LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13369, 26 December 1906, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS

Tjik freight of the Union Steam Ship Company's steamer Manuka, which left for Sydnev on Monday evening, included four boxes of bullion valued at- £17,575, shipped by the Waihi Gold Mining Co. The steamer also took a number of passengers and a quantity of general cargo.

Mofornian Brown, who met with an accident along Heme Bay last week, and was taken to the hospital in an unconscious condition, has not yet recovered consciousness. An operation was performed on Sunday, but the patient has not improved. He is suffering from a fracture of the skull.

The North Island reliability motor car contest (organised by the Auckland Automobile Association), from Auckland to Wellington. will commence to-morrow morning. With it. view to placing cars on an equal basis in the matter of reaching the destination allotted for each day, the competition lias been, divided into three classes classified as A, 15, and C, different speed averages being set for each class. The entries arevery fair. Besides the contesting cars, several motorists have signified their intention of making the tour. The conditions (which have been set out in our motoring columns) do not call for racing speed, ordinary touring averages only being required of contestants, the main factor being that of reliability. All competitors have been specially warned of the rules of the road, and are required to show all consideration to vehicular traffic, and especially where restive horses are met with. The first of the class A cars will start from the bottom of Queen-street at eight o'clock to-morrow morning, he remainder following at allotted intervals.

Our Pukekohe East correspondent writes: —The hay season is just about over here, and 011 the whole it has been very favourable. Grass has been plentiful this season, and the oat crops, which are now being cut, are very good. Potatoes look exceptionally well. The blight docs not seem to have done much damage, and a good many of the crops are too far advanced for it to do much harm now.

Although the Union Steam Ship Company's collier. Kittawa arrived at Onehunga last Friday, she has. not completed the discharging of her 900 tons of coal. Labour has been available, but the difficulty has been -a shortness of railway rolling stock.

An inquest was held on Monday afternoon on the body of Mr. E. A. Brookes, who was killed at Mount Albert railway station on Saturday night by falling between two railway carriages. The Coroner (Mr. T. Ore sham) presided. The circumstances, as disclosed in evidence, were practically the same as given in Monday's Herald. The jury returned a verdict of accidental death, no blame being attachable to anyone.

A rather extraordinary story was told to the Bench at the Police Court on Monday, by Sub-Inspector Gordon. He stated that a. man. one of a. considerable number from the railway works at I'aurimu, arrived in town to spend the holidays. On Sunday morning, early, a resident of Wynyardstreet heard a. disturbance, and going outside found the man feeling about the kitchen walls, his only attire being a. nightshirt. ■ He was handed over to the police, and, attired in clothes loaned by the occupier of the house, was taken to the lock-up. This act evidently sobered the man a little, for the police were able to ascertain from him that he left his clothes in a vacant allotment, and on a search being made the police found the clothes, which contained £17 5?, together with a number of bottles. The man, who was charged with vagrancy, was convicted and discharged on payment of all costs.

'I he funeral of Horace Crombie, who was accidentally killed at the Hamilton railway station on Saturday, was largely attended. Ihe thiol mourners were the deceased's father and brother, and Messrs. Horsnell and Bowles, stationmasters at Hamilton and Frankton respectively. The pallbearers were Messrs. Mack (traffic department), E. Werner (locomotive department), A. Mooney (maintenance department), and ■J. Pratt (a fellow boarder). The Hamilton Town Band headed the procession, and on the road to the cemetery played the "Dead March" and " Ora Pro Nobis." All the members of the Hamilton Fire Brigade were present, in order to show their appreciation of the services the deceased had rendered in connection with the fire brigade concert, held recently. The sendee was read by the Rev. E. Adams, of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, who, in conclusion, spoke in high terms of the character and good qualities of the deceased.

The Government steamer Hinemoa arrived at the Manukau on Saturday from Auckland and Northern ports, and berthed at Oncliunga .shortly before noon on Monday. She. is finishing' her inspection of lighthouses and buoys in the North, and will probably leave 'for Wellington to-morrow morning. •

A large wash-house at Constable MeGilp's residence at. Birkenhead was destroyed by fire oil Sunday. The efforts of a bucket brigade to prevent the total demolition of the building were unavailing. The constable's loss is estimated at £50.

The labourers of Wellington are making arrangements for the registration and the organisation of every camp around the city. It is understood that it is intended to establish a federation of labourers throughout the colony.

The following i.s tin; slate of His Majesty's prison, Auckland, for the week ending December 22:—On remand, 3 males; awaiting trial, 3 males; penal servitude for life, 3 males; hard labour, 243 males, 15 females; imprisonment, 2 males; default of bail, I male; received during the week, 28 males, 3 females; discharged, 33 males! 2 females:, total in "prison*. 255 males, 15 females,-

— " " ———— ----- . The result of the election for directors of the New York Life Insurance Company has been received by the. local management in Wellington, and the policyholders have returned the administration ticket by a substantial majority, thus expressing continued confidence iu the present administration. The cable announcing the result is as follow? : —"Administration ticket overwhelmingly successful. Majority will probably exceed 100,000."

The remains of the late Mr. J. M. I.axon were interred in St. Marks churchyard. Remueru, yesterday afternoon. In accordance with a wu»h of the deceased he was accorded a Masonic funeral. Upwards oi 150 members of the fraternity assembled in the Masonic Hall. Rtmuera, where tbev were addressed by R. W. Brother Olivet Nicholson, grand superintendent, who re ferred to the sterling qualities and estimable character of the departed brother, The members then marched in procession to the residence, and headed the procession to the churchyard. •Amongst others following were members of the ltemuera Bowling Club, of which Mr. Laxon was at the lime of his death green superintendent. A number ot representative men were also present. The Rev. W. Beattv conducted the service ill the graveside, and KAY. Brother Nicholson completed the Masonic funeral service in an impressive manner. The grand lodge of Ireland was represented by BAY. Bros. W. .J. Rees and G. A. Gribbin. The pallbearers were RAY. Bros. Rowley, Raima, McLean, and Bart let t. The wreaths were numerous, many being received from local bodies and societies.

With reference to the statements made by the .Minister for Labour that he intended to make it compulsory for disputes to be taken in the first instance to the Conciliation Board, Mr. W. Pryor, secretary to (lie New Zealand Kioployers' Federation, in. an interview with a Wellington Times reporter, said: "We are going, ant' going very strongly, for doing away with the Conciliation Boards altogether. In the tirst place, we consider that the Boards are unnecessary. Out contention ts that if two parties to a dispute —the employers and the workers—cannot come to an amicable agreement amongst themselves, the time for conciliation is gone by, and the Arbitration Court is the body that should make the award. The Arbitration Court, being the proper body to settle disputes, its decision* should be taken as precedents. This is very seldom done, by the Conciliation Boards, and is another reason why they fail to discharge their true functions." Mr. Ureal fell, secretary ot the Wellington Employers' Association, in giving his opinion on the proposals of the Minister, said: Conciliation Boards are bound to be parochial in a certain sense, whilst with the Arbitration Court it is seldom now hat a particular industry comes under its notice for tho first time. It has generally heard evidence in nearly all the other centres, and so can judge from a colonial standpoint rather than from a local one. Conciliation Boards cannot of necessity tiavo the knowledge of trades (even the theoretical knowledge) that the Court has, consequently the Court is far better able to judge of the true merits of the matters in disputes than the Board."

Our Awitu correspondent writes: —On Saturday night Mr. S. V. Coulthird's large store at Orua. Bay was totally destroyed by fire. The origin of the lire ia unknown.