LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 12698, 29 October 1904, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

At yesterday's sitting of the Hospital Commission, the witnesses examined were Mr. 1&: J. Garland (chairman of the Board), Mr. A. Bruce (an ex-chairman of the Board), Drs. McDowell, .Scott, and A. C. Purchas. To-day the evidence of Dr. Williams will be taken at his residence at Mount Albert, and on Monday the usual sittings will bo resumed. Yesterday's proceedings are - fully reported elsewhere.

The budget of athletic notes usually Wished on page 7 of the Saturday's Herald, will to-day be found on page 5 of the Supplement. The notes embrace comments .'on. the opening of the cricket season, and items of interest on cycling, athletics, bowling, lawn tennis, motoring, aquatics, and other sports and pastimes.

The Herald Summary, for transmission by the next outward iSan Francisco mail, will be published next Wednesday 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 Friday next, at 12 noon, up to which hour papers for mailing may be obtained of runners at the post office. This mail will be due in London on December 3. . „;

' By the s.s. Wakanui yesterday the marble statue of Sir George Grey arrived in Auckland. As soon as discharged from the vessel it will be taken to the site at the corner of Upper Queen-street and! Grey-street, where the base and pedestal for the same are now in a very forward state. The statue is the work of Mr. F. J. Williamson, of Esher, London, the sculptor of the statue of Queen Victoria in the Albert Park. It has cost 1200 guineas, and the committee have in hand a further amount, which, it is anticipated, will be sufficient to meet the cost of its complete erection, thus bringing the labour of six years on the part of the committee to .an end. The statue will be in position in readiness for the unveiling ceremony, to be performed by His Excellency the Governoi, Lord Plunket, in December next.

Mr. Justice Edwards is expected to arrive in Auckland on November 8. He has advised the officials of the Auckland Supreme Court that he will dispose of all banco business before the opening of the circuit sitting, on November 21. •

At yesterday's meeting of the Auckland Crown Lands Board the Commissioner (Mr. Jas. Mackenzie), after reading a memo, from the Crown Solicitor (the Hon. J. A. Tok), detailing the recent Court proceedings against C. S. H. MclCinney, who was fined £150 for dummyiem in connection with the ballot for the To-katoka Estate, informed' the members of the Board that the question of taking proceedings against the aiders and abettors in the same matter was under consideration. , r

Yesterday forenoon, at a meeting of the Auckland Crown Lands Board;, the Commissioner (Mr. J. Mackenzie) informed the members that he had received a report to the effect that a firm of Auckland sawmillers had recently cut several thousands of feet of kauri timber on Crown lands, over which the firm held no timber rights. The practice had been going on for some time, and the offending merchants had been let off on payment of the value of the timber cut. : He was, however, determined that a stop should be put to the practice, which was nothing short of stealing, and to that end intended in future to proceed against offenders under the penal clauses of th« Act.

A communion table in commemoration of the late Mr. Wm. Anderson was unveiled: in St. David's Church, Khyber Pass,; last evening, before a large congregation. At the request of the session, the ceremony was performed by Mr. J. Paterson, who bad for so many years been associated with the deceased as an elder in the church. Mr. Paterson said the communion table wo'iild be a lasting tribute to the work of a working elder-, counsellor, and friend. The table, which was of oak, and which had been placed upon the dais (its permanent position), was then unveiled. The Rev. Gray Dixon said that the table was a most appropriate memorial*to the late Mr. Anderson, who had worked so long audi so zealously for the advancement of the church and the community at large. Upon the table was the following inscription: —" In memoriam. William Anderson, session clerk of this church, who entered into rest while at prayer in the vestry on Sabbath, June 12, 1904." Then followed the text, " And Enoch walked with God, and was not, for God took him."

An extraordinary general meeting of shareholders in the South British Insurance Company was held at the company's office yesterday (Mr. J. Batger presiding), for the purpose of confirming the three special resolutions carried at an extraordinary meeting held on October 13 last. There was a good attendance. The general manager (Mr. J.: H. Barker) read the resolutions in question, which provide for the issue of 35,372 unissued shares to shareholders at the rate of one for every two held on October 12 last, and for certain alterations in the articles of association. In moving that the resolutions be confirmed, the chairman said that .circulars would be . issued to every shareholder, with, instructions as to- how to carry out the provisions of the resolutions. The motion for confirmation was seconded by Mr. Tho*-. Peacock, and carried unanimously.

The annual summer cruise to the Sounds on the West Coast of New Zealand,, inaugurated some years since by the Union Steamship Company, will be made as usual in January, 1905. , 'the company's splendid steamer Waikare, which has made such a great name for herself in previous years, haa again been chosen to make the excursion. The Waikare will leave Sydney about January 7, coming across to Wellington, and after calling at Lyttelton proceeds on to Dunedin, arriving there about January 14. A stay of three days will be made at the Otagon port, which will enable visitors to have a good look at the city of Dunedin and the surrounding interesting country. Leaving Dunedin on January 17, the steamer goes to the Sounds, where twelve days will be spent. The steamer calls at the Bluff on the return trip, and reaches Dunedin on Janizary 31, where she remains until February 2, proceeding thence to Sydney, via Lyttelton and Wellington. By this means passengers from Australia will be enabled to make the round trip without transhipment, and will be landed in Sydney in a little over four weeks from the time of their departure from that port.

Mr. Justice Edwards has granted probate in the estate of the Hate John Keyte (Mr. Jacteon), Edwin Stanley Brookes (Mr. Dittos), and Margaret Chapman. Letters of administration have also been granted in, the estates of Henry Peck and Herbert Brook Blincoe.

Ga Wednesday last Mr. Hull, Government inspector under the Noxious Weeds Act, paid a visit of inspection to the Mount Wellington road district. The inspector was accompanied on his tour by Mr. A. S. Thompson (chairman- of the Road Board). The inspection showed that the district was much freer from noxious weeds than, on the occasion of the previous visit of the inspector, and that, generally speaking, the residents had made an honest effort to eradicate noxious weeds from their properties.

A horse driven in an express cart by Alexander Alwingcr fell when coming down College Hill yesterday. Efforts made 'to get it to rise proving useless, an. examination was ma^r%icli' revealed the tact that the poor animal's spine was- so seriously injured, if not broken, that it could not get- up. It was then decided to kill it on the spot. This was not done until two hours afterwards, during which the. horse was manifestly in great agony. It was despatched with the aid of an axe. '

"At a meeting of the Waihi Borough Council, held two weeks ago, a difference of opinion existed as to who should be asked to "turn on the tap" when the water supply was ready. Messrs. Donaldson and Foster strongly advocated the Premier being asked, arid Mr. Campbell contended that the proper person to be invited _ to perform the ceremony was Mr. Hemes, M.H.R. for the district. In this lie was strongly supported by Mr. Kate. Eventually a compromise was made, and it was decided to ask both the Premier and Mr. Hemes to be present. At the meeting on Thursday night Mr. Foster asked if the Premier had replied to the invitation. An answer in the negative having been given, lie proceeded to say that he should think not, in view of the reports which appeared iin the Auckland press. He moved a resolution expressing disapproval of the reports referred to. Mr. Foster proceeded to say that the report in the Herald was no doubt read by the Premier, and it would appear by it as if the people of the borough were " against the Premier being asked. Mr. Donaldson seconded the motion. Mr. - Saunders strongly protested against the motion, which was quite uncalled for. The reasons adduced by Messrs. Foster and Donaldson tor bringing the Premier all the way from Wellington to Waihi to turn on a tap were purely sentimental. The motion was carried. Several of the councillors who at the previous' meeting caused the name of Mr. Hemes to be added were unavoidably absent from Thursday's meeting. Mr. Donaldson is president of the Liberal and Labour League, and Mr. Foster vice-presi-dent. ~■' :■;/'•■ '• '>.■..'-..

The Otago Daily Times, discussing the ; proportions to which the evil of franking telegrams has grown, says: —The general opinion upoh- the matter must certainly be that members of Ministers' families. would consult their, own dignity and exhibit, a fitting regard for the rights of the public, which are in no sense inferior to their own, if they would refrain from exercising a privilege that has been upon no .sufficient warrant conferred upon them, but their employment of the " memo." system for the free transmission of telegraphic messages is only one example of abuses which have grown up freely in connection with the telegraphic service of the colony. It is a matter of notoriety that wires are used by Ministers to an almost enormous extent for the trans-; mission by " memo." of messages to their friends throughout New Zealand upon business that is private or political, and that cannot, by the most generously elastic construction of the expression, be declared to be business of the State, nor is any attempt whatever made to, compress messages., From the first words they contain to the "kind

regards" (that are indiscriminately conveyed by Ministers to recipients of their cemmuni cations, these messages are marked byfrank verbosity in which no one who had to pay for his telegrams would dream of indulging himself. The mischief m aggravated by the fact that these windy despatches take precedence oyer telegrams which are handed hi and paid for by ordinary members of. the general public. It amounts, indeed, to an intolerable abuse of the memo, system,.and there is no one who- is more fully conscious of the fact than Sir Joseph Ward."

A meeting, convened by the Catholic Young Men's Club, a majority of whom are " old boys" of the Marist Brothers' School, wad held at Wellington on Tuesday night, to consider the question of establishing a memorial to-;. the flate Rev. Brother Mark, who was for about 18 years headmaster of the school in Wellington. The suggest his put forward were that a memorial window should be placed in the Church of St. Mary of the Angels, Boulcott-street, and a tablet in the school, and that a scholarship or annual prize for the boys of the school should be founded. After discussion it was resolved that as Brother Mark was an ardent friend of education the scholarship scheme should have precedence, and a committee was appointed to-make inquiries amongst "old boys," of the school and other friends of Brother Mark, not only in Wellington, but throughout the colony, to ascertain what support this project is likely to receive, and to report to an adjourned meeting a month hence.

Three years ago a society was formed in Dimedin for the purpose of fostering musical and elocutionary talent among tie young of Dunedin by promoting a series of competitions. The third annual festival opened on Tuesday, with some 750 entries, and: great interest <is being taken in the work of the competitors. There are some 40 competitions altogether in ■■'■ recitation, oratory, reading, singing, pianoforte and violin playing, painting, etc., and the series of competitions will last over eight days. A surprising' degree of success has attended the operations of the society, whose programmes are chiefly based on thost of similar competitions in Australia. As many as 30 or 40 women sometimes participate :in a single competition, and one would think the monotony of hearing the same piece over and over again would drive people away, rather than attract a large audience, but the reverse is the case, and by splitting the large competitions up into sections a variety is secured which makes for success. Tuesday -was chiefly devoted to elocution, the subjects being Tennyson's "The Revenge," and *Lytton's " Claude Melnotte to Pauline" for ' seniors, and Read's " Sheridan's Ride" for juniors. The variety of interpretations given. to the subjects is surprising, and although good work is done in some cases, the great bulk of the performances ; are not particularly meritorious. Some delightful contrasts occur during the competitions, and instances have happened when masculine reciters of great lung power declaimed the Tennysonian ballad with savage . energy, and were followed, : perhaps, :by a demure young lady whose I interpretation of the desperate encounter | was aboiit as mild as a. dispute between field mice.

Speaking at the annual; meeting of the Victorian Health Society, the State Governor, Sir Reginald Talbot, said that perfect health depended upon pure air, pure water, . and _, sanitary habitations. Given'those conditions, one was on vintage ground for meeting any form, of ? black from disease. Two years ago, ill Lgypt, he saw for himself how an epidemic of cholera was met and warded off the British troops. ■■.-■. It was a severe epidemic, ; and some 50,000 of the civil population died. As soon as the outbreak occurred all the troops were confined to camp,: and everyone was supplied with boiled and filtered water, and not allowed to use any other. All vegetables and meat were inspected by a doctor, and washed and cooked in filtered .water, and the result was that only four men contracted the disease and died, and these four, owing to the nature of their duties, were not under the same restrictions aa the rest of the garrison. While those strict legislations were in force, enteric fever, which is usually prevalent, practically disappeared.

There were seven persons in the lockup last night, five of whom were charged with drunkenness, and two with being illegally on premises.