LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15864, 10 March 1915, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS

' A letter from tho New Zealand Ship- ' owners' Federation forwarding the resoi lution of a meeting convened by the fede- [ ration protesting against the demolition . of the Auckland Dock was received at . yesterday's meeting of the Auckland Harbour Board. The chairman, Mr. J. ' H. Gunson, moved that a reply bo sent i pointing out that the board's decision • had been arrived at only after due con- , sideration of all the circumstances and ; the provision of what, in its opinion, were ' adequate facilities for the docking re--1 quirements of the port. This was* car--1 ried unanimously." i • • , A movement was inaugurated in October by Lieutenant-Colonel A. M. Myers with the object of arranging for the gift ' of a sword of honour to General Sir A. i J. Godley, in recognition of his services j as commandant of the New Zealand j forces. Arrangements were made by the Mayors of the four chief centres, as re--1 presenting the people of the Dominion, 1 which resulted in the sum of £100 being subscribed for the presentation. Lieutenant-Colonel Myers communicated with the High Commissioner for New Zealand with regard to the purchase of a suitable sword, and has now been advised by Mr. Mackenzie that, after careful inquiry, the order has been placed . with the Wilkinson Sword Company, Limited, the cost of tho sword being ! £100 [ While working on the steamer Mako on • February 23 a Swede named Ben Johnson . Benson, aged 62 years, fell from a ladder, > receiving injuries which terminated fatally , on Monday. At the inquest yesterday .Mr. , F. V. Frazer, S.M., returned a verdict in | accordance with the medical evidence, . which was that death was due to heart , failure following upon the injuries. The i deceased's son, in giving evidence, 6aid , that his name was O. Benson Johnson, explaining that it was a Swedish custom , to interchange names in each generation. , His father was Johnson Benson, be was Benson Johnson, and his son would bo , Johnson Benson again. 1 A loan of £8000 will shortly bo raised by the Mount Albert Borough Council ! for the construction of a further section of the draina.go scheme for its district. ' Plans and specifications for the reticulation are now being prepared by the council's engineer, Mr. F. E. Powell. Provision is being made for tho installation [' of the drainage system in the "clay area" extending beyond the Kbgsland section, which has already been drained, and 1 comprising the Morningside, Gladstone ' Road, and Prospect Terrace, and Moun- ! " tain View Road sections. The present » undertaking will complete the drainage • of all the clay area within tho' range of ■ tho sewer mains constructed by tho Aucki land Suburban Drainage Board, embrac- ■ ing. largo part of tho moro. densely i populated portion of the borough. The , work of construction will probably be i finished by the end of tho year.

The-question of,the cost of concession i tickets to residents-living on the northern Li shores of the, harbour was one of, the ' ~ matters which arose at yesterday's i sit- ) ting of the Royal Commission set up to , inquire into the ferry wharfage charges. ; ; During the cross-examination of Mr. E. I W. Alison, chairman of directors of the • Devonport Ferry Company, Mr. R. Mc- ; Veagh said he understood the company , charged £3 for . " gents.' concession • tickets. Mr. Alison replied in the affirm- i ative. " What constitutes a 'gent. V" i , inquired Mr. Justice Hosking of the wit- , I ness. "Anyone who pays £3, Your | Honor," replied Mr. Alison, amidst much j laughter. The proprietors of the four leading' illustrated weekly papers of the Dominion [ —the Auckland Weekly News, the , Otago Witness, the Weekly Press, and the Canterbury Times— agreed to each, ' give 100 copies of their papers every week ' to be forwarded to the expeditionary force ' 1 in Egypt, the Defence Department to be ! responsible for the postage. The Hon. J. ; Allen .Minister for Defence, speaking to an Otago Daily Times reporter on Thursday, said he was very grateful to the ' newspaper proprietors for their generosity ; : in the matter. Ninety-five copies of each j paper will go to the camp in Egypt, and five copies to the crew of the Philomel. The arrangement commences this week. Members who comprised the late Remu- , era Road Board, yesterday waited upon , the Mayor, Mr. C. J. Parr, and asked the I City Council's intentions with regard to | , certain of the employees who had worked j under the board. The Mayor stated that , the policy of the council would bo the , samo as that carried out in respect to other districts which had. amalgamated with the city. The Finance Committee would consider the question of retaining the late board's office staff. He did not know whether the council would be able to give work to all the employees, but it would act as sympathetically as possible with the old hands. The Mayor also intimated that inquiries were being made to ascertain whether the Remuera municipal building could be used for the purposes of a reading-room. He was going to discuss this matter with the Library Committee in the course of a day or two. A suggestion to the Postal Department from the recent meeting of users of automatic stamping machines that no further action be taken for a month is to be complied with. Advice to this effect was received yesterday by Mr. A. J. Denniston, secretary of the Chamber of Commerce, from the Postmaster-General, who also agreed that a copy of the agreement between the Government and the company manufacturing the machines should bo forwarded for the consideration o* the Auckland objectors to the deposit system suggested by the Department. The chairman of directors of the Devonport Ferry Company, Mr. E. W. Alison, was asked by Mr. McVeagh at yesterday's sitting of the Royal Commission on ferry charges whether he had any objection to stating what profit the ferry company derived from carrying people to H.M.S. New Zealand when she was in Auckland, Harbour. Mr. Alison said he ' had a very strong objection. "We carried a large number of passengers," he remarked, "and would be very glad if ' another New Zealand came." i The fact that numbers of dead trout have been seen floating down the Waikato ; River was brought under the notice of , the council of the Auckland Acclimatisa- : tion Society at its' meeting'last night. A letter was: received from' Mr. R. Bilkie, • secretary of, the Waikato Rod and Gun i Club, in which the writer stated that he i had been, trying, without success, to i ascertain the cause. At first he thought, s dynamite was being used, but was not 1 inclined to think so now. It was, he ! added, not a case of-a few dead trout ; going down the river, but a "terrible I lot" compared with the number in the: , river. He'hoped the society would' be • able to solve the problem. A member of the council said this had been going on i for years, another stating that dead fish had been found as far down as Tuakau. The matter was referred to the game and fish committees, which were amali gamated on the motion of Mr. J. S. 1 Brigham. The Herald's Hamilton correspondent ' reports that efforts are being made to • arrange a conference between the Cam- ■ bridge, Hamilton, and Ngaruawahia 1 Chambers of Commerce with a view to i utilising the Waikato as a waterway and bringing goods by river steamer from Waikato Heads. Additional regulations regarding the ex- ' portation and importation of goods were , made under tie War Regulations Act by an Order-in-Council on January 26, and came. into operation on January 31. They included provisions requiring certificates of origin to be furnished to the Collector of Customs in respect of goods imported into New Zealand from Norway, Sweden, Den- , mark, Holland, Switzerland, or Italy. Consignments not exceeding £25 were exempted from the application of this re- , quiremeut. This exemption has not been I revoked, and the Comptroller of Customs , has advised the various collectors that on and after March 8j all shipments exported from the specified countries will require J certificates of origin, whatever the value of the consignments. With reference to the disease amongst the Auckland Acclimatisation Society's 1 pheasants at Te Papa, which has caused mortality to an extent that has made it ' necessary to close the game-farm there, a report was before the society, at its meeting last night, • from the district health ' officer, Dr. R. H. Makgill. The writer stated that the bacteriologist at the i veterinary laboratory at Wallaceville sugi gested fowl diphtheria as the cause of the , mortality. This was quite separate from ! the human type of the disease. Dr. . Makgill thought this diagnosis was borne i out by a note from lectures by Mr. Gra- , ham Smith, lecturer on bacteriology at t Cambridge. The latter mentioned a disease ? produced by a dipththeria bacillus which 1 affected turkeys, and produced in them ' , suppuration in th'e conjunctival sac. This i was exactly what had been found in one • of the society's hens submitted for cx--5 amination. Dr. Makgill now asked that » a live hen might be sent to Wallaceville for examination and observation. This course was approved. Dr. T. Hope Lewis ' mentioned that the bacteriologists would not give a definite diagnosis of the disease until they had made exhaustive tests for tho bacillus. At the same timo he thought it would be found that the disease which had caused the trouble at Te Papa was fowl diphtheria. The question of 6ite for a new game-farm was discussed by tho council in committee, no definite decision being made. A concise directory' to the literature bearing upon the present war has been ■ prepared by the Workers' Educational ' Association for the guidance of study circles, classes, and individual students. ' The information has been compiled under eleven headings, and each main classification includes several sub-headings, -so that the guide affords a ready means of selecting a course of study upon any of tho numerous aspects of the war. a

! Further interesting snapshots of the i New Zealand troops in "Egypt appear in •to-day's edition- of the Accklaxd : ' Weekly News. , They cover a space. of ' six full pages, and depict • many 'jJittt*ti|f! ! incidents in the daily life of the force. '■■/ \ j To every New Zealand family which ■has'"-' contributed, one or more of. its sons -to > the service of King and country, these - ' ' pictures are bound to be welcome. Every • ' \ photograph but one is a happy illust ra . . tion, the exception being a view of tho : ( funeral of a trooper who died from in- ' ' juries accidentally received. Numerous M .war photographs received by Sunday's mail direct from England show the sink, ing of the German cruiser Blucher in the I recent naval engagement-one of the most '•' remarkable pictures ever taken—siirvjyX' ' ; 'I from the sunken vessel under an armed escort in Edinburgh where they landed after being rescued, British infantry : .skirmishing in a snow-covered fiefo • '■ "somewhere" on the Continent, an actual. V 'photograph of H.M.S. Inflexible rescuing drowning Germans from the Gneise. ' • nau after her defeat in the Falkland Islands battle, dead Germans strewn ov« a French battlefield, Belgian nonC batanta being removed from their home* las prisoners by Bavarian troops againl - whom the French have charged some '■■ tho greatest atrocities in the German-cam paign of terrorism, and sailors from tha I Emden as prisoners on a British mantf '■■ war. Other illustrations depict reinforce!' - I ments in training at Trentham, " water •■ I planing" on Auckland Harbour, the Auk- ; ' land Craving Dock-the demolition 0 which is now in progress, and which L '" been the cause of some controversy - last Sundays National Reserve demon" ' stratum at the Domain, scenes in u' after the recent terrible earthquake and floods in England. Other pictures' and portraits complete a bright and tonka! number. ,~^ \ Preference to British goods was din' " • cussed by the Hamilton Chamber of Com. A merce, telegraphs our correspondent, n ' ?i opinion was , expressed that, while" the' 1 s colonies were loyal to the Empire ?s£&' • purchaser could hardly be expected 2 •' give British goods tho preference when tho foreign article was so much cheaper and better fitted to colonial requirement*. It was suggested that a British commis.' sion should be set up with the i<W O jV ' making the Home manufacturer : belter 6 *' ' acquainted with colonial requiremebit' l It was decided to suggest to the British Manufacturers' Association that $$&ss■ quirements of the colonies be considered:- " ! to a greater extent than hitherto. ,'••' A large German flag adorned "tWwalkV ' ■■ of the College Rifle Club's room last even, ing, on the occasion of the club's annual V' meeting. It was explained that this flag ; - was found by a party of signallers of tie" ' Auckland Divisional Signalling Company '" who formed part of the New Zealand ex- " peditionary force at Samoa. The flag was hoisted by tho Germans on V mart con-' nected with the wireless station, seven - miles from Apia, just before war was de- : i; clared. It was lowered again. bythe Ger- ' '' ' ' man wireless officials on 5 the'morning, August 29, 1914, the day when the -.- ■" • expeditionary force - from ■■ New Zealand' ' * arrived m the harbour of Apia. The same ; •" night, 1 *!" °' do <*> » detachment of 'Hthe 3rd, Auckland, took posses- '■$£ I fiion of the station.'.Four;, Germans were'-3§| made prisoners, and the flag was "taken '■$ % from its hiding-place by Lientenant H. ' C. Cotton and a party of Auckland' ' .1 i signallers and subsequently presented "'to jm the College Rifles Club. /:'; i: - \ ' \'" ■ # The future- prospects ; ,of^'i {rv L *' industry" were briefly discussed; by' l\l ' H. E..Pac«y,,m4nagerof > the' Sew Z el . • ' land Dairy Association, in speaking at . Waiuku yesterday afternoon.''' .Mr. Pacey "■ •said that notwithstanding -the' improvement which bad been made, he was of opinion that the best had not yet been achieved by the industry. " He/consri-V*. '■ ' eredthat future improvements would de- v ' pend more upon the farmers themselves '""'•" than. upon ; the factory managers. ,Tt 1 would depend upon the maintenance, of 1 at least the former standard of ( cleanli- \ ness and care as. a means of producing I a high-grade butter, and if attention wotS : j j given to details upon the farm it was f|§; \ certain that there would be remunerative I markets for butter. "Many of our farms I are not carrying as many cows as they. ; - " \ \ should," Mr. Pacey continued, u '!an'd--'-many of the cows are of .an inferior kind.' f ' ) I look forward to the time'when: tie > ' average herd will give 3001b of butter;/. fat per cow per season. The improve- ■ ment of the cow, and more intense cuiti- - - ; yation, will at least double the .product; .. ■ iveness of these districts at a compara- j tively early date." - • ; T M|Z ' Twenty-five sections of second-class Crown land in various parts of the Auckland district, comprising 14,381 acres, j have been opened for selection. Two sec-_. tions are offered on the small grazing ran||fcp j leasehold tenure, the others being offered on xhe optional system. Applications will' be received at the Lane's Office : until 4 p.m. on March 22, and a ballot will be • held on v March 25 . -'"'"v'l* i it . Compensation amounting to £1000 has been paid by the Department of Railways,". to the widow of Peter Leo Donovan, who was killed in a railway accident .whicM:Si occurred in the Dunedin railway yards. s;'■'*'. May 15. On the date mentioned th« B -. was a collision between two engines, 'oft. ono of which were Peter Alfred Dutton, ,'■ engine-driver, and Peter Leo Donovan,stoker, and as a result of the collisionDonovan lost his life. In August Dutton'. ; was tried on a charge of manslaughter,',: and was acquitted. Mrs. Alice Donovan, '. the wife of. deceased, then instituted legal proceedings against the Railway Depart--'.; ment, claiming damages to the extent of '~- ■ £1500. The settlement has- been effected -y . • providing for the payment by defendants \ of £1000 damages and £50 costs. ; The!- •-' counsel appearing in the case were Messrs. Win. C. MacGregor and F. Platts for plaintiff, and Messrs. S. Solo'- 1 . mon, K.C, and J. S. Sinclair for | defendants. • . .ti'sM' -! The first annual meeting of • the >"eif \ I Zealand Society of Civil Engineers (incor-- j porated) will be opened in Dunedin on--. . ; ; Thursday. This body, which has only recently been formed, embraces all class?,!' r of civil engineers, and members of twii:,,-<:? society will be present from every part ~.*■; of New Zealand. A good deal of business _•■ j ■' has been placed on the order paper fo-', *, discussion, and, in addition, addresses '.on.; -~- r ;. several engineering subjects of general interest will be delivered by prominent niera- ;„ { bers of the society. The president i«* R. W. Holmes, engineer in chief of the . ; Public Works Department. \ The Whaugarei Borough Council spm»J||y ■ time ago let a contract for the construe- f . tion of a new reservoir in connection witn. c the water supply of the town. The council, however, was not satisfied witH the progress being made by the contrac- ' tor, and the borough engineer has noW j taken over the .work and is carrying i* . . I I out by day labour. . Our WhangMgjg ] correspondent telegraphs that tho position | is causing the council acute anxiety, a . 3 / f the advent of wet weather before the | work progresses beyond a. certain stag?. t would probably. cause very considerable less and delay. I