LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14148, 25 August 1909, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Observers may note that the two planets Jupiter and Mercury will be very close together near the Western horizon early this evening, Mercury being situated to the south of Jupiter; but as both set at three minutes before seven o'clock, those who desire to see the two planets at their nearest must not be too late. . To-morrow evening they will be in nearly the same position, but Mercury more to the northward.

The demand for cheap meals and beds at the People's Palace is a good indication of the number of men who are hard up in the city. The number pressed by poverty has apparently decreased during the past few weeks, as the accommodation has been sufficient to meet demands, whereas during a considerable portion of the winter numbers of men had to be turned away. A" considerable number of the men who stayed at the Palace during the winter have now obtained work in the country. The Salvation Army authorities also report as a hopeful sign that' there is now greater demand for the better and dearer meals and beds than formerly. The following figures show the number of meals and beds supplied in the shelter department. during the first three weeks of August:3o4 meals at Id, 192 at 2d, 176 at 3d, 241 at 4d, 336 in return for labour, 365 on orders, and 247 free; 976 beds at 4d, 114 in return for labour, 225 on orders, and 114 free beds.

A cheque for £20 has been presented by Messrs. Campbell, Ehrenfried and Co. to the Auckland Fire Brigade sick and accident fund, as a token of the firm's appreciation of the praiseworthy manner in which Superintendent Woolley and his men worked at the recent fire at the Strand Arcade. In forwarding the contribution, Mr. Leo Myers, in a covering letter, referred to the considerable difficulties that had to be encountered in fighting the fire, and expressed the opinion that great credit was due to the superintendent and the members of the brigade for arresting the spread of the conflagration to the adjoining buildings. The work of . demolishing the front and interior walls of the Arcade is proceeding as rapidly as the necessary precautions for safety will allow.

The Auckland sittings of the Police Commission were opened before the Commissioner (Mr. H. W. Bishop, S.M.) yesterday, when half a dozen witnesses were examined, A number of grievances were laid before the Commissioner, principally in regard to the vexed questions of promotion, pay, etc., but no complaint was made in regard to the discipline of the force in Auckland, which was acknowledged to be good. Allegations of political influence in regard to promotions were made by one constable, and dissatisfaction with the ' city police surgeon was spoken of by three . witnesses. The sittings will be continued to-day and throughout the week (with the exception of Saturday), and will probably extend into next week. A number of persons outside of the force have intimated their intention of giving evidence, and several more members of the force have yet to be examined. Mr. Bishop will make a tour of inspection of the various police stations whilst in Auckland.

A shareholder in the New Zealand Dairy Association referred at yesterday's meeting to a cheque of £40 or £50 which he had mislaid for over 18 months, and he asked if the association, upon finding that it had not been presented for payment, should not have forwarded him a reminder. The managing director (Mr. Wesley Spragg) replied that the duty of the association ceased when the suppliers received their cheques. "On one occasion," he said, "a shareholder brought along a bundle of cheques which had accumulated during a period of two years. He said ho had retained them because they were about as sound as anything he could keep, until such time as he was prepared to pay off his private mortgage. Why," continued Mr. Spragg, amidst laughter; "some of our cheques have actually been framed." "That is so," rejoined a person from the body of the hall. I have one for 6d." '' V";'

' Tenders are invited in this issue in connection with inland and sea mail services to and from.the Auckland district. Tenders are also invited in respect to the carriage of mails by coach or motor car between certain centres in the % Timar u postal district. . . ,

A gig was upset in Wellesley-gtreet - terday, and a young man named ijftil Stafford had a narrow escape fro J^ 10 ; run over by a tramcar. Stafford Wasd,-: ing Dr. de Chve Lowe's gig down £*. street when the horse shied at some m It " ing coppers on the side of the road*! *" and swerving on to the tram ne , „ a?,: the corner of Queen-street, caused the M veyance to be capsized through co'mW • into contact with an approaching tram : ''H The motorman clapped on the partially-applied brakes in time to nil vent the car passing over Stafford, S was lying across the tram line, under th° wheels of the gig. He sustained «Sfl on the face, head, and hands, and *'' attended to by Dr. Lowe, in Mr. &«•?>* pharmacy. Th gig was broken in but the horse escaped without injury 5 ' ■

The observatory in Albert Park, \<,V * is intended to house the meteoroi o gi c C 1 instruments which for many years h ' been installed on the roof 0 f n. Museum, is now completed. The obs'" vatory has been erected by the p u y'" Works Department, while the ground has been laid out by Mr. Pearson, director of the City Council's reserves, and sown with grass. An entirely new equipment of instruments will be placed in the ob servatory by the end of this month, and from the Ist prox. regular observations: will be taken there. Work will be earried on under more favourable conditions in the observatory, as the radiation 0 heat from the roof -of a building renders thermometer readings liable to slight in.

A new light was shed on the subject of police promotions by Sergeant Moore, of Whangarei, in his evidence before 'the Police Commission yesterday. Other wit. nesses had complained of being passed over in regard to promotions, but he stated that he had not asked for his "stripes," and that, as a matter of fact his transition from the post of constable to that of sergeant had meant a pecuniary loss to him at the time of no less than £130 a year. In reply to the puzzled look that overspread the faces of all in Court, and a query from Mr. Bishop, the witness stated that when he was. promoted he was the constable in charge of the Rawene district. "I was also," he explained, "bailiff and clerk of the Court, deputy-registrar of old age pensions, etc.—in fact, I held 14 appointments outside that of constable which represented in all £130 a year.' He was he said, disinclined to accept promotion but after a talk with the inspector, who had recommended him for the promotion he decided to accept it. Mr. Bishop said that the suggestion had been made that when a man was considered worthy of promotion he should not be allowed the option of declining, and the witness cuu. curred in this view/ *

The fact that constables, when travelling by steamer on transfer, or on other official business, are allowed only steerage fares by the Department was complained of by more than one witness before the Police Commission yesterday. It was stated that in many cases the constables "travel saloon," and pay the difference between the two fares out of their own pockets. Inspector Cullen pointed out that on the Northern Company's steamers, constables, although i holding only steerage tickets, were always invited into the saloon, and he said that the manager of the company (Mr. C. Eanson) was deserving of the thanks of the constables, for this act of courtesy. The Commissioner (Mr. H. W. Bishop, S.M.) expressed his agreeable surprise on hearing of this "credit' able" act of consideration, and remarked, 1 "I am afraid that it is peculiar to this end of the Dominion." "It is the only instance of which I am aware," said the inspector.

One of the speakers at the annual meeting of the New Zealand Dairy Association yesterday was endeavouring to impress upon those present that Mr. Srragg was the association, and versa, when he sailed forth into an argument in favour of a reduction in Mr. Spragg's (not the association's) price for manures. The managing director rose to object that the shareholder was "mixing him up with manures," whereupon those present laughed so heartily that Mr. Spragg's explanation was slightly interfered with.

Charges of supplying Maori women in a kainga with liquor will be preferred against a number of white men shortly, at the Helensville Court, It is alleged that several men , took liquor into the kainga at Haronui, and gave it to the Maori women. The men of the kainga, it is stated, arrived while this was being done, and forcibly ejected the whites, and afterwards laid informations against them.

In sentencing a prisoner at the Supreme Court yesterday to three years' imprisonment for an offence against a little girl. His Honor Mr. Justice Edwards remarked that unless there was a great diminution in this class of offence on the next calendar he would have to resort to the use of the lash, which had previously been found a deterrent to this offence.

The North Shore District Cricket Club wrote to the Devonport Domain Boa™ last night, asking that the cricket ground be closed at once, owing to the way ; the ground was damaged by football being played on it, and the subsequent trouble the club had in getting it prepared for cricket, It was resolved to close, the ground from Monday next.

Two of the hotels which lost their licenses as the result of the last local option poll are to be submitted for sale by auction to-day. They are the buildings known as the Epsom Hotel, at the corner of the Manukau Road and Derby-strcJ; Epsom, and the Junction Hotel, at the corner of Manukau Road and Great South Road.' The properties will be sold by Messrs. T. Mandeno Jackson.

Some 22 pianos and three organs, which had been stocked by the British and Continental Piano Company,- and which wcrt more or less damaged in the Tiro at i** Strand Arcade, were put up for sale by auction by Mr. Louis Lewis, auctioneer. at the Federal Hall, yesterday morningAlthough several of the instruments were utter wrecks, there were others again; which could be readily repaired, and there was consequently a large attendance of tw. general public, who were on the look-on for cheap instruments. A 150 g"' nea horizontal grand piano, by Bechsleitf, «$; knocked down for £35, and a 150 gui*». pianoforte-pianola, by Steck, for ** The other instruments, upright grand*, by various makers, realised from;. 63 % to £25.! The organs, valued at £&**J fore the fire, sold at from £6 to £13 !«*•

Although more than a week has caps* since the Strand Arcade fire, members «. the fire brigade still keep an eye on «W; ruins. Last evening a hose was MM played upon that portion of the bwld" 1 * in "which the Strand Cafe was located-:

''• r'. The great fire which, in the space of a few minutes, enveloped the whole of the* Strand Arcade in an enormous volume of flame has been strikingly recorded in this week's issue of'the Auckland Weekly News, published to-day. A unique night photograph shows the conflagration at, its height, with the- firemen heroically fighting the flames from the Queen-street frontage, while in tho foreground is shown a portion of the great crowd which filled the street from pavement to pavement. A second picture shows the. fire as witnessed from the Northern Club, with the city in the vicinity of the outbreak brilliantly illuminated by the glare, and the tower of ,St. Matthew's standing out in bold relief against the sky. An imposing full-page picture, taken on tho morning following the outbreak, shows tho scene of ruin and desolation inside the once handsome building, while photographs of the firemen at work extinguishing the last traces of the tire, the wrecked piano shop, and a portrait of Mr. Crouch, who had a sensational escape, are also given. Among the numerous other current events illustrated in the number will be found a flashlight photograph of the recent gathering at the presentation to Mr. Massey, together with the latest portrait of the Leader of the Opposition party, the Auckland Golf Club's championship meeting, a chart showing the course steered by the "Waratah from Australia to Durban, laying of the new Technical College foundation-stone, and' the opening of the river bar at Wairoa. A fine" panoramic view on the double-page of the number shows Ohakuno township and station in a shroud of white, after the recent snowfall, while a second panorama depicts vessels representative of every class of warship in the British navy. In addition, a type of New Zealand's coming fleet is shown in an interesting photograph of a British submarine, while a new series of goldfield views and a topical cartoon complete the issue.

The bane of the charitably-disposed person is the man who begs money for a' bed or for a meal, and then goes straight to the nearest bar. Charitable people, who are also business-like, have flattered themselves that by signing orders on restaurants, or giving tickets for meals or beds, they relieved the distressed without leading them into temptation. The thirsty one has evidently found, however, that tickets and orders have an exchange value. An Auckland shopkeeper received a call the other day from a man who said he was stranded till the end of the week, after which time he. would be able to look after himself. The- shopkeeper gave him a number of tickets, of the faco value of 4d each, entitling him to accommodation and meals in the shelter department of the'People's-Palace, conducted by the Salvation Army, in Welleslcystreet. That evening the man was doing a big trade in tickets, which he was retailing at Id each. " Later on he was chunk.

Some references to dissatisfaction in the Auckland police force with the present police surgeon were made at the Police Commission yesterday by two constables, who appeared as delegates from the force. Constable Thompson (now of Dargaville) said the men? were dissatisfied, and were

very anxious that something should be done.

Replying to questions he said representations had already been made through the inspector, and an inquiry was held before Mr. Brabant. Mounted-Constable flam-

■ JrierJy,' who also gave evidence as a dele- " gate, - stated that the men thought that they should have been acquainted with the result of the inquiry, but it had not yet been made known to them. Commissioner Dinnie said it might be advisable that Dr. Shannan should' be present if this mat- . ter was to be gone into, but Mr. Bishop said the allegations 60 far made were very non-

committal; they merely raised the general

question. He would call for the papers relating to the inquiry and go through them carefully, and then make a definite

recommendation to the Minister for Jus-

tice. Even if he did not agree with many of the complaints made he might still think

it a proper thing to make representations to the Government that . the men as a body object to a certain medical officer. Personally, he did not think that any man who is objected to almost unanimously by the men should be forced upon them. Of course, this was only his personal opinion, and it may not be shared by the Department. .

? • The premises in Wellesley-street, lately known as the Park Hotel, have undergone considerable structural alteration, and are now being furnished by the Girls' Friendly Society, as a lodge for girls. It is expected the* lodge will be ready next week, and a short service will be conducted by Bishop Neligan in connection with the opening ceremony. What was previously the bar is now turned into, the diningioom, and adjoining are afternoon tearooms, a sittingroom, and a brightly-papered social room. Kitchen v and scullery, with sheds and storerooms annexed, complete the basement. Upstairs are two dormitories, capable of holding 10 girls and a number of single and double sleeping rooms. The premises have been repapered, new sanitary equipment has been put in, and a considerable I portion of the basement has been remodelled.; The lodge will hold about 20 girls. ; The whole of tho bedrooms have been furnished by the society, with the assistance of friends, but further furniture and /furnishings are required for the sitting--rooms. Miss Hammond, the lady superintendent, is now in charge.

A request that members of the police force should be provided with first in- . stead of second class tickets, when travel- ,. ling on the railways, was preferred by one or two members of the force, in giving evidence before the Commission yesterday. The Commissioner (Mr. Bishop) said that the hardship of having to travel second-class on a train was by no means so great as that of having to "go steerage" on'a steamer. "Heaps of people," he added, "travel second-class on the • trains," and he adverted to the wellknown anecdote of the man in England, who, on being asked why he . travelled v t .third-class, replied, "Because there is no fourth-class !" A meeting of the Dunedin Citizens' Committee formed in connection with the proposal to send an Otago and Southland rifle team to Australia was held in the Town ;%# Hall at Dunedin last week. • It was decided " r to institute a canvass of the town with a • view to raising the money required to cover expenses, and it was also arranged to have ' a representative from Southland appointed '- to the selection committee. " " ' "".'■ '■• . The. dispute about preference to unionist* in connection with wharf labour in Wellington is apparently not over yet. Mr. I). McLaren, M.P.; stated that Mr, P. McCann, in declaring against preference, as not expressing the views of that orgaI pjttgtion. Mr. McCann now says that he is prepared to have a ballot of the members, taken on the question, "Has prefer- ' ence don© anything for the good of 'Ami' wharf workers in Wellington I" BamSt---