LOCAL & GENERAL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2805, 18 December 1907, Page 64

LOCAL & GENERAL.

'■ We understand that Mr W. H. Uttlejj an ex-president of the Trades and Labour Council, is the gentleman who baa been appointed clerk of works in connection with the erection of workers' dwellings. ! Mr Andrew Fisher, the Labour leader, who has succeeded Mr Watson as head of the Australian Labour party, *as born in Ayrshire, Scotland, in 1862, and went to Australia in 1885. Settling at Gympie, Queensland, he coon took a prominent part in the Amalgamated Miners' Association and the Workers' Political Organisation,* and during the troublous times o£ 1891-2 helped to guide the industrial and political labour movement \n Queensland. In March, 1893, he was elected senior mem* ber for Gympie in the Queensland Parliament. He drew up the first parliamentary Labour platform in 1892, and when a member of the Queensland Parliament moved the following resolution, which was carried unanimously: — "That the time has arrived when Parliament should take steps to prevent the constant recurrence of industrial disputes." He has been in two Labour Ministries — in 1889 in Queensland, and 1904 in the Commonwealth. Messrs Ussher (District Engineer), Vickerman .(Inspecting Engineer for the accompanied by Mr Widdowson (Engineer-in-charge), made an inspection of the formation of the LawrenceRoxburgh railway extension on Monday morning, and, weJTuapeka Times) under* stand, expressed bnemselves as well satisfied -frith the manner in which the work has been carried out. At the Lawrence Court on the 9tb, before Mr G. Cruickshank, S.M., George •Leslie, licensee of the Masonic Hotel, was charged with having used threatening and abusive language. Mr A- C. Hanlon. appeared for accused, who pleaded "Guilty." Sergeant Higgins deposed that on the night of the 25th ult. he spoke to accused about the lamp in front of the hotel being out, whereupon the ianguage in question was used. A fine of £1, Tcith expenses, was imposed. Intimation- hes been received oy the Union Steam Ship Company of the successful launch of its new steamer Tefua, which has been especially designed for the Eastern • Pacific trade. The Tefua is to leave for New Zealand in February, and! Captain M'Betfi, -who is now on his way 'Homewtfrd, will bring her out. The defendants in the recent dental case, in which a verdict for £1000 «vas returned by the jury, on Saturday last filed a notice , of motion claiming judgment or the alternative of a new trial. Subsequently the parties conferred, and arrived at a settlement satisfactory to both sides. Tha motion has consequently been withdrawn. Mr W. Fraser, M.P., after paying a flying visit to the Wakatipu electorate, re^" turned to Dunedin on the KJlh. Sir Fraser was very pleased with the look of the / crops wherever he went. The country is looking well, but would be the better of some rain, especially in that part lying between Rough Ridge and Clyde. Early in the new year Mr Fraser will return So Dunedin in order to accompany the Hon. Sir J. G. Ward, Prime Minister, and the Hon. Mr M'Nab, Minister of Lands, on their visit to Central Otago in connection with the Government scheme of irrigation works for that district. Subsequently Mr ' Fraser will address meetings of his constituents in different t&rts of the Wakatipu electorate. In consequence of the sharp) advance in the price of coal in the Commonwealth as the result of the miners' strike at Newcastle, the Union Company and Huddart, Parker found it necessary to increase passenger and freight rates from Australian ports to the Dominion. The Union' Company has " reduced the freight rates, which were advanced 25 per cent., to 10 per cent., end the passenger rates, which were advanced 10 per cent., have now been reduced 5 per cent. Messrs Neill and Co., local agents for the Huddart, Parker line, state that although not officially advised, it is understood that this company has made' similar reductions, and bookings are now being made here on the reduced basis. The chairman of the Conciliation Boa/d (Mr A. Bathgate) had practically an allday sitting on the llth in connection with an application from the Otago Coal Miners' Union for extra yardage rates for the working of dip headings in Messrs Christie Bros.' mine at Green Island. Lengthy evidence and argument was tendered by both 6ides, and the chairman, after a lengthy summing-up, held that there was not sufficient evidence to warrant his making any change in the . yardage rates now prevailing. Mr Wm! Scott appeared for Messra Christie Bros, and Mr A. Forbes for the Coal Sliners' Union. At a meeting of the Independent Political Labour League held last evening a resolution was passed to the "effect that the Otago delegates at the annual conference to be held at Christchurch shortly move" as follows — "That a committee be appointed to draw up a fighting platform for the next general election, such platform to consist of reforms which the league has vz. reasonable hope of carrying into effect during the next Parliament, the first plank to be a remit from the Auckland) branch dealing njbh food stuffs and the workers." The motive of the remit from the Auckland branch, it might be mentioned, is, briefly, that the Government be urged to establish farms for the growing v of wheat.

At a general meeting of the Green bland Branch of the Otago Miners' Industrial Union, held on th» 11th in the Walton Park Schoolroom, the following resolution was carried unanimously — "That this branch i 3 in favour of cancelling its registration on the ground of the decision given by the chairman of the Conciliation Board in a dispute which was under notice thi3 day."

Our correspondent at Oamaru wires that the North Otago A. and P. Association Committee had on the 11th a rough balance sheet of the Tecent show- before it, which showed that the annual exhibition would probably result in a profit of £200.

.The Otaufau Standard reports an occurence which was very amusing to the observers, but extremely embarrassing to the person immediately concerned. His Lordship the Primate was holding a confirmation service. He had just commenced his sermon, an impressive and interesting discourse on the solemnity and responsibilities of confirmation, when the vicar's churchwarden, observing that a crying 'baby was distracting the attention of both Bishop and congregation, quietly stepped up to the mother and whispered ■ ' May I help you out with the baby?'* She immediately thrust the youngster into his arms, when he quietly slipped out of the church, thinkings of course, that the mother was following.. But the good lady had come to hear the sermon, and quietly sat it ont and the remainder of the service, leaving the custodian to take care of the baby until the congregation dispersed. The churchwarden is not so fond of babies as he was.

Dr Ogston, District Health Officer, returned 1 on the 10th after a tour of inspection round Invercargill and Queenstown districts. He inspected the locality in the -vicinity of Dipton, from whioh the InverOkrgill borough purposes cb?a*rix»g a- newWater supply. At the Bluff an inspection was made of the site chosen upon for the storage of oysters. The old wharf where oysters were formerly stowed has been palled down, and a new jetty i& to be run out at a spot about a mile up the harbour. At Queenstown some scarlet fever cases were looked -into, and at Tapanui a case of typhoid fever. In each instance it -was found that proper precautions in the way of preventing a spread of the disease were being observed.

The secretary of the St. John Ambulance Association reports that for the month ending November 30 the district nurse has made 240 visits to the sick poor. The transport -work done has been about the same as usual— vis., 36 cases during the same period. In a good number of these cases trained men have been sent whin required. The supplying of trained men is done by the Ambulance Brigade, and it would help considerably if those requiring this assistance could give notice an hour or so before the service is required, and, if possible, have the work done between 12 a«d 2 midday, or after 5 o'clock in the .evening. All the. men who volunteer for this work have to obtain leave from their employers to do transport' duty, and in all cases it has bo far been granted- with pleasure. The secretary states that following vp 1 the regulations of the British Board of Trade, the New Zealand Government has applied io the Dunedin Centre for information as to instruction and examination of masters and mates in first aid. It is needless to say that the Ambulance Association will do all in its power to forward this movement.

-^n accident, which just missed being a catastrophe, happened on the morning of the 10th at the level crossing at Fairfield on the old Brighton road. Mr Robert Howortb, of Walton Park, Fairfield, was driving in » buggy with Miss M'Dougall, of Dunedin. At the crossing he heard a whistle, but thinking the train to be some distance away, went on. The engine struck the buggy, knocking it clear of the line. Miss 'M'Dougall escaped with a broken rib, and Mr Howorth was unhurt. The engine was hauling the coal train to the Jubilee mine, and fortunately was travelling slowly.

There are now five cables spanning Cook Stmifc between Wellington and Marlborough, and another between Wanganui and Wakapuaka. The first five can all be worked with the quadruple! apparatus, by which means each cable can take an average of 120 messages per hour, a measure of work frequently achieved in ■busy times. So that with five cables operating on the quadruplex, 1100 messages an hour can go from island to island under the wash of Cook Strait. The Wanganui cable is only adapted to duplex work, but ia very handy for the despatch of business between the west coasts of the North and South Islands. This cable lies on a good bottom, and gives no trouble, but the Lyell Bay cables are laid across a bit of ocean bed that has probably no equal in the world. From 10 to 14 miles off Terawhiti there is a huge hole in the bed of the strait the shape of an enormous shoe, when the lead drops suddenly from 20 to 20 fathoms to anything between 120 and 200 fathoms.

According to the Rev. R. F. Elder, the melodramatic personages with stilettos and sombreros we see upon the stage are by no means to bs confused with the Spanish gentlemen who inhabit the South American littoraL The fact of -some people falling into erro..* in this respect is attributed by Mr Elder, to the vagaries of Jack ashore. To the guileless sailor everyone who is not British' i* a Dutchman or a Dago. The gentlemen of the Argentine object to being called eitbsr; also to being thumped when they do not understand the somewhat mixed metaphors of these bibulous sons oi the

sea. The consequence is that Jack occasionally gets stabbed, and wherever he goea tells the story, with variations, of how he was set upon by an assassin in Buenos Aires. Mr Eldei told a Times reporter on Wednesday that the men of the Argentine are languid, and rather lacking in initiative, but that tales of their vindictivecess and stabbings in the dark are grosv exaggerations.

The Tokomairiro School Committee is experiencing some difficulty in obtaining a. first assistant. There were very few applications for the position, and eventually Mr Tomlinson was recommended. Now j the Education Board .writes to say that Mr Tomlinson has accepted an appointment in the Auckland Grammar School. The committee has now recommended the board to call for fresh* applications.

The Mayor of Christchurch has received a letter from the secretary of the Canterbury Scouts Reserve Corp6 and Canterbury Confingentere' Association with reference to the appearance of the name of one Lehrs on the memorial in Victoria square. It appears that Lehrs joined the Eighth Contingent, but at the last moment changed his mind, and allowed one Foes to go in his name. Foes was killed in a railway accident, and reported d>ead as '* Lehrs." The latter did not have the mistake rectified The association now asks that Foss's name should be placed on the memorial, and Lehre'e erased. The Mayor has decided to aik Lehrs to explain.

At a meeting of creditors in the estate of a small grocer in Christohurch the Official Assignee said he wondered how these small businesses paid at all. In the books, eggs appeared to have been dealt in in large quantities. ' He found that they were Gold at a profit of Id per dozen, often in threes and fours. , Th^ storekeeper might have to do two or -three hours' work an eggs alone to make a shilling profit; and there were the bags to pay for If the other lines of groceries yielded profits in the same way, the difficulties of conducting the business must be very great. A- The death of the Rev. J. C. Andrew recalls to mind an araosing incident connected with him which (says the Press) occurred in tha House of Representatives, of which he was a member in the late 60s. He was a good classical scholar, and was rather prone to adorn his speeches with Greek and Latin quotations. One evening, having been more liberal than usual with his quotations, another member gently

"chaffed" him on the subject. Mr Hugh Carleton, member for the Bay of Islands, who followed Mr Andrew in the debase then on, seemed to take copy from him, and gave the House a perfect deluge, of quotations, much to his hearers' disgust. From Greek and Latin Mr C&rleion passed on to French, German, Italian, and Spanish. By this time the House listened open-eyed and spellbound, but when he took toll of Spanish and Russian, to say nothing of Sanscrit, it dawned on all thai he was having a joke at Mr Andrew's expense, and the roars of laughter, in which Mr Andrew joined, fairly shook the building. Mr Ca-rleton, as a linguist, had few equals, if any, in New Zealand.

A man, dressed as an official, appeared at the police station at Kleinschwalbach, a cider village about 12 miles from Frank-fort-on-the-Maine, and requested to Bee the sergeant, to whom he produced a list of about 20 inhabitants, written on official paper, with memoranda of different amounts of money against the names. Fhe stranger afeo produced documents purporting to authorise him to collect the amounts on behalf of the finance department of the Courts of Justice. The sergeant put on his helmet, the Tribune says, and accompanied the stranger to the houses of the persons listed, and assisted him to collect the debts. After making out the receipts in due form and thanking the sergeant, the stranger quietly took his departure, leaving the inhabitants and the police to discover a few hodrs later that they had been neatly hoaxed.

On Monday, 9th ins?., the Otago District Committee of the New Zealand Young Women's. Presbyterian Bible Class Union met in Fust Churoh oiassroom, when the principal* business discussed was the forthcoming summer school to be held at Inrercargill from -December 24 to 30. For the tournament sonic basket ball teams are coming from the North Island, and the Dunedin girls are extending hospitality to them for a night or two as they go south. It was afeo under discussion whether the Young Women's Union could not support a missionary of its own, and this is to be carefully considered by the classes. Interesting reports of ths work in North Taieri, Ngapara, and Port Chalmers Classes were read, and much appreciated. The Children's Home Branch of the P.S.S.A. still continues to do good work, and is now considering giving the children a day's outing in the country. The question of abandoning the first series of wool sales in Invercargill was discussed by the woolbrokers on the 9th (says the Southland Times), but the fina decision was postponed pending communication with the woolbuyers now in Dunedin. The disappointing results of sales in the north have interfered with the support forthcoming for the first sale-

A remarkable incident, writes a medical correspondent in the Standard, happened recently at a London denfal hospital. A young woman went there to have five teeth extracted. The anaesthetic decided upon by the dental surgeon was ethyl chloride, and this was administered by the usual form of apparatus. An india-rubber cap is placed over the patient's mouth and nostrils, and

connected" with! it is a bag into which a sealed capsule of ethyl chloride is introduced. By the turning of a screw from the outside the capsule is broken and the anesthetic liberated. The screw was turned, the patient went off gradually into the usual condition of insensibility, five teeth were extracted, and the patient awakened without feeling any part of the operation. The whole case appeared perfectly normal. Only when the young woman had left the room and "the apparatus was being made ready for another patient was it' discovered that the oapsnle of ethyl chloride had by some mischance not been broken at all. The whole condition of insensibility had been brought about by the self-hypnotism of the patient. The jdea that an anaesthetic was being administered was so strong in her mind that she had passed into insensibility entirely by hypnotic) suggestion.

The following telegram from Perth, Western Australia, _ throws a strong light upon the relations existing between the settlers and the aboriginal natives: — The annual report of the Protector of Aborigines laid on the Assembly table includes a report furnished by the Secretary of State for the Colonies on neck-chaining fh this State. The chains are ljlb, and'&ro loosely fastened below the chin, so that the hand can. be placed on. the neck. Four prisoners are usually chained together. The system is most humane, and is necessary for the safety of constables conveying gangs of 15 to 20 prisoners through the bosh. It is preferred by the natives to any other form of manacling. - The president of the Central Health Board and principal medical officer agree that ihongh unsightly, neck chains are the best and the most humane mode. The district medical officer at Broome Gaol, Wyndham, declares that native prisoners prefer the neck chain to any other form of securing. It does not chafe or .interfere wJA tho morcmenfe or -wort, or gather dirt, and the weight is carried where it is least felt. The protector's report states that the expenditure for the year was £13,964, the bulk of which was spent on actual relief to aged, crippled, and destitute blacks.

The routine of passing fiv-e Chinese, who arrived at Wellington from Sydney on Wednesday, through the formalities demanded by tine Customs regulations, was broken when the aliens were asked to produce their papers at the Customs Office. After fumbling in their clothes for some time each of the Chinamen produced the following recommendation and handed it over to the officials with' the characteristic Mongolian smile: — "Heakh Office, Hongkong. This is to certify that has been washed and thoroughly disinfected by steam. His effects hare also been disinfected."

The directors of the New Zealand Flonrmillere' Association, at their monthly meeting in-Christchureh on the 12tb, decided to make a further""^eduetion of 30» per ton in the price of flour, and the current local quotation now stands at £11 5s per ton for sacks of 2001b. This represents * decline of £3 per ton from the top of the market three weeks ago. It is understood that the last reduction in price was determined by the fall in prices in Australia and also on account of the probability of importations of flour from America. It will be welcome news to consumers generally that this drop in flour is likely to "bring about a proportionate reduction in the price of bread.

On Wednesday evening the Roslyn Borough Council held a special meeting to consider . the appointment of an engineer in place of the late Mr W. J. Hall to complete the waterworks scheme, and it was unanimously decided to appoint Mr F. J. Williams to the position. _,Dr Nisbet, by way of illuatrating a reason why he should not " address " the pupils of St. Andrew's Collegiate School on the 12th, related how, in his. own childhood, an eminent barrister had promised to make a speech art the breaking-up function. His train broke down, and the celebrity wired to say he could not be present When the telegram was read they all applauded exceedingly — not on; account of the breakdown, but because the threatened speech would not have to be endured.

Scarlet fever would appear to be somewhat prevalent in the country districts at the present time. Within the past seven days the Health Office has received notification of over 20 of such cases.

Discussing the matter of his rejection as workers' representative on the Arbitration Court, Mr Slater said, in an interview with a representative of the Press: — "I would not care to say anything about gratitude or ingratitude' on the part of the unions ; but I -believe that' the actual state of affairs as shown by the nominations bas not expressed the minds of the unionists of ths Dominion. I know of instances where the nomination papers have been filled up by the executives of unions, the matter never being placed before the upions; and there is no provision in the act that the nomination should, be placed before the members of the unions.-" v

The monthly meeting of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals tras held on the 11th in the hon. secretary's office, Empire Buildings; present — Mr Fenwick (in the chair), Mesdames Waloott and Jackson, Miss Allan, Rev. A. T. Chodoweki, Rev. W. Saunders, and Messrs Quick, Jeans, W. Mills, Livingston, and T. S. Graham (hon. secretary). The inspector (Mr R, T. Aitken) was also present. The monthly report of the inspector disclosed that he had investigated 33 cases of reported <«»»\tj to animals, rhich had

| been sufficiently met by caution and the T destruction of some of the animals. Re- { ports from the Cape of Good Hope and Canterbury Societies were laid on the table. ' and a quantity of routine business was disposed of. The question of the methods adopted for the killing ef crayfish tor household use wa6 again discussed by the < committee, but it was found impracticable I to do anything in the matter, ' there being ! no provision of law that enables cruelty ; J~to fisn -of any kind to be dealt with. ; i The Secretary reported that he had had j a talk with 'the head master of one of the ■ city schools in the hope of securing an j increased interest in the affaipß" of the | society by the pupils of the senior .stand- j ards, and it had- been arranged, to appoint ; a certain number of the boys to a position j analogous to that of the honorary rangers i of the Acclimatisation Society. It was j hoped that by this means acts of cruelty ! | would be reported to the, 'society's inspector. During last week a -quantity ot bacon and butter and .several cases of prunes were condemned and seized from various places in the city- by the Health Department authorities as being .in an nnn> .state 'or human consumption. At Balclutha on the 11th Clark and Richardson, hairdressers, etc., were fined { 10s for a breach of the Shops and Offices Act in failing to close their premises on the statutory half-holiday. A preliminary meeting, of representatives of 'the Burns Club, Caledonian Society, Gaelic Society, and Early Settlers' Association was held in the Early Settlers' Office, Stock Exchange, on the 12th inst. to take into consideration the most fitting manner of celebrating the diamond jubilee of Otago on March 23 next. Mr Chieholm (president of the Caledonian Society) presided, and it was resolved that euch society appoint 10 members to represent it as a general committee for. effectually carrying out the project. The meeting was very enthusiastic, and a suggestion that a picnic be held in the afternoon and a grand concert m the evening met with much favour. Mr Langlands consented to act as secretary pro tern. An extraordinary general meeting of shareholders of the Union Steam Ship Company, held on the 12th inst, confirmed the special resolutions providing for the distribution of- certain reserves which were passed at the general meeting of the company held on Monday, November 25. Mr Slater, in an. interesting interview in the Christchurch Press, endorses unreservedly the suggestion made by us that Mr M'Cullough owes his appointment to the Arbitration Court to a sympathy vote. Mr Slater says on the subject: — "It has been suggested, and it has been denied several times in the press of the Dominion, that Mr M'Cullough owes his election to the sympathy felt for him in connection with his retirement from the public service. Now, I absolutely affirm, and I am prepared to prove it when the time comes, that had this occurrence at the Addington Workshops never taken place, Mr M'Cullough would never have seen the position. Mr M'Callough was supposed to be the chosen of the Trades and Labour Conference, but what ib that worth? ... It -appears to me that the conference recommendation does not amount to much, and I am firmly of opinion that had the issue been decided only by the unions affiliated to the Trades Councils I would have had the majority. By the way, I don't think that half the unions in the Dominion are affiliated to the Trades Councils. . . Some of the union* that originally promised to support me must have gone back on their promises, because I had intimation, by letters and by statements in the public press, that 140 unions intended supporting me. If it be accurate that 125 supported Mr M'Cullough, it is apparent that my surmise is not far out. ' I have good reason to believe that if the vote had depended on the majority of unionists I would have got a large majority, because some of the unions with the largest membership supported me." In consequence of the drop in the price of flour, the master bakers, at their meeting on the 13th, decided to reduce the price of bread from 7Jd to 7d the 41b loaf. We understand that at a meeting of the Finance Committee of the City Council on the 13th it was- decided to rtgmmend the council to continue the presentTirrangement with regard to the Dunedin Fire Board— that is, to allow the board to carry on in the meantime, end the council to reserve to itself the right to terminate the agreement at any time, which power is given the council in the last section of the act. Within the past three months upwards of 20 indigent consumptives have been forwarded by the Hospital Board to the Rock and Pillar Sanatorium, according to arrangement with that institution. The Roslyn CounciFsjQew reservoir is fast approaching completion, and we understand that everything is -to be ready for water to be turned into it at a high pressure by about January 1. The water supply comes from the upper reaches of the Leith and Morrison's Creek at about 900 ft above sea level and 200 ft above the Roslyn reservoir. There will be three intakes in all, and two of these are to be ready for the first flow on the date above mentioned. As a result of the deliberations which ' have taken place during the week between j the retail fruiterers and the Fruit and j Produce Brokers' Association, there is a ' prospect of a more satisfactory arrangement than has existed in the past in regard to the fruit auction sales. It ha.s been by no j

means an uncommon thing for brokers ttf hold their auction sales simultaneously, thus iraking it impossible for individual fruiterers to attend all the sales. It has now been arranged that the sales in the five central city rooms shall be conducted in rotation, each auctioneer taking turn for" priority of sale, and being allowed not more than 45 minutes to auction his fruit. In this way .buyers will be able to attend every sale, and prices are less likely tc show the same 6trange fluctuations which have often occurred in the past. The naw order of things was inaugurated on Monday, 16th, (he first sale starting at 8.30 a.m. sharp, in the following order: — (1) A. Moritzson and Co., (2) T. Pryor and Co., (3) T. Paterson and Co., (4) T. E. Shiel and Co., (5) Waters, Ritchie, and Co., the above-mentioned firms comprising the Fruit Brokers' Association. This, it i« understood, is only one of the reforms in the fruit trade that the Fruit Brokers' Association, in co-operation with the retailers, is striving to bring about. And from the consumers' point of view one much-to-be-desired outcome is the inaugu nation of a more moderate retail price for so seasonable a diet as fruit.''

The big tunnel in connection with the Dunedin-to-Mosgiel railway duplication works has now. been -driven for a distance ot 140 ft. At the Abboteford end of the tunnel a considerable number of men ara engaged in lengthening existing culvert*, taking out cuttings, widening embankments, etc.

Everything tends in the direct-ion of this year's display of blooms at the Botanical Gardens being the best ever experienced. In the first place there hare never been so many plants in flower before, for the number is being increased year by year. Weather conditions have been entirely favourable, and the warm, rains of the pact week nave worked, wonders. Christum* time should see the Gardens at their best. The rockery is looking especially well. The water lilies in the new pond are beginning to open out in flower, as are also the Japanese iris alongside. The roses arc commencing to bloom, and are coming away remarkably well, -while the sweet peas are in flower in abundance.

Referring to the statement made by Ml Slater in an interview in Christchurch, to the effect that in some instances the nomination papers in the last election of workers' representative on the Arbitration Court had been filled up' by th« executives and - never placed before the unions, Mr R. Breen stated to a Time* reporter on Friday that that did not apply to the Dunedin unions. He knew of nocase in Dunedin where such had beet* done. In every instance the matter had been discussed at a properly-constituted meeting of the union, and everything had l been conducted in a straightforward manner. There were one or two large unions, Mr Breen stated, which only held general meetings twice a year, and their business was conducted by an executive or board of management, and in these cases only probably the nominations had been mad* by the executives. In one such case the nomination made was in favour of Mr Slater himself. Mr Breen takes exception to another statement .made by Mr Slater— namely, that he did not think half ths unions in. the Dominion were affiliated to the Trades Councils. In regard to that statement, Mr Breen stated that in so fat as Or&go was concerned, a majority of the unions were affiliated to the Trades and Labour Council. Some of Mr Slater's remarks have been received with a certain amount of Indignation locally.

Mr T. E. Taylor, . interviewed in CbTistchurcb respecting the destruction of Parli*. ment House, offered an original sugges* tion. " Now that there is nearly a clean sweep," he said, "I should suggest thai* the new Parliament Buildings should be built at Palmerston North. It is far too dangerous in case of invasion that all our record*, etc., should be near the ses, as they are in a seaport town. Inland they would "be quite safe. The opportunity now offers itself, through the destruction of the Parliamentary Buildings in Welling* ton, to make a fresh start." "fAt the last meeting of the Hawksbury Borough Council the Mayor suggested that the name of the borough should be altered, and Baid it was confusing and unsatis-" factory that the railway station and tha town should be known as " Waikouaiti * n while the title "Hawksbury" was stil* retained by the borough. Consider-ftle discussion followed, and it was eventually, decided, on the casting rote of the Mayor, that the necessary steps be taken to alter the name of the borough to that of " Waikouaiti." x

Why its dredge boiler had burst ws» a question that puzzled a meeting of tha Parade Gold Dredging Company on tbs 13th. The, severity of the New Zealand boiler test was well known, and a boiler that survived that ordeal would stand any-*, thing anywhere. Yet, on being trans< planted to Manila the affair had exploded like a local cannon in the Spanish-American war. Eventually an expert came to the rescue with the explanation that the boiler had probably been clogged with silt; a' state of affairs that not even a boiler tested* in New Zealand could stand.

There would seem to bo nothing prosait in the dredging industry in Manila, and at a mining meeting on the 13th the difficulties encountered in getting » dredge piecemeal from New Zealand to the China Seasi were dwelt upon. Arrived at Paracale, Americans, Spaniards, Filippinos, China* men, Arabs, and Malaya, in all their variations of language and costume, assisted in,

ihe unloading. Another surprise* was in store for the party in the shape of. atyphoon that nearly wrecked *<he scow containing the machinery that was being towed up stream. As it was, the tow-rope parted. The claim appears to be a very rich one, and as New Zealanders are fond of adventure the party should have no gzonnds for complaint.

As the outcome of a suggestion before the Farm Labour Conciliation Board in Canterbury, that the union might resort to "calling men out" and leaving the employer in a fix at harvest time, Mr Thorn took the opportunity to 6tate, as a responsible officer of the union, that there was absolutely no truth in the statement that the union had ever- contemplated such a thing.

New Zealanders, to whom Malaria is but a name, would seem to, be at a disadvantage in a country where even the natives build their houses on poles, so as to sleep as far away as possible from the fever that broods at night upon the bosom of mother earth. Britons and New Zealanders new to a malarial district always seenrto regard she earth* as their natural bed, and if when camping out they do' not- sleep on it, sleep as near to it as possible, thereby assimilating the - scourge that will never really leave them. Yet another instance of this was in evidence^at a mining*meeting on the 13th. The master of a new dredge in Manila had been down with fever. "How did he get it?" repeated a man who had been there; "why, sleeping too near the ground, of course."

Some little time ago the retirement from the Government railway service of Mr J. Coom, Chief Engineer for Working Railjrays, was announced. Mr Coom's official retirement would eventuate on March 31, but the department has extended him three months' leave of absence, and he will accordingly retire from the service at the New Year. Mr J.-' Burnett, Inspecting Engineer, will be promoted to the Vacancy thus caused. Mr F. W. Mac Lean, District Sngineer at Dunedin, will succeed Mr (Burnett as Inspecting Engineer. It is understood that Mr Hunter Macandrew, wall known in Dunedin, and a son of the late Mr Jmnes Macandrew, and at^presenfc District Engineer at Christchurch, will succeed Mr Mac Lean at Dunedin.

Sunday was the hottest day yet experienced this summer in Christchurch, the maximum heat in the shade being 87 de' — ees. About £720 was collected for the Dunedin Hospital and kindred institutions on Saturday in city and suburbs. Two-thirds of this amount, or £480, will go to the Hospital, and as this sum will carry with it the Government subsidy of £4s in the pound the funds of the institution will benefit to the extent of £1056. Of the remainder of the •meant collected £180 will be handed to the «SC John Ambulance Association, and the i&lanee will be divided between the Patients and Prisoners' Aid Society - and the Victoria Convalescent Fund. The balance »f £240 (after payment to the Hospital) ie iubttkKsed by the Government to the extent of £200, whioh will also be divided among ihe three smaller bodies, the larger share going to the Ambulance Society.

The library of Parliament Buildings xxxmteined no damage in the late conflagration, and that this '•» so must be attributed to ihe action of 'iast session's Library Com■Tnittee. In the erection of the building, jfhich was supposed to be fireproof, the rejnarkable mistake had been made of having several windows' on the ground »fioor quite olose to ihe main building. The committee this year saw in these windows a possible •ource of danger to the library in the event of fire occurring, and it accordingly had them- taken out anoV the openings bricked in. But for the foresight of the committee there can be little doubt that fire would hare found its way into the * library and done damage to many valuable volumes of

reference.

A correspondent writes to us drawing attention to the presence on the surface, barely 20 yards away from the caretaker's house at the Northern Cemetery, of a child's Ooffin, which would seem from the appearance of the 'dead grass covering it, to hare ■been, disinterred some weeks past. The people in the neighbourhood feel that some menace to the public health may be involved.

Mr Neil, while speaking at the Fountain en Sunday evening, made a remark whioh did not meet with the approval of his audienoe, whereupon one among them is alleged to have caught the speaker by a leg of his trousers and given them a pull. Tb« orator became incensed, and, it is stated, challenged hie alleged assailant to accompany him to the Police Station. The man accepted the challenge, and the two marched off, accompanied by a large crowd of men and boys. The police officer in- charge, after Mar Neil had stated his case, recommended him to take such proceedings as anight be advised, and -furnished him with /the name and .address of the person who had interfered with him. We are informed that the probable result of this will be that •f such unseemly proceedings continue, especially on Sunday, the police will be compelled to proceed against all persons preaching in the streets.

Believing a feeble excuse to be worse than Hone, a Dunedin youth eet himself to invent one that would get him safely past every collecting-box in the city on Saturday. In the morning he went jauntily citywards, and a lady held out her box with the usual demand. "My dear young lady," he replied, '*' I would give you this coin with pleasure, only it is quite impossible, as you will agree ;*s-hon I explain. I have vowed out of pity

to give it to the plainest woman that I can find out collecting to-day: You cantake it if you wish to, of course." Having said whioh he beamed triumphantly ; but his joy wa* shortlived. Said the damsel, unabashed, "Put it right in here; you don't need to go any further. I am sure I'm the ugliest." The youth delivered his coin and I departed sadly, having learned that when the Hospital funds are at stake a woman's vanity is as nothing.

The tramway* returns for the fortnight 3how that 42,753 miles- 65 chains were run for a revenue of £2598 10s 6d. For the corresponding period last year the revenue was £2424 7s Sd, and the mileage 42,936 mile* 39 chains.

Mr Thornton, Principal of Te Auto College, who has come to Dunedin to plead th cause of the Maori race, preached in St. Paul's Cathedral on Sunday evening. He took as his text those well-known and soul-stirring words of St. Paul, "I press forward." He introduced his remarks by calling the attention of his audience to .the stage in the cycle of the year which they have reached. They stood at the olose of the old year, and at- the threshold of the new. He urged upon all to form new resolutions, to press forward to becoming better citizens in the future than 1 in the past. Mr Thornton 16 an eloquent speaker, and a master of English diction. The cause which brought him here is evidently dear to his heart. He is in Dunedin, he said, to elicit publio sympathy and hearty co-operation on behalf of the Maori. The Maori has a distinct claim upon the English people, because he is a fellow-Christian, a fellow-citizen, and above all, because he is becoming self-reliant.

In view of recent occurrences it is in- j teresting to mention that in a recent issue | of the Government 'Gaxette regulations re- | lating to the removal of criminal lunatics were- published. One of the regulations, , which have been approved by the Imperial I authorities, provides for the removal to the United Kingdom or elsewhere of a criminal lunatic in a case where theTe is ao asylum in the^ colony where such a person cannot, be properly or conveniently, detained and dealt with. ■<•

Following are the rain statistic* for the past week as supplied from the Drainage Board's office:— December 8 .040 in, 9th .130 in, 11th ".030in, 12th .485 in, 15th .175 in, 14th .020 in; total, ,880 in. Total for 1907 to date 18.410 in.

Concerning Mr Slater's retirement from the Arbitration Court the*' Blenheim Star says : " His record is a splendid one. He has heard every dispute, not having missed a, sitting of the court during the 12 years' of its existence. .. The work of the court takes it from>North Cape to the Bluff ; and ' fa* several years the rush of work was tremendous. He had joined the court and served upon it more from an enthusiasm" for principles than for any consideration of * salary— indeed, the first four years' work had meant practioally a dead loss to him, and at that early, tentative stage of the court's career the office of workers' representative had not the least security of tenure. The workers had now, when the appointment had been made a lucrative one, chosen one who had been dismissed from his employment for a misdemeanour. It only showed how fickle were the masses." The Inangahua Times says: "If Mr M'Cullough acquits, himself as well as Mr Slater has done in the same position those who have placed him there will have no reason to be dissatisfied with their selection. On the other hand, he is running a risk of being a ' martyr ' a second -time, as those whom he represents are apt to be a little erratic in dealing with their servants. Time will tell."

j Mr Widdowson, S.M., held a sitting of the Juvenile Court at 7.30 a.m. on the 16th to hear two charges of tneft preferred against a young girl who was arrested on the Maheno the previous day. The girl was charged with stealing two brooches and a jacket, value £6; the property of different people in Christchurch, and evidence as to the thefts being conclusive, the accused was convicted and ordered to come up for sentence when oalled on. Accused, whose mother and other relatives were passengers by the Maheno for Hobart, was afterwards put on board the 8.20 a.m. train for Invercargill, so' that she might rejoin her relatives on board the Mabeno££t the Bluff.

An Early Notification of Births Act isnow part of the law of Britain, but instead of being universal and compulsory, as at first proposed, its adoption in any particular district depends on the decision of the local authority. There is, therefore (says The Hospital), still opportunity for the medical - profession to prevent the operation of the unhappy proposal to make practitioners publio purveyors of their patient's secrets. From another paragraph in The Hospital it seems that the profession are very hostile to the act. No one (says the journal) questions that in certain circumstances this may be a highly advisable proceeding, but whether it should be enforced on all is another matter. But in any event the position of the medical profession ia olear. Their essential objection to the act is that it demands the betrayal 6t profesaional confidences, and these, ' in the public interest, ought to be held, as sacred.

At the . last me«ting of the NorthEast Valley Borough Council a communication from Patang&ta County Council re the coming' visit of Mr Keir Hardie was read. The circular was identical with that received by the Mayor of Dunedin, and 'the Patangata Council euggested that in jiew

of Mr Hardies recent utterances re India, he should not be afforded official recognition by any local body in the Dominion. The Mayor (Mr I. Green) said he, personally, did not intend to receive or recognise Mr Hardie in any form, and 'it was not desirable, he thought, that his presence should be recognised within the Dominion. They were not, as a borough, in sympathy with firebrands of the Keir Hardie order. Cr Robertson endorsed the Mayor's remarks, and said that Mr Keir Hardie was merely one of the numerous agitators who visited the Dominion at stated intervals. Cr Evans dissented from the position taken >up by the Mayor and Cr Robertson, which he stigmatised as " Jedburgh Justice." It was resolved that it was desirable that Mr Keir Hardies presence' should not be recognised within the Dominion. A. similar circular was read at the last meeting of the Port Chalmers Council and met with a like reception. Mr T. K. Sidey, M.P., on the 16th telegraphed to the Prime Minister asking that the Railway Workshop' employees be paid on Friday night up till the Saturday following, as has been arranged for the last two years. In due. course Mr Sidey received the following reply : " Pay up till Saturday arranged for." It is understood that a petition, having for its objeot the release of Lionel Terry from I the Seacliff Mental Hospital, and his transference to another country, will shortly be circulated and presented to the Government. The petition has its origin in the Hindon district, where Terry spent a great deal of his time while at large. Emotional people and nations show a more marked preference tor the interesting and artistio than for the coldly practical, and Mr J. Thornton, during an interview on the 16th mentioned that the Maori lads , at Te Aufe College took up history with i delight, and were shining lights at Latin I and Greek. Euclid, algebra, and arithmetic, however, were by no means so popular. It is interesting to note this preference for the classic* in a people that has no history of its own. - Several speakers at the last meeting of the United Temperance Reform Council stated that during the first 12 days of the | present month three- deaths had occurred in' , 1 Ounedin itself directly due to drink. The ' hope was expressed by all who referred to { the- matter that the publication of the details! of these cases would do much to arouse Dunedin citizens to a realisation of the havoc which the reckless consumption- of drink is working in their midst. At a, meeting of subscribers to the j V.M.C.A. extension fund in Auckland it was decided to acquire a site' below the j municipal buildings in Wellesley street, at ! a cost of £6000, for the erection of the new building. ■ It was assumed . that the present V.M.C.A. building would realise £10,000, and that the proceeds (less the mortgage) added to the amount realised by the recent i campaign would give a total of £30,000. i It is hoped that the new building will be ! opened without debt. , i The following is a list of the ladies who assisted in the Hospital Saturday collection, at St. Kilda:— Mesdames W. J. Burk, W. OJ. M'Farlan-e, Gabriel BCod s «c, Alexander Binnie, Misses Dora Gore, Dora Leith, ' M'Farlane, Irene- Collie, L. Murphy, Ruby Robertson, M. Parker, Jeffs, Smart, E. Wyatt. ,The Mayor of St. Kilda (Mr W. J. Burk) acted as general supervisor. Mrs E. Tapper writes: — "The following names of my assistants were omitted from my list— Misses Isitt, Scott, S. M'Lean, Nurses Spraggon, Cook, and Stronach." Complimenting Invercargill through the press on its splendid record in regard to ( Supreme Court cases since no-license was carried, the secretary of the temperance organisation quote* from the addresses of ' Mr Justice Cooper, Mr Justice Dennlston, Mr Justice Williams, and Mr Justice Chapman, each, of whom has congratulated the' district on the remarkable absence of serious crime since no-license came into ' force* Under "The Infant Life Protection Act. 1907," which conies into operation on January 1 next, a new duty in regard to the notification of births is cast' upon the occupier of a house. The registration of births under "The Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1875," is not dispensed with, but the notification of births is a matter, in advance of and in addition to registration, considered highly important in the protection of infant life. The section bearing on the point is as follows.— " (1) It shall be the duty of the occupier of any house in which a child is born alive to give notice of the fact of the birth, the \ date on which it occurred, and the name ! of the mother or father of the child t6 the i registrar of births of the district in which the birth took place. (2) Such notice shall be in writing delivered or posted by registered letter to the said registrar within 72 hours after the birth if in a city or borough, or 21 days in any other case. (3 If the occupier fails to comply with the provisions of this section, he shall be liable to a fine not exceeding £5." According to the Hastings Standard, the evidence given at the inquest concerning the death of Urupene Manahi disclosed the I fact that a Chinaman had been called in , to medically attend the injured man. One ! witness said : " I was against having any- j thing to do with the Chinaman, and at flrat refused to send for him, but, to ' pacify the Native*, I did send for him at last." The almond-eyed individual felt the pulse of thexwan, and in other ways affected to know something about the case, f

and administered a liquid extraction from boiled leaves. It is alleged that this is not the first time that " John " has attended Maoris. The police have the matter in hand.