LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 14530, 18 November 1910, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

The Auckland Tramways Company has forwarded a cheque for £2049 to the City Council as the Council's approximate share of the tramways' profits for the six months ended June last. About a dozen of the men employed on the tunnelling work on the Remuera branch main sewer contract near Hobson Bay had a difference of opinion with: the contractors, Messrs. Forrest and Lovett, on Wednesday, regarding the quantity of work that should be performed. Some of the men, on being informed that more was expected of them, ceased work. An inquiry yesterday from the foreman of works elicited the statement that the matter had been satisfactorily adjusted, and that the men returned to work yesterday afternoon. The total , number of men employed on the work is about 150. The disappearance of an old man named Robert Kendell is -reported. The missing man had .lately been -treated at the hospital for a broken i leg, and after, his discharge was residing in Seafield View Road. He attended the hospital as an out-patient, and on- Thursday of last week he visited the hospital. Since then nothing more hasbeen seen or heard of him. He was using crutches, and is nearly 70 years of age. Evidently great use is going to be made of the renewed San Francisco mail service. The Secretary of the Post and Telegraph Department had advice yesterday that the R.M.S. Aoraogi, which left San Francisco on Wednesday, has on board 720 bags of mails for New Zealand, and 296 bags for Australia. Would a universal Saturday half-holiday tend to fill the churches? This question was raised at the Presbyterian General Assembly yesterday in a letter from the Universal Saturday Half-holiday Association. The association earnestly pointed out to members of the Assembly that if ministers wanted their churches to be filled with young people with bright, smiling faces, who would be in a condition to listen to the pulpit teachings (instead of as at present being half asleep), the Assembly should help the association in the matter of the half-holiday. The argument seemed to amuse the majority of the members, but one elder evidently saw no humour in the epistle, and gravely informed the Assembly that the Saturday half-holiday ; might tend to make people take advantage of the week-ends to go out of town and thus leave the churches empty. • • ■" • The R.M.S. Maitai, the second steamer to sail under the new San Francisco mail contract, will arrive at Auckland from Wellington to-day, and will sail at noon on Saturday for San Francisco, via Rarotonga and French Papeete. The following passengers had booked through to San Francisco up till yesterday afternoon :-— Saloon : Misses Alison, . Cowley, Klugg, Ovens, Prime, Mesdames Davidson, Heckmott, Morley, Prime, sen., H. ; Prime, Welch, Messrs. Aukins, Donald, Heckmott, Hein, Hutherson, Jonassen, Prime (and two sons), Welch, Wellish, Young, and the Rev. F. Orthner. Steerage : Miss H. Cederstrom, Mrs. A. Phillips Messrs. ' Faulder, Hughes, Wilson, Phillips, Webster, Gelasch, O'Day, McCabe. Only a small quantity of cargo is being taken by the steamer. The principal consignment, some 25 tons of flax, was shipped at Wellington,' and up to the present a quantity of kauri gum and 200 boxes of butter have been booked to go by the steamer from Auckland. v.': -S' - " • ' .

The visiting J delegates •' to : the Presby- ■ terian Assembly have left with a;. high ; estimate of the hospitality of Aucklanders.- '■) At the close of the session of the Assembly reference was made to the welcome the delegates had received, and one middle-aged elder could hardly find words to express his delight. He stated, amid laughter, ,that his host and hostess had been like a father and mother to him, and their daughter had been like a daughter to him. The speaker, who was a visitor from Dunedin, expressed himself aston- i ished at what he had seen in and around > Auckland. He went into raptures about the arum lilies and about the oaks already in leaf, and said he was astonished at the ■ size and beauty of the harbour. In shoi he did not want to go home, arid would 1 have liked to stay for at least a month. . A poll of ratepayers of the East Taraaki Road District ,was held yesterday on a proposal to borrow £3000 for the purpose of improving and metalling the main roads in the district. The polling resulted in 70 votes being cast in favour of the proposal and 29 votes against, the proposal being therefore carried. There were three informal votes. The negotiations between the City Council and the Auckland Lawn Tennis Association for the leasing of the Domain courts by the association have fallen through. The Council decided last night 'to open the courts to the public at the charges originally fixed, and to spend £50 upon dressingroom .accommodation. The auxiliary echooner Huanui, recently built by Messrs. Bailey and Lowe for Messrs. Jagger and Harvey, underwent her trial spin yesterday. She is a smart-looking vessel of 60 tons register, and is fitted with a 45-h.p. Union engine, supplied by Messrs. W. A. Ryan and Co., Ltd. She is also fitted with a 5-h.p. Union hoist for working cargo. On her trial run the Huanui. averaged five knots an hour against wind and tide, the engines working very satisfactorily, under the supervision of Mr. Wetherilt, Government inspector of machinery. The Huanui will leave shortly for Westport and Dunedin, and she will then probably trade between the east coast ports of the North Island.' With regard to the petition of settlers on the Te Akau Block (about eight miles from Raglan) for remission of rent, the Minister for Lands stated in the House of Representatives, on "Wednesday, that he could not afford the relief asked for except :on the recommendation of the Auckland Land Board, which so far had declined to make such recommendation. The Minister added that the, matter had been referred to the Board-for further corisideration. Inquiries made at the offico of the Commissioner of Crown Lands yesterday indicated that the ground of the Board's refusal to recommend the remis- ' sion was that the Te Akau lessees had not suffered exceptional hardships, but had had to wait for their roads like many other settlers. The roading was now well in progress. » In commenting in the Supreme Court yesterday on.the arrest of a young man upon warrant, Mr. Justice Edwards said according to British usage a man was held i to be innocent until he was proved guilty; but according to" the Auckland police, he • was deemed to be guilty as soon as someone caused an information to. be laid against him. In many- cases it was necessary to arrest, even without • warrant, A man caught thieving must be summarily taken charge of; and a. man known to be a thief was reasonably arrested; but , to arrest anyone upon a warrant ifthere was good reason to suppose that a summons would serve was an absolute abuse t of the , criminal process. Such a thing j might happen to a perfectly innocent man, and it Was infamous to subject him . to the degradation of arrest, and then . drag him before the police court in ens- , tody if hfe would come there, for a sum- ( mons. It was apparently useless for him to- repeat this as he had .done, arid he would probably go.on saying it without effect as long as he was on' the bench; , but, at least, it would not be supposed that lie countenanced such an abus* \of < the criminal law. Mr. Reed, who/4 as appearing for the man who had been arrested, said .the police appeared to have .! acted with as much consideration as pos- : sible. . • -i The president of the Auckland Chamber '' of Commerce (Mr. J. H. Gunson) received the following telegram from Sir Joseph j. Ward yesterday on the subject of the proposed new Vancouver contract: ""In reply i to your telegram, I have noted two repre- < sen tat ions which you have made relative ( to the desirability of New Zealand enter- < ing into proposed Vancouver contract even .1 at an increased cost on that proposal, and 1 am obliged to you for the expression of ' your views on the matter. (Signed) J. G. i Ward." Speaking to a Herald repre- ; sentative on the subject Mr., Gunson said < he was quite satisfied that the Postmaster- i General was doing everything possible towards the consummation of this service, a3 far as New Zealand was concerned, and that a sincere attempt was being made to secure the Auckland call. "Other information of a confidential character," he said, "undoubtedly confirms this." The Auckland Horticultural Society's rose show and children's show, to be • opened in the Choral Holl, at three o'clock ' this afternoon, by the Mayor (Mr. L. J. Bagnall), should prove a successful exhibition. A very fine season for the ' growing of roses has so far been experienced, and as a result, a record number : of entries has been received. The show ; will be open till 10 o'clock this evening, • and again to-morrow from 10 o'clock in .' the morning. A school holiday; has been ' proclaimed for to-day, in order that the : young people may attend the show. . The correctness of the final i in the name " Waitakerei" was challenged in a letter received at last night's meeting of the City Council from Mr. Dunbar Johnston. He said the correct spelling was " Waitakere," and that this was the spelling adopted by the Government. The Mayor (Mr. L. J. Bagnall) -said it was advisable to spell all Maori words correctly, and on his motion it was decided that inquiries into the matter be made by : the town clerk. "Get the habit," is a favourite American expression, and it is this a delegate to the New Zealand Poultry Conference wants the New Zealand working man to do in connection with the eating of eggs. People, got out of the habit of eating eggs, he declared, because they could not afford to buy them when the price reached Is 6d per- dozen. Then, when the price came down again, they had forgotten about eggs, ; and so a consumer was lost. He used this as an argument in favour of an egg circle to control the supply of eggs, and thus ensure a uniform, price, and so provide that the - working man would have eggs in the house the whole year round. The City Council's tender-box was opened last evening ;to extract tenders for the construction of shelter sheds at the Waikumete cemetery, but there were none there. The fact was. commented upon by the Mayor, who. remarked that it indicated that the building business was pretty brisk.

— —- ' Seven pl„ gnes afflict Supreme - Court. The acoustics, doubtful .tentilivtion; dtv 111 prosy counsel, and people who sIS?SIS reporters' seats without writer seem to be • • propcriyc °^J Etituted court of law N n ? ProPClly fl Two 7 to bo " 11 One irinTnva^r o r C S y b f eV b eloped - fi which buzz about most 'rf with a refreshing, lack of 'Hie - •'* settle alike „„„„ I and tickle the heads of the learnedT#** ""iS the registrar, and the defendmt, W the slightest compunction. The oiW $8* an enterprising colony of IV fc 13 41 which squeaks derisively £*+>•& m. open windows whenever somebody mil -ft an important statement. Mr .W '' Edwards remarked yesterday < ilf t ,? iS arm of the law was on „ -L lk » ■££.' strong, but it did not seen to il!" .13 qualities necessary 'to reach J1 cuiars birds. Mr. Cotter riS« the sparrows had just it did not seem much use trying to . Mil a notice upon them. The- Court proceed!? as before, to speak between squeL^S' wave unavailing hMds at the hla £*£ * A number of autograph letters why, have been presented to the Auckland S§, fssss stsSfSSt from Mr. Philips on the occasion of recent v,„t to Sydney. The ' colWtft $ 8 includes autograph letters and mereorarS * W from the late Sir George Grey Sir j n i: : /* Justice billies, Right Hon. Lenihaa, j , Justice billies, Right Hon. R J the Earl 0! Glasgow, Counts of Omjow* ; and various other distingmshed pwioa - i :; ' ages, including various admirals and oil,, * visitors to Auckland at varied HaT The deputation which waited npon thj 1, City Council at its meeting a fortnigl.i jfi ago to ask , that some other method i* -is substituted for the mi Aft, tramway sprinkler for watering Kanlngahape Road i has met v ith success. Tho; Council de cided last night that the city engineer be 1 instructed to arrange with the Tnunwavs - Company, with the object of bavin* ; Karangahape Road watered by cart in! h< : ,\ ' stead of by electric sprinkler; 1 I , A painful accident bofel Mr. . : John McKenzie, of % Kenyrdale, • Waihon, oa • Tuesday (reports our Ts Aroha'comepondent). He was assisting in the work - of hoisting a pig, when the block and tackle slipped and struck him on the head. JS§ He came into Te Aroha, where his Wound v J was attended to by Dr. Kenny, who pot'lSl in a number of stitches. , ' '■ '}■>?** ® ' V ' ■■ . The provisions of the Dentists' Amendment Bill, now before the House of Ee- ' ] presentatives, were referred to byj)r.: : j. : :' I Y., Warren, president of the Anckktd" || Dental Association, in the course of n eonversation with a Herald reporter jester, • J day. The amendment to the old ActvsutJ " ; Dr. Warren, is to enable certain mea'wbi> : I JjN have passed the board examinatipii t# register, they having omitted or were on? able to do so before, owing to various in- , formalities. While there was nonsish " exclude these men, Dr. Warren the' Dental Association would oppose .0; registratio". of any claimants who had had ample opportunity to pass the' examine i 'v tion, : but had repeatedly failed. ? f amendment, he said, established a bsci; r> .v. door by which these men ; could enter, ani l then pose before the public qnali-f. i-k fied dentists. "A matter which.' : re- ; ceived some prominence in the of late," remarked, Dr. Warren, "is"tier fees charged by dentists, - and Si suggested i partly responsible ■ for hii;li feesi. jta I .; must deny that the 1 association is mm i any way responsible. The association' ex- ';' ists solely for educative and; live purposes. '-There ifi no. scale-;of " • * each nuai changing according .to his abififey and experience, as is done :. in all otSsr ■ .»• - - - >• ■■ .->??« professions. • ■ . v i. A xesideni of; the , .Sast 'Coast visit to Wellington, states. thai a severe epidemic of whopping cough is cans- . ing many parents in that part of; the minion considerable anxiety (says the - lington Poet). The children feverish at the outset' of the attack, and -Mi| several Maori boys and gtrls Two or three schools have; been closed in ; consequevicj of so many children beuig , down with the cough. , , - j ' Approximately £100,000 worth of woot!|M| from Gisborne; and the east; coast*, of the season's clip, V/ill (telegraph® oU^M|, | Gisborne correspondent) be landed. in lisp.' don in time lor the January sale? by the three steamers that have been loading i| the bay during the past few days.. The shipping of this quantity of fleece should |A| mean the circulation' of .-fro® t obQv.to^p| £60,000 in the way of ' adrances upon the clip. The initial consignments of meat represent a value of about £40, . , "Bad blood" apparently exists, among ||ji certain members of the crew or a vessel -I at Wellington at present. It is reported | f | (says the Dominion) that discom m the, .yi fo'c'stle has been long simmering, an -y | now reached boiling point. On | j night one of the disputants is staled » - '* I have fled before a brandished sheath-. , knife, and sought sanctuary in the L cap- . g | tain's cabin. Subsequently, ,1 by one of his own faction, he quitted W~; f temporary retreat, slid Over the side.«» j' fl the ship. "and Jaded into darkness, butl£' : || did not fade quickly enough, and when / j.| the two had got fairly into the city ■ | perceived the proprietor of the | knife following . them at a stragetic d^; tance. The fugitives, however, a clever feint, baffled the pursuit. >' rapidly changing from ope tramcar to an- r other. The next act of the little occurred on the following evening, whe f'w, . hostilities were reopened - while the - s, were at ■ supper, v A sharp altercation i ? arose, and the upshot was that the ng|gg i who had assisted his mate? to escape oa | - | tho previous evening, was subsequent!? , stabbed in the -cheek with a t3blefo^';: ;M " The wounded one again fled the ve! ' i had his injury attended to by a oc | and stayed ashore all night. 1 Several local dog fanciers were snc««||j ful at the Wanganui Show, the ' prlizetakers being Mr. B. H. I Devon port, who gained a special p J | the best wire-haired fox or Irish 1 1 1 in the show, and also two « one and three third .prizes; and Mr. • ■ J||| Mayne, who won a special P nz ® : . ; || . I best puppy in the Irish terrier c also one first, six seconcie, and one j prize in the same class- , - j The official assignee (Mr. W. S. | j has received a statement of affairs m I bankrupt' estate of Anton. J" ' - ' labourer, residing at Red..- his ' Dargaville.. The banfa^'glj^ liabilities at £93 6s Id, wd his nil. He states that together with^« mate, he bought a Subseacres for £140, and paid £7 • quently lie (the bankrupt! paidJ W sum J £24, and his " t half-share to another man, to him, borrowed £25, and th«fl leaving him to bear the J , Vvp? The property was then sold,. everything, Being pressed mW iti^lfl| he obliged to file. The _ - w M of creditors in the estate will ps <- ? the :25th inst., at 11 a ffi. - ■ a ' m ' • "WM