LOCAL AND GENERAL

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4317, 28 March 1901, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

■ .Nominations for Councils under tin? Maori Lands Administration Act will bo received on. tbo 23rd April.

The sub-enumerators aro now distributing papers to Wellington householders in readiness for the census, which is to be taken on Sunday night. '

The Minister of Lands will shortly leave on a visit to the Last Coast oof this island. He will -in all- probability be accompanied by the Native Minister. ■

. A meeting, at Hunter.villo ’ has decided to further the candidature of 70 r John Hislop .for .the Patea seat in the event of Mr George Hutchison’s resignation. , ; ,

An election under the Maori Councils Act of a Council for the Horouta district will be hold at Port Awanni today. The only Council afterwards to be elected is one. for the Matatua district. That election will take place at Wbakatane on the 16th April.

The unusually Targe amount of rain which has fallen during the -summer has interfered considerably with the carrying out of road works by tho Lands and Survey Department. Another hindrance has. been the difficulty experienced in getting men and teams iu various districts.:

The creation of a new volunteer of-fice—Quartermaster-General for the colony has been decided upon by tho Government.' Lieutenant-Colonel Nctrail will fill the position as soon as Lieu-tenant-Colonel Porter, who is to take the Seventh Contingent to South Africa, returns to New Zealand and resumes the command of the Wellington volunteer district.

A conference of representatives of the Manchester Unity Order of Oddfellows is to- be held iu- f Wellington in June t® discuss .the question of-establishing an annual movable committee of the order in New Zealand. Mr John McLeod, of Auckland, the provincial corresponding secretary for the Auckland district, is to arrive in Wellington this week in regard to the confe*@ism

The first term of Victoria College will commence uu Tuesday next, April 2nd. i Tho Drivers’ Union has referred the dispute in tlio driving trade to the Arbitration Court.

The Wellington and M ana.-,vatu Railway Company will issue tickets at excursion rates in connection with the Easter holidays, from April 2nd to Bth, available for return to May 7th.,

the tender of Mr J. Saunders, of Wellington, has been' accepted by tho llorowhouua County Council for the cutting of water-races to bring a supply of water from tho Ohau River. Tho price is £3'JOS 10s.

A _ nursery for forest trees is to bo established on a block of Government land between Trenthom and Upper illUt. It will be on tho lines ot nurseries, at Rotorua ami in Otago. Trees raised in the nursery will ho transplanted to (ho forest reserve on the Riinntaka Range between Kaitoko and Cross’s Crook.

Messrs Turnbull, Watkins and Williams submitted throe city properties to auction yesterday. A six-roomed bouse at the corner of Drummond and King streets was disposed of for £'7oo. A house of seven rooms in Waripori struct was passed in, but was sold privately afterwards. A six-roomed house with a frontage of 52 fcot to Dixon arreefc was withdrawn at £2IOO.

The annual meeting of tho Carriers'’ Gnion was hold in the Truro Hail, Tn. rr.street, last evening. Mr W. 11. Tobin was in tho chair. Tho following rcbointioa was adopted:—“That Mr Allan On- bo appointed patron of the uiMcn, and that his candidature for a ecat in tho City Council, at the approaching municipal elections, be unanimously supported by the union.”

At a racot’.ng of tbo Wharf Labourers Union bold last night, six new members wore enrolled, Tlio following' resolution was adopted;—“That this onion protests afrongjy against any abron’pfr being made to induce the City Council to adopt tbo contract system in respect to its public works, beliering that tbo system of direct employment, or tiny labour, is much better if thoroughly competent overseers are appointed.”

llio Petone Borough Council proposes to raise tbo following special loans: £2OOO for extending tbo borough gasworks and mains: £2500 for extension of the drainage system.; £2OOO for tbo erection surd furnishing of Council chambers ami public library; £7OOO for street formation and .widening; £ISOO for purchase and improvement of Jackson 3 Baths: £23,500 for a borough water supply. These proposals will bo considered at a mooting of burgesses on April 4th.

'i ho Court of Appeal yesterday, on the. motion of Mr Martin Chapman, gave Jo:.vo to appeal to the Privy Council in tbo Ashburton ca.sc of Brown v. .Brown, which Iki» reference to tbo employment of certain trust money. In granting the leave asked for, tho condition was imposed that Execution would not be stayed unless tho amount of tho judgment, with interest and costs, were, paid into Court within fourteen days. Tho costs of this motion were fixed at £5 ss.

M idi reference to the recent discussion on the subject of white pine timber, it may bo pointed out that a, company not long since purchased theright to cut a largo Quantity of that timber in tho Kaipara district. The company has not yet cut any of tho timber. One of the reasons for tho increase- in the quantity of white pine, milled during the last few years on tho West Coast of tho South Island i.s said to bo tho reduction which was made in the royalty payable in that portion of tho colony. .

Tho appointments recently made by the Wellington Board of Education will take offoct on Monday next—Mr MoDerraid going from Eketahuna to Car-' ter ton, Mr Dempsey from Hostwell to Eketahuna, Miss McKenzie from Mitoliclltown to Hastwell, and Mr Jopolin from Mauricovillo West to Wadostown. Until ponnanont teachers have boon appointed to Mauricovillo West and Mitchelltown schools, the schools 'will bo carried on by relieving teachers. Mr Mnlvillo taking temporary charge at Mitohclltov/n. and Miss Holm at Ma uricev illo West.

A magazine article was mentioned during tho argument of tho caso Union Steam Ship Company and Jakins and another in tho Court of Appeal yesterday. The article in question was one by Mr A. P. Duller, barrister, of this city, describing tho quest and salvage of the steamer Perthshire by the Union Company’s liner Taluuo. Accompanied by {photographic illustrations and a map, tho article appeared in the “Strand Magazine.’’ Mr Sim. who appeared for the Union Company, wished to quote from the letterpress, but Mr Stringer, counsel for tho respondents, objected, and the article was admitted only for its map, which it was conceded, correctly showed the Talvine’s track from. Wellington to Sydney.

The Court of Appeal yesterday heard argument in a case in which the Union Steam Ship Company was appellant and George S. Jakins and William Bower were respondents. Mr Sim appeared for tho appellant company, and Mr Stringer for £ho respondents. Tho respondents brought an action at Christchurch to recover damages tor delay in tho delivery of a consignment of onions shipped from Lyttelton to Sydney by tho steamer Taluno, Mr Justice Martin gave'judgment for the respondents, and awarded thorn £l6O 11s 4d as damages. The delay in the Tnlunc’s voyage was duo to a search made for the’ steamer .Perthshire, which was picked up by tho Taluno in the Tasman Sea in a disabled condition and tenved to Sydney. Mr Sim submitted that tho departure from her ordinary course between Wellington and Sydney made by tho Taluno was an authorised and a ’ justifiable deviation. He was dealing with a point as to the condition of the onions when the Court adjourned till this morning.

Messrs Wm. McLean and W. G Tuslin, J.P.’e. presided at ■ the Magistrate's Court yesterday. Jno. Win. Crokor was fined 10s, or forty-eight hours’ imprisonment, for drunkenness. Georgina. Woods, on a ohargo of being an idle end disorderly person, was ordered to coins up for sentence within three months. Agnes Woods received a, similar sentence; Mra Sparge, of the Paulina Home, in the meantime offered to look after the Woods’s, who were mother and: daughter, provided thoy remained in the Home. I'or • elliim what purported to bo a 41b tear underweight. St. Glair Joumiax, baker, was fined 20s and costs. For using wa tor for trade purposes from the Corporation supply, the same not having been • measured by water meter, six Chinese were each fined os and costs. A cabman, John Aitken, was fined la. and Court costs, fer charging a greater fare than allowed by present by-law. James F. Fcllingham and James Murphy for keeping unregistered dogs, were each fined Is and costs. For asulting Charles Davis, a young man named John Dome was fined 10s OJ, with costs 375. ' ,

It was decided last night to establish a Young Men> Club in Pot-one, and a strong provisional committee was appointed.

Troopers driawke, G. Gardiner. J. Barber and J. Nash were entertained last night by tho football club and other athletic institutions of Petono. Members of', the'Wellington Bowling Club have been invited to a smoke concert to be given .at the clubrooms by tho directors to the New Zealand representative tefam to visit England... To enable ■ collectors to procure the recently-withdrawn Queen’s head stamps, a-small supply has-been sent to tho Chief Postmaster. Tho stamps are to be finally .withdrawn-from, sale on July 31st

The'annual spo'rts cf the Otald Athletic Club, wore hold-'ycstbrday.' Tlio winners of tlio principal races Vcro:—Hurdles, W. "Bennett; " lOOydh, T. Stubbs ; half-tnilo, .Mullins; ‘quarter-mile, T. Stubbs; ono ihlle,*.]|lullinS;’ 220yds, W. Hughes; W. Had field.

The 17th .anniversary of the Petone Wesleyan Srmdyy,; School was celebrated last night by.-la. social.” A musical programme was gon« through, which included items by the- children of, the, Sunday school.. Tho .-.secretary's . annual report stated that satisfactory progress had boon made.

An -invention- that will be eagerly hailed by bicyclists has just been patented by Mi - A. J. Nelson, who is now on a visit to Wellington. It is a “bicycle bracket/,” an ingenious contrivance for' hanging up_the machine when not in use, or when it is desired to clean if. Mr J. Rod, writing with reference to the statement- in yesterday’s “Times,” re the price of fowls quoted for hospital contract -at. ss, fid per pair, says : I submitted a price, much lower on the same conditions as wo have been supplying, the hospital for some years past, but was rejected by the trustees for reasons best known to themselves. At the usual fortnightly meeting of the .Society for the Protection of Women and. Children; Mrs W. A. Evans presiding, several cases wore reported as having boon attended to. _ Tho secretary also reported throo fresh oases since the last meeting. Tho following •subscriptions were acknowledged: Mrs Lukiu and Mr J. Duthie, £1 Is each; P.S., 10»'.6cl; Dr MacGregor, Messrs Mn.-xm, F. Cohen and J. B. Haywood, 5s each; 'and clothing from Mrs Poll. Mr James-Muir, hydropathic specialist, lately forwarded to tho Duke of York a. copy of his booklet, printed at the ‘‘Now Zealand Tidies” office. Ho has just reefeived tho following acknowledgment ; - "Osborne, February 6th.—Dear Sir, —I am desired' by his. Royal Higness the Duke- of Corn-i wail and York to thank you for the | Copy of your book on How to take the j Baths and Drinking Waters at Roto-j rim. and Te Aroha,’ which his Royal; Highness has received safely.—Yours : faithfully, Charles Cast.” ■ | Tho life-saving appliances of tho 1 Capetown fire department—tlio largest and best-equipped' in ' South Africa.— have recently received a very valuable addition in the form of a new firo escape of the’ Merryweathor telescopic pattern. This is fitted on a four-wheel-ed carriage, . consists of four ladders (ono main and . three sliding), capable of being raised to a height of eighty foot, and is provided with a water tower and .special, fittings. Considering, the largo number of. important buildings ifr "Capetown, this latest acquisition •shoVtld prove. a. : most valuable ono. , An unfortunate' accident -happened | at Miramar yesterday afternoon during tho progress of the, Wellingtoii-Canter-bury match, 1 Mr C-- P. - Skerret-t, ono of the local team/ headed a rush across tho. line between .the- goal posts, and; his pony - galloped! oyer Mr -Kenneth j Duncan, who waa ; '-acting ■as lino mm- 1 pire. Dr Pollen, who happened to be! on the ground, drove across at once. I and found -that 'Mr Duncan had sus-

tamed a slight concussion of the brain. The injured gentleman was token homo in a cab about half'ah hour after the accident happened. 'During the Rangi-tikci-HawkeV Bay’ -Match Mr J. D. Ormond received a knock on the head, and his face and shirt were soon covered with blood. .The umpire stopped the game: while Mr Ormond's bead was being bandaged, but the player again took tho field.

At the Polico Court yesterday an elderly coloured man named Christian Massey, charged Samuel Michael, a. robust young follow, with assaulting him in the neighbourhood of a street of, unsavoury repute on the 23rd inst. Christian, according to his own quaintly worded account, was “walking quietly home with his hat on his head and a cabbage under his arm,” when defendant and some of bis. “pals,” without provocation, knocked his hat off and made a football of bis cabbage. A crowd gathered at once to- enjoy tho sport of seeing the old man baited. Tbo identity of defendant, despite prosecutor’s vehement protestations, was .xlronuously questioned by Ins counsel, Mr Cooper, out tbo presiding Magistrates, with tho aid of an independent witness, settled the point by fining Samuel Michael 40s, .with costs, or the usual alternative, allowing him twentyfour hours in which to pay them. ...

Mr James Ashcroft, District Coroner, hold an: inquest at Mount View Asylum yesterday on the body'of Albert George Harris, a waiter who had been a patient in tho Asylain for eleven years past. . Lately,' the' deceased developed a mania-,for. throwing himself forcibly against walls, and as a result ho breerke several of his ribs, although ho was as a rule kept in a padded room. Tho fact that Harris had broken, his ribs was not discovered until two or three days afterwards. The patient had been, treated for abscess, and tliis raised his temperature and obscured other symptoms, which at length ended in suppurative pleurisy. This w? tho cause of death, and a verdict was . found accordingly. Careful inquiry by Dr Gow and the jury failed to discloT fitly violence on the piirt of attendants, and the man hiniielf, in sane intervals,' never complained, and 'readily'.; Submitted to tho attendants.

- Tho Chinese of Wellington responded liberally- to an appeal made to them at the Fruit 'Market yesterday morning cn behalf of the Queen’s Statue Fund. Mr F. Townsend asked for subscriptions, and in half an hour tho following amounts were collected Joe Chong Wing, £5 ss; Sing Kee and Co., £1 Is; Wall Kee Bros., £1 Is. The following also contributed £1 Is each: —Wong She, Yee Lee, Sing On Tie, Ah Pat, Wong Sow, Long Kee. The following subscribed 10s each:—Ah Sung, Jang War, Nan Wong. Wong KoeT Hop Tai, Joo Kee, Wong Koon, Kee Keo, Mon Lee, Wong Too, Wong Kee, Louis Kitt, Keo Chong, Sing On Kee, Son Kwong liee, Duck King and Wong Hung. Subscriptions of 5s each were received from the following: Chong Keo, Joe Kwang Lee, Nan Kee, Charlie Ah Quay, and Jim Pat. Messrs Townsend and Paul gave a subscription of £3 2s- The total amount now collected for the fund in Wellington, is £1407 13s 4d.--,

Ten per cent, will be added to overdue rates in the Hutt county after the 31st instant.

Tho corresponding secretary of the W.CT.U. wishes to correct the statement made in Monday’s report of tho W.C.T.U. Convention. A statement was mad© to the effect that all persons who possessed tho right to vote at the Parliamentary election possessed (similar powers with .regard to tho Mayoral election. This sta.tem.eint was immediately challenged and proved to be incorrect.