LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14567, 2 January 1911, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

The Maheno, which arrived from Sydney yesterday, .brought a large English, Canadian, United States, and Australian mail, consisting of 698 bags for New Zealand. The Southern- portion was despatched by the Main Trunk express.last night. Personal items, and other interesting news from our London correspondent, together with the usual budget of Australian mail news, will be found elsewhere in this issue. ' - - •••• ' .. \ Another batch of 60 immigrants arrived here by the Monowai yesterday. They have come out from the Old Country by the lonic,- which arrived at Wellington on Thursday last. ■ They consist of several families, and the majority, appear to be of about middle age. There was at "least one appreciative visitor 'in "Auckland yesterday, and he was the Hon. J. Drysdale Brown,' AttorneyGeneral of Victoria. " ' Mr. Brown, who was in-New Zealand once before, about 20 years ago, is on a holiday visit, and arrived' by the Ma he no from Sydney, yesterday. He drove round the city in the afternoon, and expressed himself agreeably surprised at the growth of 'Auckland, and at. the handsome buildings which had been or were being erected in Queenstreet. On every hand, Ties said, he saw evidences of prosperity, and the potentialities of Auckland impressed themselves on him as he had never realised , them before. 31 Brown compared the buildings in Queen-street favourably with those of one or two of the chief streets of Melbourne. The Auckland jockey Arthur, Julian , met with an unpleasant experience on Saturday while taking part in the Tramway Trot at Alexandra' Park. Julian was- riding Lord Victor; and with the pace full on crossing the top stretch the horse fell and rolled over its rider. Willing assistance was quickly given and Julian was conveyed to the casualty room, where'he was attended to by Dr. Scott, of Gisborne, and Dr. Brock way. In addition to a badly cut face and heau, Julian was severely shaken and bruised/ After being attended to he was taken to his homo in a cab.

There seems to be a wave of prosperity throughout Australia and New Zealand, says the Hon. J. Drvsdale Brown, Attor-ney-General of Victoria, who is visiting Auckland. The cause he ascribed was a succession of good seasons. The railway revenue was a pretty accurate test ,>f prosperity in Australasian States, he remarked, and last year the revenue from this source in Victoria was a record, nearly four and a-half millions. This year it promised to be higher.

An accident befel . a young lady in Queen-street about 1.1 o'clock on Saturday night. She was proceeding along the street when a cab struck her and knocked her over and the wheel passing over her foot, severely injured it

The disappearance of Mrs. Mary Spragg the wife of Mr. Elijah Spragg, of Mounj Albert, has been reported to the police* Mrs. Spragg had been, staying at hei summer residence at Vaitakcre ranges, and she left there on Saturday night; about seven p.m. At 7.15 a.m. she was. seen on the road, and it is assumed thaS she was making towards Mount Albert. A large search party was out vest day under Constable O'Brien, of Mount Albert, but no trace oi' Mrs. Spragg could be found. When she left home she was wearing a green cloth skirt, whits dust-coat, black bonnet', with a black feather, and was also carrying an umbrella and bag. She is described as 65 years of age, whitish hair, and somewhafj stout. The relatives offer a rowan} of £5 for information as to Mrs. Spragg'a whereabouts. A larger search-party, ; in* eluding as many boy scouts as it is possible to obtain, will go out and make' a thorough search of'- the surrounding country. . •

The man. Alfred Albert. Cash, who killer] his wife at Helcnsville on Christmas Day by cutting her throat, and afterwards attempted suicide, is making a slow recovery at the Auckland Hospital from his self-inflicted injuries. It was the intention of the police to have taken him to Helens-

ville by the last train on Saturday evening, so as to be present ,at the adjourned inquest to-day. Cash, however, although fife to make the railway journey, is not sufficiently recovered to allow him to be. confined in a police cell at Helensville for; probably several days, where he would be unable to receive the care and medical attention necessary for his complete recovery,. In making the attempt on his life Cash slashed at his throat between, the jugular vein and windpipe, missing by V hairV breadth both these vital points. . When'the jury meet to-day it is the intention or*, the police to apply for an adjournment for a week.

When the steamer Monowai was clearing the Napier breakwater for Oh borne and Auckland on Friday evening last, an accident, .which might have resulted in serious consequences, happened to Mr. Cooper, the chief officer. The heavy chains which are. used at the breakwater for mooring vessels, and which were being slacked out at the time, suddenly flew back, the end of the chain striking Mr. Cooper, who was directing operations, on both legs Mow the knees. . Both legs were severely bruised, which necessitated Mr. Cooper taking a couple of days' rest.

The survey of Auckland Harbour, which the Admiralty, has agreed to undertake, will shortly be commenced by Lieutenant. Jackson, of H.M.S. Fan tome, which is now in West Australia engaged in searching for the rock on which .the illfated steamer Pericles was lost. The scope of the survey will extend front Rangitoto • Beacon to Kauri Point, and the work will probably .take two or,three months to complete. # . . ... -

The woman named Rosana Palmer, who attempted to commit suicide at Onehunga a few days ago by cutting her throat with, a knife, was before the Police Court on Saturday, charged with attempted suicide. She said that she was sorry for what had happened; she commited the act because she was worried, but was sorry immediately- afterwards. The presiding justices adjourned the case till next Wednesday* The complete rainfall figures for Auckland for the past year are not yet available, but it is interesting to note that the year, according to the records taken at the Albert Park Observatory, has been one of the wettest. recorded during the period over which records have been taken, some 44 years. The total fall for. the year is roughly about 54in, or. within about half an inch of the record fall of 54.48 in in 1907. The year 1910 will , thus rank as second on the list of wet vears.

' The vacancy caused on the Devon port Borough Council by the . resignation of Mr. James Mays will be filled by the election of a new councillor on January 24 Nominations for the position will be received by the town clerk of the borough up. to noon of January 18.

Without stoppages,.. the Auckland-Wel-lington. expresses average something' like 25 miles an hour, but sometimes the average is • much, faster. - .For instance* Friday afternoon's express ran the 38 miles between Koputaroa and Paekakaariki in 65 minutes, an average of over 33; miles an. hour. The 27-mile run from Paekakariki' into Wellington was accomplished in. 64 minutes, exclusive of stops of 17 minutes and three minutes respectively at Paekakariki and Paremafca. - / *

Wellington experienced a cold snap on Friday, reminiscent of late autumn, instead of summer. The thermometer at nine o'clock in the morning, registered 50 degrees in the-shade, placing Wellington among the coldest, centres in the Dominion. . Lyttelton was on the same level. Even Bluff was a degree higher with 56. Thames revelled in a temperature of 77, holding pride of place in point of heat, .Then came Blenheim and Dunedin with 65, Auckland 64, Napier and Nelson 63,. Balclutha 60, Bealey 60, and Taupo 54.

The members of the Plimmer-Dennistoa Dramatic Company were entertained at an. all-day picnic on "the harbour yesterday by i Mr. Frederick Smith, of Sydney. Thg/ steamer Pelican was chartered for t<he occasion. After an hour's fishing outside/: Rangitoto the party cruised among the islands, and then landed on Motutapf. Island, where a delightful afternoon wis spent. On the arrival of the Pelican ji the Devonport Ferry Company's wharf 1&& evening, (he company gave three choirs for "Mr. Smith. - /i f During a thunderstorm, which passed over New Plymouth on December 21, a house on the Esplanade was invaded by » number of small children who were bathing in the surf, and were frightened by the storm. The lady of the house had some friends visiting her at the tinle, and they were not a little astonished, fas well as amused, to see a troop of naked little water babies running into the hou/e, where .f • ' they were provided with such clothing as could be, found, while their ovn, which. had been left on the beach, wis brought in and dried. / • There was a -large attendant at Albert Park last night, when the Auckland Garrison Band gave a concert It aid of th» Schaffer fund. The secretary (Mr. B. R. Hunt), assisted by a committee, made a collection at the gates, with/the result that the sum of £32 8s 5d was received. ho band were accorded a. l/carty vote of thanks for placing theiif services at the disposal of tho committee. The Y.M.C.A. camp/at 3! ilforcl Beach' is proving a great suc/css, and the hoys are having an enjoyable time, '10-aay is "Visitors' Day," /sports will be held. At the request of a number of campers, the. committee decided to/extend tho camp for another wee!:. . / The Wellington Harbour Board's new, scheme of charging the general public a small fee to pass.' the barriers recently erected on the Wellington wharves, when! steamers are arriving and leaving the port, was again in evidence on Friday. 'lha number of people who paid for admission to see the Manuka depart was 164, and when the Maori left the sum of £2 14s wa» [ collected,, representing a total of 178.,