LOCAL AND GENERAL

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1695, 24 August 1904, Page 50

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Mr Ernest Fitts, the baritone singer (formerly a member of the Pollard Company), lias suffered bereavement by the death of his wife, Miss Marie Mueller, who was well known in New Zealand on the operatic stage.

At a meeting of the committee of the Wellington branch of the Navy League on Monday, it was decided to send a wreath to England, to be placed upon the Nelson monument in London on Trafalgar Day (October 21st). The wreath will be sent in a block of ice, and so placed upon the monument. It is intended to celebrate the day locally. For the first time in forty years since the whipping-post was abolished m Kentucky, U.S.A., a prisoner was recently whipped in the public square of Lexington by order of the Court. The prisoner was a coloured boy named Simon Scearce, sixteen years of age, and ho was punished fox striking a six-year-old white child without provocation. The boy was taken to the spot by two policemen, and then the mother of the white boy 2 with a rawhide furnished her by the Court, gave him twenty lashes in the presence of the largest crowd even seen on the public square. A letter was received on Monday by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals from a resident of Paraparaumu, in which confession was made that the writer had placed a boiled egg, hot from the pot, in the mouth of a collie dog. The letter said the writer had no intention of being cruel —he had treated the clog in that way to deter it from eating eggs—but acknowledged that the act had resulted in cruelty. Leniency was asked for. The society’s inspector reported that the clog had been in a very bad state. It had eaten nothing for a week. The dog, howevei, could not now be produced, for an unreasonable butcher had advised that the dog was mad, whereupon someone loosened it, and it disappeared in the bush. The meeting resolved that it could not see its way to abandon legal pi actings in the case.

In honour of their son, Mr Robert McKay, attaining his twenty-first birthday, Mr and Mrs John Mackay gave a dance and card party at their residence, Brougham street, on Monday evening. About fifty friends were present and the proceedings were altogether very enjoyable. At supper the health cf Mr R. Mackay was duly honoured. There has recently been submitted for sale in Brisbane two of the most valuable freehold properties in Queensland, viz., Mayvale and Fassifem stations, but as no offer was then forthcoming tlio auctioneers (Dalgety and Co., Ltd.), are now prepared to treat privately with anyone desirous of acquiring a really first-class investment. Colonel Bauchop (says Christchurch “Truth”), who has been appointed Military Commander of the Christchurch District, is a native of Port Chalmers, and was a noted athlete in his day. His resourcefulness (to say nothing of his gallantry) was displayed to great advantage during the Boer war, as a member of the Fourth and 'Seventh Contingents.

Last month Commander Robert E. Peary, of the United States Navy, better known as an Arctic explorer, left America to establish bases from which ho will operate next year in another dash for the pole. This will be the explorer’s fourth attempt. His present destination is Cape Sabine, where he will establish a coal depot, and arrange with the Esquimaux to collect meat and other provisions for next year’s expedition. The real starting point for the pole will be Cape Joseph Henry, tbe northern extremity of Grant Land, 350 miles north of Cape Sabine. Commander Peary, when not exploring, is a civil engineer in the United States Navy, with the-rank of commander, and is attached to the bureau of yards and docks.

Brisbane has one of the best tramway systems in the Commonwealth. It is of the electrical overhead principle of traction, and is managed-by Mr J. S. Badger, an up-to-date American. In view of what has been done in Wellington and the general scope of the new system, a few facts about the installation at Brisbane will be of interest. There are twenty-seven miles of street lengths, totalling fifty miles, and further extensions are in progress. Over one hundred cars are available for use, the number in actual daily service being from sixty-five to eigiity-iive. In 1903 the tramways were patronised by 18,376,000 persons. The men employed by the company number 675. A very liberal time-table has been arranged. Cars start running at 5 a.m., and continue till 11.30 p.m. Then there are what are called “ owl ’* cars at intervals of one hour till 3 a.m. In connection with the service there is a very good musical band composed of tramway employees, who play every Thursday night from 8 tp 10 o’clock at the rotunda on the banks of the river Hamilton. The following is the list of deceased persons’ estates (of over £1000) lodged for probate during the past month: — Wellington—Daniel Ferguson, £4735 ; Robert Skelton, £1352; George 11. Bethune, £6212; Thomas Wray, £3220: Eliza Craig, £4885; Jorgan Pedersen. £1105; John R. Jones, £4542; Thomas Carroll, £1232 ; Sarah Fleet, £1494 ; Jane Carmichael, £4863; Thomas U. McKenzie, £5494; Donald Sinclair, £1659; John Green, £1231. Auckland —lsabella Graham, £1150; Edward T. Tale, £2714; John H. Mu (line, £5131; Elizabeth Ireland, £12,313; Anthony Hedley, £4322. Christchurch—Richard Spear, £3548; John Stanton, £1164; George Goodwin, £2915; Elizabeth D. D. Grantham, £1373; Gordon Webster, £1255; John Yartha, £1046; Mary Cameron, £3503; George' McMillan, £52,278. Dunedin Patrick Ormond, £5826; Alexa Lothian, £4472; Elizabeth Wyld Law, £6371; Isabella J. Clark, £4399. Hawke’s Bay —Lauritz Hermansen, £1296; Robert Price, £1468. Gisborne —Charles E. S. Cameron, £2655. Nelson —John Arnold, £5574. Southland —William Craig, £2102; David McKinlav, £1129; John Findlay, £12,559.