LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 14391, 9 June 1910, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS

The committee appoint?d ; lsy'the Mayor.;to go into the matter of the duplication of the Parnell tunnel, wiU meet-the Minister; for j Railways (Hon. J. Millar) at 10.30 this morning:/'- ■■ --* -•■"'' y, ,' - ,' A labourer named Robert : Ormsby, aged 27, .met with an accident at Wellsford last evening. He r was engaged in spragging a truck when his' crowbar rebounded and caused a compound fracture of the lower jaw. • He . was " conveyed- to Auckland and admitted to I the • general ; hospital during the night. • The director '•■ of , technical education (Mr. : George George) yesterday drew the attention .' of the : Auckland;" Education Board to - the necessity of '; providing ■'-/ a ground for recreation pruposes /as an adjunct to the Technical -> College. When the new college is* completed" in Wellesleystreet * there will only be . about a-quarter of an acre of land available for playground purposes. ' There are upwards of 1300 students enrolled s at the 'college,.; consequently the land \ available will ; not <; be more than sufficient for assembling and drilling purposes. : What -"/was ; wanted, said. Mr. George, was a recreation ground of at least several acres, where various games could .be' played.',""- 'He/ suggested, as a suitable recreation ground; some six acres of hospital and charitable aid endowment situate' between the Domain ; and Stanley-street, \ known ' as the " Chinamen's gardens." • It * was =. proposed that this should be purchased from funds derived from • the : City Hall endowment, the present value; of -which: is something over £1200 a year, while the "Chinamen's gardens' ' is probably worth £120. a year. The.chairman (Mr. C. J. ; Parr) said he did not think it '/ would '*"• be"'-; possible /to utilise money from the.City Hall endowment for providing the Technical College with a recreation , ground, however i desirable, it might seem to some. .Personally he did not '■■■■ consider" students attending technical schools were in need of recreation grounds,' : at ; least, to anything like* the same extent as other educational institutions. ■; The matter was 1 held over for further consideration. - • '■* *~* r -' : The fortnightly meeting of; the Auckland Trades and Labour Council was; held last night, when, it/is understood,;., the president .... (Mr. A. t P*osser) tendered his resignation in- view/ of .the resolution; of last meeting . calling on him to resign. The , resignation , is -understood* ,to , have been accepted.. ~_ . / . , . Recently large number ;of '; mining companies whose '.' offices are situated in Auckland were prosecuted for failure' to publish their statements of "affairs. - The sections governing this statutory ■■ duty' are felt to bear hardly, and advantage 'was taken of the presence in Auckland of the Hon. Dr. Findlay, AttorneyGeheral, to make representations ■ for f / their amendment. ; : To the deputation which waited on him yesterday at the Grand Hotel/ to point out what it - considered - defects in the working of the Mining Companies Act, Dr. Findlay said /he* recognised the difficulties, and would give the representations earnest consideration,/' and, ,if he found it desirable, move for an alteration in the law. The main point urged by the deputation was that frequently a general' meeting of ;-;/&£ mining ," company lapsed for want of a quorum. The /law provides that the statement should be filed within a certain ; time after ; the general meeting has been held, when, ■in point of fact/in many/ cases no meeting can rbe held: ' " • ' ' ; . - The Railway; Departments .in response to requests or an earlier train for of the Henderson and-interyening-districts. who start work in the city before 7.30 a.m., has now decided to run a passenger | train, from < Henderson to Auckland daily, leaving Henderson at 6.15 and arriving at Auckland.about 7.17; a.m. This train will commence, running' on: Monday next, June 13, and will be given a trial for a few months--1 "There are too many colleges and too many educated men in the country," was the rather startling reason advanced by Mr. Collins, a member of the; Auckland branch of : the Liberal and Labour Federation, last night against i the, Government House site being: used for University purposes. The young' men, -he said, now turned up their noses at hard work, and would not go into the country and open it up. He was against, handing over 1 any land for a University or school. Other member* of the federation opposed " the closing' of Government.' House, but for different reasons, one, , Mr. H. A. Hore, stating that the . presence of a Governor in Auckland increased trade in the city, and if: the present residence was dispensed with, it was unlikely another: would be erected, sof that Auckland would lose" business. The Government's proposal found only one supporter, in the person of Mr.,J. McMahon, who said there was too much claptrap about retaining old landmarks. • The present building, he thought, was quite obsolete, and not suitable for a residence.- The land would be well utilised if it wereused for • educational 'purposes.■~- <■_ The .federation 'had /already, repassed V a ':•:•;■ resolution against the closing of Government 'House,' and no further action wasl taken. ~'./■■■,'/'• The new telegraph ; form which; the Commissioner of Telegraphs (Sir Joseph: Ward)*decided a few months ago to-:adopt in New Zealand,/ and which isnow in use in Dunedin, will.be introduced in. Auckland in a few days. The ; principal feature of/the new! form, .as stated; by Sir Joseph Ward in a previous interview r with - a'/ Herald/ representative, i> is -'."; that'-; the separate envelopfe; is dispensed with:/ The message after being written 1 by; the operator is so folded ; ; as to leave the address visible, the message v itself /'is covered . and made eecure from observation. The telegrams are folded and secured in the operating room, \ instead of : being sent . into another room .to be . placed in envelopes. Th£ messages 'thus pass- through fewer hands, and a great saving in ' labour can also be secured.^.; A further improvement, has been effected: by which the telegrams ",■ will,portly be folded ; closed by machinery, which will' still .i: further reduce the/ labour and the ; number hands through . which a _ telegram passes before readhing the addressee. , ', -"■■ ■ . ■. £ ■'". ' ' ./■■-"■- • , - ; Among the Bills promoted by the Hon. Dr. Findhjy, Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, which will.be ' introduced to Parliament; this /session, will be one providing/ the legislative .' machinery. /to bring gradually into r effect Dr. Findlay's prison reform scheme, including the extension of fie indeterminate. sentence' along the lines! laid down by the Prime Minister in hi» speech at Wellington! ;';" f ' , : ■''■:■'"■■' * '-.' Curtains caught .fire last evening iin the house in Domain Road occupied by Mrs. ■i Horena,'|and owned by Mr.- /Harvey.';; The brigade was ? summoned, but the ; flames were extinguished; before they hud ' spread •beyond .the curtains.. ' • • , ;. , , The , Australian mail which usually reaches Auckland on, Thursday morning, via: the' Main Trunk ,line/" missed; corinec": tion with yesterday's express at Wellington, and will not be to band until to-morrow 1 morning. '. "".-!. ■■■■■: . ■.•.■■-. "j ■' ■ ■~:■■..!-... -»-- '■. ■::'"■;: .".-.■::"• '.' ■ ''■ -■.',-■'■■'. V :/ ■ . ' ■■ ■-,:■' .;.'.,•'■'- i. .'■-.■■■■!."■;,'■•'■..■ ■■■■..;■ ■"".■■■ • . '■ ' ■'.■■ ~ .. . ■~,..'. ■, ~ ■: ; ■■■ ;■;■•■.■■>• '■'■■*-■■■■ '.-' : ... ■. •■ ,-, ..;■ ■-'.-. -:^ ■■;--.c :-:ys.-v::vmi. ',

A wharf labourer named Vincent, why '■s resides at Birkenhead, met with m'i&m J dent at theßailway Wharf late last nigjJM J He had'just finished work on the steajts» \ Surrey, and . was -preparing toleave, \ he fell down a hold and sustained injuries'' '< to the head and back. No bones wetplt ■ broken. >.. ■/, ' * ';•" A deputation from the Auckland Saddlers' - Union waited upon Sir Joseph - Ward; yesterday".morning. The deputy . tion included Messrs. Wiseman, Hawkins ■ Tilley and Mcintosh. Mr. C. H., Poole' . M.P., who introduced the deputation*, said it represented both the employers and the employees, and their object was to ask the Government, all things being equal, to give the claims of local industry fair consideration when calling for tenders' for 6addlery and other leather gear fwflf the' equipment of the Defence Force* " under the new territorial scheme. Mr?' Wiseman said that at present saddler* \ made outside New Zealand could be in, J troduced for military purposes without'' payment of duty. He urged that prefer ' ence should at all times be given to local manufactures. The Prime Minister' apflf sured the deputation that the local article ' would always receive preference, and that the exemptory clause of the Act had I never been applied in regard to the duty 1 on imported saddlery. ' J :-' '"■ i ' ■ •- "■■':- : -' : ' : The Mayor of Newmarket (Mr. jj, I Davis) waited on the Minister for Rail, ways (Hon. J. A. Millar), at the Grand Hotel yesterday, and made representations for-the widening of the railway bridgl ' leading from Park Road, and for the erection of an overhead bridge to replace the crossing on the Kaipara railway. M r ; Davis pointed out that by the opening of Grafton bridge vehicular traffic had been -'"' diverted from the Khyber Pass Road, and the largely-increased traffic over the level crossing made it a source of danger. The Minister promised to have the matter ia. , quired into. . :■ :fr /// / ,: ■"'■ ..- .'/. ' " Valedictory remarks were exchanged be' tween members of : the Silting Commission and counsel at the close of a 15 day?''■?-{'-sitting yesterday '■'■ afternoon. It is. posy sible that the Commission will give audi? I; .f"ence to a representative of the local bodies' I of Thames this forenoon, and they intend I leaving for Wellington by the express § to-morrow night to prepare their report, 1 The chairman (Mr. W. Ferguson) stated ) last night that although no extension ffl tune had yet been secured, the report. could hot possibly be presented before the ; 14th, as ; requested by the Government; Throughout the exhaustive inquiry the Commission has been rendered valuable service by their secretary (Mr. P. Galvin), who is a veteran New Zealand journalist. - - The.Minister for Justice (the Hon. Br, Findlay) intended during his visit to Auckland, which -terminated last night, to inspect Mount Eden Gaol to find out what improvements, if any, are urgently-/' required. -Dr. Findlay was, however", unable to find time, but he has instructed Mr. Kayll (visiting ■ inspector of gaols) *to.jt% make > a thorough inspection and report _ to him. ■ Mr. Kayll visited the gaol yes« i-;:.-' terday. //-::■-'. '- ' - ■'-~: - ■ • • ■ ■ During" the; sitting ;of the North Island Appeal Board which was held in Welling, i/ yesterday, Mr. Haselden, S.M., who " is temporarily acting as chairman of the/;'"' Board, warmly criticised an article attacking himself, ; which appeared in the last issue of the /Railway Review, under _ the heading of "Appeals." He said that -it", was: grossly j misleading and was based on / ■ ignorance. The writer was not an hide- ; pendent journalist writing for an indepen* dent paper. // Mr.'. Haselden asked Mr! Veitch. (president, of the society) touring § the, matter. before ' the Amalgamated Society ;of Railway Servants with a- view to getting, it . disavowed. Otherwise he said. that no self-respecting magistrate : would sit on the Board if he was to be open, to • attacks of this nature. -*" Mr, "Veitch / said v that he 1/would bring the; matter before the society. '; Complaint was made in a letter published ; in Tuesday morning's Herald that there was no resident judge in Auckland, and that the city was so often without a" Supreme. Court judge, causing delay- in,/ legal business. This letter was brought under,the notice of Dr. H. Dean Bamford."- ; and, as a member of the Bar, he was asked 'to ; express;-;'• an opinion on the matter. ' Dr; /;: Bamford said he heartily agreed thai ; there should be a judge in Auckland, ex- '.'■'. cept perhaps • during the sittings of the' Court of Appeal, which took place three times a year for about three weeks or a month each time- For those sittings the , judge might be spared. Under the present arrangement Hie Honor Mr. Justice ,/ Edwards 'was, generally able to ? return'.to Auckland only in time for the sessions.; There were a great many chamber matters and applications in connection with litig*; tion that had either to be sent away or delayed until Mr. Justice Edwards's return, , : I which meant delay in getting cases ready for trial. At the present time Mr. Justice, ■ Edwards sat at Auckland, Hamilton, New- :; j Plymouth, and Gisborne, although the criminal calendar here was always much heavier than in any other centre. Othe?.'.-. members of the Bar who were interviewed ./ endorsed Dr. Bamford's contention thafc ;-■ there' should be a judge in Auckland for.. a greater • portion of the year than at pro-/ / • sent. . .. .. ••:■•■'■••'■'■"*' 9 '•/'-' The case in which the Auckland Butchew Union proceeded against the . Auckland ;/, Meat; Company on two informations chargr ingthem with employing two men for two; , .thirds of their time. in the capacity of general hands and , failing to pay them . thS minimum rate of wages; was" again before, . Mr. C- C. Kettle, S.M., in the Magistrate's Court yesterday. Mr. A. E. Skel-;. ton appeared for the union, and Dr. Bam* , ford for the defendant company. After •a good deal of evidence had been taken" - j Mr. /Skelton; asked leave to withdraw tha case- He said that in a similar case His \-j- ---""■'' .■.■■■■ „* 4, , ' Worship had decided against, another » ;i----union, and in consequence his clients would . prefer to obtain the opinion of the Arbitra-w \ tion Court. The magistrate intimated that he would consider the application and give. . his decision later on. ■ The relationship between the Govern-, ment and the Wellington City Council in regard to fire brigade service was the subject of some remarks at the last meeting of the City Council. The Fire Brigade / Committee reported:—"That on April 26? 1909, an account for the services .;of. the , | Fire Brigade at the Fo'st-office block .&*►, *q that took place on May 22, 1908, amounting to £67 7s, was forwarded to the Post 0 and * Telegraph Department. The clairo ; was disputed, and the committee pointed , out to the Department that, as the Government do not pay water or general rates, or for water used for fire prevention purposes in the city, they consider that the Government should pay for the ' brigade's services and for the use =of the \t>; plant in protecting the Government's P^^f ; perty;" The committee recommended *"** :| the Council request the city's 'tives in Parliament to take the matter• U P»-;/'/ and also that the general question of the : . Government paying for such services M ; .. forwarded as a remit to the Municipal Con- ~ ference. • This recommendation .*'» ./,•' ; , . . . . • -. AdontM