LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13393, 23 January 1907, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Ink surplus labour that will be thrown on the market when the Main Trunk railway is completed was brought under tho : notice of the Minister for Public- Works (the Hon. W. Hall-Jones), at Raurimu, on Monday. A deputation of the men waited upon the Minister and asked if the Government would have set, aside some of the land in that distri<t for settlement as tho works drew to a close. Mr. Hull-.Jones j replied that this question was already bej ing considered by the Government. As inI timated in the Budget speech last year, ! the Lands Department were already lookj ing over several blocks of land upon which ; the men could settle so soon as the works were drawing to a completion.

The matter of the proposed esplanade ! at Ponsonby foreshore was referred to at | the Harbour Bored meeting yesterday, j when it was decided to instruct Mr. Harrison, the Hoard's surveyor, to carry out the survey at- a cost not exceeding JJSO. on condition that the City Council agreed to meet half the cost. Consideration of the Mayor's letter suggesting the extenI sion of Victoria Park was deferred, pending further communication with the City Council. The Board decided to leplv to the City Council re a site for a morgue that it had not any land available suitable tor the purpose.

A saw hand na.uie<l Thomas Burt, employed at the Parker-Lamb Timber Company's works, met with an unfortunate accident. yesterday morning. lie \vsu« working at one of t he saws when a narrow piece of timber Hew out from the machine and buried itself in Burt's thigh. The injured man was conveyed to ihe hospital, and the piece of wood was extracted from the thigh, and the serious wound stitched up. The injury its of a particularly painful and severe nature, but Burt, is doing as well as can be exacted.

| A peculiar position cropped up at ilie j ; Harbour Hoard's meeting yesterday in re- | | lition to tenders for the, alterations to j Admiralty House. A letter was received ! j from Mr. C. Arnold, the Board's architect, 1 explaining that builders were prohibited I | by the rules of their association from put- j ; ting in further tenders lor the additions, j ! owing to the previous tenders having been j ! opened. The chairman (the Hon. K. Miti chelsou) stated that previously only three

! tenders were received, and as they were | in excess of the estimate he had extended i the time, and no one except himself knew j the amount of the tenders. On his motion | it was resolved to instruct the architect to ! amend his plans to bring them within the | amount agreed upon by the Board, and to call for fresh tenders. At this stage Mr. Arnold arrived, and reported that a num- ; ber of tenders had been received. The Hoard, after discussion, got- out of the difficulty by rescinding the pievious resolution, j and opened the tenders, which "were as j follows:-—I). H. Hancock £1940. Grayson, j Bros. £1920, J. Kllingham £1960, ('. .J. j Brooke £1868, Wiley and Hagnall £2827, i and D. Morris £1996. The architect's i estimate was £1750, and the Board decid--1 ed to accept the tender of C. J. Brooke.

< Information has been received by the j police of the sudden death at Manuka I Heads of an elderly mail named .Joseph ! Cat-heart, who has lately been employed at j the Awanui fish-curing works. The parj ticulars are only meagre, but it- appears I that the deceased reached the homestead i of Mr. N. (I. Robinson, at .Manukau Heads, yesterday, in a dying condition, and passed away liefore medical assistance, which was sent for. could arrive. He is believed to have a son living at Waiharara. A constable ha-s been sent- out to take charge of the body, and arrange for an inquest if necessary. j The Union Company's steamer Taraweia. | which left for the South about four p.m. I yesterday, returned to port shortly afterwards and berthed at the Railway Wharf. When the steamer had got round the North Head, it was discovered that two of the firemen had been left behind, and Captain Hutchingis decided to put back, j The men were then taken on board and | the steamer proceeded on her passage. | Some time ;tgo the council of the Auck- | land Sailors' Home applied to the Harbour I Board for a donation towards the. funds of ! the institution, and yesterday the Board j decided t<> reply that upon first opportunity when the Board had a Bill before | Parliament a clause would be inserted |i o enable the Board to grant the use of : allotment No. 85 upon the same terms as it-he allotments upon which the Sailors' ! Home was erected; and in the meantime the Board could not make any monetary ! donation towards the funds of the instituI lion.

One of the main topics of conversation during the past week has been the great Moods lately experienced in the Waikato and Thames districts, and the Aitkland Wkkkly Nkws, published to-day, gives a remarkable record of the occurrence. Kxcellent- pictures are given of the, various phases of the Hoik! throughout the whole. 01 the affected area, -whilst striking panoramic views give a capital idea of the magnitude of the flood and the serious damage inflicted nil roads, bridges, and along the railway line. In the same issue will be found a. line picture of Kingston. Jamaica, recently wrecked by a severe earthquake, wliibt, I lie Governor's trip to the Wot Coast. a sensational discovery in telegraphy, and a, fine series of scenic views, _'o to make up a highly interesting and attractive number. '

The chairman of Hip Ot-ahuhu I toad Hoard (Mr. .T. Todd) has been advised by the Auckland (bis Company that the company lias- purchased a. site in Otahulni. and that it is intended to proceed immediately with til- 1 predion of the works necessary to carry out the scheme of lighting the township. Ibis will he good news to those who have so strenuously been .imitating for a better way of lighting than is at preset!( in vogue (.says our (Itahuhu correspondent). The site is .1 convenient one, being oil the ( 'at South Road. and no doubt the lias Company will line; with plenty of encouragement and patronage in the district- now that some definite step has been taken in the matter.

While opposing an adjournment iu a case at- the Police Court yesterday. Mr. J. R. Lundon. who appeared for the deiendant, addressing the magistrate. Mi. C. C. Kettle, S.M., said: "Mr. Rrooklield (solicitor for the complainant) apparently runs the Court, and what he bays is light." Mr. Kettle: "What do you say':" Mr. Lundon: "1. say that it is not fair to my client that Mr. Kettle: "You said that Mr. Rrooklield runs this Court. Will you justify that statement or withdraw it?"' Mr. Lundon: "1 will withdraw it, and say that Mr. Rrooklield can do just exactly what he likes." Mr. Kettle: "No he can't. 1 shall see that justice if> done here." The discussion was then dropped. The |xjhee cells last night \\i*ic occupied by seven persons, three males charged with drunkenness, one idle and disorderly, one begging, one female suffering from lunacy, and a girl who has been committed to all industrial home.

In the course of an interview at Christchurch the Premier repudiated the assertion that, the .Ministry is leaving the defence of th" Land Hill to Mr. McNab. He says that the House did not rise til! the last, day of October, and the opening day of the Exhibition necessitated the immediate attendance of Ministers in 'hristehurch. Subsequentlv three or four Ministers were laid aside through illness or illness in their families. These circumstances necessitated his attendance at Wellington, ami had prevented him from per,"dually going from »nf| to end of the colony. as tie had intended t<> when the House rose. then there had been the Christmas holidays. wlkh his colleagues naturally wished to visit their homes. The suggestion that any member of the Ooveniment had acted unfairly to the Minister for Lands was contrary to f;Kt. liv arrangemerit. Mr. McXab had been placing various points of the Land Hill before the country, and had been doing it vry well. Other Ministers would between now and the Hurt ing of Parliament do their be" in putting their policv before the country.

The suniiiHr school and nature study classes being held at the ( hiehunga High School are being conducted by Mi. V. \V .Jackson, I! A., instiuctor in nature study and elementary agriculture to tlv Boat. of Education. Seventeen teachers put in an appearance <> 11 Monday. th p opening day. and several others attended yesterday. Twenty-four is the maximum for the nature study course. The ettstses will continue for abo'.r four weeks, ending about Iji'itarv 21.

Mr. Lai'CotlllK'. of the New South Wales (Geological Survey Department, who has just ieturned to Christchnreh from a visit to the West Coast, is much interested in the possibilities of the district. He says that xarcelv anv geological work has been done, but there is a huge field for invest Ration. He hopes that fore long New Zealanders generally will realise the importance of this work in the development of their country, iii the same way as the people of New South Wales have done.

M'r. Walter Bennetts, formerly of Christ - church, and now a member of the New South Wales- Legislature and ex-Mi ni.*ter for Public Works, is at present revisiting New Zealand after an absence of 21 years, lie conlirnis the reports of Australian prosperi tv, and says: —"Throughout Australia, and in New South Wales particularly, we have experienced a phenomenally good season. In addition, the high prices obtained for various metals has had a marvellous effect upon the mining industries, and In* prospects of the country generally. In the near future I am convinced one of the largest mining booms ever known in Australia will take place. One can easily conceive the possibility of that when it is realised that tin. selling a few years ago at from £25 to £30 per ton. is now approaching £200. and the same thing is taking place in regard to copper and other metals. The natural result, of course, is the tremendous development of mineral resources everywhere.''

The native cemetery at the Huninuiorangi pa was ravaged by fire a couple of days hack. There was an agitation to bury the late Kingi Ngatuere in this cemetery, but other counsels prevailed, and his remains were shifted to the Black Bridge. The outbreak originated in the cemetery, which is a place much avoided by the natives. and they are at a loss to account for the occurrence.

A ('hristchurch contemporary says that. Mr. H. W. Perynian, who for 26 years was a member of the Education Board, has returned from a, visit to England. Ho visited a number of schools in Wiltshire «md Cornwall, as well as several in London. covering ordinary public schools and Church schools. He did not see that North Canterbury and New Zealand were behind in any important particular, and in some respects they are distinctly ahead. He saw no school buildings that were better suited for their purpose than our buildings. Some of the buildings wore right up to date, but the furniture and interior liftings were not lip to date at all. The schools were not using dual desks, and they were Ivehind our schools in the matter of the supply of maps and such--1 ike appliances for instruction. The methods employed by teachers did not seem to embody any new ideas of value.

A remarkable incident, and oik 1 which for a- time caused sonio little consternation, occurred in a. Napier household this morning (says last Thursday's Napier Telegraph). Mat erf ami lias found if necessary to apply an ointment preparation to the hair of one of her children, and going to tho family medicine chest inadvertently look up a bottle of rat poison in mistake for the ointment. A few minutes afterwards) she was startled by hearing the child screaming, and discovered that the stuff which hud been applied to the little one's hair had commenced to ignite. It was then found that the rat' poison had been used in mistake. Speedy remedies prevented any more injury than some half * dozen blisters, caused b_v the phosphorus, of which the rat poison was chiefly composed.

Chinamen have a system of their own in contributing to hospitals. They raise a subscription annually amongst lltemselves, and having paid this in they expect any of their countrymen to have an open door. One upon recently entering thy Palmei ston institution presented the secretary » last leceipt for the local Chinamen's annual effort in aid of the hospital funds.

Questioned at Christ church whether he had received any reports -with respect to the alleged abuse of child labour in some of the dairying districts the Hon. J. A. Millar said: —" There is a good deal of truth in the statement. Still there is a Hood deal of exaggeration in it too. That there has been a good deal of child labour going on is clearly proved from Ihe evidence I have—that is in <ountrv district

more in regard to members of families being used lor .such work at an e.ir'v i 1 In- latest report* -how that ib-Me ha* been a diminution since attention his been drawn t«» the matter. The subject will be considered by the (iovernnient a- to whether it is ne< rosary to introduce legislation upon our receiving further reports. - '

A new era. in hydraulic sluicing for the • Hagu gohilields- -or some of them—h i# been inaugurated in the Tuapekn. Flat district. where the lamaiti company have obtained water for sluicing a terrace above the aipori River, by damming the river Ut get a bend ot water lor driving a turbine that pumps three million gallons a day to the top of the ten - ace. The turbine is fed by a pipe 4£fi in diameter, and gives about 200-horse power. The pump is a series of lout low-duty 10-inch centrifugals, combined to give a high dut\. at. 700 revolutions per minute, delivering six to eight cubic feet }>er second, under a head 01 200tt. The turbine passes 75 cubic feet per second. Lite Auckland Caiii.-on Hand will plav the tollowing selections; in the Albert I'ark this evening, commencing at eight p.m. . jMarch, " Ihe Waldnifi't " ( Losey) ; selec-t-ion. "1 Lombard! " (TruHsell.) : walla, " The limcrlami " (Round) ; selection, " Rossi ne " (A. Owen): intermezzo, "Happy Huniio ' (La.mpe); niiU'ch, " Th# , Avenue " (Hall); " Got! S>uvo the King.'"