LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13702, 19 March 1908, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Katikati, the bailing cauldron on the shoulder of Mount Tongariro, has been in violent eruption for several days past. In speaking to a, Herald representative, last evening a recent visitor to the locality stated that on Friday last, while 12 or 15 miles off the mountain, ho saw a huge column of steam, several thousands of feet high, issuing from the cauldron. It was, he said, a most wonderful and picturesque sight. The Marine Department has decided to hold a magisterial inquiry into the circumstances connected with the collision in Auckland Harbour on the evening of the 10th inst., between the Union Steam Ship Company's collier Wairuna and the scow Moonah. The nautical assessors appointed to act. are Captains John Adamson and George McKenzie, both of Auckland. The (inquiry has been adjourned till a convenient date can be arranged for the attendance of the Wairuna's officers. Queen-street for several nights past, has r.ot presented its usual bright appearance, the reason being that during this period the electric are lights have not been kept lighted. It was: supposed that this was due to the want of power at the Tramway Company's power-house, but Mi. Walklate, general manager for the company, states that is no: the case. He is making inquiries into tire matter, with a view to rectification. In an address to the Trades and Labour Council last night the Rev. R. A. Robineon seriously suggested that the workers should apply to the Auckland Ministers' Association for permission to be allowed to occupy pulpits monthly. The delegates to the Council greeted the suggestion with laughter, but the speaker, undaunted, went on to say his idea was that these worker-preachers should have a free hand to deal with labour matters, even to the extent of "shocking their congregations" with socialism. One of the sandpapering machines in Messrs. Tonson Garlick's workshop, in Lorne-street, became over-heated at 11.30 yesterday morning, and set fire to some adjoining material. The City Fire Brigade was summoned, and soon succeeded ir subduing the flames. About £60 or £70 worth of damage was done. At 1.35 p.m. yesterday the brigade also received a call from Grafton Road, but on turning out found it to be a false alarm. The secretary of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce has written to the Auckland Chamber suggesting that the various chambers of commerce should take combined action, with a view to retaining, and if possible increasing, the representation of chambers of commerce on harbour boards. The Harbour Board in committee on Friday last decided to recommend the 'Board to undertake the -construction of O'Neill's Point Wharf at a cost of £1400, provided the petitioners who asked for the wharf contributed £700. The matter was to have been dealt with by the Board on Tuesday, but it has been deferred till next meeting of' the Board, owing to the small attendance on Tuesday. The question of a new school at Edenda-Ie was again mentioned at the meeting of the Education Board yesterday. The chairman (Mr. L. J. Bagnall) said the Education department had granted £2500, whereas the Board applied for £2925. The Department did not seem to understand the site question, which was a very difficult one. The people who had land suitable for a school .-rite in that district seemed to be off their ! heads" regarding the value. What they ! were paying rates on, at a valuation of £100 per acre, they asked £500 or £600 per acre, so that it was evident there was no over-valuation there. The values asked were perfectly absurd, and it seemed as if the Board would have to take a site under the Public Works Act. The architect was instructed to prepare plans, and the chairman was asked to continue the negotiations for a site. The insufficient supply of railway rolling stock continues to cause delay and inconvenience to shipping at Onehunga, especially in tho case of colliers. On Tuesday morning the Union Company's steamer Pukaki berthed at the Onehunga Wharf, but owing to there not being any empty trucks available the steamer had to lie idle, while the wharf labourers looked on. Out of the cargo of 1480 tons of coal, no less than 1320 tons are consigned to the Railway Department, which fact., however, did not serve to stimulate the Department into providing more trucks. At eight a.m. yesterday a start was made on the coal, but operations ceased ;:t four p.m., as the available trucks were filled with about 270 torn. Another start will be made at eight o'clock this morning, but there is little possibility of the steamer being able to clear to-mor-row, as was intended. Not only is the constant waiting for rolling stock a source of inconvenience to shipping, but it. causes a number of men to remain idle, when they ought to "be earning good pay. The Besson challenge shield, the coveted trophy of all the brass bands in the Dominion, is at present on exhibition in the window of -Messrs. A. Eady and Co. This shield, which carries with it the championship of the Domirffcn, was held by the Wellington Garrison Band for four or five years; then the Wanganui Garrison Band became the holders for some years. At the Exhibition contest at Christchurch in February, 1907, the Kaikorai Band (Dunedin) gained the highest score in the aggregate, and the shield was awarded to them. A few weeks ago the Auckland First Battalion Band returned home from New Plymouth with it in their possession, having gained the highest aggregate number of points for music in the selections and march. A movement is at present on foot to assist the band by forming a Citizen's Committee to take over its financial responsibilities.

The Board of Education yesterday received a circular from the Department of Education, to the effect that complaints had been received that some education boards had required teachers" to defray the cost of postage upon quarterly returns. Without referring to the strictly legal aspect, the Minister desired to express the opinion that such would be contrary to the spirit of the Act, and suggested it would be fairer for the boards to pay for such postage when it was received than to expect teachers to prepay postage. The secretary remarked that directly the franking privilege was abolished the Board sent a circular to all teachers, stating that all letters relating to school business should be posted without postage, and arrangements were made with the Post Office not to charge double postage thereon. But postage upon letters of a personal character, such as applications for appointments, orders for payment of salary, receipts for salary, etc., was expected to be defrayed by the' teachers. This rule had never been departed from, and so the Department's circular could not refer to the Auck'and Board. It was decided to forward a, copy of the Board's circular to the Department.

A copy of the resolutions passed by the Drainage Scheme Committee at its meeting last week was received by the One-tree Hill Road Board from the town clerk (Mi. 11. W. Wilson) last evening, and the Board decided to adopt the resolutions as far as lay;, in their power,

The first case of the kind in which an employee has been brought before the Arbitration Court tor leaving his employ! merit without giving sufficient notice came before the Arbitration Court in Wellin--.. ton on Monday. The "honour" fell to a tailoress in the employ of C. Cathie and ■Sons, who had left the firm and tailed to return. li, appears that in the past considerable inconvenience has been caused hi employees leaving suddenly and therein hanging up work. The ens.- m been brought to act as a warning to other employees—not with any vindictive f ee lin-' on the part of the late employers. ]„' j n , 6 posing a fine of 5.-: Hie Honor said"This is the first case of the kind brought before the Court under this clause ° i think it necessary to inform workers that if we have any more breaches of the same kind before the Court we will have to impose a heavy penalty, as it* '* Obvious that disregard of "this "provision i tfiust muse serious inconvenience to employers. If employers disregard the provisions affecting them they are fined, and workers must understand aiso that they must observe the provisions of th« clauses under which they work.'' The funeral of the late Mr. .John Fin formerly Mayoi of Parnell, took place on Tuesday afternoon, The cortege, v ,iii c ! left the deceased's residence in CampbellTerrace, for Symonds-street Cemetery, was a very long one, and included the Hon Wm. Beehan, M.L.C., Mr. Frank Lawry, M.P., and the members of the Parnell Borough Council ami Fire Brigade (the - last-named acting as pall-bearers). As the cortege passed the Parnell Fire Brigade station the bell was tolled out of respect for the deceased. Among the floral 'tributes sent were wreaths from the Borough Council and staff, and other local bodies with which Mr. Fitt had been connected. The last rites were performed by the Rev Father Kehoe. Messages or " sympathy have been received by the widow and family from the Prime Minister (Sir Joseph Ward), the Hon. James Carroll, the Mayor of Auckland (Mr. A. M. Myers), and many others. J The Wellington Central No-License Com,, cil has passed the following resolution: — "This council rejoices at the activity' 0 f the Auckland police in investigating and exposing the alarming increase of drinking among women, and also at the convincing testimony brought by Inspector Mitchell as to the excellent effects of no-liceme in Invercargill. It trusts that Commissioner Dinnie's letter to the Auckland licensed victuallers will not be taken by his subordinates as intended to discourage their laudable endeavour to cope with the evils of the liquor traffic." An Eketahuna Express representative was recently shown a unique memento by Mr. D. Dick, of Kaiparoro, which recalls memories of the operations of the bushrangers on the West Coast in the early sixties. The paper is s£in by 3in, on which ■ is closely written in ink Matthew xxvii. and Revelation xxii., an* was from j Richard Burgess, who was in prison awaitj ing his execution, to Mr. Yelverton, ini specter of police. Burgess penned the j following on the front of the paper:—"l wrote this, being at a loss what to 'eave j you as a souvenir for your past kindness ito me. May the truths that I liave writj ten here be of a service to help you on I your way ; for remember that- all flesh is as j grass." The Hawke's Bay Herald states:—" A telegram from Bay Herald states:—'-A telegram from Feilding informed us that the Hon. G. Fowlds, Minister for Education, speaking there, had said that the id« j of a colonial system of promotion of school i teachers was now being urged upon him. He added that such a system would mean I the removal of the last vestige of control from the school committees, and, perhaps, from the education boards. Mr. Fowlds . did not say whether or not he was in far-- * our of the step, but we have always felt that it was one which was bound to come in the end. We do not say that the lime is ready for it yet, or that there is any reason to disturb the present system, which is working reasonably well. * But I we are sure that as time goes on the teachI ers will demand to be treated on theii i merits, and it will be hard to refuse their j demand." I I Ameriean naturalists are as much intej rested in the kea as are those of New | Zealand, judging from a letter received l by the Tourist Department from Mr... A. E. Baker, assistant-superintendent of the Smithsonian Institution, Washington. Some New Zealand birds were sent to I Washington for the National Zoological Park there two years ago, and they have created much interest. Referring to the change of habits of the kea, Mr. Baker writes:—" The theory as to the manner in which the bird acquired his abnormal propensity covers the case completely, and, viewed from this light, the change of habit is really no more surprising than some other changes of which there has been opportunity to observe all the details. Our kea is still thriving, as are also the three wekas. The apteryx (kiwi) had done extremely well, and was a source of unending interest up to a. few days ago. Then, after eating freely and being to all appearance entirely well one evening, it was found dead the following morning. The autopsy showed that a blood tumour in the abdomen had been ruptured." Inquiries made in Wellington regarding the price of meat- indicate that there is no tendency there in the direction of a rise, such as has been suggested as likely to take place in Auckland. The Dominion says: — "As a matter of fact, the farmers have in some cases been forced to seek the market with a proportion of their stock, owing to a shortage of feed consequent upon the long dry spell, and under these circumstances it is not likely that prices will rise. In the opinion of one leading butcher the effect "1 the fires in the country had been grossly exaggerated, and the value of some placewhere the land had been cleared of rotten logs and weeds had been increased about £2 or £5 per acre." An extraordinary situation has arisen in connection with Dublin's public libraries, says the Dunedin News, of last Friday. The. Libraries Committee of the City Corporation have just announced that, owing to the absence of available funds, the free libraries have been " temporarily" closed, but for what length of time cannot be determined, though it is quite possible (unless some special arrangement can bo made) that they may remain closed till the end of April, when the rale for the next financial year will be available. It is not alleged that there has been any extravagance on the part of \ the. management, which, on the. contrary, ! has exercised the. strictest economy, but the fact is that the penny rate—the maximum allowed by law—brings in only between £3500 and £4000, which is" not enough to maintain efficiently the centra! library and its branches. One of the difficulties connected with the matter is how the library officials arc to be paid their salaries till the end of March. They have not been discharged, and there is no desire to discharge them, but there is no money in tho civic chest available for payment of salaries. The Prime Minister (Sir Joseph Ward) will deliver an address at the Public Hall, ' Onehunga, next Wednesday evening '<