LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 11871, 24 January 1902, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

The mails from South Africa and Hobart by the s.s! Ruapehu arrived from Wellington yesterday by the Ngapuhi. At the Supreme Court this morning, Mr. Justice. Cooper and the other members of the Arbitration Court resume the hearing of the carters' dispute. Mr. J... H. Upton is mentioned as a probable candidate for the vacancy on the Harbour Board caused by the resignation of Mr. A. H. Nathan. The new steam-roller imported by the City Council, was given a trial yesterday in Albert-street. The test was witnessed ; by the Mayor (Mi-. Alfred Kidd), the city engineer, and the clerk of works, lhe roller, which worked very satisfactorily, is; fitted up with a scarifier, which breaks up the old roadway, thus saving pick work by Land. ! The weather which has been very fine for the past few days, broke yesterday, the wind going into the westward, and blowing very strongly. A heavy sea raised in the harbour, but the only' accident which occurred - was to the little !. steamer ; Maori, moored off the North Shore, which broke away from her moorings, ; and drifted ■' down the harbour. She was, however, goon picked up by the tugboat Durham, and taken back tc ".-. her moorings, : ; having =suffered no damage. Towards' evening rain began -'to fall, and continued during tho night, which had the effect of lulling the strong wind to some, extent* which backed, into fes southwest* I

A movement is on foot to establish » jwa : r i factory at the Thames on co-operative lines • ' it being estimated that there is now plenty- ■ of fruit growing in the- district, a large pro-) portion of which at present goes to waste-' '■ toi-iniiko a success of such an induslrv v meeting is to bo held on Saturday afternoon! for the purpose of considering the proposal ' At last night's meeting of the City Co'ium oil Mr. Bosser asked the Mayor when th«< ; Council's resolution regarding the stopping' Places for m \ and Use would come into ; 2S llio Maor said the resolution.; would come into effect as soon as the dec 1 tnc tram system started to run. The secretary- of the Eden Gun Club s end») the following with reference to a paragraph] from our Waikato correspondent, which an-! peared in Wednesday's Heraxd: —All 1 affiliation^ fees are payable by clubs in Now itr w-u ? ac^'t ar - This w « not done br the Waikato Club up to, at- any rate, thol end of last week, and so that club was J affiliated to the association, and accord-* ingiy it was impossible-for the Eden Club to recognise a challenge from a club havinm no status. „ Therefore there was no - evasion of the challenge on a quibble," as stated •' out the association, in upholding the rules* v : showed, they had sufficient backbone to supthe? th ° clubs which loyally adhere *2 them. .

The Wellington Post says:—The locaj ex-' porters of daily produce have addressed a! memorandum to the Union Steamship Com-! ' pauy, urging a reduction in freight charges to Australia,, so that exporters of dairy e™. duco may ship it to South Africa by a more, " : y convenient service, than „ the present direct 1 • ; one. First, says the circular, with Ssdutv on danw produce, these lines are practically shut out of the Commonwealth markets for ■ local consumption.;-, There may be one exception, and ,we expect that West Australia! ' : will continue to import small quantities. The ' above position forces %us-■ to look for new ' markets and outlets for our produce. Second, we anticipate a good demand for the next! four or six months from South Africa, but/ before' contracts can be entered into we'musfc' be in a position to state and arrange for 'definite shipments. ?* The so-called direct ser- ■■ vice is unreliable, and cannot ,be ' depended upon. The Government plans for subsidis-i ing a direct service, we expect, will take at) least from three '• to four months to mature.; ? J™**. to ■•'ship.i.to ; South ■ African ports via* '- Sydney or Melbourne,, and meet i the com-; : '-T' ; petition of Sydney ;> and Melbourne merchants,: we consider it absolutely necessarvf that the through rate from New.-Zealand* : '- ports to South; African: ports,'; including■ all J charges, must not exceed Id per lb:(bn;ne4-' weights, when shipped all the way in froze* chambers, and |d if shipped as general cargo* to Sydney or Melbourne, and cold chambers; to destination. Fourth, if your company} can grant.these rates, we estimate that from) 10,000 to 20,000 boxes will bo shipped dm--! ing the months :, of > January, February March, April. " )■. • Some experiments are being conducted byl Mr. Gilruth, Government Pathologist, in| conjunction with the Chief Health Officer** with the view of deciding as to the possi-i ■..;: bility of cancer being transmitted from tho lower animals to human beings. Dr. Mason, is particularly interested in cancer, as it is. one of the topics ' on; when : he ; has been in-, vited to speak at the Australasian Medical} Conference in Hobart next month, He has also supplied the Government with a report! on a proposal , emanating from the Napier|*" ; : Hospital Board for the establishment of .V cancer hospital in the colony. . i | A Horseshoe Bush correspondent writes A —On January 17 a very painful accident, happened about three miles from here, al«j though fortunately unaccompanied with any] very serious results.' The particulars, as fa*( ;as I have been able to ! ascertain, are as 01-< lows: It appears that on the above date a lad, aged 13 years, 1 named .Master Gordon! Kelly, ; fourth son of .• Mr. T. Kelly, store-* keeper, ? was trying to catch a horse, ..whew , it lashed ..out unexpectedly, in coksequenoai of which • he. received a very severe woun'dj -p ] on the leg. Kind friends ;■ did" all in thein , power to alleviate the pain,-and helped him) to his home. The blow will cause thai sufferer to be laid up for a few weeks. Much! sympathy is felt for the sufferer, whe is ufine promising lad, and : who is; universallyj €■ liked and respected throughout' the district^ Two tramps had a narrow escape of being* :; burnt to death at Ryde, New South Wales,) '■ the other day. They were camped on the* ; ; ' banks : of ) the Lane Cove. River, .-. at a : place . where" there is a dense scrub..: It seems that ; the men, from the position of their camp, were kept in ignorance of the near approach ;■ of a bush fire, which was burning almost around them. They were forced •, to take tot the: river as a means of saving their lives,j, and as both were very indifferent swimmers,] w their unenviable position may be imagined. Ij The unfortunate fellows were seme time in'! the: water, , being /.'compelled to ' take ;reuigoJ | beneath an overhanging rock near the water's I '- edge. - , . An offer to supply fireworks for the cele-| brations in.connection with the King's coro-; nation was before the : City Council last!.-.. night. The Mayor asked the Council if itwas their intention to spend money on fireworks in'"connection with the coronation: it not, they need take no further notice 'of ■ the offer. Several members thought they > might send the offer to the Finance Committee, and Ist the question of the celebrations be discussed by the committee. y% This ■$ course was agreed to.

■•'■.'■' ■'■■■'■:'■:'. ■':■•:;■. :■:■}.'■ ■:■■■■:'..:■.■¥;.■':■:'■■%!> h:%\ •■■:;■ ■-/iV:U",': A peculiar romance is related by the pas-* . . sengers by the mail steamer Oruba, which! arrived at. Perth recently. ■•Amongst tlis ... ; third-class passengers starting from England} ', were a married couple, but the husband lefbt :, ..,■ the boat; at Marseilles. On board the boat! . was an old gentleman of about 70, who an-' dertook the task of consoling the bereaved! lady. On reaching Colombo the agent of. the company received a cable stating that* it was reported from -Marseilles that the bus-' band was dead. The old gentleman then-; proceeded to lay the balance of his earthly; existence at the disposal .of the supposed widow. After being accepted,the chaplainwas asked to unite; them in the bonds of wedlock, but the rev. gentleman declined. When the couple returned from Fremantle their ' fellow-passengers lined up, and gave them a most unfriendly -demonstration. ■ .■■ ,

The British barque Earl Derby reached Fremantle from Glasgow on January 13. Captain Jackson, who is in charge, on being asked : the ; nature of his cargo, replied: • "1450 tons, mostly whisky." Further in-' quiry showed that there were on board ~ 13,000 cases and some thousands of casks of whisky, -as' well as a large quantity of ale and stout. "I can understand you people drinking plenty, of beer," the captain remarked, "but the quantity of whisky you consume is most astonishing.". Iu giving evidence before the Dunedui Police Court lately, in which a barmaid'was charged with assaulting a cabman, one of. the witnesses—hailing from the Emerald Isle expressed his disappointment that- there was no more " batin' ' than occurred. "Ik was only a slightitap with the umbrella,' he complained. "I would have' liked to jhave seen more of a row, and so would you, Mr. Donnelly (addressing counsel) if _ you , had been there. Sure it was only a 'Ove* making quarrel it seemed to be." ■ .■...■...• ■■.;:.:-'..■:■'.>■■:,: The military "authorities'at Capetown are* it appears, very stringent regarding persons landing at that port at the present time. When the New Zealand Shipping Company's ( : new steamer Ruapehu called at Capetown ■ on her way from London to Hobart and New Zealand : Captain Mayoss, the commander of the steamer, and the chief ■ steward were the only persons from the steamer who were permitted to. land, whilst no one was ', . allowed to board the steamer except by a permit issued .':by;the military authorities, Consequently; the passengers for Australia and New Zealand who were on board of the Ruapehu were considerably disappointed, as . . they had been eagerly looking forward to a run on shore to sea the sights of the South African capital, ■ ; •.'''"'„, A picture of General Sir Hector Mac- jj . , donald, which was displayed in a show case 1 ■ in the' studio of Mr. Hemus, photographer, was stolen a night or two ago. Gaa consumers are reminded that Monday,-■ the 27th insl , at five p.m., is the last days, on which discount can be allowed oil thetfl. . - IMS** ■-.'.' 1 " iltil'J-'

In a running fignt to -eight miles Lord Methuea captured a laager and 23 Boers, So many cattle. General Bruce Hamilton •mi.de » successful night, march against „Tt. .Ltarine 27 ."-Boers. • Blockhouses ?lfn 2 Tpa3osram of WO miles by 60 S and enclosing Do Wet, are almost Sleted Lord Cranbourne states that rfSfnolifV is to maintain the status JSSlffS* to preserve the integrity «f Persia. It ■> is, 1 he - says, impossible, to abandon British ascendency in the Persian Golf. Another very old settler in the person of Mr John B. Bull" ■ passed away: at his ; residence, Great South Road, . yesterday, at the age of 73 years. Mr. Bull, who leaves a widow to mourn his loss, has been a resident of Auckland for a great number of vS, following the occupation of a nurserySan, retiring some years since. He was K very kmdly genial nature, and made Sajr friends, who* will regret his decease. ■■■■■ SHonetal leaves his late residence at three 'o'clock to-morrow afternoon for St, Marks - cemetery, Bemuera. • ';■ • ]

Last night five men named Roger, Wilfred, and Percy Lupton, and Ernest Swann, •and' Ernest Norman, were arrested on a charge' that they did, on or about October 2 1901, conspire to prevent the course of justice, arid they will appear before the stipendiary magistrate at the Police Court this p,,i a j'anda remand will probably be Granted a"! It is alleged that the case is the outcome of some civil proceedings between the parties concerning a sheep-worrying case which was held in the Magistrates Court in the month of October of last year, when the decision of the presiding magistrate was to the effect that conspiracy bad been committed by one of the parties.

■• ■' An inquest was held before Mr. Swindley, ■■ coroner, at Mr. Foster's residence, Kerita, liear Coromaudel, : . on the body of Charles -Bennett, who met his death whilst bush- * felling. From the evidence it appears that 'deceased and Mr. W. Reddy'were cutting r through a kauri tree, which : backed and brought down a rata tree, a limb of which struck t Bennett on the head whilst he was attempting to escape, death being ™ sta^; taneous. A verdict of "Accidental death (was returned, no blame being attachable to anyone. - . ■

The man Angus Mac Donald, apparently about 60 years of age, who,, it is alleged, made an unsuccessful attempt at self-de-struction on Friday night last, was released from the District-Hospital yesterday morning, and later in the day, he appeared before the 'Police Court. The circumstances of the case are that accused entered the police barracks in O'Rorke-street on the night m question bleeding profusely from a gash. in his throat, ' and he was subsequently admitted to hospital. It has not yet been ascertained as to what led the man to attempt to take his life. Inconsequence of SubInspector Mitchell stating to the presiding justices i that it was necessary for the case to be heard by a stipendiary magistrate, accused was remanded till the following day.

■ Just after dark on Tuesday evening, while 'Mr. , and Mrs. Ted Sandall, of Eden Terrace, wero proceeding to their home from Kingsland in a trap, a horse and cart, stated ;to have been driven by David Elder, coachsmith, came careering along the road, and collided : with . their vehicle, both occupants being thrown heavily to the ground. Mrs. 'Sandall luckily; escaped injury, but Mr. Sandall sustained rather serious injuries to his right leg. The injured man was conveyed to his home, and was subsequently attended to'by Drs. Beattio and Roberton, and is bow progressing favourably. ; Elder, it is also stated, received a severe blow on the head, and was for a time rendered unconscious. . Both traps of the parties were considerably damaged.

■:-';',C The Press says:—The Frenchman, Louis JVernot, who ;■ came to such a sad end by shooting himself in his whare at Lakeside " on Monday morning, was a well-known identity at Leeston, and was particularly well known in the.early days as being conneeted\with the lato W. J. Q. Bluett, ' and the importation of this gentleman a ~ stud stock. The deceased had : quite a romantic r and interesting history. He was being educated for the Church, but ran away from home when young and went to sea. He occupied almost every position from warrant officer to cook and steward in the French and English service. ;;. He , came to New Zealand some 35 years ago, and ■'; after working • some years in the coastal- . service, left ; the sea : and settled down in Leeston. Some years ago he met ■ with a/serious accident to his . head, : and ; was reported at Leeston as, being dead. ,- A preacher :at the Leeston Presbyterian ' Church referred very touchingly to the ;' death and life of the supposed dead man, and : when the congregation came out of church they met him walking down the street very much alive. At the \ inquest, ' the jury returned a verdict that the deceased : committed suicide while in a state ,yv»f depressed mind, brought on through illhealth. ''.."'■■

The bodies of two girls, ; Effie Hill and Lizzie Davies, aged 11 and 12 yeai's respectively, and who had been missing from home since the previous evening, were found in a shallow abandoned shaft on the Magpie Flat, Ballarat, on January 9. - The shaft, which was 13ft deep, contained 7ft of water. , It is supposed that the children were playing in the vicinity of the shaft, and fell in.

■ Some years ago a man named James McLean was arrested in the ilawera district by Sergeant Stagpoole for cattlestealing,' and sentenced to a term of imprisonment. According to a letter received by Sergeant Stagpoole from his son, Bugler Stagpoole, of the ■; Seventh 1 .: Contingent, . McLean is now .'working at a mine in the TranKvanl. and is earning £35 per month. '~ •,'' - t

A shocking accident,"by ", which a young man named Otto ' Darko was instantly .killed, occurred at Lyell Reduction Works, Tasmania. Darko was engaged in getting the serial ■' ropeway into working - order a short' distance away from the' central station. The rope slipped off the standard and fell upon Darko. who was standing under it. He received the full weight of the rope, about 16 tons, -'ncross the back, killing him on the spot.

; . : Miss Julia Morah's concert in the Federal Hall to-night should be attractive from con-cert-goers' point of view, judging by the programme published in yesterday's Herald. The young violinist herself is down for some well-known : solos, and her playing will be awaited with interest. Speaking of her recently, a contemporary Bays : "Miss Moran lias' greatly improved as a violinist since the year of the Wellington Exhibition, at which she won the gold medal for her playing. In her several appearances last night she displayed many of the qualities that mark the true* artist. Her tone was sweet and true, her execution free; and her interpretation . tasteful." Several well-known and favourito artists will assist to-night.

j, Besides a number of inebriates, there was in the cells at the- High-street police station last night a. woman named Dora Bassett, arrested in Queen-street by Constable Burke on a charge of using obscene language. ,