LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 12653, 6 September 1904, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

The Union Company's fin© cargo steamer Aparima arrived from Calcutta and Singapore yesterday morning, with a cargo of general Eastern merchandise. On August 2, three days before the steamer reported off Thursday Island, the shaft of the starboard j engine broke, where it had been welded at one time, and for some little time matters were very lively in the engineroom, until the engine was got under control. Mr. Dove the chief engineer, and his assistants, soon set to work and got the broken shaft fixed up by the aid of one of Thompson's patent couplings, which is carried by the steamers of the Union Steamship Company for cases of this kind. The Aparima canio along undei one engine whilst the necessary repairs were being effected, which were accomplished in good time. The Aparima will probably have permanent repairs effected on her arrival at Port Chalmers. The barque Helen arrived from Lyttelton yesterday, after a passage of 22 days. The barque, which has on board a cargo of general produce, met with very rough weather on the passage, and when off Portland Island fell in with a very heavy westerly gale, which drove her off the coast for nearly 200 miles. The gale continued with great fury for seven days, during most of which time the barque was hove-to, and came through without any material damage. An old identity passed away on Friday last at Northeote, in the person of Captain Matthew Slattery, who has resided in that district for the past 19 years. The deceased was bora, in 1825, and arrived in New Zealand in 1843. ■ He served in the 58th Regiment, and was present at the taking of the Ruapakupaku jra, Bay of Islands. In 1862 he was transferred to the 30th Regiment, went Home, and saw service in India. For his services in New Zealand he was awarded the New Zealand medal. The deceased was the recipient of an Imperial pension, and for some years was a member of the Northcote Road Board, when that body was in existence. His wife predeceased him two months ago. He had been ailing for some months. He leaves two sons and three daughters, all married, and 34 grandchildren, to mourn their loss. ■; Mrs. Blanche Weston, who was regarded as one of the oldest living Australian natives, died, at her residence, Horsley, New South Wales, a lew days ago. Mrs. Weston celebrated her 98th birthday on July 23, when there were four generations represent' ed. Mrs. Weston was born at Annandale in 1806, and was a daughtei of the late Colonel Johnston. She married the late Captain Weston, and resided at Horsley .for the last'7s years. She was known far and. wide us a generous and charitable woman.

The Union Company's steamer Moana left tor Sydney last evening with a : number of passengers; and considerable quantity :of i general cargo. Included .the shipments I from' Auckland were 16 bars bUlion, valued I at £10,750, shipped by the ' Waiki Gold Min- ; ins; Company ■ through to London; one box I gold,"shipped by the Bank of New 1 : South L Wales ■' t,d the Sydney 'office of the bank; 253 cases and 43 sack's 'kauri gum, for London and the, Continent; 145 bale? flax/,.and lines of hides, sand, timber, etc., for Australian ports.. ■ : ,^ : ' 'Tenders were called for the purchase of the wreck aid cargo of .the schooner Isabella Anderson by Captain Adamson, " who visited 1 Raglan as the representative of the under-. : writers last week (writes our Raglan correspondent)!. The tender oil Mr. B. W. Hamilton, ,£27 10s, was accepted, the other tenderers ' being: W. J. iV; Smith, £26; G. Rutherford, £22; S. Wilson, ; £10. The timber, which was strewn along the beach, is being gathered together with a view to its being rafted to 'Raglan. Captain Adamson put in a claim for the schooner's mast, which had come ashore near the Tattooed Rocks, and been brought to Raglan for use as a flagstaff/ in the school grounds,- but subsequently disposed of it to the school committer. The spar is of Oregon pine, and is said to have cost about £20. At the request of the chairman of the Wellington Harbour Board (Mr. W. Cable), who has been in Auckland during the past few days, hurried arrangements were made by M,\ Julian, chairman of r the Auckland Harbour Board, on Saturday afternoon last, for the driving of a ferro-concrete pile, and an informal gathering assembled at the Railway. Wharf to witness the test. It was a very severe one, and the ram, or "monkey," weighing 23 tons, was given a drop of 12ft 6jn, equivalent to an impact of about 68 tons. At the 25th blow ; the driving was stopped. The total penetration of the sand-' stone rock was 2ft llin, or the pile had entered 2in over the pointed shoulder. An examination was made of the pile, and particularly of . the head. There was no sign of fracture, and not even a m of dust = . remained upon the pile head. The test was three times that required by the contract specification. Mr. Robertson spoke of the e&cellenco oi the local cement used in the work. '■■..'." •*.'•''

-At a meeting of the Auckland - Temperance Crusaders last evening, it was resolved to ask the members far the City and Grey Lynn to urge in their places in Parliament the adoption of the system of self-regis-tration and electors' rights, in lieu of the present system of application; also to oppose the elimination of the reduction vote a3 regards the Licensing Bill, unless accompanied by the abolition of the threefifths majority vote, and, farther, to oppose the proposal to submit the question of State control, as it had never been demanded by any section of "the people. ■ It was further resolved to write the Auckland Education Board, to inaugurate lesaous on temperance hygiene" in the public schools ! under their jurisdiction. A matter of great importance to those en- ! gaged in the slaughtering trader-involving a tax calculated at' about £60,000 upon the slaughterers throughout the State/had the Supreme Court decision been upheld—was decided recently in the High Court of Australia. It appeared that James Mackay,' slaughterman, ; Enfield, was proceeded against by the inspector to the Canterbury' (New' South Wales) Municipal Council in February last, for the recovery of I certain inspection fees amounting to £35, under the Cattle Slaughtering Act, which :- provided in. section 15 that 3d per head for every head of cattle or skin inspected could he claimed. Mackay took the point that the Act did not entitle the inspector to demand fees in respect of sheep or pigs, but.only in the case of horned cattle. . The magistrate at Ash-; field took the view that the word "cattle"' in the section in question included sheep and pigs, and Mackay was ordered to pay the fees. The case was 'taken, to' the Supreme Court, but the magistrate's decision was upheld, and a, rule nisi for prohibition in respect' of the order was discharged. Mackay. then appealed to'the High Court, and after much learned argument their Honors unanimously held that in the section in question the • word - "cattle- 1 should-be used in the restricted sense as beamed cattle, and that sheep and pigs ought hot to have been charged for. ! • They therefore allowed ; the \ appeal with. costs, the rule uisi to be made absolute, as ". far as the ; justice's "order: re-i----lated to charges for sheep and pigs..■■■: The sad death of a little 'boy two ye&xa of age, son of Mr. E. Herbert, of H'aibi, has to be recorded. The little fellow was bitten just below the eye by a dog. The wound having failed to heal he was take" to the hospital, but brain lever set in, and all efforts to save life were of no avail, and the boy died oh Sunday.

Our Raglan correspondent writes:— few days ago Mr. Edward Swann • found a bottle on the beach at Papanui, in wiich was a piece "of paper, with the following message written thereon :—"S.s. Winfield. May 26, 1904. Lat.,'4odeg. Im., S.. long., 167deg. 41m,, E. For current.—H. Holland, master." The paper was enclosed in an envelope, bearing the title of the Adelaide Steamship Company t Limited, Fremantle. ; Our Matamata correspondent writer /The weather of late id this district ; has been very wet &nd etormyj and the local roads are still in a very bad condition, but the grass is looking well, and many of the new settlers are making vigorous preparations for milking for the local creamery. most ' every week brings 'fresh arrivals to the new settlement, and ;by the end of the current mouth quite a large con-, tingent of leaseholders is-expected. A Press Assqciation telegram from Whangarei states that Archibald Ingram, while pig hunting at Rnarangi, had his thigh gored' by a wild boar. He was taken to the>'Wha-i ngarei Hospital. The wound is serj.ous, I bat the patient is expected to recover. v - '/"'.- j A number,; of Onehunga residents, also Auckland football enthusiasts and members of the Auckland r«siresentative tootbad team, assembled on the Onehunga Wharf \ last evening, and gave the Otago Rugby football representatives a hearty send An old identity named Mrs. Matilda Dugleby, has died at the age of 84, at her late residence, V James-street, ArchhiU. Having j bred there for 40 years, Mrs. ? Duglebv had I gained the esteem of a large circle of friends. i She arrived here in 1850 in the ship William "Watson. • " > : ,: '- ; . ".' ■ ■...' '.' "'.'■■ '■ ' .'. ••''■'■ : '- -< ;,: '''..'■■•-" , A man. named Chas. Kitchens \ was arrested, at Kihikihi yesterday, by Constable Fitzgerald, on a warrant charging him with theft of a mackintosh and three billiard balls, the property of Chas. Edward Smith. These articles' are alleged to have been stolen at Auckland on May 10 last,. since when i the warrant for Hitchens' apprehension has been out. The accused ha.;? been remanded to appear here on Monday next. Our Kawhia correspondent telegraphs that a fire occurred in the Moana. boardinghouiie, Kawhia, on Saturday,, No police are, in Kawhia just now, but an inquiry will be held on the return of Constable McCarthy. Th« damage is very slight. The Melauesian Mission earner Southern Cross leave j for a cruise to the Islands tomorrow. ; A valedictory will be held j in- St. Mary's Cathedral, Parnell a > at' ten ! a,m. to-morrow. Mr. Justice Simpson,,of New South Wales, has frequently commented upon the number of divorce cases submitted ■ to him for _ settlement. At a recent sitting he again referred to the subject, remarking that he was afraid the number of cases was not by any means diminishing, for he understood there were as many this .term a3 were dealt with at last sittings. ' Perhaps; some day, he added, there would be a diminution. "Well, Yom Honor," remarked Mr. Fraser, " we are only continuing a system which has been in vogue ever since the days of Moses." ""Sts," said i: His Honor, "but the- present divorce law was not in existenc*) then." "That is so," agreed Mr. Fraser, "only the husband : could get a divorce in those' days, but he got it in a much moye summary' and expeditious manner than is possible j nowadays."- His Honor smiled- |