LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13191, 31 May 1906, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

At last- night's meeting of the Trades and Labour Council Mi'. Peek brought up the question of the weight of bread. Ho sa-id that li« had been weighing soit>e of the bread, and had found that the "21b loaves" were short from one ounce to four ounces. It was a big item to the working men, and it meant three or four loaves to himself a week. They should get fair weight. He did not want to blame the employers altogether, for it might be partly the employees' fault. The authorities should be informed of the- matter and stirred up. Mr. Rosser pointed '.out that the customers could see .the bread weighed. In some loaves the bakers were allowed a. percentage of weight. Every 21b loaf was supposed to be stamped, but he had not seen it lately. '■ They could not be too strong ire their condemnation* of this practice. A motion was passed, instructing the secretary to draw the attention of the inspector of weights to the matter. Arrangements are now being made for the beaching of nature study and agriculture in the Auckland educational district, the instructor, Mr. V. Jackson, of Canada, having now arrived. At the meeting of the Education Board yesterday the director of technical education, Mi. George (Jeorgff, suggested that Mr. Jackson should establish his headquarters at, Cambridge for the next three months, and should cuduct classes at that centre and at Hamilton, spending two days a week at each centre. Classes of 20 teacher? would receive instruction at each centre. The schools taught by these teachers would have to be closed while they were receiving instruction. There was no help for it. It was the only way that he could see to initiate the system. Until the teachers were taught'there was not much chance of getting satisfactory work done at the schools. After three or foui months in the -Waikato, Mr Jackson could proceed to other centres. The proposals submitted were agreed to by the Board; and My Jackson will commence work as soon as possible. - I ..The residence of Mr. McShefl'rey, at Wait-05,,, near Te Aroha, was. totally destroyed by fire yesterday. V .. . ' ' V''■'■'..-''.',: ; : { : \ I

i t A six-roomed house, on a farm near the | a, station, the property of Mr. W. Craig, was > [. .totally destroyed by "file 'on Tuesday ctc-i- : e ing (wiPes , our Tuakau -wrei-pondeiu). (- The. house was occupied V- a, m'.'' Mr. Q Craig's employ, and when Un left the plac? to go co the village all was apparently safe*. The fire was first seen by Mr. Dyer, the nearett resident, but- it had so stioug a hold wat it war, . impossible to sa.e the ■house or anything in it. The io«- is partly covered by insurant.'. Among the matters dealt with by the i- Native Land Court- sitting at JNgaruswahia e cm May 9 was an application regarding the t Moerangi Block, of 45,000 acres, situated .S in the Kawhir survey district. .Mrs. e Aubrey and Messrs. H* Kaihau, M.H.il., 11 M. Patene, and Aneru ;..ka.tone sippe^^d g for-the various parties :'n'.-•■■rested, ami a s . block committee was appajfii-f.-l. On May .(. ; 1.6 An*., l Ek.it<v.>e met seine of the native [ ! owners, known us Te Weni, at Kawhia, e and'*it was decidtd to hold a meeting ben tween the parties at Huatly before putting the matter in the bands of the block committee. The meeting took place on May 22. when the Hon. Mabut* was appointed trustee, with certain limitations as to his powers, though one or two suggested that a he should be made sole owner. The 'meet--1 ing terminated without arriving at a final e decision, but it is understood that the posi- <■' ..lion will be explained to the Native MiiMfe ter (the Hon. J. Carroll) during his visit '■- to Auckland. g Subscriptions ate being received in Gis- , borne (writes our "correspondent) for a monument to the Rev. Mr. Hounsell, Wesleyan minister, who died suddenly there re- ' ce«tly. Another monument to be erected s by public subscription is thai io the jsie- " mory of the Rev. Father Mulvihill. jj Yesterday was a day memorable iii the e history of the United States ol America, it being the anniversary of the close of the Civil war between North and South. In '_ every city in the State? the people would decorate the graves of the soldiers who fell iii the war, " and '.he Blue and the Gray 1 ' would come together, and sink all differs - - ences. lit memory of the event, although 60 far away horn home," the United Slates warship Baltimore, in the port of Auckland, gave the usual salute of 21 guns e at noon, raid the office of the United States •" Consul-Genera, w;s closed ' yesterday in : " honour of the event f . The question of providing another school ~ for the growing requirements of Waihi came j under tho toiisjdf.r«,t-sou of the Auckland \ lulucuUao Boai-.l ag.niiv'; yesterday's meeting. A lettei if'ji" read frow the Departs j mem. no 'ying that a. grant of £1100 Lad "J been raa*;- for a building, to ;! ecu a module 350 children. PUrs o? the usual type of ■ building were submitted b\ the Board's * architect. Mr. J. . Mitchell, who said that "■ the isum placed at their disposal was not 1 sufficient ior the erection of the building he t proposed. In view of the probable further i advancement of Waihi, lie did not consider e it prudent to reduce the size of the building. , The Board decided to refer the architect's y communication, together with the plans, to I the Department for consideration, with a ] view to obtain! « full scale allowance. ■ ' A little excitement wa<? caused at Onehunga yesterday by a bullock that broke away from a mob landed from the Rarawa, from New Plymouth. When the mob reach- , ed Arthur-street the bullock broke away and rushed into Mr. Higgins', blacksmith's shop, from which the occupants promptly . made their escape. ' After ieariug the shop f the bullock went across Queen-street and f pa£eed i through the backyard of the Hiber- , H.iaii Hotel, making- its way out into the 1 paddock beyond. After a little trouble the men in charge got it safely back into the .' mob. ''. _'"'-. > '" ■- '' : '-': l* On Tuesday the Anglican Bishop of Auck- ; land (Dr. Neligan), accompanied by the I Rev. C. ]<]. Fox.(Melanesia)! Mission), the fc Rev. H. Hawkins (Maori Mission), and the 1 Rev. :J. Cowie (vicar), paid a visit to St. : . Aidairs Church, Karaugahake. A coulir--5 mation service was held at half-past sis . p.m., at which 14 candidates were presented, j The Bishop delivered an impressive , discourse.- A missionary meeting was held ' j in Montgomery's Hall afterwards, Mr. P. ; , R. Daw presiding. Addresses were des livered in support of. the various missions J of the diocese by the Bishop and the Revs. Fox and Hawkins. i* ■ ■ '."■■..'." I The lectures on "First Aid to the In- . jui-ed" to the male central class of the . Auckland Centre of St. John Ainbulance [ Association will be given by Dr. Roland , Aickin.. He will deliver the first on Friday, June 8 t at eight p.m., at the office of [ the centre, Mercantile Chambers. Classes for ladies, to be held at the office ,of the ' centr-* and at the Institute, Ponsonby,, ' are now being formed, and the secretary will be glad to receive the names of any 1 ladies who wish to attend them. ; The Wellington City Council has given , an; order to Messrs. S. Danks and Son 2 of Wellington, for the delivery, as early as possible, of 100 of the patent automatic nonfouling swivelling trolley heads, invented by Messrs. Holmes and Allen, who have dispoffcC of the city rights in the invention to the corporation.. Hie Mines Department has accepted the ' tender of a West Coast firm for the erection 1 of the plant which it has obtained from ' England for the conversion -of Seddonville ; coal into briquettes. The plant- is to be installed by a representative of the firm in Leeds which made it. The manufacture of briquettes will be started in six months' time. . Speaking at Dunedin. recently, the Hon. C. H. Mills said the value of imports to the Cook Islands from New Zealand last year was £39,000, and the exports to New Zealand £34,000. The late hurricane had materially affected the exports. Mr. Mills went on to say that otherwise the islands were progressing, and! he had had a number of applications from Europeans, not only in New Zealand', but in Australia and the Old Country, anxious to settle in.the islands. The difficulty was that up till lately only a limited area was open for settlement, but surveys had been going on quietly during the last few years, and now titles were being issued to native land owners, and be Loped within a year or two to be able to give any information to those who wished to secure a block-of land for plantations. The Government also proposed to set up an experimental farm or nursery, from which to supply the best class of orange and banana trees, etc., to the fruitgrowers. It is stated that certain hotelkeepers in Christ-church have refused admission to visitors on strictly legitimate business after hours. They have taken this course under section 42 of the Licensing Act Amendment Act of 1904.. Quite recently a Minister of the Crown, who was staying at one of the principal hotels, had to go upon the pavement to interview his secretary, who was residing elsewhere, and had arrived at the hotel to.take instructions regarding a number of telegrams received shortly after eleven, o'clock at night. One of the Governor's secretaries is said to have had a similar experience A resolution was passed at last night's meeting of the Trades and Labour Council to the effect that a letter ;be sent to tlie Auckland Electric Tramways Company, asking 'it .to support local industries, and have uniforms for motormen "and. conductors , made in the colony. _ ;; ; "1 :