LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS

New Zealand Herald, Volume L, Issue 15262, 28 March 1913, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS

The R.MS. Tahiti, which arrived at Wellington yesterday * from San Francisco and way ports, brought a European and American mail, the Auckland portion of ■which ' will arrive by the second JMain Trunk express this afternoon. The St. Helens Home inquiry was brought to a conclusion yesterday. The proceedings were opened on December 19When the inquiry was resumed on January 14, it was freely stated that the whole business would • be done with in two or three days. By the middle of February evidence was still being taken, but the proceedings had considerably lengthened owing to frequent adjournments. It was thought, however, that the inquiry would be finished by about February 23, but fresh matters were oontinually arising, with the result that it was not until yesterday that the. last words were spoken. Mrs. Emily Niool made a very long, address to the commissioner, speaking for fully eight hours and a-half. It now remains for the commissioner, Mr. C. G. Kettle, S.M., to furnish his report to the Department of Public Health.

A very plucky action was performed by Mr. J. B. Bovaird, a clerk in the railway department, yesterday. At about 3 p.m. a boy, about nine years of age, fell into the harbour between the No. 3 Jetty and the man-o'-war steps. -The boy was drowning when Mr. Bovaird noticed his predicament. Without a moment's hesitation, Mr. Bovaird dived in, and seizing the boy swam with him to the piles of the wharf, where willing hands soon helped him to land. The boy, was little the worse for the adventure, but Mr. Bovaird received some nasty cuts on his arms from the barnacles on the piles.

Amongst the arrivals at Auckland yesterday morning was the American fourmasted schooner Kona—a smart and handy-looking white-painted craft, which came from Puget Sound. The vessel is similar to others which have visited the port at intervals, and . has on board some 860,000 ft of, Oregon pine consigned to the Kauri Timber Company. She is a fore and aft schooner, with a square-sail on the foremast, and made the passage from the British Columbia lumber port in 76 days. The bulk of the vessel's cargo is stowed away below, but her decks are stacked with timber to a height of about 7ft. Captain P. J. Hansen, who is in command of the sailer, has with him his wife and two children, while the crew consists of 11 men all told. / The Kona left Puget Sound on January 10, and had to contend with a succession of southeasterly gales for the first two weeks, which considerably delayed her progress. The remainder of the voyage was uneventful, adverse winds and calms' l>eing the order to arrival. The Kona arrived off the coast on Saturday morning last, but was beating about the gulf for some time before she was taken in tow, the anchor being dropped in ! the f stream shortly before 6, a.m. yesterday. After discharge of her ( cargo, the Kona will in all probability return to the Columbia River in ballast. •

: The attention of the Minister for Railways is to.be again drawn by the Newmarket Borough Council to the dangerous nature of the level crossing in King Street. On the' motion of the Mayor, Mr. David Teed, it was resolved at the meeting of the council last evening to forward a letter to the Minister, pointing out that another accident had recently taken place, at the crossing, and urging him to take into immediate consideration the desirability of erecting, an overhead bridge, so that the present danger might be done away With.' In explanation, the Mayor said the j full position would be put before the Minister in writing, when the motion was for-

An inquest into the ; circumstances surrounding the death of John Rickard, aged 28 years, who'died at the hospital on Wednesday night, was held by the Coroner (Mr. TT. Gresham) yesterday. Evidence was given that on March 17, the deceased was working at the Newmarket railway excavation works, when a fall of. earth took place, which struck deceased on the back and forced him against the handle of his shovel. The cause of death was due to abdominal injuries, caused by the fall of earth. A verdict of accidental dearth was returned by the jury.

; A strong complaint was made by a Southern delegate at yesterday's sitting of the Poultry Conference, against the .way in which the Government treats the poultry . industry as compared with the fruit industry. The poultry industry, he said, means a capital value in the Dominion of about £2,000,000, whereas the fruit-grow-ing industry can be valued at £400,000 at the outside. In spite of this, the Gov-

ernment only provided one fifteenth of the funds for poultry raising, in proportion to those for fruit growing, and only provided one overworked expert as against four or five inspectors and advisers fqr gruit-growers. Fruit-growing, he continued, was only possible for those with a certain amount of capital, whereas poul-try-raising on a scale large enough to provide a living was possible for people with very limited means. The people who went in for poultry-rearing were as a rule of a very desirable class, and well worthy of support.

" I have never believed in grants: I have used strong language against them time after time," said the Hon. W. Fraser at Dargaville last night, in reply to a deputation from the Hobson County Council, which protested against the present system, and asked for a new system of assured finance for local bodies. "It would be much better if a system of classification of local bodies such as I have advocated all along were established, and the responsibility of spending a lump sum were thrown upon the local bodies .themsolves," Mr. Fraser continued. "That would be a much better way "than ftfr the Public Works Department to have to pretend to say what work was most urgently required. The change of system will be one of the main provisions of the Local Government Bill to be brought down by. the Cabinet, either this year, or, at the latest, next year."

A proposal for a municipal raotor-'bus service for Birkenhead was made by Captain W. H. Pitts, at last night's fleeting of the Borough Council. He wrote at length elaborating his suggestion, and detailing the successful results attending similar undertakings elsewhere. It was decided to thank the writer for his interesting letter, and for the information supplied, and to inform him that such a proposal was already engaging the consideration of the council.

At a creditor's meeting, held yesterday afternoon, the official assignee produced an engagement ring from his pocket. This, he stated, had been bought, but not paid for, by the bankrupt. The price asked had been well over £20,' but the bankrupt had beat the dealer down to the round figure. The official assignee passed the ring round to the creditors, in case any of them contemplated entering the matrimonial state. As no offers were made, the ring was returned to the official agsieaee to disjpose of . as best he could.

A second meeting of the creditors bankrupt.. estate .of Alex., ■: Edleman ij||l||P held yesterday . afternoon. ~ In answer 0 question, the official assignee (Mr. W. ft f&CFisher) ' said ' that the estate would piMl# roughly about 3s 4d: iaJthe £. Bankrupt ' " had been .carrying on business as a grocer under the name of the Economic Supply Stores. ? There was a deficit of about £17$ on six months' trading. A friend offered'-fit to pay half the deficiency at the* rao<i|lf|fl £1 a week, ( and this offer was accepted. Upon the unanimous motion of the credit*?* tors, the official assignee was asked to oppose the bankrupt's discharge until he v. had paid off 10s in the £, ovring to his A% unsatisfactory statement of affairs. ;.r While on the passage from X?uget Sound ; : -sf to Auckland the American schooner Kona . passed in close proximity to the Palmer- j ston Islands, to the north of the Cook • >*; Group. The islands are inhabited by -Vi| about 90 people, and threo sailing-boats, • ' containing a large portion of the population, put out to the Kona* and asked for ; a supply of provisions. From their statements, it v appeared that no boat had \\, visited the group for nearly eight months, _ ;■? Their solo diet was cocoanuts, a supply '•« of which they put on board the Kona, -i Captain Hansen gave them a quantity of (t clothes, potatoes, flour, and other neces- Ifti sary articles. A vessel with a fresh sup- ■;$M ply of provisions was daily expected to. 'M arrive at the islands. Although the in- : ? habitants were no doubt short of pro. visions, their plight was not regarded as a very serious matter. . i The number of accidents at (railway ,% crossings was supplemented yesterday 1 afternoon, when the Auckland express, ,• going North, collided with a sulky, con- 'Jk taining Mr. T. James, architect, 0 ' Wanganui, and. Mr. J. McChesney, an - | old and well-known resident of Marten (telegraphs our Marion correspondent). '.J The marvel is. that both men escaped being killed. The horse was hit by the | engine, and it was killed instantaneously. - I It appears that the two men were on ;! their way to the raofscourse in connection 4 1 with some proposed improvements and alterations to the grandstand, and essayed l;| to pass over the line at the crossing on f the Main.Trunk line, about a quarter of :> || a-mile from the Marton Junction, just at ■ ; M the express was leaving for Auckland. |fji The crossing is a very open one, and the .v: two men must have been deeply engrossed - 2 in conversation not to nave either seen - < j.' or heard the train as it rounded the carve. ; - J It would seem that when they becu» |f| alive to their peril it was too late to |||| avert disaster, as the, train was tfana .<• '{I right on top of them, and with jjreab " j force almost cut the horse in two. The r ; j two occupants were thrown out heavily \' j as the trap was overturned. McChesney i suffered most, receiving a severe injury .'■£ to the head, but James fortunately ,-j escaped with severe bruises only. McChesney was rendered unconscious for a >3 time, but he showed considerable improve- V ment as the evening advanced. . Three years have elapsed since the last "'''J poll was taken in the Birkenhead Borough regarding .the system of rating on unun* '-'f.l proved values. On that occasion the pro*" iff posal was defeated by 52 votes. The advocateß of the principle contend that foniyrs siderable advance in favour of the pre- j posal has been made in the interval, and " A it is the intention to demand another noilk ; next month. Mr- F. M- King informed 'I; .1 the Birkenhead Council last night that * ;'Jj petition signed by over 150 ratepayers wu in his possession, and would be presented -1 in a few days, sothat the poll on the que* | tion could be taken simultaneously . with -: the other municipal elections on April id ::u| , " We- are too orderly in our Dr. ~ Wilbur ; Oapnjan, of the C&apwe- §1 Alexander mission, told a meeting of not; . « j tens at Christehurch. " Men know exuty what is going to happen, and they wiU come. They know that there will hjrpp~|| few hymns, a short prayer, a long ..| tod a sermon; "Well, just change that. Do not preach another sermon f<* <1 three weeks.; Have a straight heart-to. )JJj heart talk with your congregation. would do good." . - *'vtg£'i * A record passage for a German cargo rjj steamer was made by tie Hansa liner ;i Barenfels, between New "Sork and -M«l- ",H bourne. The vessel left Sew York « -4 January 15, and made the 3un to Cape- pjj town, 6830 sea miles, in the smart timejliij of 25 days. A stay of 24 honri was at Capetown for coaling - purposes, ; and ,|jl the * vessel cut out the. distance,, of 5800 t|i miles from the South African port .toA?|| Melbourne in the creditable timo-of 22# | days, thus completing the voyage from | New York to Melbourne in 47£ day*, it rgm an average speed of 11£ knots an itur. .||| Had it not been for the accident to «4|§ machinery when 500 miles out fro* Sydney to Auckland, the vessel would have made a fairly smart passage far ,* ? Ji cargo steamer across the Tasman Sea. ; • When the Prime Minister (the Hon.. FjgJlassey) was in Timaru last week, Mr, ||j B. Verdon, ; late* receiving '= shed ; on the railway, brought under his notice ;%• a grievance under which railway servan%||| who have retired on superannuation suff«*in that they do not get the concession# .whim • travelling '4» the railways they receive while they are in it, namely, tickets at one-third of the ordinaw g rates. Mr. Verdon pointed out that w* | tired railway servants at Home aio | given these concessions after thwr retire- .;j ment, and he thought that retired rail- j way servants in New Zealand should be.. | treated at least as well as those at Home* Mr. Verdon added that when he and ni® ; wife were travelling at Home teofiSl«y ,-.4 the private railway companies th«« ...g allowed them the concession which twf | i give to their own men, and two of t*W ys companies did even better by .alkwuid ;-| them to travel free. Mr. Maasery, 10 ) mised to have the matter looked ijto. ~.- *;^ H.M.S. Psyche has gone into <&><& at.o Cockatoo Island (writes our Sydney respondent) -for repairs and overhaul, aJitt||| is likely to remain there for sqpie time, m It is stated that inspection has reveals that a number of plates on the ves«eWg| bottom will need renewing, : • Rumour® ■ are current , to . the effect that sopie plates are worn to a, very dangerous ness, and fears are expressed that, through official niggardliness in the matter ficient expenditure to ensure pair, there may be a recurrence of «• Torch scandal. The Psyche did not possess a contented crew. Recently this was-■ shown, when, on Christmas Day, the m®® refused to 'decorate their mess-rooms > W cording, to the naval custom. Desertioxtf •«- from the vessel have been frequent, an .J, out of an authorised complement of 24A | the vessel is said to have carried 0 ? • 110. This undermanning gave rise to discontent displayed by the men on Chn s J® mas Day. • . •- There exists in the waters of w l ® Queensland (says the Sydney Mail; measuring about 10 inches in length averaging a pound and a-half m weig which possesses the remarkable p>wer j|| " shooting its prey. The * rifle fish, y«*|| it is called, is alleged to about the stream a few . inches - below tragi surface, on the look-out for flies.and MWj&fc insects that settle on the floating and twigs or on the surface of toe plants. When the "rifle fish " gets enough for the purpose, it discharges as saw victim a tiny jet or ball of water,. if shot Straight, knocks the prey into stream, where it is instantly'gatheyeau^^ by the shooter. .