LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15646, 27 June 1914, Page 8

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

A waterside worker named William Berry-man, who resides in Sale Street, Freeman's Bay, met with a painful accident last evening while engaged in unloading operation* on tin steamer Talune. In tho course of his work ho became entangled in a rope and was thrown heavily on to tho winch. His head was cut rather severely in four places. Dr. I'arkes attended to the sufferer and stitched the wounds, which, fortunately, are not of a dangorous character. Berryman was afterwards taken to his homo by Constable Hawken.

According to a cablegram received from Suva, tho Canadian-Australasian mail liner Marama, which left Vancouver on Wednesday. June 10, for Auckland and Sydney, continued her voyage from the Island port last evening. As tho Marama is running up to schedule time, she should arrive on Tuesday morning, her duo date. When sho left Vancouver tho vessel had on board 130 first, second, and third class passengers for all ports, while her cargo for New Zealand amounted to 460 tons of Canadian merchandise. This includes 160 tons for transhipment to Southern ports. The Marama is timed to continue her voyage to Sydney at 5 p.m. on Tuesday.

The election to fill the vacancy on the council of the Auckland University College, caused by tho retirement of cne of three members elected by tho General Assembly in tho Auckland Province, took placu yesterday. Two nominations had been received, one being the retiring member (the Rev. W. Bcatty) and tho other Mr. J. F. Hosking. Tho poll resulted in Mr. Hosking being elected by 12 votes to seven.

Two inquests Trill be held this morning. At half-past eight o'clock an inquiry will bo held at the Mental Hospital concerning the sudden death of ouo of the inmates. The second inquest will be commenced an hour later at the mortuary regarding the death of Robert Brown, aged 72 years, a resident of Grey Street. Brown was found dead in bed on Thursday night. He had been suffering from a cold, but his condition had not given riso to any anxiety.

The third-class cruiser Philomel, which sailed from Auckland on May 17, on a cruise to tho Cook Islands, and which has been engaged in the search for the missing fishing boat Andrew for the past f->w days, returned to Auckland yesterday morning. The Philomel left Suva on Friday, June 19, and made a systematic search of Northern waters, in conjunction with the cruisers Psyche and Pyramus, and the Government steamer Tutanekai, but no trace of the missing boat was found. After leaving Auckland the Philomel encountered very stormy weather, and on clearing the Hauraki Gulf had to contend with a gale of hurricane force from the south-east. The Philomel drove before the storm, her decks being continuously swept by mountainous seas. The storm raged for several days, and on the night of Tuesday, May 19, the heavy seas which broke on board shifted one of the port cutters from tho davits. The boat was washed over the side in the darkness. After four days of this tempestuous weather, the conditions improved considerably, and the cruiser arrived at Rarotonga. The Psyche, which left Auckland on Sunday last to take part in the search, arrived at Wellington yesterday morning from Northern waters. The Pyramus was also expected to return to Wellington yesterday, while the Government steamer Tutanekai will arrive at Auckland early this morning.

A wash-house attached to Mr. W. Van Wart's residence in Brighton Road was destroyed by firo at about five o'clock yesterday morning, the damage being estimated at £12. The cause of the outbreak is not known. A similar firo occurred last evening in a wash-house adjacent to premises in Willow Street, occupied by Mr, S. Howard When he left the premises at about 7.35 p.m. everything was apparently in order, but about a quarter of an hour later some passers-by noticed flames coming from the buildhg. The firo brigade quickly subdued the outbreak. Some clothing and be s were destroyed. The damage U*. led about £20. The wash-house was net insured.

What const.'-ntes a competent b.V/giapb operator was a q-ue?iio;i which engaged the attention of tho Conciliation. Council yesterday, in considering the industrial dispute between biograph operators and employers in the Auckland district picturo theatres. An official of tho Operators' Union regarded tho position of an operator ia his box, surrounded by levers and switches needing constant attention, as being similar to that of the captain of an. ironclad, directing operations from the Bridge. His work required exceedingly keen concentration. >'n trying conditions. He was, in effect, practically the only man who could not be dispensed with, and as he stood in his box, watching his films, his carbons, and other lights, ho was as restlesr as an elephant in the zoo, continually moving to and fro. A representative of tho employers affirmed that it required less ability to bo an operator than to be a violinist or an electrician. A violinist could not become competent to earn award wages in an orchestra without at least five years' hard training, but it took a very short time to learn biograph operating. There was no reason why an operator should be paid moro than an electrician.

The Auckland branch of the Sports Protection League has made a request that the Exhibition committee should provide a sports ground in the Outer Domain from the profits of the Exhibition. ' A meeting of the league- was held yesterday afternoon, when the secretary (Mr. F. W. Edwards) reported that the president of the Exhibition (Mr. G. Elliot) had been waited upon with a request that his committeo should provide such a sports ground in its Domain improvement scheme. The deputation had pointed out that immediately behind the main Exhibi tion building thero was a natural amphitheatre, which would, perhaps, be the most suitable for a sports ground. At present, it was stated, athletic events had to be held on the Domain Cricket Ground, which was in many ways unsuitable for the purpose. The absence of banking round t.'.o c:i> ket ground mad' it very difficult t.i run bic? le races, a.., owing to difficulties in roj.a-d to fencing, it had bee found very rird to control the crowds attending meew gs. By the provine of i niy-ts gre md in the Ouicr L'nim':'i '.he e difficulty* 'he d-pntatii .. ]■>[ pointed out, would ie overcome, While the new ground could also be made available for football purposes in the .winter months. Mr. Elliot, in reply, stated that ho would be glad to place the matter before his committee in a favourable light. Already the committee had been considering such a proposal in its scheme for the improvement of the Outer Domain. He felt sure that if the proposal was carried out the new sports ground would be one of the finest in the Dominion. An area of about five acres of level land would be available on the site, and this, he thought, would be ample for the purpose..

- Amongst ills many interesting features of the supplement issue;! with today's Ekbald a number of spocial articles. Theßtpfepludo " Fashion as a Re, cord," by Tokunga, "Tho Art of Spending," by Frank Morton, "The Tyranny of tho Desk," by Edith Howes, "The Emigration fromHawaiki,' by J.D.L.," A Fine Trout Stream," by F.C.R.,and "MoEhinul Gorge," by C. E. Bartmm. Mercutio's column of " Local Gossip" contains a number of items of topical interest. Two very fine photographs aro reproduced, oneallowing tho exterior of tho Herald buildings, as seen from Wyndham Street, and the other showing tho new linotype room* insido the building with tho machines at work.

The question of remission of rates on sports areas is engaging the attention of tho Auckland branch of tho Sports Protection League. It is claimed by tho league that any sports body supplying sports grounds should be exempt from taxation from these areas. At a meeting of tho Auckland branch of the league, held yesterday afternoon, a letter was received from tho Ponsonby branch, stating that it had been waited upon by the West End Bowling Club with a request that the league should approach the City Council with a view to obtaining a remission of rates in regard to tho club's playing area. Tho club also asked the Pnnson by branch of the league to engage the assistance of the Auckland branch in tho matter. It was pointed out at yesterday's meeting of th<> Auckland branch that the rates on sports grounds, had, at the instance of tho league, already been remitted in Wellington, Palmerston North, and Invercargill. It was resolved to arrange for a deputation to wait upon tho City Council with a view to securing a similar concession in regard to playing areas in Auckland.

At the- inquest concerning the death of the Chinaman Chin Hon, who died suddenly at Parnell on Thursday, nodical testimony was given to the effect that death was duo to internal hemorrhage. Tho verdict of the coroner (Mr. E. G. Cutten, S.M.) was in accordance with th<j medical evidence

A number of native drawings on lark, which aro exceedingly in. cresting, bavo been secured by Professor Baldwin Spencer, of Melbourne, from the Alb'gator River, in the Northern Territory. It appears to be tho custom of the natives to decorate .he bark huts in which they live, and also the surfaces of their rocky shelters in this manner. The drawings are extremely realistic and true to life. They occupy a board 40ft long and 7ft high, and a very large number of objects is included. These represent mythical spirits and animals of various kinds on which tho natives live. A strange characteristic of the drawings is that the internal anatomy, of the animals is usually givenjust as though they were transparent. In addition, although only one side is represented, two eyes are put in. The drawings are in red and yellow ochre, white pipeclay, and charcoal. They are considered to be the most highly developed of any drawings by aboriginals yet found in Australia.

Prices are btill rising in Australia, and tho drain on tho purse of the housekeeper of ordinary means is so excessive, and comes from so many director that even the most careful are at their wits' end to know how to keep out of debt. In the winter firing is an absolute necessity to every family. But now, on top of every other leap in prices, firewood has gone up. Tno steadily increasing price charged for fuel supplied to suburban householders has brought from despairing consumers (says the Melbourne Age) a suggestion for the formation of a householders' club, through which tht persons so associated should give their orders direct to suppliers in country places within a low freight zone. There are many localities within reasonable distance of Melbourne where there is an abundance of good fuel going to waste. It is said that there are firewood sawmillers willing to do this class of business

Speaking at tho stuJent missionary con feronce at the Syd ey University last woek, the Rev. G. 1 . Cr;nswick said that the educated natives of India woro very annoyed at the way it- • 'ich they wero treated bv IK Commonwealth authority. He knev. one an, a crofessor cf • Hicine a:;'' a "blue" of Cambridge, who said that ho would lik« to visit Australia, but was debarred by the laws oi tho country. It was all vry well, the speaker continued, to bar the uneducated coolie, but the cultured classes of India, men who wero received in English drawing-rooms, could not understand the.stain* taken by Australia regarding them. Perhaps if more students visited India and learned what the Indian peoplo really were it would give tbem a wider view of Empire and Imperial ideals.

Attention was drawn at tho meeting of the Wild Life Preservation Society in Sydney last week to what was regarded as the deplorable fact that whole lyre birds' tails are being worn in some women's hats. It was decided that vigorous action be taken to make this objectionable practice Illegal. Reference was made to the fact that this beautiful bird is absolutely protected within the State, until the year 1924, and it was considered that the thoughtless and objectionable action on tho part of a few women in displaying lyre birds' feathers made it necessary that something should be done to preserve to the community its valued heritage.

The value of the mineral production of Australia to date is £300,000,000, and that is on the low side, if anything. This statement was made by Mr. C. A. Sussmilch, F.G.S., principal of the Newcastle Technical College, who delivered a lecture on "Ore Deposits" in Sydney last week. Thero was much more mineral wealth to be got from the earth's crust in Ajstralia in the future, he said, than had ever been taken out in the past. Too little use had been made up to now by those controlling mining operations of the knowledge to be gained by adequate geological study of ore deposits. Many thousands of pounds would be saved by mining companies if they had given attention to the geological problems involved, as well as to the purely engineering problems. A better knowledgo of geological conditions and of the peculiarities of particular ore doposits, would have resulted in largo savings on unnecessary and ill-advised prospecting and development work.

Tho preliminary work is already in progress at Cumberoona (N.S.W.) in connection with the construction of tho proposed nianrroth dam '" ccr Tve the Mun°v waters, in punt.*;. . i th' *.-reer <> t arrived at between the Coiumoaweaa'-, New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia. For some time, diamond drill boring tests have been in progress for the purpose of ascertaining the quality and the depth of the footing on the mountain side. If Parliament gives authority next session for carrying out tho scheme, work, it is expected, will be immediately enterod upon. About a thousand mon will bo employed. The dam site is about 18 miles above Alburv. It is estimated that it will cost £1,600,000 for tho scheme, which will be the largest in the world, conserving four times the quantity of water in Sydney Harbour. It is stated that it will i tako ten ycare to build it,