LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 12523, 16 March 1904, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS

The 'Frisco mail number of the Auckland Weekly News (issued to-day) contains an exceptionally fine variety of highclass illustrations. In order to celebrate the inauguration of the reduced postage rates for newspapers to England, the proprietors are issuing a special edition for posting by the outgoing mail. The number is printed on very fine paper, and contains some of the best pictures published in the colony. Among a wealth of artistic illustrations will be found some beautiful views of Auckland's harbour and shipping, excellent war pictures, scenes at the rifle championship meeting at Trentham, the polo sports at Alexandra Park, East Coast station scenes, and numerous other subjects of interest to the public both at Home and abroad. Orders for the number should be placed early, as a large demand is anticipated.

Admiral Fanshawe wrote from Hobarb, on board the Royal Arthur, under date February 20, asking the Harbour Beard to supply all particulars with .regard to the docking of the s.s. Niwaru at the Calliope Dock, and also for details of the repairs carried out i>y Messrs. Geo. Fraser and Sons, Limited, and Massey Brothers. The members of the Board were informed by the chairman (Mr. J. T. Julian) that all the information required by the Admiral had been collected and supplied..

The removal of sand and shells from local beaches occupied the attention of the Harbour Board yesterday, when the Works and Tariff Committee recommended that the harbourmaster be directed to take mors energetic action in carrying out his duties in connection with the preventing of the removal of sand and shells within the harbour. Mr. Walker stated that some of the beaches were being absolutely stripped of sand and shells. The Chairman (Mr. J. T. Julian)) said when he asked the harbourmaster about

the wholesale removal of sand and shells, he knew nothing about it. Mr. F. E. Baume suggested a £5 reward for all convictions. The Chairman said the fines were so low that he feared prosecutions were useless, besides the Bench seemed to take too lenient a view of the offence. Mr. Glover asked that the matter-be allowed to stand over, as he was a witness in one case of this sort. The matter than dropped.

A lew months ago the - Governor, by Order-in-Council, vested some 12£ acres of \ Mount Albert in. the Mount ■' Alb&rt Road Board as a public recreation reserve for the district. 'Since this was done the - Road Board has had under consideration the best means to render the reserve ' : of ■ practical t use to the residents of that progressive ; district. A road 66ft - wide has been acquired, ; partly by purchase and partly by gift, in order that an easy means of access might be obtained' to the reserve, and Mr. •Metcalfe, C.E., has prepared a plan showing the contour of the domain, and of »'" further road through the reserve connecting with the chain-wide road, and leading \ nearly to the top of the mountain. These plans will be submitted to a public meeting of the residents and ratepayers of the dis- - trict, for consideration on Friday evening next, at St. Luke's Parish Hall," and proposals calculated to lead to the fulfilment of the desire to make the reserve suitable as a place of resort for those living in the district will be put before, the meeting for consideration.

The Northcote and Birkenhead ferry service came before the Harbour Board yesterday, when a letter signed by 18: residents of the districts concerned was read, asking the Board to take steps to have the service improved by the substitution of modern steamers,.and the establishment of a service more in line .with the development and importance of the districts.. The letter war referred to the Ferry Company. Mr. R. L. Mestayer's . report on the Auckland water supply, to which reference was made in these columns yesterday, and which will be submitted to the City Council meeting to-morrow, is,, it is understood, unfavourable on . the : score of cost : to the Hunua and Maungatawhiri schemes, but recommends Waitakerei as being equal to the needs of the city for many years to come. He suggests, it is understood, th« construction of a reservoir for storage at .M'ihotupu, together with the bringing in of an additional supply from the Huia.

At the meeting of the Harbour Board yesterday, reference was made by the chairman (Mr. J. T. Julian) to the " hanging-rip" of urgent works at the Railway Wharf, caused by official delay at Wellington. Plans of the wort which is most- urgently required were sent to the Marine Department at Wellington, who handed them on to the Railway Department. This was in December last. Although wires arid much correspondence had been sent to Wellington, there the plans remained, and the work could not be proceeded with, to the prejudice of shipping anxious to berth at the wharf and to load from the railway trucks. It was decided to send urgent wires, requesting immediate replies. > A visit to the St. Ann's Bridge Hospital Reserve, on which it is proposed to erect the Government sterilising plan);, was paid yesterday by Messrs.-G. J. Garland, : chairman of" the Auckland Hospital Board, J. Bollard; M.H.R., A. R. Hams, • and J. R. Walters, members of the Board, accompanied by Mr. Laurie, .of the Agricultural Department, Mr. Hull, of the Stock Department, and Mr. , White, architect. " After the property, had been inspected it was decided by the members of the Board to grant the Agricultural Department a lease of the reserve on the terms- offered (£3O a -year), with the exception, of about five acres, fronting the Great South Road, which it is desired to reserve for the Board for quarry or other purposes... Mr. Laurie expressed his approval of the proposed arrangement, and said he would recommend ite acceptance by. his Department. . ~,v.. At the meeting of the Auckland University Council, held yesterday afternoon, the Hon. J. A, Tole introduced the question of establishing a school ox mines hi Auckland. He mentioned that a resolution was standing on the minute-book affirming the desirableness of having a school of mine)! established in Auckland, and he thought tine time was now opportune to go further, a<nd make representations to the Government. He had :noticed ■ that the" Premier 'had been'! deptitationised in Dunedin in regard to the specialisation of , the chair of mines in Otago, and as there was a probability of it not being further maintained, Auckland * should step in and lodge an application ; for it .to be transferred to- this city. The; chairman (Sir Maurice O'Rorke) consented to take the action suggested. • . The motion of Mr. J. T. Julian, re upset prices of allotments in Patbeson-street-ahd Beaumont-street, was approved by the Harbour Board yesterday. It provided that the upset prices of allotments Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, be 15s per foot per annum; Nos. sto 14, 10s per foot per annum; Nos, 15, 16, 18, 19, and 20, £1 per foot pei annum; Nos./ 21 to 40, 10s per foot per annum. Beaumontstreet : Nos. 41 to 46 and 49 to 52, 10s per foot per annum. AH buildings erected upon these allotments to be of not less value than £400 upon each allotment. Sydney Crawford; alias Archie McNeil, alias Sydney Clark, alias Captain Clark, was brought to Auckland last evening from Papakura, where he was committed for trial on a charge of obtaining board and lodging by false pretences. Three boys, who journeyed \ from Auckland on Saturday last, were brought back yesterday by the police. It was alleged that they made merry with the ink and othei scholastic equipment oif the Ponga school, near Papakura. 'They were arrested by a justice of the peace, and the local magistrate sent them to Auckland" to b« dealt with by the Bench here. Last night the Rev. S. Lawry, president of the Methodist Conference, conducted divine service in the Methodist Church as Onehunga. Mr. Lawry was the superintendent minister of the Manukau circuit for four years,, residing at Onehunga previous to his removal to Palmcrston North. At the ciose of the service Mr. Lawry shook hands with those present, and was heartily congratulated on his. election to the office of president of the Methodist Conference. :.. ; Mr. Parker's motion, "That the time has arrived for the Harbour Board to take into their consideration the advisability of erecting suitable buildings and machinery for the purpose of cold storage of butter and cheese, oi any other goods that may require similar treatment," set down for yesterday's meeting of the Harbour Board, was deferred for future consideration. In" the course of a letter to the London Times, written on behalf of ihe New Zealand Trades Council Executive, Mr. W. Newton, of Christchurch. deals with the Conciliation and Arbitration Act, replying to certain adverse criticisms, and . quoting figures to show that the effect of the Act had been beneficial. Mr. Newton concludes as follows:"We are continually being asked how will it stand in time of depression. We are not prophets, but believe that should a depression arrive, and the Act not found equal to . the strain (as we think it will) sufficient intelligence will be displayed by the wage earners to find a way out of the difficulty, by, if necessary, capturing the Parliamentary machine. Meantime, the Act has been of undoubted benefit to the workers of New Zealand, and has eliminated the barbarous and inhuman strike from our land, with its trail of suffering and loss, which is at present the reproach of many industrial countries." '','-.

I The Harbour Board yesterday approved of i its engineer's report as to water supply to i shipping, which was: That borings be made on allotment, Quay-street, for, say, 500 ft, at an estimated cost of £100; ia the event of water being obtained in sufficient quantities a bonus of £20 be paid, to Mr Kirkwood ; if the water be found of good pot-; 'able quality such bonus to be £100.

Two accidents occurred at the Waiai mine yesterday. T. M. Scott had his toe very badly crashed by a fall of quartz, and C. J. Lange his shoulder severely injured under ■■,■: similar circumstances.

.The many friends of Mr. James Jord»»> clerk of the Magistrate's and Warden's Courts at the Thames, will regret to leant that he is somewhat seriouisly indisposed. He is at present under the Medical ewe »* , Dr. . Bond.' ;•■;": ■ '': '/i if;' i ; -j -^SiMISMM.

An exciting incident took place off Tiritiri yesterday morning as the ship Thornliebank was getting her anchors ready to "anchor when port was made. ,During these pieparations the sailmaker fell overboard from the forecastle head into the sea. A lifebuoy was thrown over to him, which he fortunately succeeded in getting hold of, arid a boat being promptly lowered from the ship' he was picked up. but in an exhausted condition. On being taken on board restoratives were■; applied, and the man is now quite restored to his usual state of health.

An intoxicated man had a marvellous escape from a terrible death on Monday night. The motorman of up-car 12 was driving into town, and on nearing St. Paul's Church, Symonds-street, noticed a body lying right across the rails. He instantly applied the brakes, which worked splendidly, bringing the car to an immediate standstill, although clo.se to the prostrate man. Motorman and conductor together picked nim up and earned him on the car to Princes-street, where they left him in charge of the police.

On Monday Mr. John Taylor, a visitor ■from Quinndi (New South Wales), shipped several polo ponies by the Westralia to Sydney, among them a bay mare. Bamboo, the winner of the Cambridge Cup last year, and a chestnut, Gold, by 9 son of Musket. Both were played through the tournament last week, and were among our best at the game.

. The Ngarnawahia annual regatta takes place to-morrow, and will, no doubt, be largely attended by people from Auckland. Special trains will leave Auckland for Ngaruawahia in connection with the regatta, the full programme of which appears elsewhere in this issue.

The death is announced of Mr. Joseph Paul Walker, at Sydney. The deceased, who was 68 years of age,, married a daughter of the late Mr. Alexander Black, one of the pioneers oi Auokland, and was for some years ■interested in the timber trade in the Northern Wairoa. He resided in Auckland about 30 years ago, and will probably be remembered "by a number of the old settlers of that period. .

The collection of old books recently removed from the Christ church Museum Library to the Reference Library includes an old edition of "Robinson Crusoe," with quaint wood-cuts, an original copy of the New South Wales Government Handbook lor 1820, being, as the title page states, " the first of the kind ever published in the colony," an Elzevir edition of Suetonius, printed in Amsterdam in 1652, and.a devotional book, " Crumbs of Comfort and Godly Prayers," printed in London in 1668. One interesting volume is an old geography book, published in 1646, which includes an " accurate" map of the world. New Zealand and Australia are, however, entirely omitted. Another book, a patriotic publication, which appeared in 1653, bears the imposing title, "Restitution of Decayed Intelligence ;in Antiquities Concerning the Most Noble and Renowned English Nation." Two philosophical volumes are included in the collection, one being the 1638 edition of Bacon's works, and the other a view of Sir Isaac Newton's philosophy, printed in 1728. An old Prayer-book of the time of the Georges, whose serrated edges testify both to hard use and old age, and a 1579 folio edition of the (Works of Spenser, form part of the collection. A special case will be provided for the books is the Reference Library, but it will be a month or two before the accommodation will be available.

" Sympathy with caution," a phrase used by the Rev. E. J. Rodd to define his own attitude, might (says the Sydney Daily Telegraph, of March 4) also be used to describe the attitude of the Methodist Conference as a whole towards the- question of union with the Presbyterian Church. The report of the Joint Committee was before the conference on March 3, when assent to a series of resolutions .-regarding it was asked by the Rev. W. H. Beale, who. along with ..his colleague, the, Rev. J. H. Carruthers, had borne; the burden of the negotiations with an ability ; which was subsequently recognised by special resolu? tion. The resolutions were adopted on the voices, but they commit the conference to nothing more than the reference of the question to the general conference, with a recommendation that that body should definitely pronounce upon the desirableness of union; and if the pronouncement be in the affirmative, that suitable action should be taken to bring it about. During the discussion one minister, who was a very strong advocate of union, wanted to know what could be pointed to as real obstacles to union. An answer came from a layman, whose knowledge, presumably, was wide and deep. " Remember they are not all teetotallers, Tom," ho said, laconically.

A timber-getter named Bates, residing at Julgong, New South Wales, had an exciting experience recently with a snake. Preparatory to goin fe to dinner he stooged to pick up. his coat, which he had thrown off, when he felt something bite bis finger, and was surprised to find it was a shake. Thai reptile retained its hold for several seconds before it could be detached. Bates immediately cut off the top of the fiuger with the axe, and, after rubbing tobacco juice into the wound, walked to bis home. & mile distant, where remedies were applied. Although, suffering throughout the night from the effects of the poison, he was comparatively well the next day. This is the second occasion on which Bates has suffered from snake bite.