LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 16665, 9 October 1917, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS

The showery weather which set in at an early hour on Sunday morning increased ,to such a degree yesterday morn- ! ing that all cargo work on vessels in port i had to be abandoned at ten o'clock, over 1 400 workers being affected. In conser 1 quence, the sailing of tho Union steamers Monowai: and Te Anau had, to be post- ' poned for 24 hours. The departure of the Chelmsford for Mangapal and the Aupouri , from Onehunga for Raglan and Kawhia had also to bo postponed. The death of the Hon. J. D. Ormond, M.L.C., announced yesterday, reduces [ the number of life -members of the Legis- ! lative Council t« four. Prior to 1891, all ! appointments to the Council were made | for life. Since September 17 of that year, | such appointments have been tenablo for seven years only, although any Councillor | may be reappointed at the end of 'his term. The remaining life members are 1 tho Hon. Captain Baillie, whose appointment dates from March, 1861; the Hon. Sir Charles C. Bowen, January, 1891 ; the Hon. 0. J. Johnston, the present Speaker, January, 1891; and the Hon. Sir Henry Miller, July. 1865. The late Mr. Ormond \ was called to the Council in 1891. The lato Sir George McLean, another life member, who was appointed in 1881, died in February last. After a hearing lasting seven days, the civil action, Frost v. McCardle, was concluded in tho Magistrate's Court yesterday. E. C. Frost, farmer, of Tuakau (Mr. Moody), sought to recover the sum of £79 2a from A. D. McCardle, farmer, of Mangere (Mr. A. R.Skelton). Plaintiff alleged that defendant agreed to purchase a crop of turnips for £100, and as he failed to take delivery the turnips were sold at a loss, and the amount now sued for was the difference between 'the price arranged for and the price realised, plus £10 general damages for loss of time. For ! the defence it was* alleged that plaintiff represented that there was a good road for the sheep to be -taken to tho turnip crop, whereas in fact such was not the case; also that plaintiff had recognised that there was no such road, and had agreed to resell the turnips by auction. In giving judgment the magistrate said that the contract was admitted ana defendant had not proved that plaintiff had misrepresented that there was a good road for the sheep to be taken to the turnips. Judgment was given | for' plaintiff for £69 2a and costs, the magistrate expressing the opinion that in cases of the kind it was sufficient, for plaintiff to recover his actual loss. Questioned last night as to the position of the labour trouble at the Huarau Tunnel, on the North Auckland line, the Minister for Public; Works said there had been avoidable delay. He told the deputation which waited upon him that ho would send Mr. Gavin, the inspecting engineer, to make inquiries and report. Ho believed that tho men were quite satisfied with Mr. Gavin, regarding him as a fair man. Ho had just received Mr. Gavin's report, but had not yet had time to go through the evidence and , give his decision. He certainly wanted the matter settled and would announce his decision as soon as possible. One of the features of the forthcoming appeal to the public on behalf of the British Red Cross funds will be an entertainment, which is being arranged by members of the Auckland police force. The programme will include exhibitions of boxing, wrestling, and ju-jitsu and tug-of-war competitions, as well as a number pf musical items. The Town Hall has been engaged for file night of November 9, and tho promoters are hopeful of repeating the success which attended the police entertainment in connection with the Queen Carnival campaign two years ago, when about £1000 was realised.

A large number of business people were considerably delayed on their way to the city yesterday morning through the interruption of the tram service at the junction of Mount Eden Road and Svmonds Street. A little before 8.30 one of the overhead wires broke, and as it was not connected until after nine o'clock many tramcars were delayed. The industrial dispute between the emfoyers and the Auckland, Restaurant Employees' Union, in so far as those engaged in private hotels are concerned, will be heard before a conciliation commissioner on Thursday. A railway fireman, John Benjamin Davis, residing in Great South Road, Remuera, was admitted to the hospital yes* terddy morning suffering from injuries to the head. Ho was working at Penrose on an engine shunting in the timber yard, when he was struck on the back of the head by a projecting beam. The shortage of experienced teachers has been felt severely by the Auckland Grammar School, and appeals for the exemption of three teachers ware yesterday supported by Mr. J. W. Tibbs, headmaster, who gave evidence before the Military Service Board. Tho appeals were those of Leslie Mathieson, Leonard J. O'Connell, and Edwin J. Russell. In asking for exemption until the close of the present school year, Mr. Tibbs stated that these teachors could not possibly be taken for service at the present time without seriously impairing the efficiency of the teaching staff. Fifteen teachers had already left on active service, and he himself was having to engage in teaching instead of devoting his time solely to the direction of the staff. Exemption was granted in each caso until December 13. A Royal wedding was celebrated at Nukualofa on September 19, the contracting parties being Princess Salote, the daughter of King George Tabou n., of Tonga, and Prince William Tugi, who is said to be higher in Tongan rank than even the king. Tho ceremony, which was in Tongan, 1 was performed by the Rev. J. Watkin, president of the Free Church of Tonga, assisted by the Rev. R. Page, chairman of tho Wesleyan Mission. The bride's costume, which was of a most elaborate nature, was made in Sydney, the veil, which was hand-worked, having on it crowns worked in silk, with floral emblems and true lovers' knots. M an presents were given to the bride and bridegroom, ranging from a £100 cheque given by the Free Church of Tonga, and a valuable cabinet of cutlery from the European Civil servants, to the usual native gifts of live stock, produce, and mats. Food provided for the wedding feast included $42 pigs, *a ton of yams, over 400 fish, between 800 and 900 kava plants, and sundries. A ship's fireman, Daniel Boyle, who was serving a sentence of one month's imprisonment at Mount Eden gaol for using obscene language, died at the hospital yesterday. Deceased, who is said to have a wife and six children in England, was admitted to the gaol on ' September 26, and was sent to the hospital on October 3. An inquest will be held to-day. In connection with Commander Oresswell's statement regarding the reception at various Australian wireless stations of messages sent out by Nanen and other places in Germany, it is stated that similar messages are received nightly at several of the New Zealand radio stations, especially Awanui, which is probably the best equipped in tho Dominion. The distance from Nauen to Awanui is about _ 12,000 miles, which, if it does not constitute an absolute record, is very near it. The secret of these remarkable results, which in loss troublous times Would excite worldwide interest, lies in the Do Forest ultraaudion receiver—one of the niost remarkable and simple pieces of apparatus invented since Marconi's first experiments. Dr. De Forest is an American, who lives at New York. His " ultra-audion "• has the power not only of receiving tho farflung waves, but can also be used as a wireless .transmitter for the voico— as yet practically unexplored. An Auckland competitor was successful at the musical and elocutionary competitions held at Dunedin recently. Mrs. Jack Lambert, formerly Miss Ella Basten, gained first prize for story-writing, and second prize tor essay-writing. The - art union promoted by tho Auckland branch of the British Red Cross Society was drawn last night under police supervision. The prize, an _ oil painting, "Sanctuary in Time of Peril." presented by the artist, Mrs. Bnrcher, was won by M. le Clcrc, of Helena Bay, North Auckland. The funds of the society will benefit to the extent of £600 as a result of the art union. Since the military age limit was reduced to 19 years, the registrar of births, deaths and marriages in Wellington has been issuing on an average four .or five birth certificates daily to youths who require them as proof of age when they enlist. "The Government has no intention of cutting down the salaries of public servants," said Mr. Massey in the House of Representatives last night. "It is not the intention of fie Government to put any such proposal before Parliament, but it may be necessary for the Government to ask Parliament to cut down the public services, which is quite a'different matter." A mass meeting of railwaymen, held yesterday at Ehstown workshops, Wanganui, passed a resolution criticising the Government for its " inaction " in regard to tho high cost of living, and demanding that Parliament should take action to re- ' duce the price of commodities or increase the wages of railwaymon by at least two shillings. An endeavour is being made to establish an industry in Queensland to prepare dyes from native i;aw material. A syndicate has been formed, and scientific researches and experiments are being made by Mr. Joseph Campbell, technological chemist. Advices received from Queensland intimate that Mr. Campbell has consigned a woollon mill in Now South Wales a fifty-gallon cask of liquid dye and five cases of solid and semi-solid lacs and dyes for treatment on a commercial, scale, the laboratory tests having proved satisfactory'. Mr. Campbell is said to have* conducted 1200 experiments since February 7. He uses as the basic materials, among other things, minerals from Mount Garnet, ■ plants, and wallaby skins. In the district in which he is working there are said to exist materials in sufficient quantity for manufacturing dyes on a vsry extensive scale. Mr. Campbell has produced all the prismatic colours except violet, which he hopes to make after further experimenting. A Hastings resident recently filed his schedule. The debts totalled nearly £300. Only ono unsecured creditor sent in a proof of claim, the amount being 14s, and he will receive that sum. The deputyofficial assignee said this emphasised tho necessity for business men proving their claims, which had to bo done within two months of bankruptcy. This case was, of courso, a most unusual one, but he found that in many cases people gave their proofs too late. He mentioned another caso where a large firm presented proofs of debt ,in connection with six estates, and all were too late. An erroneous idea prevails that tho absence of a true ring in a silver coin stamps it as counterfeit. Recently, say's tho Melbourne Ago, a half-crown • piece, bearing last year's date, which rm being thrown on a hard substance produced no ring whatever, was brought under tho notice of the Secretary to the Treasurer. Upon a cursory examination Mr. Collins declared it to "be genuine. In weight it corresponded with a newly-minted halfcrown, but its dull sound could not be acoounted for. Upon a minute examination, however, the discovery was made that the edge of the coin had a flaw—an almost imperceptible split. This accounted for the absence of a ring, just as a crack in a bell deadened the sound. Mr. Collins explained that these flaws do not frequently occur in minting. Coins so affected are rejected, but there is always the possibility of a few finding their way into circulation. The best test to apply to a doubtful coin is to weigh it with another of the same denomination and of equal preservation. If the coin is counterfeit it will prove to be much lighter than the genuine one.