NEWS OF THE DAY

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 8683, 17 March 1914, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

The new trial of the “Times”-“Do-minion” libel action has been definitely set down for the 25th inst.

The passenger accommodation of the Willochra, which is to sail from Wellington on Friday next for Sydney, has already been largely booked. A trial shipment of 252 tons of coal was received by the Pet one Council over the wharf at Petone, and it resulted in a saving of £lO. The following vessels are expected to be within wireless range of Wellington to-night:—Westralia, Maunganui, Maitai, -Maori, Wahiue, llangatira, and Argenfcls. A man named James Walker was arrested at Petone yesterday for the theft of a pair of boots from the shop of a local bootmaker, and for further thefts from a shop on the Hutt road. Daring the month of February the Petone gasworks manufactured 2,359,909 cubic feet of gas from 193 tons of coal. During the same period 2116 gallons of tar and 1(37 tons of coke were sold.

The Petone borough inspector (Mi R. B, Gough) reported to the council that ho had inspected 221 premises during the month of February and notices were served on fifteen owners of property to remedy sanitary defects.

Owing to the unstable nature of the subsoil in some of the streets of Petono it has been found necessary to lay the sewerage drainage pipes on a concrete foundation, to prevent the pipes breaking at the Joints when the trenches are filled in again. The amount to date expended on the Petone sewerage works totals C 13,185 5s 7d. Of this sum wages accounted for £3708 13s, material and pipes, etc. £6672 9s Bd, plant £445, interest, sinking fund and legal expenses £470 4s Id, and timber £462 os 4d. The Petone and .North cricket teams W;ll play off in the senior championship final on Saturday week. Petone is head of the list with 19 points, i while North has 17 points. In their match against Central concluded on Saturday, Petono won on the first innings, securing a two-point victory.

Victor Anderson, a young man of about twenty-six, was admitted to the hospital last evening, suffering from severe injuries to the chest. He had slipped beneath a loaded furniture waggon at Miramar and a wheel passed Over him, crushing several ribs. The full extent of the injury had not been ascertained last night. “Ambulance Saturday” collections at Mastertoh on Saturday last resulted in the sum of £52 8s Hid being obtained. Miss Kitty Kitchener collected the largest amount, £l2 16s 9d, whiph is a record collection for one individual. Miss May Hunter collected £lO 10s, Mrs Banks £8 12s 6d, Mrs Flanagan £7 4s 2d, Mrs Beale £4 Is 6d, Miss Hqulbrqoke £3 12s ■ 3ld, MisS Black £3 6s 3d, Mrs D’EWs £2 5s Cd. Mr H.. Atniore, ■ M.P. for Nelson; who lias had such successful meetings in the Hawke’s Bay distri.it,' during the last fortnight, has received numerous requests from electors in Wellington to give an address here concerning the political questions of the day. Mr Atmoro has decided to sneak at the Town Hall on Thursday next at 8 p.m. , when he will deal with matters affecting the present political situation.

On Sunday afternoon, says our correspondent, a bpy named Arthur Candy, son of •Mr W. Candy,, of Pine street, Masterton, was with, some-other boys playing with a live cartridge. They were endeavouring to make it explode by the use of a hammer and nail. When it came to Candy’s turn to hit the nail the cartridge exploded, blowing the top off a finger and a thumb of the unfortunate lad. His injuries were attended to by Dr Sosking. At' the Masterton S.M.'CoUtt yesterday morning a man named George Little was fined £5 for having assaulted Thomas Shaw at the Waingawa boardinghouse on Saturday night. From the evidence it appears that a fight took place at the boardinghouse and Shaw' went to Separate the men. Accused came and caught Shaw by the legs upset him and kicked him ih the face and head, stunning him. Both men are employees at the Waingawa freezing works, and accused recently Cjjime from Petone.

A deputation from the Hcretaung-i Boating Club waited upon the Petone Council at its meeting last night m regard to the construction of a boat harbour at Petone. Mr j. A. Macdonald, commodore of the club, said that the boating men heartily endorsed the proposal and a guarantee of £6O annually for two years was promised to financially assist the project. It was earnestly hoped the boat harbour would be an > established fact by next year, when it was proposed to undertake a regatta in conjunction with the earlv settlers movement, which would be second to none as far as Wellington was concerned Boating men’s present requirement was twelve to fifteen sheds 22ft by 10ft. The council decided to consider the matter in committee.

A pleasant social evening was held at the Thorndon Methodist Church last week, when an enjoyable programme of musical items was rendered by Misses Flaws, D. Clark, and J. Nicholas, Rev. G. S. Cook, Messrs Voyce, L. Jenkins, C. O. Coad, and L. G. Clark. Rev. G. S. Cook and Mr T. Sims, representatives to the Methodist Conference at Dunedin, gave interesting accounts of the work accomplished and the reports presented. During the evening tokens of appreciation were presented to Mr and Mrs W. Walton, and Mr and Mrs E. Tregurtha, who had recently removed from the city.' In making the presentations the Rev. G. S. Cook referred in. eulogistic terms to the recipients who for many years past had been most willing and untiring workers at the Thorndon Church. Prior to dispersing the members of the Ladies’ Guild provided refreshments. Some local business people who had never previously received a summons have lately had that unpleasant- experience, says the Ashburton “Guardian.” It seems that an elderly man has during the past few weeks been soliciting odd jobs in the town, and unless payment for work done is made on the spot, a summons is issued for the amount alleged to he due, no time for inspection of the work by employers being allowed. The vendor of “blue papers,” after he has finished the contract to his own satisfaction, visits -ho employer’s place of business or home and demands immediate payment. Protests by the employer that he wents to see whether the work has been done to his liking are of no avail, and a refusal to pay there and then results in the issue of a summons. On Several recent occasions the man. has been successful in forcing payment because o* his victims not caring for the publicity and trouble in defending a case in the court.

The sitting of the Court of Appeal has been adjourned till April 6th. The number of unemployed along tho waterfront is daily increasing and winter ;irospects are far from good. Tho tally clerks’ dispute comes before tho "Conciliation Council this morning. Since April Ist last, building permits for buildings valued at £38,467 have been issued by the Pctoue borough engineer’s department, on which fees amounting to £55 5s were paid. A quinnat salmon weighing lllb, was caught in the mouth of the Raugitata on Sunday, says a Press Association message from Timaru. Quinnat were turned into tho Waitnki some years ago, from tho Hakataramea hatcheries. and a few small ones had been netted.

As a result of recent conferences between the Miramar Borough Council and the City Council Tramways Committee, on the subject of an improvement to the Miramar tram service, the Tramways Committee will lay definite proposals before the City Council on Thursday next. A foreigner, who oniy arrived in the Dominion at New Year time, and who pleaded ignorance of the law, was convicted and discharged for having supplied a Maori with liquor off licensed premises, says a Press Association message from Rotorua. The Maori, who persuaded him to purchase the liquor was, however, fined £25. A single man named Charles Goddard, aged fifty, a cook by occupation, who resided in Austin street, was knocked down by an express at the corner of Vivian and Taranaki streets last evening. A wheel of the vehicle passed over Ids right leg, which was severely injured. The man was removed to tho hospital. A record dry spoil is being experienced her® (states a Press Association telegram from Rcefton). Tho town reservoir, containing 900,000 gallons, has to he carefully husbanded; water can only be obtained for four hours per day. Almost all tho creeks are dry. The new Big River, mine has been compelled to close down, and other mines will soon be affected. Rain is anxiously awaited. The winners of the various points prizes at the Shannon horticultural show were as follow:—Pot plants, Mrs F. W. Venn; garden produce, Mr Galland; decorative, Mro Gibson; cooking, Mrs It. H. Webb; fruit, Mrs Griffith ; farm produce, Sir Pigott; home industries, Mrs S. W. 'Carter; cut bldoms, Mrs Galland; fancy work, Mrs Gibson; children’s sewing, Fanny Brown; champion dahlia, Mr E. J. Judd. The show proved tho most successful that has been held in Shannon.

A meeting was held in the Methodist Church, Brooklyn, on Friday last, when it was decided to form a Young Men’s Club in that submir, and negotiations are now being conducted in order to secure rooms. There is to bo a gymnasium attached to the club, and as'there are so many young men in Brooklyn the outlook is very promising, The Rev. J. H. White was elected president of the club, with F, Burnham as secretary pro tern. Subscription lists will he circulated hi the course of a day or-two, and it is expected to have the club in full working order for the winter.

There are many other considerations besides conscientious objections which may induce young men to disobey the Defence Act. A senior cadet anpeared at the Christchurch Magistrate’s Court on Friday charged with having absented himself from drill, says the-“Lyttelton Times.”, .Ho objected to short trousers, ho said. They “showed a fellow up so.” The magistrate (Mr T. A. B, Bailey) was not sympathetic. “You have to wear short trousers to plav football,” ho said. “Besides, the soldiers in India often wear them on active service.” The youth’s conceit cost him half a sever * eign.

Apropos of the political attitude of Mr J. Gordon Coates, the genial mem* her for Kainara'. There was an agricultural show the other day at a place called Arapohue, with the indispensable concert and dance in the evening, at which Sir Coktes made a nice little speech, somewhat marred by the following incident. He said he had just come from the starting of the Waiuku railway, in Mr Massey’s constituency, and was somewhat concerned about the vote for the North Auckland line having been reduced from £BO,OOO to £60,000, and ho really did not know what to do about it. A bucolic cockatoo in tile audience solved the problem for him by the apt remark:' “Put Massey out I’’ A short sitting in Chambers was held by His Honour the Chief Justice at the Supreme Court yesterday afternoon- Hearing of the mattef of the Nutricia Milk Company (in liquidation), a petition for the winding up of the company under the supervision of the court, Was set down for Friday afternoon. The divorce case of Wilson v. Wilson was fixed for the 30th ilist. In the matter of the Taungatn Land Company (in liquidation), an application by the liquidator for permission to admit a claim' by Harcourt and Go. against the company, a fixture was made for 2.30 p.m. on Friday, and an order was made that the liquidator shall not dispose of or deal with the assets of the company so as to affect the claim. Peculiar circumstances attended the burning of Air It. A. Large’s house at lUangapapa (says the Gisborne correspondent of the Auckland “Herald”). Mr Largo was at home alone andi while in the garden about 1 p.m he noticed smoke coming out of the house. On going into tne kitchen he found that a piece of wood had fallen out of the range and had burned through the floor. The fire was promptly extinguished, It broke out afresh several times, but on each occasion was subdued by buckets of water. Between 3.30 and o p,m. tho fire restarted In two or three places, hut was put out each time, and Sir Largo kept a. close watch until 6.15, when everything appeared safe. Ho then went a short distance away for- his tea. Ho had not bo there long when lie observed that the houso was once mora on fire, and this time it wan completely destroyed.

The wharves at Wellington’s seaside suburbs are now being utilised to a greater extent than formerly. Seventyeight vessels with a net tonnage of 44,145 tons were berthed at the Miramar wharf, during the twelve months ending September 30th. There were approximately 1,673.352 superficial feet of timber landed, while 20,101 tons of coal were discharged. Coal shipped from the Wellington Gas Works totalled about 446 tons. Fifteen vessels with a net tonnage of 11,223 tons wore berthed at the Pctone work. Of these vessels fourteen loaded cargoes of live shcep-approxim-ately 24,239, and the remaining vessel discharged a cargo of 75,512 superficial feet of timber. In addition to the ferry fleet two boats were berthed at the Ron a Bay wharf, which is practically a new one. One discharged 280 sacks of chaff, and the other landed 178 tons of coal.