LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 12069, 12 September 1902, Page 5

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Yesterday's report on the invalid troopers stated that Vincent, at Motuiki, was continning to improve. Several of the men at the hospital are improving. MaHSon is out of danger, and Parker is expected to reach that stage to-day. Kerr and Pethelick are convalescent, and Beattie nearly so.

An accident befell two wharf labourers, named J. Cooms and J. Downs, on hoard the steamer Titania, at the Queen-street Wharf, yesterday morning- They were lifting the hatches off the after hold, when one of the supporting bars gave way, with the result that both men were thrown into the hold. Cooms, who is a married man, residing at Newmarket, Lad his leg broken by the fall, and he was taken t° the hospital. Downs, who is a single man, living at Parnell, -was cut and bruised about the face, but was not very seriously injured. He was removed to his home.

It has been ascertained that the youth, Wolfran Cottingham, who disappeared from his home in Abercrombie-street on Friday evening last, was seen on the road near Papakura on Saturday by an acquaintance, who was driving in that direction. Young Cottingham was walking,' and appeared to have been on the tramp for some time. He nodded to his friend in recognition, but the latter, who was not aware of the circumstances of his leaving home, did not have any conversation with him. The youth has friends in. the country, and it is hoped that he has found his way to them.

An application for arbitration under the Workers' Compensation for Accidents Act has been lodged with the clerk of awards, Mr. R. Goring Thomas, in regard to a claim made by a native bush hand named Tawbiao Tir'ipi, of Hbkianga, against Messrs. Faitkfull and Hows, of Kohukohu. The claim is one for £1 4s a week as compensation for injuries sustained in an accident with which the claimant mot whilst working for the respondents. His legs were crushed between two logs, and one leg bad to be amputated. Mr. Gittos is acting for the claimant.

Yesterday forenoon, at the Mayor's rooms, Municipal Chambers, His Worship the Mayor (Mr. A. Kidd).officially welcomed the returned Auckland athlete, Mr. G. W. Smith, home, and warmly congratulated him on his success in winning the 120 yds hurdles at the English Athletic Championship meeting. Mr. 0. E. MacCormick, president of the Auckland Amateur Athletic Club, and several officials of the club, were present, the president introducing Mr. Smith to the Mayor. The athlete's health was pledged in bumpers of champagne, after which the returned athlete briefly replied, thanking His Worship for thus receiving him, and stating that he was more than pleased at having been able to accomplish the mission for which he had been sent to England.

A meeting of ratepayers was held at the Mayfield school on Wednesday to select a candidate for the YVaiternata County Council (Birkenhead Ridirm) vice Mr. Wilson, resigned. Mr. Adam Geddes presided, and the retiring member, who had held oflice for 12 years, was accorded a hearty vote of thanks for his past services. On the motion of Mr. Martin, Mr. George Low was unanimously chosen to represent the district.

Inspector Cullen was advised yesterday ■ that a man named Arthur Charles Rollo had been arrested at Dannevirke, on a charge of '' _ committing a forgery at Auckland,,

The memorial to fallen troopers which is to stand in the Albert Park is now on view in Messrs. Parkinson and Co.'a yard, Vic-toria-street. It is a beautiful * piece of m ' a,lfl Wlll I,e a distinct adornment to Albert Park. The main feature is a statue "i a colonial trover in marble, standing on a marble drinking fountain. The memorial has been presented to the citv Initio member* of the battery winch accompanied the FiiDk Contingent; to South Africa, in memory of their comrades who lost their lives in Smith Africa.

A meeting of the general committee and others interested in the Veterans' Home is to be held in the Council Chambers on Wednesday afternoon next. The following subscriptions are announced :—A. J'.'. Harding. 10s 6d; A. Barclay, 2s &d; C. If. MansilT, 2s 6d ; Jackson and Russell, £2 2s; W. K. Woodward, £1 Is; A. Clark and Sou. Limited, £10 10s; .Mrs. McCosh Clark, £2 2s; Mrs. Rose. Remuera, £1; M. Passmore, £2 2*; R. Uodle, 10s 6d; H. Gilfillau,, £1 Is; K. 11. Lyons. £1 Is: Lieutenant J. T. Bosworth, £1 Is; Captain Leahy. 10s 6'i ; 15. Dyson. 10s 6d; ('.'. Piikingtoli. £1 Is: Bycrofts. Limited. £2 2s; the Rev. Dr. Kgan, £1 Is; J. J. Holland, 10s 6d; Mis. E. A. Mackechine, £2; Stewart Dawson and Co., £1 Is ; T. W. Levs, £2 2s : total to date, £7-13 6s 2d.

In connection with the bazaar in aid of the Victoria School for Maori Girls a general meeting will be held in the Council Chambers at three o'clock this afternoon. His Worship the Mayor will preside, and all interested in the work are requested to attend.

A voting man named William Kean was arrested yesterday afternoon on a charge of the theft of three sacks of oats, valued at £2 2s, and two sacks of potatoes of the value of 235, the property of Messrs. Hall and Perkins. He will bo brought before the Police Court to-day.

An .alarm of fire, caused by a burning chimney in Hobson-street, was given at a-quarler to eleven o'clock last night. The Albert-street auxiliary brigade turned out.

The Thames Borough Council has men employed in planting two rows of young pohutukawa trees on the western side of the lieacjh Road, opposite Messrs. Price Bros.' foundry and Mr. Hawke's livery stable, near the bend of the Good'} Wharf. The trees were supplied at tho Council's request by the Railway Department.

An application was made iu the Supreme Court, Brisbane, recently, for leave for Ada Grace Hopkins, executrix under the will of Henry Herbert Hopkins, to swear that the testator died on December 21. The doceased and his sou were drovers. On May 29 last they left Warwick with a mob of hulls for Soudan Station, Northern Territory, arriving at their destination on December 18. After leaving that place they had not been seen or heard of alive. Their bodies were discovered by a passing traveller, and they were identified by the widow and mother us those of her husband and sou by certain trinkets found on their bodies. They had died on the edge of the Great Australian Desert, and their horses were found with their throats cut, the drovers having endeavoured to quench their thirst by drinking blood. The tails of the horses had been cut off for the purpose of mopping up the blood. The father ami'son'were discovered lying with their heads resting on their unrolled swags. There was no suggestion of foul play. The application was allowed, and probate granted.

A few weeks ago it was reported at CalInvat, Victoria, that whilst Mrs. Thomas, of Mair-street, and her domestic servant were away from home for a little while, the place had been robbed of jewellery valued at £62. The matter was placed in the hands of the police, with the result that the servant, named Evelyn Simpson, 17 years of age, was arrested for the theft. For some time the girl denied that she knew anything about the robbery, and an acknowledgment of her culpability was obtained from her in a singular manner. The windows of Mrs. Thomas' liouse had been repeatedly broken. Constable Nicholson suspected that the girl was responsible for the damage, and he set a trap to catch her. This consisted in placing marked stones in the yard of Mrs. Thomas' premises. More windows were broken. and it was found that the marked stones had been used upon them. Simpson admitted having stolen the jewellery and smashed the windows. The jewellery was recovered from an outhouse, where it was hidden.

A few days ago Dr. A. A. Brown, of the Victorian Agricultural Department, opened several cases of pears and grapes which had been treated with his formic aldehyde process for preventing 'moulds. Koine of the pears had been in the cool chamber for 18 months. When the cases were opened .the fruit was found to be■ perfectly sound and entirely free from mould. The skin was a little shrivelled, but the flavour of the fruit had been preserved. Pears that had been kept for bij months were almost as freshlooking as the day they were taken from (he trees. The grapes, which had also been b\ months in the chamber, were sound and sweet. Dr. Drown denies that his system would increase the cost of sending fruit to Great Britain. He soys that if the shipping companies would adopt the dryair process in the cool chambers of the ship, the formic aldehyde gas could be circulated with the air at a very trilling cost.

A statement prepared in pursuance of the Old Age Pensions Act, and presented to the Victorian Parliament recently by the Treasurer, shows that for the period from December 7, 1901, to June 30 last, the pensions amounted to £145,497 2s lid. This, with the cost of administration, £1832 17s 2d, makes the total cost of pensions to that date £147,330 0s Id. The average rata of pensions is set down at 7s Id. The total number of claims registered, that is under the principal Act and also the temporary measure passed at the instance of Sir George Turner, is 17,766. An analysis of pensions shows that 1.1,027 certificates were issued under the temporary measure, and 1305 to new claimants under the principal Act, while there are 1078 of the original claims awaiting rehearing, these three, divisions making the total number of pensioners receiving payment on June 30 last 13,410. As there are 1160 pensions under suspension, pending inquiry, etc., the total number of pensioners on the books at the end of last financial year was therefore 14,570. At the expiry of the temporary Act, on December 6, 1901, 16,223 pensioners were being paid. The difference between that number and the number actually receiving payment on June 30 last therefore represents a decrease of 2813 old-age pensioners.

In order to prove that Federal Hansard reporters do condense members' speeches, the chief of the staff has furnished the Speaker of the House of Representatives with some statistics which incidentally convey a fair impression of how protracted the first session of the Commonwealth Parliament lias been. It appeals that the State Legislative Council sat for 130 hours last year, and the Legislative Assembly for 377 hours, while up to July 3 the Senate had sat for 804 hours, and the House of Representatives for 1259 hours. The last session of the Canadian Parliament extended over five months, and the Hansard was a bulky volume of 9000 pages. For the same period and number of hours the Federal Hansard consisted of 5745 pages, and consequently it was contended that the reports of the Commonwealth Legislature ware by no means too ditfuse.

At a meeting of the Presbytery of Melbourne North on September 2 a request was made by the Brunswick Church session for guidance as to whether it could introduce the practice of providing each communicant with a cup at the sacramental services, instead of providing only one cup for the purposes of the service. The Moderator (the Rev. Thos. Tait), who is the minister of the session, said some of the communicants passed the cup altogether, while others stayed away rather than drink from the one cup. The Rev. Dr. Maodonald said the matter involved grave and delicate questions. It would be advisable to appoint a committee to bring up a report, with a view of securing uniformity of practice. He moved, "That a committee be appointed, comprising the Revs. A. Stewart, A. Yule, W. M. Alexander, the three professors, aud three, elders." The Rev. J. A. Stuart seconded the motion, which was carried,,,