LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 14507, 22 October 1910, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

A little boy of about three years of age had a narrow escape from being killed in the township of Mata Mata, on Wednesday afternoon (writes our own correspondent). The child wandered on to the road where he hit. a horse on the leg with a stick,' the animal lashing out and kicking him in the face. The little sufferer was taken to Rotorua by the express, but as no bones were broken, he is now progressing satisfactorily towards recovery. As the Christmas holidays are fast approaching, and as Christmas Day and New Year's Day on this occasion fall upon Sundays, some doubt has been expressed as to what week days should be observed as public holidays. The question was brought up at a recent meeting of the council of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, and was referred to the Finance and General Committee, with Mr. J. B. Macfarlane, as convener, to make an early pronouncement on the subject. That committee met yesterday, and decided to recommend the Council to urge merchants to observe both Monday and Tuesday in each week as close holidays. If this recommendation is generally observed employers and employees will have 3£ days' clear of work each week, including Saturday afternoon and Sunday. Good progress has been made with the cutting of the channel at C Neill's Point: for the Takapuna ferry service, two-thirds of the channel having been cut in about seven weeks, at an average depth of. from 12ft to 15ft. The dredge Hapai ceased operations yesterday' in order to renew a bush in the bottom tumbler, l>erthing alongside the Admiralty Wharf for this purpose. The question of the disposal of the cathedral library at Bishopscourt will be discussed at the Auckland Anglican Synod next week. Two notices ( of motion dealing with the subject were given at yesterday's sitting of the Synod, and Archdeacon Walsh gave notice to move :—" That the Synod regrets the dispersal of an important portion of ihe cathedral librzry and thereby requests the General Trust Board to take steps to recover as many as possible of the books that have been alienated."- " The Rev. P. S. Smallfield also gave notice to move —" That it be an instruction to the General Trust Board to recover as • far as practicable all books now missing from the cathedral library, and to arrange for the permanent housing of the whole library."

Astonishment has been written over the thoughts of the officials of the Navy League in Wellington by certain things which befell this- week. It appears (say the Dominion) that Mr. Palmer (the secretary) sent out messengers asking business people to display their flags on Trafalgar Day. These messengers were well received in most cases, but in others the answer was a grave statement to the effect that "flying flags would be an insult to France." The League points out that Trafalgar Day is,' from their point of view, a day of thanksgiving merely, and a convenient occasion tin which national patriotism and feeling may crystallise. Its reference to any other power in particular scarcely exists. America celebrates its fourth of July, and no one regards that celebration as an insult to England.

The industrial dispute brought by the Gisbonie and East Coast Shearers, and Woolshed Employees' Union has been, fixed for hearing by the Conciliation Commissioner for the Northern district (Mr. T. Harle Giles), on November 30. About 400 employers have : been cited by the uinon.

The extra week given to intending competitors to forward entries for the Auckland Competitions Society's Festival in November has resulted in a large addition to the total of entries. Entries will close to-day. A complete timetable of the various classes for the six days festival will then be arranged so as to ensure a mamonth concert programme each evening in addition to the day, sessions. To facilitate the work of receiving entries, competitors are requested to attend at the office of the Society as early as possible today. An advertisement on the subject appears in another column.

The steamer Morayshire,, which arrived at Auckland from Liverpool, via Durban and Hobart yesterday, met with a succession of gales after leaving Durban on September 19. One tremendous sea wrenched two doors off their hinges, flooded the saloon, carried away the ladder on the top deck leading to the bridge, and stove in one of the port lifeboats. On the run from Hobart fine weather was met with, the steamer anchoring in Rangitoto Channel on Thursday night, and coming into port at daylight yesterday. The Morayshire has some 135 immigrants for various ports of the Dominion, including 44 for Auckland. The steamer also has a large general cargo to land here.

The First Battalion Auckland Infantry territorials will go into camp at Mr. McLaughlin's farm, Papatoetoe, this afternoon for a week's training under the new scheme. This is the first camp held under the new defence regulations, and it is attracting considerable attention in military circles in all parts of the Dominion, many officers believing this to be a test of the efficiency of the territorial scheme. The men will devote their whole time for the next seven days to military training, and much good is expected to result from the unbroken course of instruction. The battalion, which is expected to muster over 300 strong, will fall in at the Drill Hall, at 2.30 this afternoon, and march to the Auckland railway station, where they will entrain at 3.15 for Papatoetoe. The men will break camp and return to town next Saturday. Lieutenant-Colonel J. R. Reed, officer commanding the First Battalion, will be in charge of the camp, and it is expected that a number of officers not attached to the battalion will also go under canvas. The camp will be visited during the week by LieutenantColonel G. C. B. Wolfe, officer comma, riding the Auckland district, and probably by Colonel A. W. Robin, Chief of the General Staff.

The officers of • the steamer Opawa, which arrived irom London yesterday, report that a brilliant view of the Aurora Australis wag obtained while , the Opawa was crossing the Southern Ocean. The phenomenon appeared like many searchlights in the sky, and was visible for eight hours.

A bolting horse caused a little excitement in Morrinsville on Thursday even ing. A sudden plunge broke the swingletree and the frightened animal rushed round v the block, capsized a cyclist, missed a perambulator by inches, and was then followed up and captured by a horseman. Little damage was done.

Another locomotive for the Railway Department has just been turned out of Messrs. A. and G. Price's shops at the Thames. The engine is of the four-cylin-der balanced compound type, and with its tender weighs tons. Messrs. Price have now supplied 33 locomotives for the New Zealand Railways, and have an order for nine more.

In the Supplement issued with to-dalHiff Herald, will be found articles entitfj % " The Club Epidemic," by M rs< Myers Present Day Clericalism SSpfllll Culdee; "Impressions and 1 (No. IV.), by Sir Robert Stout;. an£ ' the " Last of the Volcanoes," by Xoi ' ' " hunga. Frank Morton takes for his sab/ ject this'week, "The Decay of p u kj> *- ' Speaking," and Mercutio contributes hi usual column of " Local Gossip." V tographic reproduction showing . the c'i of Havana, which, was the scene of a di».''' astrous hurricane last week, and a polf tical cartoon by Trevor Lloyd are si"' »•' included. • > An attempt to introduce the betterment 1 -' principle into the Municipal Corporations • Act Amendment Bill is being made by Mr > Arthur Myers. He proposes to embod-i f in the Bill a clause proving that wheb'. a street is widened from one side only ' § the owners of land on the opposite'side* - shall pay the corporation a sum in respect to the increased value given to their land : by the work. The new Bill also proposes to prevent councils having liabilities ex. needing the amount of its assets, ak& ■* overdrafts should not be carried forward • as such, but shall be included in the esti.- -- : mated expenditure for the ensuing year/ 4 At the Police Court on Thursday Alice E. Gifford, of Avondalo South, Wag Recharged with having received a payment • and, not being a registered foster-mother retaining a child to maintain apart from its parents. The care had been partly 1 heard teiore Mr. E. C. Cat-ten, S.M., and 1 the police questioned if the justices' pre. ;. I siding on Thursday had. jurisdiction to continue the hearing. The Bench thought they had jurisdiction, and eventually dismissed the case. At yesterday's pitting - of the Court Mr. Cutten refened to this ' matter, and said t.he action of the justices '/ was irregular. The police were directed to lay a fresh information, and the casQ. will be again brought before the Court; - ; ; Several improvements have lately taken - : place in His Majesty's Theatre, and the, = • interior, of the building is now as bright *', and attractive as one could wish for. New jv: and luxurious carpets have been laid in • ; > both cloak rooms, which have also been '• • freshly decorated, and the foyer has been • " freshened up with the aid of paint and/i • | varnish. All the decorative work in the vi I proscenium has been regilded. while thfi ' > bead of the late King,. which has for'so/ •/ many years graced the centre of the cur- 1 j tain, is shortly to give place to a more/'' 'j artistic design. These additions, coupled with the fact that the building is always spotlessly clean, have greatly added to 1, - 4 the comfort of theatregoers, and help to make the principal theatre of this city one of the most attractive ' in the Dominion. ; . The death occurred lately at Taurangs, at the ripe age of 97 years, of Rahera te Kahuiapo, a chieftainess of the Arawa and Ngaiterangi tribes. One of deceased's daughters married Mr. • David ij' Asher, and the Asher boys, of football." renown, are thus grandchildren of deceased. Rahera te Kahuiapo was from •/ .the ariki line of the hapus Ngati-Pikiao//-Waitaha, Ngati-Pukenga, Ngati-Te-Ta-. / j kinga, and Nga-potiki. She was, Maori '• history records, a direct descendant -of jf/ i Tama-te-Kapua, the chief of the Arawa fK J canoe, and also of Hei, Rangitihi, Toroa y fe; ! Waitaha, Pikiao, Tuparahaki, Pukenga,/ ' ! Tutanekai, and of other chiefs of the // j canoes Arawa, Matatua, and Tainui,-, ? r ; which crossed the Pacific Ocean to New / Zealand. She leaves two daughters, Ka.-? • j te Atirau (Mrs; David Asher) and Me&s>Z Taka (Mrs. Knpa Haimona), of Tauranga,- ! 12 grandchildren,- and 17 gre&,t-grandchil«ia dren. . "'" //!/ The reported refusal to admit blue« ...|/ jackets to amusement houses was referred... to by Mr. W. B. Leyland at a gathering of / the Royal Naval and Royal Marine Asso4:./ ciation last night. He said that such, actions would only come from narrowminded assistants, for in conversation with , the manager of a local skating rink the speaker learned that there was no rea-// son to keep these men away provided:-; they were sober and respectable, a quali-. : fication which was necessary for any* patrons of theatres. //'/. The steamer Morayshire, which ar- / rived from Liverpool yesterday, brought 135 immigrants for New Zealand, 44 of/ this number being for Auckland, and the .- balance for various Southern centres. Ten. are booked for Wellington, 18 for Lyttel-// ton, and 20 for Dunedin. The Auckland ,:, section includes four labourers, six far» ' / mers, a cab-driver, printer, blacksmith,; - cotton operative, carpenter, cook, two;,/ painters, contractor, sailmaker, two//., butchers, and a parlourmaid. ./ 4 .4 The Bishop of Melanesia has recently > • appointed the Rev. P. T. Williams, cf.'V St. John's College/to undertake work &/•/ connection with the Melanesian Missing"in Auckland. His work will include cir« • tain definite propositions. One is ■ l®.-?; secure a suitable vessel fitted with / j oil engine, for working at the Solon®,:*. ! Islands; another is to have a hospial/ j established at the Solomon Islands, fee- & j doctor who is coming out from Engird' • j next year. Mr. Williams is also chaiged " j with the duty of securing an increase of ••>."•/j £2000 in the Auckland contribution to ; /• j the funds of the mission, which is at pre- j sent £14,000, but which it is consicferei /. | must reach £16,000 before the missior cai ■ \ : be operated with full effect. '// The plight in which some mointe! ; troops hailing from about 30 miles souta of Auckland found themselves retenty .£• was described to the House of Reprff>ent»-. tives last night by Mr. Lang. Hi said the men had been engaged in manes™ 8 near Auckland city all day, and at rigltfall reached a suburban station wheie ttey,, j had reason to believe they would get ,a-; .', train home. After waiting for soifi considerable time they found there wiild no train for several hours, and the] there-; upon set their horses going one , and anticipated the train. Mr. Log was ! - giving this as an instance that the jrrange* :. ments of the Defence Department pre not ; always as complete as they might/be, has . at this stage he was ruled out |f order / by the Chairman of Committees. I While the farmers of the Mnawatu* Rangitikei, Wanganui, and Tar iaki I" B */ tricts are enjoying exceptional! favour^ able weather conditions, propit ns rains having given them abundant istuiag6» v and enabled their crops to ma 3 an. . - cellent start, the eastern distric w® s ■ fering from want of moisture rrites t ® Hastings correspondent of the few Ze»r ; land Times). The Wairarapa 013 ■ T^ Q ' In Hawke's Bay only one daji rain has fallen in six weeks, and he ie . . j!_.r country has a green appearar* the -//.; are absolutely burnt up. In V vert ?j£ the position is serious. Tire : little hay mado in Hawke's Br this -; mer, even if the rain comes ; ' South Island farmers visiting lie Haw ® -;s/, j Bay Show declare that rail 'is .Jy§| , wanted in their country, aiJfliat A ;y£p; : oOtago is already suffering fitti While good rains have be« t in the Manawatu, and the pi there is decidedly fair, an <4. settler diets the district will probafe.'.«?P®^^|fe a drought before the seasolis over. . bases his prognostications olthfl the ' trees have bloesomed Iry with remarkable profudoai with remarkable profusoi|