LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14220, 17 November 1909, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

A fire broke out about 12.30 this morning in an eight-roomed house in - Gibraltar Crescent, Parnell, owned by Mr. -P. Neville, and occupied by Mr. S. Stanley. The outbreak was discovered in an empty

room by Miss Stanley, who immediately gave the alarm. A bucket brigade was quickly;organised, and. before any ; serious damage was done the fire was suppressed. The Parnell . Five Brigade, under Captain Cowan, was also in attendance, and assisted in extinguishing the outbreak.

Yesterday was one of those close, muggy: days .which occasionally give rise to the "tired feeling," especially in unacclimatised '.'■ strangers ■■'■ in our '■■ midst/ Some heavy showers of rain fell at Auckland. '

A report having been circulated to the effect that acts of vandalism were being perpetrated at ; the Waikaraka Cemtery, Onehunga, and graves robbed of ornamental wreaths, the chairman, of the Cemetery Committee indignantly denied the allegations at the meeting of the Onehunga Borough Council on Monday night. Only in one instance had wreaths been removed, and this was last .week, . when several were taken from a grave and temporarily placed in the "sexton's shed until the grave could be better arranged for their placing thereon. It was a pity, he added, that the name of the town should suffer through idle rumour.

Speaking to a ' Herald representative yesterday with reforence to the railway service between Auckland and Penrose, Mr. M. M. McCallum said there were still numerous complaints about the shocking state in which the carriages were kept, and the inadequate accommodation provided on the trains running. In many cases, he said, ladies with firstclass tickets, had to invade the smoking compartments, because they could not get seats elsewhere.

A poll of ratepayers of the part of the Rernuera road district that will be affected by the proposed drainage scheme will be taken to-morrow between the hours of nine' a.m. and six- p.m.,. in St. Mark's Parish Hall. The proposal of the Road Board is to raise a special loan of £8500 for the purpose of constructing a system of drainage for a portion of the district, and to secure the payment of the same and the annual charges by levying a ■ special rate of five-eighths of a penny in the .pound upon the ratable value of all ratable property within the portion of the district.. - *

The increase of criminal assaults upon little children prompted: the grand jury at the Supreme Court yesterday to bring the matter under the notice of His Honor Mr." Justice Cooper., The grand jury recommended that more drastic' punishment be meted out to offenders, .as imprisonment only did not seem-to act.as a deterrent. The jury further recommended to His Honor for consideration the advisability of ordering the lash in such, cases. His Honor said he would take the jury's recommendations into consideration. '

"" Spring' cleaning," besides being the nightmare of many housewives, also exercises the mind, of the curator of the Auckland Museum," Mr. Cheeseman having arranged to close the institution for a week from' Thursday next, in order to submit the building. and its contents to a thorough overhaul. ."

• The New Zealand Employers' Federation, in. their annual__report,, have .something to say as to the "three-party" system, and its probable effect upon New Zealand industries.' .." The defection of Mr.. A. W. Hogg, M.P., from the ranks of the Liberal party, ; and his evident intention, to place himself, if possible, at tha-head of a distinct. Labour party," says the report, " brings nearer the three-party - system in the politics of New Zealand. ■ While ,it\ may be matter for ' congratulation that the; Liberal party should be dissociated from the ;extreme Labour party, it rests'with the employers of the ''Dominion to see to' it "that the third party does not' secure , that dominance which will enable it to dictate terms which will secure the introduction -of further socialistic legislation in New Zealand: There is no question but that "th©:industries of the Dominion have as many burdensome restrictions 'i imposed : upon them as they can possibly- bear, ' and jto 'attempt the introduction ' of legislation of a more extreme socialistic type is to do that which 1 will entirely cripple New Zealand as a manufacturing country, and will -also prejudicially affect our. primary industries."

Like most streets along which the

tramcars pass, Queen-street, Onehunga, is a very dusty - thoroughfare in dry weather, and, although the watering cart is often requisitioned, it does not always

cope successfully with the nuisance. ; The matter caused a lengthy discussion at the last meeting of the • Onehunga Borough Council, when Mr., Stoupe moved in ac-

cordance with his notice of motion that business people in the town be allowed to use a hose to water the streets in front of their premises on dusty days, and re« :of charge from hose license, fees. : Mr. Holmes seconded, and gave the proposal his support. Skinner, Osborne, and Davis strongly opposed the motion. Mr. Horn pointed out that the people of the town had to 4 eat large quantities of dirt each } year' owing to the dust which was-blown in grocers', ,and' other shops, and which' could be mostly prevented by the means proposed. Letters were read from leading tradesmen, asking the Council to support Mr. Stoupe's motion, after which the resolution, was adopted on division. '.■,■■■■:

The deposits of cinnabar, in the form of > brilliant red crystals, at Kawakawa, near the Bay of Islands, which \ were owned by the Colonial Exploration -Company, have now been taken over by Mr. T. C. Kerry, who is In England. Some eight years ago when the Colonial Exploration i Company',. purchased the deposits they erected large works for the reduction of quicksilver from the sulphide. Mr. Kerry, writing recently to' a friend in Auckland; stated [that he was on his way out to New Zealand, and that he intended to work the plant already erected there. There are stated to be at present about 1000 tons of ore stacked ready to be put through the retorts.

A new rule in connection with life-sav-ing appliances on ships is gazetted. The rule in question provides that in the case of j foreign-going passenger steamers or emigrant ships t, at ; present , required to carry more than four boats placed under davits, a motor life-boat may be substituted for one such boat. The motor .boat must be approved '■" by the Marine Department, and proper appliances for putting same into the water, must be provided. The lifeboat must also* be adequately provided with fuel, and kept so as to be, at all times/ fit and ready for use.

Upon the confession of a husband, applying for. a; separation ; order from his wife at the Court yesterday, that he had offered his wife to another, saying he was welcome to her, Mr. C. C. Kettle, S.M.; : remarked : " I have heard of these things happening among Maoris and savages, but cannot understand civilised people behaving in such a manner." The magistrate said "Well, did the man take her?" the .husband replying. "No* worse luck."

b, The mosWalkedlof racing eveni •' *Mjf | *. traliafor some time w as the rf«« .*¥■ >- of the horse Prince • Foot* 1 t:. bourne Cup and the 3| I ;- sinking pictures of which appear • W I week's issue of the Avckuaw <s'sfe I News, published to-day. TaA B *# I *. the lawn at FlemingtoV , nd Z* * 1 S Auckland and Christchurch race TixrW I '> ings also afford fine pictorial „|7? § <■■ The blowing up of the powder h»K?l I « Auckland Harbour last week is jjjjjf #|| d in the issue under review bv ; fin*' t ■ ' I - graphs of the vessel, and of the fr ' '• coming ; ashore, while an explosion £*« 1 « affords a realistic idea of what S W I I 11 when the flames reached the* ihaEi^ H I" The operations of the boy ' ecotJ?* 1 11 ■ Auckland Domain, and the formation :W | r a corps of girl scouts, afford material U '1 e some highly interesting illustrations *_JS fi 3 there is also a very fine view of the'Sf'*' fl pedo boat destroyer Maori, the most® I e midable fighting machine of her type-- ■ I the world, running on her trial it? tf Amongst other current events' pictorial ril ' represented are the military tournaS 1 a at Palmerston North, the opening of'ffii I - rowing season, the axemen's carnival ifci I Ohakune, and the destruction by fire J -l Otahuhu railway station. faihape* Tlf rapidly growing Main Trunk centre %i 1 " fords material for a striking ; panorama? : ? ' A mishap at the water jump in the Obj)"' I hunga Steeplechase was caught by tag'; fl camera, and there are numerous other \\ 3 pictorial features in the issue, including i'< _ the "boat-burning" ceremony in connetlf I*3 } tion with the death of the late Dowager IN i Empress of China, when a vessel which; |I cost oyer £7000 was destroyed by fire in % 1 order that the spirit of the- departed §< i might voyage in the smoke to Nirvana' $] r and a big game-hunting scene from' -i] \ Africa. A highly topical cartoon on the » % ', proposed liquor compromise is amongs| •'§ the many varied attractions of the'n'ul^ 1 § I ber - . * ■ &&W* ■■■■•••' > Tribute was borne by Mr. E. Horton'S ? ! the meeting of the Auckland Acclimatisjlll I i tion Society last evening to the improve.! i ment of the fishing in the Waihou 'Biver! i '■§> [ as a result of the stocking of the stream if with yearlings. • One angler . got, nii# ' f fish, and another got 10, weighing IoW ffl % in.the Waihou. A difficulty anglers had; to contend with in fishing on the stretch,' ■■*! of water below Lichfield bridge was the. II inaccessibility of the stream. -It waa reV IB solved to expend £5 clearing' banks M above the Lichfield bridge and to the Bf Tirau bridge. Mr. Horton spoke on the fi unsuitability of some of the streams JuS 3 the district for the use of the minnow, m and it was resolved to consider if thii:- tj could not be made illegal for next season. ''-M -■ . ■~■■ - JH The Mayor (Mr. John Rowe) reported i at Monday's meeting of the Onehun#&* |l Borough Council that a conference had' $ been held over the new Mangere bridge; )P 1 proposal, when the several schemes putj ! ra forward were narrowed down to two~i;'' £! wooden structure, or one of 'ferrowiij I? crete." Each scheme would provide for' < & a 16ft bridgeway and a 6ft pathway, of ' ™ a 22ft bridgeway only. The wooden •j| structure " would cost about £8000, and H that of reinforced concrete about £I(\Mo.'- *" The committee appointed to consider the] question would go carefully into detliiMH 1 and submit a report later on. Witnesses are excused from the ;■. preme Court till Monday morning at halK S past ten in the following criminal- cases!" "a Rex v. : Challoner," Grantham, *» Pearson, Preston, Hare, Sinclaife, ''SyPf' R vado, Monaghan, Humphries, Yates, and -r if Plowman. _ , t '"' " ' ' ■■'■ '"'""•' '•'■'• ■,'..•'.- - '■'■'; • ;: "-""-" f Quail are said to be swarming at Piako, M in the Huntly district, and in the Waikato generally, so much so that. farmers ■'. { in some parts declare that if a close season is observed they will lay poison" fori ; them. Reports of the abundance' of!tl»! \ i birds have reached Hawke's Bay, Otago/ | and Canterbury, and " members of thef . Auckland Acclimatisation Society have .[ >••. ceived inquiries as to how much it would) s\ cost to trap the birds and send them ! .»S •/ other provinces. ' The society has re*' s ( solved to write to various settlers to is- . til certain if the birds are really as plentiful' - ■ , as reported, and if so in what manner j,' and at what cost they could ;be trapped. fa Reviewing the administration of the. p. Labour Department, the report of th*. ■ {jj New Zealand Employers' Federation to & he submitted at. the annual meeting jj, Wellington to-day sayc ; . that it continue. 0 t to be of a satisfactory Character, "With-; ot very, few exceptions, the inspectors of jj factories and awards carry out their q duties in a fair and impartial manner,.; -. p, says the report "In one or two cases, ~ however, inspectors appear to thick that •. Jj) it is their duty to catch employers hi mitting breaches of the various Acts '■ b> awards, instead of trying to assist «»•{ . at ployei-s to observe them. Complaint ha»j. J, been made in a few cases, mostly.,witkj..- : I; good results. "The federation does not' ij) in any way try to shield the unfair an- ?fc plover who lays himself out to rob work', % ers or take an unfair advantage of the _ A employer who is honestly . endeavouring fc ( to perform (what it is oftentimes diffi- 5; cult to ascertain) his duty under the tl many Acts and awards he is subject w- » On the other hand, the federation ioa ,- It, take exception to unnecessary and kn- •. pi tating pin-pricks, and will take prompt 4, steps to protect employers from those W s « cials who, owing often to a mistaken id»- ; , | of their duty, seem anxious to jttsbfy.,- I their appointments by in every case en- y deavouring -to secure convictions • an«:.», fr fines for petty offences and inadvertent:-ft breaches." ■ ' ■ <> ' A special meeting of the Otahuhu R(WJ| * Board was held on Monday night,-»;J I consider what steps should be &; ■ | garding the erection of a building to «\ | place the railway station burned do*a ,os | Friday night. It was decided to s$W | deputation of two of the Board s JJ t | ber§ to" Wellington to interview the -« ter for Railways (the Hon. J. A. .W ;«, | and to impress upon him the »«*»"*,. -,| p the provision of an up-to-date bmW|» | to. supply the wants of the 'rapidly in- 1 creasing population of the district-. | suggestion is also to be made t.t. g | station be built on the opposite side | the line, and that a footbridge be er D; over the line for the convenience & passengers. - r ', -.•v'Slm | At a meeting of the Church of »jV . | Men's Society, held last night «£ . | Matthew's. Parish Hall, a **&***<% J the following effect was u»» wmOU^ isorr f ried:-"That in view of fc, training the Government be»»P r £ ito prohibit liquor canteens in «*- f canips> " ______ - "Ml