LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13392, 22 January 1907, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

The chairman of the Mount Albert Road Hoard, Mr. F. Ellisdon, accompanied by Mr. M. .J. Coyle, member, and Mr. H. C. Haselden, clerk, had an interview, by appointment, with the chairman of directors, Mr. Tegetmeier, and the managing director, Mr. I*. Hansen, of the Tramways Company yesterday morning, regarding the question of extension of the tramway service from tin' present terminus at Kingsland to the Mount Albeit railway station. Mr. Tegetmeier said he was favourably disposed to the extension, and would, upon his return to England, recommend his directors to extend the line to the Momingside railway crossing as soon us the present extensions in hand were completed and would, before the end of the year, be able to give definite information to the Road Board as to the intentions of his company.

Heavy gnu tiring was conducted at Fort Takapuna last evening, and will be resumed at live o'clock on Wednesday, morximg.,

Summer schools for teachers in handwork and nature study were opened at the Normal School, Wellesley-street, and at the District High School, Onehuuga, yesterday morning. Roth were largely attended, considerably over 100 teachers putting in an appearance at. the Normal School, and fully 30 at Ouehunga. The classes at the Normal School, which are being conducted under the direction of Mr. H. Wallace, the Board's art master, will be continued for a fortnight, and it is expected that the attendance at these during the next few days will increase to 140, applications for admission to this number having been received. The classes at Ouehunga are being conducted by Mr. Jackson, the Begirds instructor in nature study, and will last three weeks.

In answer to a telegram from Mr. 1 . La wry. M Hl'., and Mr. G. W. Haslev, (Mayor of Parnell), Sir Joseph Ward. Postmaster-* Jeneral, has stated that he will look into the matter of the old Parnell post ottice site lieing used tor a public library, as has been suggested, for toe residents of Farnell. The property was advertised for sale yesterday, but on receipt of the information from Mr. Baslcy the auctioneer decided to postpone matters.

The Government has decided to carry out the request of the Auckland City Council, and put in hand the revision of the present standard survey (in connection with the new Auckland drainage scheme), and the extension of its sphere to suit the requirements of the city engineer. At the same time the work of street alignment will be gone on with. The Lands and Survey Department considers that the cost of the work at the outset will be £1500. though possibly it may cost more before its completion. It- is proposed that the Council should recoup the Government half that amount, and half of any additional cost which may be incurred, and further that the Council should bear the. whole cost of furnishing the concrete blocks for standard marks or such other materials as the Surveyor-General might direct. The work, which will be put in hand shortly, will be probably carried out by Mr. l»ingmuir, inspecting surveyor for Auckland.

A record mini her of visitors called at the Tourist Office yesterday, no less than 68 persons seeking information. The majority were from Australia, and a few from America. Over 50 of the callers expressed their intention of visiting Itotorua. and proceeding from the thermal district to the New Zealand Exhibition at Christcluirch. travelling down the Wangantii River en route. Several of the tourists: have gone on to Rotorua by way of the Thames.

Mr. (iilfedder, one of tin 1 newly-appointed Native [.and Court judges, is to take up his new duties on February 1. Judge Edger who has relinquished the office of UnderSecretary of Native Affairs, in order to give his attention to Appellate and Land Court work.- is to hold a sitting of the Appellate Court at Rotorna on or about February 6. Nothing lias transpired as to the intentions of the Government, in respect to Judge ledger's successor as Under-Secretary of Native Affairs, but the belief is held in some quarters (says a Wellington paper) that Mr. F. Waldegrave. Under-Secretary of the .Justice Department, will be selected to till the vacancy.

A new police station is to lx- opened at Epsom this month, and Constable Keep, at present stationed at Fort Albert. i.s to be placed in charge. Epsom ha* in the past been included in the Newmarket district, so far as police supervision is concerned, and there has been no resident constable in the district between Newmarket- and Onehunga. With the extension of Epsom as a suburb, and the increase of population, the establishment of a police station has been rendered' necessary.

A fortnight ago the Northern S.S. Company placed the Kia Oni on the run to the Mantikau Heads in place of the Muritai, for one trip. So pleased were the residents that the company was requisitioned to keep the Kia Ora on the running to the heads and way ports. In the absence of the Muritai, the Kia Ora took her place yesterday, when her. passenger list numbered over 30.

The state of His Majesty's prison, Auckland, for the week ending January 19 was as follows:—On remand. 5 males; awaiting trial, 4 males ; penal servitude for life, 3 males ; hard labour, 236 males, 18 females ; imprisonment, 3 males; default of bail, 1 male; received during the week, 25 males. 1 female; discharged, 21 males: total in prison. 252 males, 18 females.

As the accounts of the Auckland Harbour Board have not yet been audited by the Government auditor, the annual meeting of the Board, called for yesterday, according to statutory provision, was formally adjourned sine die by the chairman.

Our (Jisborne correspondent telegraphed as follows last night:A lady cyclist met with a painful mishap in town to-day, through coming into collision with the Okitu factory cart. The unfortunate lady. Miss Moore (a nurse), had hardly mounted her bicycle when, in attempting to avoid another vehicle, she was knocked over by the cart. She was badly cut about the leg, and received a severe shock to the system.

liv the proposed alterations of the electoral districts in Taranaki the work of licensing committees is considerably affected, says the Taranaki News.' The Egmont licensing district, with headquarters at Wailara, had jurisdiction over hotels in Midhirst, Inglewood, Waitara, and Ureliui. Waitara will now be the headquarters of the Taumarunui electorate, and the new arrangement throws the Ingiewood and Midhirst hotels into the Stratford electorate. The curtailment of the Taranaki electorate means that the Rahotu Hotel will be in the new Egmont district 'headquarters .it Kit ham), which will have to do with hotels also in Opunake, Oeo, Otakeho, Kaponga. and Kit ham.

An old Maori wahine. who in her youth performed .1 heroic action and carried it through so successfully that she has since been known as New Zealand's "Grace Darling, ' came before His Honor Mr. Justice Sim, at Nelson, last Thursday, with an application for the removal of certain restrictions placed upon a. piece of land, in which she has an interest. Tin heroine is now advanced in years, decrepit, and ill, yet when she whs a young girl, living with her jK-ople on one of the Croixelles, she performed a great deed. Tin' Delaware, a big ship, helpless and disabled, came drifting ashore, and eventually stranded. There were some- 23 souls aboard, and they found no possible means of reaching the land. A crowd of natives and Europeans assembled on the l>each awaiting anxiously the terrible moment when the vessel would break lip and the crew would be, lost. No one dared to venture into the boiling breakers, but atlast Huria Mat-enga, afterwards? Mrs. Martin, took hold of ;i line, swam through the surging surf, and passed the line aboard the ship, with the result that every person 011 the doomed vessel was saved. The settlers in Nelson, rightly regarding the act as one of the most heroic our history records, preheated Jiuria Alateuga, with a gold jvat^h.

While the work of repairing the track in -street i* in progress a teui|*>rary alteration of the Train Company's timetable has had to he made llic action U*-t-ween Short la'ml and Wellodey Street* will he closed from' Wednesday until fmtivr notice, but tin' service will not he seriously interfered with. It ha* been arranged to despatch .1 car for Onehunga from the comer of Queen and Welieslcv Streets every halfhour, and one at, the saint' intervals from Lower Queen-street vi.i Custom-street, Hub son-street. and Kaiangahape Road. A I curs on the Kings-land unite will star - from the corner 01 Queen anti Wellesley St!«pu, and the ordinary timetable will }*■ main - I tained. The tun on tin Synioixjs - ■ .!• —t j and Newmarket m. rvi> e. ami also tor Newj ton, Fonsonbv, and drey Lynn. leave from I both points in Queen-street. 1 Ik- l!ensiei,i, j l'arnell ami Newmarket. ,n:d Heme If,*;, i cars will run as usual. Full detail- oi it, temp-iiary alteration arc contained ill an advertisement appearing elsewhere. in this issue. The accounts in <Gimeaioi) with the Miss Campion benelit concert, held at His Majesty's Theatre on Thursday eight, have been adjusted, and show iecej|n« („ amount to £168 5- 6d, and expenc.es £25 14s 6<l. leaving a credit balance o: £152 ! lis to be handed over to Miss ( ' < ft) pi' Mt. j A garden party. being teiideied by the Political Reform League to Mr. F. W. | Massey, Leader of the Opposition, j, to I* j held at the Ostrich Farm, Pukeknhc, on Saturday, February 16. A special train will In: run from Auckland on the occasion. A special meeting of the Arch hill Road Board was held last night for the purjvose of fixing the statu ton- half-holiday. Mr. F. Rowe was in the chair. It was decided to fix Wednesday afternoon a.i the halfholiday. The following tenders have been received by Messrs. J. M. Walker and 11. S. Morran, architects, for the erection of a- warehouse, in Elliott- and Albert Streets for Messrs. R. 11. Abbott and Co.. Limited:— D.j Jones, £8500; W. F. Hutchison. £8601; Craig Brothers, £8620; and Lye and Son, £8760. A tender has not yet been accepted.

Mr. Duncan St«'li"ox. who arrived in Christchurch from England 'Lust week, is presenting a scheme in New Zealand of considerable interest to merchants and producers. Mr. Stelfox is senior partner of the tirni of Onyon. Lake, and Co., with headquarters in Manchester, and believes there is a large market, in the North of England for timber. He says there is a very large, demand in England. and his mission is mainly with the object of arranging for direct, shipments to Manchester, thus saving the present railage and handling costs from London. The Baltic forests ar« fast being depleted, and even the Canadian supply is not what it used to Ik?. For New Zealand timbers, especially those used in constructive works, like totara and whit? pine (which is wanted tor the making of packing cases), he is certain there would he a demand for timber at, the present time.

A comparison with Melbourne and Sydney, given by the secretary of the Wellington Harbour Hoard (Mr. Ferguson), shows that during 1905 the number of vessels, including lighters, lierthed at Melbourne piers and wharves amounted lu 4474, of 4,488,509 tons register. Wellington had nearly 75 per cent, of the number. and 55 per cent, of the tonnage handled in Melbourne. The sixth report of the Sydney Harbour Commissioner, for the year-ended .June 50 last, showed that there entered the port- 9885 vessels, or 6.114,550 tons register. The arrivals at Wellington, therefore, were more than onethird in number, and exceed 40 per cent, of the tonnage of the vessels entering Sydney.

The Vancouver Tourist Association, Limited, of British Columbia, has forwarded an exceptionally line series of miscellaneous photographs of that colony, tor the benefit of callers at the local Tourist Oflicc.

There were two persons in the lock-up last night, on© being a nested on a charge of drunkenness,, and the other on a charge of false pretences.