LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13489, 16 May 1907, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

It is stated that the young woman Jr '"■ Minnie Kitchen, concerning whose 'deatk an inquiry was opened on Monday last dirt from acute septicaemia. As a pr««mlW ary measure the premises in Queen-rtteJ where she was employed as a typewnv," "" were practically quarantined yesterday constable being stationed at the main«!"'■■trance to prevent the public gaining admC sion, while the various rooms were ».-K. jectcd to a thorough fumigation: Tie " health authorities learned yesterday mott. ing that. Miss Norma McMillan, * a dr«,* maker, employed in a room above that » which Miss Kitchen had worked, was jjj_ An official visit was mad* to her reside** in Parncll, and it was found that she ab, was suffering from acute septicaemia, JJij, McMillan was removed to the hospital, aiuS died immediately on arriving there. Witt the consent of the parents the body wa» erf. mated last evening. The district h«Ub officer (Dr. Purdy) has other persons whs have been employed in the same bni',di D ,* under close observation. The local antha* rities are co-operating with that official a the action he considers it advisable to take in the circumstances. .

j The annual conference of the Auckland ; Provincial Farmers' Union opened at the Chamber of Commerce rooms yesterda* [The president (Mr. L. B. Phillips), hi hj» address, dealt at some length with the pro. I posed land legislation of the present Govern, ment. He described the Bill as "a social, istic fad," and said that there was a possibility of the country" being governed by " educated'fools.;" ... He advocated the for', matioL', by the farmers of a new political party.' A vigorous debate on the land question resulted in a motion being passed in favour of the optional tenure. Rejointions were. also passed affirming the priu. ciple of an elective Legislative Council, th* pressing necessity for a solution of the ... native land question, ami various other mas ters. The annual dinner of the confercac«! was held last evening. • The conference *ii; resume its deliberations at. half-past nun ' j this morning. . ' . The subject of technical education is country' districts was introduced at tie ■ Farmers' Union dinner last evening by Mr, H. Wily, who waxed somewhat sarcastic respecting the -course of instruction in nature study now ..being given at some oi the country schools. He referred to the proposed form of certificate lately put {~ fore the Education Board, by which it van | claimed that three months' instruction would render a teacher competent to impart teaching in all .subjects,' from tree- / pruning to astronomy. Ho also said that a country teacher had lately stated that-it was not necessary for her to close hti school to attend the nature study classes, inasmuch as she had taken. a three weeks' course of instruction at Auckland during the ■ Christmas holidays, and was therefore now "qualified to teach agriculture in all iU branches!" The great jumble of ideas obj a hundred and one subjects that would resuit from a whole- three weeks' study nva', he added, something fearful to contemplate. ''.;'. ; '. ■ • ' "When I return to the colony, if I find that the Land Bill has become law, I will at once gather together my belongings and 'get,' and leave tho leaseholders to stew in their own gravy." Such was tho emphatic declaration made- by Mr. Phillip?, president of the Auckland Farmers' Union, ' in alluding at last night's dinner to his approaching trip to Europe and other parts of the world. ' : The idea of Empire Day being observed.-...-;., as a close holiday docs not seem to have ' become quite fixed in the minds of Govern-' ment oliidrtlw, . far- -y6»t«raiay~, * , ! ><» i RoaJii »',-.' Education considered a letter -from'the De- , v partment suggesting that school children J should assemble in the school grounds "on the morning of Empire Day, salute the flag, dismiss, and spend the rest of the day in innocent revelry. The chairman of. the Board (Mr. L. J. Bagnall), speaking with some emphasis, said: "I think this is a most . objectionable suggestion." It would be much better to salute the flag the day : before the holiday. .That might not be ■ keeping the day in the spirit in which itwrf intended, but' many of tho pupils wouli have made other arrangements to spend tin - holiday, and ho moved, "That on the daj before or the day after Empire Daj the flag be saluted, as suggested, but thai i J Empire Day be observed as a whole holiday." This was agreed to.

!"..-,' A Press Association telegram state* that the Minister for Labour lias informed Mr, - Hogg, M.H.R., that he cannot suspend the operation of the Factories . Act regard-. ing the' half-holiday, but that an early op- ~. i portunity will be given to members < next [session to amend the Act if that is thought, desirable.

p * The population- of New South Wales ou-'fe ( March 31 last, according to the quarterly estimate issued by the Bureau of Statistics, ', was 1,513,362, of whom 824,744 were mates , Mid 718,618 females. At the end of 1906 : the population was 1,630,886, so that the . gain during, the quarter was 12,376, of which' 6264 were due to excess of birth* over deaths, and 6112 to excess of arrivali ■!. ' over departures. From both sources the ' increase was larger than during the Mash quarter of any of the last, six years. The total increase ■ was nearly 50. per* cent* higher than in the March quarter of 1906. A curious application was made in th* Dunedir. Supremo' Court' yesterday, when Mi*. Fraser, addressing His Honor, said: " I have a somewhat unusual application tc. make. One of my clients has not removed his hat for the last 30 years, except for «* brief period, occasionally at meal times. His Honor: " He. wants to keep his bat ; on''" Mr. Eraser:';,' "Yes. He has brought, ; a cap with him." His Honor: "* He can take it eg while being sworn, and keep it on for the -rest of the time." .Mr. Fraa-' 5 explained that the reason why his client always wore his hat was because as sooe as he removed it he was subject to sever* attacks of quinsy, He was an. elderly man. The Federal High Court has been occupied in Brisbane in wrestling with the problem of what the law regards as a sheepJohnson's Dictionary gives the definitionj|| of that useful animal as "a domesticated - wool-bearing and meat-producing run ll ' nant of the genus Oris," but counsel f<*< j the appellant in the action remarked that* according to the Act, the term |hcep »■ , eluded any carcase, skin, wool, horn, 0! hoof." Mr. Justice Isaacs: "A horn or* , hoof, then, is a sheep." Mr. Justice H& J ' gins- "We have in Victoria an Act wflish • .declares that- the term sheep includes « || ; goat." Counsel however, could not agre< | as . to whether "sheep'' included "travel-, { , ling sheep." .-■/•..;■;=-.-■ '/:;#|i| * For the off season the s.s. Rotoiti had * i large passenger list from the South [jester- - day, numbering 178, made up of 124 saloon n and 53 steerage. The large list was parU? Accounted for'owing to the as. Rarawa ha?-- - ing missed her Sunday trip io' New U?* ■ mouth through the stormy weather. The Education Board, at its meeting yes- J terday, considered a request for renovation | of a country school. The applicant W'«- : - ' "The repairs are required to be "oa . very badly, and J the. building wants to h« "1 painted very bad outside-"