LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13699, 16 March 1908, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

An" English mail arrived by the Manuka from Sydney yesterday afternoon. .Personal items and other English mail news appear in this issue. At one o'clock on Saturday afternoon another block occurred in the tramway sen-ice' in Queen-street, the cause being trouble at the power-house, but alter an interval of four minutes the matter was rectified, and the service was resumed. In the evening one of the engines at the power-house again broke down, and despite the efforts of the staff they were unable to get it into working order again. It is hoped, however, to have repairs completed to-day. Last evening, at about nine o'clock, the service was dislocated for the space of about 10 minutes, through an overhead wire coming down at the corner of Queen and Custom Streets. Mr. M. F. Bourke, a prominent flaxmiller, of Wellington, who returned on Saturday from a visit to the Pinko swamp stated to a, Hkrald representative: " One regrettable thing 1 noted was the quantity of drinking and sly grog-selling going on there. This is a matter that requires the "attention of the Commissioner of Police. It is no use the local force trying to cope with the evil, owing to the number of boats from Auckland and elsewhere that are carrying liquor to the natives and the whites employed on the Piako drainage works." It was pointed out. to Mr. Bourke that lie was making a serious charge, whereupon lie reiterated his statements, and added, "In talking over the matter with -the inspector of police at the Thames lie told me lie had done his best to cope with this traffic in drink', but, that some more drastic steps would have to he taken." ' The Northern Company's steamer Karawa, after remaining in port since Thursday last for boiler inspection and overhaul, resumed her west coast time-table yesterday. Although timed to leave for New Plymouth at 3.30 p.m., the Rarawa did not get away until over an hour later, having been detained in order to take away the Southern portion of the Suez and Australian mails, which arrived by the Manuka from Sydney, totalling 209 packages, added to a local mail of 83 packages and hampers. A new departure is being made by the Education I) part-meat in insuring, in the State office, the complete equipment of all the public school cadet corps in the Do 5 minion. The equipment of individual corps ranges in value from £25 to £100. The premium* will be paid out of this Government's capitation allowance. Several times in the past cadet accoutrements and arms have- been destroyed bv fires that have occurred in New Zealand schools. A school of instruction for dairy inspectors from all parts ot the Dominion is at present I wing conducted in Wellington, the instructor being Mr. Quinnell, who was appointed by the Government for the purpose. This is the first class of its kind held in the Dominion— * but it will not be the last — is being attended by 16 inspectors. It will last for three weeks, and the course of instruction will be a wide one, including veterinary science, agriculture, matters affecting the milk supply question, and kindred subjects. j

Considerable interest , was occasioned o* the Onehunga wharf yesterday, when a vanload of birds arrived to be shipped sbuth by the Rarawa. The birds, numbering over ' 700, included canaries, cut-throats, paroquets, lovebirds, cockatoos, various parrots magpies, doves, pigeons, etc., and when placed on the wharf presented » variegated spectacle. The shipment coil. sisted of Mr. J. Walker's entries for the Normanby and other shows, and that exhibitor accompanied the birds. Plans for the, erection of a hall in East, street, Newton, for the Auckland City Mi*. sioti, are at present being drawn up by Mr. A. Wiseman, architect. The building will be provided in front with a study, and two large staircases will lead to the' hall, one to the main floor and the other to the gallery. The hall will seat -850 people, while a large Sunday-school at the. back will accommodate about 250 children. The whole structure, if erected in brick, will cost about £3000. Describing the duties, he performed as a rouseabout at 25s a week, a union witness gin led at the Conciliation Jtoanl. at Ra,{ giora, the other day, that he started the day at about 3.30 a.m. or 4.30 hy training racehorses, then he did Jaf?d'jobs on the farm, including milkinj'jujws, d O . . ing fencing, feeding pigs, diggiXgJbe ar den, harvesting, breaking in the plough and to harness, dri ' the saleyards and back to t'heWfcm, and making sheep and stockyard gates. Asked if he got a bonus when his master's horses' won a race, he replied in the negative. "I was a hawly man," he added, "who could do any mortal thing he was asked to do." Petone has a population of 6000, and all the people are angels, apparently, in the opinion of the Justice Department. The Lower Hutt, with just over 3000 inhabitants, was long ago deemed contentious enough to deserve a Court of justice, which, by the way, is' at present housed in temporary quarters, and Petone people had to tramp or ride to that spot. Lately the greater boroughgreater numericallyhas received visits from- a magistrate in the Oddfellows' Hall, but this is only half a redress- - ing of the burgesses' grievance. There ii only one little wooden cell to house lawbreakers, and on Friday night an inebriate was reposing in the cell, when suddenly his peace was disturbed and another law-breaker (one Alexander Webster) was arrested for riotous and disorderly behaviour, and was thrust in upon, the milder delinquent. The door was closed, but soon sounds of a disturbance were heard. Quickly the authorities decided to have a trial, and messengers ran through fhe streets looking for justices of the peace. At last two were found, and the " Court" sat at 10 o'clock. Webster was convicted on the. original charge of riotous behaviour and was fined £3, with an alternative of 21 days in gaol. As soon as this sentence was imposed the other prisoner laid an information for assault, but the lack of corroborative evideno< led the justices to dismiss the case, Web ster, however, was in bondage on the other count, and was transferred to Wellington. New Zealand school children's knowiedg« of England's great naval hero, Nelson, will be tested by means of an essay competition for two prizes offered by the British and Foreign Sailors' Society. The prizes consist of copper plaques, one to be awarded to the boy under 16 who writes the best essay upon the subject, " What does the nation owe to Nelson and her sailors?" The second will be presented to the schoolgirl who succeeds in dealing Ijest with the same subject. The essays must- be written in school, without notes, books, or help from, the teacher, and will be sent in by education boards to the Department, by May 41, so that they can be forwarded to London for decision. .It is expected that the result- will come to hand at the end of the year. The prizes will possess considerably more" interest because they are made from the copper of Nelson's flagship Victory, and his old battleship the Foudroyant. . '. . An infant, boarded out at the home of Mrs. Ash, Kingsland, died last week. Under the old regulations the holding of an inquest, in such a case was compulsory, but under the new Act such a course is optional. After inquiring into the circumstances of the case the City Coroner (Mr. Thomas Gresham) decided that an inquest was unnecessary. i The movement originating in Christchurch to bring prominently under public notice the , virtue and value of supporting home i products, deserves every encouragement and support. " The necessity of dispelling popular ignorance in this regard is well exemplified by the remarks of Mr. Robertson, a member of the Wellington Industrial Association, who said that a display of New Zealand produce would mean a " display 'of butter and cheese and woollens." Very few people realise the extent-of New Zealand's industrial productiveness, which ranges over a very large surface indeed. New _ Zealand is not only interested in jams and bacons, feathers and furs, soaps, starches, biscuits, canned fish, fruits, meats, and vegetables, tinned and dried milk, hate and caps, clothing, paints and varnish, organs, rattan furniture, basket ware, leather goods, chocolate, boots, candles, bovril, beeswax, bath bricks, "cider, wine, confectionery, egg powder, meat extracts, flour, cordials, matches, oatmeals, preserved poultry, pea- meals, pickles, sauces, seeds, soups, sugar, etc., etc., but it goes in for quite a number of industrial undertakings on quite a large scale. - - In view of certain complaints appearing, in the Taranaki papers with respect- to the requirements of the Departments that only necessitous cases should 'get relief, it is stated that it never was the intention that every person, notwithstanding his financial position, who happened to have grass destroyed, should get money on terms extending over four years without interest to buy grass seed. The class of cases involves all degrees of injury and all degrees of what may not be called injury at all. Numbers of cases where glass has been burned may be classified as actually an improvement to the farm, and the fire has done what tin set-tiers themselves have been trying to do for many years'. Other-cases, again, involve a period of inconvenience in regard to stock, but no monetary loss or nothing in the nature of a hardship. Then there are the cases which may be characterised a- 5 hardships, where a large proportion of grass has beep destroyed, and where homes and fences are destroyed. Tlrotff v 5 some cases the farm is left a ruin, ar/ Mie occu-. pier may be in possession of indepis?>j''it ' means. It never was the intention that m every case where a fire touched a farm theoocupier should ccrne upon the Government for seed. It was only the intention to afford relief where the result of the fire landed the farmer in necessitous circumstances. His Worship the Mayor and Mrs. Myers have issued invitations to a garden party to be held at their residence, " Cintra, Symonds-street, on Wednesday. Seven Chinese arrived from Sydney by the Manuka yesterday, and as a result the Dominion's funds will benefit to the extent' of £700. One of the Celestials intends t-A . £ stay hws, the others proceedings to Duna-. din*