LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XL, Issue 12270, 14 May 1903, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Tub ceremony of installing the Hon. E. Mitchelson into the Mayoral chair for the City of Auckland took place at the Council Chamber yesterday, in the presence of a representative gathering of citizens. Interesting speeches were made by Mr. A. Kidd, M.H.8., (the outgoing Mayor), and the Don. E. Mitchelson. Subsequently; at a luncheon given by the newly-installed Mayor, Mr. Kidd was presented with an illuminated address. The Mayors of several suburban boroughs were also installed yesterday.

The King, who is at present on a visit to Edinburgh, held & levee in the ancient Palace of Holyrood, which no monarch has similarly honoured for 81 years. It was attended by a thousand persons, while six hundred ladies in morning dress attended the Queen's Court. It. is now stated that Manchuria is open to foreign travellers, and that passports are unnecessary. Russian troops have evacuated the Mukden province. The capture of Srikoto, in Northern Nigeria, was only effected after a severe engagement, which, but for the deadly hail of the Maxims, and the steadiness of tho British square, might have had a very different ending, as llio tribesmen, of whom there were six thousand, mostly fanatical Fulani, fought With extraordinary courage, showing a complete indifference to death, and charging rip to within a- few yards 01 the British square. Sokoto, though a city of considerable importance, is said to be inferior to Kano. Herman newspapers regard President Roosevelt 's speech in reference to the Pacific as mi attempt to arouse enthusiasm in connection with the navy, and as Presidential electioneering. The rebellion in Morocco is apparently gaining strength. Twelve thousand rebels are now attacking Tetuan, and have destroyed the suburbs and the famous orange gardens. The strike of Clyde engineers is collapsing, and the men are returning to work.

At the Supreme Court yesterday the trial of Win. Eiehardson on ihe charge cf defamatory libel, was continued. Mr. Justice Conolly ruled that, the contention of the Hon. J. A. Tole, Crown Prosecutor, that the plea put in by accused was bad, must be upheld. His Honor also held that according to the authorities quoted accused could not deliver an amended plea. The plea of '"not guilty " was allowed to stand, and the trial was proceeded with. Win. John Baker, the prosecutor in the case, was the first important witness called, and he was crossexamined at great length by the accused. During the proceedings accused charged the judge with being a partisan, and was locked up in one of the cells by His Honor's instructions on his refusal to apologise for this remark. He was shortly afterwards brought out again, but His Honor frequently had occasion to again warn him as to his behaviour. The case will be continued to-day.

About ten o'clock yesterday forenoon one of the electric cars on the Kingsland circuit got off the line when running up the rise near Porter's Avenue, Lden Terrace, on the way to town. The mishap was caused by thft heavy flow of rain water washing, a quantity of sand and rubble from the roadway on to the track, where it blocked the line and threw the car oil" its course. Practically no inconvenience was caused, as the pa-ssengers were transferred to one of the cars from the Queen-street terminus on its way to Kingsland which returned immediately to town. The car blocking the way was got on the rails again in about fifteen minutes, and afterwards motormen slowed down considerably when going up the rise, to prevent a recurrence.

The weather was very inclement- yesterday, there being several heavy downpours of rain during the day and night. Yesterday morning, for over two hours, the rain, was exceptionally heavy, and at one time it was thought that the lower end of Queen-street would again be flooded, but the sewer gratings were kept clear by a party of workmen, which averted any serious results. The weather has been very bad along the coast since Sunday, the wind blowing very strongly from between north-west and northeast, with thick rain, making it somewhat difficult for masters of vessels to pick up the land. Very wet and boisterous weather was experienced at the Thames yesterday, rain having fallen almost continuously nearly the whole day.

The inclement weathei interefered with the attendance during the concluding days of the exhibition held by the Society of Arts in the Choral Hall, and several prize winners have failed to claim their prizes. Exhibitors and art union prize winners are requested to remove all pictures before five p.m. to-day.

On Monday evening Mr. C. F. Wigley, of the Talisman Hotel, Katikati, while proceeding home from Waihi, came to grief. He was driving his recently-purchased light American sulky, and had "reached a point of the road about half-a-mile from Atlienree when a bolt suddenly carried away without any warning, and the body of the vehicle dropped to the ground. The horse lashed out viciously, and the woodwork of the conveyance was splintered into mafcSrood. Mr. Wigley himself was bruised, and received a severe knock on the ribs. On extricating himself from the debris he proceeded to Athenree, where he obtained from Captain Stewart the temporary loan, of a trap to complete his journey. *

Mr. C. J. Moran, M.L.A.. o." West Australia, was a passenger by the s.s. Rotoiti to Auckland yesterday. Mr. Moran, who has held the portfolio of Lands in the Throssell Government in West Australia, is much impressed with the prosperity of New Zealand. He has been over the whole of the South Island, and has now seen a good portion of the North Island, which he expects to produce marvellous results in the way of increased population in another 10 years".

Subscribers to the Veterans' Home fund are again reminded that on application to the hon. secretary. Lord Northland, tickets may be obtained entitling them to admission to the special enclosure at the ceremony of the laying of the foundation stone of* the home by His Excellenev the Governor, on the 25th inst.

- The Lytfcelton Times says';— There seems to be a great deal of doubt among sportsmen in Canterbury as to whether they may shoot the pukeko, or swamp-hen, and the Paradise duck. The Animals' Protection Act and its amendments are rather confusing on the point, and the alterations made have caused some ambiguity. According to the Act of 1880, no native game can be killed unless open seasons for the particular birds are gazetted. This clause, however, was repealed by the Act of 1900. That statute makes a fresh provision, to the effect that every third year, commencing on April 1, 1901, there shall be a close season for the pukeko, the native pigeon, and tile kaka, in which they mast not be shot, taken or killed. Next year, therefore, these birds will be protected, but, so far as Canterbury is concerned, they may be killed in the present season. This is the opinion of the officers of the Canterbury Acclimatisation Society, who have been consulted on the point. They also state that Paradise ducks are not protected in this district. In the Marlborough district both pukeko and Paradise ducks are excepted by annual notice from the list of native game that may be taken or killed, and the same restriction is enforced with regard to Paradise ducks and Blue Mountain ducks in the Wellington district.

A commercial traveller named Frederick William Lee was found dead in Green Park, Darlinghurst, New South Wales, a few days ago. At the inquest deceased's brother stated that for the past five or sis vears the deceased had suffered terribly from internal pains. A letter produced, "which was undated, had been handed to him by the police. It read : " Dear,—ln leaving these few lines it is only in case of my pegging out. Nearly every night now Igo through such awful agony, and it must end some time. I expose this note every night in case of an accident, and put it away every morning. P.S.—There is one favour 1 ask. That i" to sec that I am dead before burial. On two occasions I have been, given up for dead, and th'- horror of beinj "buried alive haunts me. Sep to this if you send my body to the university." Attached to the letter was a memo., "No one but l,"e Almighty and myself know what I suffer." Dr. Jamieson deposed that the post-mortem examination showed that the cause of death was poisoning from cyanide. The jury returned a verdict to that "effect, and added that there was not sufficient evidence to enaW a them to say how he became so poisoned.

A master butcher, who'" was giving evidence at the Arbitration Court, Christchurch, last week, stated that on a recent afternoon every man ot his employees was subpoenaed to attend the Court. He was forced to leave his wife to cope with the whole 'justness of one of the largest shops in Christchureh. He examined the union's employment book, but could not find anyone to help her. He advised his wife, if she found the rush too much for her, to get a man off the street to help her put up the shutters.,