LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14690, 26 May 1911, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Tire Governor, accompanied, by Lady Islington, had a private view of the Society of Arts Exhibition yesterday morning, and Their Excellencies also attended the conversazione last evening. Lord Islington will probably inspect the Town Hall and the Newton East and Devonport schools to-day. This evening he will be entertained at a social gathering by the members of the Auckland Garrison Officers' Club.

The libel suit of W. Masson v. W. Richardson, the hearing of which was commenced last week, but had to be interrupted because Mr. Justice Edwards was obliged to go to Hamilton to preside over the Supreme Court sessions there, has been further postponed. His Honor had hoped to continue the case to-day, but this cannot be done,, and the matter stands adjourned sine die.

The headmaster, the headmistress, and three assistant teachers of the Auckland Grammar Schools, attended a conference of secondary school teachers, in. Wellington during the -vacation of last- year, and as the Board of Governors considered that the exchange of ideas afforded by the conference -would be of benefit to the school, it paid the expenses of the delegates, the railway fares, and travelling and hotel expenses, amounting to £41 2s. The expenditure was criticised by the Audit Department, and the '" tag" was discussed at yesterday's meeting of the Board. The chairman (Sir Maurice O'Rorke) said that the Board had appointed the delegates, and - it was only right that they should pay the expenses involved. Professor F. D. Brown suggested that the Department might have objected to the item on the ground that the discussion of such questions as the remuneration of secondary staffs deprived the conference of its public importance. The chairman's proposal that the Board should protest against the "tag" was deferred until an explanation of the purposes of the conference was given by the headmaster.

Work at the Otira tunnel, on the route of . the Midland railway, is proceeding steadily, and at present over 300 men are engaged in operations there. Mr. Murdoch McLean, the contractor, who is now in Auckland, told a reporter yesterday that the ground being met with at present is very hard. There are about three miles and a-half to work through yet, and he does not expect to complete the contract for three or four years.

The operations of the Tangiwai (Greenstone) Company, at Milford Sound, which are being carried on by an Auckland company, are reported to be proving very successful. " The quantity of greenstone obtained is exceeding expectations, and sufficient has been obtained to keep the manufacturing work going during the winter. The work on the lease has been suspended until the summer, the snow and the difficulty of access making it impossible to work during the winter.

The boy farm labour scheme, inaugurated by Mr. T. Sedgwick, is proving an unqualified success. Speaking to a reporter yesterday, Mr. Sedgwick mentioned that it was now four months since the first 50 boys arrived in New Zealand, and ho had since been in close touch with them. One of the boys had bolted, but the remainder had settled down in real earnest. Mr. Sedgwick has letters from the youthful colonists in which they express themselves as delighted with their new work and environment. The employers also speak very highly iudecji of the boys, who are described as keen, anxious to learn, and willing workers. "Altogether," said Mr. Sedgwick, " the experiment has proved a splendid success, and wo are ready to develop the scheme on a scale as large as the farmers of New Zealand like." As showing the urgent need for farm labour in this country, Mr. Sedgwick said he hod been' assured that the exports from New Zealand could be increased by £6,000,000 per year if the farmers had the assistance they required for the full development of their land. He know of an instance in which land worth £30 per acre is only running sheep, because labour cannot bo found to even assist in working the milking machines. " That we can supply the right class of labour," he continued, "has now been proved, and the scheme of importing suitable boys will be developed on a big scale." Referring to the servant girl question, Mr. Sedgwick suggested that an easy solution of the problem would be to import large parties of girls from Home, and apprentice them to New Zealand mistresses. In the orphanages and poor law schools there were 40,000 girls, well trained and well behaved, who would be glad to accept apprenticeships if brought out to this country. This could be done through the New Zealand Labour Depart[tnent and the High Commissioner's office t

The King's Birthday falls on Satur dav week, and owing to the passing of Wflf Public Holidays Act last session some tf?l fusion has arisen as to whether a holid should be observed on the Saturday or ' ? the following Monday. It may be ° tt plained that the Act of last session arm];*' only to holidays winch fall upon Sunday so that on this occasion the King's Birth day will be observed on the Saturday" Mr. J. Shanaghan, local inspector of f a V tories, states that under the Factories A* it would be necessary for all factories L keep Saturday as a close holiday, but fo ' retail traders the observance ' was 0 ' tional. If retail traders observed the haff". holiday on the Wednesday of that we t they would not be obliged to close ori4h Saturday, but if they failed to close'on the Wednesday they would be obliged to close for the half-day on the Saturday

Thirty-five thousand people have visited the winter exhibition during the four day in which it lias been open to the p u hlj c That number represents only the adult population of Greater Auckland, and as it includes large numbers of people from coun. try districts, it is expected that the attend", ances during the remaining period of the show will he very large. The big display of agricultural and pastoral exhibits will be open again to-day from 9 m. to 10 p. TO , and to-morrow, when the show will-be open during the same hours, will bo the last 1 opportunity for inspecting the numerous and varied exhibits.

If such a feeble speech as that which was delivered at Pukekohe by Mr. Fo\vl<j is the best answer that the. Government can make to the recent utterances of Mr Massey, Mr. Allen, and Mr. Berries » feeling akin to despair (says the Otago Daily Times) may well be entertained by Ministerialists. The Opposition will bo specially grateful to Mr. Fowlds for hi s frank renewal of his advocacy of a single tax. It is of particular interest to the country to learn that the Minister for Edu. cation retains his strong favour for a system of exclusive taxation of land values because, if the prognostications of some Ministerial organs are to be proved to be correct, Sir Joseph Ward will leave New Zealand in a few months' time to take up his residence permanently in Great Britain, and, in that case, there is a distinct possibility that, unless the general election towards the end of the year shows, as is quits likely, that the country is tired of the present Government, the Ward Ministry may be succeeded by a Fowlds Ministry. It is well that the country should know what in that event it may have in store for it. .;

Fiji papers to hand by the Navua con- * tain details of a fatal accident which occurred on board the Manapouri at Suva on the 4th inst., the victim being Mr. IkCormack, the . chief engineer. He fell clown No. 1 hold, and Drs. Stibbe and Gardiner, who examined him. ordered his removal to the hospital. The unfortunate I man. was seen just before the accident by . the chief officer, Mr. Kendall, but noons saw him fall, and it is surmised that ho slipped and fell headlong into the hold, some 18ft from the deck. On arrival at the hospital the resident surgeon, Dr. j Smart, attended to him, but the injuries to the head were such that little hope was entertained of his .recovery, and he passed '} away about seven hours later, without hav- > : ing regained consciousness. Mr. McCor mack had been many years in the Union y Company's service, and had visited Fiji as junior engineer of the Taviuni in bygone ; years. He was subsequently second engineer of the express turbine steamer Loongana, and afterwards chief engineer of the Kaituna. This was his first trip in \ the Manapouri. i

The annual meeting of ..the Laymen's League- is announced to take place this evening in St. Mark's Parish Hall, Remu* era. There will be a special service in the church adjoining the hall at 7.30 o'clock. The service will be conducted by the vicar (Rev. W. Beatty), and tie preacher will be the Rev. Percy S. Smallfield, of St. John's Collegiate School. The meeting will be held at the close of the service, at which the annual report of the council of the league will be presented. The report will contain some proposals of great interest to members and churchpeople generally. The . service and meeting will be open to all desiring to attend..

According to the Labour Journal for May the numbers of men employed on various railways in the North Island were as follows : — Kawakawa-Grahamtown. 134; Kawakawa-Hokianga,. 402; North Auckland, 415; Gisborne-Motu, 373; Tan-ranga-Paengaroa, 175; Napier-Gisborne, 6; Mount Egmont branch, 18; StratfordOngarue, 459. The numbers of men employed in road work in the districts of the ■ North Island were as follows North Auckland, 504; Auckland, 283; Taurangi, 92; Otoko, 328; Stratford, 1011; Wellington, 133. • ';

Fifty-two Auckland barmaids have been licensed under the Licensing Act of last session of Parliament. In. all 119 appli-1 cations for registration have been received < at the local Government Labour Bureau, and these are being dealt with in the order of receipt. The time allowed for applications for registration expires on June 1. v ; , : [ ■

Oysters still continue in great demand. Last week 483 bags were received at the Government oyster depot. This was the largest supply for any one week this season, and they wore,at once disposed of, leaving still a large number of orders unfulfilled from all parts of the Dominion. Yesterday morning the largest single shipment for this season was received,, a consignment of 180 bags arriving from waj', heke. In conversation with a reporter, » well-known oyster dealer stated, that it the oysters were kept for about 10 da.vi they improved very much in flavour, an they fattened on their own juice. Un ortunately, owing to the supply of oysten being so small, tradesmen could not attorci to keep them in stock for 10 days, although a bag of oysters that had beeD kept yielded 25 per cent, more bottw than a bag that was bottled immediate!? after picking.

'Hie Irish Home Rule envoys are e pected to arrive in Auckland from .tM South next Thursday, probably V 2.30 p.m. Waikato train, when they «> be welcomed at the Auckland way station' bv the commit and menu Booking at Wildman and Arey **° . meeting in His Majesty's Iheatie Mj Friday evening, ha, been very bn* nearly all the seats in the orchestra staw being taken, while there has been a go demand for dress circle seats.

"Rats! a moving mass-millions ; 0 them, exist at the old sanitary depot « Petono," remarked Mr. List at the log Borough Council meeting (says Post), during consideration of a or letter from the Health Department in «J gard to the destruction of the rod ent*« the necessity of a house-to-house in v tion in connection with the removal _ any collection of garba&s that ™8 courage the pest. Councillors agree" something should be dona *£#&, Department in the mater. Acco . it was decided to refer the ™n^ Dlt * to the borough sanitary inspect W. B. Gough), with an untrue£» was to pay special attention # VQ, at .the, depot.