LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13452, 31 May 1907, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Nf.xt Monday (Prince of Wales' Birthday) | will be observed as a holiday by the banks and Government offices throughout the J colony. To-morrow there will be a full de- | livery of letters in Auckland, and the post joffice will be open between seven and eight p.m. for a delivery over the counter. Mails | despatched during Monday will be closed at I eight a.m., and the usual clearance of street [receivers will take place at midnight on Sun- ' day. ' The Acting-Minister for Public Works (the Hon. James, McGowan) has advised j Mr. J. Stallworthy, member for Kaipara, that the railway extension to Wayby, on' the North Auckland line, cannot bt opened before Steptember or October, but that j the section to Tau'hoa will be read by June 1. I

| The arrivals in the * colony during the j month of April numbered 2156, against i 2599 hi April, 1906, while the departures totalled 3788. against 2878 in April last year. _

Major Hugli Gallagher, an officer of the Uni'ted States army, arrived in Wellington on Wednesday from the Philippines. His object is to make purchases • of frozen meat for those islands. . Previously the supplies have been drawn from Queensland. Major! Gallagher made, inquiries ■in Wellington yesterday concerning the sources and quantities of supplies there, and he left in the evening for the South, where lie will maJce further inquiries. . Next week he goes on to Melbourne. ,

The annual "capping" ceremony in connection with the Auckland University College took place the Choral Hall yesterday afternoon, in the presence of a large gathering of students and the general public. Addresses were delivered by Sir Maurice O'Rorke (who presided in the absence of the chancellor, Sir Robert Stout), Professor Egeirton (chairman of the professorial board), the Bishop of Auckland (Dr. Neligan), Dr. McDowell (a member of the University College Council), and Mr. S. Ziman (chairman of the Association). 'In the speeches special reference was made to the need "for/a- new college at Auckland to replace the present buildings which - Professor Egerton described as bearing a greater resemblance to a "shirt factory" than an abode r>f learning. ' The Mount Eden Borough Council has at present under consideration a series of by-laws dealing with the erection of buildings, drainage, and other sanitary matters, water supply, vehicular traffic, street betting, and the regulation of billiardrooms and public halls. The by-laws, which are some 130 in number, were presented at a special meeting of the Council on Wednesday night, when they were approved and ordered to be submitted to the Council's solicitor for consideration before final adoption. The build regulations as proposed are somewhat drastic in that they provide that the minimum space on which new dwellingsr«are erected shall be a quarter of an acre, with a frontage of at least 50ft. This limitation will not, however, apply to persons already owning building sites •of less than the prescribed area.-

The survey of the New Zealand coast, which it was intended'should have been carried out under the supervision of Captain Sinclair, who arrived in the colony for that [purpose a few months ago, has been postponed. No satisfactory arrangement could be come to with the Admiralty for the loan of a vessel, and the Government is not prepared to face an expenditure, of between £30,000 and £40,000 for the construction of a vessel for this special work. It was found that the steamer Hinemoa would be unsuitable for the purposes required by Captain Sinclair. " On Wednesday afternoon the delegates to the Farmers' Union Conference at Levin paid a visit to the State experimental farm there, and were much interested in the work the Department is carrying on in the interests of agricultural science. The milking sheds were inspected, and the party was conducted-over the grounds by the manager. The milking shed will accommodate 50 cows, and it was seen that the appliances in use were of the latest pattern. The Lawrence-Kennedy milking machine is installed in the sheds. It is the intention of the Department to try two other patents, with a view to ascertaining which is the best. The champion cow in the sheds at present is a three-quarter-bred Holstein. Hei milking period dates from August, 1906, up to the present. This cow has given 4911b of butter-fat from 12,9311b of milk, with an average test of 3.8. The result of the inspection gave colour to the statement made by the Minister for Lands (the Hon. R. McNab) the previous evening, "that before long they would have a milking herd at the farm whose superior had not been recorded in the agricultural journals of the world." The Woodslee Down Estate, ir. the; Wyndham district, has. '(says an luvercar-j gill Press Association telegram) been sold j to two Canterbury buyers, who intend cut-j ting it up. Inclusive of stock, the price runs into between £50,000 and £60,000. ! Soon after the arrival of the s.s. Itarawa at Onehunga yesterday, a fireman named i F. thai an fell against and broke the steam gauge of the vessel's boiler. He received a scalding about the back and thighs, and, though not seriously injured, ,was.removed to the hospital. 1

• ■ ■■—■miu ; . : • I - ' ' 1 Ll'JMLi' — ! Siting to Mr C. W. Palmer?^^ rctary of the Wellington X avv lC^ * I general secretary i„ London' ' ' * 1 ; :l6 interviewed Sir wpJ| w , , bt ' j London. -We are aware." hi RO J £,a ,1 W "that, *ew Zealand fa in five . ' an increased naval mfcidy, bat IX? ! if yo " reflcrt °« the proposals put f O S <4 by Australia, you «i|l fte t £ t t JJ* • very great del to be mM for tl*£?.S ! this country finds the necessary »fciw / ' the nation, 'nod the colony 0 "which tW ■are tent finds the men to man them IZ the funds to mainta.n them, y oa > situation where alt of (ho £ * | a ' e more interested in the British x"! than they «,te .«t the present time. * j" ciden tally it lias this advantage, that '*• colonial contribution is spent i 0 , . the country, and you deprive the preset? jectons of their weapon when th fv ° i tend that they are. paying their contrite" jtion to another country." con tnba.

| People, especially smokere, become „ , | rule, come what careless •» S .J * jmatches. Mr. W. G. Marchant, of \ nH if ern Wairc*. told » Herald reporter v fs ' terday of ;ui experience lie has j ust >* , | He placed a cigarette iu his mouth, tti A struck a wax match on the box ' Z lighted head of the match Hew off L i part of .it Went i into hi eye ' and th,' otb *r part tell , on his ciotiies. The 4ve v! severely, burned, and the injury no J* S j tales his wearing a covering over the » v « -as well as dark glasses. He has i,! so ?' i a void the light. In fact, the doctor wh'attended him, said that lie had had » M . ' tit °< his r" s "< h "" s *«w itaLl ' Marebiiiit s clothing was

| A jockey named Albert Grey, 19 vc „ lof age, met. with an accident while ridia c J I stecpiccJiasor Hyla* over the obst«'£ i in the centre of the Ellmlie reoecour** V e, terday afternoon. The horse collided wit}; ■the fence, and Grey was unseated, and th» eud post falling struck him on tin? b«l of the head, rendering him iincon.«cioos. He was quickly picked up aud conveyed l» the caretaker (Mr. Hill) in the clubs mbulance to the Auckland Hospital. On being examined there it was found that Grey was suffering from .concussion of tho brain. He is now progressing favourably. | A meeting of those interested in the formation of the Whangarei Mounted Rifle Cadets, which was convened by Captain Clark-Walker, was held in the Whaugarei | Drill Hall on Wednesday evening. A good jnumber of youths joined, and letters were | received from many others expressing a ! wish to be permitted to join, the fact o! j the corps being mounted apparently cr«ting great, interest. A contingent is luting started at Takalmvai, which will bring th« squadron up to.the full strength. The uniform consists of a khaki tunic aw* trousers, with khaki field-service cap.

The s.s. Rarawa, from New Plymouth, did not reach Onehunga until half-pan eleven a.m. yesterday. This was through the vessel having to wait at < tin heads on her last trip outwards, and therefore not. reaching New Plymouth uutil Wednesday evening, which made liei late lin leaving the latter port. r

The first centenary of Primitive Methodism is to be celebrated on Friday next in New Zealand. The three great objects being aimed at by the whole Church are; (1) A revival; (2) Church extension; (3) better ministerial education. A revival is jto be conducted for six months under tho leadership of the Rev. James Flanagan, one of England's foremost evangelists, who will arrive in Wellington and begic his work there in. October.' For the c'jajffofc out of the second object an endeavour. Vi: being mad© to raise £5000, to be used for the purchase of new sites foi churches, for the reduction of ohurch debts, or for the education of ministers, contributors ,to the fund stipulating in what direction their money might be applied.

Speaking of the slight decrease in the price of store lambs which was noticeable at the Ashburton stock yards last wwk, a farmer informed a representative of th« Ashburton Guardian that the lack of competition for this class of stock • was, in his opinion, attributable to the fact thai a large portion of the yarding oi lambt had exceptionally poor teeth. " For some unaccountable reason," said the observer, lambs this year arc losing their teeth rapidly, and I have noticed that even those of my own flock that have been depastured on grass alone, are in a bad state a« regards the condition of their teeth." Some of the mouths of lambs yarded at Tuesday? sale were quit* as bad as those of "gummi©" or "cull" ewes. Of course, it is generally recognised among graziers that the teeth of lambs will not and the test of turnip-feeding in the way' that older sheep will.

Some of the cases comprising the cargo ot the as. Maori, which recently touched at the Bluff (says the Southland Times), showsigns of having been tampered with, and some Invercargill importers have found a considerable shortage in many instances. We understand that the articles that have been stolen are mainly wearing apparel, and that the principal losers are soft goods merchant*. It is the worst case of pilfering from cargo that has been reported locally for many 'years. In many ; instances little attempt had been made to conceal the fact that the cases had been broached, and from some the whole of the contents had been abstracted. Hawera tradesmen have also reported several very bad cases of the same kind of pilfering.

The following remit on the alien immigration question, from the Mar to a branch of the Farmers' Union is to be considered at the Levin, conference a' l the end of this month:—"That tropinion expressed by the Prime Minister in regard to the necessity for keeping op such restrictions as will prevent any increase in the number of Chinese people coming to New Zealand be endorsed, and - that the conference considers that such restrictions are necessary in order to preserve the purity of our race in this country. l' ie Levin branch ha? sent the following motion on immigration :"That owing to the scarcity of agricultural labour the Government be asked to further assist W granting reduced passages, and also to pro vide, by the appointment of suitable agent!-, that the most suitable class be selected.. In Invercargill last week there * i! " wedding that did not pass off without » hitch. The bridal party and officiating ministers were ready for the service, but the bridegroom was missing. He hac gone, through a misunderstanding, to th«|i wrong church. When he did arrive and all was going merrily, it was discovered that | the marriage license was missing. Tb« | registrar's office being closed, a cab V** i despatched post haste to his resident* The official finished his dinner, while tfft ' ! nervously 'inpatient people and icver* ! hungry ones waited in the church. A Suez mail which left Londor on -Api" 26 will be due from Sydney by the \ ictoi l * on Monday next. Four persons arrested on charges °| r drunkenness and one on a charge of cruel i, to a horse occupied the police cells las night.