LOCAL AND general NEWS

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 15174, 13 December 1912, Page 6

LOCAL AND general NEWS

A vigorous plea for the lighting of the Domain Drive was made by Mr. J. C. Gleeson at the meeting .of 'the City Council' last night. • Tho subject was brought up by a statement by the electrical engineer that ha was not prepared to supply the Exhibition Executive .with current for lighting the drive. Mr. Gleeson said it was more than time something was done in the matter. Tho Sydney municipality had neglected to light its domain until at last three murders were committed there. The drive ' was much used by Parnell residents, and if it was lighted, it'would be a real benefit conferred by the city on its newly-added portion. Mr. Gleeson's gruesome implication did not receive the enthusiastic support of the other members of the Council, but the Mayor said that the matter certainly needed consideration. The nature of the bush in the Domain was such that at night anything might happen there. The Works Committee is to look into the matter. The sewers in Hobson-street, between Customs-street and Karangahape Road, are in a state which has made it necessary for the city engineer to recommend that immediate attention should be given to them. In a report received •by .the City Council lo st night, he expressed the fear that, particularly in the part between Cook and Vin,cent Streets, a subsidence of the tramlines might result. He had prepared plans for replacing the sewers, and estimated the cost of the work at £5000. The Council ordered the work to be' done at once. Owing to her supply of coal running out the Melanesian Mission steamer Southern Cross was delayed', two days on her trip to Auckland, which concluded yesterday morning. While at the Islands, the Southem Cross had to steam to the other side of Norfolk Island to seek shelter from a high wind and sea, which suddenly sprang up. This led to a shortage of coal, and on the run to New Zealand all the coal on board was used up. The vessel just managed to reach Russell, where she was successful in securing seven tons from the whaling steamer Rakiura, which was sufficient to bring her to Auckland. Improvements are to be carried out at the main entrance of the Town Hall, to increase the convenience of patrons of the concert chamber, and to belter the chamber itself. A proscenium, costing £50, is to be built. A door costing £30 is to be placed on the stairs to the gadlery of the concert chamber. A proposal to put a partition, in the ticket office to make an office for the hall-keeper, and a separate door , between the corridor and the ticket-office, has been referred back by the City Council to a com-' mittee for further consideration. Five young Aucklanders, Messrs. W. Percy, R. Ingram, W. Aylward, G. Daw, and B. Thomson, who have been pursuing a course of training on the Union Steam Ship Company's sailing ship Dartford, returned to Auckland yesterday, after a two year's absence abroad. The lads arrived from Wellington by the steamer Mono-, wai, and will spend the. Christmas holidays with their relatives. Since they joined the Dartford, which has for its purpose the training of officers for the Union Company's service, the Auckland boys havo been trading between Australia and America. The Dartford was engaged almost entirely in the coal and lumber trade, and the 40 apprentices on board, practically manned the ship. Nine of the boys are now on shore, sitting for their second mate's certificates. At the conclusion of the holidays, the remaining 30 expect to join the steamer Aparima, and complete their course, which extends over four years, .on that vessel. The Dartford is to be dismantled . and, used as a hulk. In a case in the Magistrate's Courtyesterday, in which a woman was charged with having sold tobacco after nine p.m., contrary to the Act, the magistrate re- ' marked that he knew how difficult it was for people in business to disoblige: regular customers, but it had to be done, as the law demanded it. They should think of the he said, who could not 1

possibly sell a man a drink after 10 p.m., 7 no matter how thirsty he might be. He } suggested, though, that people would not - be so ready to want to buy good? after . closing hours if they knew that by so doing they laid themselves open to a penalty for aiding and abetting an illegal 1 act. Under section 53 of the Justices of ■ the Peace Act, a buyer of goods after . closing time could be prosecuted as an aider, abettor or procurer, just as a mjui' could be fined for being found after hours • on licensed premises The amount of electricity generated at the municipal power stations during the fortnight ended on December 1 was 129,999 units. The generation needed the' consumption of 419 tons of coal and of 518,300 gallons of water. There are now 1083 customers for the ; current, 13 having been connected up during the fortnight. " It seems very hard if a man has orders to fulfil, and his employees are, willing to work longer hours for extra pay, that they cannot do so, but the law: must be maintained," said Mr. C. C. Kettle, S.M., during the hearing of an alleged breach of an industrial award at the Magistrate's Court yesterday. "If the law is bad," added the magistrate, "it should be amended, but a man must not defy it." The manager of Mr. F. A. Wilson's farm near Taupiri Mr. B. Bookham, was severely kicked by a horse yesterday afternoon, while putting a pair into a plough (telegraphs our Huntly correspondent). One of the horses, which had not been worked for some time, became restive and unmanageable. Boam, while trying to pacify the animal, held on to the reins and received a severe kick on the left side of the face. The cheek was cut to the bone, the wound requiring six stitches. The eve was so badly bruised'" that complete ' recovery may not be possible. To perpetuate the name of the late Mr. Jas. Kirker, in association with the daffodil, of which he was very fond, some of his friends, and admirers have presented a silver vase to the Auckland Horticultural Society for annual competition among amateur exhibitors at the spring shows. The trophy was made to a special design by Messrs. Sydenham Bros., of Birmingham, England, "I think all my school'friends have migrated to New Zealand," Mr. Oscar Asche has stated in a letter to Sydney. "It is marvellous the number of people I have met in New Zealand who used to go to school with me in Melbourne I met a very old man in Wellington who told me he had played marbles with me; but as this made me out to be 62, I had to impress upon him that he wis very much mistaken. These many cases of mistaken identity have become so numerous as to be at times positively embarrassing."

Reserved decisions will be given by His Honor Mr. Justice Edwards at the Supreme Court to-morrow in the cases of Beawell v. Wake, Worsell v. Woods, Sneddon v Auckland Tramway Company, and Lawry and Company, and probably in' the divorce case, Henderson v. Henderson. The sitting will commence at 10 a.m. At the Technical College yesterday, six candidates presented themselves for exami- ■ nation in sanitary science. The examination was under the supervision of; l)r. Frengley, who came up from Wellington for th« purpose. : : ® *

While riding down Victoria evening;, Ruby Cross, a girl ' of ployed by Mr.: R. C. Carr, of : Rcim, tr »; r fell from her pony. She stistai%s||§ slight scalp wound, and a severe shakin»S She was admitted to the hospital atTubfM 11.15 o'clock. Her condition serious. ' , . 10 - J|| serious. The City Council and the P u Mj, if] Works Department differ as to should pay for the work of putting thltSf pavement at' the new entrances to the■■■ft railway station in order. The city -I engineer (Mr. W. E. Bush) reported to "'I the Council last evening that the work would cost £388, and added that' the-ti Department had intimated that it.- Wa4 Jlf willing to pay half cost of the work up:) 1! to £198. It was resolved that the Da. partment should be informed that it ; i£ « ,r . expected to pay the full cost of the Work. £> • The chemists of Auckland desire that an extension of business hours to 9 p >m ; ''ifshould be granted them from December' 19 to December 31. A petition' ' praying >!|fj for this concession was put before the, 1 ;?; Auckland City Council last evening, with ft the request that it might be forwards ?■;£* on to the Minister for Labour. ThjlHl Council agreed to do as requested. i ■ -V : In the course of his meteorological r«. |$f port, issued at Waihi at eight o'clock yea- 'fit today morning, Mr. H. B. Devereuj, J'. j» F.R.M.S., stated that easterly to northerly ; J winds, freshening, and showers may be ; expected, and that the indications point to general soaking rains after 36 hours, , A sir,art passage was made by the l|| Northern Steamship Company's - stpemei s|f Manaia from Whangarei to Auckland j yesterday. ' The Manaia was formerly I '® known, when running under the hoossL'l 1 flag of the Union Steam Ship Company, ill as the Rotoiti. Since she has hefta en- §fp gaged in the Auckland-Whangarei trade, 'H she has fully maintained the Ngapuhi'i time. She is just out of dock, and, con- '•? her hull is at present" very if! , clean. . She left Whangarei at 12.30 p.rn.% f | : yesterday, and was made fast at'Ko»;4|||' Jetty at 6.20 p.m., thus accomplishing the j. distance under six hours. This U.he.! 5 j lieved to be a record for the trip. ■-> ] ' The Taxation Bill, introduced into (}»;>; West Anstralian Legislative • Assembly last week, provides for an all round land V.| tax of a penny in the pound unimproved K; value, abolishing the distinction la the ,| present Act by which improved land is -I taxed at a halfpenny, and abolishing the $ exemption of £250 value allowed to the if, , farmer and £50 to the city honiieowner. jf'; The income tax exemption is raised from - >*?$) £200 to £250. The deduction from tax- jfe able income for every child under, 16 is i|j raised to £20. The tax is 4d in the •;! pound up to £500 income, rising.* penny -i || over that to £750. Another - penny elf added successively at £1000, fcISOO, J§j £2500, and over £5000 it is a shilling id,; : || the pound. Absentees pay 50 per cent y'| extra. All companies pay la Tin-' the. jii pound on net profits. The land tax U<f jdeductible from income tax. If taxes r : are . not ■ paid a 1 month; after they. ai« due, ' ' 10 per cent, extra is levied, 15 per cent. for two months,, and 20 per cent. - foi, ■. three months' delay. : "."'ljJll • . ■ . . ■■■■'■ _ '• , The. summer vacations of j some. of the • Auckland secondary schools have, already , commenced. St. Stephen's .College,.btoi«||-| up on December 5, and s will resume <» February 8. King's College held iti •' 1 breaking-up ceremony yesterday, and not be frequented by the ■ students until ' ® February 10, when work will also be M*W ? earned at the Auckland Grammar SchocJ, . which, however, will not be closed Until December 17- .. The breaking-up ceremon* in connection with Pah College takes place this afternoon. . ~ , | . A man. named Walter Good was covered, at about four t o'clock yesterday-: afternoon ' lying in an unconscious coa-1| dition in the neighbourhood rof : Don Buck's camp, at Swanson. He was , brought .V,j to Auckland and admitted to the hospital, |pj where it was found that he , was suffering;'-?! from what appears to be the effects : tif :;j sunstroke. His condition is considered to be . rather serious. At a late hour last ■ evening he was still, unconscious. Goo|;S|| is a married man. 7 jrfs

The City Fire Brigade received a at about 9 o'clock last evening (©• Belgrave House, in Lower Symondß-stre& The fire, which originated in one of?.,tfpp'| back rooms of the house, •. was caused | through 1 a lamp overturning. Damage jU:'| the extent of about £50 was done. ' The ; insurance on the house, which is % owned pj by Mr. Culpan, and occupied by M» jM Reeves, was not ascertainable last night. '''I l ' M' "• V*'-'' "V-- ' A eeriouß accident befel Evans Lincoln 4 Turner, * a prisoner in Mount .■ Eden' Gaol, p§; while , engaged at stone breaking t, .woik pt7 j early yesterday morning. By some mean* ; a large block of stone upon which he was , | at work slipped and fell on his legs, boii||||| of which were badly broken. ' The tunate man was admitted to the hospital *]%s[■' 9,20 a.m. Turner, who' is a young: of 26 years, is a native of Spain, and is W0 present serving a term of three yeart: hard labour. ' ' The Government training-ship Amokofll'.;' i aims to make seamen, and the Dartford ij?;,;! turn out officers, was how CommaW^''.i $ Hooper, of the Amokura, defined the die- ■ 4 tinction between :' the functions '■ of tbes« 'd; | vessels when the matter was referred W* | him recently. The commander, ip sp&P'. ft ing of his boys and their subsecjUiflt 'P^ , 1 gress, in which he evidently taken a deep Ijj interest, said that the training-ship i P> yj ford had done good work, and amongst g her midshipmen were ■ some boys who had; t graduated on the Amokura. It was sub; 1 1 •' sequently stated that an old Amokura toy- 1 # was now holding a position as officer, '18- • ,Jr the Red Kennel fleet. , |1| A course of agriculture, which has been .jk provided at King's College for boys who iiJ,j do not take Latin is not regarded by t';fl ,|j | headmaster as a great success. " In ch's, mIII annual report, read by him yest'!rJ-ty» il| | Mr. Major remarks that with a few not ", M js able exceptions, the boys'- Have taJMfl 1 merely a perfunctory interest in the worK, n[ f This went to prove the truth of v/lnfc ;f ft every master felt—that most boys wished :Jg| 1 to drop Latin, not on account of its sup- 1 posed uselessness, but rather from a desiM ;|!sj j, to shirk hard work. There was a larg<a?® | proportion of lazy boys segregated in ths' j|j J non-Latin branch than anywhere , ,oiss iin|M | the' school. . 1 Some good work was performed at thd | fire which broke out on the Union Com- :| ,| pany's steamer Hauroto in the harbouff *11 early yesterday morning, by - Constable® $ Baker and Joyce, 'of the Water Police<ji;gp When the alarm, was given, the con iijl: stables at once boarded the ' HarbouftaSWl Board's tug, Te Awhina, and ' set :to | to get up steam, which they succeeded ia .||| doing in a very short time. , Oii the tui Mjm ranging alongside the burning I Constables Baker and Joyce,- | with Captain Lockie, of the ■ Harbowf, 1 * Board's staff, immediately got the hpWa|, | to work, and although the heat was ter«fi|g®| lie, they stuck . to their ■ work -j and IPjIM ceeded in subduing the flames,; , Gardiner, master of -the 'Te Awhina>wMi|p gether with Mr. Gillies, : superintendii^| engineer ;of the Union Company/ and , Postlethwaite, a Harbour Boartt'eroploy^i|U®| lent valuable aid., But V' fori which those named 'stuck .to,thifjrjj the -Hauroto would } probably^. gutted from stem to stern. , t <Jj ; gjjmm