LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13724, 14 April 1908, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

There will be no publication of the Herald on Friday next, being Good Friday. Petty thefts from business places Lave attracted the attention of the police a good deal lately. Late last evening Detectives Cox and Skinner arrested a number of boys, who were charged with breaking -and entering several basiaens places,.

The Union Company's steamer Mokoia left for Sydney last evening with a Urge number* of passengers, both the saloon and steerage berths being all taken up, wbilat every possible place in the ship bad to he utilised to provide accommodation. The steamer had also a considerable quantity of cargo, included in the shipment® from Auckland being 87 Kirs silver, ' valued at £9650, shipped by the Waihi Gold Mining Company a bos of coin, valued at £400, and lines of timber, Mind, etc., also transhipments of copra and other Island products, per Manapouri, from the Eastern Pacific, A meeting of the general committee of he Auckland Industrial Association, winch was appointed hist week in connection with the proposed exhibition, will be held at the secretary's board room, 23, Mercantile Chambers, this afternoon at two o'clock. All interested in the proposed exhibition are invited to be present. Ike suggestion that the exhibition should he held at the time' of the proposed visit of the American fleet is meeting with general approval, and will probably receive consideration at the meeting.

At last night's meeting of the Mount Eden Borough Council, the Mayor (Mr, 0. Nicholson) submitted a statement covering the borough's finance for th; year just closed, which was commented on as being generally satisfactory. The rates amounted to £3083135. to which amount must be added £32 19s for the 10 per cent, penalty. Various licenses and permits, etc., have yielded £54C 14s, and the borough's proportion of licenses for city traffic amounted to £85 8s sd. Contributions for crossings, and a number of drainage works have placed £92 17s to credit, these items, together with £127 19s brought forward from lust year, making up the total general expenditure of £4276 10s 9d, and leaving a debit balance on the year of £41 15s 2d. The largest items of expenditure are cartage £100.1 6s, labour £700 19s, and the purchase of Adams' property, £600 19s. The waterworks account shows a credit balance of £143 14s, or some £3 on the year's working. Consumers lu-e yielded £2184 10s, and meters £500 18s, while the Council's contribution to the City Council for water was £2515 12s. The lighting account shows a debit of £394 9s, and the Council's payments to the Gas Company during the year have amounted to £416. The Council's contributions for hospital and charitable aid totalled £586 7s 2d for the year. The water account shows an estimated debit balance to March 31 of £431 0s sd.

With reference to tho telegram from Gisborne that appeared in Saturday's issue stating that a rise in the retail price of tobacco was probable, it appears from inquiries made yesterday that a rise took place in Auckland some time ago, and that there will be no further advance. A Herald representative was informed that the price of raw material bad advanced in America owing to labour and financial troubles there. Wholesale merchants in the Australasian colonies were notified some months ago that although the American, firms were holding on to the present prices as long as possible, it was feared that in the near future rates would have to be increased, all round. That forecast has been realised, particularly as regards plug tobaccos. The passenger bookings from Auckland by the oversea steamers of. late have been, very heavy, and it is estimated lhat there has been a considerable. increase in the number of travellers as .compared with this time last year. Many of the travellers are tourists from Australia, and the Old Country, returning to their homes, but the majority are said to be New Zealanders on pleasure bent. Last week the steamer Victoria, in leaving for Sydney, was crowded, and further passengers were refused some hours before the boat sailed ; while the Mokoia, which left for Sydney yesterday, was also a full ship, all available accommodation being taken up. I:: addition, the boats to the Islands are well patronised, while numbers are proceeding Home via Vancouver, some connecting by the Island boat, and others going from Sydney. I At this time of the year there is generally | a goodly number leaving the Dominion, I presumably to escape the winter, but the 1 Franco-British Exhibition, to be opened in London next month, is proving a magnet to many. In connection with Mr. W. J. Napier's recent endeavours, as a member of the Harbour Board to secure the establishment of a naval coaling depot at Auckland, and the enlargement of Calliope Dock, the Lords of the Admiralty have forwarded a letter of thanks to Mr. Napier. The Admiralty do not say whether any decision has been come to by them on the matter. The party of Maoris from Rotorua who were to have left for Sydney yesterday, to give exhibitions of haka .and* poi dances, did not go, owing, it is understood, to some hitch occurring in the financial arrangements between the Sydney promoters and the Maoris. The following hours will be observed at the telegraph office on Good Friday, viz. 9.30 to 10 a.m., and five p.m. to 5.30 p.m. On Easter Monday the hours will bo nine a.m. to four p.m., and seven p.m. to midnight. The telephone exchange will remain open as usual. Amongst, the passenger!', who left for Sydney by the Mokoia last evening were 37 Austrian* bound for their homeland. The majority are gumdiggers, and most of them have come from Northern Wairoa. Several have been in the Dominion over five years, and are returning to their native arid with the intention of remaining i there, but a number will return to New Zealand. In a letter which was read at last night's meeting of the Mt. Eden Borough Council, the Minister for Railways pointed out, in regard to the recent agitation that the railway bridge should be widened to the full width of the road, that it would be necessary in the near future to rearrange the Mt. Eden station, and when this was done the bridge would require rebuilding in a new position, and the intention then was to make the new structure the full width of the road. Accordingly, the letter added, it would not be wise to spend money needlessly on the present bridge. As Mr. Chas. B. King, grocer, of oßse Road, Grey Lynn, was proceeding in his trap from Karangahape Road into Cob-den-street yesterday morning, he was thrown violently on to the road. His horse fell on the tram rails and he was shot over the front of the vehicle. His nose, striking the harness a? he fell, was severely -bruised. He was taken into the shop of Mr. Mclvor, undertaker, where first aid was hindered. He left later for his where he received I medical attention. An inquest was held before the City ! Coroner (Mr, T. Gresfaam) yesterday morn- : ing on the body of Win. Henry Cuthbert, the four-year-old son of Mr. Wm. Henry Cuthbert, of 52, Lincoln-street, Ponsonby, who died on Sunday as the result of an accidental fall from the verandah on to an asphalt footpath at his parents' residence. Dr. Florence Keller stated that the cause of death was concussion of the brain, resulting from the fall. The jury returned & jrerdiet oi accidental death..

—J—asgasa Beer arc reported to bo very nunsisroTa' around B ranee peth (writes our correspondent). On Saturday nifte tM observed at Iho Falls, neat the Admiral Road, and m the following day a h-?.rd d 15 came into sight on the brow of an »4.; jacetit hill. Thirty-three deer-stalkiag licenses have been issued st Martinbon-agli so far this 8«»wn. ' ?•'; A new scow has just been built by >tp. D. M. Darroch, of Omaha, to the order of Messrs. Wiustone, Limited, of AnekUnd.The vessel, whsah has ha«* built of the best heart of kauri, is 65it long, 18.6 ft broad, with a draught of 4ft. She has been rime*!' the Esme, and is to be engaged is the local coasting trade. The following was the state of His Majesty's prison, Auckland, for the week ended April II: —On remand, 11 males; awaiting trial, 13 Hi.i.les : penal servitude for life, 1 male; hard, labour, 185 males, 29 !«.. males;* imprisonment. 1 male default «f bail, 2 males ; debtors. I mate. Twentyseven males were received during the week, 27 males and one female being discharged, leaving the total in prison at 214 males an-rl 29 females.

Sub-Inspector Gordon has received » telegram from Constable Carmody, of Whangaroa, "stating that a half-caste Maori, named Ngawati Slade, ha* been charged with forging and uttering 8 cheque to the value of £3 9s 3d. He was remanded till the 20th inst.