and Ewen, and S«egner, Langguth and r Jc.

The lion, treasurer of the Churton memorial restoration fund (Mr. J. J. Craig) desires through our columns to acknowledge receipt of the following donations : From City Council, £20; the hon. treasurer, £5; J.L.C.. £1; John Wilson and Co.. £3 3s; D. M. Dingwall, £2; Captain W. C. Daldy, £1 Is. It is hoped to raise sufficient funds to enable a, really handsome memorial to be erected. The design will follow the old form of the obelisk as far as possible, and it will also be a drinking fountain, to make it of service to the public, besides being an ornament to old St. Paul's reserve.

An old man named Johnston, a gumdigger, was brought down from Helensville to the district hospital for treatment. He had slipped and broken his leg.

On Saturday afternoon a grand matinee is to be tendered to the children of Auckland by Saroni's Biograph and Concert Company, in the Foresters' Hall, Newton. A special programme has been arranged for the children, combining the instructive and amusing characters. A series of 'lighly-interesting living pictures will be exhibited. A concert programme will be provided by Mr. John Tudor, the. inimitable comedian: Mr. Leonard Douglas, tenor vocalist, and Miss Granville, mezzosoprano.

Many of Mr. R. R. Crockett's books have had a large circulation. His works are very popular in America, and have been translated into many European languages. In the Y.M.C.A. Rooms this evening the Rev. H. B. Cray, M.A., of St. Andrew's, will lecture on "An Hour with Crockett's Men and Women," illustrated with Scottish songs by some of our amateurs.

A quotation made by Dr. Dendy in his paper on Moriori relics, read at a recent meeting of the Christchurch Philosophical Institute, brought up the question of the existence of a Melanesian race in New Zealand orior to the advent of the Maori. Captain Hut ton said it had been a theory of Sir Julius von Haast, but he did not think there was now a single person in NewZealand who believed in it. He thought that in his last papers Sir Julius had abandoned the theory, but his previous paper having been widely circulated, it was still quoted. There was, in his opinion, no evidence of it whatever. Before the big emigration in the historic canoes there were evidences of New Zealand having been inhabited by a Polynesian rate, who had the same methods of cooking, and the same tribal organisation as the Maoris. They were, in "fact, an earlier emigration of the same race as the Maoris. Before that earlier emigration no Melanesian race had inhabited these islands. The fact that tho Maoris showed a v mixture of Melanesian blood was not evidence of a Melanesian race having been in New Zealand, because the mixture had taken place before the Maoris came here. There was hardly any place where pure Polynesians could be found, even the Tahitians have a certain admixture of Melanesian blood. Among the Samoans were to be found some pure Polynesians, but the rest of the Polynesians were more or less crosses.