LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS

New Zealand Herald, Volume L, Issue 15398, 5 September 1913, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS

Veey reassuring reports regarding the progress being made in stamping out the Maori epidemic were received by the Chief Health Officer (Dr. Valintine) yesterday. There were no fresh cases either in the city or suburbs, while the news from the North Auckland district indicates that the epidemic is dying out there, although one sporadic case (a Maori) was notified from Waikare (near Kawakawa). The Waikato is reported to be clear of the disease, and the isolation camp at Parawera (Te Awamutu) has been broken up. In all the country districts, Dr. Valintine is advised, vaccination is proceeding apace, and the surveillance of the natives is receiving careful attention. There are now only 26 patients at the Point Chevalier Hospital, all of whom, the Chief Health Officer states, will be well enough to be discharged in a fortnight. The new temporary building is now in use.

The relatives and friends of Mr. F. P. Moren. of Takapuna, are experiencing considerable anxiety owing to the fact that he has been missing from his home since Wednesday, August 27. Mr. Moren lias been employed for the. past 12 years by the Devonport Borough Council as pumping engineer at Takapuna, and was looked upon as a very reliable servant of the council. He was last seen on August 27, when he paid a visit to the city. Since then no cine as to his whereabouts has been obtained. No reason can be assigned for the man's disappearance.

An inquiry is to be made into the organisation of the town clerk's office. At the meeting of the City Council last evening the Finance Committee was empowered to conduct the inquiry, with a view to the reorganisation of the department. The report of the committee will be presented to the council in due course.

Repairs to the Tyser steamer Indrabarah at Port Chalmers are proceeding rapidly towards completion, and it is expected that the vessel will be ready to come out of dock on September 11. Both propellor shafts have been removed, and as one of them is 2in out of alignment the " kink" is visible at some distance. A new shaft and propellor have been fitted on the starboard side, and the port side will be similarly fitted within a day or two. Mechanics are busy cutting out the rivets in the vessel's sternpost, to which a couple of new gudgeons will be riveted to carry the rodder, which is now being repaired at the Maori Ironworks. In an interview at Dunediuj Mr. Morris, the chief engineer of the Indrabarah, stated that his staff had opened out the whole of the vessel's engines, and they were found to be in perfect order, the only exception being her centrifugal pumps, -which were badly worn by the sand drawn up while the Indrabarah was on the Rangitikei beach.

Reporting to the City Council last evening, the city engineer (Mr. W. E. Bush) stated that several sewers had collapsed in the Parnell district. Two breaks had occurred on the main sewer, which adjoined the Mechanics' Bay sewer, near the railway bridge in Alpha Road. Paving work in many parts of the city was being held back, owing to the necessity for laying the new sewers of the low-level scheme. He advised that the £100,000 drainage loan should be raised as soon as possible. The matters were referred to the Works Committee.

When the Auckland Harbour Board acquired, a few months ag*/, jurisdiction over the Manukau Harbour, its interests suddenly enveloped a sheet of water enormously greater than the Waitemata, with small works widely scattered about it. Nearly all the members of the board were at Waiuku yesterday, in the course of a tour of inspection of ,the proposed Waikato-Manukal canal route, and in an after-dinner speech the chairman of the board referred to the board's responsibility at Waiuku itself. The port of Waiuku - had, Mr. Gunson said, been hitherto under the control of the local Town Board. That position might have to be changed. The Harbour Board had recently set up a Manukau Harbour Committee, which was responsible for administering>the affairs of that harbour. The needs of Waiuku would be referred to that committee by the board. The engineer would at an early date visit Waiuku, so as to, be able to advise the board what should be done, and. then a decision would be reached. He was not in a position to make promises, because the board, when it made statements, carried them out, and it had not yet reached the stage to make definite pronouncements.

For the fortnight ended August 24 a total of 211,360 units of electricity wero generated at the city electrical powerhouse. The water consumed amounted to 837,310 gallons and 602 tons of coal were burned. Nineteen . new customers had been obtained, bringing the total 1357.

The acoustic properties of the co-cJ" $ chamber of the Town Hall have foriSSUl the subject of comment at different times ' ' A suggestion has been made by the db engineer- (Mr. W. E. Bush} that tf&H should be stretched across the building Ai or above the cornice levels. This wo#S be comparatively inexpensive, and wo |pll not interfere with the appearance of agS hall. The City Council Las resolved M the test of hanging a temporary curtain shall be carried out. ' |l|| Whether or not the municinal author 3 ties intend to expedite improvements -.1 H1 the Shelly Beach baths wa* » £1* brought up by Mr. G. Read at IS Council meeting last night. He desired to know whether provision was goksZ 9 be made for mixed bathing. The summer ' 1 was close at hand, and the matter dS i not be delayed too long. The Mayor .'Mr *"• | C. J. Parr) replied that the Works Com" >!l mittee would be instructed to consider "••"l the subject as soon as possible. "* :.>4| Commenting upon the favour Jjm, which geared turbines are beginning to T '-1 regarded by shipowners, the London '! Shipping Gazette says that in BeT _, « cases owners of direct-driving tnr£ steamers are seriously considering the & '* visability of changing over to the n J* arrangement. Already one weu-Wi*; :i company has decided to make the chani Tins is the Union Steam Ship Ctomßa 6 * of New Zealand, whose steamer Mak ? is to be taken off the Auckland-Sy^f 1 ' service and extensive]v overhauled T " Port Chalmers. While she « tfttfcf ? I running the change from direct-driving '■ * geared turbines is to be made. The Jfe-"' heno. which was built at Dumbarton^i-- zthe Union Company's first t^.--.- : steamer. It is stated that the alteration' • will immensely improve the economy 3 working the vessel without disparariJ-; the direct-driving turbine. L^-*' s The challenge recently made by {Jam¥ Garland to the teachers of the Dominion to send two delegates to Australia at '&&•? expense of the Bible in Schools investigate the working of the systemT-in ' that country has been accepted by the Auckland branch of the National SchoolsDefence League. Mr. J. Caughley M.A. has been selected as the delegate, and'the - results of his investigations will be submit- * ' tod to a public meeting to be held in tV Town Hall. A representative of the Bible > in Schools League is to be invited to h, present at the. meeting. Regarding the resumption of the tram service in Queen Street, the Citv Council has expressed regret that notwithstanding I that the Tramway Company received notice fully a week ahead of the date on Which it was desired the running of the 11 cars should be resumed, greater expedition was not shown by the company dm* ing that time in completing the work; '" and that the operations in Queen Street : especially the asphalting, were : not pushed on with that celerity whfeh tha'&J circumstances demanded. - -' A request has been made by the Auck- 1 land District Lodge, of Good■ Templars, that the City Council should insta] drink- 1 ing fountains at the Symonds Street end ' of < Grafton Bridge and also at % the -' • entrance to the Domain in Park Road. Further, the Good Templars suggest that in view of the council's activity in : ls|H||| ing after the health of the communis at the present! time in connection with tho epidemic-, it' ■ should have posters -fixed round the city drawing the attention 'of the people to the dangers of alcoholism, % was done by. many municipal authorities. At last night's meeting of the council the communication was referred to the Works, Committee. ' ■ • ' : ;'?vi§ffpS In connection with the defalcations, of • an officer of the Treasury Department : of JS| the City, Council, the city treasurer..! re- .0 povted that' these had occurred chiefly in the irregular, or cash items, such as pay- v ments for crossings, drain connections,; etc, and embraced nine different method? " of falsifying entries. With a view to pre- -inventing further defalcations, the : a&SH treasurer recommended that other depart. ments of the council should in future refilli fuse to accept as official, any notification | ' of the receipt of money, unless signed by i ■ himself and the town clerk. Further, 'J£ that there should be a periodical balancing with the financial books kept by other de- Sfl partment*. Also, that all books' fof m accounting should be kept under the. Jf§| supervision and control of the city fa*j*ft|l§| surer, from whom alone directions as. to\!.V-"J ! forms to he used, and systems to -ff§lp| adopted, rhould emanate. The city ' treasurer also recommended that steps - S| should be taken to secure a half-yearly. "-"" audit by the Audit Department. Afti*; V : , discussion last evening the City Council' ? , adopted the treasurer's recommendations, ;-"

The agreement entered into between the•-' City Council and the Government'for the'; police supervision of traffic came up for. discussion at the meeting of the City.; . Council last evening. Mr. A. J. Entricari'v!,',took exception to the fact that 9 a.m. io'ifi-. 6 p.m. had been fixed as the hours between which the four congested points SSfiSI the city should be specially supervised'; by the police. He maintained that the W |J council should not h.ive taken any respon- .'■/{■ \ sibility as to the fixing of hours. It was for the Department to take full respon- ;' sibility for the control of the traffic. : Both before 9 a.m. and after 6 p.m. tea;.;:l traffic was very congested and needed.; supervision all the time. Mr. Entrican;; moved a motion embodying his ideas, and;/;';.: this was seconded by Mr. J. C. Gleesoa. The Mayor remarked that the agreementdid not appear to be properly understood.;-,- " g While special constables "would be sta-„', -i.' tioned at the congested points betweeai.'-g. the hours named the police would still,; g exercise a general supervision el th&i},> traffic both before and after these hours., '■£ at the four points, as well as in other parts of the city. As a matter of fact, it., had been, found that the congestion of r. traffic was not evident before 9 a.m., and,;. • did hot continue after 5.30 p.m. Bethought the agreement entered into would, work out satisfactorily, and urged that'' the new system should be given a fair -_4, trial. Mr.' G. Head urged that the:. Government should b* requested to p. tend the hours for special poke© super* vision of the traffic from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. . J At this stage Mr. Entrican withdrew his '■■; motion on the council agreeing that t|»e % ; matter should be referred to the Works, ;; Committee. ;i a vActuated by the thought of Christmas and holidays, the Young Women's Chris--tian Association in Dunedin has organised; a holiday savings club in all the large __ business firms. The scheme has evidently 11 v met with favour, for already between IS* ~ ' and 200 have joined, and more have expressed their desire to join. The ideal oithis club is saving in small instalments. Any sum is accepted from Id up to £10- - jj When any girl's account reaches this last; amount she must draw it out and deposit' it in her own name. All the money is . paid out a week before Christmas, to » t used for holidays or to be transferred . directly to ttu. girl's own banking account. Nearly £16 is the. united total ° snwh amounts to bo banked, as the ■ result ** * week's effort, ■ ~'.-.;,i'--''.v-.„'.}'-. , - ; - v. r§