LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 15060, 1 August 1912, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

The R.M.S. Zealandia, which arrived at Auckland early yesterday morning from Vancouver, via way ports, brought a largo European, Canadian and American mail. The Southern portion was despatched by the Main Trunk express last night. An Australian mail reached Wellington by the Ulimaroa from Sydney yesterday at six a.m. The Auckland portion of the mail, consisting of 52 bags, will arrive by the Main Trunk express this morning.

A little girl who attempted to cross the car-line in Dominion Road on Monday had a narrow escape from serious injury. A car was coming along the road while an approaching gig coming from the same direction prevented her from crossing the line. A young man succeeded in pulling the little girl out of danger just in time, and was knocked over in doing so. Considering that the young man was partially disabled as the result of meeting with an accident previously, he may bet considered fortunate in escaping further injury when rescuing- the child.

No settlement 'has been effected yet in the dispute between the Auckland Iron, arid Brassmoulders' Union and the employers. The Conciliation Council, .Mr. T. Harle Giles (Commissioner) presiding, considered the demands of both sides yesterday, but, owing to the fact that another dispute has been set down for to-day, further deliberations were adjourned 'until Friday morning. Consideration will be given to-day to the demands of the Auckland Bakers' Industrial. Union of Workers, while on Monday the farmers' dispute will be heard, to be followed on Thursday by the hearing of the demands of the coachworkers, and on, the following Monday by those of the plasterers. The Commissioner, after tho hearing of these disputes proceeds to Gisborne to deal with a dispute between the bakers and their employees.

The Daily Flat district, although comparatively closo to the city of Auckland, ha?, suffered a great deal through lacH of communication with the business centre. This is to bo remedied in the near future, however, as the Telegraph Department has now agreed to extend the telephone to tho district. The work, which is being subsidised by the Waitemata County Council, is now being put in hand.

The loss of £20 by a Government, official yesterday was averted by the honesty of a well-known Maori. The official in question had been to a bank, and a fairly considerable sum .of money for the payment of salaries and other disbursements in connection with his Department. He received from the teller several bundles of banknotes, each containing 20 £1 notes. Whilst walking down Queenstreet, one of the bundles worked its way out of tho pocket of the dvil servant, who was quite unaware of his loss. • He' was proceedings down the street, when he felt a touch on his shoulder, and looking round, saw Mr. Otene Paul, of Orakei, who handed him back the money, which he had picked up on the pavement. -

The Birkenhead Borough Council has under, consideration the question of renaming the whole of the streets within the borough, and Maori names are being used as far as possible. It is also proposed to have name-plates erected at each street, in order to facilitate.; the negotiation of the borough by visitors.

j An auction sale of unclaimed luggage and other poods was held by Mr. R. G. Cait in tho railway goods shed yesterday, and there was a large attendance of buyers. Oyer, 480 lines were offered, including umbrellas, walking sticks, swage, and a host of other articles, which had been loft .'in the carriages by absentminded people. Among the goods unclaimed was a piano, a most- unusual : article to be left on the hands of the De- ! partment. ' The sale lasted from 10 o'clock I in tho morning until four o'clock in the I afternoon. A good deal of fun was pro- | vided, and not a littlo chagrin was disI played when some of v thc seekers after bari gains opened the boxes they had puri chased. Under the persuasive eloquence ■ of the, auctioneer one man purchased a I very' tempting-looking box for 30s. On opening the box he found that the trea- ! sure consisted of half a dozen empty bis,l'cuit. tins Similar other incidents also i took place much to the disappointment of • ' the purchasers, who had to submit to the J goodnaturcd chaff of those assembled. On the other hand, a number of the buyers 1 secured real bargains, and their delight ! was manifest. The piano, which was j considered to be a very good instrument, j was bought for £11. ! Branches of the New Zealand Farmers' 1 Union are springing into existence in all parts of the Auckland province. Branches are now being re-formed at Kaipara Fiats and Otorohanga, and new branches are to bo formed in the To liana and Ohinewhero districts. The Waimano Progress Association has decided to form itself into a branch of me union, and a public meetI ing for this purposo will he held at an early , date. Major Lusk (president), .Mr. | James Brodio (a member of the Provincial Executive), and Mr. A. A. Schmitt (provincial secretary), will attend the meeting at Otorohanga on August 9 for the purpose of re-forming the branch.

Can it bo possible (writes our London correspondent) that yet another "travelling New Zealander " has handed over his cash to a pair of confidence men, or has this merely become a stock anecdoto. of "the man from outback." IT "T. Jones" is a New Zealander at all, then he is a great deal greener than most of them. The Sunday papers say that when he arrived in London he full into the company of a stylishly-dressed young man who helped to show him the sights, spoke affectionately of certain people living 'in the same district in New Zealand, and generally showed himself a good sort. According to tradition, the young man persuaded "T. Jones" to "convert, ail his portable wealth, a matter of alrxit £600, into banknotes," and by and-bye, of course, "T- Jones" handed <,ver his wallet of wealth, for safe-keeping, to n'a new friend, who lias not been Been fine. "T. Jones" then told the police—who in turn told the press (in the hope that the missing wealth would bo found straying in Piccadilly), and '"'J'. Jem.'.. " wont off to Liverpool, presumably on bis way home- Quite a sensible thing to do;. but I do not believe "T. Jones" will be found in the New Zealand directory. This old yarn is too thin. An amusing story is being told at the expense of a well-known Taranaki farmer, who, with a number of iriencls, were discussing another settler in the district. After the argument had proceeded for "on little while one of the friends made sc. ma remark to the effect that the settler whom they had been discussing was engaged to ono of the farmer's daughters. Ho would not hear of it, however, and went so far as to back his opinion for £50, a wager which was duly accepted. On arrival at Ins homo the farmer consulted with his wife, and she confirmed his view of the matter. Her daughter, she was sure, was not engaged, but presently the girl herself came in, and when she was quentioned by her parents shyly admitted that she had promised her hand in marriage. It was a big surprise to her father, whoso consent had not been sought, but alter a while he took a reasonable view of things, paid over the £50, and arrangements were made for tho wedding, which was in due course celebrated. To the delight and surprise of the bride, amongst the list of wedding presents was a cheque for £50 from the friend who had made the wager with her father.

' One or two smokers were disagreeably surprised in Wellington on Tuesday'when, a woman who objected to pipes walked up and knocked the offensive ornaments from their mouths. The active re-sister was eventually lodged in the police cells. A mild sensation was caused in Willis-street by the actions' of another woman who commenced pushing people from the pavement to the road. A constable observing her administered a caution, but the lady had little respect for the tolerant admonitions of the law, and she exhibit. her impatience by slapping the constable smartly on tho face. She was then taken in charge, after having expelled three unsuspecting and highly astonished citizens from the pavement. It appears that the woman is a widow, who has been indulging in irresponsible actions for some little time, and she will be examined at to her sanity. It is stated that for eome timo past she has visited St. John's Church,, and has occasionally interrupted tho services. She had been spoken to by the police on several occasions, but had not heeded the warnings.

"I know also from personal experience that every ship that comes south to prac-i tically any of the islands of the Northern Pacific brings with it one or two, or perhaps more, Japanese," writes Dr..Dorsey,who recently visited Australia, in the New York Independent. " And they are not poor, f-jnorant uneducated Japanese. It is almost safe to say that there are no Japanese of this type. The men who are coming south are clever men,' many of them skilled tradesmen, many of them university men, pretty well all of them soldiers who fought in the RussoJapanese war. I know that in the Admiralty Islands, for instance, there is a Japanese who is quite a little rajah in his way. He has his steam launch and, his little fleet, and he flits about from- island to island just as though he were the Governor. There can bo no doubt about it that one of Japan's ideals is to gain 6wav over the trade of the Pacific. That is a very laudable ambition, and we cannot object to it- Australia cannot object to it either. The only attitude that she can adopt is to keep awake to see .that no other end is in view, and, anyhow, to. prevent Japan from grabbing all the trade."-

In pursuance of his progressive policy regarding the general health of. children attending the public schools, Mr. Carmichael (New South Wales Minister for Public Instruction) has caused to be -propared some thousands. of charts illustrative of the neglected condition of teeth, and setting out various matters connected with the care of teeth. These charts are to be hung on school walls, ana "are intended to be used by doctors in the course of their special instructions and demonstrations of dental hygiene. The Minister fully recognises the good work (done by the Dental Institution in the making of inspection, etc.and proposes to bring the dental work more into touch with the general scheme of medical inspection. •

Referring to the ruses adopted by insects to escape detection by enemies, Mr. W. J. Rainbow, in a popular science lecture, delivered at the Sydney Museum last week, said that many edible butterflies mimiked unedible forms and softbodied beetles that would bo devoured by birds simulated in general appearance hard-bodied beetles that were avoided. Another remarkable method of seeking protection adopted by some caterpillars was malingering. Those that had acquired this habit pretended that they had been stung by a wasp by displaying, when such an enemy was hovering about, discoloured patches on parts of their bodies. By this means the wasps "'ere deceived, and flew off in quest of ,3% victim which had not been stung, or which had not. acquired the habit of appearing so. An illustration he gave of " alluring colouration" was that of an Indian mantis that attracts the insects upon which its feeds by its flower-like shape and pink colour, tlie supposed petals being the flattened legs of the insect.

A picture of " nature red in tooth and claw" was given by Mr. \Y. J. Rainbow, FL.S., in a lecture on (he Struggle for Existence" at the Sydney Museum last week. He said that to many people the general aspect of nature ai> peared calm and peaceful. The cheerful notes of birds, the hum and buzz of beo and fly. the drone of the beetle, and tha titterings of the butterfly appealed to them as abundant evidence of unalloyed happiness. But was all peaceful ? Was everything calm ? Far from it; for behind* all this seeming happiness and joy there was being waged a deadly and continuous war—a bitter struggle for existence. This daily and hourly struggle, this incessant warfare, was, nevertheless, the very means by which much of the beauty and harmony and enjoyment in nature was brought about, and .-Jso afforded one of the most important elements in bringing about the origin of tha species. i