LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 15094, 10 September 1912, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

The last of the piles of the tee between : the outer and inner western tees 0f,.? the old Queen-street Wharf have -now .'been drawn. Tie piles vrere reroovfc.! by the Harbour Board's powerful ; 80-ton floating crane with the greatest of : ease. They will probably come in -useful for ; repairing sir d •wharves about--the harbour. Notwithstanding . the. fact, that : the I piles were driven between 40 and SO ; years ago, they are in a remarkably good ; state .of '.. preservation -below the mud; line, and appear to'be as 'substantial as "the day on which "they were : driven, although, above the mud - line; they are in ..;. 'a.'-, very decayed condition. ~ .

The laying of ; the;; overland * portion ;i of the Pacific _' cable' between Muriwai; and Biverhead, about 114 miles, will be commenced shortly, and tendere are being called by the Post and Tekgraph Department for the trenching,, the laying .of the cable, and the "conveying work necessary in carrying out the operations. These tenders will close on September 20.. , ; : The" wreckage which was reported /as having been washed fashore at :Ruakai:a, near Marsden Point, on Friday ; last, still remains a mystery. It is thought in many quarters that the vrreckage,, which; consists of a boom, a guff, three double 12in blocks and four, single, blocks of the same size, and a torn sail, with mast hoops -attached, may be from the cutter Mana, which was sunk off Waiheke in a gale some weeks ago, , /

To encourage the growth.-, of , daffodils by ' scholars -of the * primary ■ grade, Professor. Thomas has offered : the ; committee of* the Auckland Horticultural Society two prizes of seedling- daffodil : bulbs, yalued at a guinea and half a guinea, to be competed for by the schools. To* enable & start to "he made, Professor Thomas further undertakes to supply % at . least 1000 flowering bulbs of standard *; popular varieties, flowering about the first week' in September. They will be supplied in collections of about 100 bulbs, and should be amply sufficient to enable the grower to make a good selection 'for'/ exhibition. Applications for collections must come from th; head teacher, who must undertake to ste that ■ the bulbs ; are planted at the proper season, and cared for for at least twelve months, and that an effort is made to exhibit at the 1913 spring flower show. At the meeting' Of the Mount E'don Borough Council last - night , the • engineer presented plans and estimates for the proposed improvements to Mount Eden Rostd and Dominion Eoad. The amounts allocated under the loan proposals for these roads are • £4500 and £5700. The total expenditure proposed by the engineer is £4400 and £5498 respectively. The 1 work involves the laying of tarred macadam footpaths along • the side of Mount Eden Road, and the levelling of both highways. On the suggestion of the Mayor, it was decided to apply for a further loan of £8000, payable in nine months; making a total loan of £20.000.. The .engineer's report was ultimately referred to the Streets Committee. .-'..■

A great demand at present exists for" the use of. the Auckland Graving Dock for the docking of small vessels, and. for several months past the dock has seldom been empty for any length of time. During the course of a year scores of vessels of many descriptions.; use this dock to undergo repairs, survey, cleaning, and painting. Nor is the use of the dock, confined solely to local shipping, as very often vessels from the Islands come to Auckland for repairs and .overhaul. The Fiji Government , steamer Ranadi; occupied the dock for several days"; recently, and the Island steamer Dorrigo is at: present undergoing ■• repairs and overhaul:. Owing to the demand for the use of the dock, it was found necessary to float the tug Waitangi into the Calliope Dock for repairs, and for several weeks ahead 'the graving dock has been secured for the docking of small vessels. During the past few months the Calliope Dock has been in fairly good demand for the docking of large vessels. \-It is present occupied by the collier. Kaifcuna and the tug Waitangi, while the Talunei will hbe floated in shitty for cleaning and " point- '1 ins-. ' "'■ ..

Id the coarse of a chafe wjth;a:H£RAXDj! representative, Mr. P. W. Jack, a pro? minent townsman of "Wliangarei. stated that that town was. enjoying;;a'; season of■■ prosperity. Illustrating this, Mr.' Jack stated : that . there, i were i now .■; foci -k brick braidings, including the Town Hall, uadei construction at Whangarei. ; : One of > th*. new buildings will occupy the site of the premises of Messrs? Heath and Morrison S which were -destroyed 'by ; N fire ' eome"~ months'; ago. • : Mr. Jack, who cams to Auckland as ""-a representative' of ithVl| Whangarei v Chamber •? of : Commerce.is connection with the extension of ' ; tha North ; Auckland . railway, left for' 'Whfc* j ngarei last evening. ■ . ." ~ •■*.■;

The .barque Northern Chief, which *ar- 1 rived at Auckland from Newcastle yesterday morning, after-a passage of 22 days'; - encountered very stormy , weather; during ■'■■" the later stages of the voyage. On-mil prdatiiing the New Zealand toast, ~hß ran into a heavy westerly gale. Her decks »er? almost: continuously swept by huge" seas While the gale lasted, and during the height of the storm the foretopmast stars were Carried away. Although the crew ex. perie.nced a most trying, time.; no one w*. '" hurt. •' .■

■ At the meeting of the. Mount, Edes • Borough Council last night rnention'v a made by a, councillor of the . difficulty experienced by Mount Eden and Dominion o.voaa residents in catching trarncars tween'five and six p.m. ' Residents'h these districts found it impossible to o-'et home by car unless they walked to the bottom of Qneen-fetreef and caught a car there. ; There were not enough cars on "the penny: section during the .rush' hours. Pa* Council should insist upon extra access, modation between, five-and six -o'clock Many residents had to pay an extra nerinV to get home. The Council finally resolved to ; draw , the attention of ihe%ranwg Company to the inconvenience caused 'by the jack of accommodation on the cars.

- The decision to take the kilt from *'C" Company of the Third ; (Auckland) Infantry Regiment. was the cause of . much comment; yesterday; in military; and Scottish circles. ; A petition ; ! in 1- favour '. (A \vtha retention of the kilt is.; being largely signed in ; Auckland. V . The - feeling j s that .if the Defenco • ) Department has no . objection . to • Members io! the company: appearing in"; the kilt : afc a tea meeting the company should not be debarred from wearing the kilt on ; its era company parades and on ceremonial parades. " . - „,-.;■ . >

At the Police . Court yesterday, before H Sir. E.-G Cutten, S.M., three Norwegian ■ sailors from the whaling steamer ■ RaMora I ; were charged with drunkenness on-Satqr. 1 j day night. All were mere boys, and • the ■ magistrate inquired from the Sub-Ins^ - B tor how they had been able to procure the liguor to get drunk. No explartatibfts were forthcoming, however. None of the Jl accused could speak English, and the ser- K vices of. the captain of their vessel had ffl to.be requisitioned to interpret. Finally ' fli the lads 'were convicted- and discharged, ' 9 and handed. over to. the care of • :the"esj|§JjHj , An extension of , the dr?inage system 1| 1 in.the Eden Terrace district will.be fconitj!;H| j ] ienced . to-day. The work, which; w2jife|| cost' £3500,-i; will ;.;: connect . the Eden lei- || race drainage system with the main sewerhflS in tjie ;Arch]iill ". Gully. Three 'CGntVac'ti|§||| amounting 'to '£1300 will be commenced Bj to-day, and "the remaining ; work 'I ba';Ja undertaken later. • • .- ..'W'&»li ~ 'Writing from Sydney under date August 1.8, a former .resident of Auckland referrea m Ito the number of immigrants arriving, i Australia, and incidentally expressed the: f|j j opinion that it was time New , Zealand ■■,> 1 woke up to the .necessity foriaaugntatiag a a vigorous 1 immigration policy. ".YestM-I' r : m day," he writes, "2381 immigrants arrived';", & ]jy "three vessels, and J; nest . month 45001 vf more are to arrive, .all' for.; New'J Soiipk|p||| Wales. •; ■ When," •he asks, - "is New JB Zealand going to - follow v this.vcoiniirV.'s^H example," and go in for a vigorous imai* m gratioh.policy?"• In the concluding per- S,;: tion of his Tetter he states that all the fflE new arrivals would get work quickly, -al-'V || though the. , bricklayers' . unions-' '..were 'M H growling. ..at thore ,' being . ,to©.. many ; >; i| I "brickies" in the country. As .againjt^g | that, however, the builders say that .h^sjfjli ing work is being hung up' for the waiifrAjfflj 'of bricklayers and bricks.., •. : •'• H I : ;},':A . charge'.;•■'of: . absenting j hims«Jf||;f^^feK | parade was " laid against - Earoid..'Brc Hi bent at the Police Court yesterday^''l>ii';i|| accused put forward as a defence -that'hit ,Bj ] was the sole support of.his aged; root her, m who was too nervous, to .Tie left'.aloce *iirSH | night. .The magistrate stated ,-that ■ thi? ■ was no excusei and fined Broadbont£.l. ;■;...'18 Reginald Wilson, charged with tiiespas- HI ing .on the ,parade 'ground,, and 9i assaulting a senior cadet, was convic&d iff and ordered to pay witnesses'expends .-, ; B| .amounting, to 18s. : - - '' •' K| The; maternity bonus, { proposed;by; ft ß 'ftm Federal Prime Minister docs rot ''coauoer^ ■;[ |ig itself to members of the Women's ■Christian .;-'|§ Temperance Union. .At a meeting of $ 8 || South ■ Australian• conference of the ;]s| last'week, Mrs. E. W. Nicholls, o 'F r . e, :;S|| sident -said — It seems patronising ;BttJ - '(■ degrading to motherhood,"and savours;&»o.-*H much of petty - politics and too li^ &;o ?v|-ffl broad statesmanship. ;.•; It is almost aPp |» mium to crime, and it would be-far batter BR to spend the money on subsidising kstitni ■ tions that quietly; provide succour foil *-k■■** M who reallyi need help/; A 1 sober, , industH- ;Jp ous people, fearing ? God . and • hatuij;, <:«'> ■ m would scorn a bonus for maternity.' as 'as. m outrage and an insult, and * surely' S tralia is not yet willing to admit that «;,; IJ is in such evil case as such : a proposal |* would suggest." ' •' ,r '*if|™ Building operations have . been, vary B | active in the Mount Albert borough, far 3 'some. time past. About 200 < houses'-i*£;£:J§ year have ; been built , for. the past four m years. In one area where some six dww- Bj lings stood four years ago there are M over 200 houses. A number .of *stot« are.-;'now being subdivided into j buildisig §| sections, and it is expected that : building m will' be particularly brisk in future.'; t : >-f>?Ba '■ The' reconstruction ■of . the..--Ku)gs? a P;|sHj Road, from Page's store to the - jooctjoß ; :;. M of i the Edendalo Road, has, || menced, and good progress is being J** 1 ?* fin with the work. A sum of £4600 has>.?*:};■* » ; allocated by the Mount Albert Borough J| .Council, and the completion of .the wo ? ! \;,];H| will bring about a great improvement :fe the thoroughfare, ' - :j|| For riding a bicycle on the ' fc.-3T-*' n »yp' I David Dickson was fined 5s s and 7s -- '- : H4' 1 at the ; Polko Court yesterday. . PeStf ■ Marshall, for driving' a cart without* ■ light, was fined ss, and 7s cost?, |M ! Two small boys who have. been makhig M merry at the Kia Ora Mineral Company's expense on Sunday &*** M noons, had their depredations; brought ,t« 1| a sudden; stop last Sunday, It h&d-bf* 11 El the custom of the lads for the P«**sßsl*;H weeks to visit the Kia Ora-Conif«wy»" -M mineral wat factory after Sunday-scioQ« 11 and to help themselves to lemonade, The? H were; caught" last Sunday and yesteras : ;; were brought before the magistrate at tat 'jM Juvenile Court, and;admonished and :^f; || charged. It is ~ probable' that j ottf»r'i»%oH have been persuing similar yxaciie&t ?*' jl the company ha/i lately'- raisstd •'<* Tflr ffjll''?B .dozea bottles from Us :fc.ctorv,^V^-;:;^<9a