LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 12910, 5 July 1905, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

An amusing incident occurred a short time ago in a by-election for the Hnnua Road Board. A number of candidates stood for the vacant seat on the Board, amongst them being a Mr. Stembridge and a Mr. Lockwood. These candidates headed the poll with an equal number of votes. The returning officer accordingly had to find the successful candidate by lot. He put the names of Mr; Stembridge and Mr. Lockwood in a hat, shook them up, then turned the hat on to the table, put his hand under the rim, and drew out a name. The lucky one happened to be Mr. Stembridge. The returning officer was in the act of putting his hat on his head again, when the piece of paper bearing the name of Mr. Lockwood fell out. As this paper had apparently stuck in the lining of tne hat, the returning officer decided that it would only be fair for the performance of drawing lots to be again gone through. This time Mr. Lockwood's name was drawn, and he was announced as the successful candidate. Mr. Stembridge, however, appealed against the returning officers decision, and the case was heard on Monday, at the Magistrate's Court at Papakura, before Mr. North croft, S.M. Mr. Martin appeared for the petitioner, Mr. Stembridge, and Mr. Elliott for Mr. Lockwood. The magistrate upheld the contention of the petitioner that the returning officer had hot been duly appointed, and accordingly quashed the election, and ordered the returning officer to pay the costs of the Court.

The Auckland Weekly; News, issued today, contains some very striking pictures of the recent sensational floods on the West Coast. Greymouth has been the scene of several severe inundations, but the last is described as the record, and the series of views, obtained specially for the News during the height of the flood, vividly depict the scenes of desolation, both in the town and outlying districts. All the principal features of the occurrence are illustrated, from the " raging torrent" in Mawhera Quay, Greymou th's chief business street, to the scene of widespread desolation at Goal Creek, where the water rose to a height of 26ft, and submerged tho surrounding country Other subjects dealt with in the number, which is an exceedingly varied one, include the railway fatality on the Christ-church-Kaiapoi railway, the Now ZealandAuckland football match, Palmerston North Winter Show, the opening of the new Taupiri South coal mine at Huntly, the openinn- of Parliament, and an excellent series of views along tho route of the Paeroa-Waihi railway, together with the usual high-class collection of scenic pictures.

On inquiries being made at the district health office yesterday concerning the outbreak of diphtheria in tho Birkenhead district (reported in yesterday's Herald), Dr. Erengley stated that tho outbreak was confined' to two families— at Birkdale, the other at Chelsea. Although the present is the most, likely time of year for diphtheria, the epidemic always being more prevalent in damp, cold l weather, the health officer does not anticipate anything in the shape of a serious outbreak in or about Auckland.

An exciting incident Is reported from Pulcekohe. It appears that an old man named Richardson Clifford made an attempt to cross the railway line at the station, taking no notice of the warning cries of those on the platform. Just as he reached the centre of the rails, the ten minutes to one p.m. train from Auckland wa« drawing into the station, some 30ft from him. Clifford, who had'his back to the engine, stood for some moments in a state of indecision, when Porter E. McGinn, sesing his danger, jumped' off the platform, and clutching the old man fell with him clear of the track, save for their legs, which lay across the line. As tho engine was all but upon the recumbent men, McGinn rolled with Clifford clear of the line, both escaping injury. Only the engine and two carriages passed over the spot where the two mea had lain, the •Brake having been promptly applied by the driver.

At the ordinary meeting of the Mount Albert Road Board, oil Monday night, the chairman (Mr. J. H. Harrison) informed the members that he had made a number of inquiries as to the best method' of improving the sanitary condition of the district. There were 493 houses within the Road Board boundaries, including Rocky Nook, Gleiunore, Kingsland, and the neighbourhood of the ' Board's office, in addition to the houses having a larger area of land around them than the usual property. It would cost £180 to purchase pans for a nightsoil system, and £60 for patent lids, while the total cost of collecting and carting, etc., would be4-Jd per week for each service. lie had gone into the question of the septic tank system with an expert, and had found that the cost of installing a septic tank in the Archliill gully for 500 houses would be £350. If the Eden Terrace and Arehhill Boards joined with Mount Albert in building' a septic tank for their drainage the cost, would bo proportionately less, •as 1500 Amuses would be served. Mr. Harrison concluded by asking the members to authorise him to meet the chairmen of the Archhill and Eden Terrace Boards lor the purpose of discussing the situation. After some little discussion this course was agreed to.

A meeting of the Campbell Statue Fund Committee was held at the Council Chambers yesterday afternoon, the Hon. E. Mitchelson presiding. The letter from the sculptor (Mr. Peg-ram) stating that the statue was ready for the founder, as already published m the Herald, was read. The chairman reported that a number of shipping companies had offered to freight tho status to Auckland free, and it was decided to ask the Minister for Customs to remit the duty' (about £267) upon the work. <-

The following are the cases of infectious diseases reported to the district health officer (Dr. Frengley) during the month of June:—Enteric fever: City 'nil, Newmarket 1, Grey Lynn 1, Waikato County 3: total, 5 cases. .Scarlet fever: City 3 cases, Grey Lynn 2, Mount Eden 2, Newmarket .1, Archhill 2, Onehunga 6, Bay of Islands County 5, Whangarei County 3, Hamilton 3, Waihi 1: total, 28 cases. Diphtheria: City 2 cases, Newmarket 2, Remuera 3, Parnell 2, Birkenhead 4, Manukau County 1, Waihi 1: total, 15 cases. Tuberculosis, 8 cases; blood poisoning, 2 cases.

Our Gisborne correspondent states that in a case at tho Magistrate's Court yesterday, wherein a young; man named Prank Oit was charged with hawking cloth without a license, Sergeant MoKenzie said it was very desirable to stop that sort of thing. It was getting common for men to go hawking goods about the country without a license. Some did it to save themselves from the charge of vagrancy. In the present case nothing was known against 'defendant, he being a recent arrival from Auckland. The man was fined 10s and costs.

Mr. John Bramley, a very old resident, of Paeroa), died early yesterday morning (writes our correspondent). He had been laid up for three months past, and had been gradually failing, so the end was nob altogether unexpected. lie was 70 yeare of age, and was bom in Yorkshire, England. Deceased had resided in the Paeroa district ever since the opening of the goldfield, and was well-known and respected. He leaves a widow and five grown-up children.

A very old identity, in the person of Mr. James Cole, died yesterday (writes our Coromandel correspondent). He had attained his 80th birthday, and had been in New Zealand for upwards ot 50 years. He resided at Cabbage Ray for many years, where ho carried on business as a boat-builder. He was well-known throughout the Coromandel County, and was very generally respected. He enjoyed good health until quite recently, and followed his calling almost to the last. He had only been ailing a few days. He was a single man, and had no relatives here, but he has relatives in England and America.

The funeral of Mrs. TV. Speakman, of Pukaki, Mangere, took place on Monday afternoon, and was very largely attended. Mr. and Mrs. Speakman have resided in Mangere for the past 50 years. Mr. Speakman was formerly col sergeant in H.M.'s 65th regiment, and married Miss Balmer, eldest daughter of the late Mr. John Balmer, one of Auckland's earliest settlers. Mrs. Speakman leaves a husband a.nd family of three sons and five daughters, all grown up.

The 15th annual show of, the Newton Pigeon and Canary Club will be held in the Foresters' Hall, Karangahape Road, on Friday and Saturday next. His Worship the Mayor (Mr. A. M. Myers) will open the show at two p.m. on Friday..

•One of the letters lost from the Paeroa. * Waihi coach recently (addressed to thfl "I manager of the Waihi branch of the Bank 0 f Ne,w Zealand) was found on Monday morn, : in;, and handed to Mr. Kenrick. Non 0 { the missing money, amounting to about , £200, including cheques, has, however, been recovered.

Our Matamafca correspondent writes: —In and wound this district there is a considerable and growing demand for land, several extensive properties, notably the Landsdowne Estate, having recently changed hands at most satisfactory prices, the pur. chasers in many oases being Southerners;

On the application of the creditors Charles Edward Moses Lloyd, bush contractor, of Whatigarei, has been adjudicated bankrupt. The'pfficial assignee has arranged to hold the first, meeting of creditors in the Whangarei Coupons® on Thursday, Juli 13. I 3

Mr. Henry Hint, an old and well-known resident of the Mount Eden district, died' at his residence, Surnley Terrace, Mount Roskill Road, yesttrday, at the age 0 79 years. Deceased, Vho arrived in Auckland by the sailing Vessel William Watson early in 1859, served, with the militia during the Maori war, arid subsequently settled in Mount Roskill Roal He took a prominent part in local afliirs in the district, being for many yea* chairman of the Mount Eden Road Boar*, ; ,nd was an active worker in the cause of temperance. The funeral takes place to-morrow afternoon when the remains will lo interred m the Waikaraka cemetery, On'jjninga.

A novelty is gas-lightijg is being «. hibited at tho Auckland ..Gas Company's showrooms in the form of abneumatic lighting apparatus. All one has to do°'to illuminate or darken a roori| ig to press * button, and the thing is don*. . The jj ecj . is exactly the same as an <Wctric switch, and just, as rapid in action. \ What corresponds to the switch in electee light is a small air pump, which forces air along an extremely small copper tubing,'and moves a little brass piston, which adrnils or cuts off the gas, as the case may' be, igpition beinc made by a pilot light. The nipper tubind is no thicker than insulated electric wires' and need be no more conspicuous. There is, of course, no danger of fuskvj.

Drs. Pabst and Craig having kindly consented to give the lectures on " first-aid to the Injured," and Mrs. Moore-Jonas' and the committee of the Otiehunga, I'tesbyterian Church having been so good as to place their schoolrooms at the disposal 'of the St. John Ambulance' Association, Dr. ?abst wil} give the first lecture at Onehunga on Monday nest, and Dr. Craig will gives the lint lecture at Remuera next Wednesday evenins. ' -i

Mr. Percy H. Basley, patent agent, of Bradford Buildings, Queen-street, informs us that the following inventions for the Auckland district Lave been accepted and gazetted: With complete specification: A.; 0. and W. J. Grundy, Onehunga, clinch for fixing handles to buckets; A. G. French Newton, improvement in obtaining ammonium chloride from coal; W. Langdon, Howick, a rowlock. With provisional specification: J. C. Legg, Grey Lynn, composition for manufacture of bread; A. T. W. Allan, Thames, an iron fencing-tad--ard; W. J. Robertson, Paeroa, improve-' ments in swings; E. T. C. Firth, Mount Eden, automatic brick-moulding press;' A. H. Farmer, Bevonport, improvements in steam valves; P. Laaigao, method of'recovering timber from swamps; R. C. Whits and A. Burl., jun., service valve, ,f

The death is announced of Mr*. Sarah;• Ann Carter, widojv of the late Mr. .E. Carter, sen., of Mangapai, who died on Tuesday, at the residence of her daughter, Mrs. Miller, at the age of 83 years (writes our Whangarei correspondent). 1 The deceased lady was one of the oldest of th«l Mangapai settlers, coming into the dis-> trict in the sixties, with her late husband; and large family of sons and daughters, many of whom are still resident in that .. district. She was known in the early days for tier many good qualities.' She had not been very strong during the past few years.

At last night's meeting of the Devonport Borough Council the question of forming new footpaths was brought up by Mr, W. U. Timewell, who urged, that in future all persons requesting the Council to form new footpaths be asked to pay half the cost of the formation.

In a letter to a New Plymouth firm a Boston produce merchant says he does not t the United States will be a competitor this year in English markets in butter,, and very little in the way of cheese. He says the increase in the production of margarine is very large, and: may be an. important factor in the regulation of prices. Since January 1 the production in the Cliicago district has ranged from 60,000 to 75,000 tubs of 601b each month, whereas for the corresponding period' of last vear there was little or none made.

_ optional system of marking municipal ballot-papers with a cross, instead of scoring out the names of those for whom the voter does not desire to vote, met with' some adverse comment at the meeting of the Municipal Association Committee at' Wellington yesterday morning. One committeeman expressed an opinion that th« old system of scoring out was by far the best, the most easily grasped, and gave th« Most obvious results. The " cross system," it was pointed out, was a reversion to th« stylo practised in days of open voting. The committee, however, thought it advisable to keep the two systems in force with optional provision as at present.

Our Gisborne correspondent states that the Cook County Council have prepared a list of works throughout the district, which they intend to forward to the Government,asking that grafts be made this year. The total amount of votes asked for is £26,450. The largest votes asked are for works on different parts of the East Coast Main Road.

A private letter from a recent resident of Oamaru gives (says the Mail) some idea of Australia's prospects. An extract reads as follows: —" This country is on the eve of a vciy prosperous wave, and they have never in the history of the place had such;; pasture and crop prospects. A large stock; speculator has informed me that they would be boiling down sheep inside of two years, and, as for the frozen meat trade, they will be unable to find carrying capacity to tak» Home what can be produced here. Forward stores trucked to the mallee country are returned a.i fats within a few weeks. This sounds like a fairy tale, but I have it on the authority of more than one of the influential and reliable squatters that the grass is 4ft high, and they are unable to feed it down."

The Timaru Herald remarks on the pious prayers in the Governor's Speech for the success of the rifle team which has gone to Bisley :— wonder, by the way," adds the Herald, "why nothing is said in the Speech about the football team, which is to leave ' this fair land' shortly for the Rugby grounds of the ' dear Old Motherland.' This exaltation of riflemen and the omission of all reference to the footballers is an unmistakable reflection on the colony's national game."

There were in the lockup last night) three persons charged with drunkenness