LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13303, 9 October 1906, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS

Inquiries were made yesterday into the cause of the delay in getting a sufficient pressure of water to combat the flames at Hooker's fire/ in Symonde-street, on Saturday night, and these show conclusively that the delay was due, not to the fact that the officials were unable to get the pressure on the mains, but to a delay in the message notifying that increased pressure was required. The attendant in the ;' watch-room at the Central Fire Brigade Station, on receiving the alarm, immediately endeavoured to transmit it to the valvehouse in Khyber Pass, in order that the extra pressure could bo put on, but owing to the electric shutter at the valve-house failing to drop he was unable to give the alarm in the ordinary way. The. message was eventually transferred by telephone to the water engineer's house, and the pros- , sure was at once put on. With a view to preventing j, similar mishap in future the Mayor has given instructions to have a direct bell signal established between the Central Fire Brigade Station and the valve-house. This will be tested daily, and should ensure immunity from similar delays in future : .'■ The' mail steamer Sonoma, with the British mails of London date September 22, left San Francisco at two p.m. on Friday last, one day late. The steamer is due at Auckland about October 23. The Taranaki Herald says: —" Decidedly the finest Christmas number yet issued in New Zealand is that just published by the proprietors of the New ZEALAND Heraldand Auckland Weekly News. As a, specimen of the printer's art it is * triumph from the cover to the advertisement pages, while the literary contents are ;[ exceedingly well selected. It is essentially ,; a colonial number, the illustrations depicting scenes throughout the colony from the extreme north of Auckland to Stewart's Island, and including industrial and pastoral subjects, as well as dealing with native life. • , \ , - • . The final scene in the prosecution of the two picture dealers for selling pictures of "Psyche's Bath" and "Psyche at Nature's ,'.'.'' Mirror," was enacted at the Police Court /. yesterday morning, when Mr. C. C. Kettle, y S.M»? delivered his reserved judgment. Mr. Kettle delivered a lengthy judgment, in \ which he introduced the opinions of both English and 'American judges on the subject, and concluded by dismissing the informations. He remarked that he did not. / hold that photographs of these pictures as postcards ought to be "indiscriminately' exhibited and•sold to boys and girls, and made some general remarks on the question, which are reported elsewhere. It was noticeable that some time after 'the judgment a number of picture dealers and * others displayed pictures of " Psyche" in their win. dows. ' ". . _ " The second steward of the s.s. Waiotahi, Joseph Cough, while cleaning the brass at the top of the companionway of the vessel yesterday afternoon, suddenly lost his balance and fell, to the bottom. ; ; When ex- ; amined Cough was found, to have sustained an injury to his spine. He was removed to his home in Parnell, where lie is now making satisfactory progress. A fire broke out in an untenanted house, situated at the corner of Kingsland Road • and Queen's Road, Mount Albert, on Sunday afternoon. . A neighbour noticed smoke coming from the roof, and procuring assistance proceeded to the house, where they found the. back door open and a fire burning in a cupboard in the kitchen. A few buckets of water sufficed to extinguish the flames. The cupboard on examination, was found to contain : a quantity of paper and rubbish. - The damage done will not exceed £10. ..•.'/-.'■.'■/:;■.:■■' , While some plumbers were carrying out alterations in the British Hotel, Queenstreet, yesterday morning, some scrim blew across a fire which they had there for heating irons and ignited. ~• The _ alarm was given immediately, but by the time the City Brigade arrived the flames had been extinguished. The town clerk (Mr. H. W. Wilson) was advised by the clerk of the Thames Borough ' Council yesterday that the Thames Council had decided to donate £50 towards the Seddon Technical Memorial College. The amount, it was stated, was being forwarded direct to the Education Board as a grant for technical education, as the Council was not empowered, under the Municipal Corporations Act, to donate funds to memorials. / The following is the state of His Majesty's prison, Auckland, for the week ■* ending October 6:— On remand, one male; awaiting trial, four males, one female; ' penal servitude for life, three males; hard labour, 231 males, 27 females; imprisonment, three males; default- of bail, one male; received during the week, 24 males discharged, 28 males; total in prison, 243 males, 28 females. • At the monthly meeting of the Thames and Commando! United Charitable Aid Board, held at the Thames yesterday, the question, of the beach frontage to the home's property was also discussed. On account of the encroachment of the tide it was re- ■'/"'■' solved, to protect the frontage by erecting a breastwork of stone. Mi'. S. James, a Coromandel member of the Board, wrote thanking the Board for the courtesy received, and tendering his resignation. It was resolved to ask the Goromandel County Council to elect another member in his stead. The Huddart/Parker steamer Zeakndia left for Sydney last evening with a number of passengers and a quantity of general cargo. Included in the shipments from , Auckland were three boxes gold, valued at £10,366, shipped by the Waihi Gold Mining . Company, two boxes bullion, valued at £650, shipped by the National Bank of New Zealand, and lines of flax, timber, pumice, kauri gum, etc., for Australian ports. At the invitation of the respective Mayors (Messrs. G. W. Basley and J. Farrell), the members of the Parnell and Grey Lynn Borough Councils will fraternise at the Auckland Orphans' Club next Saturday night, the concluding night of the season. A young man named George Lee was admitted to the hospital yesterday,■■■ suffering from a nasty cut in the knee, sustain. Ed while bush felling in Hawke's Bay. An excellent innovation for promoting the educational side of agricultural shows is reported from Crystal Brook, South Australia. The idea was suggested by Mr. W. R. Lang, or Narridy, who offered a prize to the boy who could place the draught stock most in accord with the opinions of the official judge. A small entrance fee was charged, and 20 bids under 18 yean: of age went into the arena and wrote down their choice in each class before the decision was announced. There were-11 classes, and three ot the boys agreed with the judge in eight of them, and divided the prize. This was a remarkable result, especially in view of the fact that the youths were compelled to remain in a certain spot, and did not have the advantage of the close scrutiny enjoyed by the official judge. Eight of the boys were in harmony with the adjudicator' in seven of the sections. In one it is curious that the whole- 20 of them disagreed 4, with the judge.