LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13451, 30 May 1907, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

As ai result of the representations made by the' New Zealand Shipowners' Federation to the Minister for Justice, on the eubjest of water police for Auckland, a telegram has been received announcing that two extra men will be" appointed immediately for wharf'duty in this city. The permanent arrangements which will shortly come into operation will include the employment of a sergeant and six men. Inspector Cullen stated in an interview with : the secretary of the federation yesterday afternoon that the matter of supplying a motor launch for the .use. of the harbour! police would have to remain over until the) Harbour Board could provide the necessary accommodation—probably about 12 months hence.

The annual ceremony of conferring degrees and presenting.diplomasin connection, with the Auckland University College will take place ha the Choral Hall this afternoon, commencing at three o'clock. Sir Maurice O'Rorko will preside in the absence of the Chancellor of the University of New Zealand (Sir Robert Stout), and amongst the other speakers will be Professor Egeiioa (chairman of the professorial hoard), the Bishop of Auckland (Dr. Neligan), and Dr. W. C. W. McDowell.

, -Speaking at the Trade* and Labour Council meeting last evening Mr. C. H. Poole, M.H.R., referring to national defence, Raid that five years ago the Japanese were working in and about Auckland Harbour, and he had no doubt that they had as good charts of Auckland waters as of the Yellow Sea. They were wanting territory, and they were going to get it. The recent difficulty between Japan and the United States over the San Francisco schools question made the position of the United States Government " a particularly difficult one They realised that of the 200,000 people in Hawaii 58,000 were Japanese. Had war been commenced the Americans would have certainly lost the Hawaiian Islands. He did not.say the I Japanese would come here, nor the I Chinese, but it would be a mistake to i imagine for one moment that foreign countries were not still- seeking for new territory for colonising purposes. German aspirations in that, direction were by no means reduced. As trades unionists insisted upon preference to unionists, so the nation should insist upon preference to citizens, and any man who came to this country from any foreign country and settled here should be prepared to accept the responsibilities as readily as he accepted the privilege?. - -• •

A large number of properties were offered for sale at Messrs.'Samuel Cochrane and Sou's auction rooms yesterday, by order of the registrar of the Supreme Court, tinder the Bating Act. The following properties were sold: Eight allotments Takapuna, £10 10s each; 17 allotments, Riverhead, £12; four allotments, Hobson Bay, £17 each; 120 acres, Arai, 6s per acre; 40 acres ; Oruawharo, 5s an acre; timber section, Mangatete, £2 lis per acre; part of sections 43 and 44, Pukeatua, 5s 6(1 per acre; part of. sections 10 and 15, Mairetahi, 3s 6d per acre; section 3,80 acres, Mairetahi 4s per acre; "eight acres, Waipareira, £33; four acres, Hunua, 10a 6d per acre; section 362, Cornv/allis, £6; 40 acres, Mahgawai, 8s 6d per acre; 45 acres, Maiakana, £2 per acre; allotment 29, Arai, 7s 6d per acre; 50 acres, Mangawai, 16s per acre; part of section 226, Pukeatua, 7s 6d per acre; part of section 19, Mangatete, 17s per acre; 41 acres, Mangatete, 12s 6d per acre; 80 acres, same place, 16s per acre; 30 acres, same place, 8s per acre. '

A peculiar situation arose at the Police Court yesterday, when two boys, Robert Pratt and Ethelbert C. Rac, were charged with setting off fireworks in Market Square. When the ' witnesses for the prosecution were called they did nob appear, and as the constable in charge of the case was in attendance at the Supreme Court, no evidence was forthcoming. Mi. Sharpies, who appeared for the defendants, promptly asked the Bench to dismiss the charges, and they did so. ,

The colonial mails via Suez, which loft Wellington, on April 19 were delivered in .London on Monday afternoon last. . t '

i - "'".. ——- —SSHHaasgf' : i';:l(i ;f ;|| The payments ■mad*, an the 2ht inn s, the New Zeal an( , Hairy Aviation, {milk supplied to tteii -otitdwr dVi„ ' {April total £10.393 7- ftt, u " 4 *f with £6033 7* Ad for the . am - month £ year. These figures W to show the « | tension of the Dairy Association', binin^ in the Waikato. *** ;■,-,■., I | The Coroner (Mr; T. Qmhaai) «,„ . ceived a letter trom the town clerk (.Mr li |\V. Wilson) bating that, with rei'Tence •'* ' a rider passed by a jury at 3 recent inquest advocating that tramcan in the eitv and "suburbs should travel at e lower rate of : speed, instruction* had been given to*th" c city solicitor to draft by-laws which would have for their object the prevention of hiri, j rates. of speed. ~- * , '• j It would appear from an incident which i occurred at the, meeting of the Auckland (Education Board yesterday that the School Journal published by the Department « not in such keen demand nor studied u profoundly as the promoters of tho n* w magazine anticipated would be th© case A lettei was received inquiring if the Board desired additional copies to those ahead* sent to the office. The secretary men". tioned that ho had. a number of copies re- - maining from the parcel received, and quite | sufficient for the present. Mr. F. W. Lang |remarked that evidently tin?' journal M not sought after, and memocrs of the Board smiled their acquiescence. With reference to the telegram which appeared in yesterday's issue stating that it he Salvation Army intended to establish an inebriates' home in Auckland, it ap. I pears that Brigadier Bray, chief of the social department of the Army in Aus-. tralia, is at present inspecting a number of sites that have been offered for the purpose. It is not the intention of the Army authorities to establish such an institution in the city, but at some suitable ;. locality, 15 or 20 mile* outside. Nothing definite has yet been decided, either as to locality or extent of the initial operations, but it is anticipated that within the next few days Brigadier Bray will bo able t: report on the result of his- investigations. The necessity for providing a public recreation reserve in the borough of Grev Lynn, owing to the vapidly increasing popu\ lation, has been mooted more than once, but nothing of a definite character has been done to meet the requirement. The matter has been engaging the attention of the • Mayor, Mr. John Farrell, for some time . past, and with a view to securing a portion of the Surrey Hills Estate for the purpose he recently paid a visit to Wellington, in order to interview the representatives of the Assets Board, who are the owners. As . a result of his. overtures Mr., Farrell has now received an offer of an area of 21 acres, between Williamson Avenue and Rose Road, in the centre of the district, for :*•' a public reserve, on certain conditions. At a meeting of the Grey Lynn Council, in committee, on Monday evening, the matter was discussed, and the action of the Mayor in making the provisional agreement was unanimously approved, his efforts being much appreciated. The actual , terms of the offer, which have not yet. been disclosed, will, be submitted to the ratepayer* at an early date.

It vas reported at yesterday's meeting of the Education Beard that the Pa«re» District High School had. for the third year in succession secured the highest number of prizes in Messrs. Collins and Co. copybook 1 competition, open to all the school* of the colony.' The chairman (Mr. I/, J, Bagnall) said it was very gratifying to see tho success of the Paeroa school, especially as writing was ail important subject, and i efficiency in it was highly desirable.. Th Board passed a vote of congratulation, \» Mr. P. Murphy, the headmaster. - Mr." Edgecumhe incidentally remarked that in some schools it appeared that writing wis not sufficiently supervised, : and' rfovenlj habits were developed. Pupils were peri mitted to write in all positions and in every | fashion, and he considered that more owe should bo shown m writing lessons,

Mr. W. Peake, a union delegate, speaking at the Trades Council meeting last evening, turned the limelight upon communist tic experiments. 1 Tho people needed education. ' upon ' social • subjects, he said, : and he thought this view was home out by the results of the recent municipal elections, when the Labour ticket met wit-h such discouraging support. The platform was too ambitious, lie thought. Then, lapsing into reminiscence, Mr. Peake ' said he s had; spent two years in a social commune in Australia, arid had' seen something of tie. element of human selfishness in such undertakings. "We sank some £2000 in- this [venture,' and took up 600 acres," he continued. " Some of us put in all we had,' ,and we took into the communr ail who [were desirous of joining us. • We took in., men who had not a penny; but we all ranked equal. Now, what happened! The very men who put no money into the-en-terprise wanted to run the whole thing by themselves, and for themselves, and they left us with 'the debts. People want educating. If you formulate a political platform you must not frighten the great majority of the people. You must not ■- try to monopolise the whole of the seats. If you do, you will lose the sympathy of the public."

| A letter has been received by Mr. F. G. Ewington from Lord Ranfurly, ex-Governor of New Zealand, in which he • expresses pleasure at finding Mr. Ewington and th* Hon. E. Mitchelson, the only original members of the committee, still sticking to the Veterans' Home. Lord Ranfuriy further states that his illness has materially prevented him from doing as much as he woald have liked for the veterans, but bis interest in them is unabated, and he is glad that such a strong committee is in existence, and that the management of the home is so good.

During a heavy shower of rain at New Plymouth last Monday night there was an unusually severe flash of lightning, accompanied by a , loud peal of thunder. The streets were illuminated for a few second" as though by a powerful searchlight of a blueish hue, and the electric arc lamp* in the main thoroughfare, and also the lights in several business establishments and private houses, were affected. A rather extraordinary feature was that the lightning was not repeated there being only the single flash. ; . 'V

A cleaning-up of the aviary in the Sanatorium Grounds, Rotorua, disclosed the prfl' :sence of a very large number of rats, 62 « the rodents having been killed at one battue. With the view of minimiring *&» number of these very undesirable pests, it is the intention of the Tourist Department to put down a concrete floor in the aviary, thus reducing the possibility of their harbouring about this spot.

I Two applications have been received, by;,, ! the Land Board foi seven workers' dwellings on the Lawry Settlement at EllersJie.' The applicants will be examined before *h* ■ Land Board this evening. The only occupants ot the police ««■ last night were"five persons, who had been arrested on charges of drunkenness. The anticipated slump has followed the Exhibition at Christchurch, in the of property at least. " For sale ' notices ■ are spread round the city, everywhere*