LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13873, 6 October 1908, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

The idea generally prevails ' that the Auckland district is unsuited to the growth and fruitfulness of such fruits as currants and gooseberries. "It ie the constant reiteration of this fallacy," says Mr. J. E. Barrett, nurseryman at Waerenga, in his annual report, "that has prevented many fruitgrowers and others with small family orchards from giving place to these very useful fruits. . That they can be grown and grown profitably has been amply shown at Waerenga, and in support of this assertion reference need only be made to the exhibit at the last Auckland show, of gooseberries and currants from this farm." Recently the chairman of the Auckland Hospital Board telegraphed to Sir J. G. Ward asking him to note the absence of provision in the Old Age Pensions Bill for persons unable to make the declaration required by the Act, although otherwise qualified for pensions by age, residence, and character. -A reply has been received by the Hospital Board, saying, Physical disability is no bar to the granting of the! old age pension; if, however, you refer to mental disease, I rcgre* that it would not be possible to grant the pension to a person mentally incapable of making the necessary declaration." The secretary remarked at yesterday's meeting that the Board did not refer to insane persons, but to inmates of (Charitable institutions, who, from age, disease, or misfortune, had become childish, • and unable to understand ; the meaning of a declaration, and o •n'ire to that effect had been sent to Sir J. G. Ward, and the Prime Minister had been asked could not the stipendiary magistrate, have power either to dispense with declarations in such cases, if ago, residence, and character were proved satisfactorily, or: to accept the declaration of another, person. ■ The dairying industry throughout the province of Auckland is now in full operation, and the butter is coming through, to the grading stores in large quantities, almost every country train and every coastal boat bringing, in the: boxes. Re-: ports from the country indicate a surprisingly strong growth of grass, and- the recent rains have proved more than welcome.. Practically every factory is now running full time, and the output for export '■: for the fortnight ending on Friday is expected to prove a good deal larger than for the corresponding fortnight in any previous year. A feature of the trade of this year is the evident appreciation of South African people of New Zealand butter, and the export to South Africa is becoming a well-recognised and important feature of the Auckland butter trade. Great improvements have been made in the butter-chilling rooms at | the Auckland freezing works, / and experts state that butter shipped direct from Auckland will now be landed on the London market in . the , very best condition possible for New Zealand butter.

The Arbitration . Cour 1 will open its Auckland sittings on Thursday at 11, a.m. There have been 17 disputes filed for hearing, and in connection with the applications for enforcement of awards ■ the cases against "employees 'of. the Auckland' Tramways Company, in connection with the recent : strike, will be heard. A very large number of breaches of award i-are alleged in connection with the Auckland Timber Workers' : award, and application will be made in regard to the majority of these, • -that ■ the- Court ,: should , sit at Rotovua. Of .the 17 disputes,.three only were filed when the Court announced the date of its Auckland sittings. The. employers' ■~ representatives intend asking the Court to ; endeavour, to arrange some, stated period for the filing of cases, after which any further... cases filed should.be deferred till the next sitting of the Court, the ground taken up being that in cases filed only a few days or so before the Court sitting no reasonable time is allowed for preparation of the employers' defence. ' "We hare had a considerable increase in the number of charitable aid cases within the past six weeks," remarked Mr. A. Schofield at the , meeting of the Hospital Board yesterday. "There were nine; new cases in. the past fortnight, and while I do not think we have any need to feel alarmed, still I. hope the increase is only temporary." The secretary said that this time two years ago there were 180 inmates in the NCJostley Home, this time last year 182, and at' presto* 207.: In 1905 there were 201, and in 1902 there were 203, so that the increase was only one of those fluctuations to which every charitable aid institution was subject. Colonel Gudgeon, Resident Commissioner of the Cook Islands, in a despatch to the Prime Minister, urges that Christmas Island (leased to Lever Brothers), Maiden Island (leased to Grice, Sumner and Co., of Melbourne), -Starbuck" Island, arid one or two smaller 1 islands in the vicinity, bo" placed under the authority or jurisdiction of the New Zealand 'Government~C He says: — "These islands are now under the jurisdiction of the Commissioner of the Western Pacific, -but that officer can, byreason of distance, and want; of communication, exercipe no supervision over the said islands. Whatever trade or ; commune cation there may be is with Cook and northern islands of Now Zealand; and I would point out that we find all the labour used iii the islands, and, therefore, have a direct interest in the welfare of those; people. I am unable to say .what terms of lease has been granted to the Lever's Company, but I submit that it is not advisable that the firm , in question should obtain a monopoly of the cocoanut in the Eastern Pacific. ■« The matter is of more importance than appears on the face Some of these islands-will, in ■■ the future, supply large quantities of copra, and our occupation, would prevent monopoly." Colonel Gudgeon's representations are to be brought under the notice of the Imperial Government. ,

For a considerable time past endeavours have been made by the Onehungn Borough Council to' secure ."an extension of the gas system along the eastern portion of the borough,, together with six extra gas lamps along the roads. A few weeks ago, the Mayor (Mr. John Bo we), together with Mr. Moody and the manager and engineer of the Gas Company, went over 'the district, with the result that a report was received from the company at the meeting of the Council last night stating that the extensions necessary to allow of five lamps being placed in positions named, would at the present price paid for lamps, be a very unremunerativo work to carry out. The necessary outlay-to make the supply efficient would be £507. The company would be prepared to make the necessary extensions, provided the Council agreed to pay a special charge for the lamps, say, £4 12s each per annum, for two years. The report, which was 1 considered satisfactory, was referred to the Council' in committee. ,

The Hospital Board has decided to appoint a fourth resident medical officer at the hospital in .terms of - the recommendation ..of the honorary medical staff. in this connection Professor Scott, of Otago Medical School, will be asked to select a graduate from the next list, at £100 per annum.. -•'.''■ -' >' ■■ ' '■ '■'■"':

With the growth of'population in the Remuera district, the seating accommodation in St. Mark's Church has been considerably overtaxed during the past three years. The result is that the vestry has had to consider the advisableness of enlarging the, edifice, or putting up Lan entirely new one. After careful deliberation it has ; been decided to adopt the latter course. The new church will be erected on the present site. During the building operations the present structure will still be available for use as long as possible. Competitive drawings ore now being invited for the new church,; which is ;to seat 600, exclusive of the choir, in place of 400, as; at present. : : The building is to be erected in either stone or brick, or a combination of these materials, and in the designs provision must be made tor a tower, which is to contain a peal of bells.; ; The cost of the church, exclusive of the tower, seats, choir-stalls, and general furnishing is not to exceed £7000. The designs, which are being invited from all parts of the Dominion, will be received up to January 15.

A " poem" found its place amongst the correspondence read at last night's meeting of the Parnell Borough Council. It was from the children of the school asking that the small area around the fireball tower should be set aside for them as a playground. "We've little room to frolic in when there's a sunny day," it read, ; concluding with a reference to the wisdom: of the councillors " concerned with things of State; and knowing our condition, they'll quickly legislate."- -;: The matter was ' referred to the • Legal and Finance Committee to report to the Council. • Several applications have been received by the Hospital Board recently for increases in salaries of nurses, and yesterday the Hospital Committee recommended . that, as returns had now been received of the gala ries paid in other large hospitals in the Dominion, the whole .question; of salaries should be gone into. The Board referred the matter to the Finance Committee, with instructions to report at next meeting. Preparations for Ambulance Saturday, are progressing satisfactorily. It is being found very much easier this year to obtain assistants for the work of collecting than on the initial occasion. : The ladies who have, so far, undertaken the charge | : of street corners and their stations are: — Northcote Ferry Tee (Auckland), Mrs. Evestaff; Dcvonport Ferry Tee (Auckland), Miss Edmiston; Queen-street tram terminus and railway station, Mrs. Smith; Custom-street * East > and West, Mrs. -A. Challinor Purchas; corner Shortlandstreet, Mrs. Lionel Benjamin; Queen and Victoria Streets, Mrs. J. Wilson; Queen and Wellesley Streets, Mrs. A. G. Pilkington; Pitt-street corner and Karangahape Road, Mrs. A. E. Devote; Three Lamps, Mrs. W. J. ■ Boylan; Freeman's Bay, Mrs. Dawes top of Symondfl-street, Khyber Pass, etc., Mrs. Seymour; opposite Cemetery bridge, Mrs. Edmund Mahony; tram terminus, Kingsland, Miss Filleul; tram terminus, • Mount Roskill, Mrs. : Wingfield j I Newmarket, Mesdames Woolncr and Mossman ; Manukau Road and St. Stephen's Avenue, Mrs. Rattray; Garfield-street and Henley-street,-Misses Webster and Jackson; Onehuaiga, Misses Fleming and Gillman ; North Shore, Misses Bongard and Stitchbury. At some of the stations more helpers are" wanted. . •' - The secretary of the Education Board supplies the following particulars regarding -i the ' entries of candidates for ; this ■• examination for scholarships, etc., to beheld in December Seniors: Senior district scholarships, 43Auckland Grammar School (boys and girls), 40; Thames High School, 2; Whangarei High School,' 1. The number of entries in 1907 was 40. Juniors: Education Board junior scholarships, 307 junior national scholarships, 291; junior free places, 175. "The entries in 1907 were ,296; 128, and 122 respectively. The examinations will be'held at Auckland, Thames, Hamilton, i Vv'hangarei, Aratapu, and Tauranga. •:.-- :..■■■•■■.■.:"

The proposition of: the Newmarket Borough Council to levy a special rate on the properties fronting the Newmarket portion of Manukau Road has not been at all favourably: received by the property owners concerned. At a recent meeting of the Council, the town clerk (Mr. W* Hogg) was instructed to ascertain their feelings on the question. In reporting the result at the meeting of the Council last night, he said: ■". One ratepayer asked me if the Council -thought he was going to ; the asylum, that it should ask him to make a special contribution towards the maintenance of the main road. I interviewed a number of others, but the replies were unsatisfactory. There was only -one living soul who said he would make, a contribution of £1." Mr. D. Teed suggested that the clerk should be especially thanked. V While a lady resident of Timaru was engaged in some work outside her house near the back door, she'-heard-.a-- noise in the house, and entered to see what it was, when a man rushed out 'of one of the front rooms, and, striking her in the face, knocked her down and left her in a dazed condition. When she recovered sufficiently to-be able ■ to make a search, it was ascertained that £5 was missing from a chest of drawers, which had been' ransacked. -.. ■'■";'. '■;;.'■' \ .■',■ '' ; ;\ x f : /r/'.''\: : ::'''?A'f'. The case of a patient who had died of consumption at the hospital was ..brought under the notice of the Hospital Board yesterday. This patient had been only two months in the Dominion, and had evidently been a case in point of the consumptive immigration, which the Board ? protected against at a special meeting last week. It was decided to refer the ' matter to the Inspector-General of Hospitals. The following tenders were received by Messrs. Ji. Mahoney and Son, architects, yesterday, for the erection of a four-storey brick building for Mr. T. Darby in Queenstreet, adjoining the Thames HotelO; F. Hamon and Sons, -£9477; J. >B. Langley and Co., £9293; F. G. Fortzer, £8967; K. Brown, £8800; J. Lye and Sons, £8796 R. H. McCallum, £8700; J. T. Julian, £8697; Fairweather and <Brortnlee, £8676; ■ J. J. Holland, £8622; Craig Brothers, £8567; G. J. Braithwaite, £8497 ; W. E. Hutchison, £8493; W. Philcox and Sons, £8366 ; Guthrie and Coulbourne, £8345; J. A. Moody, £8177; J. D. Jones, £7568. No tender has so far been accepted. .• • In order :to prevent contamination of the water supply, the Onehunga Borough Council, on the initiative of the Mayor (Mr. John Rowe), has decided to instal a drainage system in the springs area, the cost to each resident in the vicirity to connect being about £4. .Last evening ; a number of "satisfactory replies were received from those interested, all promising to fall in with the proposal. So far, nothing .has been received 'from Wellington re the desired -: gazettal of the proposed borough drainage notices, and it has been decided to at once communicate with Mr. F. W. Lang, M.P., During the'three months ended September 30 the total number of arrivals at the port -of Auckland was: 2900, and the; departures 2312. .For the month of September alone there were 1163 arrivals and 815 departures, of whom' 697 went. to New Sottih Wales, and 115 to Queensland., '