LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 12087, 4 October 1902, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

The splendid Christ mas Number of the Auckland Weekly News, just issued, is meeting with a most flattering" reception. Both iii Auckland and throughout the colony larger orders are being received than last year, and it will be several days yet before the large publishing staff now at work can possibly overtake the demand. All those who desire to secure copies should place their orders at once, as many who delayed last year found themselves disappointed in the end. • The Herald Summary, for transmission. by the next outward San Francisco mail. will be published next Thursday morning. Those desirous of forwarding the Summary to their friends in Europe, America, etc., will have ample time to do so, as the newspaper- mail closes on Fridav next, at 11.50 a.m., up to which hour papers for mailing may be obtained of runners at the post office. This mail will be due in London on November 8. Tho opening chapters of a new serial tale of absorbing interest will be found in to-day's Supplement. The serial will be continued daily in the Herald until finished. A plebiscite 011 the question of Bible reading in the State schools will probably be taken in Auckland at an early date. A public meeting on the question was held in the Federal Hall last night, at which a resolution was adopted urging a plebiscite, and the question, will be considered by the Society for the Promotion of Bible Teaching m Schools at its next meeting. The Union Company's steamer Ovalau. which arrived from the Islands yestermorning, brings news that the* opening of the pearling season in the Eastern Pacific was to take place on October 1. A number of expeditions were preparing to leave Papeete for the pearling grounds when the Ovalau left, and the season's output is expected to be much above the average of previous years. We learn that an important step has just been made in the developmnt of the ostrich feather industry in Auckland. For many years past Messrs. L. D. Nathan and Co. have been steadily increasing their flock until it had become too large for the accommodation available at Whit-ford Park, and they. were compelled to seek a more suitable property. Arrangements have now been made by them with Mr. John Schlaepfer, of " Helvetia," ' Pukekohe, for the formation of ? private companv, to which Messrs. L. D. Nathan and Co.'s'birds and Mr. Schlaepfer's property of 3500 acres will be transferred. It is proposed to largely increase the flock, and the prospects of the industry may be gauged by the fact that the present supply of feathers is equal ti only about one-third of the Auckland demand, to say nothing of the Southern markets. The*negotiations were conducted by Messrs. Samuel Vaile and Sons. We understand that the usual reunion of old colonists, their descendants, and friends, will take, place at St. Andrew's Church on Friday, the 10th inst. The committee are specially anxious that any old colonists who have been 60 years in the colony should send in their names to Mr. J. J.-Craig or Mr. W. Culpan, the hon. joint secretaries, or give in their names at the church door, It is expected that there will be a large gathering of friends on this occasion. . The contributions required this year from the Wailemata County Council for hospital and charitable aid, • and for its share towards the proposed infectious diseases hospital, amount to £668 13s sd. At veslerdav's meeting of the Council, the Chairman (Mr. J. O'Neill) stated that this sum was equivalent to almost. 25 per cent., 011 all the county rates. The charitable akJ contribution has been assessed at £431 13s sd, an increase of £75 upon last year's contribution.

The King returns to London from Scotland on Saturday next. The Morgan Combine has been registered under the name of the International Mercantile Marine Company, with a capital of twenty-four millions sterling. The opinion in financial circles in New York is that the agreement between the British Government and the Cunard line is *■ severr blow to the combine, it, is stated that the yearly profits of the combine arc estimated to reach two millions. The. British Royal Commission, appointed to revise the sentences passed on Cape rebels, has finished its labours, and has sailed from Capetown for England The Imperial Government declined to extend the scope of the Commission. By the snapping of the winding rope at a "mine in Wale:, the cage in which were eight miners, fell a. distance of nearly 700 ft the occupants being killed instantly. J he. Bank of Australasia has given, its staff alO per cent. Coronation bonus. When the Grand Duke Nicholas of Russia was at Shipka, in connection with the opening of a memorial church, he was suddenly handed a petition from the Macedonian Committee praying the Tsar to intervene in order to secure the amelioration of the condition of the Bulgarians. The War Office hag established two farms in the Orange River Colony, for the purpose of breeding horses suitable for remounts for the army. Negotiations are still proceeding between Berlin and London regarding the proposed meeting between the Boer generals and the German Emperor. |

The matter of the recent Chinese disinterments at Waikiimete came before the Waitemata. County Council at yesterday's meeting, in the shape of a request from Mr. Cochran that the Council would object to any repetition of such exhumations He stated that it had caused a. good, deal of grumbling in the district. Mr. Bruce pointed out that the law sanctioned the disinterments. Mr. Alison thought the Council had nothing to do with the matter. Mr. Cochran considered the Chinese should bury their dead in future on a small island if they intended to exhume the bodies later. The matter then dropped. The Waitemata County , Council have been in communication with the Department of Roads, with the view of having placed in their own hands the expenditure of votes for roads. At yesterday's meeting of the Council a. reply'was received from the chief engineer of roads, stating that the Minister could not see why local bodies should be entrusted with ,the spending of these _ votes, nor that they had in the experience of the Department expended such moneys to better advantage than the officers of the Department. The Council passed a resolution that the chief engineers letter was unjustifiable, and challenging the .Minister to prove that county councils in genera! did not expend votes for roads more advantageously than the Department. ....;'

The following candidates have been nominated for the election of a new Road Board in the Remuera district: —Messrs. A. C. Whitney, nominated by H. G. SetaSmith and John Dempsey;T. B. Winstone, nominated by 0.: C. McMillan and T. Finlayson; W. J. Parker, nominated by R. C. Carr.and John Teach; Hon. E. Mitchelson,- nominated by J. M. Lennox and W. J. Parker; J. M. Lennox, nominated by the Hon. E. Mitchelson and T. Buddie. Nominations close on Monday, the 13th inst., at noon. A poll, if necessary, will be taken at the Board's office on Wednesday, the 22nd inst., between the hours of nine a.m. and six p.m. A meeting of the Auckland Institute is advertised for Monday evening, when several interesting papers will be read. Among them is one by Mr. H. D. M. Haszard, dealing with Captain Cook's visit to Mercury Bay. in 1769.. During a .lengthened visit to Mercury Bay Mr. Haszard was enabled to identify most of the localities described by Cook, and to obtain other information of value respecting his proceedings. Mr. E. E. Vaile is to read a paper entitled '•Universal Equal Suffrage," in which he will show that a vote is not, a right, but ,a privilege. Starting from that standpoint, and assuming that the good of the body politic is the chief consideration, he will contend that a graduated • suffrage should take the place of our present equal suffrage. The fees earned for the season ended December 31 last, by the eight stud horses owned by the New Zealand Government, amounted to £355. Danger Signal earned £166, and Lupin £52.. The next most popular horse was Singlestick 11, who earned £.59. J '"'' ■ ' ■ " ' A tender for the erection of the Marist Brothers' College at Cox's Creek, Ponsonby, has been accepted, and work on the building, will be, commenced immediately. Mr. Moody has secured the contract for the building at the price of £4780. It is estimated that-when completed the building and fittings will cost about £5000.

About midnight on . Thursday, Mr. C. N. Henry, bootmaker, of Ponsonby Road, who resides above his shop, heard glass breaking, and at once jumped out of bed, sad on proceeding below- found that two plate-glass windows, valued at £4, had been broken in his shop-front. The windows presented the appearance as if someone had put their feet through thern. Our Waihi correspondent states that the body of the female child found in Waihi cemetery was -stillborn. The doctor ordered the parents to inter it in their own ground, but the instructions were disobeyed by the son, who buried the body in the cemetery. '- - ~ Even ,gunny Nelson has had its share of the recent general spell of unseasonable weather. There was a considerable fall of snow'on the hills in the district, including those near the town. The fall at Foxhill covered the ground to a depth of about 2in. The snow ■ generally reached a lower level than has been known for some years. A proposal emanating .from the .Hobson County Council, that the Kaipara waters should be, formed into a harbour board, having local control, was before the Waitetttata County Council at meeting, when Mr. Phillipps was appointed as the Council's delegate to. a, conference for the discussion of the question. The quarterly meeting of the Auckland branch of the New Zealand Educational Institute was held yesterday. The report stated that during the quarter remits had been sent to the annual meeting of the New Zealand Educational Institute, urging a revised and reduced syllabus, the abolition of the annual pass-examination,'the centralisation of the inspectorate, and the adoption of the decimal system. Since the last quarterly meeting 54 new members had been elected. The report was adopted. The balance-sheet showed a credit b dance of £?1 14s 3d. It was decided to call a general meeting of the teachers after the distribution of the Superannuation Bill, and prior to the general election. The election of delegates to attend the annual meeting of the institute resulted in the return of the following:— Misses E. Shrewsbury and M. •1- Mcllhone, Messrs. Cousins, Newton, Oblson, Plummet Stewart, and Wells. The banks throughout the colony will be dosed on Wednesday next, Labour Day,