AUCKLAND

Otago Witness, Issue 2572, 1 July 1903, Page 36

AUCKLAND

In n(!dre--ing meqiber-i of Parliament at •the Nativen' Association Mr Ralph, t'-ie president, delivered some interesting remarks upon (.•? rtain desired reforms in dealing with the liquor traffic. He paid tlie tourist traffic was of such vital importance that he offered no excuse for aveinitg that the Government Biiould either give such a fixity of tenure for hotel licensees as would justify the owners in extending their premise* to meet the nnt'oipatcd increase in tlie tourist traffic or, in the alternate, that the Government should nationalise licensed houses, according reasonable oomppnsahon. for property acquired. He \enturcJ to say that all the hotels in Xew Zealand could be acquired for a roasonab'o e\p. -iditure in the form of A per cent, debentures. ,

At Te Awamutu Mr Korthcroft, S.M., postponed his decision on come of the King Country sly-grog cases, and reserved others foV it jury. The magistrate referred to tlie degenerate state of the' Natives in the King Country since the adveni of white men among then. He had been through the King Country many years ago, when the Natives wore a healthy, < lean h\ ing, Vigor ous people ; but now men, women, and children were addicted to dnnikrnne*6 and other loathsome vice«. As for the people who unlawfully sold liquor in the King Country, he intended to s^nd t.em to gaol whon charges were proved before him. This applied to men mid women alike. They went into the wretched businc-i* with their eyes open, aud mu&t be prepared to take tho consequences. - At a- mating of l!>.e Auckland Railway League it was decided that Parliament be ujged to vote this session £550,000 to the North Ie!?n& Main Trunk Une, and a sum for the North of Aucklrnd line equal to that voted for the Otago Central.

Am Auckland new.jpape-r runner is declared to be suffering frcni the plague. No further eases are reported. Tho Hon A. J. C'adman arrhed per the Whakatuue from England after an absence from tli© colony of 14 months. His errand was the estab'ishmentx of the ironeand industry on the We.,t Ccast of this island and at Parapara (Nelson), -which he found woll Favoured by Urilish investors. An engineer is being ?ent out, on whoso report tho fate of the industry will, depend. It is proposed «o erc-t works at Parapara and at New Plymouth. Mr Cadnvtn antmpat£6 that 1000 workmen vill be t-mjiloved

Th© patic-nt whom Dr Makgill on Friday wired tlie Health Department ac suffering from plsg-ue resides in Ponson'iy !!<•> hns been isolated more than a week m a building near the hospital. H-e is isuffeung from a tumor, with feverish symptoms. Th« fir-t tests by tbo health ofF.cer with tho ni.itter fi-om the tumor produocd no evidence of Elague bacillus, but subsequent tcstc ha\e id Dr Makgill to the oonchi:icn that tho ease is c.-.ie of plague. Tlie patient is progreasing favourably.