LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13722, 11 April 1908, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS

—— .' ; ;1 Gse of the JO new tram cars imp'.vL-.c from England by the Auckland Electric' Tramways Company will be put into com* mission next week* and the balance will' i;J follow at interval?- There ha bs<;n mwm little delay in placing these cars on the rails, owing to mm*', alteration* to th* platforms being required by the Public . - Works Department-, bat when the** ta» effected the ear* will be practically mmplete. Another of the locally built <-»r« " which hare given rise to such favourable comment during the test month will b« fitted next week and ready to take th* ■ road as soon as it is licensed. Matters at the power-house have also advanced a stage, and a new boiler was used vest*?. day for the first time. The circulating pump?, which have been the subject of much abuse from the company and th* " public alike, are almost in readme" to : meet the fullest demands that ran b* plated upon them. "| A meeting.' will bo held at Drury thiu \ .. .; evening to further consider the Dixon \h case (writes our correspondent). Strong exception is being taken to the disincline* tion of tin! Ministry to let the onus of ....■.- Dixon's imprisonment, fall upon the Ar- y bitration Court, and in view of Mr. 'i Northcrott's statement- that his judg- f ment was based upon the finding of that Court, it is thought that a grave mistake, if not miscarriage of justice, has resulted from the decision of the Arbitration Court. • * Despite the present condition of the New .'": Zealand hemp market, Mr. J. Stewart, the V" Depart merit's instructor and expert, "who is at present in Auckland, expresses a most optimistic vi>«w of the future of the indiwtry. He consider? that indications point to a steady increase, in market, prices, and while he doubts whether millers will again secure the " inflated" values of the past, hemn will, iti tune, reach » good market' , able price. Mr. Stewart, complains that the majority of Auckland miller*. are con- '} lent with the lower grade*, but at th» same time lie admits litis is to be accounted for, to .i great extent, as the result of the recent, drought, A leading buyer on being questioned whether he, thought there was :< reasonable prospect of a rise in prices, expressed the opinion that it would be October or November, at all events, be- > fore there w.ts ,i payable market. .;'

Tim idea Hull tin Jewish method «| r-j i killing eattlo is necessarily cruel, a* stated ! by tile Chi "st( hurcb Society tor the Pre- ! ventiou of Cruelty to Animals, gave rise jto a protest by Rabbi (•oldstein wh«n ; ; Been by a, Hkkalm reporter yesterday. ' The rabbi said the question of cruelty | I was, first mentioned many years ago on the Con tint nl, where « number of eminent physiologists subsequently wrote very h;if highly of the Jewish method, which it ' carried on nt the present time throughout the world, and extensively in England amongst the large provincial congregations there. In London, Rabbi Goldstein said, where .the suppression of cruelty was almost ;' fetish, there had been no outcry against the .system. During last century, it was pointed out, the clebrated Russian physician, Isaac Dembo. who gave his at- . tention to the scientific study of the slaughtering of animals according to the 5 Jewish style, wrote that after investigating the matter, and studying all the current methods of slaughtering in • Russia, and abroad, he had arrived at the con- yj clusion that the Jewish method caused '* less pain than any other. The exciting event*} on the London but- | ter market, and sonic of the results, arc • chronicled in a private letter received by a well-known local shipper. In the course - of the letter appears the follow"Mar- - j kets in this country during the first, half of this mouth were wore excited, and -. higher prices ruled than I have had any -: experience of for more than 25 years. The reaction, however, lias now set in with a vengeance ; importers a few days; before ■■/% the arrival of the lonic were asking a* ,' : ; high as 152k for first grade New Zealand creamery, and yesterday they wen push- ; ing hard to sell at 1445, without effecting a clearance. Secondary butters at the beginning of the advance rose quite in proportion to creamery, but buyers refused to : pay the top prices asked and went right i on to margarine mixtures. I am afraid the butter trade, will suffer permanent injury as the margarine manufacturers have succeeded in putting some splendid mix- . ; tures at quite low prices before the public, and the most prejudiced shopkeepers are taking on to them, and say that their customers after getting over the first shock ,< take quite kindly to their use. As they can be retailed, and shew a handsome profit, at Is, it would not surprise me to find numbers of people continuing to use the best mixture?, even after butter comes . down to be sold at Is." An exciting incident occurred on board ■ the steamer Orange Branch during that •' vessel's passage from .Sydney, Last Saturday tremendous was were encounter- .-; ed. The turret decks were continually -~' under water, while the spray frequently dashed over the captain's bridge. One of the Chinese crew, who was working on the harbour deck, was struck by a wave and washed overboard, The steamer was immediately stopped and a boat smartly lowered. The Chinaman was fortunately.. > a good swimmer, and kept afloat until the boat reached him. He was in the water about 12 minutes. The Chinaman was very frightened, and could do little work / for a couple of days, but otherwise he was none the worse for his experience. The alterations made at the lucent conference between tire Harbour Board and ■ the City Council in the proposed conditions under which permission to discharge -sewage off Orakei Point will be granted were approved by the Harbour Board in committee yesterday, and the. conditions as amended will be submitted to the " ordinary meeting of the Board for confirmation on Tuesday next. Mr. W. F. Massey (Leaer of the Opposition), who arrived in. Wellington en Thursday evening, via 'the .Main Trunk line, states (telegraphs our correspondent) that the Works Department appears to be _-= making good progress with the Main Trunk line. "There is," he added, " a great deal of work to be done yet, but given fine weather during the winter, i see nothing to prevent the completion of the line by the end of the year. The 1 country along the line of route is filling up very rapidly, and sawmills are especially .eminent. There is absolutely no doubt about there being very heavy traffic on the line. Indeed, the traffic is already considerable. There are now three coaches daily between the rail heads. 4 Speaking at a presentation made to him in Wellington yesterday, Mr. James Ashcroft, late Coroner and official assignee, said that the " bankruptcy business" was falling off, for whereas in 1084 the bankruptcy cases in New Zealand numbered 846, in 1904 they were only 180. During his term of office he had held 1160 in- _ quests, and had about 3000 bankruptcies '- under hi? supervision. in connection with the tire which occurred at Hamilton on Thursday after- '• noon, our correspondent writes that investigation shows the amount of damage to Mr. Tyler's stock tc have been con- • siderably under £200, -'-■ '. " . • '■■-■

To-day's issue of the Herald consists of 80 pages. In the Supplement "Tohunga" .'"«' writes 0" "Granny and Her Eggs," "The ■ Judgment of the Valet" is contributed by !Alfc* Ferguson, and "If I Were a Woman" is from the pal of "A Mere Man." ''National Proverbs" is written by "Kalei- -'• • : doscope," while Hugh R. Lusk contri-, jintes a thoughtful paper on the political situation in America. The serials, "A Golden Precipice," " London Lovers," and ! V' 4, My Lady's Kiss," are continued, whileLocal Gossip, humorous illustrations, London chat, chess and draughts, science, literary, and musical jottings, London fashion jottings, and the other usual features also appear. Speaking at last night's meeting of the 'Auckland Rugby Union, the president (Mr. A. E. Devore) remarked that a. great deal had been said in regard to professionalism in football, but he did not coneider the matter at all dangerous. In his opinion the professional game could :i not live in New Zealand, the centres of A- ' population being too small and too. few. "" The Order-in-Council in connection with the construction of the proposed Takapuna V.: tramway will be applied for shortly, and ■i it is expected that the work will be put in hand in the course of a few months. V; As already stated, Mr. P. M. Hansen, whilst in Wellington recently, obtained a i- preliminary consent from the v . Public Works .Department for the use of care ' Bft in width, or 6in wider than the electric cars at present operating in the city. [;..'- Provision will also be made in the Order- '•■.' ' in-Council for the use of trailers and the adoption of either steam or electric traction as may be desired. The Arrovvville Estate, comprising about 10G0 acres, and situated at Waiuku, tho property of Mr. A. Kidij, ALP., was £■:. offered at auction by the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company, —" yesterday. The estate was divided into sections of about 100 acres, but none were sold. Lot 1. of 113 acres, was passed in at £18 an acre, and this was the highest ' bid received. With the approach of the winter season people naturally begin t<; cast their thoughts back to warm days, and to those who have leisure or are seeking a suit'v able change for recreation or recuperation B trip to the islands of the South Seas, ,:'■' where it' is ways summer, may well '.s-'-- commend itself. In our advertising columns attention is called by the Union V; Steam Ship Company to the resumption .' of the winter cruises to the Islands by their fine steamers Atua and Navua, specially built for this trade. A boy named H. Bowgen, son of Mr. ; H. Bowgen. engineer, of Onehunga, met with a serious accident at the Onehunga :; Woollen Mills yesterday, through getting his left hand caught in one of the ma"A,.'.,•- chines. The hand was fearfully muti- :..'."■'.. lated, the fore and middle fingers being torn right away, and the other fingers /- being left practically useless. The sufferer was promptly attended to by Dr. W. G. Scott, A telegram from Napier which was published last week stated that Mr. P. . : M. Hansen had advised the residents of that town that local ownership was the most, advisable course to adopt in connection with the proposed Napier tram system. Mr. Hansen states that in making this observation he did not mean to necessarily imply that the Napier people should adopt municipal control. Amplica- _/.;.. tions had been invited abroad some time ago for offers'to construct and run a tramway system at Napier, but no offers were received. In view of this fact the advisableness of forming a local company was evident, and it was in this connection that Mr. Hansen made the remark referred ::■■-": to. The following arrangements have been - made for the Post Office during the Easter Holidays:—On Thursday, 16th, the office will be open between seven and ? . eight p.m. for an over-counter delivery. 1 : Mails usually despatched on Fridays will close at 7.45 p.m. A special clearance of street receivers will be made, commencing at five p.m. Good Friday, the 17th, is to be observed as a holiday in the Post Office, and there will be no delivery by letter-carriers, while Sunday hours will be observed in the private box Jobby. On Saturday, the # 18th, letter- • carriers will make a full delivery of letters, and the office will be open for an over-counter delivery between seven and . eight p.m. On Easter Monday the office (will be open to the public in all its branches (excepting money order and . Savings bank) from nine to ten a.m. ■Mails usually despatched'on Mondays will close at eight a.m., and there will be no delivery by letter-carriers, while the usual hours will be observed in the private box > lobby* / The no-license party intends making ef- • forts to have an amendment made in the existing licensing laws before next election, 60 that a bare majority may be sufficient to carry no-license in any electorate, instead of the three-fifths majority now required. A petition to Parliament which is at present being circulated throughout : the Dominion for signature points out that in 36 electorates at the last election an "- absolute majority was in favour of nolicense, and that in each of these electorates the will of the majority has been thwarted by a law* " purely and harshly arbitrary." The petition concludes: — • -".;■' "The Government's 'absolute majority' policy in regard to Parliamentary elections recognises it to be right that an. abv solute majority of those who vote in any electorate shall determine who stall be returned to Parliament to enact legisla- ,'- tion affecting the most vital interests of " the people, and in Parliament it is recognised to be right that, such legislation shall % :'.'.;;■• be determined by the majority of those ■-. who vote thereon, and your petitioners ■':'■', cannot, see that the question of granting licenses to sell liquor has any claim what- , ... soever to exceptional treatment as respects :""•}■• the majority to determine it of the electors voting thereon." It is suggested that /■ the present laws could easily be amended by a Bill of a few lines, which would / . raise no other issue whatever in connec- .'■'■ tion with licensing legislation. The prin- /:: cipal clause would he something on these !~ ' lines:—"Anything in the Licensing Acts to the contrary notwithstanding, every t,. issue respecting the granting of licenses submitted to the vote of the electors in any licensing district shall be determined by a majority of the voters who record valid votes thereon." That would be folf :•; lowed by a clause requiring that previous legislation should be brought into harmony with the new provision. The local fruit market was almost de?|;;f; pleted yesterday afternoon, but the ar- , - rival of the steamer Manapouri from Ta- "•'. int! and Rarotonga last evening will prevent any shortage occurring, she having ■■ - brought a. large supply. *",-•' * ' ; •■''.■■." On her hist trip to Waita.ra from Oik:hunga the Northern Company's steamer W.ntangi found insufficient water on the Waitara bar, and as a result could not crow;. Sim (hen wail on It; New Fly- - , mouth, where cargo was discharged for "Wailara. ' ' ' —