LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 16008, 28 August 1915, Page 6

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

A collision between a moVor-car and a tramcar occurred in Wellesley .Street West at about half-past twelve o'clock yesterday, resulting in the motor, owned by Mr. J. Ambury, being considerably clamaged. The tram struck the motor. .1 tiveseater car, from behind, and crushed it against one of the centre poles. Mr. Ambury was thrown out, but was fortunate in escaping unhurt. The damage done to the car is estimated at about £150. Trie front of the tramear was damaged by the impact, and a step was broken.

''The city engineer i? at present engaged m preparing reports upon various rather important works, which the corporation will soon have to put in hand." stated the Mayor. Mr. J. H. Gunson, yesterday. " Our revenue is keeping up very we'll." he added, " and it will be possible for the council 10 undertake a great deal more during the second halt of the present, year than was at first anticipated."

The Auckland boa-i dinghousc-k'-'-prrs' dispute v.-ill come l*'i>re the Conciliation i Council in the Supreme Court buildings j ok Monday, at 1") 15 a.in. Til'- dispute I < ononis an appli< ation by the employee-* j lor improved condition?, including i tie day ; off in seven, and increased Iho assessors for the employers will he Messrs. A. A. Brown, E. F. Black, and Mrs. 11Barker, while the assessors for the imployoes will be Messrs. A. Jackson, F. Clapham, and J. Morton. Mr. S. 1-.. Wright will c nduct the. ca.-e for the emjiloyris, and Mr. 1. Ixm j- .11 represent tho employees

| A conference of representative stock- j J brokers from the chief centres of the I j Dominion was held in Wellington this week. Mr. G. A. Buttle, chairman of the Auckland Stock Exchange, who attended j the conference, informed a Herai.ii reprej sentative yesterday that a ha: is vas ' adopted upon which it was hop.'d to form j a share-brokers' association, which would ; incorporate all the stock exchanges in the, Dominion. Provision was made that the membership of the association should include sharebiokers situated m places I where there were no stock exchanges. ! tiie scheme was now being considered bv I the various exchanges, and would be ! submitted for final approval to a further conference of sharebroker«, to Ik; heid in I Wellington about the middle of Septen,- - bet*. Ihe officers o; the association would ( therb be elected. j As a means of raising funds for the pro- : vision of extra comforts for sick and I wounded soldiers in the base hospitals an Allied Nations Fete is being organised jby the Gills' Realm Guild. It will tre j held in the Town Hall on September 24 I and 25, and the preparations are well forward. The bazaar is being held with the | co-operation of the Patriotic and War Relief

Association, and His Excellency the Govcrnor, the military authorities. the Garrison Officers' Club, and the St. John Ambulance Association have given their patronage. A number of competitions will bo held in connection with the fete, and in order that, school children may compete, the time for receiving entries has beer, extended to September 24. Lady Loekhart, Mrs. Myers, and Mrs. I'appes will judge the blouse competition, and Mr. Walter Buchanan the cake section. There will be a third competition for decorated tables. Contributions of poods for the various stalls are invited by the committee, which lias arranged receiving depots at Mr. G. W. Bews's office, Ferry Buildings, Marriage's Chemistry, Queen Street, and tho Piccadilly Tearooms.

Unusual features were presented in a 'maintenance case wbich came before Mr. jC. C. Kettle, S.M., in the Magistrate's I Court, last night. Acting under instruc- ' tions from the Education Department, Sub-Inspector Mcllveney applied for an ' order for maintenance against tho alleged ! father of two illegitimate children. In | the absence of the defendant and his 1 counsel, the' magistrate decided to proceed with the case, having stated that there was no mistake about the time. Evidence was given by the mother of the children. A solicitor stated that a written arrangement had been made in which tho defendant agreed to pay the woman £50. Paternity had been denied, and the woman had agreed to take no proceedings against him. The magistrate decided to reserve bis decision.

During the hearing of a maintenance case in the Magistrate's Court yesterday, counsel tor the complainant, Mr. J. R. I.undon, explained, in reply to the magistrate's inquiry why he had not appeared •when the case 'was called on the. previous Friday, that, competition was so strenuous that no wise counsel could afford to appear before the Court constantly without the payment of a fee. He said that in his opinion it was high time that provision was made by which solicitors might be assigned to indigent persons requiring legal aid in the lower courts. The speaker said that cases had come under his notice in which a magistrate had refused to certify for the assignment of counsel to a prisoner who was afterwards tried in the Supreme Court and acquitted on tile major charge preferred against him. The speaker said he had written to the Justice Department about the matter, but had received no satisfaction.

A letter received in Auckland from an officer of the headquarters staff of the' New Zealand Expeditionary Force, written from Gallipoli on July 7, contains a paragraph which will be of interest to many anxious relatives of men reported wounded and missing. " If your brother is a wounded prisoner, you, may rest assured that he is being properly looked after by the Turks, as we have overwhelming evidence" that they are looking after their wounded prisoners well, in spite of the fart that thev have over 60.000 of their own wounded." This is borne out by an extract from the letter of another officer recently invalided home, after being wounded in a. heavy engagement at Quoin's Post : —" If taken prisoner, and sick or wounded, he will be well cared for, and if unharmed, will be treated with consideration. The officers of the enemy, in the great majority of cases, are treating their prisoners with tiio same consideration that wo extend to ours."

! The demands made upon the local Relief Committee of the Patriotic and War Relief Association arc becoming; steadily heavier, i A meeting o! the committee was held yesj terday, Mr. V. .T. Lamer presiding, and, I in spite of the 'net that the meeting com- ! menced at 10.30 a.m.. it did not conclude I until 2 p.m. As th-» various reinforcement drafts have departed the number of i people who have found themselves in need i <if assistance lias increased.

Representation of parents and guardians 1 of pupils attending the Auckland Gram j mar School on the Board of Governors ; was given by last year's Education Act, ' and the poll for the election of two mem• 1 bers is now in progress. Some 1100 vot- ! m papci-s have been distributed, and main- t.i them have already been delivered to the returning officer. The poll closes at b p.m. on Monday, but the regulations provide that the vote« &ha.ll not be opened until seven days later, so that the result of the poll will not be announced until September o.

A variety of interesting reading matter if contained in the supplement issued with to-day's Herald. " Nerves of the. Modern'' is the title of Tohunga's contribution this week. Interesting facts relating to the v.ar are explained by Lieutenant-Colonel A. A. Grace, N.Z.F.A., in an article entitled "The Pessimist." The Stars of Destiny" is the title of a column by the Rev. C. H. Laws, B.A.

Reinforcements," by Els'.'e K. Morton, " Prisoners of War," by W.D.L., and "'The Hauraki Shore Line." by F.C.R., are also included. The illustrations include a large, view taken at the railway station on the departure of Auckland's quota oi the eighth reinforcements. There are also pictures taken in connection with the campaign in France and :n Poland

'Hie Niagara arrived at Sydney r-i y yesterday morning from Auckland. a!t--r a smart passage of three day<; eight hours. She leaves on the return voyage at 4 p.m. 0,1 Thursriav. September 2, is clue here on Monday, September 6. and sails at 10 a.m. the following d.iy j,.r Suva, Honolulu. a".d Vancojv.

I The. mom'-:':-. < f :h« Auckland I "ham 1 >-r <"'f fV.nim":< >- yesterday d.fus'-ed f-n;c;-N«-j t.ons wherebv th> of thatb-dy ! mil:!!*.- he in. r< iu-T-d. It. initiating the o.s- ---! c;s>; >n the president., Mr. Robert Burns.. | aid that several nv-mhers had <-? pressed j the opinion that t.;:ey thought it i be advisable to hold a mjhi meet-in:; of I tho chamber every three months. 1 hey ! suggested t hat at each of these. meetings j some special subject should be principally J discussed, though any other matter could jbe bri'-jglit '.ill One was that j:t might \rc, advisable to discuss tt.e I matter of Empire trade, and be v. Id I ask an expression of opinion from the members present a,* to whether they thought this would increase th-> interest and work of the chamber. After a j lengthy discussion it was r<—••lved to inj struct 'he i ouneil to rail a nirht m».'fUn: three weeks h«-:i- e.

( In response to the request <*■: t'.e Mm- | ! istf-T for Internal Affairs, the Mayor. Mr. j .J. H. Gun son. has called a meeting of j the women of the Patriotic Iyr.ague. The | meeting will be held at the Town Hall at 2 p.m. on Monday, and the Hon. G. j \V. Russell ill discuss several matters connected with the patriot:.- wr.rk. at present in hand. A poll will be taken at Takapuna t -day I on the question of borrow £50.000 for road improvements and £2000 for the erection of council chamber?. P Ming will take place between the hoars of 9 a in. and 7 p.m. at the Chamber of Commerce. Auckland, the Presbyterian Church, Belmont. and the Parish Hail, Takapuna. Between 1500 and 1600 residents of Takapuna are entitled to vote on the question. The Borough Council's loan proposals were recently submitted to a public meeting of ratepayers of Takapuna. when a resolution , expressing approval of the proposals was L moved by Mr. VC Duncan, president of . the Citizens' League, and carried imaniI in ly. I The follc/wing additional donations "nave been received by the Soldiers' Club Corn- > mittee : —G. Fleming. £5: employees of Messrs -J. Court. Ltd., £4 16s 6d : em--1 ployees of Messrs. Macky. Logan, and ' Caldwell, £4; staff of the Union Bank, £2 3s ; staff of Bank of New South Wales, £1 2s : staff of New Zealand Observer. ' £1: staff of United Insurance Company, ' lis; staff of Alliance Assurance Company. < 8s: employees of Kia Ora ifineral Company, 4s: staff ci the Commercial Bank 1 of Australia.. 3s.

A dispute concerning a fence lying between adjoining properties -was heard before Mr F. V. Frazer, S'.M., yesterday, when Florence Cookson and Eli AVar burton (Mr. Bodgerson) .asked for an order calling upon William Holt Olr. Giaister) to erect a substantial puriri fence. A dispute had previously occurred as to the line of the fence, and in an action heard some time ago the magistrate Holt was entitled to damages JHr j*era9j that had been cut on his prope|sy. / Holt then erected a fence of willows pOsis, which he said had been agreed upon by the parties. The magistrate heldjfthat the v.'illow-post fence had been agreed upon by the parties, but decided that a, substantial puriri fence should be erected bv contract, each party to pay their own costs. ,

The question of canal construction in the Auckland Province was mentioned bv MrM. H. Wynyard at yesterday's meeting of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce. The Government, he explained, set up a commission List year, and it had only held a preliminary sitting when- the war broke out. He quite understood that the present was not a time to expect definite action to be taken, but the commission be revived, so that the best routes 'could be chosen, and that when the time arrived there would be something specific to place before the authorities. The matter was left in the hands of the president, Mr. R. Burns, Mr. S. J. Nathan, and Mr. Wynyard.

A young man named James Eggenton wag charged at the Supreme Court yesterday with carnal knowledge of a girl under 16 years of age, with whose parents he had boarded at Auckland for four years. Mr. Justice Cooper occupied the Bench. The Hon. J. A. Tolc, K.C., appeared for the Crown, and Mr. R. A. Singer for the accused. The jury found the accused guilty, and His Honor remanded him for sentence until Mondav morning. I s

It was moved by Mr. Henry Green at yesterday's meeting of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce that the council be recommended to consider what representations, if any. could be made to the Government for relief or adjustment of the imposts on the gold and silver mining industry, and what steps could bo token to encourage the search tor useful metals. The motion was carried.

The city market scheme •will he advanced a further stage in the near future. The Mayor. Mr. J. H. Giuison, stated yesterday that agreements had bet effected with ail the auctioneers at present carrying on business at the old market site. As soon as the City Empowering Bill had received the Governor's assent the ratepayers would be asked to vote £50.000 'or the new market buildings. "At a later date." lie continued, "I will place before the ratepayers a statement which will show dearly that the undertaking is in the interests of the city. It" is estimated that the erection of the buildings will occupy about nine months. Upon the completion of the work the auctioneers will at once go into their new premises, while the old buildings will be demolished, and the proposed load improvements will be earned into effect.'*

An ancient cannon bail was discovered I by Constable Boyle while digging ir his I garden in Akaroa recently. Tho ball is a , 24-pounder, and it is almo:>t certainly one ' from tha French magazine, which, about ! the year 1340. was situated close by on the site of the Akaroa Courthouse. The ; ball is identical with those found at Red ' Point, across French Bay. where the 1 French men war in the old days used j to practise and use the bright-coloured I' point as a. target. The cannon ball has now been deposited with the town clerk of Akaroa. as an addition to the borough collection of old time relics.