LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13481, 4 July 1907, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Tiik following is a copy of a telegram which was sent to the Hon. W. Hall-Jones, Minister for Public Works, yesterday, on behalf of the Auckland branch of the Liberal and Labour Federation:"On the eve of your departure for the Motherland, we desire, on behalf of the Auckland branch of the federation, to convey to you our hearty and grateful appreciation of the valuable services you have, rendered to the colony. We earnestly hope that the wellearned rest you are about to take will re-! store you to your wonted health and vigour. Kia ora.—(Signed), P. J. Nerhkny, president; T. Harle Giles, secretary."

Something m the nature of a sensation happened in connection with the proceedings at the Nautical Court yesterday in connection with the inquiry concerning the wreck of the Kia Ora. On Friday hist the Court was to have given its decision, having then heard all the available members of the crew, but at the last moment it was decided to adjourn to take the evidence of a steersman who had' the wheel in the watch prior to that in which the wreck occurred. In the interim some sensational allegations were made, and yesterday the proceedings assumed a new and startling phase. The man who was at the wheel was closely examined, and the chief steward! was recalled and also closely examined as to whether the chief officer was sober or not, but they swore positively that he was sober. Then two passengers were called, and they told one of the most surprising stories ever heard in a Nautical Court in New Zealand. They not only alleged drinking at Waitara and on board the vessel, but made most serious allegations regarding the conduct of the crew alter the wreck, when on shore, stating that one of them (the witnesses) was obliged to swim besidie the small boat for an hour, although there were then in the boat two heavy dogs, the combined weight of which was equal to that of a man. They further alleged that the women and children were allowed to remain out all night while the crew occupied the shelter; that a blanket was snatched from a lady passenger while her husband was drying her clothes at the hie; and that very little of the provisions reached ; the passengers. A number of other passengers are to be exlamined, and the proceedings are likely to last/over a considerable period. '' "

The official assignee (Mr. E. Gerard) has been notified that Alfred James Nichols, a Raurimu bushman, has filed a petition in bankruptcy. The first meeting. of creditors will be held at Auckland on Friday, July 12.

An event of interest to pigeon and canary fanciers will be the opening, of the annual show held under the auspices of the Newton Pigeon and. Canary Club at the Foresters' Hall to-morrow (Friday). In all sections satisfactory entries" have been received, and full arrangements completed for the judging of the birds to take place during to-morrow morning. The show will be open to the public in the afternoon, and will be continued in the evening, and on Saturday.

Small boys must not play football in the streets. This is the common law of England, and is centuries old; it is also the law of this colony, nevertheless, all small boys may not be aware of the fact, otherwise Archibald and Ralph Kaley would not have played ball in Ponsonby Road, and as the result of their folly been haled before the justices at the Police Court yesterday, where a policeman solemnly related the heinousness of their offence. They did not plead guilty—boys never do but one of them, with a civis-Romanum-sum air, held up a small toy ball and boldly asked the Bench if Their Worships considered that it bore any resemblance to the ovate article which is popularly supposed by our enemies to be the leather fetish of our beloved country. "We had only just bought the ball," said the lad, "and were only just testing it." At that moment a policeman came along and pointed out to the boys the seriousness of the case. The Bench took a merciful view of the affair and discharged 1 the boys on the payment of 9s costs. Notwithstanding the increase in the population of Rotonia, the criminal statistics for the quarter ended Juno 30 show that the ' offences exceed those of last year by only ; two, which '(writes our correspondent) '< speaks volumes for the police in keeping the ' town clear of undesirables, and is further < proof of the law-abiding people residing in ' Rotorua.

A sensation was caused at the Police Court yesterday, at the adjournment of a case in which a husband was charged with failing to maintain his wife. Mr. C. C. Kettle, S.M., had already induced the man and his wife to reconsider their domestic relations, but the only difficulty was the custody of the child during the "drawing up of the agreements. . The defendant had not long left the Court when a woman's shriek* were heard from the Court steps. Then it was found that the husband had taken the baby out of the perambulator and made off with it.

; A' respected resident of Mount Eden, in the person of Mr. Samuel Harding, C.E., pissed away at Taihape last week. The deceased was born at Limerick, and came out to the colony in the early sixties. He was engaged professionally in connection with the construction of the railway line south of Auckland, when it was started, and subsequently upon works on the Kui' para, line. He has lived in retirement at Mount Eden for many years, and went to [Taihape on a visit to his son. As he had ! reached the advanced age of 85 years it is thought that the journey and the cold J weather had hastened his death. The body has been brought to Auckland, and will be| interred at Waikumete to-morrow.

Tho only inmates of the police cells last I night were three persons arrested on charges of drunkenness, one on a charge of j (committing a breach of the peace, a.ud an- j other on a charge of indecency. 1

• A proposal is on foot to erect a «,-> *to-tLb memory of the ] 4 Tw^ o'*0'* . Right.Hen. B. J. «eddo„, „ e 1 ,' f •Oak Hold. ,1,,,,,,, ~*,, m ] '°^ , Mount Uoskill ii, w d Board «» M '?* "' Ul * .in the chairman (Mr (' Jld ."• "*> . . Hut the Onehnnga Jion.ugh ' [vj,!, if? 4 I [agreed to contribute J!;iO,\l,il/,''.'. ** .hung* branch of the fibc-l/ i?? ' ' federation 1,,.,,! .!,., ' idea, In. MiJ, w »i to ~,,_ a ,„,,„;*? masonry structure, which would b, ~,*' . lawful - and ornamental, ill( would provL*•.! shade in the summer and .vl,,H,v in the " iter, and would he lit up at nig^C ; it would 1,, |wsslWe Io cut m the , j heddon from the solid niuonnr •{•{« place would he 24ft round each ;id P V > would form nice shelter fur people for trams. On the motion of Mr. Iwio the Board decided to vole £40 towards the cost, of the structure. •

I hut Wwigauui must, to spite of b».t roads and want of inland communication .secure a large share of the trade with th« i Main Trunk railway districts is becotnine more evident, despite the gloomy prognostic cations of diversion of trade to Pahnewtoa and Wellington (says the Wangle j Herald). Wholesale merchants of the tow tt report excellent business with the districts along the route of the railway, »ad one firm states that already the bulk of the trade with the districts mentioned' is [» Wanganui hands, and that there is so cause for fear that, if properly developed, the business now being done will he transferred to Wellington houses.

" The ' good old days,' " said a lecturer at. Whiteley Church, New Plymouth, last, week, " were bad old days. The best dav the world ever saw is to-day, and a better will be to-morrow." Ho was referring ac the moment to the brutalities of th« old convict systems, and mentioned some of the sights related to him by an old resfdent of Norfolk Island, where the neck, shoulders, and back of the Hogged were covered with the purple weals of the lash, and strong men who refused to cry out under the torture went rolling and staggering about in their pain. Those old days could hardly be held as "good old 'days."

" What are the privileges of a member of Parliament?" was a pointed question put to Mr. J. T. Hogan, M.H.1?., at the con- . elusion of a recent address in the Wangantri » Opera. House. Mr. Hogan said a member had a free puss over the* Government railways, but his time was always so occupied that the weekly journeys to and from Wellington was almost the only trip he could find time to make. He was allowed to telegraph 36 words for 6d, and could post his official letters free from the House when it was sitting, but all other letters lie had to pay postage on. He had also an allowance of 10s a day for both the. opening and closing days of Parliament (£1 in all) if he were in his place, but not otherwise. Another; privilege was that lie could not be summoned while the House was sitting, but, he added humorously, no doubt his" creditors would come pretty heavily on him when li's term was over.