LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13626, 20 December 1907, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS

On account of the large amount of advertising matter, and also to ensure correct classification, advertisers for Saturday's issue of the Hkualu are requested to send in their advertisements as early as possible to-day.

In replying to a vote of thanks for his attendance at the Choral Hall last evening, in connection with the Auckland Grammar School prize distribution, the Governor, Lord Phmket, said he had noticed that the headmaster had, in his report, defended athletics against a . small number who thought sport was made too much of in New Zealand. His Excellency agreed with Mr. Tibbs. At all events, in Auckland, he said, we iiad reached the stage of having carried off all the athletic prizes worth having in the country. (Applause.) j' There were a few scholarships existing in the Dominion, however, and ho suggested tliat attention should now bo turned to these a- remark that was received with applause.

In a report submitted to the City Council last evening by the Electric and Tramways Committee, it was stated that the traffic inspector had made out a list of the extra tramcar journeys run under the revised time-table, and this showed that the revised time-table provided for 65 cars, as against 55 or 56 under the old time-table's. The committee recommended that the timetable should be referred back to the Tramways Company, with a request that provision he made for 70 cars instead of 65, and the manager to be informed that the committee considered the company should obtain the sanction of the' citizens by vote to continuous Sunday running, before asking the sanction of the Council, in view of the promise given when Sunday running was first authorised.

" The more I look into the matter,' the more I would urge the application of gentle official pressure on the boys of our endowed secondary schools towards the undertaking of light military service." Thus Mr. J. W. Tibhs, M.A., headmaster of the Auckland Grammar School, in his annual report. "It would give a double advantagesecurity against invasion, and the profitable employment of part, of the leisure of the more numerous body of our lads and young men whose average powers do not lit them for gaining distinction in athletic contests. These would find great benefit, and, I think, enjoyment from what Milton describes as having in sport served out the rudiments of their soldiership in all the skill of cabattling, marching, encamping, fortifying, besieging, and battering, with all the helps of ancient and modem stratagem, tactics, and warlike maxims. I earnestly commend to parents and boys, both past and present, tin- work of the National League of New Zealand, an association which seems to have adapted Milton's ideal to the needs of our own time." ..

Commenting last night at the City Council meeting upon the attitude of outside local bodies in public matters, Mr. A. J. Entrican said that representatives of these bodies were very prone to agree to proposals made by the City' Council, and.afterwards to go back to their own districts and •'run the Council down." If the outside local bodies were so much better able to manage tramway matters than the City Council (the matter under discussion was a proposal for a consultative local bodies' scheme in connection with tramways), they had better take them over. - The Mayor (Mr. A. M. Myers) conjectured that the attitude of local bodies was due to a desire to put oft" what they knew «u coming—a Greater Auckland, **

"It is in a most disgraceful condition in regard to lighting and other matters," said Dr. Sharman in referring to the city morgue in the course of his evidence at an inquest yesterday. He said that there were not even ordinary facilities for the washing of one's hands; frequently there was no soap and sometimes there was not even a towel; "and the approach to the place," added the Coroner (Mr. Oresham), "is something shameful." On the day on which a recent post-mortem examination was held, when heavy . rain was falling, the approach*to the morgue for a distance of some 15ft was, he said, covered with about four inches of water.

During the course of his remarks in his lecture in Wellington, Lieutenant Shackleton, the leader of .the Antarctic expedition, described King Edward Vll.'s Land as the first territory to be added to the Empire during His Majesty's reign—not perhaps the most fertile of his dominions, but certainly the most peaceful—a piece of quiet humour which the large audience fully appreciated. The audience showed great interest in the realistic pictures of the pack ice and the barrier, that great wall of ice from which the bergs break, off and float northwards. The lecturer referred to the cable stating that a multitude of icebergs had been encountered by a ship sailing from New York to Melbourne. Ho said that this, though it might be inconvenient to some navigators, was good news for the Antarctic expedition, because it betokened an open summer in those regions.

' Mr! C. C. Kettle; S.M., at a sitting of the Police Court yesterday morning, intimated that he did not want the time of the Court to be wasted by dilatory solicitors, or anyone else, for that matter. 'A breathless member of the legal fraternity had just arrived late, and pleaded the arbitrary eussedness of his timepiece as a cause for the delay, His Worship remarking, meaningly, that his time was valuable, and that in future it would be well to facilitate the business by being punctual. While on the subject of Police Court methods, it may be mentioned that yesterday a solicitor was obliged to swear his own witness in the absence of any official.

In the course of her report, read last night on the occasion of the distribution of prizes, Miss A. W. Whitelaw, M.A., headmistress of the Auckland Girls' Grammar School, stated that the best education for a girl must be such as "would help her. to compete, when necessary, with man; it must in nowise unfit her for the life she was called upon primarily to leadthe managemsnt of a home and $10 training of children. "Unless we can secure this," added Miss Whitelaw, "we are not doing our duty by the country, which spends large sums of money on education, with the hope of getting thorough and able citizens. It has been said that with the efficiency and true worth of its womankind, a. State must surely rise or fall. Therefore, it must be our aim to provide an education which twill lit each girl to realise and to accept the responsible part she is expected to take in the development of a great Dominion."

A letter was received by the City Council last night /rom the president and vicepresident of the Cabmen's Union, in which complaints were made regarding the Council's traffic inspector. In conjunction with this letter a communication was read from 62 cabdrivers disclaiming any connection with the complaints in question, and stating that they had always found the officer in question firm and impartial in the performance of his duties. • .The matter was referred to the Finance Committee, the union officials to be asked to specify their complaints in writing.

On Wednesday evening, at Wesley Hall, over 250 of the poor children of the city regardless of denomination— invited to tea by Sister Howard, of Pitt-street Methodist Church. The ladies of the congregation and the Rev. J. A. Luxford assisted the sister in 4»er work. After a sumptuous tea, each child received a Christmas gift. The appreciation of Sister Howard's work and gift was voiced by cheers, led off by one of the lads present. This Christmas tea and gift presentation to the poorer children of the city has become an annual fixture.

An accident oecured at the corner of Wellesley and Coburg Streets yesterday morning. The Auckland cricketers had driven into town from Onehunga in a drag drawn by five horses. As the horses were turning the corner into Co-burg-street one . of the leaders slipped, and owing to the weight of the drag, and the fact that it was going downhill, the vehicle could not be pulled up immediately. The-horse which fell was trampled upon by the three shatters, and was then dragged underneath the vehicle. It kicked furiously for a few seconds, but was released after the others had been taken out of the drag. The animal was very badly lacerated about the legs and shoulders.

, The Albert-street baths formed the subject of a short discussion at the City Council meeting last evening, and it was decided to fix Monday nights as ladies' club nights, Tuesday nights for the Y.MIC.A. Club, Wednesday and Fridays to be men's open nights, and Thursdays ladies' open nights. The city engineer was instructed to report, with estimates of cost, on the question of the proposed Shelly Beach baths, as altered by the Harbour Board's amended proposals regarding the line of the Ponsonby esplanade.

t The Wanganui River steamers have now resumed their summer time-table. Boats leave Wanganui daily, Mondays excepted, and Pipiriki daily, with the exception of Tuesdays. From TaUmaruhui, the terminus with the central railway, boats will leave every second day— Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. The new bathhouses at Pipiriki mineral springs are being greatly appreciated. The water for drinking purposes is, as Dr. Wohlmann, the Government balueologist, pointed out, proving extremely beneficial in cases of dyspepsia.

A young married woman, wife of Mr. Adolph Claude, of Otahuhu, died suddenly at her residence yesterday morning. The deceased arose from her bed about three o'clock to get a drink of water, and on returning to her room expired. An inquest will not be necessary, the doctor, who had been attending her having certified that death was due to heart trouble.

At one time the major portion of the correspondence laid before the City Council used to be from the Tramways Company, but, latterly the letter-writing has gradually dwindled to almost nothing. The shortest letter yet received from the company was read last evening. This communication was to the point; it said: "I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter of the 25th udt., and the matter to which you refer shall have our careful consideration."

According to the Labour Journal for December the number of men employed on the railways in the Auckland province is as follows: — Kawakawa-Grahamtown, *67; Helensville Northwards, 101; GisborneBotorua,- 23; North Island Main Trunk, .1375*

The funeral of the laU King' Oscar of Sweden took place yesterday, information to that effect having been received by Mr. Sidney J. Nathan Vice-Consul for Sweden at Auckland) The flag at the Consular office was flown at half-mast.

Entries for the forthcoming meeting of the Auckland Rifle Association, which is to be held on January 1 and 2, are coming to hand freely, and the promoters are confident that the meeting will prove the most successful yet held by the association. Prize money to the extent of £170 is offered for competiton in addition to several trophies. The total number of entries received to date is 600, many competitors, of course, having entered *for all events, but it is anticipated that when the meeting commences there will be 100 competitors or more in each match.

A resolution, which will have the effect of removing disqualifications passed at the annual meeting of the North Island Poultry Association on July 30 upon certain persons who had exhibited at the Winter Show, was carried by 11 votes to three at a meeting of the association at Hawera on -Wednesday. The Palmerston North, M'anawatu, and Hastings delegates opposed the motion.

In connection with Die proposed Waikov/hai Bay reserve, «nd the Ridge Road improvements in the Mount Roskill district, a deputation from the Methodist Mission Trust, consisting »f the Rev. J. H. Simmonds, Mr. C 4. W. Gunson, and Mr. P. E. Cheal, architect, met Messrs. Cha*. Bagley and J. Haslett, of the Mount Roskill Road Board, on Wednesday afternoon, and went over the ground. After discussing the situation a,* very satisfactory arrangement was arrived at, and to-day the engineer will go out and. survey sind lay oft* the reserve site and roads. Mr. Bagley has been empowered to make all arrangements for the poll respecting the proposed loan for the road-making work, and this will be held about six weeks' hence.

A curtain caught alight in a house owned by Mrs. Mills, in Cook-street, shortly after nine o'clock last evening, and the services ot the City Fire Brigade were requisitioned, but the flames had been extinguished by the lime the brigade arrived on the "scene.

The Mount Eden Domain Board, in pursuance of a policy of brightening the surroundings of the mountain as a pleasure resort, desire to place drinkhjg taps in suitable positions, and the City Council last night considered a letter from the Board asking permission to connect with the city main at the reservoir level to feed'two taps, one on each side of Mount Eden., The Board offered to provide necessary pipes and also to prevent waste of waiter. The request was acceded to, subject to the waterworks engineer reporting favourably upon it. ' Three sailors' charged'. with deserting their vessel, and a woman apprehended on a charge of vagrancy, were the occupants of the police cells last night. J '