NEWS OF THE DAY

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 8653, 11 February 1914, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY

The Minister for Defence (the Hon. J. Allen) stated yesterday that the Naval Act of last session would, be brought into operation as soon as ■H MS. Philomel has been formally handed, over to the New Zealand Government. The naval adviser to the Government has not yet been appointed, but both this and the matter of making the Philomel a training-ship are now the subject of correspondence between the Imperial and Dominion Governments.

The fire brigade received a call yesterday afternoon to No. 1, Crmckshank street, Kilbirnie, where a fire occurred in a fire-roomed dwelling occupied by Mr Thomas Kempton and owned by Mr J. J- Boyd. The outbreak occurred in a cupboard in the diningroom, but was fortunately subdued before much damage was done. The budding is covered in the Victoria office for £250, but there is no insurance on "the contents.

Tiie following actions in divorce aro set down for hearing at the forthcoming civil sittings of the Supreme rt Before a judge and a common •“ of twelve —Edmund Earl Furness v. Blanche Louisa Furness and Leonard Cook; Thomas Kae v. Elizabeth Itae. Before a judge alone—Wilham Thomas Parsons v. Hannah Laura Parsons- Charlotte Couzens v. Ernest Eunert’ Couzens ; Celia Izabella Grant v. ■William Kerr Grant; Louise Louetaneau Dedeene v. William Eastwood Honey 11 (nullity); Arnold William Eiplev Jacomb v. Elsa Emily Jacomb and Charles H. Thompson; Lillian Eleanor Glow v. Thomas Augustin© Glew; Mary Ann Palamountain v. John Arthur Palamountain; Violet Fernandes vGeorge Henry Fernandos.

About twenty domestics arrived from London by the Ruapehu yesterday. They were in charge of Mrs M. Beck.

Detective Mason arrested a man named Edward Ferdinand Runnstrom yesterday on a charge of having deserted from the s.s. Arawa in November last.

The question of erecting dangerposts and sign-posts to warn cyclists and motor-ear drivers was before the Hutt County Council yesterday. It was left in the, hands of Councillor Howell to confer with the Motor Cycling Club. • A young man named Thomas Frederick Everest was arrested by Detective Dempsey yesterday on a charge of having broken into and entered the dwelling of George Reid, and stolen therefrom a gold watch and a gold t ring, valued at £8 ss. The Ruapehu brought seventy-five assisted immigrants to the Dominion yesterday. Twenty were domestic; servants, sixteen farm labourers, and thirty-nine separated relatives. They were all dispatched to their destinations yesterday. “I saw a man with a piece of timber about six feet long; he swung it at my head and missed mo,” said a police constable in the Supreme Court yesterday, when giving evidence as to the riot which occurred in the yard of the Post and Telegraph stores on October 30th last.

The Shaw, Savill and Albion Company’s liner Athenie, which left London for AVollington on Thursday last, is bringing 204 assisted immigrants to the Dominion, Of these forty-seven are domestic servants, forty are farm labourers, and 117 are joining relations in New Zealand. The Athenie is due hero on Match 24th.

It lias been arranged, in connection with the Trentham rifle meeting, that the service matches are to be disposed of on the opening day, the 26th inst. On the following day, Friday, the first match for the Champion Belt will be fired, and the miniature matches will take place on Saturday. The 'championship, both service and ordinary, will probably be completed on the fob lowing Thursday. The question of the advisability of making canals to join the Manukau and Waitemata harbours (known as the Whau scheme), and to join the Waikato with the Manukau, is to be the subject of consideration by a Royal Commission in a few weeks’ time. The Prime Minister (Right Hon. W. F. Massey) states that the Government intends to appoint two experts bo the Commission with experience in marine engineering.

Two little children of four and three years old respectively, whoso parents are in indigent circumstances, were committed to the Wellington Receiving Home by Mr E. W. Burton. S.M., yesterday. As there is no trace of the husband, the mother was ordered to pay 5s a week towards the support of each child. Throe other children, respectively nine, six, and three years of age, were also committed to the* home, and were ordered to be brought up in the Roman Catholic religion. The day classes of the Wellington Technical College, which opened on Monday, appear to be just as congested as ever, the number of scholars enrolling being even larger than last year. What is undoubtedly wanted is a new school. If such is erected, so one gentleman who is conversant with the subject, told a “Times” reporter yesterday, there would be no difficulty about securing students; he was certain that room would be wanted for three or four hundred. The evening classes reopen to-morrow. In the report in yesterday’s “Times” of the discussion by the Lower Hntt Borough Council on motor speed-limits, Councillor Dawson w&s made to say “that he would like to see the by-law amended to provide that the speed limit from the railway station to the V.I.C. store be twenty miles per hour instead of fifteen, as at present, and beyond that point twtenty-five miles per hour, instead of twenty miles.” The position is that this was a suggestion made to Councillor Dawson, and at the meeting he merely passed it on to the engineer for what it was worth. A lad eighteen - years of age admitted in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday to stealing two sums of money of 20s and 40s respectively, and also a gold watch. The Chief-Detective said the boy’s father had come down from Masterton, and had refunded the money. The watch also had been recovered. If the lad was given a chance his father would secure for him employment on a farm. , The magistrate (Mr Burton) said that in these cases he was loth to convict. However, the boy would be ordered to come up for sentence when called upon. Yesterday the, executive of the Wharf Labourers’ Union received the following requisition, signed by some fifteen members;-—“ln terms of rule 20 of the above union’s rules we, the undersigned members, request you to call a special meeting of the above union for the purpose of considering the following resolution That this meeting consider and take action as may be deemed necessary itegarding the persistent refusal of the executive to call special meetings requested by membere, and to consider what action can be taken to enforce the resolutions passed at the meeting on Saturday, February 7th.”

The recent volcanic disaster in the New Hebrides was the subject of a sympathetic motion carried at a meeting of the Wellington Presbytery last evening. The resolution, which was moved by the Eev. Mr Comrie, was as follows:—"That the Presbytery hears with deep regret of the disaster which has overtaken onr mission in the New Hebrides, in the total destruction of the hospital on Ambrym and the loss of life among the natives; it records its satisfaction that all the hospital patients were removed to a place of safety, and its appreciation of the heroic efforts of (our esteemed co-presbyter Dr Bowie, and of Mrs Bowie and Nurse Wright. The Presbytery also pray that Dr Bowie may speedily be restored to health and enabled to return to the work to which he has devoted bis life.”

A pleasant outing was provided yesterday for a party numbering about fifty by the annual City Council visit to the waterworks at Wainui-o-mata. Those taking part included the Mayor (Mr J. P. Luke), most of the councillors, the town clerk (Mr J. E. Palmer), the city, engineer (Mr W. H. Morton), and other corporation officials, ex-Mayors D. McLaren and C. M. Luke, and several past councillors. Fine weather favoured the excursion, and a very enjoyable trip was made in open cabs and motor-cars, the destination being reached about midday. Luncheon was partaken of, and the afternoon was spent in an interesting tour of inspection, covering the waterworks and the adjacent locality. The visitors left for town about half-past 4, after having spent a very enjoyable day.

The following vessels are expected to be within wireless range of 'Wellington this evening:—Maori, Waliinc, Star of Ireland, Maitai, Willochra, and Westralia.

Mr G. D. Greenwood, of Christchurch. imported by the lluapehu yesterdav a thoroughbred mare. She is a six-vcar-old chestnut purchased from Mr F." W. Talbot, of Winchester, Hants. The driver of a local milk cart was recently warned by Inspector Seed, of the S.P.C.A., for working a decrepit old horse which had long passed the stage of doing even the lightest of duties. The owner decided to give the animal a lengthy spell. The postal authorities advise that the R.M.S. Makura, which sailed from Suva on the Bth inst. for Auckland, is bringing American and English mails, via Vancouver. The Wellington portion is due per Main Trunk express to-morrow.

“The Auckland Exhibition is being run on very strict business lines,” said Mr H. F- Allen, secretary of the Wellington Industrial Association, last evening. “You got very little for nothing.” Another member of the association interposed, meaningly: “Yes, I believe they forgot to arrange for people to pay as they come out.”

“Of all games that of bowls is the most democratic,” declared the Mayor (Mr C. J. Parr) at the opening of the Auckland Bowling Club’s new pavilion on Saturday afternoon. “You See playing it people of all ranks in the community—the artisan earning £8 a" week, the millionaire or the merchant, all enjoying it together. If the employer and the employee could only com© here and play bowls together,” said Mr Parr, “such a fine feeling would he set up between them that we should hear no more of general strikes.” (Applause.) The biennial conference of tho Locomotive Engine-Drivers, Firemen, and Cleaners’ Association will commence to-day in the Trades Hall, Christchurch. The following members will be present:—President, Mr S. Kennedy ; vice-president, Mr E. W. Henderson; general secretary, Mr'W. McArley; delegates: Auckland, J. Craies; Frankton, *J. Denz; Napier, J. Pepperill; Wanganui, C. G. Lee; Wellington, W. Wiles; Greymouth, A. Rowe; Christchurch, H. Brown; Dunedin, J. Henderson; Invercargill, J. Walker. At this year’s conference many important matters connected with locomotive men’s affairs will be discussed, and a policy for the future arrived at. A list of charges against juveniles occupied the attention of Mr E. W. Burton, S.M., for a while yesterday. Four lads, charged with wilfully damaging a house belonging to Messrs A, L Wilson and Co., to the extent of £2 17s 6d, pleaded not guilty. , After hearing the evidence the magistrate dismissed the case. A small boy, nine years of age, admitted having stolen a purse containing £lO 8s lid, the property of Angus Ross. In connection with the same case, another lad, ten years old, was arraigned on a charge of receiving a £lO note, well knowing tho same to have beien dishonestly obtained. After severely admonishing the two lads, and receiving an assurance from the parents that they had punished tho delinquents, tho boys were discharged.

Somebody is feeling sore in Canterbury 1 over the Auckland Exhibition. At last night’s meeting of the Wellington Industrial Association .a letter was read from the secretary of the Canterbury Association expressing the view that it was a breach of etiquette that the president of his association (Mr J. B. Laurenson) had not received an official invitation to the opening of the Exhibition. The secretary of the Wellington Association (Mr H. E. Allen) said that he had interviewed the Exhibition secretary, Mr Holmes, on the subject, but he had been informed that the invitations had been' sent out in accordance with a resolution of one of the' Exhibition committees. “Personally,” said Mr Allen, “I don’t understand the resolution, and I certainly think that the Canterbury Association should not have been passed over.” Three ardent anti-militarists, under the leadership of a Mr Williams, attempted 'to conduct a propaganda meeting at New Brighton last Saturday evening. Mr Williams had, however, scarcely entered the fringe of his charges against the evils of the military Act when the temper of his listeners became evident. The crowd was for the main part youthful and extremely jocular. They had no sympathy with the mission of the visitors, and expressed themselves freely ’in badinage and irrelevant questionings. Salved from the chaos of discordant calls, rag-time ditties' and loyal songs, Mr Williams’s speech was intended to convey to the crowd that they, the anti-militarists, were going to deal with the military law, as it stood, in harsh measures. Persecution at Ripa Island or elsewhere would not deter them. The speaker hoped some who were there would be fotmd on the island showing thoir objection to the un-British system of militarism under which they were suffering. Reference was made-to the approaching visit of General Sir lan Hamilton, and immediately cheers were called for the general, and more loyal and vociferous chorus singing was indulged in. The medley was extremely youthful' and joyful. The speech-makers had a hopeless and disappointing task.

A meeting of the Wellington Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was held yesterday afternoon, when there were present:—Mr Meredith (in the chair), Messrs Lewis, Jamieson, Ilott, Watson, Mesdames Kernot, Williams, Seville, Christie, and Miss Richardson. Reference was made to the large decrease in the collections, which were reported to be smaller than the society used to get ten years ago. It was agreed to make inquiries, to ascertain if possible the reason of the falling-off in voluntary subscriptions. Mr Seed (the inspector) reported several cases of cruelty to horses which he had in hand. One aged gelding, in particular, had a large open sore on the fetlock, and was a mere skeleton. After examination it was ordered to be destroyed immediately. Subscriptions were received and acknowledged as follows:—Miss Paul £l, Mrs F. G. Wilson 15s 6d, A. S. Paterson and Co., Ltd., 10s 6d, Mrs Page, Stewart Dawson and Co., and New Zealand Colonial Carrying Co. 10s each; Mr G. H. Scales 7s 6d, Mrs Christie 6s, Mesdames McEldowney, Madeley, Bonayne, Garnet, Harty, Messrs Phelps, Wilson and Co., Windsor, M.F. Co.. C. Hill and Sons, Hirst and Co., C. H. Hunt, W. H. Nash, C. Morris, junr., D. A. Abercrombie and Dr Henry, os each; Messrs Donoghue, J. S. Rickard, C. Haynes, W. J. Helyer, W. Buddell, and Mesdames Baillie and Fisher, 2s 6d each; Mrs Valentine and Mies Gruar, 2s each; total, £9 11s. Accounts amounting to £l2 Os 6d were passed for payment.