LOCAL AND GENERAL.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4366, 25 May 1901, Page 5

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Mr Justice Edwards will preside at the Supremo Court sittings which open at Napier on Monday. The Chief Justice will deliver judgment in the case of OBodley v. Macdonald, and in the matter of the lease Nash to Preecc, at ten o’clock this morning. Captain Seddon, who is at present, with tho Seventh Now Zealand Contingent, has now been over a year on active service dn South Africa. In a recent letter he mentioned that the horse which he had on landing at Beiva was still serving him we'!. 1 Now that tho Minister for Public Works lias decided to make a railway to Mount figment, the Hawcra Chamber of Commerce will, it is understood, take definite steps to urge tho Government tc erect a Sanatorium on Mount Egmont. It is understood that tho Minister for Public Works is decidedly in favour of inch a building. He was recently c good way up the mountain, and speaks highly of its climatic conditions. i

There arc 83,013 dairy cows rad holler-; in the Taranaki district. Sister-; .Miriam and Vvinnio will conI inuo their evangelistic mission in tm Webb street Clruich till Thu; May even-

ing. It transpires that the dearth c? v.ate; in the earlier part of tins week w.i? '■aused by a had break in the pipes m: ;.be Vvaiuui-o-mala road.

.or IV, IT. Field, Mdi.R.. will address a meeting at Xichol’s Hall, 1*!!hautanui, this evening, on subjects o! interest to fanners. Tho formation oi a, fanners’ union will also he discussed.

'The vacancy caused hy the departure of Air C. Hudson to take, charge of the Tasmanian Hallways, will be filled hy the appointment of it local officer to tipposition of Assistant-General Alanager here.

Two horses drawing a cab bolted down Tory street yesterda- afternoon, and ran into the posts fronting the entrance to Te Aro Hallway Station. One horse was killed and the front of the cab wu, s smashed, -but tho driver (J. Bell) fortunately escaped injury. A representative ,; f a large mining company in tlio vicinity of Hokitika, says the "West Coast Times,” complains of the difficulty lit securing men to work on the company's water races, even though lie offers Os a day for labourers. Tho same report comes from different parts of the toast.

Hon J. G. Ward has received a number of rcrpii.dtions tusking him lo deliver political addresses in different parts of tho colony. Ho regrets that owing to the near approach of the Koval visit and the early assembling of Parliament, he will ho unable to comely with the desires of those who have communicated with him.

Tho first prize of ifs 5s offered hy the Insurance Institute of New Zealand, for an essay on "Genera! Principles of Conducting a. Fire Insurance Business,” has boon awarded to .Mr F. B. Krdgravc, oi Ihn staff’ of the New Zealand Insurance Company. Xelson. .Mi- W. G. Wood, of tho Commercial Union Assurance Company’s .staff’ in this city, gained the second prize cf £'J 2s. 'Jne competition was open to the members of iho institute under the ago of twenty-five years.

The following returns of fever cases treated at Fie Gisborne Hospital for the periods la'.ilFUfi and ISUV-lffOl indicate an increase of the disease for the latter pi. noil bub a decrease of deaths : —Period iSiffi-SJG ; 181 A, -f7 cases, 6 deaths; 1893, 23 casts, i) deaths; 1891, 2(> cases, 1 deaths; 1895, 20 cases, 1 death; 18U6, 10 cases, 5 deaths; total, 102 cases, 10 deaths; nr.rtalitv, 9.87 per cent. Period 1897-1901 : 1897, 26 cases, 1 death; lß‘->B, 03 cases, 3 deaths; 1899, ii cases, 3 deaths; 1900, 28 cases, 3 deaths ; 1901, 39. cases, -1 deaths; total, 203 cases, 13 deaths; mortality, 6.40 per cent.

•“Soldiers of the Cross” is the, titie of the lecture to be delivered hy Commandant 11. jjocth, of the Salvation Army, in Tho CKndel, Vivian street, on Monday next. To illustrate tho lecture some 200 magnificent slides have been prepared, a vast amount of trouble having been taken to ensure absolute correctness as to costume, scenery, ‘surroundings, etc. In addition to these there are a number -‘of kincmatograph films furnishing moving pictures of the principal scones described. Those showing the burning of the ‘martyr Bishop Polycarp, and the drowning of the Bishop Oalcpodius are said to be- very fine. The lecture generally takes upwards of two hours to‘doliver, and has received the warm commendation of the press elsewhere. Tho Commandant will speak at the Opera House to-morrow afternoon.

A deputation recently waited on the New Plymouth Harbour Board to protest against the Threatened destruction of Fantutu Mountain, which tho members said was Deing transformed into a quarry. The settlers wore particularly desirous that, as a beauty spot the place should be felt alone- Air Percy bmith said that as an old settler he had a reverence for Paritutu in the same way that he had for Mount Kgmont. He spoke strongly on The aspect the tourist question had on the matter, stating it had increased in ten years from 100,000 to a quarter of a million, and he considered this should be a powerful argument in favour of the preservation of such places. Tho Beard ‘sympathised with tJio deputation, and after discussion, resolved that the removal of stone should bo immediately stopped, and to co-ope-rate with tho Taranaki Scenery Preservation Society’ in preserving. Paritutu intact.

At a meeting of the Astronomical Society, held at Paris early in March, M. Becquerei gave a description cf the extraordinary properties of tho new- element, radium. This body when brought into tho light shines with a brilliancy surpassing that of the electric arc. Mo bright, indeed, was the light given by tho piece shown that it was clearly seen through the speaker’s coat. But the most extraordinary quality is that no waste can be determined, and to explain the mystery recourse has to bo had to tho old -omission theory of light which long ago was thought to have been exploded. Radium thus appears to overthrow many scientific tneories, for its luminous radiations appear to be produced in the same way as tbe emanations of musk. Radium, however, is not likely to bo put on the market, as it costs in its production £2OUO per gramme, that is, Igrains. The experiment Was conducted with a piece weighing one grain and a half. -

The “Advertiser” states that Mr G. T. Wilkinson, of the Native Lauds Department, is now in the Piako district purchasing 9980 acres of laud from the native owners. There are eight separate blocks to be purchased, each with a different lot of owners, and with a different area. It is not expected that the whole of the land required will be purchased, but there is every probability that the great majority of the owners will sell, and that major portion of the land will bo secured. Tho price being paid for the land was net disclosed, but a general price lias been agreed upon, and this is considered to be very tair. Already at Paeroa purchases of Piako lands have been completed with the owners there,‘and there appears to be a general inclination on the part of the native owners to soil to -the Government. When the Thames purchases are competed it is tho intention of Mr Wilkinson to proceed to Kcrepahi and other native settlements, where other owners of Piako lands reside, J

The members of the Wellington City Council did a hard day's work yesterday Not that this fact is so unusual as to excito comment, but yesterday’s work was a distinct departure from their ordinary round of daily duty. The Mayor and Councillors spout their holiday in tramping for about throe hours over miles of rough country at Karori. Leaving the City Council offices at 10.30 a.in., they rove in carriages to the Karori reservoir, and then began their journey np hill and down dale, in order that they might examine the formation of the country so as to decide whether it would be possible to obtain water from sources in addition to those now drawn upon. They bravely toiled over the vholo country-side, examining every possible stream, and returned to town at about four o’clock. It is understood that there is some hope of obtaining an increased supply of water. A report on th e whole question will arobably be submitted at the next meeting of the City Council.

Tho Chart oi Appeal yesterday gav' Xavo to tho respondems to apprai v. • Iso Privy Council in the- case er _ t!;; ■volicitor-’Genoral, appellant, and v.aSliand ethers, respondent.-, with reference to ti’.e Porirua School Trust. An amend merit of the statement of defence was. bv consent, allowed. The Magistrate's Court sat for a short time yesterdav, Messrs • Hildreth «nc! E. Arnold, J.P.’s. preimng. JameHunlou and Fanny Cook were cadi convicted of drunkenness. The former vra? rent, to prison tor three mouth-, aim the latter was given her choice of payin" £2 or .serving seven days’ imprisonment. Charles Palmer was remanded for a week on a charge of having stolen £I;J from Hugh McDonogb. _ Henry Hargraves was sent to Rakaia, there ro answer a charge of having stolen a suit of clothes from Edward Hampton.