LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS,

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 11987, 9 June 1902, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS,

The Hon. C. H. Mills, Commissioner fof Customs, arrived from Wellington ofl Saturday, via the West Coast. He is accompanied by Mrs. Mills and Mr. W, Crowe (pivate secretary). Mr. Mills has not been very well lately, and has come up to Aickland for a change. While in the district, however, he will transact departmental business. This morning the Minister eaves for the Northern Wairoa, a district he promised some time ago to ■ visit. If the weather keeps fine, and the roads be in good order, Mr. Mills intends to go overland from Dargaville to Whv ngarei, returning to Auckland on Wednesday or Thursday. Mr. and Mrs. Mills are stopping at the Grand Hotel. \. y , An English mail which left London on May;. \ 2 will arrive from Sydney by the 6.8. Zea< landil, which is due to-night. About seven o'clock on Saturday evening the firebells sounded an alarm of fire. The city brigade, under Superintendent Woolleft j were quickly on the scene of the outbreak,' which was found to be in a house in Greystreet, occupied by a Mrs. Latimer, and owned by Mr. J. M. Lennox. In passing through one of the rooms a person living in the house accidentally allowed the cur« tains on the window to catch fire from 8 candle, but the flames were quickly extuv guished, and beyond the loss of the curtains and window blinds, and a small portion of the paper and scrim on the wall of the roomj the damage done was very trifling. The North New Zealand Grand National Meeting was brought to a close at the El< lerslie racecourse on Saturday afternoon* and with it the local racing season of 190102. The Auckland Racing Club authorities were again fortunate in securing fine weather, and the large number of patrons present were treated to a capital day's sportThe principal flat race of the day,.the . Winter Welter Handicap, was won by few. Olga, and the big steeplechase by Cannongate. Details of the racing will be found elsewhere in to-day's Herald. The football competitions under the aus' pices of the Auckland Rugby Union were continued at Alexandra Park on Saturday afternoon. In the senior grade fixtures City (1* points) defeated Newton (nil), Ponsonby (M)beat Suburbs (nil), and Grafton (25) beat Parneil (nil). Full details of all football matches, lacrosse competitions, and all other sports fixtures played on Saturday afternoon will be found on page 3 of to-day's issue. A gumdigger named John Boyd V s3 found shot dead outside his whare at Hob-, sonville on Friday last. Close by the corpse was deceased's setter dog, which hats apparently been shot dead with an old ff& that was lying near. There was also a revolver found near the body. The appearances pointed to suicide, though the motive is unknown. Deceased, who lived by himself, has a wife and family living in -A ucK * land. Mr. Gresham (coroner) is to hold « inquest to-day. At seven o'clock yesterday morning, th* man Hugh Sullivan, who was found lying on the foreshore at Custom-street West I* Tuesday morning, in a dazed condition, _ a nasty wound on the head (supposed to n» resulted from a fall from the breastwork died at the district hospital. Owing »» man's collapsed condition since his a « m !f' to the hospital, Dr Collins, chid *°\ sident medical officer, has been una ascertain the exact nature of the injur* sustained, and the police have '"l )ort . wll0 matter to the coroner (Mr. Gresham), will arrange for an inquest. D ec ' e . ftSe waS a fisherman. His permanent address not known to the police, who give his **> as about 55 years. It will be seen from our adTert ] columns that the first of a series of lWtu . on agricultural topics will be given a < • Masonic Hall. Otahuhu, under t-heaMjP of the Auckland Agricultural Association. Wednesday next, by Mr. ,' J-/E M.R.C.V.S., on "Some of the Coi*a°» Diseases of Stock.."-

1 Tie settlement in South Africa is being / tarried out iu a satisfactory manner, no P kitch having occurred anywhere. On 1 rf'tursday over 1100 Boers with their arms I surrendered, and gave cheers for the King ITfcs settlement in The terms? is peace out iu a satisfactory manner, no ytch having occurred anywhere. On Thursday over 1100 Boers with their arms surrendered, and gave cheers for the King j Lord Kitchener. The terms oi peace !»re regarded in Natal and Cape Colony as adequately safeguarding British interests, and Mr. Chamberlain states that lie hopes - tbey will prove a lasting settlement. The Boers have been exhorted by Mr. Schalk || Burger and De Wet to loyally abide by them I 9 nd to show that they are capable of becomH ing good colonists. The courtesies between 1 Lord Kitchener and the Boer generals Lave 1 sore !v puzzled Europe, which during the war I was"daily fed by its press on a. highlyP spiced diet of lies and calumnies, -prepared I by the cooks of the anti-British Propaganda. I -/he grant to Lord Kitchener has been I passed by the House of Commons by an I r overwhelming majority. It was violently 1 opposed by some of the Irish members, Mr. I Redmond distinguishing himself by his base- ! i eS s vituperation of the Commander-in-Chief. I In the House of Lords Lord Salisbury made [ : «n impressive speech, dwelling on the great | part played in the war by the colonies, and 1 concluding by asserting that Britain had I - (merged from the conflict stronger than I ever, an opinion shared by an Austrian Field- | Marshal, who in an article on the war says 1 it has enhanced Britain's military prestige. Jh\ Balfour say.; the action of the colonies has opened a new chapter Ijlr. Imperial history. the The Government colonies has opened a new chapter of Imperial history. The Government have expressed tc the troops in South [Africa their profound sense of their bravery, endurance, discipline, and humanity. Prei sident Roosevelt has congratulated Lord Salisbury on the conclusion of peace. Mount Pelee and Mount Soufriere have again been in eruption, and the apprehensions of the inhabitants have once more been aroused. Submarine disturbances have also occurred. Mr. Spicer, a well-known paper manufacturer, has been killed by London hooligans, who attacked him in the street. M. Combes has succeeded M. WaldeckBottsseau as French Premier. The Japanese warships Hiyei and Kon-go frere again open for public inspection on Saturday and yesterday afternoons, and were visited by a large number of citizens, who were courteously received .and shown over the ships. Both the Hiyei and Kon-go will be closed to visitors to-day, owing to coaling operations going on. Captain Iwasaki, of the Hiyei. and Captain Ijicho, of the Kongo, accompanied by a large number of their officers, left for Rotortia by train on Saturday morning, on a short visit to the Hot Lakes district, and a further number will leave to-day or to-morrow. Several of the officers from both ships were present at the Auckland Racing Club's Meeting at Ellerelie on Saturday afternoon. The fine weather which has prevailed for the past week broke yesterday, the. wind going into the north-east, and gradually increasing until a* night it was blowing very strong. There were occasional showers of rain during the day, and a heavy downpour at night. The Secretary for Agriculture (Mr. Ritchie) was at the Government Buildings on Saturday attending to departmental business. Mr. J. Bollard, M.H.R., waited upon him during the day. and brought under his notice a complaint from the local nurserymen against Hie Government selling cuttings and trees from their experimental stations. Mr. Ritchie explained that it was never the intention of the Government to enter into competition with the nurserymen. There were, he said, a few extra cuttings , and trees, but not over two or three stove of any one kind, and it was only those that bad been disposed of. Mr. Ritchie left yesterday for the South. • At the Police Court on Saturday, before Mr. G. Roberts, Mary Stuart and Henry Mahon were each fined 5s for the second offence of drunkenness within six months. Albert Green, charged with the theft of a pair of boots from the shop of Messrs. Prit- ; chard and Dobbs', Victoria-street, was re- -■ manded till this morning. Mr. George Howard states that last Thursday morning he wrote to the town clerk drawing his attention to the fact that a dead dog had lain in the watertable in Napier-street since the previous Sunday. At his passing home on Friday night "he noticed that no removal had taken place. There are several hundred I children attending the Napier-street school, and one and all have to breathe, - as they pass, an obnoxious smell. Our Wairoa South correspondent writes : old settler, Mr. A. Murray, of Clevedon, passed away peacefully at the re- . sidence of Mr. Jno. Baton, on June 2. De- , ceased was 83 Years of age, and came out to New Zealand in the Viola, in 1865. On his arrival at Auckland he came to Wairoa, where he has since resided. The remains • were followed by a large number of residents of the district, by whom deceased was greatly respected. "The Rev. T. Norrie conducted the burial service. The local examinations in musical knowledge under Trinity College, London, were commenced at the Grammar School on Saturday forenoon, when the candidates who presented themselves numbered close on 270, of which number 179 were for the pass papers and 90 for the honour papers. The examinations are supervised by Messrs. J. W. Tibbs and A. Towsey, members of the local committee, with the assistance of the local secretary (Mr. Rice) and a number of assistant supervisors. The worked papers are posted to the College in London, and are there marked by the Board of Examiners, the result being afterwards communicated to each candidate. Entries for the practical 'examinations to be held about September next must reach the local secretary not later than the 21st inst. Mr. S. Pearson, of Eketahuna, lately wrote an article in the Review of Reviews on. Government, control of the liquor trade. Since then he has received various letters approving of his proposals. Mr. A. W. Hogg, M.H.R., writes: — "Your proposal, I consider, embodies a practicable solution of the difficulty. State control of the traffic lias passed beyond the range of experiment. As you Point out, in various countries where it ; ' «as been tried, it lias proved a success." Captain J. 11. Murray-Aynsley says: — "I have read with interest the article on 'State Control,' and Messrs. Rowntree ' and Sherwell's work on ' British " Gothenburg" Experiments,' and certainly think it is the most feasible method of settling the liquor question. 1 regret that the authors did not investigate the canteen system in the British Army." Mr. Pear- : »on puts for— the following compensation scheme:—"Let all surplus profits :-;i. (after paying the usual lees) taken in these Proposed Government liquor depots be ", divided amour; publicans who would lose their bar trade. Each publican to receive the sam-> amount, as each pay the same license fee, viz., £40 in towns, and ; . £ 25 in the country. This self-paying . and self-fixing compensation to cease v . after five years." The Rev. C. Worboys, writing from Bathgate House, Rotorua, says:—"l re- ! - member seeing an article in the Herald expressing a favourable opinion of Rotorua as a winter resort. At that time I re--111 garded it with considerable doubt, which has been entirely removed by my stay here. The weather is really fine. While v you people in Auckland have had it stormy and wet. it has been bright sun- ... shine here, with i bracing invigorating '". atmosphere. There is a little frost in the morning, and I suppose it is a little cold at night, but good fires keep us from feeling any inconvenience. 1 remember in the article referred to it was , | stated that the medicinal properties of »_':'' the waters are greater in the winter than *& the summer. From what I know and see, it is very likely that the opinion is correct," Thanksgiving services for peace in South ':'\ , Africa were held in city and suburban churches yesterday. In some of the churches reference was made to the declara- ,•„ • tion of peace, both morning and evening, I 8 while in others one special service was de- . ; . Voted to thanksgiving for peace. Reports M the services iu representative churches of .;.,-.; •, the different denominations, will be found on page six^ -,

The annual meeting of the Manukau Licensing Committee was to have been held on Saturday, but had to be adjourned for a week, there not being a quorum of members present. Mr. J. A. Millar, speaking in a jocular strain m response to the toast of "The Parliament of New Zealand- at the Pharmaceutical dinner in Dunedin, said that it was a great Parliament. It was a poweru Parliament, for no sooner did one of heir number go from here than the Boers asked for peace " (Laughter.) Then there was » little more. That gentleman assured them he could leave South Africa in perfect safety, because the right men were in the right place. (Laughter.) Seeing that their worthy Premier had clone so much, he thought when the Colonial Treasurer came to Dunedin they should ask him to ••aloe Home to Mr. Seddon to spend an hour or two in China to settle the whole trouble there. (Renewed laughter.) At to-morrow (Tuesday) afternoon's meeting of the Auckland Harbour Board, Mr. Witheford will move:— That applications be invited for the position of engineer to the Auckland Harbour Board, applications to be return able by December 1. 1902." 2 "That the engineer report on the Birkenhead and Aorthcote wharves, as to whether they are suited to the requirements of traffic and the comfort of the travelling public." Three weeks ago Mr. Win, Swift died in the Horsham District Hospital, Victoria, from heart failure, whilst suffering from typhoid. Mrs. Swift returned home apparently in good health, but in intense grief. She became ill, and has since died, and was buried in the same grave as her husband. In the Melbourne Criminal Court recently, Carl Gerlack was convicted of setting fire to his shop in Carlton in order to obtain the insurance money. Accused made it appear as if burglars had entered the shop and fired it. He was sentenced to 15 months' imprisonment, with hard labour. _ Two horses in training were being exercised at Newtown. Sydnev, and one of the animals took fright at a passing train and bolted. The rider, a young man named William Miller, was thrown, and dragged a considerable distance. When rescued lie was found to be very seriously injured, and he died while Being conveyed to the hospital. °