LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13583, 12 September 1908, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

A rather interesting position has been created in connection with the Local Bodies Loan Bill, which the Mayor of Wellington some time ago, asked the Auckland City Council to oppose on the ground that the Government proposed to take up the sinking funds of municipal bodies and 'invest them with the Public Trustees as Government security for loans raised. The impression thus conveyed indined the Mayor of Auckland (Mr. A M. Myers) to oppose the Bill, but when a copy of the measure was sent up, it was seen that the Government's intention was altogether different. The Government, according to the Bill, is going to guarantee loans to local bodies to the extent of half a million per annum, and as security for that guarantee the sinking funds of these loans will be paid to the Government As » matter of fact, the measure will only affect the smaller municipalities. Under the impression conveyed by the Mayor of Wellington the Auckland City Council graphed to the three city members at Wellington, asking them to oppose the sinking funds of municipal loans being made payable to the Public Trustees, but when a copy of the Bill reached A UC L and, and the true position of affairs was revealed, those inductions to the local members were promptly withdrawn. In. stead, the Auckland Parliamentarians STwu! * pay careful •"•»*»^ the Bill as.. it went through. The mea sure has now passed its second reading. * An elderly man named John Murphy was admitted to *. hospital ™ afternoon, suffering from an bjuiy to Z head, the result of a foil. * ;.T* ™ \

The Supplement issued with to-day i Herald contains much of interest. '"IV hunga" writes on " When the Forests Go," and a on "Unrest in India" is con. tributed by Joseph McFarlane. The first of a series of articles' on "The - American Outlook," the one under notice describing the Republican platform, by Hti"li 11. Lusk, appears, and Professor J. Macmillan Brown contributes his studies on " Problems. of the Pacific," to-day's paper dealing with "Politics in Japan." James Drummond,'| F.L.5.,. F.Z.S., under the heading oft "Nature Notes," writes on "An Expected? Migrant." The serials "The Necklace of Parmona," "The Diva's Rubies," and "Sir Gregory's Silence,'' are continued,'•' while Local Gossip, London chat and fashion notes, chess and draughts, science, literary," and musical and dramatic jottings also appear, besides other interesting features.

Some idea of the new thoroughfare that the Grafton bridge will open up between the city and its eastern areas was afforded Grafton residents yesterday, when the fence and '"hedge above Bridge-street were removed, preparatory to the operations of removing the house which stands at the east end of the bridge. From Park Road a clear view was thus opened tip, and it was possible to see the clear line of the new way right across to Karangahape Road. During the paet week the timbering of the structure on the Grafton side has proceeded bo rapidly that the gap between the works on the east and on th« .west side of the gully, seems comparatively small, and daily the magnitude of the work grows more apparent.

That characters of a particularly undesirable description axe favouring the city with their presence is demonstrated by the fact that several burglaries have been perpetrated lately. The latest instance 13 that in which Mr. Geo. Tutt's premises at the top of Symonds-street were entered, and cash amounting to £1 lis lOd taken. On opening up hie shop on Wednesday morning, Mr. Tutt found that the till had been opened, and the contents had disappeared. A further examination revealed the fact that the visitor had made his entrance by a window over the shop at the backhand had requisitioned a neighbour's ladder for the purpose. The thief then smashed the panes of the intervening glass doors, and turned the locks from the other eide. In doing so, however, be evidently cut his hand, as traces of blood were found on the floor, and also about the till. The matter was reported to the police, but so far no capture has been irade.:

As summer succeeds summer, aiid the ;} numbei of visitors to the Nihotupu Falls, £ Karekare Bay, and Piha rapidly, increase,, the want of a good road from Auckland to" i the west coast is being keenly felt. The ? ranges, where there are magnificent groves * of kauri trees, and the finest bush and'! gorge scenery in the neighbourhood, of the city, taken in conjunction with the splen- < did resorts on the coast, represent the greatest natural playgrounds of Auckland, and the city is fortunate in possessing , these scenic assets, but comparatively no t thing is being done to encourage- holiday A traffic in that direction by the City Council, th» Government, or the Waitemata County Council. First-class boardinghouses have been erected at Waiala Rua, Karekare Bay, and the Piha, but the roads i forbid anything like the traffic that the re-'ft sorts should receive, and a suggegstion is H now on foot that a conference should be ' held between representatives of the City Council and the Waitemata County Couhoil, with a view to some concerted action, ; ; and to inducing the Government to assist. ; in making a jjoqd road. '.. Visitors ha I often i&harked 1 that" if ts'ucrT hiagtiinceiil' scenery and health resorts' were within such easy distance of any of the Austra- , lian cities there would be electric. cars traversing the whole route. '* \, The evidence given before the Labour Bills Committee in regard to -the Arbitra- . tion Act Amendment Bill and presented tt .-, Parliament yesterday (telegraphs our Wellington correspondent) contains a reference to the hours worked-by the engineers in j the employ of the Devonport Steam Ferry H Company. In the course of his evidence, ; Thomas Long, a representative of the Trades and Labour Council Conference, said;,"l : i can quote one instance where men have be«n working 84 and 85 hours a week for years. There are some of bm members who.are ..?.» working those long hours, and it wast to get something done for those men that we went .;, before the ■< Court last time. I refer particularly to men employed by the Devon- , port Steam Ferry Company and also on the Wairoa'steamers." At the next meeting of; the committee Mr. Alison, M.P. (a member of the committee), made a statement in reference to the matter. He said that , after Mr. Long had made his statement he had telegraphed to the secretary of the company, who had replied that the statement was not correct, and that the hours worked• ' did not exceed 69 hours a week. Mr. Alison added that the employees of the Devonport Ferry Company were better paid than - the men working in any ferry service in the Australasian colonies, and that the hours they worked did not exceed those provided for in the Wellington ferries award, viz., 70,' hours a. week. The men, he added, were so satisfied with their wages and the conditions under which they worked that several attempts to form »* union had failed. There were men' in the employment of the * company at the present time who entered its employment when the company tint " started. James Robertson, a member of the special jury, summoned to appear yesterday. afternoon, in the case of Bodle v.. Aghan, failed to answer his name when failed, and was fined £2. The jury was ' empanelled in his absence, but the case was at once adjourned until (his morning, . it being possible that a settlement may be arrived at. The claim is for breach of agreement, said a counter claim of £1164 '.: for alleged negligence has been filed by ". defendant.

r The recommendation of the jury which |s|| inquired irto the circumstances attending the death of James Barnett (who was' drowned by falling into the harbour off the .breastwork, near the Sailors' Home, on August 26), that the spot should be fenced off with stanchions and chains, so as to prevent a recurrence of similar fata- f; lities in the future, was adopted at the r meeting of the Harbour Board in com-.,'-nuttoe yesterday. Instructions were given > to have the work executed forthwith.

Attention was drawn by Mr. H. D. Heather at the meeting of the Harbour V Board in committee yesterday to the fact / that the Board only employed one man ; to watch over the whole of its wharves : at night time. With the alterations going on at present, and the consequent increased facilities for pilfering, he thought the , Board should . increase the number of tughfcwatchmen until such time as the permanent sheds were. erected. The other; , members of the Board echoed Mr. Heather's sentiments, and it was resolved to employ two extra nightwatclimen temporarily, and to apportion the work equally between the-three!

The Cambridge Co-operative Dairy Company has disposed of the season's butler .' output 10 Messrs. A. Bevins and Co. at an advance on all previous prices (telegraphs, our correspondent). Taking the amount ;of - last, year's output c the increased Price means £3000 to the district*