LOCAL AND GENERAL.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXIX, Issue 3736, 10 May 1899, Page 5

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Mr T. W. Hungerforo, late of the West Coast, is the successful tenderer for the Macquarie harbour works in Tasmania. The contract price was £60,000. The number of patients admitted to the Wellington Hospital during the year was 1582 ; the total number under treatment was 1735; the numbe r discharged was 1478 ; the number of deaths was 120; the number remaining cn 31st March was 137. Messrs J. C. McKerrow anji J. W. A. Marchant, land purchase commissioners, have completed an inspection of the Pukenui Estate, near Bulls, which has been placed under offer to the Government for cutting up for close settlement. ■ The total collective stay of patients in the Wellington Hospital last year was 52,376 days; the individual average days’ stay was 30.18; the daily average cost to the institution being 4s 2£d per patient. The number of outpatients was 2771, making a total of 13,519 attendances.

The next meeting of the Hutt County Council,! fixed for Thursday, the 18th instant, wiU.be held in the Council’s new offices on ;Lambton quay, opposite the Government Buildings. It is understood that there will be no formal opening ceremony. The building is _ expected to be taken over almost immediately. Natives of aU parts of the world were admitted to the Wellington Hospital last year, principally from England (414), Ireland (190), Scotland (102), and New Zealand (891). The Church of England contributed 689, Roman Catholics 382, Presbyterians 217, Wesleyans 114, and nearly every other denomination was represented. Two patients represented themselves as freethinkers, and 24 a' having no religion. The new catalogue of the Wellington Supreme Court Library, compiled by MiFrank Harrison, secretary to the Wellington District Law Society, has just been issued. There are about 4500 volumes in the library, and the catalogue runs into 106 pages. The size adopted is one which allows spaced for interlineations. As the 1882 catalogue is quite out of date, the new catalogue will be of much assistance to members of the legal profession who have business in the library. The arrangements for the Catholic “social” in St. Paul’s Schoolroom, Sydney street are now complete, and a successful gathering is anticipated. A first-class oi chestra. has been engaged,and as the floor is in good order, dancers may expect a most pleasurable evening. An excellent programme of vocal items has been arranged, and the ladies have provided a good supply of refreshments. The sale of tickets has been highly satisfactory, and there is every prospect of the furnishing fund of the new church being materially augmented.

Mr-R. C-. Kirk, Mayor of iPetone, waited on the Dairy Regulation Committee yesterday with a request that an inspection should be made of Moran s creek. Before, “a dirty, filthy, tidal creek,” at which a deputation which had waited on the Petone Borough Council the night before alleged the dairy cattle of the farms in the neighbourhood had been in the habit of drinking. On being questioned, Mr Collier, the Committee’s inspector, said the stream was hardly fit for cattle to drink from generally. He did not know that dairy cattle ever drank there. Mr Ward said it was the Petone Council’s duty to prevent the contamination of the stream. The chairman pi cruised that Mr Collier should make some inquiries into the matter, and Mr Kirk was thanked for bringing it under the notice of the Committee.

It is understood that the directors of the Wellington Opera House intend to make a number of alterations to that building at an early date, which will tend to make it very much more comfortable than it is at the present time. A definite offer has been made by tne Government for a site at Newtown on which to erect a new post office, the plans for which are being completed by tne Public Works Department. The plan? for the new post office at Petone are also on the point of being completed. The following laymen have been elected as parochial representatives to the Wellington Anglican Synod: rit. Paul’s parish, Messrs G. B. Tolhurst, V, . H. Quick and T. F. Martin; St. Peter’s parish, Messrs Edward Anderson, Robert Wilbefoss and G. H. Bethune; and St. Mark’s parish, Messrs H. J. H. Blow, T. W. Pilcher, jun., and Herbert Gaby. In the case of St. Mark’s parish, Mr J. o. Andrew retired, and a vote was therefore not required.

Dr MacGregor, Inspector-General of Hospitals, on the occasion of his visit uO the Napier Hospital last week, expressed his dissatisfaction at the practice pursued at the hospital of medical men charging private natients. He stated (says the “Herald”) that Napier was the only hospital in the colony oust now which was permitting this practice, and unless ifc was stopped b.e intimated nis intention of recommending the Government to discontinue the subsidy to the Napier Hospital. At the Police Court yesterday two first-offending inebriates were convicted and discharged. A man named Jones, who is known to the police under the soubriquet of “Wheelbarrow Jones,’ yas sentenced to three months’ imprisonment for the theft of a wheelbarrow, valued at £l. This individual has such a weakness for wheelbarrows that; he has managed, during a somewhat erratic career, to appropriate no less than a dozen of them belonging to other people. Settlers in the Rangitikei and Manawatu districts were alarmed recently by several mysterious outrages on horses, a number of which were stabbed. It was supposed that another “horse fiend” had gone on the warpath, but as there was a sudden stoppage of the guilty person’s pranks, residents breathed more freely. It is now stated that a mare, the property of Mr J. Bell, of the Rangitikei line, was stabbed on the off hock on Sunday night. The police have the matter in hand, and will make every effort to probe the matter to the bottom.

James Bamford, caretaker of the coal hulk Will'am Manson, met with a rather severe accident while working on the steamer 1 Mawheia at Jervois quay yesterday afternoon. The derrick was being hoisted up, when by some mishap those engaged in tho work allowed it to fall back, the large beam striking Bamford on the chest. Dr Mackin was called, and, fearing some internal injury had been sustained, ordered him to be taken to the hospital, whore it was ascertained that no bones were broken, but that the unfortunate man had been badly bruised about the body, particularly on tho chest. A few days ago some indignation was occasioned at Pahiatua in consequence of a number of men being sent by tho Labour Department from Wellington to work on the Palmerston-Pahiatua road, to the exclusion of the local unemployed. Representations were made to the Premier, on the subject, and Mr O’Meara, member for the district, called attention to the injustice done. Mr Seddon has forwarded a reply to the effect that he heard with regret of what had occurred. The sending of men from Wellington was not sanctioned by him, and he has promised to rectify the matter by providing for the necessitous cases in Pahiatua. In the course of a lecture on hurt culture delivered at Tabaka last week, Mr Blackmore, Government Pomologist, stated that: —“ Lemons and oranges should be grown largely :n the district: lemon trees should be grafted on to an orange stock, then tarn the branches so as to admit plenty of light, and after it has borne fruit for over two years, cut the tree hard back. You must also cure your lemons; you will never get a market outside while the frui„ is sent away green. I have cured lemons from thir district, which have been declare I better than Messina lemons by competent judges, but apparently the growers here Pare never attempted to cure their huit.” A meeting of creditors in the estate of Emily Blyth, of Wellington, omnibus proprietor, a bankrupt, was'held yesterday at the office of the Olncial Assignee, who presided. Three creditors were present. Mr, Ashcroft said he was afraid there would be very little indeed to divide among the unsecured creditors, 1 The bankrupt, in reply to questions', said she got into difficulties when her omnibuses began to get into bad order, and the cost of repair was more than she could incur. She did not own any household furniture; it belonged to her husband. He had not received any money from the omnibus business, or from any other source. The creditors, in the course of discussion, said they did not blame Mrs Blyth. They wanted to reach those who were behind her, and who had kept her going on too long. A resolution recommending the bankrupt for her discharge was carried unanimously. Messrs E. E. Homblow, John Kays, R. P. Johnson and H. F. Sairs, Justices of the Peace, took the civil cases of ths Stipendiary Magistrate’s Court in the clerk’s room yesterday morning. About thirty people had to crowd into a room containing only sufficient accommodation for one official. The business of the Court was therefore conducted with great difficulty. Judgment was given for plaintiffs in the following cases: Isaac Hunt v. Alex. Sample, £4 19s; Alex. Sample v. Stephen Geary, £3 12s; Nathan Brothers v. John Staines, £5; Laery and Co. v. _oung, £l6 8s 9d; Geo Bradley, v. A. G. Tain© and Co., £5 7s (£3 less than amount of claim); J. Duthie and Co. v. John Lorrigan, £1 4s lOd; same v. Win. Philp, £4 ss; same v. Richardson Bros., £5 16s 3d. Judgment summonses—-Von Hartitzsch v. 'John Bailey, £7 os. Order to pay 20s per month. R. Kilpatrick v. W,. Roberts, £2 9s 2d; and T. Ralph v. R. Hancox, £5 14s 6d, orders of a similar nature made. The localities from which patients came to the Wellington Hospital last year were as follows: —Wellington, 1220; Suburbs, 91: ships, 51; Petone, 51; Lower Hutt, 29; Tipper Hutt, 18; Levin, 21; Masterton, 18; Pahiatua, 11; Palmerston, 10; Johnsonville, 10; Martinborongh, 9; Otaki, 8; Eoxton, 8; Feilding, 7; Shannon, 6; Featherston, 5; Manriceville, 5: Manukau, 5; Apiti, 5 ■ Eketaliuna, 5 ; Christchurch, 5 ; Greymouth, 5; Stratford, 5; Porirua, 5; Marten, 4; Trentham, 4 ; Tawa Flat, 4; Forty-mile Bash, 4; New Plymouth, 4; Kereru, Halcombe, Wanganui, Waiwetu, Taita, Paraparaumu, Paikakariki, Mangatainoka, Greytown, Kaikoura, 3 each ; Mungaroa, Hawke’s Bay, Hawera, Waituna, Pohmgina, Dunedin, Awatere,, Ashurst, The Summit, Alfredton, Colyton, Birmingham, elson, Mangaweka, Kaitoke, Patea, Reefton, Rangitikci and Woodville, 2 each; England, Wairarapa, Waikanae, Wangaehu Waipnkurau, West Point, Stokes’ Valley, Moawhango, Pahautanui, Taranaki, Te Horn, Tokomaru, Temuka, Napier, Makuri, Lyell, Kumara, Gobden, Dannevirke, Carterton, Gisborne, Invercargill, Horokiwi, Beaccnsfield. Dalefield, Eltham, BelImont, Blenheim, Longburn, Gore, Portr land Island and Tukapa, 1 each.

The temperature has been unusually low in the northern pait of the island during the last week or twc. In the Bay of Plenty several sharp frosts have been experienced. Five firemen were arrested in Wellington yesterday charged with absenting themselves without leave from the s.s. Ruahina while that vessel was at Lyttelton. There was a large attendance at a concert given in the Sailors’ Rest by Madame Cop 3 and party last evening. The protrairais, which consisted of vocal and instrumental selections of a popular character, was heartily received, the following ladies and gentlemen contributing:—Madame Cope, Mrs McVilley, Misses Cops, Caeen and McCaul, Messrs Edward, Cepe and Lortensen.

Tire chairman of the Opera House Company, in moving the adoption ol the report and balance-sheet (already published) at the eleventh annual meeting, said unfortunately the year had not been as satisfactory as the previous ycir, the rent account showing a balance ot £1177, as compared w>th £2117 for the twelve months ending March, 189 S. This was due to the fact that the house had not been occupied to the same extent as in previous years. There had been a marked difference in the number of first-class companies that had visited Wellington. The dates had been filled up to a large extent by companies playing on tonne. The motion was agreed to. In reply to questions, the- chairman sard the company had no overdraft. It had, however, iscuad debentures to the amount of £SBOO on the building and site, and there were also debentures to the amount cf £1126 in connection with the land which the company had purchased at the Cuba street extension. Nothing had been written off the property during the year, but in the year previous £3OC was written off for depreciation. The chairman, in thanking the shareholders for complimentary references to the directors’ management, said he felt sure from indications that the next year’s operations would result in great success and profit to those who had invested their money in the concern.