LOCAL & GENERAL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2515, 28 May 1902, Page 55

LOCAL & GENERAL.

A letter was read at the meeting of the Education Board on Wednesday from the Central Office in Wellington stating that the board's application for £500 in connection with the Dunedin Technical School was " under consideration." The position of affairs at the present time is thus: The Technical Classes Association have an option, to purchase the college in Moray place, which expires on June 1 of thia year. The Education Board have applied for the £500 in order to enable the association to make the purchase before this option expires, as after that date the conditions may be altered. The department, with it 3 customary Rip Van Winkle methods, is delaying its decision as to whether the money will be granted for the purpose desired, and the board is getting apprehensive about their prospeots" of securing the premises. The board cent an urgent telegram to the Minister yesterday afternoon asking for a definite reply, and if a favourable answer is received within the next few days the technical classes- will coon pass under the control of the Education. Board.

Mr J. T. N. Anderson, the recently-ap-pointed drainage engineer for the Dnnedin drainage district, arrived in town on Tuesday afternoon, 20th, having come overland from Invercargill. An informal meeting of the Drainage Board was held on Wednesday morning, at which Mr Annand, who presided in the temporary absence of Dr Brown through professional engagements, welcomed Mr Anderson to Dunedin. It is interesting to record that at the time at which -Mr Anderson was appointed to the position of drainage engineer at Dunedin ho was negotiating with the "Victorian Government for the office of Engineer-in-Chief of the Water Supply Department, this having become temporarily vacant through the appointment of Mr Murray Stuart, the permanent Engi-neer-in-Chief, to an inter-State commission that is to deal with the question of the utilisation of the Murray waters. Mr AnderBon had stipulated to the Minister of Mines that his acceptance of the temporary office ehould carry with it the right of succession to Mr Murray Stuart in the permanent office, to which a large salary is attached. The Minister had demurred to this condition. On the 23rd ult., however, Mr Anderson received a message through the telephone informing him of the acceptance of his terms. Within the next five minutes lie was handed a cable from Mr Mirama, secretary of the Dunedin Drainage Board, informing, him of Hiis appointment as engineer — a position which he had given up hope of obtaining. Mr Kusmuil, of Melbourne, had, as i 3 known, already been appointed, but he subsequently withdrew his application, and it was in these circumstances that Mr Anderson received the appointment which, for family reasons, he has accepted in preference to that he had at his disposal in "Victoria.

The chairman of the .Education Board reported on Wednesday that Major Loveday, who had been gazetted Commandant of the Public School Cadets, had had an interview with him, and requested the- assistance of the board in carrying out his duties. Major Loveday asked the board's consent to the cadets of the district taking part in the Coronation celebrations. The board after come discussion decided to give Major Loveday all the assistance in their power in organising the cadet corps, and, in regard to physical drill, agreed to instruct Mr Hanna to confer with him so that united action might be taken.

Our Gore correspondent lelegraplis: — " Great interest was taken in the election of a councillor for North Ward, the vacancy being caused by the elevation of Mr D. M'Farlane to the position of mayor. Two candidates — Messrs Bowler and Ballintine — went to the poll, the former leading at the poll by a majority of 70, the votes being — Bcwler lE6, Ballintine 117. The bad weather continues. Rain is falling heavily."

A meeting of the Benevolent Trustees was iheld on Wednesday afternoon; present — Mr P. Treseder (chairman), Wilson, Burnett, Clark, and the Hon. H. Gourley. Accounts amounting to £129 8s 5d were passed for pas"ment. Th» cost of the institution for the week was reported at £267 for 244 inmates — an average of 5s 1 l-3d per dnmate. Two deaths were reported (William Ross, 77; and Robert M'Nab, 86). A total of 46 applications for relief were dealt with.

At the meeting of the Benevolent Trustees on Wednesday the returned trooper who had applied for relief, as mentioned some time previously, gave intimation that he had found employment in Central Otago, and asked the board to provide for his wife and child until he received his wagos. The board decided to grant 7s 6d weekly for a month.

A census of persons who visited publicliouses in Loehee, Scotland, a district which Dimdee magistrates have selected for an experiment in early closing, was taken on a recent Saturday night. In the area there nre 19 publichouses, and 1514 persons visited these from 9 to 10 o'clock, and 142+ from 10 to 11 o'clock— a total of 2738. This ia equivalent to 18.3 per cent, of the estimated population, as compared with a percentage of 23.5 attendance at church services there, ascertained by a census taken a year ago.

A general meeting of the retailers' section of the Otago Employers' Association was- hold on Thursday morning. There was a iargo and representative attendance. Several questions were under consideration, the moat important being the noliday on June 3, Peace Day, and the illuminations on Coronation Day. After some discussion it .was unanimously decided to observe Tuesday. June $ i£rince of WaleaU Uktbda^ as

a holiday. If was also decided to close immediately on the day the announcement of peace is made, but not to observe any further additional holiday. As regards illuminations, members were recommended to light up their business premises on the evening of Coronation Day.

Mr E. G. Allen delivered a pre-sessional address in the Schoolhouse at Seacliff on Tuesday evening. Mr John Pullar occupied the chair, and introduced the speaker in flattering terms. Mr Allen spoke for an hour on the questions of the day, and his remarks were frequently punctuated by applause. Several questions were asked and answered to the evident satisfaction of the electors. A vote of thanks and continued confidence was carried unanimously and with enthusiasm on the motion of Mr Steward, seconded by Mr Reid. A vote of thanks to the chair and three cheers for the Hon. the Premier closed a largely-attended and successful political meeting.

The solicitude of children for one another's welfare was pleasingly illustrated at Thursday afternoon's meeting of the Hospital Trustees. A perambulator and cane chair was donated to the Children's Ward, accompanied by a letter from Mr James Mollison, of George street, stating that these gifts were the results of the exertions of his B^-year-old daughter and some of her schoolmates. At -first they sold button holes at Id each, but finding the cash mounting up slowly they organised a concert and made a charge of 3d per head for admission, the result being, the perambulator and the chair.

Mr J. F. Arnold, M.H.R., addressed a meeting of his constituents on Thursday, and received a vote of thanks and confidence without opposition. Mr Arnold announced that he would be a candidate at the forthcoming election.

Two new cars have recently been built at the tramway workshops in Cumberland street, under the supervision of Mr Eggleton, the officer in charge of the rolling stock and permanent way. They are constructed almost entirely of New Zealand woods, kauri and red birch being chiefly used. The only imported timber that has been utilised is some grey gum in the undercarriage. The appearance of the cars is all that could be wished for, and they are a credit to the ekillcd workmen who have been engaged upon them for the pact 10 or 12 weeks. It is hoped that when the electric system is installed it will be found possible to turn the new cars to account.

The Hospital Trustees were approached by a deputation from the staff on Thursday afternoon with a view to seeing what could be done towards providing that the Hospital would always have the services of an experienced anesthetist. The deputation consisted of. Drs Macpherson and Barnett, who briefly laid the case before the trustees. It was pointed out that hitherto it had been the custom of the trustees to appoint as* senior house surgeon a young practitioner whose experience was not as wide as an anesthetist's should be, and it was customary for them to act in that position in operations. This was undesirable in many cases, because a timid and inexperienced man might allow the patient to come out of the operation too soon, to the danger of the patient and the inconvenience of the operator. Moreover, it was necessary for the students in their final year to obtain a certificate of proficiency in administering ano2sthetic3, and the doctors did not feel that in the absence of proper instruction they could grant these certificates. The Hospital had now, it was true, a very good anajstetist in Dr Brown, who was thoroughly competent ; but Dr Brown would not always be with them, consequently the staff thought that the appointment of such an officer was advisable. Mr Miller (chairman of the trustees) said that he believed that it was the feeling of his confreres that in future an experienced man should be appointed as house surgeon, so that the objection of inexperience would not apply. As Dr Brown was admitted to be thoroughly competent, it would perhaps be better too leave the matter open till the next year. In the meantime, Mr Miller promised to lay the matter before the next meeting, which would no doubt be better attended.

A Perth cable states that Mr Allen, director of th» Thames School of Mines, has been appointed director of the. Mining School at Perth.

Some comment was made by members of the Acclimatisation Society on Friday afternoon at the poor representation of native birds in the Botanic Gardens, and Mr Deans was instructed to procure come for liberation in this favourite reserve.

Our Greymouth correspondent telegraphs: As tlifi result of the recent mistake in the railway time-table on the Grey-Reefton line, Mr Crombie, traffic manager, ha» been suspended. There 13 a great deal of feelingin the district over the matter, the opinion being general that he was not in any way to blame. He is most popular, and is considered a most capable officer. Petitions are being got up in his favour for presentation to the Minister in charge of the. department.

A man who appeared at the Police Court on Friday to consent to a prohibition order against himself asked the magistrate (Mr C 0. Graham) to request the newspapers to keep his name out of the reports of the court proceedings. The magistrate said that the object of publication of the name 3 of prohibited persons was that it prevented so-called friends, who would not know of the prohibition otherwise, tempting prohibited persons to drink. On the other hand, ho knew that the fact of publication prevented many from making applications ■who might otherwise apply to the court. In this in-

porters not to publish the name of the applicant.

The streets of the city had a slight coating of snow on Friday morning, but mono fell during the day. Our Naseby correspondent writes that snow commenced to fall there on Thursday evening, and in lue morning the whole country was covered with its winter mantle to the depth of several inches.

Miss Ida E. Evans, of Sydney, recently passed the examination for the LL.B. degree at the Sydney University, and has the honour of being the first lady lawyer in Australia, having studied at the Sydney Law School. She is not the first lady lawyer in Australasia, however, as Miss Benjamin has been practising in Dunedin for some years now. From an interview in the Sydney Evening News it appears the New South Wales judges are more conservative than in this colony, for the Chief Justice raised objections to Miss Evans's admission because women were not admitted in London. Miss Evans intends to do conveyancing and other office work if permitted. She has strong opinions, of her own as to woman's place in life. " Woman i 3 not man's equal in all things," she says. The one high sphere for woman is, of course, that of wife and mother, and she does not hold with those who think that because a woman takes up a profession she must ape the man. "A woman should be essentially a woman first. There are, I have been told, professional women who cannot do such a little thing as sew a pockethandkerchief. There's a lot of work which is woman's work, and they should know it."

The Berlin correspondent of a London paper writes:— "The Central Committee for combating tuberculosis as a national disease has resolved to carry its propaganda into the national schools. With this object in view they have printed 150,000 copies of a popularly-written leaflet, which children can understand, for distribution among schools throughout the empire. This describes in simple language the precautions to be taken to avoid the disease, and the spread of it, and other useful information specially suited for the young.

Petty local interests have been responsible for many hare-brained schemes being foisted on a long-suffering country in the shape of public works in the past, and as a general election approaches " long^felt wants" are apt to appear, mushroom-like, in certain districts where but a wavering support is given the reigning Administration. Consequently a little interest, if not a great deal of surprise, will attach to the recrudescence of the Peninsula Railway League, and only at a time when voters are worth propitiating could a scheme to run a railway down the upper road to Portobello be seriously discussed. Representations, however, have been made to the Government, and a preliminary survey of the proposed line has been made by an officer of the Public Works Department. The plans and the survey have now bee-n completed, and these, together with a report by Mr Ussher, district engineer to the Public Work 3 Department, are about to be forwarded to Wellington. The proposed line rises to a height of 800 ft above the sea level, and falls away again at the Portobelio end. Its length would be 12i miles, terminating at a point on the main road between Portobello and Wyeliffe Buy, about half a mile from the former place. To a layman it would be obviously an expensive line to construct, and would benefit almost solely the settlera on the ridge, for in many places the nature of the country wcuid deter any save a road board making roads up the sides of the hills to connect with the line. Doubtless after next December the Peninsula Railway League will drift back into a kind obscurity which has screened it from public ridicule since its formation, and from which it now unwisely has emerged.

A Wellington message states that the reduction in international cable rates comes into force on the Ist June.

The Hospital returns for the past week are as follows: — Total number of inmates remaining from the previous week, 107 ; admitted during the week, 18; discharged, 19; — total at present in the institution, 103. Three deathsr are reported, those of Robert Dalziel, James Dallas, and Charles Broanan.

We are informed that the Auckland teachers are supporting the provident fund in such a general and generous fashion as to ensure the success of the fund. Orders on the board for deductions from salaries reach the hon. treasurer every day, the number ranging from five (the lowest) to 21 (the highe&t). Several of the city schools have sent a sheaf of orders representing practically the whole staff of certificated teachers in the school. The country schools are not by any means behind, aud orders arrive daily from all parts of the province — from farthest north No. 1 school to school No. 267 in the extreme south. This general response is not to be wondered at, since the majority ot the teachers are now convinced that the one and only road to superannuation is by way of the provident fund. The Wanganui teachers also are doing their best to make the fund a success Marlborough has been the first to send donations from the South Island.

In view of the widespread interest in the Oliristchurch Medical scandal, a representative of thi3 paper interviewed a number of leading chemists in the city on Monday to ascertain if any system of secret commission existed here. Our reporter was assi-red that nothing of the kind had ever taken place, and the chemists readily exonerated members of the medical faculty from any suggestion of sharing the .profits on prescriptions. Some confirmation of the state of things existing in Ohristohurch was forthjSA&ißgL a Sd S om £ fi£ $& c local gfregristg who.

have employed assistants from. Christchurch freely stated that a very bad state of things exists in the northern city. The only point on which there might be a difference of opinion in. Dunedin is in the practice cdopted by one or two doctors in sending their patients to a patvicular chemist, to the exclusion of other pharmacists, and although this is not likely to commend itself to the trade, no ulterior motive is imputed. A doctor may frequently find it necessary in the interest of a patient to recommend a dispenser in whom he has confidence to prepare a prescription requiring great care, and to this no exception can be taken. It k highly satisfactory to receive assurances from representative chemists that there is no double-dealing in the matter of prescriptions in Dunedin.

A grimly humorous incident occurred just prior to the hearing of a case at the Melbourne Supreme Court. When the name of an absent juror was called, a person in court handed the Chief Justice a newspaper containing a notice of the death of the juror in question. The Chief Justice said something about the possibility of the advertisement being a practical joke, and mentioned that there was nothing to show that the notice referred to the same person. He accordingly fined the dead juror £2 2s for non-attendance.

A compensation claim under the Workers' Compensation for Accidents Act has been set down for hearing by the Arbitration Court. The claimant is Susan North, of Burnside, widow, and the respondent is the New Zealand Refrigerating Co. The claim arises out of the death of the claimants husband, Thomas North, who, while engaged at work in connection with the slaughter-yard, fell from an embankment, which resulted in concussion of the spine and ultimate death. The amount claimed is £250. Another compensation case has been fixed for hearing by the court at Dunedin on the 9th June. The Public Trustee (as representative of Daniel Bagley), is the claimant, and the respondent is the Minister of Railways. The man met his death while working at a crane at the railway goods shed on the 11th October last. The claim is for £308 14s lOd.

An accident, the cause of which has not yet been ascertained by the Traffic Department, occurred on Monday, when the goods tvain from Oamaru, reaching Dunedin at 1.8 p.m., was two miles south of Hampden, three trucks loaded with sawn timber being derailed. Beyond the delaying of this train an hour and a-half, and some delay to the train from Dunback, which comes on to town, -no interruption to traffic occurred, and the -only damage done was the tearing up of the ballast for some distance. A breakdown gang was despatched to the j-pot on receipt of the ne\v3, and the men deserve credit for their expeditious work.

A well-deserved word of praise was accorded the Salvation Army lassies by the Inspector of Police at the Police Court on Monday in connection with the case of a destitute child. He said that when the child was found to be without home or parental care, the Salvation Army had kindly taken it to the Army Home, where it had been tenderly looked after in the meantime, and of course there was no thought of payment, or prospect of any. The Army lassies deserved every credit for their action in the case. The Magistrate considered the word of praise was well merited.

A large barn, on the farm of Mr Anthony Ford, farmer, at Greenvale, was destroyed by fire last Wednesday night. The building was uninsured, but the contents, consisting of 200 bags of grass seed, 50 bags of oats, and oiher produce, besides harness, were insured in the Australian Alliance office for £150. Mr Ford's loss is estimated at £125 above tho insurance.

In view of the forthcoming ge>neral election Mr Hinchliff, the registrar for the Waikouaiti district, is sending an officer on a house-to-house visit at Port Chalmers in order to afford persona an opportunity of placing themseivea on the electoral roll.

Bkhop Nevill held a confirmation service in St. John's Church, Waikouaiti, ou Sunday morning (writes our correspondent), when five male and five female candidates wore presented by the Rev. C. A. Fra«r, the vicar of the parish. Three of the candidates — two males and one female — were from St. Mary's, Palmerston. The communion office followed, when tho newly- confirmed made their first communion, together with, a large number of the regular communicants of the church. The Bishop's sermon wae from the text, '" We then, as workers together with Him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain." — 2 Cor. vi, 1. The preacher remarked that nowadays people talked of holding this or that "opinion." That was not sufficient. A Christian could not live on opinions, but on grace communicated from God — grace which meant not only God's favour, but also power, to enable the recipient to withstand temptation, and also to show by example and precept to whom be belonged and whom he served.

Colonel Robin requests all old Imperial soldiers or sailors in Otago or Southland, also any volunteer or old soldier who has seen service in New Zealand, to forward to l.ins their names and addresses, together with the names of their regiments, length of service, and particular* of medals and clasps (if any). The particulars are required by his Excellency the Governor, and Colonel Robin asks volunteers and citizens to assist any old soldier with whom they are acquaincd to furniah the particulars asked for.

The Loyal Hand and Heart lodge held an open meeting in the Oddfellows' Hall, Stuart street, on the 20th, for the purpose of hearing a lecture by Dr Gordon Macdnnald «n $ visit to G.az»arlaad. Tae

lecturer gave a vary interesting account ot the volcanic belt running through the middle of the North Island, the extent of which, he mentioned, was 150 miles by 20 to 30 miles. It. was evident, he said, that the great heat of the water bubbling up, the temperature of which was considerably, above boiling point, was proof that the producing cause was not far down in the bowels of the earth, and that the crusfc through which the water came was not very thick. Volcamo action had evidently! existed before the time of the Maoris, and! the volcanoes had then been more active than now, and this was to be plainly seen when travelling through the country. The reason why some places had suffered 1 * severely from volcanic action he ascribed to the direction and strength of the wind at the time of the disturbances. The country he described as being an irregular valley lying between two chains of mountains, and this valley had at one time been mountainous, but the mountains had, by volcanic action, subsided, and the more depressed portions became lakes. The climate was good, and the place had before it a great future as a health resort. The country was unsuitable for agricultural purposes, but, he thought, would become valuable for grazing poirposes. At the conclusion of the Jecture the doctor receiyed a very hearty vote of thanks, on the motion of Mr A. Black.

A railway accident occurred about foui miles south of Oamaru on the~ 21at. -A - truck on the night goods train got off therails approaching the bridge over the Waiareka Stream, ' travelled across, and, entering a cutting, buried itself in the clay, bringing • the following truck a someTsault over it, and another on top of that. One collided behind, and another somersaulted, with a powdei waggon piled on top of all. Three casks of gunpowder and five of cartridges were on the train. Twelve trucks were derailed in all. Some of them were damaged beyond repair, and the permanent way was cut up, the rails bent, eto. All through traffic was suspended, and trains delayed over an hour on account of the transhipment necessary every time. No one was hurt, but one engine wae slightly damaged. A steam crane had to be sent from Dunedin to lift the debris away.