LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14142, 18 August 1909, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

This evening the moon will be situated somewhat close to Venus, the planet being found to the south of our satellite about five degrees. Both will set before eight p.m.

During the time the car service was interrupted owing to the relaying of rails at the intersection of Queen-street and Wellesley-street, Mr. F. M. Downes made a claim of Id upon the Tramways Company for two half-penny fares charged him on the Queen-street section, his object being to test the validity of the company's refusal to provide transfers for those travelling down Wellesley-street. Mr. Downes has now received notice from the company's solicitor that it will not defend the action, and has paid Id, together with the costs of the summons (3s), into Court.

Several cases of scarlet fever were reported to the One-tree Hill Road Board last night. Members decided that precautions be taken to prevent the spread of the disease.

At the conclusion of his lecture on "Comets," Professor Segar pointed out that this year is the tercentenary of the first making of a telescope by Galileo, and its application to astronomy. It was worth' considering, he said, whether the time had not arrived for the foundation of a national observatory in this country. New- Zealand stood easily third amongst the Australasian States in population and wealth. New South Wales had long possessed a fine observatory, and Victoria one of the greatest telescopes in the world, and these great observatories had been founded when these States had not the population and wealth of the Now Zealand of to-day. We inherited the scientific knowledge that had been gained by our ancestors, and it was both' our duty and privilege to do all that was possible, to extend its boundaries.

The disposal of surplus funds was dealt with by the Fountain of Friendship Lodge, M.U., at a special meeting last night, a large number of brethren being present. This lodge,is one of the few in New Zealand which shows a surplus of funds. The Government actuary stilted that the sum.'- of £6259 was available for disposal as the members deem fit. Various proposals for disposing of the surplus were made, and it was finally decided that the sum of £5000 be set aside for the redemption of contributions, that £1000 be set aside for management purposes, and the balance of £259 used for distress purposes. A hearty vote of thanks was accorded to the Surplus Committee for their valuable work.

The frequency of streets of the same name is being brought under the notice of the suburban local bodies by the Auckland City Council. At last meeting of the Remuera Road Board a letter was received from the town clerk of Auckland, pointing out that in no less than seven local districts were there Albert-streets, Albert Roads, or Albert Avenues. In the Remuera district alone there were no less than 20 streets bearing names similar to those in other boroughs and rating districts around the city. This had led to considerable confusion at various times, and it was desirable that things should be remedied in this respect. The Road Board decided that the work could very well be postponed till the formation of a Greater Auckland, when it could be done by the Greater Auckland City Council.

The ferry steamer Kestrel ran aground off the eastern end of Victoria Wharf, Devonport, yesterday. She left Auckland at 11.30 a.m., and while endeavouring to berth at Victoria Wharf was caught by a strong south-west wind, and was carried on to a mudbank. The tide was very low at the time and the Kestrel remained hard and fast until the afternoon, when she was floated off again, and resumed her running as usual.

The Marine Department has appointed Captain W. J. Reed, of Devonport (Auckland) and Mr. F. W. Blakey, engineer, as assessors at the magisterial inquiry into the recent mishap to the steamer Rarawa's boilers in Manukau Harbour, says a Press Association message.

The Crown solicitor was apologising for the deliberate manner in which a Maori witness was giving his evidence at the Supreme Court yesterday, when Mr. Justice Edwards remarked that he was doing very well, in fact, his English was better than some used by members of the Bar at times. "Present company excepted, I hope," Mr. Tole jocosely interjected, and His Honor assented. Mr. Tole occasioned a further laugh by remarking that he knew of a judge. who once stated that a certain witness was the greatest liar he had' ever "present company excepted."

An interesting demonstration will be held in St. Andrew's Church to-night in connection with the quater-centenary of Calvin, the great Protestant reformer. The musical service will be rendered by a special choir, and some of the old Genevan tunes sung at St. Peter's, Geneva, during Calvin's time, will be given. Addresses on Calvin and Calvinism will be delivered by the Revs. A. Macaulay Caldwell, D.' D. Scott, W. Gray Dixon, and W. Trotter. The Rev. R.Somjnerville will preside.

The great fire which completely gutted the Strand Arcade, on Monday evening has been strikingly and realistically recorded by the camera in this week's issue of the Auckland Weekly News,, published to-day. A really fine photograph, taken by the light from the burning building, shows the conflagration at its height, when huge tongues of flame were leaping skyward above the ' shattered walls. The burning of the steamer Kapanui is also depicted in the number, a companion picture being given of the. wrecked hull and deck fittings, while among other events of special interest dealt with may be mentioned the loss of the liner Langton Grange, the burning of the Old People's Home at Nelson, and the reception to Tommy Burns at Wellington. The nonappearance of - the-missing liner War is still causing grave uneasiness, and thus the two portraits published in the issue, of the captain and chief officer, should prove of unusual interest. Other events include the first snowfall of this winter on the route of the North Island Main Trunk line, with its attendant joys of snowballing, the mishap to the overland express near Ohakune, and an interesting series of the Canterbury Jockey Club's Grand National meeting at Christ-church.. A portrait of the Auckland pugilist, Tom Lees, who has challenged Tommy Burns to a contest of six rounds, together with a wide variety of miscellaneous pictures completes the issue.

The steamer Mokoia did not leave for Sydney until .5.30 a.m. yesterday. She was advertised to sail at 5.30 p.m. on Monday, but her departure was subsequently postponed until midnight, owing partly to. her late arrival from Sydney on Sunday night, and partly to the unusually large shipment' of copra (17,000 sacks) loaded at Auckland.

An interesting comparison was made by Professor Segar, during . his lecture on "Comets," to contrast the position of the planets with the fixed stars. On the screen appeared a limelight view of the solar system, showing the orbits of the planets. The outermost one, that of Neptune, representing an actual diameter of 5,600,000,000 miles, was somewhere about 6ft, that of the earth being only a few inches. If the earth itself had been represented, its diameter in the picture would - have been one ten-thousandth .of an inch, and would have been invisible to everyone in the room. The question was, If the universe were reduced in the same proportion, how far away would the nearest fixed star be? The answer was 5£ miles, corresponding almost exactly to the distance of Rangitoto Beacon from the Museum. In fact, added the professor, the lighthouses round the coast of Auckland might be taken as representing those few fixed stars which were near enough for us to be able to obtain any idea of their distance, while the whole solar system.. represented on the screen.

A Taupiri farmer, Mr. W. J. Burling, aged about 67, died suddenly on Monday. Deceased went by boat to Taupiri on his way to Hamilton Hospital. On landing there he expired. .He was a new .settler in the district, having come from the. South. -/. • -' ' "• "• ,- ;

It has been decided that the following cases will not be taken ,at the criminal

sitting of the Supreme Court before Monday :—Charles Rolton, carnally knowing a girl under the age of .16 years,,,at,| Paeroa; Charles Thos. - Scorringe, breaking and entering, and theft from a dwelling,' at Auckland (10 charges) ; Charles Henry Halley and Herbert Birkett, man-, slaughter, at Onehunga; Emanuel Cyril Martin, forgery and ■ uttering, at Auckland; William Roberts, forgery and uttering, at Auckland (two charges); William. Whogan, alias Hogan, bigamy, .at Auckland: Walter Robert Page, Charles Cummings, and William Barnett, robbery and violence, at Auckland.

It is reported that the burgling fraternity is active in Auckland at present, and housekeepers would do well to be on their guard. The other day two entrances were effected, and hauls- of jewellery and cash made while the inmates were away. At the house of Mr. A. C. Steele, of Pic-ton-street, Ponsonby, an entry was made by way of the drawingroom window, and a. chest*of drawers ransacked, the result being that between ;£7 and £8 in cash and jewellery to the value of over £40, were abstracted. On the same day the premises of. Mr. E. W. Hancock, bookseller, Queen-street, were made the subject of a visit, and some £30 worth of jewellery and about £1 in cash taken. So far none of this, has been recovered, or any clue obtained.

The tram service to the One-tree Hill district was referred to as decidedly insufficient at last night's,meeting of the local Board Board. The chairman (Mr. E. W. Burton) said that traffic had grown to sucn an extent along the Onehunga line that there were not enough cars to cope with the increased number of passengers. It was a question, he thought, whether the Board should not frame by-laws compelling the company to adhere to a regular time-table. On the motion of Mr. Creagh, the clerk was instructed to arrange for a deputation from the Board to wait upon Mr. J. A. Walklate, manager of the Tramways Company, with a view to securing an : increased service. ..'..'

The proposed laying of high tension mains between the tramway power-house and a sub-station to be erected at the Epsom depot was brought under the notice of the One-tree Hill Road Board last night by a communication from the Tramways Company, which indicated the route for the mains. The letter mentioned that the cables would be-laid in earthenware troughs filled with bitumen, at a depth of 2ft from the surface of the road. The plan also showed the positions of three poles, which the company wished to erect for the carrying of low tension feeders for Mount Eden and Dominion Road.

Strong comment was made at the meeting of the Remuera Road Board on the proposal to establish a home for incurables in the district, and it was unanimously agreed that the Eemuera district was too closely settled to have a home for incurables in its midst. It • was finally resolved to make representations to i the Knox trustees, and to the Health Department, with the object of preventing the establishment of the proposed home in the Eemuera district.

The engines belonging to the gutted steamer Kapanui were removed from the vessel yesterday, and the boiler will be unshipped to-day. The hull of the steamer will be broken up.

The Crown Prosecutor (the Hon. J.-A. Tole) has been instructed to appeal against the decision of Mr. E. C. Cutten, , S.M., in the recent fortune-telling cases.