LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15728, 1 October 1914, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS

A total of 727 persons loft the Port of Auckland la hi month, and the arrivals were 724. Compared with the figures lor September of last year, these totals show a decrease in the arrivals of 289. and an increase in the departures of 10. The arrivals in .September were 65 less than the number in the previous month, while the departures—when compared with the August figures—.'-how an increase of 300. During the past nine months of the present year the departures have exceeded the arrivals by 1063.

The officer in charge of the Labour Department in Mr. W. Newton, is forwarding to the Finance Committee of the Auckland Patriotic League a weekly return, showing the numbers of unemployed who call at his office seeking worn, together with the trades they have followed, and the number of their dependents. Married men to the number of 129. and 112 single men, applied for work during the week ended September 26, and, according to their statements, they were responsible for the support of 336 persons. Diuing the previous week—the period ended September 19—the numbers were respectively 130. 102. and 382. More than half of the men out of work wore labourers: the others represented a considerable variety of occupations, and included clerks, waiters, grooms, cooks, commercial travellers, tailors, grocers, compositors, and men usually employed in the various building and engineering trades. Work was found for a considerable proportion of the applicants, and Mr. Newton, in his latest report, stated that there, were indications that the number of unemployed in the city w<ts decreasing.

The Customs duties collected at the Port of Auckland during the month of September totalled £69.668 12.= 2d, as compared with a total of £82,797 12s 7d for the corresponding month of last year. The beer duty received last month was £2255 Os 7d, as against £2524 14s 7d in September. 1913.

The far-reaching effect? of the war were discussed in the Magistrate's Court at 'I'almerEton North, says our correspondent, ■when a naturalised German was proceeded against for a debt of £47 18s. Defendant said that he had no income, and that he had received no fewer than six summonses within the last few weeks. As regards his position, £400 had been paid over to his account in Germany in July, hilt he could not get a penny of it. He had, he said, been a British subject lor 2o years, and yet some dreadful stories were now told about him. Ho had been accused of being a German spy. and it was said that ho had been on Somes Island,. I but lie was proud to say that the Government of New Zealand, instead of crush-ing-him. had not proceeded against him. Judgment was given for £47 10s. The defendant is a well-known inventor of machinery.

j The effects of tile war upon the country .homes of England are described in inj teresting style in a letter received by an ! Auckland resident from a lady coiresponj (tent who had been staying in Essex. ! Writing on August 14 she states that ; some farm-houses and the towers of two churches had been blown up as they i might have served as landmarks for the ;enemy. "Spies are everywhere," the i letter states. " A German spy was 1 caught in the grounds here the other day, . and we are 12 miles from Colchester or ' Ipswich, quite in the country. In Devon spies have been caught in remote villages. Prices went up enormously when j the war began, but have gone down, j Petrol is dear, but a substitute is being ' provided—a great mercy. . . Before I the war 1 went to see an old lady at i Felixstowe, who had a nice house and i superb gardens on the cliff and terrace | walks cut in the cliffs. Now I fear they j are occupied by guns and her house i blown u«, as it was a land-mark." ' The number of births recorded in Auck- ' land last month was 267, as against 314 i for September of last year. During the : present year the total number of births ! m Auckland lias been 2470, a decrease of ! 30 when compared with the corresponding ! nine months of 1913. The number of deaths registered laf-t month was 94, bringI ing the total for the past nine months | to 990, a decrease of 80 when compared I with the figures for '.he corresponding period of the previous year. There were 131 marriages last month, making a total of 1257 for the tirst nine- months of the | year, an increase of 109 over the number I recorded during the same period of 1913. ; Thirty of the marriages last month were j performed in the registrar's office.

A block of shops and offices is to be erected for the trustees of the Lite Thomas Short in Queen Street at a cost of about £10.000. The site is at present occupied by premises recently vacated by Hardie Brothers, find has a. frontage of 55ft, with a depth of 116 ft. The new building will comprise five storeys and a basement, with two thops on the Queen Street frontage of the ground floor. Plans and specifications are being prepared by Mr. A. B. HerrolJ, and tenders for the erection of the new building will be invited in about a mouth.

Further evidence was heard yesterday in the case brought by John Henry Hannan. draper, of Auckland, against the Auckland Drainage Board, a claim for £925 compensation for alleged damages to property in Victoria Avenue, Remuera. by the operations of the Drainage Board. Claimant sought to prove yesterday that by the presence of the sewer across Hobson B.iV i:ia property had depreciated in value to the extent of £200. This concluded his case, and evidence for the defence will be called to-day. The case is being heard by Mr. Justice Cooper, with whom Messrs. G. Elliot and \V. Garrett are sitting as assessors. Dr. H. D. Bamford represented the claimant; Mr. J. B. | Reed. K.C.. and Mr. J. Stanton appeared for the Drainage Board, Mr. R. McVcagh for the Auckland Harbour Board, which is interested in the claim of £20p for loss of riparian rights, and Mr. W. P. Kndean for the board's contractors.

During the, month or September 9349, 4d\vt of f_ r nlii. valued at £32,934 were exported in'in the Port «.f Auckland, while 20,00307, ot silver, valued at £2195, were exported in the same period. For .September <>i last year i;old valued at £90.626, and silver valued at £9706 were exported.

. Some time a?o an area of land of 20.000 acres near the Kaipara lighthouse was offered to the Government for the sum of £1000 as a sanctuary for native cjame. The area, which was visited last, summer by the Minister for Internal Affairs, the Hon. H. D. Bell, was described as an ideal one for the purpose, but it was found that the Government had no power to purchase it. In order to secure this power, telegraphs our Parliamentary correspondent, Mr. Bell has introduced a Bill into the Legislative Council. The measure passed its second reading in that chamber yesterday.

The fishing season will be opened in the Auckland Province to-day. Reports from all parts of the district indicate that a good trout season may he expected. Tho streams in the Okoroire district are stated to be in particularly good order, and large fish have also been seen in the King Country rivers and in the Wanganui River. Excellent reports have been received lately concerning the Waikato River, in which very large fish were seen during the spawning season. Bight from the vicinity of Ngaruawahia to the heads, the fish are reported to be becoming more and more numerous. The trout throughout the Auckland Society's district are reported to be not only large, but also active, and likely to provide good sport.

As an illustration of the educational work undertaken by the Royal Colonial Institute, the ■ secretary, Mr. James R. Boose, mentioned in his address yesterday the series of prizes for essays instituted as :i means of stimulating the interest of students in the history and potentialities of the Empire. lie mentioned particularly the prize for a monograph upon some Impel ial subject, this award comprising a gold medal. 100 guineas, and honorary lifemembership of the institute. The subject for this year's essay is " The applicability of the dictum that a democracy cannot manage an empire to the present conditions and future problems of the British Empire, particularly the question of the future in India." Mr. Boose said that it was partK—.'arly desired that students or the overseas universities should participate in this competition.

Reference to the proposal to form a separate diocese of the Taranaki portion of tho Auckland Diocese was made by the Anglican Bishop of Auckland, Dr. A. W. Averill, at a welcome extended to him by the parishioners of St. Sepulchre s Church. Since he had been appointed to the bishopric, he said, he had toured the whole of the diocese and felt that if the work of the Church was to be carried on efficiently the district must be divided in two. He would be very sorry to part with snv portion of the diocese, but to his mind there was no doubt that the question would toon be forced to the front.

At the annual meeting of the Onehunga and Manukau Chamber of Commerce last evening the president, Mr. A. McColl, stated that during the past year the chamber had done much useful -work in review ing and attending to all matters that came under its jurisdiction. Much interest had been taken in the work by the members of the chamber, and the most gratifying acknowledgment of its usefulness had been the increase in its membership during the past year of 30 new members. In regard to the telephone bureau, representations to the Government had resulted in increased facilities and the addition of more trunk wires to Auckland ; also the promise that Onehunga would be included in the automatic circuit at an early date.

One of the activities of the Royal Colonial Institute that has probably been suspended by the war is the effort to secure uniformity in the preparation of official statistics throughout the British Empire. An information bureau has been organised by the institute, and in his address at the Chamber of Commerce yesterday. the secretary, Mr. James R. Boose, explained that it had experienced great difficulty in supplying comparative trade returns owing to the difference in the methods of preparing statistics. In some portions of the Empire the returns were prepared for the fiscal year, in others for the calendar year, and in others for the year ending June 31. Efforts were being made by the institute to arrange a conference in London of Government statisticians from all the British dominions in order that a basis for all official returns might be determined, and the plan would probably be carried out when normal conditions were restored.

" In reference to the Onehunga "Wharf." Mid the president of the Onehunga and Manukau Chamber of Commerce, Mr. A. McColl, at the annual meeting last night, " there have a I different times been a great amount of congestion and delay in delivering and receiving cargo, and representations have been made to the Harbour Board to that effect. It is understood, however, that their policy is to wait until they receive the report of the Inland Waterways Commission before deciding what improvements shall be carried out. Unfortunately, owing to the present European war, the Government has postponed the commission which was to sit in December. This is now a matter for regret, and it is to be hoped that they will reconsider their decision."

Letters were Tead at last night's meeting of the Birkenhead Borough Council from both Messrs. E. W. Alison and G. R. Hutchinson, members of the Harbour Board, intimating inability to attend the council meeting on the date suggested for the purpose of giving the members the benefit of their views on the proposal of the special committee of the Harbour Board to increase the wharfage shipping charges to the ferry companies. Mr. Alison suggested that the appointment should be made for another date. Mr. Hutchinson assured the council that he was not prepared to support any charges that would undulv press on any of the ferry companies, which would make it necessary for increased charges to the public. After discussion, further consideration of the matter was deferred until the nest meeting.

A welcome home was tendered to the Hon. George Fowlds, a.t St. Columba Hall. Grey Lynn, by his election committees last night. Mr. J. Jenkin presided over a very large gathering. Addresses were given by Messrs. Nixon, Nichol, S. 0. Brown, and J. Davis, chairmen of the election committees, and by Mr. W. Holdsworth, general secretary. Mr. Fowlds, who was received with loud cheers, gave a. short and interesting account of his visit to Europe, Great Britain, Canada, and America, contrasting the conditions prevailing on the Continent with those in the British Do- | minions. A number of musical items were rendered, and supper was served.

The trustees of the Mangere cemetery held their monthly meeting at the residence of Mr. James Robertson, chairman of the Beard of Trustees. Those present included Messrs. S. W. House, \Y. B. Kirkbride, and A. S. Holmes. Three tenders were received for grazing on the cemetery reserve of 11 acres, as follows Charles Guoseman, £31 per annum; Cunningham and Co., £53: Wilfred Davis. £35 15s. The last-named tender was accepted. The right to graze on this reserve had been held by the previous tenant at £20 per annum. The treasurer reported a credit balance of £60. It was decided to tar and sand the footpaths in the cemetery, and to effect other necessary improvements.

The. Onehunga Borough Council, at its last meeting, passed a vote of condolence with the relatives of those who were killed in the mining disaster at Huntly. The council alßo voted the sum of £5 to the Huntly relief fund.