LOCAL & GENERAL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2289, 13 January 1898, Page 21

LOCAL & GENERAL.

The fifteenth annual meeting of the New Zealand Educational Institute was opened oa the 4fch in the City Council Chambers, the proceedings being opened by an address by the President (Mr W. Davidson), who dealt with the subjects that were to come before the council for decision. Resolutions were subsequently carried dealing with a colonial scale of staff* and salaries for teachers, the euforce--znent of the compuUory clauses cf the Education Act, the centralisation of the inspectorate, ■and the publication of the names of the examiners in the various eubjecta for the certificate examination. Tbe question of the modification of the exiting system for the classification of teachers was discussed at come lengbh, and further consideration of the mstt-or postponed until this morning. His Worship t^he Mayor (Mr S. B. Carflill) addressed the council during the afternoon and, in the name of the citizens, welcomed the meaifcers of the -council to Dunedin. Mr R. D. Sletr*rt also made a statement in committee respecting the -case of' Mr Etlia, of AuokUnd, and it w&e mentioned that a resolution would be brought forward ou tbe subject on the following day.

To Bhow how severely the sagacity of the postal authorities is occasionally taxed in forwarding letters, pap9ro, «nd other wwotves to ■*heir proper owners through the careltssneisof Abe se&dere, a caee may be quoted which "occurred not long ago. A gentleman of tbis city ordered, a daily new«pnper, printed in Russia, through Mr* J»s. Howburgti. For a long time nothing came of the experiment. At last tbe fire!; number of the paper arrived eeveral months late, acd adorned with as n»By post office stamps as tbe cover would hold. The folio-wing was the address prin+ei in beautiful Baglish capitals :— -" Mr T*s He-*burgh Donedin. New South Wales. (W»le»)." Of course though Me H«r«burgh had' informed the sender in Russia bhat his name was " Jwsaes," and that he lived in New Zealand, tbe man in Bosnia knew better and substitated "Ta«" {which EBeacs Thomas in Russian) for Jamea, and he alao thought he kuew that in order that the paper should reach New Zealand it would have to be addressed to New South Wales (Wales). The consequence w«s tb*t the p*per made the whole, tour of Soath W*k>6 fiwb and then of North Wales. Affcer that it n»« M>»t by way of E<iinbtu-gh to Do-ndee witboat finding the owner. In the e»d it fifttne to New Sou4h Wale?, where no doubt the P*4t Oftiee Directory earoe to the assistance of the officials and the trouble euded. Although no paias were taken to have the add*ese altered the paper came regularly for the whole term of a 12 months' subscription. Bosh fires have been raging in the Tadtnor and SnerTydis-'riets, Nelson. Ctettflennd sheep owned by Mt J. RoHit have been cUafcroy^d. Sme of ■the houses o*ught fire, bat the fl*«ies vrer« put ou*". E"-ght thousand acres of Crowa bu>-h land at Sherry have been burned. VLe*srt J. Riley, Phillips, and Tayler are *l<«o severe losers. Unless rain comes soon the settlors fear that they wll have neittier homes for themselves nor feed for their stock. * Nel«on's boarding house and butcher's «feop *nd M'Ritchie's drapery ghap &b Clinton were ■burned down at 3 o'cle«k on Tiwrsday morair.g. The occurrence is believed to have been *cci--JfeirimJly caused, The fie fttartfid in the dotrn«tairs portion of tie botrding house, «nd when the alarm was given the eoeup»Bt£ bad to escape as best and quickly as they could, without thinking of dressing or saving property. NeU<>n'g building was iu*Ui ed for £250 in the 'New Zealand Insurance Company's office.

An eight-roomed house at Sat dj mount was, •with nearly all its contents, destroyed by fife on Monday afternoon la»t. The h«m»e was owned and occupied by Mr John Xd'Tamah, who was away from home at the twae. Mrs M'Taiosli was the only person abemt, and, after placing tome fuewood on the top of a colonial oven in the kitchen fitepk.ee, she had gone into the garden to pick currants. Oe her approaching the house abaut an htuc later she noticed emoke coming through the kitchen roof, She rushed into the kitchen, and fo*na«t the room in fl.meg. Tke house was c»»plet«ly gutfctd, very few artieleß of furniture feeing saved. It is thought t&afc the fi?e wgwaWd through a piece of lighted wood rolling freaa the fireplace on to the floor. Tbe dwiTifg was insured in the standard office" for £300, and the furniture and effects in the game office for £150.

The income tax is payable on Friday, 28th insfc.

Our Wellington correspondent telegraphs :—: — *' I understand the Government have not yet decided where the proposed marine fish hatcheries are to be established, but they will probably be plaoed at the janefcion of some xiver with the sea. An application has been made by the Otago AcclieaM.isa.ts on Society to Have one established at Purakanui."

, The annual meeting of the eauueil of the New Zealand Educational Institute was resumed in the Council Chamber, Town Hail Buildings, yesterday. There was again a capital attendance of delegates, and good progress was made with the business. All the remaining resolutions respecting the administration of the act and status of teachers were dealt with, and most of those in the succeeding section, eyllabus and standard regulations, •were discussed and determined without exception in the affirmative. Tha moat important question considered was probably that of ■♦'freedom of classification by the teacheri." If the recommendation on this matter, which was carried by a large majority, were adopted the individual standard examinations would be abolished, and a great deal more would be left to the discretion of the teacher.

Perhaps the most interesting feature of the draft annual report submitted at last week's meeting of the Benevolent Institution Trustees was the fact that the figures disclosed a saving in the out-door relief department last year of £1812 193 4d as compared with the previous year, although during 1897 there were 65 more persons relieved than during 1896. The expenses for the maintenance of the institution during the year ju^t ended also showed a gratifying decrease of £462 Oa 3d as compared with 1896. These reductions, the chairman observed to the meeting, have been effected without in any way inflicting an injustice upon those whom necessity had compelled to seek relief at the hands of the trustees.

Mr Henry Clark has been reappointed a member of the Otago Land Board. ' Mr William Gay, who gained a wide reputation as a writer of sonnets, died at Bendigo, Victoria, on the morning of the 22nd DecemSber. Apart from his reputation as a poet he will be remembered in Dunedin as the writer of letters in oar columns concerning the hospital, vhich led to the agitation that resulted in the introduction here of fem&le nurses. Mr Gay, who was only 32 years of »ge, baa been a tasident of Bendigo for the past live years, and it was during this period that some of hia finest litiir&Ev work wa,g accomplished, though

he kss been for the whole of the timo an invalid. The Argus says :—": — " Early in 1896 appeared the small volume of 'Sonnets,' which won him recognition as one of the traest and most thoughtful of Australian poets ; aud this was followed in December of the same year by 1 Christ on Olympus, and other Poems.' Since then he has written a few sonnets and some versa in other poems, but for the past six monfehs ha has been too weak to do the work in which he delighted. Despite the undoubted merits of his poetry. Mr Gay always spoke of himself to his friends as a philosopher by nature and a poet only by » evident. He was a native of Scotland, and had had a very checkered career, owing to his continued ill-hos-ltU. At one time he was a master in the Sootcli College, Mtlbourne." "Christ on Oljropas" is in blank verae. It tells how Christ came to Oljmpus and delivered his divine message to the gods assembled there. He .says : From Him I come, 0 Gods, th-*t ye may know IhM now h*th H-s in fulness of the time Himself to man revealed through me His sonSole Lord ef man Himself at last declared ; Father, Upholder. Cjmforter, and Judge, Who cUiaiß all worship and b«jstow3 all love ; A»«l, loving, would be worshipped but in love ; Nor but himself hath shown, but unto man Hx.th also man revealed and called him eon, Deep ia fci* sweat, spirit one with Him, Ac I with Him and He with m», and all Wish all eommutually one. Yet G-od O'«r all supreme, as etam and branch and leaf Are one, yet diverse, and o'er all the tree.

P«reuiag bis Address he goes on : » But if your godtood ye renounce, and leave Th-xa h':iglilis to wMch no more ascends devout -Toe smoke »f sacrifice, and be on earth Ac men wilb matt, and toil in mortal fl-eab. To wbo »hall be your neighbour, helpful, kind. Ani all tke greatness of your powers still lef b, Be-!fc»wing fraely to all lovi«g ends ; Then ye at last on Death's strong wing 1 ? shall

mouat To God'i eternal presence, and within Tie immediate glory of His counteuance live" l T-ke allegory is a be«.«fcit'ul one, and its development entitles Mr Gay to a high pluce among contemporary poafcs.

Eleven years ago Mr C. W. Goodson, fancy goolts dealer ia Auckland, was obliged to file his eouedule. H4a assets t hen realised 5s Ojrd in tke p«ua<3, which was distributed in due course, aud on the 66h May following Me Goodsoo received his -discharge, absolving him from furfck«r l<«Wlity. Bat on the 7th Jansary of the year jtut ended be announced to hie creditors tk&t he intended to carry out his first intention, which was eniy a moral obligation, and inti«i*fced that a fk'*t instalment o* 5* in the pound was fciwm payable, and he hoped soon to have the pJea»u*e of handing over a more-substantial contribution toward* the full <sum. Tbe creditors are now advieed that a further instalment of 7-* 6<l io toe pou«d is r»ady, making altogether a «am of £1216 18s 7<i a« voluntary jiayuaf nte to present dnte, leaving about £713 abort of the pcowicei 20-j ia fche pound. The creditors have expr««»©d their thanks to Mr Goodsoa for his OoM«i<s<sr*fcion.

The duties of the Royal C jaamissiou appointed to inquire iato the k*uri gum iad \?tty are defltxid in the order of reference fts : (I) To report oa tbe condition of the gum trade iudwfttrially and commercially ; (2) to repofbon tbe condition of those engaged -and occupied in digging gum and the remuneration received by thc-m, an-d, as t'j Sftle, whether there is freed >m of cou(*Act or not; (3) to ascertain if there foas been a large influx of labourers from outside tke ealony to the gum diggiug*, and, if so, whether the «*ine are free labourers or under eonfcraefc ; (4) to inquire whether thase eng.-vged in gum digging on Crown lands hold lie<mses tfeerefor, and as to what payments «tt*e mide for the u«e and occupation of the eaid Crown fend* ; (5) to tuiriea as to the best and rao»t eff'-ctunl metQß to conserve the interests of the eoloay and the wellbeing of those engaged in the gntn industry.

Tbe atnraal meeting of the council of the New i&ealtnd Educational Institute -was brought bo a ovriclusion on Thursday. At the afternoon «©«*voa the couueil affirmed the principle tb*t d«eimal, if not metric, measures should ba introduced for all purposes where they would not interfere with external trade. Mi* T. S. F«wfrer was •ieded president of the council for the en»uiu£ year, and it was decide 3 that the mxfc ennnal meeting should be held in CaristeiiHreb.

A tfeocking illustration of how the ranks of the ium-ifces of tbe Industrial School are recruited was supplied by a case which came before Mr E. H. C*rew, B.M , at the City Police Coart on Thursday. A single young woman, who walked lame and hag recently been <ii<?chttr.ged from the hospital, appeared carrying an infant which it w»s pr< posed to commit to the school as the mother was unable to support it. The child was illegitimate and the mother etited that the father had gone away before it was born. The same young woman is the mobb«r of three other illegitimate children that have beeu oawwrbted to the Industrial School. One of these h«s been adopted out from the institution, but in the cue of the others no provision is made by the parents for their maintenance, their father also having disappeared. His Worship, in making an order for the committal of tbe woman's fourth child, remarked that the beet thing for the Government to do would be to take the mother and shut her up or else send her out of the colony.

The question of the excessive employment of school children was considered by the council of the Educational Institute on Thursday, and it was decided that steps should be taken to refer the matter to the Premier as bead of the Labour department. From the statements made it appeared that in some cases children attending school were required to do several hours' hard work such as rendered them mentally and physically unfit for their school duties, and even in some instances injuriously affected their physical development. The matter was taken ia coaimibtee, so that the particulars of the cases given are not at present available. There was, it was explained, no possible objection to the children doing a reasonable amount of work, but it was stated that in not a few cases child labour was carried to au injurious and even cruel exces3.

The marram grass which some years ago was sown on the sand dunes at the Oc^an Beach is spreading satisfactorily and is likely to do good work in the way of reclamation. Oao of the gentlemen from whom the first supply of seed waß obtained has recently visited this city, and has expressed the opinion that the grass had done remarkably well, far better than usual, and that the best results might be anticipated, since it shows such vigour and is spreading rapidly.

The output of coal from tha mines of the Westporfc Coal Company (Limited) for the month of December was 20,846 tons 6cwt, and for the yeav ending 31st December, 1897, 2*3,123 tons 19c wt.

The unfortunate creatures who constitute regular clients of the police an account of their habits of drunkenness sometimes make strange excuses when brought before the Police Court and called upon to plead, and they rarely employ a solicitor to make excuses for them. A member of the legal brigade appeared, how

ever, on behalf of a couple of inebriates who came before the stipendiary magistrate on Thursday morninjr, and he offered excuses for them that would h«ive done credit to tho accused themselves. On behalf of one inebriate the lawyer pleaded that ib was " holiday time." The Beach observed that the law did not mike exceptions of holidays, although the temptations to drink might then ba unusual. " The law proclaims the holidays," ihe lawyer replied, "and" — as an apparent afterthought — "the weather has been very warm, and driuk of cen has more effect on a person when ib is warai." The other inebriate who was d^feaded had overlooked the slight fact that there is a prohibition order in force agaioet him, but this point was jauntily brushed aside by hi-i counsel, who said, "A man is liable to make mistakes about a prohibition order afc this time of the year ; either it was nearly out or it ooght to ba out." Tbe m«gist r ate did not see the matter quite in the same light, but remarked that the fact of the aeeu3ed having got drunk cuggeated ths advisability of renewing tha prohibition order against him.

The «fceamer Victoria, with the expedition which recently l«fo Tromgo for Spitzbergen to search for Hcrr Antlree'fl balloon, returned on November 21. No brace had been fouud of the explorer or hia balloon, although the rescue party laoded 10 times on the coasl; of D*umftfld's lalee. WJien in Ice Fiord, SpUzbergeo, the vessel was temporarily icebound, but otherwise tbe expedition met wii-h no mishap.

The W^etern Star states that, the damage by bueh fkea *t Colsc and Round Hill, apart from tbe 32 miles of bush destroyed, is estimated afc about £2000.

Tho cropa throughout fchfc 3,'aicri district are looking, ou vhe whole, remarkably v?e!l, and promise to yield a larger average per acre th<m they have done fur come years past. In portions of the district both the oat aud wheat certso t s are very heavy, some fWds of oats being expected to yield over 100 bushels per acre, and some wheat fields as much «s 70 bushels per acre.

Our Auckland correspondent tolegra&hs :—: — " Charges of sly grog-selling on Grrafc Barrier Island *>re likely to occupy tho attention of the Police Ceurt for some time. No less than 18 informations are said to have been laid. Con-s'-ftble Oljphant had a pretty arduous mission on the island in serving summonses."

A ehorfc sitting of the Ward-iu's Court was held on Friday, bufe only one of the applications was granted, th-3 others beiujf adj surned or struck out.

The Rev. Thomas WHeon Kewley, M.A., •who recently accompanied Bishop Nevill from England, has been added to tbe staff of Selwyn College and -appointed assistant to Archdeacon Ribinsou iv the Cathedral and district. Sir K>wley studied afe Marlboro;ig!i under De^ii Bradley ; at New College, Oxford ; and at Cuddetou under Dt- K ! ng, the present Bishop of Lincoln.

The annual conference of the Primitive Mefcbodirt Church commenced ita session in Djnedin on Friday. Tbe Rev. J. D^wson, of Wellington, was elected president. A considerable amount of business was transacted, "and in -the evening the conference ssrraou was preached in the Daadas street church by the Key. J. Clement, the delegata from the General Committee. F*«6y-sevea delegates answered to the roll call, and as one o? tka del«g*tss is a lady it is apparent, that the oocntxion adheres io the early custom of adTOitttng women to all its chuiv,h courts.

It is intended to entertain Mr Ben Tillett at a farewell social gathering in Dunedin prior to his departure for the old country. A meeting of delegates of labour bodies waa held at the Tiade« Hall on Friday night to discuss the matter, and a-otrong committee was formed to make the necessary arrangements in connection with the gathering.

It will ba news to most colonists (says the Wellington Po»») to learn that in the great and enterprising Republic of the United State? the State kaowa no" post office savings batik. Recently that influential j iuraal the Chioago Record started an agitation iv favour of the institution of a postal savings bank, and the Chicago Federation of Caicago ab once set up a committee of its delegates to help the movement along. This committee wrote to Mr Tom L. Mills, oV Weilingtou, for the latest information froia the Australasian colonies oa the subject, and that gentleman communicated with the Postmasters-general of the colonies, with the result that statistics and ether data were supplied to the committee and to the Record. Tae editor of the Record has written to Mr Mills thanking him for his help, and the Federation has also p.vssed special resolutions of like purport. The New Zealand Post Ofiice took especial trouble on the subject;, and at an important meeting of the Federation in November (we learn from Chicago files) Mr T. F. O'Brien, chairman of the Committee on Postal Savings Banks, read a communication from Me ,W. Gray, secretary of the Neve Zealand General Pesfc Office, giving a historical outline of the bank in this colony. Mr Gray's article was published at length in the Chicago papers, and a vary valuable essay it proves to be. From latest news, the movement is bsing largely supported in the States, and the examples of the Australian colonies play a large part in the arguments advanced.

Messrs J. G. L. Hewitt, W. G. Riddell, M.A., Paul Lsmoa, B. D. Mosley, and A. H. Tonkinson, of this city, have been notified that they have passed the final examination as solicitors of the Supreme Court.

A convention of the Clulha Prohibition League is to be held shortly, when among other matters to be discussed will be the question what amendments are required in the law to facilitate the enforcement of prohibition.

Advice has been received that Mr Ntil Pateraon, 8.A., son of Mr Archibald Peterson, of Waihola, has passed the third (final) section of the LL.B. degree of New Zealand University.

The Jubilee Exhibition Committee on Saturday accepted a tender for tha erection of the additional building required for the exhibition.

It is stated that the Postal department disapproves of the suggested special issue of stamps to raise funds for a public library for Dunedin.

The exporb trade of the colony (says the New Zealand Times) is growing in volume at a gratifying rate, chiefly by reason of the increasing demand in Australia for white pine. The Whangaroa left Foxton the other day with 160,000 ft of this hitherto waste product, and several vessels have lately been despatched from Napier with similar cargoes, ou aro now on the berth. Before the end of next month three veaaels will be despatched to Melbourne, two to Fremantle, and two others for Sydney.

The Christchurch Pres3 states that a prepossessing and precocious youth employed by a commercial firm has made a hurried departure from New Zealand. Among his duties was

that of purchasing, on order, the sbamp9 for the firm. A few days beFore tbe 6th instant he presented orders to a local dealer and obtained £51 worth of stamps. These he endeavoured to dispose of. Suspicions were, however, raised, and as the result of inquiries ib was found that the orders were not genuine and a warrant was issued. Every port and steamer were watched, but too late the discovery was made that the youog man had taken passage in the Gothic for another country. An examination of his boxes brought abDut £20 worth of stamps to light.

In connection with the legal proceedings to be taken by certain Midland railway debentureholders, it may be necessary to explain (says tbe Wellington corresponded^ of the Ljbbelton Times) that euch proceeding? will, in the first instance, be between the debenture-holders and the company, and the G >vernmenfc trill only appear in the matter should the decision be in favour of the debenture holders. The notice of action served on the G»v^rnment by the debenture-holders is that stipulated for ia section 16 of the act of 1834, which declares that no debenture-holder can stll or apply- for an orlerto sell the railway uulesshe has fleet given the Governor notice, and uulese the Governor fail-3 within threa months of the giving of such notice to giv<j notice of bi? intention to purchase the Jin?. Two months of th''s period have ekps,;d, and tha case will, in all probability, b9 heard in March.

The &m>u»l statistics iss-ued by the clerk ot the P» lies Court at Dunedin show tkat there were 338 more persons charged last year than during tbe preceding yser. The principal increase seems to be in the charges of drunkenness, for last year there were 65? persons charged with ibis offence as agaiust 456 in the preceding year. Th"re was also a fairly large increase of charges under the by-law*, which -would go to swdl last year's figure, bat there were ouly 30 pprsous committed for trial ia 1897 as ftgaiusb \7 in 1896. There has been a curious increase of the number of lunatics coaamioted to the asylum last yeir as oompared wish tbe previous 12 months, the figures being: 1897— males 36, females 40; 1898— malfs 14, females 19.

Mr R. S. H^wViaa, S.M., p'es : ded at the Magistrate's Court nl MH'oa on Mondny, when the cftse R A. Pyke v. William Moore (chairman of the directors of the Bruce Woollen Mil's) was lieird. Plauit'itf sought to recover fche Bum of £64, foe eervieas rendered. Mr Macdonald (of D<mediji) appeared for plaintiff and Mr Donald Reid (of Milton) for defendanf;. Me Macdentld ctiibeT that plaintiff had been appointed interim secretary to the provisional directors, and had acted in that capacity from the 29th May to tbe 22ad Septe'nb'r. No remuneration waa fixed, but plaiutifi did a great deal of work in connection -with the fljistion of the oi«p*ny. Counsel relied on the implied obligation of au employer to pay for services rendered *t the usual remuneration. The defence was thifc Mr Pyke had acted gratuitously, «s.nd witnesses iv support of this were called. His Woir«Lup stated that he could not say thfre ws.e an implied obligation to pay the plaintiff, as foine of the witnesses had said he had told them he was acting gratuitously. Judgment would theiefrwc bs given for defendant, -with costs.

Tae Premier oa his arrival' ab K«oiara on Tauraday last was Recorded a most, flattering reception. At Diilmansto-wn be was meb by the mayor, councillors, leading residents, aed over 300 school children. A procession, headed by a band, esorted Mr Seddon to the Town Hall, where he was accorded an f-nt-hwsiastic welcome by a crowded audience. He delivered an interesting address with r*£enenea to his experiences daring his trip Home. After rating » couple of d*ys he intended visiting fhs different partioa3 of the Coast. ArraagemftLsU are being made to entertain hlra a,t the principal centres.

The New Zealand Tim?« has tha following: — "Dr Don and' Messrs C. Gifford. W. Grave, and Ross are on iha West O->hss at the pr^s-^r.t time, and iutend, if pewsib'e, to sot at test the ' burning ' question whethn- Tutoko Mountain is an active volcano or not. They journeyed via Lake Te Anau, and had a quantity of their impedimenta on board the Rotorua, which recently visited Milford Sound. Oa tbe arrival of that vessel at Milford the explorers ■searched her high and low for their alpenstocks, ioe axes, &c., but could not find them. They had, therefore, to go on withou-; them. On tbe return of the R fbotaa, to Dunedin the articles were found underneath a buuk. The explorers have had to walk 80 miles to re^ch Tutoko, and will bare io do their climbing witbou l ; the aid of , alpenstocks and ice axes."

T&v P. B. N>>lau, signalman, Kensington, h»s been elected delegate of the Otago branch to the Annual conference of the Anafclgaroiitisd Society of liailway Servants, to be held at Wellington in March next.