LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16129, 18 January 1916, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS.

Trie present position of the city water supply is in marked contrast with that of 12 months ago. Last year the Auckland district was suffering from positive drought, and the Waitakero dam was at so low a level in January as to give grounds for seme little concern. To-day there is an abundant supply, and, notwithstanding the dry weather of the last few weeks, there has been practically no shrinkage in the dam during the present summer. A most satisfactory report on the subject from the waterworks engineer has been received by the Mayor, and will bo laid before tho City Council at its next meeting.

A new regulation of the Postal Department as to prepayment in cash, instead of stamps, of tho postage on circulars mailed in large quantities has come into operation this month. Formerly it was open to any person to make such prepayments on lots of 240 or upwards, on giving reasonable notice at a post orriee of intention to do so. Under tho new system it is necessary first to obtain the permit of the chief postmaster of the district, and then to have printed in the upper righthand corner of the envelope or wrapper to be used a statement showing tine amount of postage, the word " paid," the name of the post office of deposit, and the permit number, all in type of specified sizes. The matter to be posted has to be presented at the office designated by tho postmaster, in quantities of not less than) 240 identical packages. A permit, once issued, holds good until it is revoked, but if not used during a period of 12 months it will bo cancelled. The system does not apply to matter addressed to places l>eyond New Zealand, whkh. must be prepaid in stamps.

The argument that the Queen Carnival ■was an expensive method by which to raise money, is held to be completely disposed of by the announcement that the working expenses of tho executive c>f the Soldiers' Queen amounted to a little over 1 per cuit. The executive's certified balance-sheet lias just been issued, and shows that a cum of £29.294 18? 3d was raised for the Patriotic Fund. The total expenses amounted to £349, so that a sum of £28.945 13s 3d had been paid over to the central executive. A satisfactory feature connected with the expenditure is that the disbursements for salaries and wages totalled only £45. The detailed receipts arc as follows :— Receipts and donations from various sources, £20,403 lis 8d ; art unions, £3149 15s 7d ; children's day. £2106 Is 7d ; house-to-house canvass, £1138 4s 3d ; ■ mock court, £875 13s 3d; sale of badjes. j iron crosses, buttons, post cards and, kiwis, £636 7s lOd ; Anzac tearooms. £558: voting blocks, £271 2* 3d; sale of Hag, £156 2s. j

The utility of the facility." available at Auckland for unloading cargo were demonstrated in the case of the steamer Waihora, which arrived in the port last week. The vessel discharged 5000 tons in 27 working hours, which works out at the rate of 135 tons per hour. An application to be adjudicated bankrupts has been filed at the Auckland official assignee's office, by Messrs. P. J. Monnock and W. T. Chadwick, tailors. The total liabilities are stated to amount to £877 and the assets to £230, leaving a deficiency of £597. The principal unsecured creditors are : Messrs. J. Hodgson and Co.. £579; Macky, Logan, Caldwell, Ltd., £64; and R. Jamieson and Co. £171. A meeting of the Claims Board of the Auckland Provincial Patriotic and War Relief Association will be held at the Town Hall this morning at nine o'clock, when claims from returned soldiers and their dependants who desire assistance will bo received.

A fire occurred in a wash-house at- | tached to.the property owned and occu- | pied by Mrs. Cecelia fekerrett, of 54, Jason Avenue, Mount Albert, at six o'clock yesterday morning. The Mount Albert Fire Brigade turned out, but the fire was extinguished before it arrived. The outbreak originated in a. quantity of paper in the wash-house. Only slight damage was sustained. The property is insured for £350 in the National Office. An accident, necessitating; the removal to the District Hospital of two glaziers named James Orox and William Whale, occurred in front of the-premises of Messrs. Wingate and Co., Ltd., in Lower Queen Street at a-quarter to four o'clock yesterday afternoon. The men in question, together with two others, were employed by Messrs. *Phillippa and Impey, glass merchants, in replacing a plate-glass window at the front of the building. The new pane of glass had been almost placed in position, when, for some unaccountable reason, it broke above the heads of the men engaged. Orox was severely cut about the right forearm, two arteries and some sinews being severed. A minor injury to an arm was sustained by Whale, while the other two men escaped unhurt. Medical attention was rendered by Dr. Millington prior to the removal of the men to -*he hospital. Last evening both men had so far recovered as to bo able to proceed to their homes. Orox is a married man, residing at Grey Lynn.

The conference of the Native School Teachers' Association, to be held in St. Stephen's College, opens to-morrow morning, when the deputy-Mayor, Mr. A. JEntrican, will extend a civic welcome to the visiting teachers. Addresses will be delivered by Sir E. 0. Gibbes, Secretary of Education : Mr. E. C. Banks, member of the Council of Education ; Mr. H. G. Cousins. M.A., president of the Auckland Educational Institute: and Mr. W. W. Bird, M.A.. chief inspector of native schools. The presidential address will be given by Mr. Ja«. Maclntyre, of Whangarca. In the afternoon, reports on the activities of the association will be read by tho hon. secretary, Mr. L. F. Gubb, and the hon. treasurer, Mr. R. C. Nisbet. The Native School Teachers' Association was formed in May last, and already 65 per cent, of the eligible teachers in the service have joined. A special feature of the conference will be the proposal that the association shall affiliate with the Educational Institute of New Zealand. The future of the association's journal, Te Waka Maori, will also be discussed. Emphasis will also be placed on the need for observation schools, it being recognised that the teacher in the back blocks is placed at a disadvantage, if such model schools, where refresher courses may bo taken, do not exist. The presence of public school teachers and of others interested in education is invited.

The question of the maintenance of the wharves in the upper portion of the Auckland Harbour, which was alluded to at the Waitemata County Council's meeting on Friday last, was referred yesterday to the chairman of the Harbour Board, Mr. H. D. Heather. He said that the board did tint possess sole control of the upper reaches of the harbour. There was a dual control existing, and the Marine Department had the power to issue permits for the building of wharves quite independently of the Hirbour Board. A case in point was that of Riverhead. where the board built a new wharf, which it was naturally expected would be used for the receiving and delivery of goods for the paper mills. The company owning the mills, however, applied to tie Marine Department for private rights to erect their own wharf, only a short distance from the board's wharf. The board, on the rejection of the Empowering Bill, which provided for the abolition of the dual control, and which the Waitemata Council opposed, decided that it would expend no further money in the upper reaches in the way of providing further accommodation. The board realised that it owned valuable property in the wharves which it has erected, and their maintenance and upkeep must be attended to.

The French Tricolour Day. in aid of the French Red Cross fund, which was postponed on account of the Queen Carnival, has been revived by the French Club. It has been decided to hold the event on the last Friday in February. A meeting of the delegates of all societies, clubs, and patriotic associations in Auckland will be held on Friday evening next at the Chamber of Commerce. The formal reopening of the Auckland Sailors' Home Mission Hall iii Albert Street will take place on Friday evening next. In November last a fire occurred in the building and necessitated it being temporarily closed in order that renovations might be effected. These have now been completed. The hall has been relined in varnished kauri, and a new kauri ■panel ceiling has been put in. All the furniture, as well as the piano and the 1 harmonium, has been renovated. On Friday addresses will be given by representatives of the two missions which used the hall alternatelythe British and Foreign Sailors' Society, which is undenominational in character, and the Anglican Missions to Seamen. A musical programme will be provided, and efforts will be made to induce as many sailors as possible belonging to the vesseht in pert at tho time to attend the function.

The following was the state of the Auckland prison lor the week ended Saturday last : —On remand, 4 males and 1 female"; awaiting trial and sentence, 7 males; sentenced to life, 6 males; sentenced to hard labour, 196 males and 19 females ; sentenced to imprisonment, 3 males; default of bail, 6 males , debtors. 1 male : received during the week, 35 mules and 8 females ; discharged. 36 males and 7 females; total in prison, 223 males and 20 females. The Conciliation Council will hear the fuilowir.-r disputes during this week and nest week at the office of the commissioner, Mr. T. Harle Giles, at the Gov- ' eminent Buildings :—Friday, Auckland i Blacksmiths and Farriers ; Monday, Auck- | land Builders' Labourers, final sitting; I January 26, Auckland Contractors' LabI ourers, tinal sitting; January 27, Auckland Gum-workers; January 23. Auckland Quarry and Scoria, Tit Labourers' dispute.

The tender of Mr. C. J. Carrington. at £3175. has been accepted for the erection of new buildings at Dargaville for tho North Auckland Farmers' Co-operative, Ltd. The other tenders were:—Thomas Fordyce, £5195 18s; James McColl, £3250; Reardon and Son, £3335; J.' Parkinson, £3525; Rope Bros., £3557. Another of the pontoons captured at the time of the Turks' abortive raid on the Suez Canal last year has arrived in Wellington. It was consigned from Egypt bv the authorities there to the Prime Minister of New Zealand. Its ultimate destination has not been fixed. A number of men arrived in Ashburton a few days ago in quest of work in the harvest fields. Parties of men are daily leaving Ashburton to work in various parts of the district. A farmer informed a reporter that plenty of men will be available, more especially as a number were unable to find employment grassseed cutting on Banks Peninsula this year ow ing to the poor state of the crops there.