LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14707, 15 June 1911, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

An Australian mail . arrived at Wellington from Sydney by the Moeraki yesterday morning. As the vessel connected with the Main Trunk express, the Auckland portion of the mail will arrive here this morning

A fire occurred last night in Mr. J. C. Gleeson's motor-shed, behind his residence, at Selwvn Terrace, Parnell. Mr. Gleeson and his brother were in the shed at the time, the outbreak resulting from some benzine becoming ignited. A slight explosion also took place, and- Mr. Gleeson's brother received burns about the face and head, but the injuries were not of a serious nature. The Parnell Fire Brigade were called out, and soon quenched the. outbreak. The motor car was damaged to the extent of about £40, and the roof of the shed was slightly charred.

The traffic on the city's footpaths is already becoming more orderly, and it is evident that the people have taken notice of the paragraphs on the subject published during the last few days. There is still room for much improvement, but breaches of the rule that pedestrians must keep to the right are now of individual rather than general occurrence. It is not unlikely that prominent signs at several corners in Queen-street have caused some of the confusion of the past, for they, direct "Walk round corners;" "keep to the left," but the instruction is obviously for drivers of vehicles and not for pedestrians.

A serious accident happened on the Railwav Wharf yesterday to Captain T. H. Prosser, of the firm of Nearing and Co., stevedores. While supervising the unloading of the steamer Matatua, Captain Prosser was struck by a sling of slag, weighing about 12ewt, and was jammed against the side of a truck. ' His chest was crushed, and it is feared he sustained internal injuries. Ho was conveyed to his home at llemucra, where he was medically attended.

At one of the. native schools on the East Coast, the pupils were asked by the teacher to write as an exercise in composition, a letter addressed to His Excellency the Governor, inviting him to the district. One of the lads produced the following:—"His Excellency the Governor Wellington. My Lord, -We would be very glad if you would come to our Coronation feast at Wairoa. If you want to go and have a bath you could go to Morere on the mail coach. We will take you to Whakaki if you want to shoot ducks. So, Lord, there are plenty of things to make you happy. Good-bye, Lord, God bless you for ever and ever."

After the luncheon adjournment- at the Supreme Court yesterday, Mr. Justice Edwards again went through the civil eases on the list still remaining to be dealt with. It was stated that the case of John Leon Bcnwell v. William Crusher and 'Sons, a- claim for _ £501 for damages, would take at least four days, and His Honor said in the circumstances the case would have to stand over until next sittings, as lie could not begin another suit after Friday morning. Mr. A. E. Skelton (who appeared for the petitioner. Joseph Doininick Fischer, in a suit for dissolution of marriage) asked leave to withdraw the petition. He said he was not in the case at the outset, but upon reading the evidence he was strongly of opinion that it would not support the petition. Mr. Schnauer. counsel for the. respondent. said thev could not object to the withdrawal of the petition, but he applied for substantial costs. In the absence of Mr. McGregor, counsel for co-respondent, it was decided that the question stand over until 10.30 a.m. on Saturday. The case of Brownlow Horrocks and Lindsay Brownlow Horrocks v. Henry G. Manistv, a claim of £398 19s Bd, was also allowed to stand over.

At a conference of ironmasters held in Wellington yesterday to discuss the question of a protective tariff, Mr. Me Arthur complained that in connection with the Wellington Post Office a- special kind of steel window was mentioned in the specifications. His firm desired to tender, and submitted a sample of colonial manufacture, but was informed that the specifications must be adhered to. He thought the Government should support local industry.

A collision between a Kingsland tramcar and a horse and cart look place in Queen-street yesterday morning, but, fortunately 110 serious damage resulted' The horse was standing unattended outside the Albert Hotel, the wheel of ) 10 cart being chained, when the animal hecame restive at the noise of the approaching tramcar, and halted across the line in, front of the car. The motormaii promptly applied the emergency brake,, and the animal v.-?« n"«h ,v .l o*l 'Lie line v.-ithout receiving any serious injury.

The persistent devotion to political duty of Mr. W. F. Massey was remarked upon by the Mayor of Auckland in his speech at the Chamber of Commerce, dinner last evening. " ! may describe .Mr. Masser perhaps jocularly," said Mr. Parr, "as a perpetual Leader of Opposition. Mr Massey has done good service in more ways than one, and many people would like to see him enjoying a higher position. However, the majority rules in this country, hut no one can tell what the majority will say at next, election."

The prominence attained by young men in the conduct, of public business in Auckland was commented up"ii by the Mayor in the course of his speech at. the Chamber of Commerce dinner hist evening. The citizens, lie said, had trusted young men of the community with the administration of their communal affairs, and lie hoped that the city would not be disappointed, for their appointment introduced more energy and, consequently, more advancement. Xo doubt they would make mistakes, but they would be mistakes that could be rectified. Unsettled weather still prevails along the West Coast. It is reported that the steamer ft a raw a. left Onehunga at 3,30 p.m. yesterday for New Plymouth, but on approaching the Heads found the signals against her, and it was therefore necessary to drop anchor. Should the condition of the bar permit, the steamer will cross this morning, but will be fully 12 horns Into in reaching New Plymouth, and is not likely to reach Onehunga on the return trip before Saturday morning. An announcement made by MajorGeneral God ley at Cambridge on Monday evening, to the effect that General BadenPowell intended visiting New Zealand at the latter part of this year, was received with marked demonstrations of approval. The scout movement founded by that distinguished soldier Major-General God ley considered one of the most excellent in the world, and therefore deserving of the heartiest support. As an outcome of the recent Christchurch case in which a man was arraigned on a charge of marrying his niece, and who pleaded that he did not know that the law prohibited his action, a list of kindred and affinities wherein whosoever are related are forbidden to marry, hag been posted up at post- offices. The list is very complete, and commences by following the Biblical command and sternly forbidding any man to marry his grandmother.

The Post and Telegraph Department it extending its use of machinery for laboursaving purposes in several directions, It has for some years used automatic stampcancelling machines, while penny-in-the slot stamp vendors and automatic telephones are convenient where, they are installed. The new telegraph forms are to be followed by a machine recently invented. and now the Department has imported one of T. Kendall and Sons (London) Post Office Savings Bank deposit acknowledgement-form-folders. This is a most ingenious machine; and one which has for years done good work in the London Post Office. The machine is able to fold 25 forms per minute, as compared with the three-a-minute by the hand system of folding now in vogue. /

The Society of Arts Exhibition wa;. again well patronised by the art-loving public yesterday afternoon, when the ladies' committee supplied visitors with afternoon tea. In the evening the musical friends of the society supplied a promenade conceit, when the following vocal items were rendered:— Mr. Hamilton, "Because"; Mr. Gardner, musical monologue; Miss Brooke-Smith and Mr. Hamilton, duet, " Venetian Boa!. Song"; Miss Coombe, "My Dearest Heart"; Miss Brooke-Smith, " When me Birds Flv North Again." ' The students of Miss Dija Fletcher gave several pleasing items. An employee of the Wellington City Corporation received rather severe injuries as the result of an accident on Saturday morning. A lorry was conveying a smell wooden house (used as an dike) from Island Bay to the Clyde Quay yards, and when passing the corner of Buckle-street and Cambridge Terrace it capsized through the roof catching against a taut wire attached to a street pole, which rcquiied to be stayed. Two men were inside the house and two more were riding on the shafts of the lorry, when the whole concern overturned, and all the men ""ere flung forward among the horses. A el '" geant of the Mount. Cook police was summoned to the scene, and when lie airbed he found that Quinlivan, the driver, was wedged between the two shaft horses, and another named Whitelaw was on his back unconscious beneath a horse. Jbe ser " geant. with the assistance of a couple, of constables and some bystanders, extricated the men from their dangerous position®) and a doctor, who happened to be passing. rendered medical aid and ordered but l men to the hospital. Whitelaw had " s face cut, his ribs bruised, and was badly shaken.

At a meeting in Dunedin last week, Mr. J. F. Arnold. M.P., delivered a lecture on the near islands of the Pacific, dealing more particularly with the look g'* 3ll ! 1 and the other islands that are attache to and governed by New Zealand. ' the French possession <>t 1 ahiti he dis liked so much what he saw-it seemed a French colony run bv Chinese—that 15 felt heartily glad that 'the Cook and other islands had been brought in lei biit' Sll rule. It was a pity the British Government had not moved earlier and annexe other islands near to us, as both ;^ us j' a lia and New Zealand had desiicd. the Home Government procrastinated, so Germany and other Powers stepped and acquired them. In retelling to tM visit made to the islands by the le„itive party eight years ago. Mr. Arnold said that of the 55 members of ar lament wiio then made the tiip. °" ,N **, were now legislators, while death '• claimed nine of the party.

''There is some livalrv between th towns of Wanganui and Napier, 1 1,1 11 stand." said Mr. M. J. ltoa-idon, at « meeting of the Napier labourers it?"- 11 • •'Apparently the rival..v extends to tne working agreements of the lioioitf bourers. For nearly tour years lie - * pier Borough employees have had ><? ™ labourers' agreement in force in the minion. Now, however, Napif l . j take second place. The honours are - J Wanganui. But boil, agreements... J J stand to-day are better than /'"■ unskilled labourers' agreement yi minion.'' In view of the Coronation and the necessary alteration 1,1 , j )e . terine of the lk>yal crest, the ,■ t jj o part-ment has let- contracts tor painting pillar letter-boxes bright red.