NEWS OF THE DAY

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8611, 23 December 1913, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

A number of cases against various persons charged with being found on licensed premises during the temporary closing period during the strike were withdrawn at the Magistrate’s Court yesterday morning before Mr J. S. Evans, S.M. This procedure was adopted -in consequence of a decision affecting the matter recently delivered by Mr W. G. Riddell, S.M. The Rev. J. Flanagan, speaking at the Octagon Hall, Dunedin, the other night, said: “ You’ve no idea of the overcrowding in the London slums. I know a court, the entrance to which is only about 4ft wide, in which 3000 persons live. In this court a man and his family of six occupied one room, 12ft square. In this they lived and slept. The rent was 4s 6d a week. This being rather heavy the tenant let half the room to another family, who paid him 3s, and so as to readjust the interior it was deemed sufficient to put up a partition formed of broken orange boxes, this partition dividing the room into equal halves, and terminating at the fireplace, each of the wives thus having access to it from her side. One day I took to this court a lady who wanted to see the slums, and when she could stand the stench and the sights no longer, and asked me to take her out, we had to step over the bodies of five drunken women who had fallen in a heap at the entrance.” ■' These are not the lecturer’s exact words, but they represent what he said on the subject. On Christmas Day the Chief Post Office will be closed in ail branches. The only despatch of mails for Wairarapa, Hawke’s Bay, Manawatu, Rangitikoi, Wanganui, Taranaki, and Auckland districts will close on that day at 6.30 a.m., and mails for despatch by steamers will close the previous evening at 8 o’clock. There will be no clearances of the city and suburban 'receivers, but all the city central, Te Aro, and Thorndon receivers will be cleared the previous evening at 6 o’clock, Wellington South 5 p.m., and all others at 4 p.m. The midnight clearances will be made as usual. There will not be any delivery by let-ter-carriers. To-morrow the inquiry counter will be open from 8 to 9 p.m. for tie delivery of all correspondence addressed to the Chief Post Office, and the same evening the inquiry counter in the letter-carriers’ department will bo open from 8 to 9 p.m. for delivery of all correspondence addressed to streets in the city and suburbs; also the public counter in parcels departs ment will be open from 8 to 9 p.m. On Boxing Day, the Chief Post Office will be open in all branches, except the money-order and Savings Bank Department, from 9 to 10 a.m. The only despatch of mails for Wairarapa, Hawke’s Bay, Manawatu, Rangitikei, Wanganui, Taranaki, and Auckland districts will close at 6.30 a.m., and mails for despatch by steamers will close at 8 a.m. The city and suburban receivers will not be cleared during the day, but the midnight clearances will be made as usual. The letter-carriers will make one full delivery in the city and suburbs, for which all correspondence must be posted at the Chief Post Office by 7 a.m.

Just on seventy-three years ago, on Christmas Eve, 1840, the ship Blenheim arrived at 'Wellington heads with 300 Scottish passengers and emigrants.

On January 9th representatives from the Foxton Borough Council will meet the guarantors, Messrs Bind, Stansell, and Gunning, at Shannon, to arrange terms for the installation of a highpressure water supply for both districts under one scheme.

The High Commissioner for Now Zealand has advised the Minister for Immigration that the second contingeiit of farm hoys will embark from London on tho Suffolk, which is due in Auckland towards the end of February. Applications for these boys are now being received by tho Immigration Department.

James Warren Williams, who pleaded guilty in the Magistra_te’s_ Court, Palmerston North, on the loth to a charge of having, on December 7th, at Foxton wilfully set fire to a fiveroomed house, the -property of A. S. Paterson and Co., of Wellington, and to having on the same date sot lire to and destroyed a building owned by John Death, will appear before His Honour the Chief Justice for sentence this morning at 10.30 o’clock.

A London paper just to hand reports that a party of eight wealthy English people, who do not at present wish their names made public, were to leave by tho P. and O. Line for New Zealand in November, bringing with them their motor-cars, chauffeurs, and several other servants, and making their first stop at Auckland. If they like the country, they intend to spend two years in hunting, sea and. freshwater fishing, camping, shooting, and deer stalking. Legal argument was concluded before His Honour tho Chief Justice yesterday morning in the case of Joseph Denholm Robertson, accountant, of Wellington, versus Sir Kenneth Douglas, solicitor, and George Luke .and- Thomas Cooper, builders, all of Wellington, a claim for specific perfc. finance of a contract for the sale of a town section. Mr A. W. Blair appeared for the plaintiff and Mr T. Neavo for Sir Kenneth Douglas, the other defendants not having filed any defence. Judgment was reserved. On behalf of the residents, Mr J. R. Stansell, of Lyall Bay, has -written to the Postmaster-General in reference to the position of the telephone box which was recently installed at the bay. Ho has suggested that, to prevent tho box from being used for purposes other than that for which it is intended, and also to keep children from playing in it, a charge be made for entering the box in addition to the use of the instrument. This could— be done by a penny-in-the-slot attachment on the door.

“ Do you swear absolutely to the identity of these men,” asked Mr A. E. Skelton of a witness at the Auckland Police Court. “To the best of tny belief they are the men,” replied the witness. Mr Skelton took exception to tho answer, stating that there was a difference between such a statement and swearing definitely, but Mr B. C. Cutton, S.M., held the opposite view. “ No man in this world,” he said, “can swear absolutely to anything. The utmost he can do is to swear to the best of his belief. Counsel have a habit of asking witnesses to ‘ swear absolutely,’ but it is merely a question.” The larger of two Fijian war drums (“lalis”), now dispayed in tho Fiji court at the Auckland .Exhibition, has been presented to tho Auckland Museum by the Hon. J. B. Turner, a member of the Legislative Council of Fiji. The gift has been made through tho Mayor (Mr C. J. Parr) in his capacity as president of the museum. In a covering letter the donor points out that the lali concerned is of unusual size, but otherwise similar to those used in Fijian towns. It was made especially for the Exhibition from vesi, a very durable timber grown in the Islands. Mr Turner considers that the war drum can ho preserved for centuries if it bo kept under cover.

At a meeting of the executive _ of the Highland Society the following officers were elected'.—Chief. Mr J. G. W. Aitken; chieftains, Professor Mackenzie, Sir Walter Buchanan, M.P., Mr O. B. Morisou, K.C.; trustees, Messrs A. MacViear, J. M, Campbell, D. Macgillivray; librarian, Mrs A. Mac Vicar; treasurer, Mr A. Macdonald; secretary, Mr J. W. Mackey; pipers, Messrs D. P. Dang, Allan Stait, T. Macdonald, A. Macdonald; council, ;aU elected officers and Dr Mackillop, Messrs H. Ix. Mlacleod’, J. D. Maophee, lan Macpherson, Donald Macgiliivray, Mrs MacViear, Mrs D. Campbell, Mrs D. MacMillan. It is intended to hold a meeting of the executive on January 18th next, when a programme for the coming .year will probably be adopted. The objects of the society are such as will naturally p-ppeal to all Highlanders, and in Wellington and its surroundings there are numerous representatives of the race who will welcome the opportunity thus given tor social intercourse. The lady members of the executive have already a scheme on foot to provide entertainments where national music, songq, and dances will play a leading part. A point illustrating the risks run by second-hand dealers in buying goods from unknown men led to some discussion between Chief-Detective Broberg and Mr J. S. Evans, S.M., at yesterday morning’s sitting of the Magistrate’s Court. The cate was one in which a brief-bag containing ceitain legal documents and other articles had been stolen from a reading-room in a city hotel. The bag and the contents, excepting the documents, had been sold by the accused to various second-hand dealers in the city for small sums. On investigation of tincase by detectives, the dealers acted perfectly honestly and returned the goods. Yesterday Chief-Detective Broherg asked that an order should he made against the owner for the amount nf money paid to the various dealers. The magistrate was not disposed to do so, saying that the owner was the man to be considered first. The ChiefDotefitivo replied that the dealers should be encouraged in acting so fair, ly towards the police and similar or ders had been made by judges of the Snnreme- Court. His Worshin admii ted that the owner had acted careless, j v in leaving a bag containing valuable legal documents lying about the read-ing-room of a hotel. bn + it was unreasonable that a man should bare f.. hit for his own goods. "Tf a dealetuns an article for a small price. In. takes his chance with it.” said H-s Wor«hin. However. after fnrthei consideration, the heueh made an or. -Vr directing the owner to mr half the amount to reimburse the dealers. A oroved enre for D-ndruff is found *n Virginian Hair and Renin Food. Tins remedy is recommended by Mrs R"l----teston, 256. Dambton quay, and has become remarkably popular. •