LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13456, 5 June 1907, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Some rather peculiar evidence was given at the Supreme Court yesterday in a case in which a laundress wa* charged with stealing linen, which had been sent to her establishment to be washed. She said, that when the articles sent did not tally with the list that always accompanied them, she would not inform the customer, but would, if there was a shortage, replace the missing articles with some of her own, or if there were any over she would keep them, and place them to the " over count" reserve. The "over counts," she said, were generally kept in the laundry businesses she had had experience in. The " over count" was chiefly made up of articles sent for washing that were not included in the list. In her own case, from sending articles of her own to replace shortages, she had gradually got rid of about £50 worth of her own. household linen This practice, His Honor, in summing up, described as "immoral, ridiculous, impossible, and inconceivable.*' The foreman of the jury, when announcing a verdict of not guilty, said, " Wo think this 'over-count' system should bo put a stop to." His Honor: "I will go further than that, and say that the 'over-count' system never existed." ;

It. was unofficially announced a week or two ago that as the outcome of the investigations recently made in regard to the Auckland oyster fisheries by the Hon. J. A. Millar (Minister for Marine) a portion of the Ponui Island beds would be opened this season. Official confirmation cf this is contained in a .telegram received yesterday by the Collector of Customs, Auckland (Mr. J. Mills), from the Marine "Department at Wellington. Ihe message states that "That part of Ponui Island on the western side of a line drawn from Ponui Passage Lighthouse to Chamberlin's Wharf at the northern end of the island" is to be opened from to-morrow (Thursday) morning. The opening of these beds is expected, to attract a ; large A number ,of pickers, as the other beds already opened are said to. have been fairly well exploited. Tip till yesterday 52 oyster-pickers' licenses had been taken out. . ' ' - <

Mr. J. Milward, inspector of the Pacific cable, spent a busy day in Auckland yesterday in connection with the departure of H.M.c.s. on a cruise to the stations as far as Fanning Island. Mr. Mil ward called upon the officer in charge of telegraphs, Mr. Ballard. The Iris leaves for Norfolk Island, via Doubtless Bay, to-day.

The Auckland Weekly News, published to-day, contains a very large variety of interesting and high-class illustrations. Prominent among them may be mentioned a fine series on the double-page of beautiful scenes in both islands of New Zealand. Included among the pictures of recent events are these of the Auckland Pacing Club's Winter Meeting, interprovincial lacrosse contest (Auckland v. Wellington), University "capping" ceremony, Wanganui Jockey Club's Winter Meeting, loss of the Dakota, terrible fire on a cargo steamer, Sir Joseph Ward in London, opening of a new road between Pukekohe and Ake Ake, the latest addition to the Union Steam Ship Company's fleet, Empire Day celebrations in Christchurch, the 1 school cadets who won the North Island challenge shield, and an imposing picture of the Australasian squadron. The mis: cellaneous pictures are Exceedingly varied, and noticeable amongst them is a splendid view of Lyttelton Harbour, and grassseeding scenes on Banks' Peninsula. I

Shippers of poultry are strongly advised by Mr. H. . 0. Cameron, New Zealand Produce Commissioner at London, to refrain from sending inferior birds to the British market. In a letter dated April 23, Mr. Cameron informs the Department of Industries and Commerce that a consignment! sent to the metropolis recently included birds that had been apparently old hens, and looked as . if they had been stored for a considerable time in a freezer, for they were bleached, and all their bloom had fled. Former arrivals of chickens and ducks had given satisfaction, and had realised 2s 9d to 3s 3d each for chickens, and 3s 6d to 4s for ducklings. London, however, did not want poor birds, and consequently he would not guarantee over Is each for such specimens as he had described. There was a ready sale at payable prices for good sorts reaching London during the English spring.

One of % the hemp regulations recently issued by the Agricultural Departmentprohibits the exportation of fibre which has been rejected by the Government graders. The Hemp Committee of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce considers that the prohibition should be removed, and it has arranged to wait upon the Minister for Agriculture, and to represent that flaxmillers will suffer severe loss if they are restricted to New Zealand for a market for the hemp which the experts will not grade. The committee holds that the reputation which New Zealand nemp has gained in other countries will not suffer if rejected hemp is exported for manufacture into articles for which fibre passed by the graders could not be profitably used.

A serious accident . befel Mr. J. Bruns, tailor, of Newton, on Monday evening. He was travelling in a College Hill tramcar when he put his head out of a window to speak to a person in the street, the result being that he was struck on the side of the head by one of the centre poles. His head was considerably bruised, and bis ear was also lacerated. He was attended by Dr. Hanly, and afterwards sent to his home in Crummer Road, where he is now progressing favourably. Mr. Bruns was wearing a hard felt hat, which was considerably battered, but it is considered that this saved him from more serious injury.

A ration asked « witness by a n,^ «>1 I ' lC ' s,ir at tin-. ««p,,. n , c Court yerter'W drew > Dn ,e rather pointed Knurls, from Mr Justice Dcntiisl«.». I>- Jr the '0f at Ik-ft, ease tin- name of tii- informer ir M divulged, and '.iter 'it «'»r.inferred tlhi her action bad beea prompted by 4J Mr. Lundon, who wjjs defending. proceed, ed to question the prisoner as to the a I Wed - friction that existed between her ami th« < informer. His Honor intervened, and a*fc„". cd the reason of the question, which be considered irrelevant, Mr. Lund,,., S4tf{ , in explanation, that he bad wen the' ffirl informant about the Court, and) was ",,. tieipating probabilities'." His Honor « x ! pressed surprise that a gentleman of ib« Bar should consider that answers to mh questions were evidence, and that he ufoi them because be anticipated that somebody might be called to say something. >{" Lundon said be wished to establish the truth of the allegation as to friction. Hi* Honor said that it waj ridiculous, arid hard to realise that a gentleman of the Al should not know better than that. Tfe* Hon. J. A. To!«- ended the matter with the remark, " I have closed my case; whv th« anticipating?" His Honor: " Yes, 0 i course it is ridiculous." Th- f cvgrthmhuk». „e T

The Tyser liner Star of Japan arrived from London and Australia yesterdw with a large cargo of general merchandise. Th« steamer is the latest of the fine fleet of the Tyser Line trading between London. Au» tralia, and New Zealand, and is now on ht\ second voyage. On leaving London »h< had 12,000 tons of cargo on board, part ot which was discharged at Melbourne and Sydney. For New, Zealand she had about 5000 tons, over 2000 tons of which are for Auckland. The Star of Japan, on discharge at Auckland, leaves for the South, and after taking in cargo returns tc Auckland to complete her loading for London. This will be the final port of departure in the colony, the steamer being timed ■to leave on her Homeward voyage about June 27. - ' ;'/ .'...'

From time to time dining the present sessions at the Supreme Court Mr. Justice Denniston has remarked on the' length of time some of the cases take. Yesterday, after having been silting from ten o'clock until five over «■ theft case, His Honor ' made the remark that he was beginning to i realise why the sessions in Auckland take v so long, irrespective of the number of cases, j They had, ho said, spent the whole day trying a case in which there were really only two witnesses.

The exhibits in connection with the sweated industries display, which formed a conspicuous feature at the New Zealand International Exhibition, arrived in Auckland from the South yesterday. ; An immediate start was made in arranging the display in the Council Chambers. At the close of the Exhibition in Christchurch the *• Government decided that this particular , exhibit should bo shown in the various" centres, and it is in pursuance of this decision that Aucklanders will from to-day be able to see under what conditions a portion, at any rate, of the industrial workers of London are compelled to work to earn a livelihood. The exhibit includes numerous varieties of wearing apparel. Owing to another engagement the Mayor will not be able to open the exhibit, but Mr. F. E. Baume.M.H.R., has consented to do so. The opening ceremony will take _ place at half-past two o'clock. A large number of invitations have "been issued . for the opening ceremony, and the general public will be admitted from three o'clock.

Advice was received by Inspector Cullcn yesterday that Robert Gibb, who is. " wanted" on several cliarges of false. pra- , tences in Auckland, and who attempted to reach San Francisco last month, had yesterday left Honolulu in charge of Detective j Miller, of Auckland, by the s.s. Manuka, on his return to Auckland.

.His Excellency Vice-Admiral Fawkes and Commander C.B. Miller, of H.M.S. Pioneer, accompanied by Captain Hugh Boscawen, visited Kauri Gully, Northcote, on Sunday last. , After spending some time in the beautiful bush, which has recently been acquired, by the Government : for scenic purposes, the party returned to Auckland, greatly pleased with the outing. The fine specimen of a kauri tree, ; which makes the locality particularly attractive to visitors to Auckland, was par- | ticularly admired. vjL'he tree referred to was the first kauri Admiral Fawkes had seen. '■ ■' ■.". . ( " The City Council's suggestion that a stationmaster should be appointed at Swanson has not met with the approval of the Railways Department, the town clerk (Mr. 11. W. Wilson) having received a letter from Mr. Ronayne to the effect that upon looking up the returns he is of opinion that " the traffic is altogether insufficient to warrant the expenditure." •

At a sitting of the Assessment Court at Maungaturoto, Mr. Dyer, S.M. , and Messrs. R. Ariell and Alex. : Finlayson ; presiding, the White Pine Company objected to pay rates on land carrying their timber, as it was considered they were not occupiers. The Court decided that they were liable- for the rates. The company then disputed the valuation of 50s per acre, but this was upheld. A further objection was made against the valuation on the standing timber, 9d per hundred. It was stated that seven years ago the company bought the kahikatea at 6d. ' ; The Court considered 9d was a fair value. The company's rates will therefore be considerably increased upon former payments.

There is still a good demand I for firstclass navvies on the Main Trunk railway. Though the Labour Department receives I a good number of applications for employment on the works, considerable difficulty is experienced; in procuring a sufficiency of suitable men, a number having to be weeded out weekly. Last week thirty men were despatched, and the week previous forty men.

The decrees nisi in the case of Samuel James Bramley (petitioner) v. Agnes Bramley and William Day Leslie (co-respondent) was made absolute by the registrar of the Supreme Court yesterday, on the application of "Mr. Sharpies.

I Probate has been granted in the estates of Henry Poole (Mr. Pan), Thomas Owen Williams (Mr. Johnston), and letters of administration have been issued in the estate of Francis Egerton Scverne (Mr. Tole).

i, Owing to the advance in the price of t wheat, which has hardened the quotations for flour, an increase has been made in the 5 price of biscuits. The Master Grocers' Asf sociation has decided to raise the price of ; biscuits one halfpenny per lb all round. ! Under the heading "New Zealand Advice," the London Daily Mail of April 25 publishes the following:—" The following [ telegram was handed in at hah-past one ■ o'clock yesterday afternoon at Auckland, New Zealand, and addressed to the Daily Mail. ' It exemplifies the feeling in that colony concerning the proceeding: of the Imperial Conference: 'Auckland, Wednesday, April 24. Over-seas greetings. Tell the Imperial Conference to take its line from Sir William Lyne, and remind Lord Elgin that England once owned America. P A. Vaile, New Zealand.'" One female and two males, charged with drunkenness, occupied the police cell? last evening.

' Detective Quartermain, of the New Zealand Finger Print Department, scouts as * absurd a statement made by a London paper that two men awaiting trial at Capetown and Bloemfontein respectively have absolutely identical finger prints. Detective Quartermain says that the odds are- a] trillion to one against any two persons giving identical impressions, of two fingers," whilst for the whole 10 fingers the odds would, be many trillions of trillions to one. The markings of each person's fingers are classified, and if it is found that five or six of the characteristics apply in two impressions, the experts are generally satisfied that they are the impressions of the same finger, and they would swear to it when seven correspond. Finger-print impressions are exchanged with Australia and other countries, and by the evidence of identification they afford, the police are enabled to keep an eye on criminals passing from one country to another. '

The Hon. G. Fowlds, Minister for Education, speaking at the Primitive Methodist centenary celebration in Wellington on, Monday night, stated that he had started life in "Scotland as a Presbyterian. When ho went out to South Africa the nearest place of worship in his locality of settlement was a Wesleyan Methodist Church, and he became a Wesleyan, and he did not find the change in any way upsetting. Subsequently, at Capetown, he was married) in a Congregational Church, and on settling in Auckland he had become a Congregationalism finding that Church offering the widest door. In that Church he had now rested for 22 years. •

Determined to see the football cup final at the Crystal Palace, but unwilling to spend money on it, Mr. Guy Tabart, of Christenurck, New Zealand, succeeded, in making the whole trip for Is 9d. Hearing that Mr. Charles Booth, a fellow-citizen, had made the same journey of 13,000 miles for the same purpose at a cost of £200, Mr. Tabart explained to the London Evening News how he travelled at the lower scale. He started .'rom New Zealand with no money, but with a. dres* suit ready to be pawned. He worked his passage on the steamer Orari. He pawned hi? suit for 13s, spent 9d on fares and a shilling for admission to the Crystal Palace, and so realised his intentions. Mr. Tabart is an auctioneer in Christchurch. ,

The steamer Daphne, just built by Mr. W. A. Brown, and engined by Messrs. Gibbons and Harris, to the order of Mr. A. J. Farmer, of Kawau Island, will undergo her official trial trip this afternoon.

A petition is being signed by the residents of Northcote for presentation to the Governor, praying that Northcote may be formed into a borough. Over 50 ratepayers have already .signed the petition.

An inquiry into a recent fire at Te Aroha, by which the Belmont boardinghouse, consisting of 20 rooms, was destroyed, was to have been held on Monday before Mr. R. S. Bush, S.M. The inquiry is the first of its kind held under the State Fire Insurance Act, and it appears; that it should have been ordered by ' the manager of the Insurance Department. The, Bench held that the Court had no jurisdiction, and adjourned the hearing until the 18th inst. to allow • the Crown Prosecutor to obtain the necessary authority to proceed. The premises, were insured for £1000, a portion of which was in the State Fire Office, and a portion" in the Alliance.'

The valuation of buildings erected and alterations made in Wellington for the 12 months ending March 31 (says a Press As- j sociation telegram) ■ was £344,000. Among other recoids- now in the keeping of the Rev. T.. G. Brooke, of New Plymouth, is a valuable baptism register, valuable inasmuch as it contains the record of the first Methodist baptisms there, their ministrations preceding general settlement. The first entry is that giving March, 1841, as the date of the first baptism in the Taranaki Methodist churches, the subjects of . the service, being the children of Richard Barrett (generally remembered as " Dicky" Barrett),. whaler. A separate section of the register contains the list of Maoris baptised in the early days, from February, 1841, to November, 1896. Several hundreds of these baptisms were celebrated by. the Rev. Creed, before the advent of settlement. Among other well-known clergymen the names of the Rev. John Whiteley, Rev. Turton, Rev. John Ironside, Rev. Wm. Kirk, Rev. T. G. Hammond, and Rev. W. Gittos appear in constant repetition. This register is really a historic work, a link with the past. .

A missionary from the New Hebrides, in j describing the life of the native converts, told the following incident. to show the kind of local colouring they introduce into Biblical narratives. "I heard one convert tell to a crowd of dusky brethren the story of Samson. He said that first the enemy tied Samson up with creepers. Samson puffed out his chest and burst the strings. Then they bound him with twined swathes of creepers; but Samson shook himself, and the bands snapped. At this stage the teacher was stuck for a superlative means of expressing the third capture of Samson. At last he bethought himself of a new and awe-inspiring sort ,of '"rope, samples of which had just reached the island. "Then," said he, " the Philistines wrapped Samson up in barbed wire

In Argentine decoy sheep, known as Judas Iscariots, are used to lead others into the stock trains.' These trucks are loaded at the end, and stock can walk from one end to another. In a very few minutes a whole train is loaded or diecharged without the terrible shunting our stock have to put tip with in New Zealand. Sheep are loaded truck by truck '. (at the side) in this country, and every j truck has to be moved to make way for the next. j

A private letter received in Oamarti from •San Francisco gives some idea of the excessive house-rents that have to be paid. In the suburb of Ooakland the occupier of a six-roomed house had to meet in a brief period three successive increases of rent, the last one bringing the amount paid up to £10 a month, or £120 a year. As the tenant could erect a suitable house for about four or rive years' rent, it was decided to forgo the pleasure of living in a house whose value was far beyond the ability of the tenant to pay. The Golden Gate and the Golden Horn are names synonymous with landlord, who must fairly revel in the gold he extracts from the pockets of those who inhabit his.houses.

To clearly demonstrate to delegates of the New South Wales Alliance Conference the different methods connected with the liquor traffic in comparison with the methods of other trades, Mr. F. M. B. Fisher, member of the New Zealand House of Representatives, offered some quaint illustrations. • If you go into a publichouse," he said, ''and you meet a man, - you put down a shilling and ask him to have a drink', but if you go into a draper's shop and meet a man while you are buying socks you don't ask him to have a -pair of socks with you—do you? Nor - would you if you met a man in a butcher's shop ask if he would have a pound 61 beef or a lot of sausages with you! The liquor trade," he went on, '•never reduced its prices. Had anyone ever seen a hotel covered with signs that there was within, a grand winter sale of cheap-long beers?"