LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14585, 23 January 1911, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

The Governor will be accorded a public welcome on the occasion of his visit to the Thames with the Australasian Society of Mining Engineers on the 51st inst. A special committee has been appointed by the Borough Council to arrange details of the reception.

The steamer Victoria, which arrived from Sydney last evening, brought an English mail, via Suez, and an Australian mail, consisting of 515 bags, for New Zealand. The total number of bags dealt with at Auckland was 294. 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.

The special session of the Auckland Anglican Diocesan Synod for the purpose of electing a Bishop in succession to Dr. Neligan, who resigned, has been convened for February 21, and will be held in St. Sepulchre's Parish Hall. The sitting of Synod will be preceded by the celebration of Holy Communion in St. Sepulchre's Church.

A painful accident betel the seven-year-old son of Mr. G. Seagar, of Victoria Road, Devonport, last Friday afternoon. The boy, who was riding on one of Messrs. Grey and Menzies' cordial carts, fell over the fiont of the vehicle, and one of the wheels passed over his chest. He. was conveyed to the surgerv of Dr. Bennett, who found that the little fellow had sustained several fractured ribs,'and slight internal injuries. The boy was afterwards conveyed to a private hospital, and is reported as progressing favourably.

The inquest upon the body of Eliza Thomas, an elderly woman, who ended her life by swallowing a portion of the contents of a bottle of carbolic acid at her residence, in Wakerield-street, on Friday, was held by the city Coroner (Mr. T. Cres-ham) on Saturday morning. The evidence showed that the deceased, who had been an invalid for several years, had never made any threat to take her life, and that the bottle of carbolic acid had, been kept in the house for disinfecting purposes. Dr. Parkes, who had attended deceased, stated that she had a feeble mind. The jury found that deceased committed suicide whilst of feeble mind. "

0 '''■■'"'•'■ A claim for compensation under ft Public -Works Act was partly heard !' the Magistrate's Court on Saturday mom ing, before Mr. C. C. Kettle S.il ]X" Veals, a Takapuaa property-owne r ; claimed from the Waitemata Court' Council the. sura 0 { £550 for alleged di '' preciation of his property through ''-'" raising of the levels 0/ an adjoining read which was necessary in consequence ' - the construction of • the Takapuna traiT the contraction of the Takapuna tra*. way line. Mr. J. R. Reed and Mr. Peak appeared for the plaintiff; and Mr R. McVeagh for the defendant Council! Evidence was given by two witnesses oo behalf of the claimant to the effect that the property had depreciated in v J- a " from £2 to 15, per foot. The magistral adjourned the case for the parrxjsr- r ,r visiting the property in company with th« assessors . and interested parties.

Prince Leopold of Battenberg, who—; \ rived by the Victoria from Sydney, re*. terday, has a great admiration for Aw j bourne and Australian life, particular!? out on the stations. "I staved in \IJ bourne for a week," he said,"when interviewed in Sydney. "I was■• struck with J the fine buildings and broad street* It seemed to be a very well-run' sort of a place. I went to the theatres, and * as i surprised at the excellent way.in w y c j^ j the plays were staged. I saw the pantomime 'Jack and the Beanstalk,' antf j thought it compared favourably with productions at home. The. choristers and the colour schemes I thought extraordin. arily good. On Boxing Day I went ." Caulfield and enjoyed the racing. £&.«, that I went to. the western district and stayed with .Mr. Gordon Chirnside for the best part of a fortnight, spending most of the time in riding and motoring. Youcountry life is fine. People ought to come out here and spend six months on a station. It would do them -*ood." ;

The funeral of the late Mr. Henrv Edmonds took place yesterday afternoon/, and was very largely attended, amount those following the remains to the Birkenhead cemetery being a large number 0 f members and officebearers of the Berks' ford-street Congregational Church Quieted. ing the Hon. Geo. Fpwlds) .and Sundayschool, besides a number of Xorthcote" j Birkenhead, and Auckland residents. p n V to' leaving for the cemetery a service was held at the residence of the deceased "at Xortftcote, after which the coffin was conveyed so the hearse by. the .deacons' of the Beresford-street Church. The funeral services were conducted by the Rev. Stella Craik, assisted by the Revs. Dav, Grif« fifehs, and McKenzie.

A charge of committing an unnatural offence was preferred against a man named Richard Russell Ernmerson, about 40 years of age, at the Onehunga Police Court"- be fore Mr. G. J. Browne. J.P., on Satarfw morning. On the application of. Sergeant Rogers, who represented the police, the accused, who is a stranger to Onehanga, was remanded until Friday next. i '■ "

The steamer Victoria, which arrived bom Sydney yesterday, made rather a lengthspassage of four days 5£ hours. - Sydney at 12.50 p.m. on Wednesday last, and encountered fine weather on the passage across the Tasman.Sea. When Hearing the New Zealand coast the vessel en, countered a thick fog, and in conseqiieacg her engines had to be slowed down fo* several hours. * After the fog cleared ti« Victoria made good time on the run down the coast.,,; _ , "':'.

An old man named Frederick Barrett, 75; years of age, was found dead at his resi-? dence at < Alexandra-street shortly after p.m. yesterday. Deceased had been in failing; health for some time, and had. been siA tended by Dr. McKelvey, who states that) death was due to natural' causes. An in-quest-will not- therefore Be necessary. |

Another large shipment of better IeSJ Onehunga on Saturday, when the steameis Corinna took away as part cargo for Wek lington 22,100 boxes. On the previous day the steamer Rosamond" shipped 731 crates of cheese, also for transhipment at Wellington for Home. .

The victim of the recent accident in tie" Grand Junction mine, William Moran,.had one of his eyes removed on Friday. Its is - now hoped that the sight of the remaining eye will be saved.

The report upon the state of His Ma* jesty's prison, Auckland, for the weelw ending January 21, 1911, is as follows; —On remand, 5 males, 1 female: awaiting trial, 8 males sentenced to life, 2 males; sentenced to hard labour, 192 males, 13 females; received during the week. 27 males, 3 females; discharged, 29 males,' 5 females. Total in prison, 207 males, 14 females. '. -'

Tenders are invited by the Public Works Department for a number of miner publie works in various parts of the Auckland province. Among these are included the painting of Govern House, and the erection of the- station at Kaiwaka on the North Auckland railway. The specifications for the new station provide for the erection of a combined storeroom and shelter-shed in wood, 22ft by 10ft, passenger platform, and loading-banks, iron goods-shed 50ft by 20ft with verandah, combined loading and discharging yard,

for stock, gates, and all necessary coil-

veniences. The remaining tenders invited are for the- construction of road bridges as follows: —Over Waitomo Stream, at Otorohanga, two 25ft spans; over Naumai drain, at Tokatoka Swamp, one-2,4ft span; at Taumatatotara West, three 16ft spans: at Korakomii Improved Farm Settlement, one 20ft span: and over the Te Kirikiri Stream, on the le Kirikiri Road, two 18ft spans. Tenders are also invited for the purchase and re-

moval of the Ponsonby Hail

An . incipient fire was discovered in a linen cupboard at the Auckland Club in Shortland-street on Saturday morning. The brigade was summoned, but the outbreak was extinguished before the arrival of the firemen.

Oysters will again be gathered from tbs Stewart Island beds on February 1, and will reach the various market* throughout New Zealand as fast as'train and steamer may bring them northwards. Everything is ready among the fishers for an onslaught upon the beds, and the boats, which have all been overhauled, will leave the Bluff on the morning of February 1, in time to return with their hauls that afternoon.

A smart piece of work was earned out by the Gisborne borough staff last week in erecting a Bagnall locomotive for the Patutahi tramway. The engine arrived in cases, and' was- sent out to MatawheW on Tuesday evening." A . trial run waa made on Friday afternoon, and the engine was employed on the ballasting operations along the line. on Saturday.

The Roman Catholic clergy of the dio* cese. numbering some 45 priests. wiling' into retreat "at. the-Sacred Heart College this evening. The retreat will last until Friday. The.extrcl3.2s will be conducted by the Very Rev. Father Roonev, of tne Jesuit Order. - - ~\ ~ :

Four sisters of the Order of St. Joseph were among the passengers who arrived by the Victoria from Sydney yesterday. They are to be attached to the staffs at present teaching in the various convents .and Roman Catholic schools in the diocese.