LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13097, 9 February 1906, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

The members of the Auckland City Council who faced the journey to and from Nihotupu yesterday spent a most interesting day, although the steady travelling through the wild and picturesque gorges of the Waitakerei ranges, coming after a somewhat tiring day spent on Wednesday on the journey to and from the Waitakerei Falls, left all with tired and wearied limbs. The party visited a large portion of the Nihotupu watershed, afterwards proceedingdown to the impounding dam, or intake weir, at Kihotupu Falls, and then following the long, winding pipe track down the magnificent Nihotupu gorge. In addition to the sight-seeing programme, a meeting of the Streets Committee was held, councillors on that committee being gathered together for the occasion in one of the drags going out in the morning. After practically 12 hours of travelling, the party reached the city again at eight o'clock last evening. A report of the proceedings appears in this issue.

The criminal sessions of the Auckland Supreme Court were continued before His Honor Mr. Justice Edwards yesterday. William Thompson and Percy Smith pleaded not guilty to a charge of breaking and entering the shop of Sir. James Moves, tailor, in Victoria in January last, but were found guilty, and were each sentenced to four years' imprisonment with hard labour. Andrew Blucher, charged with breaking and entering and theft at the Wade, was found guilty, and being a first offender was remanded until Monday for the probation officer's report. While the ease against Patrick Sullivan, charged with breaking and entering and theft, was proceeding, His Honor said that, on the evidence, it was no use going any further, and the jury agreeing, formally returned a verdict of not guilty. Altogether 16 cases out of 27 upon the calendar have been disposed of up to the present. The charge of manslaughter against Captain Southgate. in connection with tlieNKapanui disaster, will probably be heard tdrday. A report of yesterday's proceedings appears in another column. i

In speaking at the annual meeting of the Auckland branch of the New Zealand Institute of Architects, last evening, .Mr. Edward Hartley, the retiring president, said that in the matter of bricks Auckland was a long way behind the other towns of New Zealand. They had proof in the building they were as.«embled (the Victoria Arcade) that good bricks could bo made in Auckland, but how was it, he asked, that they could not get the same quality of material to-day? The bricks of to-day were not as good as they were 23 years ago, when the Victoria Arcade was built; they did not keep their colour as well, and were not as-durable. This was a serious loss, both to them and the public, for it meant that they were constantly being driven back on the monstrous compo. It was lamentable, and a disgrace to Auckland to think that if they wanted a good fating brick they had to wend out of Auckland for it.

The Department of Labour has advised the hon. secretary of the Northern Pharmaceutical Association (Mr. Smith) that the hours of closing for all chemists' shops in the city of Auckland and the borough of Newmarket, as gazetted, shall be one o'clock on, the statutory closing day, ten o'clock on one day of the week, and eight qfelock on the other four working days of the week. The shops may be opened from seven, to nine o'clock in the evening of the day of the half-holiday, but only for the supply of medicines and surgical appliances. In the case of those chemists who close on Saturday afternoon, their shops will be opened till ten o'clock on the Friday night, while those closing on Wednesday will have their long day on Saturday.

The tender of Messrs. W. F. Davis, Limited, Auckland, lias been accepted' by, the official assignee (Mr. E. Gerard) for the equity of the property belonging to thq bankrupt estate of Messrs. Parker, Green, and Company, boot manufacturers and importers, situated in Wakefield-street. For the stock, material, plant, and fittings, the tender of Mr. D. M. Speckling, of Dunedin, has been accepted.

The prolonged dry weather is Laving its effect on the feed, and causing a shrinkage in the milk supply (writes our Drury correspondent). It has, however, enabled the oat crop to be saved in the very best of condition. This is all the more fortunate, as some of the crops were very heavy. The potato crop has been more or less blighted, but it does not seem to have affected the quality of the tubers very much. Up-to-Dates are still the popular variety, but in this variety several growers have noticed that, the purple-flowered kind blight much worse than the white-flowered. Mr. Brooks has a variety of potato which resists the blight altogether, called the " Skerry Blue." Last season he imported about a dozen of these potatoes from Ireland, and from the product of these he has quite a nice lot this year. They are a prolific potato, and should prove a most useful importation.

It has been decided by the Paniell Liberal Federation to tender a smoke concert to Mr. F. Lawry, M.H.K., and 10 members have been appointed a committee to make all arrangements. As the Paniell Post Office is expected to be officially opened some time in March, the smoke concert will be held then, and the Minister representing the Postmaster-General will l>e present. A committee was also appointed to arrange for an address by Mr. Lawry to the youth of Parneil. Several new members huve joined the federation.

At the last meeting of the Thames Count* ■ Council a letter was read from Mr. T V Cheeseman, stating that the trout in'uw Kauaeranga Creek (Thames), which were originally intended for the streams in the Upper Tairua district, were increasing i, number. Some of the trout, however a . ter the water-race which supplies the town of Thames', and perish when the water ig cut oil. It was suggested that some fin* wire-netting should be placed at the en. trance to the race to prevent the Jo*« With a view to having the streams in tb« Taiiua district locked. Mr. J. Pal ton bj suggested that if the is out we !e sent from Kotorua on a Monday. ;» catch the North, era Steamship Company'; Apanui, he would make arrangements to see that the trout wore well looked after en route, while be would receive them and arrange for thei distribution. It was the intention of tit» Auckland Acclimatisation Society to Jiberate 5930 trout, fry in the Tairua streams last season, but the difficulty of picking prevented this being done If Mr. Fattoa's suggestion is adopted, the trout waters will be considerably enlarged.

Ten pupils of the Onehuuga District High School were successful in the ieeent examinations, The following ate the pupils who passed the junior Civil Service examination:—From the secondary department: Arthur Partite, Daniel Y. Moore. William Jones, Jessie Cartwright. and Arthur X. Wen. Parfitt, Mooie. and Jones passed with credit. From the primary department. C. Hastings Senior and Dennis Kirk gained junior district scholarships, and Frank Sutherland and William Made qualilied for free places in the national scholarship, Senior coming second in his division.

Sir Joseph Ward, who was entertained at a banquet at Palmerstou North last Monday evening, in replying to the toast of his health, said:—"'On the whole, this country was one of widely disseminated knowledge— perhaps it was the most out cited democracy in the world, and if after a long career J public man received from those most competent to judge testimony that lie had carried out his duties with a good measure of satisfaction, it would not be egotism if he received it with a feeling of pride.' In productiveness per head New Zealand would compare with any country in the world, and -.it the Postal Congress he would not miss the opportunity of impressing on all the representatives he met what he believed to be the factors that had enabled an independent and sturdy young race to workout its destiny. His French was about of as good an order as most of the French colonists were able to speak, and if necessity arose he would adopt the Mayor's advice and address the Congress in Maori. The colony was in a safe commercial position, because it had not all its eggs in one basket. It had a number of staple products instead of one or two. We should further improve the position by not depending on only one market —London. We should depend also, to some extent, on the Canadian market, the South African, aaid the market of the East; also, in the Old Country, on the west coast ports as well as London.

The ladies of the West End Lawn Tennis Club held a most successful and thoroughly enjoyable '* At Home" or, Tuesday afternoon, lady members of all the clubs being invited'. Onehungai, a new club, was represented by a large number of promising players. The proceedings took the form of progressive tennis matches, the. players being divided into two grades, the first, play, ing as gentlemen, and the second' ladies. The prizes in the first grade were won by Mrs. Cooper (Devonport) and Mrs. Manning (West End), and in the second grade tie winners were Mrs. Paletlborpe (Auckland) and Miss Martin (Eden and Epsom). The prizes were silver shoehorns and buttonhooks and silver pin trays. The weather was all that could be desired, and the afternoon tea was much appreciated.

In the course of an address at a crowded meeting in St. Mary'& Hall, New Plymouth, on January 31, the Anglican Bishop of Auckland (Dr. Ncligan) said lie was glad ' to announce that the plans lie had announced last year for the establishment of Home and Maori. Missions in the outlying portions of the diocese liad % to a large extent been accomplished. There were now five home missionaries in the diocese. The Taranaki Home Mission had now been started, and he desired that the district should, as far as possible, talc« the burden of maintenance off the hands of the Standing Committee, and thus allow him to get more men for service in other parts of the diocese. With reference to the Maori Mission, the Bishop said lie could not give any startling statistics of whole tribes coming into the Church, but he was pleased to tell Uiem that a, remarkable change had gradually come over the natives, especially in Waikato, in their attitude towards Christianity. The opinion of the native pastors was that the fields were " whitening into harvest," and that the influence of the Church was about to be much increased amongst the Maoris of Taranaki and Waikato. A new departure about to be made was to send lad? missionaries to labour in the pas, teaching the women how to cook, tend their babies, and to nurse, thus influencing them for good. The mission, said the Bishop, was badly in want of funds, and the archdeacon of Hawke's Bay had promised to subsidise all money raised for the mission by 33 1-3 per cent. On the following day the Bishop proceeded to Okato to confirm five native converts.

An instance of the advantage of being * member of a friendly society was given at the Kaiapoi (Canterbury) Oddfellows' Lodge meeting the other evening. A member who joined the lodge in October, 1872, died early last year. He paid in contribution* £38 Os sd* of which £52 16s 3d went to the sick and funeral fund. He was unfortunate enough to be an invalid for 24J years, and drew sick pay amounting to £425 12» 6d, also £15 from the distress fund, and at his death £30 was paid to his family, making a total ol £470 12s 6d.

To show the strides electricity is making in New Zealand it may be stated that th« new Heatbcote bridge, near Christchurch, is to be operated by motors, driven by electricity supplied horn the Christchurch tramway power house. This is the first work of its kind in New Zealand, and it » to be carried out by Mr. A. E. Brown, A.1.E.E., electrical engineer of that city, who is the successful tenderer. The motors and materials to be used are manufactured by the Australian General Electric Company.

Tin Premier, speaking at Palmerston North, referred at some length in advocacy of an institution for the training of e&, pens in connection with the daily industry. Generally speaking, he said, we must train our own experts and make our country selldependent.

An eight weeks old infant died sudden!) at Mrs. 0 Pearee's nursing home, i" [Scarborough Terrace, Parnell, yesterday. IB* coroner (Mr. T. Oresham) will hold an mquest this afternoon.

A parade of the Auckland Xavals will be hold this evening, and those desiroUSjK joining the corps are requested to *«*"• Officers will be elected, and the forthcoming camp will be discussed.