LOCAL & GENERAL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2429, 3 October 1900, Page 23

LOCAL & GENERAL.

, Our Wellington correspondent telcgiaphs: "Lady Ranfurly, with her two children. Lady Constance and Lndy Eileen Knox, will leave New Zealand on a six months' vit-it to Great Britain towards the end of the year. They will probably sail from Wellington in November. The Countess hopes to be back in time for the Duchess of York s vis.it to New Zealand.

Commencing on Monday last, October 1, Ihe north express will stop at Waitati to allow passengers from Dunedin to alight and to pick up passengers for Oamaru and stations north of Oamaru. The express coining south will stop at the station only to permit passengers from Oamaru or further north to alight. ,The Christohureh Press finds on inquiry that the services of Mr Felton, manager at the Aldington Railway "Workshops, were not dispensed with, but that Mr Felton resigned his position.

. The monthly meeting of the committee of the Dunedin Technical Clashes Association on Tuesday afternoon was presided over by JWr A. Burl. A quantity of correspondence between the committee and the Premier, the Minister of Education, and the local members of Parliament was read, the burden of which .was that so far as the local members are concerned they will use e\ cry legitimate effort to seciu'e recognition of the claims of the association, while Ministers replied that as soon as the vote proposed to be taken under the Technical Schools Bill is passed the department will take into consideration the committee's application for assistance in erecting additional classrooms, etc. The bill was discussed at some length, and it was decided to wire to the City members that its n-ain provisions were acceptable, but that this committee "would prefer to see a separate vote taken for buildings. The chairman and superintendent were empowered to make all necessary arrangements for the annual distribution of certificates to take place next month.

Our Auckland correspondent telegraphs that the Hon. Mr Isaacs, ex-Attorney-geneial for Victoria, was among the passengers from Sin Francisco by the 3.l?riposa. Mr Isaae>. in the course of conversation, paid there was a fina feeling in "Kngi&nd towards the colonies. It was sufficient for a mail to cay he hailed from Austialia, New Zealand, or Canada to ensure a hearty welcome. Referring to the qr"estion of federation, Mr Isaacs said its inauguration would be one of the great historic events of the coming centurj'. New Zealanders mupt determine for -themselves the question of joining. So far as he could judge, l\aw Zealand would do well "to join hands with the other Australian colonies nnd enter the Commonwealth. The distance of New Zealand from Australia was not so great as the distance from Sydney to Perth (West Australia), and not nearly so great as in the United State's the distance between Now York and San Fiancisco. To him it seemed only natural that New Zealand should go hand in hand with Australia. If New Zealand did not coma in she would stand in a different tariff relr.tion, to her own disadvantage so far as Australia was concerned.

Captain Russell, the leader of the Opposition, who has been on a to his daughter in Canterbury, wos interviewed in Christchurch. In the course of a chat with a representative of the Pre-;?, C»pfcoin Ttussell paid: — "Yen want to know my opinion of the position of parties in the House? I think the position is most unfortunate. The supreme and absolute power of the Premier is such that those opposed to him have felt that in the free of the overwhelming confidence which was placed in him by the electors, it would be v.rong on our part lo lay ourselves open to the charge of obstruction. Therefore the power of jieccsapry criticism from one side has been minimised. On the other hand, the enormous power which his followers have bestowed upon the Premier is such that crit'cism. on their part has practically ceased, and he dees, and is allowed to do, exactly whit he thinks fit, irrespective of anybody's opinion. The result ib that the representative nature of our parliamentary institution lias almost; ceased to e.\ist. You could mention, if 3'ou like, that I think the kindly feeling which exists among members on both sides of the House, in the present Parliament, is most marked. Government supporters ap-pear-to me to realise that the representations v/hich have been made about the strong reactionary tendencies of the Opposition arc a figment of • imagination. New members who come in with strange ideas about the Opposition have completely changed their viewo. The old members, too, have realised how genuinely sincere most or the new memberj are in endeavouring to do what is right."

At a meeting of the Balolutha- High School Committee, held on Tuesday night, Mr W. W. Turner was unanimously recommended for the position of first assistant.

The question of the pollution of the KaiIcorai Stream has been placed prominently before the public in these columns, on a number of occasions recently, and there has been a general impression that the local body mo&t interested — the Taieri County Council — ha-ve been exercising a good deal of forbearance, ■while endeavouring at the game time to rigidly insist on the stream being kept clean. Their inspector on Thursday brought the matter before Mr 0. C. Graham, S.jNL, in the form of a, prosecution of Mr W. D. Snowball, the &upervisor of operations at the corporation abattoirs, for discharging offensive matter into it. The inspector (Mr Bain) produced two bottles in court — the one containing a murky, chocolate-coloured liquid, stated to be a mixture of blood, etc., flowing from the abattoirs,

and the other containing clear water, paid to be from the stream in it^ noimal condition. As it was siaied to be so in evidence, there wa^ no rea-on to doubt the genuineness of the pourco, but its cry.-tal elearaeso came as a surprise to those who 1 ad sppii fx-om the windows of passing trains the doubtful-look-ing liquid that usually occupies the bed of the Kaikoiai Stream. The corporation solicitor a^suied his Worohip that the pollution would not occur agpin, and lLat plans were in coiu-se of preparation v/hich would effectually dispose of any such difficulty in futarc. In inflicting a line of 20s and costs, Mr Graham pointedly remarked that the corporation should set a better example in regard to this matter.

The plague scare having p^cfed over, and there being no longer any reason to fear an outbreak of the disease, f-.oiae of the precautions which wei'e adopted a lew months back are being lelaxed. For instance, it v. ill haio been noticed that tLe corporation have publicly notified that a, price no longer exists on the heads of the or-vt'.v'jilo iuVLch-c't& n <■}<*] vocVnK A^rjl: the e?0 of April la-.t e> conference of the mayor 3 of the city ard suburbs wad held, at v/hich it v,a, a decided to "institute an active crusade rgaiasl rats in general, although the representatives of somo of the Flat boroughs loftily declared rhat there were no rats in their respective districts. Since then, however, the City Corporation have been liberally encouraging the efforts of the small boy and his pet terrier, and, as events have proved, a very large, if not the largest, proportion of ratr have come from the boroughs where they were supposed to be particularly- scarce. Up to Wednesday la«b 6238 rate had been paid for, the aggregate cost being £104- lbi. Doubtless the local bodies will c 7 icerfi'lly bear thpir share of this disbursement, as the destruction of rat*, irrespective of where they came from, was at the time a matter of common inture-jt. -\/

Our Auckland correspondent telegraphs that at a meeting of the council of the New Zealand Accountants ai>d -Auditors' Association it was resolved that female candidates be admitted as members of tli3 association, prc\ icVd thc-y suocosHfully pass the syllabus

T.ie Daily Mail of August 25 has the following: — "A clever young Australian journalise, Mr Donald Murray, formerly cf the Ng-\i Zealand Herald, Auckland, has? invented an electrical device by which it is possible to typewrite on a machine from, a distance hundreds of miles away, avA that at the giept speed of over 100 words per minute. Moreover, ho hepes that soon, by ■what is known in telegraphic circle 3 as the ' quadruples " (*yaler.i, to raise it to 400 words a minute. Mr ll.urr.iy, like rrany another inventor who has groped slovly and painfully on in scientific s£ mi-darkness through the a°es, toiled patiently away at his invention for years in his snare time. Then when he had produced

something tangible, he set off for the land where they are always ready to snap up tilings lhat make for speed and progress, and finally established himself in New York. He in now in Fiiigland."

M.- Kyrle Bellew, the well-known actor, is reported to have abandoned the stage to follow mining. He recently took to London from the Palmer goldfields, Queensland, several claims in which the late Sir Thorras M'llwraith sank large sums of money. Cables received in Towncville annotmce that Mr Bollew has succeeded in placing a portion of the properties. Mr Daniel Stewart, of Balclutha, arrived by the north express last evening after a visit to the old country and the Uiutcd Staies. With regard to the strongly-worded complaint of his Worship the Mayor of Pore Chalmers vrith reference to the disposal ot' nightsoil off Harrington's Point, the Mayor of Dunedin is making a strict investigation. So far as it has gone, nothing lias been found that would justify the denunciations of Mr De Maus. The corporation employees declare that tie matter is always deposited into the sea at ebb tide, and tlicve is not the slightest particle of evidence to indicate that any of it becomes deposited inside Lho heads.

A very lcmarkablo plant was exhibited by Sir James Hector before the Philosophical Soc.ety (taj-fc the New Zealand Time?). By the last English mad Sir James received a peculiar root from Sir Walter Buller (who is at present travelling abroad), which had been picked up in a cave in Mexico. The accompanying instruction was to "place it in water.'' Sir James did ?o last Saturday, and within twenty-four hours a plant of the lacapodium variety came to liie and developed in an astonishing manner, shooting out leaves and giving e-very indication of a thriving existence. The plant was thrown back a little by being placed in the sun, but looked quite healthy when placed on exhibition at the society's meeting. Sir James remarked that from his p.dvices there was very little doubt that life had lain dormant m the plant for 180 years until suddenly^ revivified by contact with water in the manner stated.

It is not generally known that included in the colony's Hot of export's are small birds, but such is the case. True, the trade is, to far a 5a 5 is known, carried on by one business man only — a well-known biid fancier in the city, Mr Chaiis-i Bills, to wit, — and it is not of very extensive dimensions. The birds, comprising linnets and goldfinches chiefly, arc sent to Melbourne, and Mr Bills declare^ a good many hundreds; are thus exported. They arc caught by means of a largo trap. As many as MO were obtained at the racecourse in one haul, while Mr Bills has socured 100 m one morning. He is of opinion that if half the money expended in poisoned grain was devoted to trapping, the country would hear little of the small-bird nuisance. It i-i scarcely likely, however, that until a si art in made to freeze and export small birds to feed the hungry at Home, that trapping will be engaged in, pa anything

like a liu-ge scale. The contingency appears highly improbable. Yet it is never safe to prophesy, and vnlikelier things have come to pa«. No matter how little such an article of diet may anpeal to the British palate, there aie other markets in the -uorld. For instance, it is said that a nicely grilled <-p.irrcw is considered a delicacy \)y the gourmets of Continenlil cities. Inquiries, might be made into the matter, and if sparrows ar? in demand anywhere New Zca'pnd will doubtle&'a cchie^c a name for other things behides its rabbits and frozen nation.

A large number of American tourist'; we stranded in Paris under remarkable circum=tance j . Mo=t of thorn belong io the Chris tian Endeavour, and they f-hile that some monlns bpck they ivaid -inns;, ranging frcm 550 to 50u dollars, to a Bcrton tourist agexic/ for a trip through Europe. The agent, t'.cy a&oert, chartered t^e Saalo an 1 the I^lainp, of the Noith German L^oyd Cjm^iny, fo* hi-> elicit^, tome 1500 in inmiber, bat t'^o^e | ships, were turned hi <1-a greot ?.•*? at New Yo~li, md *■« p, ccrscque.ice several ■weeks' delay oemuved in starting. When the tourists rrrired in Huiope their railway coupons were ouG of date, and the rooms at the hotel, whnh lad been engaged in advance for a fixed date, were by this time occupied by ether per.-oiis. The agent .seems to have done his best, but eventually had to telegraph to hia customer^ that he had come to the cjid of his resources. At this time several hundred tourist's were at Lucerne, several hundred at Geneva, and several hundred at Venice. Many of them, principally ladies, managed to make their way to Paris, and they arc now wondering how they will "be able to return to the United States. Theiv were some ratlier sad case?. A number of ' them, lady school leichers, whose savings I vrera all expended in the tiip to Europe, find themselves in a strange country without rescaree^. -V On' June 15 last a remarkable flag wa-, hoisted by the Ro3-al Scots Fusiliers at Pot- | cheistroo:n. It was the identical Union Jack bi-ried .-I Pretoria in 1831 after the Majuba surraiider, and which, after being, lowered in a coffin was leinoved by Colonel Gildea. When t'-c Royal Scots Fusiliers left fur South Africa the ting was given them by j Colonel Gihloa's widow to hoist again. >

The following are the Dunedin pa&ses in die South Kensington Art Examination: — William H. Allen, ore subject; Lesa Bridger, one subject; Ids M. Burton, three subjects : Mary M'Xegg, one subject ; Oswald Trochon, one subject.

During the month just ended 19.5/7oz of gold, of the value of £79,239, have been exported from this port. During the corresponding month of last year 80&2oz, of the value of £32,327, were exported. The gold export for the last three months amounted to 26,0310z, the value being £146,086. During the corresponding three months of last year 26,0"40z, of the value of £105,£27, were exported.

We are officially informed that there is no ground for the statement recently made that payments from the Port Chalmers patriotic fund have been made to certain gentlemen who took an active interest in the raising of that fund, or" indeed to anyone, for the honorary services they rendered.

lhe hospital returns for the past week pro as f ollow : — Patients remaining from the previous week, 106 ; admitted during the week, 28; and discharged during the same period, 26. Charles Wilson, Alfred Godfred, and William Williimson died in the institution, and the patients remaining number 105.

Notwithstanding the wet and cold on Friday night the Sailors' Rest was comfortably filled with an audience composed of seamen and shore friends. The latter had provided an abundant spread of good things, v/hich all present appeared to enjoy. After tea some time wa-. spent in prayer, hymns, and short Gospel addresses, the following talcing part: Mrs James Fulton (West Taieri), Miss Glanville, Messrs A. R. Heycock, Falconer, "Vancent, AVcller (of the ship John o' Gaunt), and Oluf Chriptenscn (of the late Nor'-wester). Numbers waited to the after-meeting for personal conversation.

The Tuapeka Horticultural Society's annual spring show was held on ITridaj'. Owing to bad weather the attendance suffered a good deal, but the show from a florist's point of view was the be&t yet hold. The narci&oi were the leading feature of the show, there being no less than 95 entries, while primroses were another prominent feature. Messrs Howdeu and Moncrieff, of Dunedin, J. G. Davi-, of Chrislchurch (winner of R.H.S.'s bronze medal at the Dunedin exhibition), and A. Millar, of Mornington. forwarded collections of narcissi for exhibition only, which included more than 150 varieties. These were very much admired by the general public, and attracted the attention of the local growers. The society was also fortunate in securing from Mr A. Wilson, M.A., Dunedin, his collection of seedlings which were so much admired at the Dunedin show. Mr H. Hart also hsd o table for exhibition only, including many of the blooms that he showed in Dunedin in the Barr Cup competition. The industrial section of the show was also a prominent one, and the work shown uas much superior to that of former years. Mr A. Hart, of Dunedin, acted as judge of the floral sections, and his decision in eveiy instance met with the approval of both the exhibitors and public.

The Dimedin Navals, headed by the Navals "Band, held a. church parade on Sunday morning. They mustered about 100 strong, including the band, and, under Lieutenant Strong, marched to St. Matthew's Church. Notwithstanding the weather was somewhat wintry, there was a. full congregation. The service, which was a bright and appropriate one, was closely followed by the worshippers,

and printed leaflet?! were distributed for the benefit of those who were not members of the Church of England. The hymns were those composed by the Vicar specially for military services, and the band accompanied the voi"es with admirable effect, Ivlr A. W. Lilly conducting and presiding at the organ. The sermon was pi cached by the Rev. W. Curzon-Sig^ers, who look for his text 2nd Timothy, 2, iv. In the course of his remarks lie referred to the equalities requited for making a good soldier and the need of the colony being thoroughly armed for defeu-.-ive purposes, so that business might be increased and capital invested owing to tiie feeling of security that would prevail if the country was well able to guard its interests in the time of trouble. Mi- T. Pringle, cf Wellington, the well-kno-nn amateur photographer, had an exciting adventure wiifa th? authorises (says the New Zealand Time-;-) during his recent visit *o c'iiiKin, 'iho complication aro^e out of ±Ur Pi ingle's enthusiasm for photography. Early on the morning of the day upon which his stc tmer (the Kaluga) wa^ to sail homeward bo'uid from Nagasaki, Mr Pringle was on deck taking a panora.nic photograph of the harbour. An hour or so later, as Mr Pringle was preparing to go ashore in a sampan, a Japanese officer and an interpreter came on bcaid the Kavuga, and the Wcllingtcnian, to his great surprise, vas arrested. He and his photographic plates \^cro taken ashoie, the latter being developed, whilst the " foreigner ',' was closely examined as to his doings in the country and object of hia camera operation*. The Japanese could_Jiardly credit that their prisoner was an amateur taking pictures for his own pleasure, and a great deal Avas made of his having committed a breach of port regulations by taking photographs in.-ide the forbidden area. However, lie was "let off with a CDution" on promising that he would take no more viewo of Nagasaki, and those taken were confiscated.

Mr C. C. Graham, S.M., granted a pension of £15 to one female 'at Port Chalmers on Saturday.

The most persistent rumours were current a.U over lhe city on Monday that another tragedy had occurred during the morning. The i sports varied considerably, but on one point there was agreement, and that was that the 3'outh or man who had cora:iutted, or attempted to commit, the crime had been taken to the hospital, having, it gva& alleged, attempted to take his own life. A.n the afternoon wore on there were to be found some persons who rould give the name cf the .supposed criminal. It is almost needless to state that there \wu> no tragedj'. and so far as can be made out no attempt, or even a threat, of one. So far as can be made out, the vvhols circumstantial &lory of a crime rested upon the slender basis that a man hael been taken charge of by the police, with the object of asecrtaning the state of his mind. It is stated (though on this point there is no leliable information) that the individual in question had a difference on Sunday night with a young lady -with whom he had been keeping company. The unfortunate man made his way to tho hospital, but beyond the fact that hi-5 mind was in a. high stale of tension it was found that there vras nothing which would j\i-cifj r his admission as a patient. The police, however, de-emad it advisable to place the man under surveillance until he could be examined as to his mental condition. Financial troubles have been hinted at, but on this point there is no definite information. The auditors are engaged in the annual audit at the office where the unfortunate individual was employed, but it is quite possible the knowledge that owing to hip nervous prostration he was not in a position to gii'e lhe auditors information, if any was required, may have been the predominant cause of the high state of tension which threatened his mental balance.

Our Conciliation and Arbitration Act seems to be attracting some attention in the neighbouring colonies pust now. On Monday the secretary of the 'Chamber of Commerce received a cablegram from the Chamber of Mines at Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, a=k ing for information with respect to the working of the act, a peculiar feature about the message being that the Chamber of Mines desired some information to be cabled imme diately, and additional particjlors by mail.

Monday being the opening clay of the fishing sea=on, a number of aaglero turned o\it at an early hour to try the Water of Leitli. notwithstanding that the morning wa« none too inviting. I'i&hmj> between the Loith Valley School and Harbour's bridge from 4 o'clock to 7 p.m. on Monday. Mr J. Ili-nter secured 17 fish v.ith the blaekfellow. Mr Coombs was also fairly successful with a basket of 14 fish. Five anglers visited the Waitati, all getting a few fish, most of v\hich were, however, small. Two of the anglers, more lucky than the rest, got two fish weighing about a eoimle of pounds each. Sever? 1 fishermen went lo the Shag Biver on Monday morning, in high hopes of having some good sport.

Our Auckland correspondent telegraphs: — A consignment of 350 ca^>es of oranges, brought from Tongatabu by the s.s. Hauroto, were, by the directions fiom Captain Broun, Government entomologist, carted to the northern roller mill" furnace to be burned. The

oranges were condemned on account of fruit

fly maggots having been found in some oj them when cut open. Ex-sergeant John Cassels, who died afc South Dunedin on Saturday at the age of 75, nas a native of Ir-lr.nd, and while in hiii own country he belonged to the Irish Cpi>" &labul:iry. Ho came out to Victoria in 1855-,, and joined the police force there. In 1c63 lie came to New Zealand, and entered the police force in Dunedin in February of i'.'u frame year. He was afterwards stationei at different places on the goldfields — at one time doing detective duty on the Dunstan, at anot'.er being the sergeant in charge at Cromwell. He retired from the force ' in July, 1875, and a few years later took up his re=idence at South Dnnedin, where lie continued to live until the clay of his death. Deceased was generally regarded as a smart officer, and nt one time he was known for hi 3 con'ributions to t^e press on xjolice matters. 1 Ie leove 5 n grown-up inrnily of three sons and three d?. lighters to mourn their loss, one ol the sons bciug a detective in Christclutrch.

Mr A. E. Boot, dentist, of this cifc. woo is rt present on a trip to Surope ond the iTi'-ited States, lias written to a friend here stating that while in Paris in August he beua:ne a member of t\e Dental Congress there. There v.xro 1600 dentists present from all parls of the world, he being the only representative from New Zealand. The members were right .royally entertained hy the French people ; and he gained a great deal of information about the higher branches of dentistry;

In the Sydney Morning Herald of September 19 a cable appears announcing the death of Earl Glasgow, ex-Governor of NeAV Zealand. Thi.-, however, is a misreading of ?n item merely announcing a death from plague at Glasgow. It does not appear ih the other Australian papers, and confirmation would .almost certainly have been received here. Moreover, the word " obituary," and noi " death." is always used in cables for distinguished persons.

The Hawke's Bay Herald learns from a Napier merchant who has received further advices from Pa-tras. Greece, in regard to tho currant crop, that the failure of the crop of currants «nd sultanas is more serious oven. than was anticii:>2t,cd. The quantity available for export will bo considerably smaller, and the Ivnit of much poorer quality than, previous r>C\vs would have indicated. It will be remembered that the authorities at Patras had determined to retain 18 per cant, of ihe yield for local alcoholic- purposes, and therefore the amount for export would be very smnl l . Ttxia condition, however, has been relaxed to tho extent that only 10 per cent, will be retained. The crop is a mioerable failure throughout.

A correspondent informs the Mataura iinsign that at Pukerau on Tuesday last the Rev. W . H. Howes was- made the recipient of a ■ mr.-e of sovereigns from a number of his well-wishers on the occasion of his departure for Woihola. The presentation vras made by Mr Pu'lar, who referred to Mr Howes' s many excellent qualities, asking him to accept tho gitiz as a token of the esteem in ■nluch he was held, expressing regret at his departure, and wishing him God-speed in his future career. Mr Howes suitably replied, thanking tho donors for their handsome gift and for tho kindness and consideration he had always received at their hands.

While a team of four horses, attached to a heavy waggoa, were standing in front of the Gore Pest Office on 'Thursday, the leaders were startled (says the Ensign) by a passing train, and bolted. The polers fell under the wheels and were dragged pretty well half the length of the railway block, leaving a trail of hair and blood in their wake, before a stoppage was effected. One of them sustained serious injuries to the knees, and was generally badly knocked about and unfitted for work for some time ; but the other only lc=t a considerable amount of hair and a few patches of skin.

The Timaru Post says an information has been laid a@ain.it William Leonard Butt, lately clerk "in the Union Bank of Australia at Waimate, for embezzlement, and a warrant issued for hip arrest. Several deficiencies were found in his accounts, but they were chieSy connected with one account, which had been, operated on to an amount of about £130. He is supposed to have got away by the last San Francisco mail boat. He had Held the iet-ponsible position cf teller at the Waimate branch for the last seven or eight years, had been 22 years in the bank's service, and was receiving a salary of £135. It is said that the br-nk will not lose by the defalcations, as Butt's fidelity was guaranteed by a society.

Complete specifications relating to tho under-mentioned applications for letters patent have been accepted at the Patents Office, Wellington, as follows : — Ja.mes William Faulkner, Dunedin, improvement in revolving screens, especially for gold-saving dredges ; John M'Pl'ee, Dunedin, improvement in goldsaving apparatus for magnetic sand extraction; William Henry Cntten, Dunedin, improvements in apparatus for elevating tailings; Jeremiah M'Elligott, Kawarau Gorge, near Cromwell, an improved appliance for saving the gold lost over the dredging tables. Provisional specifications have been accepted as under: — Robert Wise, Waikouaiti, an improved wire-strainer; Mary Mouat, Dunedin, an improved game ; George Foster, Heriot, an improved mat or screen for use in saving sold ; Joseph Smythe. Christchurch, and Thomas Montresor Baldwin, Dunedin, improved gold-paving apparatus.

The total fines inflicted in cinnection with the recent ply -grog-selling cases in the King Country amounted to £397 ss. The heaviest fine v, as that of Alexander Campbell, an old offender, living at Poro-o-tarao Tunnel, who for three charges of selling rum to Ryan aud O'Connor was fined £121 Bs, to be paid forthwith, or in default 12 months' hard labour. In the case of William Thornton (second offence), on throe charge* of selling liquoi' ho was fined £25 and £2 7s 9d costs, or in default two months' hard labour ; and in tha ease of William Noble (three informations) he was convicted and fined £25 and costs (£7 7s 6d), or in default two months' hard labour.