LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 12955, 26 August 1905, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Butter of all kinds is at present very scarce in the local market, ami at the auction sales in Auckland yesterday prices ranged from ll£d to Is per lb, and the demand was quite unsatisfied. For some time past the requirements for the local and export trade have been hard to fulfil, and as the new season's supply is later than usual in coining on to the market, the demand could, not be supplied.

Among the special articles in to-day's Supplement arc the following:— "What an Australian sees in Canada," by Dr. W. If. Fitchet't; ''The Army of Crime; .How to Deal Willi If/' by Professor Lombroso, the great Italian expert, whose books on criminology have won him universal fame, and converted to his views the majority of mental specialist.: and criminologists in all 'countries, along with a large number of sociologists and psychologists; "The Citizen and Education (III.)," by Professor Talbot Tubbs, of the Auckland University College; and "A New Zealttnder in Siam," by Dr. Lindsay, of this city, who recently visited that interesting but little-known country. An old man named John Stanley Alartin, who resided alone in a small cottage, near Papakuni, was found dead by Constable Lannigan on. Thursday morning. The deceased had been, in delicate health for .some time, and his removal to the hospital was contemplated. He was an old age pensioner. lie was A widower, and his relatives reside in the South Island. A? Dr. Uewes, of Otnhuhu, will give ,a certificate of death, no inquest will be held. , j There are more unemployed in Auckland just now I linn is usual at this time of the year, but the increase is not so marked as to cause anything' like alarm. The majority of those out of work are apparently men averse to, or unfitted for, country work, as there is still demand for suitable men from employers of labour in the country districts. The slackness in the building trade is making itself fell just at present, and the allied trades, including plumbers, painters, bricklayers, and others, are also suffering in consequence, The differences between the builders and architects concerning the conditions under which work shall be tendered for may accentuate the dillness of the building trade, as if is said that work is being held back pending an understanding.

The following letter from the Premier, in | reply to the request made by the Birkenhead | Sugar Workers' Union, that an Arbitration | Court for each island should be established, was lead at the' meeting of the union last night:—"The Government is aware, of the irritation caused by delay in the hearing of eases before (lit Arbitration, Court. Your proposal to have two Courtsone for each island—ie one that has been under the consideration of the Government for some time, but it has some serious disadvantages. Either that, however, or some other scheme will probably bo adopted this session, in order to facilitate the hearing of disputes and breaches. Of course, in your own case, although the currency of your award has expired, it is still in force till another is made, so that you are not powerless." A request has been forwarded to Mr. Moss, M.H.R., by a number of farmers and settlers oh the banks of the Ohinemuri River, urging him to endeavour to have inserted in the Mining Act Amendment Bill a clause providing for a rate or tax on dividend-paying mines, in. order to give property-owners compensation for loss sustained through damage caused by deposit of tailings and general debris. This year's session of the Auckland Diocesan Synod will be prefaced by mass meetings of men and women on October 12. The latter will be organised as usual by the members of the Mothers' Union. The men's meeting, which will be held in the evening, is already in process of organisation by the various men's clubs associated with parishes. The occasion will be marked by addresses to be delivered by prominent laymen, amongst whom General Babington, commander of the forces, finds a place. Elsewhere notice is given of a .special meeting of the General Committee.

A meeting of the Auckland Institute is announced for Monday evening, when Professor C. W. Egerton, M.A., will delima popular lecture on "Thackeray." We understand that the lecture will be so arranged as to give a good general impression, of the man and his writings. Among the chief points trotted will be. Thackeray's relation to his age, his view of life, his portraiture of character, his ideas on his own art, and the chief features of his style. The lecture will he open to the general public, and should attract a. good audience. Heavy weather lias prevailed during the past week (writes our Hamilton correspondent). There lias, however, been an absence of frost, and vegetation i.«» making line progress. The willows are looking green, and the, peach and plum trees are budding. Turnip paddocks are almost all cleared, a fact which is due largely to the partial failure of the crops, owing to unfavourable weather early in the season. Grain, in consequence, will be sown earlier than is usually tho'case, with possibly better crops. The weather has been favourable for lambing, and a large increase is being realised. A deputation urged the City Council, at its last meeting, to post up in conspicuous places certain placards referring to the injury caused to health by the use of alcohol, and the Council declined to entertain the suggestion. Copies of the placard have now been posted on the hoardings in and around the city. The Loan and Mercantile Agency Company sold yesterday the Clydesdale stallion Captain Wright, the property of Mrs. Hurley, to Mr. James Hand, of Helensville, 'for the sum of £120. At Nelson some days ago George Gilbert, agent for the Retailers' Protection Association, was prosecuted on a charge of circulating a printed letter, warning a debtor of being posted if lie did not pay his creditors, and making a final demand for payment. The charge was that the paper bore no imprint. The defence was that it was purely a commercial paper, and not a paper within the meaning of the Act; that it was not dispersed or distributed in the sense of circulation ; that it I was feasible for anyone to use either a, I typewriter or printer's type for saving time in letter-writing. The magistrate gave judgment yesterday. He held that the defence was irresistible, and the case was dismissed. The paper was held to ho a business communication, partly written and partly printed. The magistrate said he was fully alive to the fact that in tile hands of unscrupulous persons a paper of the- nature of that under review might be used to work harm, but that was a matter not for him, but for Parliament.

Arrangements in connection with . the "muff football match" and massed bands performance at Alexandra Park to-day, in aid of local charities, hare been completed, and, given fine weather, the fete should prove a. great public attraction. As previously stated, Professor Potter's team of Maori boys will perforin liakas and other dunces, and the Auckland bands a.nd the German Band have arranged a splendid musical programme. The competing teams, which will play with a sft 6iu diameter push-ball in the first spell, will also contribute a grand march and cake walk. The list of fancy dresses is as follows:—H.M.s. Phcebo team: Pre-historic man, coster, jockey, temperance lecturer, naval officer, man-o'-warsman, lady, Dr. Dowie, girl, boy clown, navvy, parson, Lady Matabalooloo; Meplmtopheles, old _ veteran, Chinaman, nigger, jacko the monkey, policeman. Auckland representatives: Irishman, Japanese, jockey, parson, policeman, double-faced man, Chinaman, doctor, nigger, Darktown minstrel, Lascar, Maori, Sambo, grasshopper, Turk, rooster, clowns (2), special Scotchman, monkey.

In moving the second reading of a Hill to amend and consolidate the liquor laws Mr. Daglish, the West Australtiau Premier, said there were too many licensed houses, there being one to every 128 adult males. The Bill proposed to establish local option in regard to proposed new licenses, or to renewals where original licenses had been granted subsequently to the coming into operation of the new Act. As to old. licenses it had been decided that Lime compensation should be allowed, licensees being given the right to obtain renewals for 10 years from date, the understanding being that at the expiration any rights existing under the old Act would be compensated for by the amount of trade the holders had been able to do during the 10 years. The new provision did not mean that at the end of 10 years licenses would be. necessarily lost, but merely that at that rate they should come under the control of the people in the locality in which they existed. The measure proposed that a licensing committee should be elected at. the local option polls every three years, that license fees in future should not be fixed, but based on the annual vaiim of the premises, that wine and beer licenses be abolished, that licensees need not serve bona-fide travellers on Sunday if they wished to shut up their houses. The inmates of the police cells last evening were two persons charged with drunkenness.