LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14225, 23 November 1909, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

The death is reported ■ of a seven-year-old Maori child at Ahikiwi, >. near Kaihu, caused by burns sustained through falling on a fire (telegraphs our Dargaville ; cor-; respondent.) The name of the child is not ascertainable. '

The report prepared by Mr. Stuart Richardson, Wellington, city engineer, on the electrical scheme "for .Auckland has come to. hand, and, in conjunction ;,: with the report by Mr. Wyllie, Auckland, electrical engineer, will be laid before the Electrical Committee of the City 1 . Council .to-day.

: Usually , the early summer is; marked -by the arrival in New Zealand of a large number of men from Australia, attracted by the prospect of- obtaining farm- work iof various kinds. v ■ The I influx; is ; not'so marked this year as usual, as far 'as 'Auckland is concerned,"'but,• nevertheless, a considerable number are arriving regularly from over the water. The UnioK. Steam Ship Company report that there is a brisk demand for steerage passenger accommodation from Sydney to Auckland and the boats between now and. Christmas will probably be well filled in the steerage. At present the steamers outward average about 100 steerage passengers, and inwards about 130. ' This is in marked contrast to a v few month* ago, when more men were leaving New Zealand for Australia than were arriving.

The annual election of members to sit on the Auckland Hospital and Charitable Aid Board will be held to-morrow. Re-; presentatives of the following local authorities will meet at the times and 'places ] shown, for the purpose of electing II members :—City Council, noon, at Council Chambers, j four: members ; Road Boards j of Manukau ; and the Onehunga Borough \ j Council; noon, at Otahuhu Public Hall, two members;-Rodney and "Waitemata County Councils and Devonport Borough" Council, 11 a.m., one member;HEarhellS and ■ Grey Lynn Borough. Councils; 11.50, \ one member; Mount • Eden, Newmarket, and Birkenhead-Borough Councils, noon, one member; road boards in, Eden, two members, 12.30 p.m. (all in Hospital and Charitable Aid Board's office). * '

A special meeting of the Onehunga Borough Council was "held. at• the Council; Chamber last evening £o censider the question of immediately connecting Ellerslie with the Onehunga water supply, v The Mayor : (Mr. John Rowe) reported that the Ellerslie Town Board desired ; the connect tion made before January 1 next, as the Auckland Racing Club required water in quantity for use at the course and on the track somewhat urgently. )-. The : .; cost ,*; of making, the connection— a section of three-quarters of a mile—was estimated at £1284 for an Bin main, and from £650 to £700 for a 6in main. The latter would suit all requirements, as the Ellerslie mains; were of. that dimension. ,i :. On. the motion of Mr. W.Collodge, seconded by Mr. - Holmes, it . was ■>' decided v that the borough engineer, Mr. H. H. Metcalfe, be instructed to call tenders for a supply of the necessary 6in pipes ; and connections, the i price, and time for delivery to be specified;: also that the work of laying the pipes; be carried out without de-; lay, and by day labour.

In connection with the acquisition of a two-storeyed ) brick ; building :.':, in Hobsonstreet, to be opened as a home or foundlings, Mother Joseph Aubert, founder of the Order of Our Lady of Compassion, explains that the premises . have been secured on a yearly lease, with right of renewal for another 12 months. ■; ""

The telegraphed ;; statement as ;. to; the large number of houses empty in Wellington at present, owing to the lack of tenants, has no parallel in Auckland, principally, perhaps, owing :to the constant swell of newcomers arriving to settle in this city. Inquiries , made by a Herald representative yesterday elicited the fact that there is still the great demand for houses in Auckland as has been the case for the last r three or four years. One large house agency firm stated that :at present they, had only two houses to let within the city bounds, whilst ■ within a radius of five miles of the Post Office they had only seven. The books of other property agents .showed similar results.

:.-In ; the Supremo Court yesterday V fc". Justice Cooper made some points * m' marks on -the delays caused in C W' through the frequent non-appearance%! p counsel when cases in which they are : '. . B I teresied are called. A case of -tL V *' ;T - 1 was proceeding when the ■ accused'. ■&&&> I that he thought Mr. Lundon would uSI I I appearing for him. Mr. Lundon, hi* ' 1 ever, was not in the: Court- and Bomeonr I went to telephone to him. Mr.XitnJ ;; : I £ could not be found, and after further d I I lay, His Honor ordered his managij," 'I I clerk to be sent for, but it transpire' I I that the clerk had gone outtolook'-f''!?- I I Mr. Lundon. After some waiting xrJtl Jj Singer came into Court, and said tyfk ** Lundon had asked him to say thatV' I didn't know the case was coming on and I that he had v gone up to the gaol t' o in. 1 1 terview this very prisoner. His Honor* I S All the cases are on the list, and I WBn t I M it to be clearly understood that counsel f 8 should be here at the opening of th I 1 Court and wait here. I have never i n •' I'i all my experience, had any such.caseV W : i this. When I was practising,. 10 yWtt 1 M ago, I would not have thought of such a- » thing. To have public business interfered i with ink this ! way is intolerable. :; The 1 Court cannot sit here and wait for/ft*'! I 8 convenience of counsel, and this; is the I H third '. time , this ; session , that , trouble ha. 1 M arisen in the same way. If counsel are I ? il not here the cases will have to go on llf without them. That is an intimation to I m all counsel. Under the circumstances,'the? jury were discharged and the prisoner re- llf manded until to-day. •' • ■ '•■ )X"5 I m

; A communication was recently forward. H ed to the Hon. T. Mackenzie, Minister I for Agriculture, by Mr. J. B. Tonar, of 1 the Waitemata Fruitgrowers' Co-operative m Society, Limited, complaining 'of > the lack! if of facilities for railing fruit to Walling!:! M ton. Mr. Tonar has received the follow. - : ing reply:—"l am in receipt of ■]■ yonj I favour asking that I should bring befoiel the .Hon. the Minister for Railways yoVJPf society's request' that • fruit may be ;ioN%||§ warded to Wellington by express direct,!t' i' even if the charges are made; double 'or-' \' { '\ even treble. In reply I have to say that; I am very much in sympathy with yew ffi society in the disadvantages under which 1< it is'labouring, and I shall have pleasure : ;1 in placing your representations before the' |a Hon. the Minister for Railways." -;;;;■; >> ■ !■■■ ;•,,';?,■ ":"' '■"' \ : . " "■'"'' '<■ ''V \ m During the past fortnight a consider-• able number of visitors have arrived in"." h Auckland 'from Australia, America, -'and''. H Britain, on a tour of the Dominion, and : \ the tourist season, which was formerly '!■ dull, is now fairly brisk. • ; . !; At last evening's special meeting of the % Onehunga Borough Council, the Mayor (Up m John Rowe) stated that a rumour'was in' ■ j ■ ■■■■ :■/... ' ■■■'.:■. ■■■:>'.■■■; "T - ■ ~■■■■■ ■■■s.n-Jt • ."■ -....iv,,..;,, 1 '!, ,||;.« circulation to the effect that the Tram-' $ ways Company intended to discontinue; I • the special cars and! the minimum 2d,"fare.' v. during rush hours. ■ ■ He thought the. Com- 1 I/ 4 cii r and' the people of;Onehunga. simm & ', once take action, if necessary, and to that .3 purpose moved that a deputation to con- I ;,'; sist of Messrs. Holmes, Stoupe, \ John-,! % ston and himself wait on the Tramway* m Company, and if the rumour had'anr, & foundation, then to wait upon the AudsJ M land City Council. Ij\ When the scow Tramp made her last I, trip to Gisborne, about six weeks ; ago, 1 ';:] i.,_-- +*•■ '■■■'hi '<■-■- "■■ •"- ''V ■*" - '" ' ■■'■.'.■■■ *■■■.".. •:; , ;.'J she-brought nearly 100,000 ft of timber, m from Whangarei for a local builder. ; 0p9» ! ll the cargo- being discharged, it was con- !.-;J sidered that the material was not tip to! I: -the •■Bpe«ified--quaiityT:'-io^th^\ r i| 'refused to take delivery, and applied {oi 'ft the shippers for a refund of the freight, v which was refused. Consequently^(i» L parties are at loggerheads (telegraphs osr, ■ Gisborne correspondent), and the timber, I | is still lying on the wharf. It is possible! m that litigation will ensue. The Harbour. I | Board is removing the timber from;ti». I wharf- to reclaimed land at the expense of the owners, I | The liquor compromise has met witi;jfc| the approval of Mr. J. B. Nichc-lls, «'|/E| J ganising ■■ : agent ,B ;in.sOtagoVandwSoutnlaal & for the No-license party, who says ft. "The representatives of .it he No-ucens*; I % ■ ..... * r . .„■■■■■■• '•■■.,, ,'.■: !. * * tI 4 "'iw party have hit on the best plan calculated' "*& to finish this liqour trade matter with tt«.p| least strife and trouble, the least expeatt 1 ;;;« to the country, and with the minimum d : 1 ;| hardship to those in the trade. As're- '■■ ■!( gards 'the trade,' they, have secured a!- I ,-J most as long a.lease of life as the. most B> optimistic of them expect is possible. I ffl Now, we may carry Dominion prohibition & rami." ■ ; | ' * ' H "'(lip The . hon. ■ secretary of the Vete'rin? I\i Home Board of Governors, Sir Wm. Ka*lJ sell, has, by the instruction of His El- 1 $ cellencv the Governor and the board, "< ! j a result of the annual meeting, sent 'Mm following message to the Veterans' Horn* WM Committee, Auckland :—"A hearty vote '|| of thanks has been accorded to the Hon. ft :| Edwin Mitchelson and the members of; I-t :. -, ...,■...., r . . j * the committee of the Veterans' Homer m Auckland, for their successful, manas*; I-d ment of the institution. ' ;.' I;f 1 V"'! j||| During the progress .if the Devonport g. .Yacht Club's, races on Saturday after-1 M noon, the keel yacht Iris carried away ber. 1 ;| mast when off Home Bay, Motutapa- A I|| strong wind- was blowing, and a.heavy. I;J sea, shipped forward, filled the jib, «™ 8 | carried away the mast. The Iris, wlucfi I|) was being sailed by her owner, Mr.. " I ' Oliver, drifted about. helplessly for «<■ 1/' time, and after waiting for. assistant* 1 . —which never came—the crew ■ « MM PjI to erect a jury mast out of a boom, m m& succeeded in reaching Drunken Bay. Th» d launch Alleyne took the Iris in tow .<£ .1 i Sunday' and brought her back '-- A»*.'j | land. . ' '' ;| Since the announcement in the Budget Icj that the Government intends to bring V* 1 | ward a Bill providing for universal J tary training in New Zealand, >m tional Defence League, which ; has _»» J ffl headquarters in Auckland, and . '[**& I M originated here, has been the recipient f;■ numerous congratulatory , : messages " S all parts of the Dominion. The latest», m from a sub-committee in Welling g which was appointed with the object o. j assisting in furthering the movement * ' JM universal ■ training. 'On the 12th ;|| the committee passed • the •foUowuig ;.;1 lution -.—"That this sub-committee d«» ■ m to place on record its high appreciation., m the splendid pioneer work done-**Jr National Defence League in * tonn . with the movement for universal ; ?|» training, and to congratulate the '. :S8 upon the adoption of the principle by m Government." The secretary of the• /OT committee (Mr. S. A. Atkinson), *.[: ' warding this resolution, add.. '» 3■ ■■ 1., .j mittee feels strongly that had it ]«* g for the very, extensive, gj unremitting labours of.. the National « , fence League, the country would not p been ripe, for the situation created ) j&W favourable circumstances of this yea ■ | could not have reached the P»* ■$*■ gratifying position.'i; , * ::■%&>\^^M