TELEGRAPHIC.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1514, 7 March 1901, Page 46

TELEGRAPHIC.

; AUCKLAND, February 27. ~ At the annual meeting of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce to-day, Mr B. R. Caldwell .was elected president for the ensuing term. Mr S. Yaile, the retiring president, in his address, referred to the injustice suffered by the North Island in comparison with the South Island in the matter of railway construction. He said that statistics showed that Auckland, and not Wellington, was the distributing cen-.-j e lul j'™' colony. He characterised as dangerous legislation the Destitute Persons Act of 1895, as on order on an estate mhffr he made unknown. to the ' Dealing with federation, he said his recent visit to Australia had not made him change his mind. It would beun wise for New Zealand to join the Com monwealth. The balance-sheet showed a credit of £285 on the years The Conciliation Board is consiclem g * dispute in the iron workers trade. _ The half-yearly meeting of the Thanms Gas Company was heM to-day. profits for the period were £7ll 14s ~a. 1 dividend cf Is per share was leaving £212 to be carried forward. The profits:-how . A- decrease, owing to cue increased price of coal ana ire-gAa: ■ ; AUCKLAND, March 1, The net Customs duties for Auckland for February constitute a record for the colony. The amount received was £54,377 16s lOd. The highest total previously reached, £53,000, being the record itx August, 1896. In Febraary of last year the duty totalled £08,464 .>» 9d, saving an increase for this year or £lo,919. The beer duty was £1406, a fall-ing-off of £135 compared with last year. The gold exports were 10,/240z, valued at £57,437, an increase from 11,4560 z, valued at £40,691. . The manifold eights of the thermal regions have been augmented by a remarkable outbreak in tbe vicinity ox .Lake Ro tom all ana. Mr Humphrey Haines lately witnessed a most remarkable explosion there. About one acre ox country suddenly burst forth with great noise and immense steam, and threw a great column erf muddy water and stones to a height of about 600£t. A cloud of steam ascended for 2000 ft. The mud thrown UP was bespattered, tor a considerable distance around, -the* blowout is still very active. It is reported to be throwing up water in geyser form daily and emitting great quantities ol steam. Echo Lake, close by, is also very active.. ■ C]SIjAN p } March 2. John Firmer, aged sit-y, has been found shot at Gnehunga. He had been ill., and is. supposed to have committed suicide. GISBORNE,. February 28. At a meeting of the Beautifying Association, the chairman, Mr Debit our, Initiated important proposals for proHd’clihg the district with adequate pi aces ‘bh suggesting the purchase ol* Haiti Hill, overlooking the port ana. harbour, and M aiberehere Quarry, a doiiglitful picnic spot aboxio eight ruiltfe out, and the only remaining native burn near the town. The proposal was well received. ' , T ~ ... - Professor Morris, of Melbourne umvb'rsitv;' writing to the editor of the ‘•'Poverty Bay Herald” with regard to the proposal to change the name of Poverty Bay,; 'says he has just discovered fi*bm the'Origmal .MS. of Captain Cook’s journal that theVhame he first wrote was 'Endeavour' Bay. " • • GISBORNE, March 1. _ At the quarterly meeting of the Licensing Bench, Sergeant Siddels reported that more 'acebmrnodation and better houses should be provided in a number of .places. The committee concurred, and gave a hint to the owners of the houses on the subject, saying that they Would be . expected to improve matters if thev wished to retain their licenses. NEW PLYMOUTH, February 28. A conference of the North Island Poultry Association was held to-day. Delegates' were present from Auckland, ; Master ton, Thames, Wellington and New Plymouth. The object of the conference was the formation of a northern association, including Marlborough. Nel • • son and the. west coast of the South Island. , It was resolved, after much discussion, several motions being rejected, that overtures be made to the South Island Association to include the Marlborough, Nelson, Buffer aud Westland Societies in the Northern Association. The headquarters for the current term were fixed at New Plymouth. Mr F. . • Goodacref wasi J elected: president, and Messrs C. Gray (Auckland) and E. B. Bristow (Wellington) vice-presidents. Rules were drawn up and adopted. NEW PLYMOUTH, March 1. The Customs reyenue collected at this port in February amounted to £1842, as against £I4BB in February, 1900. The exports' from the breakwater were— February, 1901, £94,748 ; • 1900, £65,176. The exports of dairy produce for the six months to date were 126,060 packages of butter of the value of £283,635; ; cheese, 15,715 packages, value £39,288. . The corresponding figures for last year were 120,305 packages of butter of the , value of £270,686, and 8848 packages of cheese of the valne of £22,120. WANGANUI, March 3. A fire broke 1 out at 3.45 o’clock this afternoon in the main part of the Avenue in a building owned by Mr I. Salek, and occupied by Mr E. D. Smith, draper. The building was completely gutted, but tbe fire brigade prevented tbe fire from spreading. The building was insured in the

Guardian office for <£3oo. The stock was insured in the Guardian office for £llOO and in the National for <£3oo, and the furniture in tbe Guardian for £IOO, FEILDING, March 2. At tbe inquiry held yesterday into the origin of the fire last week, by which eight business premises were destroyed, tbe jury returned a verdict that there was no evidence to show how the fire originated' PALMERSTON, March 1. The local committee of the New Zealand Draughts Association decided last nivht to offer £SO in cash prizes at the tournament in April. Nominations will •close on 30th March. WOODVILLE, March i. A man named Donald McLeod. one of a gang of spielers, was to-day sentenced to two months’ imprisonment in Napier Gaol on the charge of being an idle and disorderly person, with no visible means of support. In McLeod’s bag were found a set of burglar’s tools. NELSON, February 28. At a meeting of the Council cf Governors of Nelson College, it was resolved to communicate with the University Senate, pretesting against any curtailment of facilities for degree exammatX Out of thirteen applicants, Miss C. E. MacGregor, M.A., of Dunedin, has been appointed teacher of the Girls College. GREYMQUTH, March 3. The following is a return of the exports for last week Ur aimer company. 2178 tons 17cwt coal, :-i coirs coke and .13 tons Scwt bricks. Hiacuoa.d Company 747 tons 18cwt ccaL 1 WESTPORT, March o. The coal output from the Westport mines last week was 9307 tons newt., of which 8501 tons llowt was shipped by the Westport Coal Company and 800 tons IScv/t by tbe Westport Co-opera-tive Company. , no CHRISTCHURCH, February 28. Successful Fire Brigade sports and a fireworks demonstration were neicl last evening. In a two-mile bicycle race, 1C Covenbrick, of Hastings, was first, ana H. Symonds of the same town second. Alarm and rush—A. E. Collet, Waipawa, first ;W. Graham, Hastings, second, ±l. Symons, third. , DUNEDIN, February 28. At a meeting convened by the Mayoi to consider the best means, of perpetuatino- the memory of her late Majesty Queen Victoria, proposals were submitted for tbe establishment of a lreo public library and reading room and the erection of a statue. It was decided by a majority of two to one to erect a statue, and a, committee was appointed to carry out the project. INVERCARGILL, February 2b. Out of fourteen applicants, Dr Hendry, of Port Chalmers, lias been appointed medical superintendent of the tooufcliland Hospital. INVERCARGILL, March 1. The Education Board to-day considered the scale of increases in the salaries of teachers as proposed by the Department. Like other district Bop.icL, this one confessed its inability to discover the basis on which the Dec ai fment had allcoated the increases. It was resolved that the Southland grant be allocated as follows : —Salaries over £3OO, 3 per cent, increase; between £3OO and £2OO, piper cent; £2OO and £l5O, 4 per cent; £l5O and £IOO, 44 per cent; pupil teachers, nothing, they being already better paid in this district - than in some others.