LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13673, 14 February 1908, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

On account of the large amount of advertising matter, and also vo ensure correct classification, advertisers for Saturday's issue of the Herald are requested to send in their advertisements as early as' possible to-day. In the course of his address at Waihi last night, the Prime Minister referred to the value to the country of Ministerial tours through the Dominion, and stated that lie and his colleagues would always keep in close touch in this way with the people. He gave a review of the work of the present Administration, particularly devoting attention to the Acts placed upon the Statute Book last session. As the result of one of these, he said, the. Urewera Country was to be thrown open in a week, or two, and would be available then for the purpose of prospecting for gold and coal. This was a portion of the country, he slated, where there must be hidden minerals. After consulting with the chief sanitary inspector as to the effect of the Sale of Food and Drugs Act, 1907, upon the inspection previously made by officers of the City Council to prevent adulteration of milk, the town chirk reported, at the City Council last evening, that the new Act, which came into force.on January 1, repealed the Adulteration Prevention Act, 1880, under which the Council's officers acted. The new Act contained provisions whereby samples of food might bo taken for purposes of analysis, but the person authorised to take such samples was entitled "any officer," and under the interpretation this meant, " An officer of the Health Department or person appointed for the purpose by the Governor." The Council was, therefore, relieved of any liability for preventing adulteration, the onus being transferred to the Health Department. Should the Council deem it expedient that its officers should have power to take samples for analysis, application should be jiade to have those officers appointed under the Act. The Act provided that the Governor could make regulations for prescribing standard of weight, strength, etc., of any food or drug. It was very desirable that these regulations should be made as soon as possible, so that the provisions of the Act might be given effect to, as the former standards under the Adulteration Act had been repealed. The question was referred to the Finance Committee. Mr. T. E. Donne, general manager of the Tourist Department, will have charge of the new Advertising Department which the Government intends to establish. Mr. Donne's Department already controls the advertising in the Kailway Department's time-tables, having taken over this feature, as a notice explains, "in order to ensure the publication appearing in a form which will make it a valuable source of information and attractive to the public." In its endeavour to "-catch the tourist" this Department has always had a good deal to do with advertising.

A young man named William Jenkins, of Qtahuhu, met with a serious accident yesterday morning, the circumstances being somewhat peculiar. He was driving a three-horse team to the city, the middle animal being a young one, and when near the Harp of Erin Hotel this horse became fractious and kicked out wildly, catching young Jenkins on the leg and breaking it. The sufferer, after being attended to, wits removed to his homo.

Thomas McConncll, tailor,. of Auckland, wae adjudged a bankrupt yesterday;,

At present lite northern railhead of the Main Trunk' lino is at Waimarino, but the railis are '■ now -being laid - to Kroa, 44 miles further south, and trains will nm there regularly some tittle in March. Makalohe. the site of the big viaduct, wilt ha the' nest stage, and lbs advancing locomotive will bs in that neighbourhood by the'end of .'-March or early in April. Then the gap to the southern railhead will be ' 14 ■; miles., Mere progress is not likely to be expeditious, for: the section contains a succession of embankments, viaducts, bridges, and tunnels. The first obstruction to rapid progress in a southerly direction, is the Makatote viaduct, 257 ft high. The contract is expected to be completed in six months, but the Public' Worsts Department hopes to be waiting' with the railhead on the southern side of the gorge Long before that time. One big viaduct, north of Ohaknne, the Toamii, ;is now finished. Hapuawhenuft viaduct, of 957 ft, the longest on the line, is bring constructed by the Department. The crntr.-u.-tor tor Makatote viaduct has a bridge to complete before the railheads can join.

Speaking at Waihi last evening the Prime Minister claimed that the Act. which required Chine* r to pass an education test, was a belter method for limiting their numbers here than increasing the poll-tax. If increased, the poll-tax would still be paid as it was now by wealthy Chinese, with the result that the Chinese coming here had to remain until they hud paid off the amount tc the man who had advanced it. Therefore, if it were increased to £1000 we should have to keep the Chinaman hero till Judgment Day. With the education test, however, there was no getting in without a knowledge of English, and even a bribe of £1000" could not give them that. It was his opinion that wo ought not to allow the Chinese to como into New Zealand at all.

The possible effect of the proposed drainage scheme : upon the fish and oysters in the Auckland Harbour is dealt with by MY. Hamer, the Harbour Board engine***, in his report upon the subject. He says: — "Outbreaks of typhoid fever have been traced directly to oysters infected by sewage, and, generally, to oysters exposed to contamination within a short distance of the point of discharge. Though one-third of the world's oyster supply came from their district, the Baltimore Commissioners held that 'as no oysters, existed within five or six miles of the outfall, the chalice of infection was too remote to be of weight,', They also found that most varieties of fish 'thrive on fresh sewage, and its contained bacteria, and us these are cooked before being eaten no harm need be apprehended.' In connection with the sanitary condition of New York Harbour, the Commission found that fish caught in the harbour did not seem to have given evidence of impairment of their meat due to polluting matters, except at a certain time in the past from special causes, such as the outpouring of petroleum and other industrial wastes. The valuation of the oysters taken annually was £180,000, the catch of shad was valued at £22,000, and interference with these fisheries was not considered serious."

When a ratepayer complained to the City Council that tree*- growing in tho street adjacent to his property were interfering with the useful purpose of his kitchen chimney, it was proposed by one of the members of the Council that the trees should be out away. Mr. A. J. Entrican, however, put in a plea for the trees. He said it was a grea> 'pity the city had not got more trees in its streets. The matter should be referred to the Works Committee, and the committee should visit the place before agreeing to cut down any trees. This suggestion was adopted. . ?

Nob. 1 and 2 companies Garrison Artillery continued their competitive shooting at Fort Takapuna last evening, when the six-pounder quick-firers were used. Firing did not commence until late in the evening, and owing to the bad light it was impossible to signal the number of hits from the target ship to the officers at the fort* The records are kept on the boat, however, and the result will be available to-day. No. 1 Company got 20 shots away in lm. 22s.—a Dominion record, but their shooting did not appear to bo quite j as successful as that of No. 2 Company, who took two seconds longer. | At. the meeting of the One-tree Hill Domain Board on Wednesday, various suggestions were put forward as to the desirableness of effecting improvements to the 1 grounds, including the erection of notice boards and. sign posts with explanatory notes as to topography, the formation of additional drives, etc., the classification of the various woods by means of attached tablets, and the planting of more trees and shrubs. As no improvements, however, could bo effected without the necessary cash the discussion lapsed into one of finance. The chairman (Sir G. M. O'Rorke) proposed that the Government should be asked for an additional grant of £100 per annum, and offered to writs to the Prime Minister on the subject. It was decided to authorise the chairman to take such steps as he might deem necessary in connection with the matter. Both the first and the second prizes of- ' fered by the Institute of Surveyors of I New South Wales in a recent essay competition were won by members of the New Zealand Institute of Surveyors. The, title of the essay in question was "The Subdivision of Town, Suburban, and Country Lands." Mr. Thomas Ward, of Wellington, gained first prize, and Mr. Walter F. Robinson, of Ilokilika, second award. The winning essay appears in full in the December number of the Surveyor, the official organ of the institute. The City Council has received a suggestion from the Minister for Agriculture that a conference he held with the chief inspector of stock (Mr. E. Clifton) with a view to securing greater efficiency in the distribution of Auckland's milk supply. The Council has decided to ask Mr. Clifton to visit Auckland for the purpose of discussing the question. The following is an extract from the report of the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce for the year ended December 31 last: " A scheme to run a steamer from Fiji to Apia, to connect with the Vancouver boats for the mail, is contemplated, or to make arrangements with the new 'Frisco line to call at Samoa. But the money has so far not been granted." When the case which was partly heard yesterday has been disposed of, there will only remain four persons to take their trial at tho present criminal sessions at the Supreme- Court, including the private prosecution in which Constable Finlayson has been indicted for assault. The other cases are of a serious character. The charge of infanticide, preferred against Florence Farodale, will most likely be proceeded with on, Monday, and it is expected to last for several, days. I It is interesting to notice how the bailing of large steamers like the Mauretaiia is regarded by Germans. In the last annual report of the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce, appears the following: —" Whether -tho new turbine steamers' M&urotaaia and Lasitania will be a financial success is extremely doubtful, as ' the eoal-eonswip-ting is exorbitant, the turbine not hiving decreased it as compared with 6tea» engines." . .' *; : ; |

The work of extending the FdearcMMi rifo ■ range from BOOyeb to lOGQjrds hut, now been ■competed, and. intending Trent-ham coinpetitors Anil be pleased to leant thai It will be thrown 'open for publico to -ftorrow. Auckland riflemen have long been hampered by the want <»f » long-dislinw range, and at Jhi Now Z-:;il:'tid «h;mi, pjonship meetings, have always been able to hold their own. till firing took P^oi'■?•* "- the longer ranges. . Then they fell?'lff '■ pieces, owing to wont ul practice.ovci the distance. Now that this difficulty las been overcome, our representatives Jtrt*y be expected, to' be found nearer iho top in the future. | His Honor 'Mr. Janice Edwards h-fr'j. disposed to hold a night sitting at .'Supreme Court again Inst evening, but fa the jury did not. appear to incline favourablv towards the proposition, and the Crown Proroi-ntur (Hi Hon. -I A. IV?) : nave vent to a dtsssi>t'lsded immuur, th-> learned judge did not pre** the point, and the* Court rose shortly after six p.m. in.

"the price of sheep just now it & U-iJi. tious Question amongst fawners in the Eketahuna district, and while the drougHt continue* there appears no possibility <>(%■ 'satisfactory solution of the problem. A I well-known settler inferred an Eketuhuni .4 Express reporter that the position was he'; I coming acute owing to the fact that out- h side markets, when* settlers v.vre wont "if | get rid of their superfluous stock*, vertl offering no better inducements than \he f local market. His opinion was that iht • outlook for shoepfarmers throughout the Dominion was the opposite to promising. ,-f ; :

. The Northern Company's steamer .\;.r pottri, which left for the Great Barrier at midnight on Wednesday, returned to |><»rt .. at nine a.m. yesterday. Early yett&rdsj morning the steamer's engines suddenly failed, when it was discovered that the blades of one of the propellers had btott stripped. Captain Huultain, ass booh as tbe :, casualty was reported by the chief engineer, decided to return to Auckland. On being placed on the hard it was found that the- . blades of the propellers had been completely stripped. Whether it occurred by, striking a sunken- log or by tho heavy sea which the steamer encountered on her passage is a moot point. I "We have no right to consider outside, ; boroughs; they won't come into a ' Greater : Auckland'," suid Mr. C. J. Purr, in speak-s ing on the question of baths at last flight's meeting of the City Council. Tho Mayor (Mr. A. M. Myers) remarked tint. Mr. Panhad no reason to make such a- statement, whereupon the councillor repeated his lack of hope, notwithstanding, ho mi hi. that His Worship was the soul of optimism. "It "■' is not our duty," Mr. Parr went on.to Kay, "to provide Newmarket with baths, dirty ' "v. as it may be." The Mayor said ha hoped . at no distant date to welcome Newmarket as a portion of the greater city :of the . •' future. ' '

A reference to the question of the .new , Auckland railway station was made by ■+ the president of the Chamber of Comnicrce (Mr. N. Alfred Nathan), at yes- j terday's meeting of the council of that J body. Ho stated that ho had been in- j formed by Sir Joseph Ward that the Go- | vernment proposed to erect a station of j which tho citizens of Auckland would Jj have every reason to be proud. There | would be seven platforms in connection \ with the station, and it wo." e&W pfo- :.:| posed to enlarge the goods sheds to a con- < siderable extent. The work, the Prime ;! Minister had intimated, would not bo de- | layed any longer than was necessary. " ■ j,

Subsequent to the accident which Oc- \\ curred Rome time ago, at the corner of ; : Symonds-etreefc and ; --.wWiitf'a-'.'< tramcar ran into a lorry, tno\Oity CoiHicil i* suggested to the Tramways Company the ;-: ■ desirableness of making liaat-fitreef^-^im-f pulsory stopping place for all cars runnifiM down Symonds-street. The general mana- » ger of the Tramways Company has agreed f with the view of the Council in this mat J tor, and is accordingly issuing instructions I to give effect to the suggestion. I

For some time past Mr. William Austin, of Mount Smart Road, Onehnnga., has ndfered several severe losses, owing to/his sheep being worried by dogs. The Blest loss sustained consists of 10 sheep tilled outright, sis which cannot be preserved, and 7 which have evidently been driven away terrified, making in all 33. ;. The special commissioner (Mr. C. Teatch}, who has been despatched by President Roosevelt to inquire into the mining law* of Australia and New Zealand, is expected to arrive in Auckland next week. Mr. Veatch has already concluded his tour of the Commonwealth, and is now in Wellington. The United States Consul-oene4l is making arrangements for an interview between Mr. Veatch and jtlio heads of the mining industry in" the district, /-, I A report upon a suggested' deviation of the East Coast 'railway presented by the Railways Committee the Chamber of Commerce, at yesterday's meeting of the council of the Chamber. At a previous meeting a letter wai received from the Bay of Plenty Railway League asking, the Chamber to utfe its influence against a proposed deviation from Rakanroa through the Tahora/Block to Roto'rua. The Railway Committee, io whom the letter was referred, reported that in its opinion the suggested/deviation was undesirable, and that the/Motu-Opotiki route, as at present proposes, should be adhered to. So far, however, as the committor could ascertain, there was no likelihood of the Government ag/eeing to such a deviation as proposed, but in the event of it being taken into consideration the Chamher should support the protest made, by the Bay.of Blenw League. After a short discussion the report was adopted.

Patrons of His Majesty's Theatre will .■ ■ regret to karri of the death of Thomas i Barrett, a yopg man, jjMto occupied the position of d#>rkeepi3r at the. dress circle \ for several years. The deceased, who was j of a most courteous disposition, was not \ strong physjr&Uy, and fell a victim to con- '■ sumption, flying on Wednesday night. f There still/remains a small debt to bo dis- if charged in/connection with his illnese, and i some friends have expressed a desire tcjji have a jhemorial placed over his grave, i'i A subscfiption-list towards this object has jf been opined by Mr. Mabee, representative '* of the /cssees of His Majesty's Theatre. || The/ City Council last night resolved, jjj on the recommendation of the Finance ;. i. Committee, to, urge the architects for th« j* ! new abattoirs to push on the execution of jl 1 the/contracts in connection with the new j, biddings as quickly as possible. H /The proposed inquest on the body of Mr. J. 8. Litherland, who died suddenly ■ I /at his residence at Grecnlano on Wednes- $ day, ha* been dispensed with, Dr. Carodan, who attended deceased lor several g years, having, .stated that he was pre • | pared to give a certificate of death: ' ! ' The training ship Amokura berthed at- 1 the Calliope Dock Wharf yesterday. Th« g vessel remains in port until Tuesday next, 1 when she leaver for the guif and Mangonu I for training manoeuvres. fy A telegram received by Sub-Inspector ] Gordon -yest-eixUy, reported the sudden ■£ death of Margaret Hogg, aged 72 years, at. '; Mangapeehi, on Wednesday. An inquest /■: has been dee'ded on„ - {•■: