LOCAL & GENERAL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2528, 27 August 1902, Page 54

LOCAL & GENERAL.

The troopers in exile at Quarantine Island trere liberated on the 18th after inspection 4qr Dr Ogston, who found them, with one fexoeptior:, looking .remarkably well and touch better than when they went into Quarantine. The exception is the trooper frho, as already reported, is suffering from rheumatism, and whom it has not been thought advisable to .move yet. Dr Ogston has, by tbe way, with commendable foretight, been, successful in retaining the some 300 paira of blankets and other Tahuna Park quarantine camp furnishings as an initial step towards an infectious diseases hospital when that shall be an accomplished fact. In other words, with the permission of the Health Department, these articles, needless to say, will be properly disinfected, will become the property of the local Health Department, to be used for jthe infectious diseases hospital. The site for this institution has not yet been d>efijoitely settled, but apparently the matter is being kept steadily in view. The cite under consideration is near the rifle range '»t Pelichet Bay. The contractor for the galvanised iron .' testing •hods and laboratory, to be built 'for the Dunedin Drainage and Sewerage {Board at Anderson's Bay, has commenced the erection of the buildings, and expects to have them completed well within con- . tract time. Mr E. H. Carew, S.M., held a sitting of «he Old-Age Pensions Court on the 19th, and granted one new pension at £18, one at *£12, and renewed three at the former sum, making a. total charge on the revenue for Che ensuing 12 months of £84. A largely-attended meeting of the ratepayers in the Peninsula Road 1 District was held at the Road Board's offices, Highcliff, £n the 19th to consider a proposal to appoint •n inspector of works for the district. Mr Robert Landreth was voted to the chair. After introducing the business, the Chairman said he supposed he could say a few words on the subject as a ratepayer. (Crie« jof "Yes; certainly.") He said he wished the meeting to distinctly understand that tie was opposed to any such appointment being made. He could not see how the (board, which was already in debt, and 'could rot keep the surfacemen employed Constantly for the want of fund-s, could find money to pay the salary of au inspector, yrba was not supposed to do any actual Work. However, the subject was before the • meeting, and he wished the ratepayers pre- ' tent to express their opinions freely on Ihe question. A discussion ensued, in _ jwhich Messrs J. Fairbairn and J. Walker two local members of the Road Board), knd Mr D. M'Curdy (another member of the jboaro), and also Messrs Reekie, Graham, Farquhar, Nyhon, and others took part. . 'AH the speakers, with one exception, spoke strongly against the proposal. At the conclusion of the discussion Mr Reekie moved »-" That a petition be circulated throughout the district protesting against the proposal (to appoint an inspector of works, sucli petition to be presented to the Peninsula {Road Board at their next meeting." This jwas seconded by Mr Nyhon, and carried Unanimously. A vote of thanks to the tohairman concluded the business. A London cable announces the death at 4he ajje of 100 years of the widow of Mr Bo wen, oaid to have been one time Speaker of the New Zealand Parliament. So far as we know no one of the name of Bowen iias been Speaker of a New Zealand Parliament. The manager of the Bank of New South RVales requests us to say that there is not the slightest foundation for the- statements made in the House of Representatives by .Mr A. R. Barclay concerning the hours alleged to be worked by the bank's cm"'p!oyee3 in Dunedin. Tho statements in ejuestion are presumed to have been made on the authority of a discharged employee, rot a present member of the staff, as would ise inferred from Mr Barclay' 3 remark" ; and lo show their utter unreliability the manager _ of tlie bank has had the hours worked for the past six months carefully looked into, tfio result disclosing that the average hour of departure on ordinary week days is 5 p.m., on Saturdays 1.20 p.m., on Mondays from 6 to 9.30 p.m., according to amount of work and expedition in balancing. In no case, even at the half yearly balance, l>ns any officer ever been asked to work »1] night At the Palmerston Magistrate's Court on Wednesday Frederick) Rcsta, manager of tie I'ukeiwitahi Hotel, was fined 20s, uncl costs {21s), for leaving a train while in motion. The hotel is situated halfway between Bushey »nd Shag Point, and as there is a steep incline just there, and the speed of the trains going up is necessarily slackened, the defendant had found it convenient to alight opposite his home, and thus save himself a long walk from either fetation. This course, however, was eoutrary to the railway by-laws, and ho was therefore called to Account. At the meeting of the Education Board on Wednesday it was decided to send the following telegram to the Hon. Mr Mills in connection with a statement made by that gentleman in tho Hou=e of Representatives in reply to a question by Mr T. Mackenzie: " This board has Tead with surprise m the public press the statement made by the Hon. C. H. Mills in the House, of RepreR,ntatives that the department had no mfoTmation that any schools in Otago had been closed because of the adoption of the I'ublic School Tcachero' Salaries Act, as Jbat statement is at variance with information supplied by this board to the deuart-

m«nt on the 25£h and 28th July, and duly acknowledged by the Secretary of Education on the 30th July."

The usual meeting of the Benevolent Trustees was held on Wednesday, when there were present — Messrs P. Treseder (in the clair), R. M. Clark, R. Wilson, W. Burnett, and J. Green. Tho secratary reported the death during the week in the institution of Henry Bricknell, aged 76. The cost of the institution for July was £360 16s lid, the number of inmates being 252, and the cost per head per week 6s s£d. Accounts amounting to £108 18s 4d were passed for payment, and 37 cases of relief were dealt with. A paTcel of illustrated papers from Mrs Mackenzie, Roslyn, was received with thanks.

Arrangements have been made wi»h Mrs Baker to carry on the Boys' High School boarding establishment until the end of tLe present year. The boys will be under the charge of Mr J. S. S. Cooper, the newly-appointed mathematical master, w'uo will reside in the establishment.

A warning note was sounded by Captain Leslie, of tho steamer Bovcric, which arrived in Melbourne from Durban a few days ago, to those Australians who ara> still flocking to South Africa in the hope of bettering themselves. He stated that when the Boveric was in port there, were a large number of unemployed, and their ranks were being increased from day to day as the men who belonged to the various contingents were given, their discharges. ..

The City Council met last week ostensibly to discuss Mr J. T. X Anderson's report on the Lee Stream water-power scheme. Curiously enough, the City Fathers managed to talk for an hour and a-half without disoussing the report at all. A good deal of time was consumed in members airing their views cm the laws of libel and the possibility of the press taking the responsibility of publishing the report. The- air was thick with motion 1 ;, amendments, and points of order, and one councillor raised a smile by rising for the twentieth time to cay that be had not spoken yet, and asking if he would be out of order in speaking. " You are very much out of order, ' replied the Mayor, but the particular councillor explained that there was a particular amendment he had not spoken to, co he was allowed to proceed. At the conclusion of the debate councillors held different opinions as to whether the report had actually been " received,'" and it was finally referred to the Tramways Committee iai this uudecid«d state-, to be reported on a fortnight hence, when the engineers concerned were invited to be. present.

The voting papers in connection with the plebiscite which is being taken in Dunedin and district are now beiug left at the hearses of residents in the city.

The Education Board eat ti.l 11 on Wednesday migiit discussing tie rf\i-ed icgulfitiors >n committee. On Thursday the debate was continued, and the regulations adopted after minor amendments had been made. One of the chief alterations was in respect to corporal punishment, the board expressing the opinion that it should be reserved for "moral" offences only, that teachers .should keep a record of any severe punishment inflicted iv case their action should be challenged, and that corporal punishment shoula not be inflicted on gnls of 12 years of age or over. A new regulation requires pupil teacher? to kee-p a journal or log book, in which shall h& recorded each day's work done under the tuition of the head master or his accredited substitute At the end. of the week this book is to be signed by the pupil teacher and countersigned by tho head teacher. A further regulation states that the board expects the head teacher to train and instruct the pupil teachers employed in his scl 001. unless other arrangomeuts are made having the sanction of the board.

In giving judgment in Wellington in a case in which the question of wrongful handcuffing was raised, the Chief Justice hrld that plaintiff was barred because defendants were acting as policemen in pursuance of a warrant lawfully issued. On the general subject of handcuffing, Ins Honor expressed the opinion that in ordinary cases the hand cuffing of a man known to the arresting constables, and identifiable, was not ju?tifi able. Handcuffing was justifiable in arrests such as for \iolein-e, robbery, and murder, or of a baud of unknown i riniinalh by a fp\v policemen.

We ha\p to acknowledge ip<eim of ?« fioin W M , jun , for the Mount Ktinbla Relief Fund.

The Lody of the late Richaid C. Duvey, who, it will be remembered, was reported as helving- disappeared on July 5, w found in the harbour ou the 19th inst. in the vicinity of the powder magazine. The deceastd, who was apparently of unsound mind, had attacked his wife and daughter and was then supposed to have thrown himself into the harbour, winch prestimption has now been confirmed. The body was found among the piles of the old Vauxhall jetty, which will account for the non-success of the -dragging operations that were carried on at the time of the disappearance. The discovery was reported to the police by Mr Alexander Elliott, of Vauxhall. The deceased wa« a carpenter by trade, and resided at Anderson's Bay. At the inquest it verdict was returned of "Suicide by drowning "while in an unsound state of mimd."

With reference to the alleged case of leprosy at Alexandra South, we are informed that the suspected man himself came to Dunedin on Wednesday, and on Thursday subjected himself to personal examination by the district health officer. Dr Ogston bad no hesitation, ia saying that the man.

has not the slightest trace of leprosy. The origin cf the report has been found in the ill-will of a Chinese dealer in Alexandra, whose business was being interfered- with.

A meeting of shareholders in the National Insurance Compaiv was held on Thursday afternoon, and was attended by fully 40 shareholders. Mr J. M. Ritchie (chairman of directors), who presided, stated that the meeting was called in terms of the articles of association to elect an auditor in the place of the late Mr Thomas Callender. He would be glad to receive nominations or a nomination from shareholders for the office. Mr George Blyth was proposed By Messrs C. Bayley and J. C. Marshall; Mr T. K. Harty, by Messrs C. Fynmore and J. Arkle : Mr Peter Barr, by Messrs H. V. Fulton and H. North ; Mr E R. Smith, by Messrs G. L Denniston and W. Patrick; and Mr T. H. Thompson, by Messrs W. Barron and J. Arkle. In regard to the l?st domination, the chairman said the pocition was peculiar, a3 Mr Arkle had seconded the nomination of two candidates. He thought it would be better if some other gentleman seconded. Mr Arkle said he had been asked to second both the candidate*, but he added, amid loud laughter, " I don't intend to for either." Mr E. R. Smith then sccceid-ed the candidature of Mr Thompson. On the motion of Mr John Sf ill, Messrs T. S. Graham and A. G. Fenwick were appointed scrutineers. The ballot resulted in the election of Mr E. R. Smith.

The Colonial Secretary has issued 455 permits to New Zealannera to land in South Africa since the system of permits was ir augurated.

At a meeting of the subscribers to the Dr Smith Memorial Fund, held at Balclntha the other evening, the proposal to erect a cottage hospital as a memorial was abandoned in favour of tho erection of a monument in the Balclutha Co-meiery. The remainder of the fund, if any, is to be handed over to Mrs Smith.

A licensing ca«e in which considerable interest was taken in Palinerston was heard there on Wednesday, when Da\id Jones, licensee of the Palmerston Hotel, who pleaded "Guilty," was fined £5, and costs, for allowing liquor to be consumed on his premises at such time when the hotel was required by law lo be closed. Another information was laid agaiust the same defendant for permitting g tuning in the hotel after the premises were required to be closed, but the magistrate decided to treat the two informations as one, notwithstanding the f.ict that the Inspector of Police pressed for a second convictim and. declined to withdraw the second ir. formation. It might be added that a conviction on either information mutt necessarily be followed by an endorsement on the license, so that the licensee escaped with tlie one dreaded line.

Advice has been received that the tramway rails for the new electric car system in Dunedin will be landed on the ground by the encl of October, when the work of layiug the line will be at onc-e commenced. It is probable that theie will be some ceremony to commemorate the laying of the firet rail of the new =yf«tem.

The Technical Classes Association have been endeavouring for some time to meet the demand for cl-ectrical classes, and have, so far, friieceeclfd in meeting those students who want merely elementary knowledge of electrical fccienoe, but until th-ey can get th-eir plant erected they will not be able to deal with the practical part of the business. Already the association have 32 applications from employees on the City Corpoiation tramways who are desuous of qualifying for motormen for the new eystc-iu. Representations are being made to the Minister of Education in connection with the necessary funds for tke housing of the plant, and a<- soon as these negotiations are brought to a suc-ce^ful issue the association will advwe applicants, and will make the l necessary arrangements for their instmction I

Tho meeting held on Friday afternoon to consider the position of the University finances and endeavour to find a means by ■which the position of matters might be nnprovecT was vory fairly representative, and among th<x->e present were many of the leading t-uueiiu of Dunedin, numerous apologias being received fiom others for the.r um\oid:ible absence. It rei-olied that a University Endowment Fund be ra.sed, and tliat an appeal be made to the people for that purpose. A strong and influential committee was subsequently appointed to cairy the object of the resolution into effect. Iv moving the appoint-

meut of the committee, Mr George Bell mentioned, liif identally, that he had been j informed Sir J. G. Ward was introducing a biU to give the Dunedin Savings Bank power to u>e £6000 or more of it* surplus profits for the benefit of the University. ' That was to be done without winding up the Savings Bank, as far as he knew — a

thing he would deeply regret. The announcement and Mr Bell's opinion concerning the winding up of the bank were received with marks of strong approval by those present.

The Rev. A. Cameron, Anderson's Bay, desires to make one or two corrections in hia address on free secondary education, j delivered before the School Committees' ' Conference on Thursday evening, as oue or two remarks might lead to an erroneous impression. In speaking of district high sohools ps doing good as far as they had gone, be wished to make it clear that they should, by a free system, be the feedere of the high schools proper. So with university education, he advocated an entirely free course. In regard to the cost of free university education to th« oology* he 4«- !

sires to point out that the £6000 referred

to should indicate that all the stttdents in the four colleges did not pay more than £6000 per annum in fees. In connection with the suggestion of a special tax on minerals, gold was accidentally omitted from our report. A tax of 2d per ton on coal and one of 2s an ounce on gold would yield about £50,000. Speaking of technical education, he would seek to establish great technical as well as classical schools, teaching farming and other industries, and with electrical laboratories and other branches attached.

At Outram on Friday, before Messrs W. Snow, J.P., A. Chisholm, J.P., and F. M'Diarmid, J.P., John Willis was fined 20s and costs for cruelly to a hor«e, and James Gocklis 20s and coots for breach of the peace. Both young men are awaiting trial at the Supreme Ccurt in connection with the recent Flat assault cases. Mr Allan apneaxed on behalf of the police and Inspector Aitken (Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) and Mr D. D.

Maedonald for born, accused

A petition /a being circulated on the Peninsula, for presentation to the Peninsula Road Board, protesting against the board's proposal to appoint pn inspector of works for the district, and a large number of signatures have been obtained, including the names of nearly all the larger ratepayers.

Our Reef ton correspondent telegraphs: — Afrer numerous solicitations by the inhabitants the Government has at last given instructions to ha\e a fire 111 the coal seam up tho Waitahu River, about five -milea from Reefton, extinguished. For the last 20 years tho fire has been burning in the mine, and no efforts were made to extinguish it. Thousands of tons of valuaWe coal have been destroyed*. The Government are now calling tenders for cutting a water race for the purpose of subduing the fire. It is hoped the efforts will be successful, as coal is known to e\ist in immense quantities, and is the very best in the distriot.

Mr E. H. Carew, S.M., granted a full pension of £18 to a female applicant at Port Chalmers on Saturday.

At a general meeting of the Trades and Labour Council the following resolution was pa-ssed : — "That this council strongly protests against any grant being given from the consolidated revenue towards paying a subsidy to the 'superannuation scheme of any particular section of the community laaless such subsidy be made universal." Tlie secretary was also instructed to put a notice in the daily papers warning shearers to keep away from Australia until the dispute between the Australian Workers' Union and the Patrtoralists is settled.

The returns from the Hospital for the pa«t week are as follows: — Remaining from the previous week, 104 patients ; admitted during the week, 21 ; discharged, 12. There were- four deaths (Annie Blackwood, Christian Loeffler, Fra-nk Shearer, and Robert Robertson), thus lea\ing in the institution 109.

A poll of the ratepayers of Moegiel is to be taken on Thursday next in connection with tlie proposed special loan of £7500 for drainage and waterworks purposes.

Dr John Macduuald, a well-known local practitioner, died on Sunday after a somewhat prolonged illness. The deceased gentleman was born at Edinburgh on August 6, 1837, his father being an accountant and notary public. He was educated at the Circus Place and High Sc-hoo's and tho Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh. He obtained his diploma on his twenty-first birthday, a most unusual circumstance. He was surgeon on tho Montreal Ocean Steamship Company's vessels (tho Allan line) for over two years, and then engaged in practice in England. He came to New Zealand in February, 1878, and settled in Dunedin. He has been a member of the honorary medical staff of the Duuedin Hospital for 20 years, and lecturer on Materia Medica in the Otago University for 17 years. He waa alao examiner in Materia Medica for the University of New Zealand He was also a member of the Athenaeum Committee for about five years. About two years ago Dr Macdonald paid a visit to the Home Country, where he underwent an operation which, while it gave great relief for a time, did not effect a cure of the complaint from which he suffered.

The member for Napier (Mr A. L. D. Fraser) deebmes to answer the questions which tho Farmers' Union is sending each candidate at the coming general election. Speaking at the Hastings branch of the union on Saturday, he 6aid he considered that by forcing its platform on members the union was compassing its own downfall. Candidates would not sign the questions put by the union. If they did so, they would have the Bible-in-sehools people, the temperance section, and other organisations all coming forward with their owai particular questions. The result would be that a deceitful, untrustworthy class' of politicians would be returned. He, for one, would put the libt of questions, if sent to him, in the waste paper basket, and so, he thought, would Sir William Russell.

There is nothing more damaging to fine oratory than a few cold figures (remarks the Australasian). Mr Seddon has been telliaig them in England that Australasia can supply them with all the meat they require, and Sir Edmund Barton, in a play upon worde, said that Australia wished to become the nation's butcher — the aspiration being, of course, strictly peaceable. Now, England is in the matter of acres a very small country, yet, in her small and fertile fields she has just about half as many sheep as fcH Australia; iyn,cT England's sheej^ taken

head for head, are- about half as heavy again as cure. If the whole of the stock in Australia — sheep and cattle — were sent to England to-morrow, they would be just about enough to feed that trifling island for some three months. When we get this sense of proportion fairly brought home, we realise that the man who is content to talk of Australia* flecks and herds just now, instead of doing his best to breed them, is wasting time, talent, and energy in the wrong direction.

At the Schools' Conference last Thursday evening Mr Israel brought up the question of the preponderance of the gentler sex in the teacher profession. In our article on the teachers 1 superannuation scheme we (Daily Times) indirectly found fault with the commission appointed to deal with the question of staffs and salaries for not having anticipated the defects the working- of the wales is bringing out. Sewing mistresses, for instance, are not provided for in the scale of staffing; but this was not through any oversight on the part cf the commissioners, as the following extract from the commissioners' report will ?how : "In several education districts it h usual to appoint sewing mistresses to sniali schools, in charge of raa!e teachers. The salary paid to sewing mis-t^e-sses is in many ca^es nominal, as th« time occupied in this service does not amount to more- than two or three hours a wcclc. We carefuHy considered the probable effect of th« abolition of this position, and £ire satisfied that the result will bo beneficial, as the increase in salaries will attract into the smaller school* teachers capable of providing for instruction in sewing and at the same time supplying a higher standard of general training." Now, if that extract means anything, it means that schools in charge of a sole teacher must be in the hands of women. This decision of the- commissioners puts over a thousand schools in charge of women or make? no provision for teaching sewing in those schools; and there are less than 1700 schools all told. And one of the conditions attached to the scale of staffing makes it obligatory for female* assistants to be in the majority when the number of assistants is odd.

The criminal sittings opened oa Monday morning before hie Honor Mr Justice "Williams. His Honor, in liis address to the Grand Jury, was %cry brief, and, m fact, did little more than enumerate the offence 3 for which the prisoners were to be tried. The Grand Jury brought iv true bills in all tho indictments, and good progress was made with the calender. Alfred Neylon, who pleaded "Guilty" to forgery, was admitted to probation for 12 months; ArSen Crump, for the same offence, was sentenced to six months' imprisonment, the term to commence at the expiry of sentences which, the prigoner is already serving for similar offences. Charles Hc-ndrick was sentenced; tri two years for breaking and entering tbo hotel of John Blaucy and stealing a small mm of money and a bottle of beer and a. tumbler. There was a long list of charges against two youths named Joseph Ward and Harry King, principally for pfealing jewellery belonging to nirmbc-rs of tho Pollard Opera Company from various hotels. Both accused pleaded " Guilty," and were respectively sentenced to two years' and six montlis' imprisonment. The remaining case called 011 was one in which Joseph Williams was charged with stealing from the pcrcon of a gardener by the name of Glass the sum of £10. His Honor has still to sum up previous to the verdict of the jury being given.

At the City Police Court on Monday ib waa stated in evidence against a young man charged with theft from a dwelling that i»rticlc3 of clothing — a dres?, a pair of boots, ond a pair of shoes, etc., — valued in all at £5, had been disposed of at a second-haid dealer's shop in Frederick street by the accused for the sum of 66 s — the boots aud gltoes for 4s and the dres3 for 2*. The footwear wae produced in court, and had evidently not been worn, co that it had n6t deteriorated in value. The Magistrate (.Mr Graham) commented on the matter. In reply to a question from him, Acting-detec-tive Hill said it was not usual for secondhand dealer* to volunteer information to the. polife about goods sold The goods in this ca&e had been obtained without any difficulty. Mr Graham said it seemed to him peculiar that new good's should be bought ii* this way from a man for such a trifling s'lm. There seempd nc^p-Mty for an amendment to the Second-hand Dealers Art, now before tho Hou^e, in the direction of preventing this. He would certainly not make an order for restitution to tlie dealer of the amount for which the goods were purchased. Subsequently the dealer in question appeared before the Magistrate, and explained that he had declined to buy the dress, but the accused had pressed him B3 a favour to let him have 2b on it, and the goods would be reclaimed and the money returned. On this representation he had taken the article.

The Seacliff School Committee are at present preparing the site for tbe new school, which is to be crectsd about the end of the year. Tlie work of preparation ia being carried on by a working bee of tho committee and other residents of the district, and substantial assistance has been, given by Dr Truby King aud. his staff. The site, which was formerly a section of hillocks, is now almoot fiat, and, with a little more labour put into it, the ground! will be quite ready for the building Thespot chosen for the school w in every way suitable, as it gets full advantage of tho aun, and has sufficient slope lo make the drainage very effective. Tho committee ate to be commended on tho enthusiastic spirit in which they have entered into the matter of getting a new school for their district.

When you ask for TUSSICURA, see that I£U get it. & ii ftfclfbitaAl »XfiliW«i