LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13726, 16 April 1908, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS

To-mobbov, being Good Friday, there will be no publication of the Herald. The express trains from Auckland yesterday were well patronised, the 10 a.m. train to RofcoWa diking 200 passengers, and that for Thames and Waihi, which left 35 minutes later, about 150. A female patient at the Avondale Mental Hospital effected her escape from the institution yesterday morning, and up till a late hour last night nil efforts to tr&ea her had failed. The woman is about 37 years of age, sft high and of slight build, while she has a fresh complexion and dark brown hair about 4in long. She is regarded as a dangerous patient, aud a mounted* constable has been sent out to search for her, while all the suburban officers have been apprised of her escape. The fact that the Education Board's building bill for last year was some £2400 on the wrong side of the. ledger was the subject of some comment at yesterday's meeting, but. members consoled themselves with the reflection that if they had exceeded their means in this respect their schools had been put up substantially. The chairman (Mr. L. J. Bagnall) said "shacks" served as schools in at least one other district, hut that title could not be applied to the institutions under the jurisdiction of the Auckland Board. At, a general meeting of the Auckland Master Grocers' Union, held on Tuesday night, at the offices of the Employers' Association, it Was unanimously decided that Empire Day should this year be observed by the grocers as a holiday, instead of the Prince of Wales' Birthday. A long discussion took place on the question of credit. It was asserted that a pernicious habit was beeomming all too prevalent amongst a certain class of people, the victimising of tradespeople by obtaining unlimited credit for goods, and by misrepresentations made to shopkeepers. With the object, of reducing risks it. was decided that in future all members of the Master Grocers' Union should refuse to give credit to any person by whom accounts for groceries are known to be owing, until such debts have been liquidated.

A grazing run comprising 10.350 acres, situated from two to eight miles from Taupo township, will be open {or lease for a term of 21 years, will- the right of renewal, at the Auckland Lands Office, on Wednesday, May 13, and if there is more than one applicant, a ballot will be held on May 21, at 11 a.m. The land is level and undulating, and covered with tussock, fern, and tea-tree, and has a frontage to the Waikato River The soil is described as light, and inferior to medium in quality.

A meeting of farm labourers, called for last evening for the purpose of forming a union, was only meagrely attended, and no steps were taken in the matter. It was decided that -when Mr. G. Davis, the organiser, visits Hamilton and I'ukekohe at the end of the month, he should take steps to establish an Auckland union of workers.

A lad named Rober» Allway Quafe was charged at the Magistrate's Court, at Pahi, on April 9, with the theft of £4 10s from the office of the Otanuttea County Council. He pleaded guilty, and the presiding jus- . tioes (Messrs. (J Skelton, 0, Coates/fl. j Smith, and Win. Chadwiek) admitted him to probation for 12 mouths j

mmmmmmmmmmmmm n jmmtmmmmmmmmmmm*,.. , _ The question of "young versus old,"* {» connection w-;,h the school Uaxh'n% p- Lr , ietsmt, cropped tip ah yest#rds*y'B ing or the Khtea.!i»n Board, the. matt*? arising oat <>l a clause in Inspector fs,, rr ,. side's report, no the ye*?**, work. "Whtrn the younger teachers, and especially i,, younger men. predominat*," tmt*d .\f r reside, "'-lie t?ftVi*nty ia di*tiaayfc higher. .. . - A teacher who doe» rmi 'f»«S reach the her'- be tan do within 10 of jj * years of bis taking up the work, is ju>* very likely to prore- »>• great gsifcvs* later.** Mr. J. Stallvrorthv, Ml*., said It* wnufci like to know bow far this was is accord, »nce •'■villi fact. It seemed rather *lr*n-e to him that the elder teachers were mi keeping pace with the younger. Mr. (;. J. Parr mid he had bo doubt thai wh a », the inspector meant was that when a mun reached the sere and yellow leaf he n*. turally lacked the vigour and ir.ntal c«.' parity of the man in the full prime of lift. Mr Stallworthy thereupon asked if tH« Board employed any teachers tm-r 60 years of age, and was answered in the negative. "Tins is the first time," said the member, " we have had it from an i n „ specter that lie prefers young; to old, though frequent complaints have been mad* that teacher?, of long standing do not ga> A much advancement.'' At the meeting of the Mount Ro»kl!J Road Board on Tuesday evening the chairman (Mr. Chas. BagleyJ read a copy of the resolutions earned by the Drain*j» Scheme Committee. and forwarded by the town clerk of the Auckland City Council The chairman considered it unreasonable to expect that a portion of the Mount Roskiil district should be taken into the j city scheme, especially when the Manukas j was so convenient, and drainage into it v j would lie so much less expensive. The Onehunga Borough Council was putting - -ward a scheme, and if part of One-tree Hill and also Mount Roskiil were to combine with that body, it would he better and cheaper thru) joining with Auckland. The day was fast approaching when drainage for Mount Roskiil must be considered, i}_and the best arrangement should be arrived at. Messrs. Hadett, Herd, and J. Ambiny considered it unreasonable for the city to take in one portion of the district and leave the remainder to its own resources. Mr. Ceo. Winstone, represent- : ing the portion of the district most interest*d. declared against joining with the city. It was resolved, on the motion of the chairman, thai the question be discussed at the annual meeting, also that Messrs. Am bury, Haalett, and the mover he appointed delegates to the drainage con. ference at Onehitngu. A dense fog hung over the harbour yesterday morning, and kept the masters of the ferry steamers on the alert. The fog was so thick that it was necessary for the captains of the steamers to constantly >:!| sound of the boats' whistles, In spile, of this however, a collision nearly occurred between two terry Units, which came to within a-, few yards of one another, while passing in the harbour. The log was also very thick in Rungitoto Channel.The Mnmikau ,-„ Harbour was likewise enveloped in fog yesterday morning, and as a result shipping was interfered with. •jt The Union Company's Kotoit-i did not reach jKirt until nearly 11 o'clock, not having been able to pick up the laud, The swine .' company's collier Kotuku left Orienting* /• Wharf at 8.15 a.m., but after proceeding-; : about three miles down the harbour anchored until shortly Iwfore noon, when - she got away safely. At 9.30 o'clock,the c Northern Company's steamer Waitangi loft , „■ Onehunga lor Raglan and Kawhin, but had the mis-fortune to run upon a bank, where she remained fast last evening. 'Hit Rotoiti brought up a large general cargo and 190 sheep, all of which were landed and a big quantity of cargo, shipped he- ■ tween 11 a.m. and. 4.30 p.m., remarkably ,■ quick time, the vessel filing a-gain at five p.m. . -; The Auckland Baptist Tabernacle Sun-day-school will commemorate its jubilee by a series of celebrations, commencing cm Sunday week. In the morning the Rev. IH. H. Knowles-Kempton, who has re- ! cently arrived from England, will conduct j the service, and also in the evening. The '' Rev. A. Macaul&y Caldwell will hold a young people's service in the afternoon. Special singing will be given by ths scholars at each service. On Monday evening, at eight o'clock, the oratorio, " The Nativity,' will be rendered in the Tabernacle by members of the Auckland Choral Society, the Liedertafel, and others. At seven p.m. on Tuesday the Sunday-school teachers' and old scholars' "At Home" will be held. A citizens' jubilee luncheon will he held at 12.45 p.m. on Wed- . nesday, when Mr. Justice Cooper will be among the speakers. At 7.30 p.m. the same day a surprise meeting will be held by the Young People's Society of Christian Endeavour. On Friday, May 1, at seven p.m., a Sunday-school Union workers' rally will take place, and on Sunday, May 3, special services will again be. held. On Tuesday, May 5, at 6.15 p.m., a fc#» and entertainment will be held, and on the following evening the celebration will conclude with a praise meeting, followed by a communion service. The chairman of the Ml. Roskill Road Board (Mr-. Chas. Bagley) congratulated the members at the .meeting of the Board on Tuesday Might on the good work accomplish ed during the past year, and also on the progress of the district. Ihe financial year commenced with a credit balance of a little over £300, and ended with £343, which had now increased to £478. Three years ago the capital value of property in the district was £223,000, while it now totalled £366,000, only £10.000 of. which was not ratable. Rehiring to the already low rate of one-halfpenny in the £, he said he intended to propose an even Sower rate, at the next meeting, viz. : Threeeighths of one penny in the £. With the low rate of the past, Mount Roskill had secured a good water supply, was well lighted, and the roads were in good condition. Under the circumstances he thought the Board should be proud of their position. The annual elections of school committees in the various school districts throughout the Dominion will take place at the respective schools or buildings appointed for the purpose on Monday, April 27, and the first meeting of the newly-appointed committee will be held immediately afterwards, as usual. Nominations must be in cne hands of the chairman in each of the Auckland districts not later than eight p.m. on Tuesday next. Printed forms of nomination may be obtained on application to the chairmen of committees or at the Education Board's office The annual meeting of ratepayer.-, of the Mangere Road Board district, will take place at the Mangere Public Hall, on Wednesday, May 6. Two member of the Board, Messrs. Jus. Turk (chairman), and Jas. Glasgow, retire by effluxion of time, and nominations to till the vacancies will be received up till noon on Wednesday, April 29. Mr. Turk will stand for re-elec-tion, but Mr. Glasgow does not intend to again seek otlice. Probate has been granted by Mr. Justice \ i Edwards in the estate of" J. Swintoa . ! (Messrs. Calder and Ooldwater), and letters j of administration have been grunted in the I estates of F. Rhodes (Mr. Prendergast) and i I W. J. Dufaur (Mr. Biss).

'' a. well-known EHesmero farmer, in bis life: before the Conciliation Board yesJSay (telegraphs our Christehurch corres- - Sent), silted that ho started faming on - ffownuccount in 1865, on 170 acres of freehold, without improvements, with a Rhree-horse team, new implements, and as ' Sny cattle as the place would carry In 1872 he was/if anyone had known it hut Knieelf and a friend, absolutely bankrupt, ' Lin-Mo circumstances beyond human con- '• th Ho was tided over by hi» friend letting him have sheep upon a years credit. He had to stop his agricultural work, and took up a little dealing and butchering, 2nd in 1882 he was able to take his present tf .,ee On two occasions he had had his whole" crop threshed out by hail a day hefore H intended to cut it. On one occasion the hail threshed out 195 acres in luuf-in-hour. In the 1904-5 season .the hail threshed 150 acres of promising white clover, and stripped his peas clear of leaves, and from 10 acres of potatoes ho got only 15 packs of tubers. Giving his experiences of the results from his farm last season, be m.id that, in addition to the drop of 30 per cent, in the price of wool—a drop that could not have been foreseen—his kale, rape, and turnip crops had been a total failure, and owing to the dry weather experienced lie had to plough up land, on some of which 401b per acre of English grasses had been sown one year, and in other parts of which the same amount of seed had been sown for two years. The dry season had also compelled him to send 200 ewes, that would have been good for another year, to the factory for boilingdown purposes, and was likewise responsible for rive of his dairy cows only fetching 22s 6d each. In the office of the German Consul, in Auckland, there is at present hanging on the wall, "a relic of the sea," in the shape of a lifebuoy which was cast up on the beach in Parengarenga Bay, in December last, and which is all that is left t>f a gallant ship and her crew of between 50 and 40 men. The find was- referred to in our columns some time ago, but further details respecting the matter are now available. The vessel was a four-masted barque, named the Alsternixe, owned in Hamburg. She sailed from Callao, west coast of South America, for Sydney, on November 26.1906, in ballast, and from the time of her departure up to the finding of the lifebuoy tn the New Zealand coast, nothing has been heard of her. The name, which, as usual, is painted in large letters, is almost obliterated. The. lifebuoy was handed over to the Customs authorities at Auckland, and as it was evidently a German ship, Mr. Carl Seegner, the German Consul, was communicated with. After a minute examination of the lifebuoy, the name was made out to be "Alsternixe, of Hamburg." Sir. Seegner communicated with the owners of the missing ship at Hamburg, the result being that he received the following message in reply: "The Alsternixe sailed from Callao for Sydney, on November 26, 1906; since then she has not been heard of." . The Consul lias since interviewed a number of trie masters of the local coastal fleet, all of whom are of the opinion that the barque must have foundered off the Three Kings. It is stated that the north-east current along the New Zealand coast divides near fie Three Kings, one part curling round towards the east coast of New Zealand, and the other going towards the Kermadec Islands. The Alsternixe was a steel vessel of 3050 tons register.

It is understood that the Health Department is about to inaugurate a scheme that * been in contemplation for some year's. The proposal is in the direction of providing suitable employment for people who have been at the various State sanatoria, and have recovered from consumption. The details of the scheme are withheld for the present, but it will be on the lines of enabling the people in question to earn their living in a manner that shall be of benefit, not only to themselves, but to the State. When it was recently cabled that the United States Government was inviting tenders for coal in Cardiff, to the extent of £200,000 for the fleet, Sir Joseph Ward communicated with the State Department, Washington, stating that New Zealand could supply excellent coal for the warships in the" Pacific, and that the Government would give every assistance in negotiating for the purchase of coal and securing its transport to the ships. A reply lias been received stating that should such coal be required by the Navy Department, it will gladly avail itself of the New Zealand Government's good offices. The Auckland Total Abstinence Society Las voted £2 to the Churton Memorial Fund and Drinking Fountain, and has promised to take part in a demonstration, with other temperance societies, upon the occasion of the monument being handed over to the city.