LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS. DEATH OF MR. GRAHAM BRUCE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11796, 28 October 1901, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

DEATH OF MR. GRAHAM BRUCE.

The mail steamer Sonoma, with the English mails of London date October 12, left San Francisco for Auckland on Thursday last, five hours late. The steamer is due at this port on November 11.

Mr. George Dunnet, agent for theOceanic Company, who has been at Wellington in connection with the San Francisco mail contract, returned on Saturday. We understand that there is no information beyond what has been already stated namely, that it is understood that Mr. Spreckels will accept the terms offered by the Government.

It is perhaps not generally known tnat the postage to the Samoan Islands has now been fixed at per 2oz in lieu of a penny as advised in the Postal Guide. Any letter not fully prepaid at the above rati will be surcharged double deficiency on delivery.

The Collector of Customs has been informed that H.M.s. Archer has placed a red cask, buoy in the fairway of Tauranga Harbour, marking the position of her lost anchor. The buoy bears S.W. half-a-cable from the black buoy off Stony Point.

A serious accident occurred at Mamaku, near Rotorua, on Friday. A boy of 13, named Harry Flynn, when the men were shunting trucks, attempted to jump between them, and was caught and pinned by the buffer across the pit of the stomach. The boy was picked up unconscious, and was sent on to Rotoruu. He is progressing as favourably as possible under the circumstances.

The championship matches under the auspices of the Auckland Cricket Association were continued at "the Domain and North Shore grounds under the most favourable conditions on Saturday afternoon. In the first grade competitions, Parnell and Auckland, playing against United and Gordon respectively, scored 198 and 178 runs in the first innings, thus ensuring interesting finishes on Saturday next; while at Devonport Ponsonby scored 201 runs against JNorth Shore. Details of the various matches will be found on page three of to-day's Herald.

Canon Nelson received a telegram yesterday stating that Mrs. Campbell, the wife of the Rev. Joseph Campbell, died in London on Thursday last. Mr. Campbell, who is at present in charge of a parish at Papanui, in Canterbury, is well known in Auckland as a clergyman, and also in connection with his experiments in the treatment of refractory ores at Te Aroha. Mrs. Campbell was expected back from England by Christmas, and her death comes quite unexpectedly, and will be sincerely regretted by a wide circle of friends.

In our obituary column, on Saturday, appeared the death of Miss Madge Beresford, daughter of Mr. T. J. Beresford, of Christchurch. The deceased lady died very suddenly. She was in good health on Wednesday, but in the evening of that day she was seized with her fatal illness, at her lodgings, the Carlton- She was removed to the Hohipere Hospital, where she died on Friday night. Miss Beresford was head of the mantle department at Smith and Caughey's (Limited) of this city, and was much esteemed by the employees. Her remains were removed to Christchurch, where her father resides, for interment. The deceased lady was a member of St. Andrew's congregation, and as a mark of respect to her memory the organist yesterday, at the evening service, played the "Dead March" in " Saul," the congregation meanwhile standing.

On Saturday about half-past one o'clock, a child in a perambulator being wheeled by a woman had a narrow escape, as well as the woman herself, in the streets. She was passing along the crossing at the foot of Short land-street, close behind a cab driven by a man named Flaherty. Flaherty, in endeavouring to avoid a cab in front of him, backed his horse, when the cab accidentally knocked over the perambulator. The woman screamed out in alarm, and Flaherty promptly pulled clear of the perambulator, neither child nor mother, fortunately, being hurt, though in the case of the former it was a narrow escape. Flaherty, with great good feeling, drove the mother and child to the home of the former, Sea View Road-

Mrs. Holmes, of Farrer-street, Ponsonbr was on October 24 delivered of triplets a' ? the children are doing well. Mrs Holm intends to apply for the King's bounty ** no doubt the Premier, who is deeply Jrj over the decreasing birth rate, will see it is forthcoming. '* * Information has been received ly trAuckland police authorities that a nmrti ger named George Batty, residing ear j cas' Creek, was found burned to death his whare at two o'clock on Saturday mnrf ing. Information was sent to the'lw port ponce by some of the settlers 0 { a" district, and Mounted Constable MilW i f ! for Lucas' Creek to investigate the J, ter and furnish a report to Mr. GresW coroner, 1 '

Speaking a. few days ago at the social tendered to him by the Canterbury Mounted Rifles, Major Snow said that the First Co tingent had made the reputation of toe N Zealand ens. Only recently he had received a letter from General Aldersou, who is ~ command of 14.000 mounted men at P toria, in which he said:—"l have had th* honour of commanding some of Your Dentil at various times, and I could alwavs depend on them. There are no oversea continentwhich can come up to the New Zealanders"

Travellers from the North state that 4 dairy factory was started at Waipu last week. It was sufficiently finished to admit of commencing operations on tbe 23rd inst., and is dealing with about 1000 sal lons of milk daily. The settlers consider that the factory will be a great boon to the district. All the appliances of the factory are of the newest and up-to-date character The manager has had considerable experience of the management of dairy factories in the Taranaki district. The settlers 'in the Warkworth and Maimgaturoto districts are also said to be contemplating establishing similar dairy factories."

The Salvation Army self-denial effort lias come round again. This year the bandsmen are maintaining special interest in the movement, taking over the Sunday meeting under Bandmaster Tremain. After the usual open-air meeting yesterday at' the Queen-street wharf, the band "proceeded to the rotunda in the Albert Park and rendered a number of selections, in the presence of a large assemblage, who appreciated the open-air music. In the evening, at the Albert-street Barracks they rendered a sendee of song, "The Wreck of the Wairarapa, lost October 29, 1894, at the Great Barrier, seven years ago; the anniversary of that disaster being to-morrow. The reading of the ex.planatory narrative was done by Mr. B. Hill, late of the Salvation Army Federal Band. The barracks was crowded, and several hundreds could not obtain admission.

Mr. Gresham, the coroner, held two inquests on Saturday. The first, in the morn-, ing, was held at the Salvation Army Mater-' nity Home, Hepburn-street, on the body of an infant named Leslie Lake. The child had died suddenly on Friday afternoon, and its death was reported to the police. Dr-j Knight, who had been called in after death,) had made a post-mortem examination, and was the principal witness. It appears that the doctor had not given a. certificate as to the cause of death, but simply reported the death to the police authorities. After hearing the evidence, the jury returned a verdict in accordance with the. ' medical evidence, namely, that death was caused uy an effusion of blood on the brain. In the evening Mr. Gresham, held the second inquest, which was on the! body of an old man named Maurice Regan,, a recipient of the old age pension. His' body was found floating in the harbour on Saturday morning by Mr. W. Webber.-De-ceased, who was last seen alive on the 18th inst., was a handcart man. When found the body was in an advanced state of decomposition, and was only identifiable by the clothing and the registered label of the City Council on his clothing, No. 16, as a iandcart man. It appears that Regan * lived in a cottage in Moore-street, with Thomas Duckett and others, and was seen by, - Duckett on the 18th, at six p.m., near the i entrance to the Queen-street Wharf. Duckett asked him if he was coming home, and he replied "Not just yet." He considered deceased was a little feeble in the mind, and wandering, though always in a good hu-. mour, anil not at all despondent. Wni. ; Andrews, who was also a licensed porter, corroborated the previous witness' evidence, with the exception that he thought the daceased was quite rational in his mind. (Jn Monday, the 20th, as the deceased did not turn up, witness reported to the police that Regan was missing. The jury returned an open verdict of " Found Drovned," as there was no evidence to show how Regan had got into the water.

A young man named Frank Moore had a most perilous encounter with a bull at Euroa (Victoria) recently. Whilst being driven along the road at Strathbogie, the animal became infuriated ar.d turned on. Moore, severely goring bis horse, and then attacking the man when he was brought to the ground. The animal tossed the unfortunate man, it horns making fearful gashes through the fleshy part of both thighs, the wounds being several inches long, and penetrating to the bone. When Moore fell a second time the bull rushed him again, but the young fellow pluckily caught the beast by the horns, and* though badly mauled along the ground, he managed eventually to roll himself under the fence out of reach. Moore was brought into Euroa, and medical aid was secured.

The work of marking lambs is in full swing everywhere in Canterbury. The' tallies on the whole are satisfactory, although they are not quite so large as last year's. Reports of large lambs dying still come in, and the causes given are various. Many flock-owners find that their losses take place when the youngsters commence to take pickings of grass, and lambs which have been opened after death have been found to contain grass and wool in a hard lump.

Mr. Gordon, of Clinton, sent to Dunedin a few days ago a fish taken from the waters of the Waiwera River, which is believed by those who have seen it to be a genuine salmon.. Its weigh"; is 291b, and it is about 3ft long, and of tremendous depth. It is quite silvery in appearance, as if just up from the sea, and '.be absence of spotting and the smallncss <f the eye go to show that it is certainly not a trout, and the unanimous verdict is ihut it is a true salmon. It has been handed c/er to a curator to be stuffed, and will pnnably find a place in the Otago Acclimatisation Society's room, in the Exchange Court.

A prisoner named Aired Hewlett was brought lip from Whaigarei 011 Saturday, in charge of Constable liddick (Hukurangi), who had been sentenced by the local bench to one mouth's imprisoncent 011 a charge of resisting the police.

Attention is called to tie advertisement of the Wanganui Society of and Crafts* The first exhibition will be cpened on November 20. In addition to painting in all its branches, exhibits will In received m the following crafts:- —Repusee work, wood-carving, poker work, ben-iron work, cut and tooled leather work, etc, wood inlay, art embroidery. Many promises of exhibits have already been receivec

The European representatives ofthe Filipino party, on hearing of the attmpt on President McKinley, telegraphed expressing their detestation of the deed, and saying that a fatal termination would novvhre be more deplored than in the Philippine.

A movement is on foot to establis. an Anglers' Club in liotorua. The miter has been taken up energetically by sevral of the towspeople, and no doubt a successful institution of this kind will be «- tablished.

The new steam laundry attached to tht Christchurch Hospital is now completed and ready to start work. The Board inspected the machinery on October 23, when some clothing was operated upon with satisfactorily results.

The police arrested a woman on Saturday night, named Mary Brown, 011 a charge of being found by night without lawful excuse in the grounds of St. Matthew's vicarage.

''» A force surrounded a women's laager in 'the Harrismith district, and secured 30 families, including 16 armed Boers. Sergeant E. A. Potter, of Auckland, has been dangerously wounded. The War Office has quashed the court-martial proceedings, and ordered the release of the three Victorian troopers sentenced to a term of penal servitude for mutinous conduct in resenting an epithet used by Brigadier-General Beatson. Addressing a meeting of unionists, Mr. Chamberlain said the time had come for the adoption of greater severity towards the Boer rebel guerillas. lie was enthusiastically cheered when he referred to the nation's patient, indomitable resolution to carry the war to its legitimate end. He said the splendid co-operation of the colonies was more valuable in the potential consequences than an alliance with the greatest Continental nation. Sir 11. Csmp-bell-Bannerman, the leader of the English Liberals, speaking at Stirling, said he still favoured Home Rule, and was opposed to the present policy of subjugation and annihilation in South Africa. Mr. Long, president of the Local Government Board, speaking at Liverpool, said General Buller's dismissal was due to a speech subversive of discipline. Every consideration was shown in affording him facilities to explain. The Americans are taking more severe measures in dealing with the Filipino insurgents. The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall have sailed from Newcastle for England. A fire in a nine-storey building in Philadelphia resulted in 20 persons being killed and many others injured. Germany adopts a neutral attitude regarding the Manchuria Convention.

The Main Trunk Railway League has received the following telegrams in reply to their protest against the inadequacy of votes for Main Trunk railways :From Mr. W. J. Napier, M.H.R.: "Thanks for telegram. I quite agree with resolutions. No effort will be spared to obtain better treatment for the North." From Mr. R. Monk,

M.11.R. : "Am disgusted at apportionment of moneys. Have asked Mr. Fowlds, representing your league, to convene Northern members."

At a meeting of the council of the New Zealand Inanimate Pigeon Shooting Association, held on Friday evening (Mr. A. C. Whitney in the chair), the win of the Eden Gun "Club in their match against the Waikato Club for the inter-club cup was confirmed. It was decided to appoint Major R. B. Morrow as referee for the big meeting, to be held on the 15th pros.

The Devonport Steam Ferry Company have just completed their new arrangement for the carriage of strawberries from Birkenhead and North cote. A special strawberry boat will be run, leaving the Birkenhead Wharf at twenty-five minutes to nine a.m., ten minutes after the ordinary passenger boat.

The Pollard Opera Company arrived by the Elingamite early this morning from Gisborne. Owing to the Opera House being otherwise engaged, they will remain idle until Friday evening, when they will open with the highly successful musical comedy, Florodora, the box plan for which opened at Messrs. Williamson, Lyell, and Arey's on Saturday morning. Already many seats have been booked.

Captain Mindreboi, of the Norwegian 'barque Zelateur, which arrived at Sydney on October 17 from the Islands, gave some interesting experiences of shocks while in the vicinity of the Friendly Islands, and also when at the group. When the vessel was some 100 miles off the islands, sailing under a fair wind and fine weather conditions, the men on the barque were terrified by feeling a sudden tremor pass through the vessel. Fear rushed through the minds of one and all that the Zelateur had passed over a coral reef, and an anxious examination was immediately made. Unfathomable depths were revealed under the craft, and no injury of any kind could be traced. Shortly after anchoring at the Islands two more shocks were felt. On this occasion the crew had no fear of the phenomenon, but the natives displayed abject terror by rushing down to the beach, uttering all kinds of incantations to scare off what they deemed "an evil spirit."

The annual meeting of the Steel Company of Scotland (Limited) was held in Glasgow recently. Sir Charles Tennant, hon. president of the company, occupied the chair. Mr. William Lorimer (chairman of directors), in proposing a dividend of 3s per share, said that during the year the company had been working under adverse conditions, and with very inadequate reward. In the previous two years they had spent £80,000 above previous averages in the excessive price of coals, and in the first six months of the past year this excess had continued, amounting to £21,000. Besides this, they had to pay more for pigiron, and a great deal more for ores. On th# other hand, they had a somewhat higher average of realised prices, but this only amounted to £4000. Their output of finished steel had been 20,000 tons less than in the preceding year. The competition from America, which did not give them serious apprehension, was different altogether from Gel-man competition. It was the deliberate purpose of the German Government made 110 secret of — to capture British trade in every part of the world, including their own country and the colonies, and to this end they established a fiscal system which enabled their manufacturers to get good prices at their own doors, and to sell their surplus production at what they could get in any part of the world. Although any such policy could not permanently enrich a country, it might in the meantime do us a great deal of harm. After meeting all charges, their profit amounted to about £10,000. In the, past seven years they had spent £140,000 on works, and the capital value of the works was now £18,000 less than five years ago. The report was adopted.

A meeting of the Council of the New Zealand Amateur Swimming Association, was held in Christehurch on October 22, the president (Mr. George Harris! occupying the chair. Lengthy correspondence was read from the Secretary for Education and Mr. St. Clair, of Auckland, with regard to the removal of the headquarters. The chairman was asked to reply to Mr. St. Clair that notice of the removal of headquarters must be given to the registrar of friendly societies. Correspondence was read from the Wellington and Auckland centres with regard to the registration fee for racing members. It was decided that, the rules of the association should be strictly adhered to, and that all members of clubs who entered for races must first obtain a racing permit, to be issued by the secretaries of provincial centres, on forms supplied by the association. The fee was to be Is for seniors and juniors. It was stated that the enforcement of these rules was in accordance with the original agreement. It was decided to hold the annual meeting as soon as a definite reply was received from the registrar of friendly societies. It was decided to hold the next meeting, probably in January, at Auckland.

An attractive programme will, bo presented at the Federal Hall 011 Monday evening next, the occasion being a complimentary concert tendered to Miss Ettie Maginnity (of Wellington), who is now appearing with so much success in the contralto role of Queen of the Fairies in "lolanth'e." Miss Maginnity has nightly received treble encores at the Opera House for her fine rendering of " Oh, Foolish Pay," and the opportunity of hearing this lady m other ballads will no doubt attract a large audience. The concert will be given under the auspices of the Auckland Amateur Opera Club, and a number of the members of this society will take part.

The promoters of the complimentary benefit to be tendered to Mr. J. Maconnochie, manager of the Opera House, 011 Wednesday evening next, are actively engaged in" preparations for its successful issue. Some of the artistes now appearing at the City Hall have, by kind permission of Mr. P. R. Dix, consented to contribute to the programme, and will be assisted by several amateur performers, whose names appear in our advertising columns. The box plan is now open at Messrs. Wildman, and Aiey's.

Mr. Graham Bruce, headmaster of King's College, Remuera, died yesterday. He had been ill for a considerable time, and during the last- few weeks had been absent from his place in the school. Mr. Bruce was bora on September 8. 1863, and was educated at University School, Hastings. He graduated at London University, , and came to the colony, through illhealth, in 1890. Before leaving England be was for five years teaching under Dr. Stuart, of Alton, Hampshire, and afterwards was for several years at Wellington College, Salop. During the latter portion of his stay at Wellington, he was vicepi incipal. Shortly after arriving in New Zealand he elected to throw in nis lob with the Rev. P, Smallfield, and entered into partnership with him as one of the principals of St. John's College. After some five years there he founded King's College, Remuera, which lie conducted with much success till his death. Mr. Bruce was a man of great scholarly attainments, and an able teacher. At St. Mark's Church, Remuera, yesterday, the Rev. Mr. Beatty made reference to the death of Mr. Bruce.