LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13325, 3 November 1906, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

To-day Sir John Logan Campbell will celebrate his 90th birthday, ami despite his four score years and ten, the venerable and respected Father of Auckland is still in the enjoyment of good health, and able to devote ; .several hours a day to business, the only disadvantage under which lie labours being that of failing eyesight. No doubt many of those who love to do honour to Sir John will wait upon him: during the day with their congratulations, and to express the wish so widely felt that he will be spared for many years to come. For the past 20 to 25 years it has been the. custom of the Auckland Racing Club to offer the booths at their meetings for sale by public auction or tender. The publicans who buy these privileges take upon themselves the responsibility of getting the necessary permission of the Licensing Committee to sell, and a specud provision is made under the Licensing Act, whereby in such a ease it is competent for a chairman of a licensing committee to issue the necessary permission, provided two of the committee approve of the same. In accordance with the usual practice, the publicans who secured the privileges tor the Auckland Racing Club's Spring Meeting, which commences to-day, applied to each member of the Fame!! Licensing Committee for the necessary approval, bat it appears that they were unable to get this, as each member declined to give it unless some other member did .so. A meeting of the committee was called for Saturday morning to discuss the matter, but no one attended, and another meeting was willed for yesterday morning, at which there j was a full attendance. The committee, it i- understood, then signified tint they we're not prepared to grant the licenses, and gave as their reason that the Auckland Racing Club had no right to offer privileges for the sale of liquor without first conferring with the committee. It was pointed out by counsel in attendance, that this had nothing whatever to do with their clients, and that the Auckland Racing Club had no status in the matter, and that if, as it was contended, the Auckland Racing Club had slighted the committee, this should not prejudice their clients' applications. The committee, however, decided that they would not grant the application tor the- first day, for the reasons stated An adjournment, until two o'clock, was then applied for, in order to secure the attendance of the president and secretary of the club. These gentlemen at-t-ended at two o'clock, and after some discussion it whs decided to grant the licenses. The press were not admitted to either meeting. t The attendances at the Government Tourist Office in Auckland continue to increase as the season advances. Last month there were 102 callers, making an average of nearly 13 per day. The greatest number of callers on any one day was 51, on October 22, a Monday, which is generally the busiest day, because of the arrival of the Australian and Southern boats. Lost month's attendant,' showed an increase over that of .September of 98. Vo: the three months from August to October 1004 people called at the Tourist Office for information,

Good progress is being 'wade with the North Auckland line, and according to information received, in Auckland the extension from Kaipara Flats to Hoteo, a distance of about four miles, should be opened for traffic at about Christmas time. The rails for this section are now being iii.d, while the ballasting work is also well in hand. Another section of seven miles is also under construction, and about half of it is almost ready for laying the rails. This section when completed will take the line to Wellsford, a distance of ' 72 miles from Auckland. In connection with the East Coast line it is interesting to note that the tunnel at Te Karaka, near Gixborne, is now through, and that the line, with the exception of bridging, has now been formed I'm a. distance of about five miles from the present terminus. Timber is being cut for the bridges and the work of constructing them will he commenced shortly. 'Hie Public Works Department will commence surveying the route from Jlamaku to 1 e Puke next week. Work-in connection with the Main Trunk line is also proceeding satisfactorily. The collections at all the ("'lunch of England services to-morrow are to he devoted to the country clergy fund. As these collections are the main source of income from which the grants to the country clergy fund arc paid, and as these grants, small as they are, have had to be reduced for the present year, owing to deficiency in the collections last year, it is hoped that the response tomorrow will he such as to enable the giants to be increased. The Post Office authorities notify that the reduction of postage to the United States from 2sd to Id per half-ounce, also applies to the Hawaiian Islands, Porto Pico, Alaska, and Pago Pago, but not to the Philippines or to Cuba. There will be no outward mail from Auckland by way of San Francisco on the 9th inst., hut the usual mail will be despatched on the 30th inst. Meanwhile correspondence tor the United Kingdom will be despatched from here on Monday next, by tlw s.s. Zealandia. via Suez, and on Wednesday next, by the s.s. Rotoiti from Onehunga, to connect with the s.s. Moeraki, from Wellington on Friday. Both these mails should reach Loudon about December 15. The fork of a bicycle, ridden by Wm Higgins broke while be was riding in Albert-street early yesterday morning. Higgins was thrown over the handle-bar on to the road. He was unconscious whet picked up, his face was badly disfigured. and there was a nasty cut over one of the eyes. He was attended to by Dr. Hardie Neil, who after the young man had regained consciousness, had him removed to the hospital. The matter of facilities for trucking sheep is being urged on the Minister for Railways by Mr. W. (_'. Buchanan, of Wairarapa, and a copy of a letter he wrote to the Minister has been forwarded to the Auckland Farmers' Freezing Company. He points out the great difficulties and delays occasioned by the necessity for shunting each truck into position to receive its load, and also refers to the injury caused to the carcases. As a remedy Mr. Buchanan suggests that sheep trucks should be made to open at- the ends, so that sheep driven in could pass right along and fill a line of trucks, which system has been in successful operation in Australia'and South Africa. The Freezing Company has written cordially endorsing the suggestion.

The proposed tramway service from O'Neills Point 16 Lake Takapuna again came before the Waitemata County Council yesterday. A draft- of the deed of option was presented, and it was'decided to consider this at a special meeting of the Council to be held on the 19th instant. The lesult of the deliberations will be reported to the ordinary meeting on the 28th instant. An accident happened to a Maori named Marsh, who was working in the hold of thg Aupouri at Limestone Island Wharf, on Wednesday last, helping to stack the cargo. Some bags of cement came down suddenly upon him, and also 20 bags loosened from the side stack, the whole lot piling over his body. He was promptly rescued, but his head is rather badly injured, and his body extensively bruised. There seems to be no bones broken. . It is conjectured that he escaped with his life because the first few bags formed a kind of arched protection over him. It is wonderful how he could have escaped more serious injury, as every bag weighs 1871b. The Auckland Garrison Band, under Bandmaster E. G. Williams, will render the following programme on Mount Eden, to-morrow. Sunday, at three p.m., in aid of their contest fund: March, The Elephant" (Ord Hume): selection, "Stephen Adams' Songs" (Ord Hume); waltz, " Auf and Ab" (Meissier); .selection, " Beauties of Wagner*' (E. Newton); intermezzo, "In the Moonlight" (Neil Moreit); march, "Hero" (Ord Hume). A proclamation was issued some time ago, prohibiting hotel licensee., in certain districts from supplying liquor to be taken off the premises by persons of the native race. A further proclamation was gazetted on October 25, bringing under the Act the whole of the Auckland provincial district, including the Franklin, Manuk.ui, Thames, and Ohinemuri licensing districts. Our commercial cablegram from London received last night, gives the discount rate at s|, with Consols at 86. New Zealand's three arid a-half per cents, have moved up half a point, being now 100£, and are still higher than the same stock of the Australian States. The butter market is- reported steady, and prices unchanged. Importers expect improved trade in colonial from next week, as- from then the arrivals are expected to be large and regular.

" Never judge a cow by its backbone, nor a bull by its horns," .says Mr. Gilruth. This is what many farmers do when they go to the saleyards, explained the veterinarian at Parkvale, and the result spells disaster to any dairy herd. Was it reasonable, asked Mr. Gilruth, to suppose that the farmers who placed these animals in the yards were fools'/ It often happened that a man bought the cow or the bull by judgment of the backbone or the horns, as the case might be, and then found out his mistake, too late, after which the animals were again yarded and sold to another farmer, who also sat upon tin- rail and made a superficial inspection. The result was that disease was spread broadcast over the country. When good cows were worth £18 a year in milk alone to their owners, was it reasonable to suppose that the farmer would sell these animals in the hope of getting not more than £5 apiece? * Mr. Ben Bollard, son of Mr. Bollard. M.H.K., severed his connection with the local" post office, on Wednesday, to join Mr. Wood in the firm of Bollard and/ Wood. Mr. Bollard was yesterday presented by his colleagues witu a Handsome marble clock, suitably inscribed. The chief postmaster, Mr. Gumming, in making the presentation expressed the regret of fill members of the staff in having to part with so genial and efficient an officer after ' a connection extending over 18 years, and wished him success in his new venture. - '' '■] SfeWt-V*. , -'.O-: , ."' , :V."A.':': V:'- -.'.."' ' ' ' ■