LAST NIGHT'S NEW ZEALAND NEWS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 10961, 2 May 1907, Page 1

LAST NIGHT'S NEW ZEALAND NEWS

(Per Pre3-i Association.) AUCKLAND, last night. The valuation of the city for the year 1907-8 is £1474,690, an increase of £532,---387 on the previous year's valuation. The increase is accountaljje for as follows : Allotments and exempt property having become rateable £900, new buildings £7310 increase on original values £24,---169, total £32,387. The hearing of cases in which the Electric Tramway Company and a number of tlieir employes are cited for breaches of award in connection with the late strike commenced this afternoon. The case against tlie company was taken first, and alter being partly heard was adjourned till to-morrow/. A meeting of farmers at Otahuhu resolved to form a wholesale milk supply association; It was stated that the price of milk had not risen, in proportion to the advance in- tlio price of land, and the extra expense entailed by the dairy regulations, and it was agreed not to accept less than 7d perrgallon for six months or less than 8d tor tlie other six months. Under tlie terms of the recently-passed Habitual Offenders Act a middle-aged man named Henry John Atkins alias Dalton and Wilson, came before Mr Justice Cooper nt the Supreme Court to-day to be dealt with as an ■ habitual offender. It transpired that at present there is a deficiency in connection with the Act, for no reformatory exists where habitual offenders may" J^erdetained. His Honor' said 3,e npticed'that*t_e) District Judge had or-■dei-ed. the prisoner to be brought up in the Supreme Court on May 27th as an habitual offender, so he could not make any order that day. However, even supposing that he had been properly brought up, no order' could be made '.because there was no fefprmatory, and the gaol would have to discharge him. -Atkins was sent back to prison to complete a term ofthree months, which he is now undergoing^ In reply to. a deputation this' morhiiigthe Hon- Geo. , Fowlds said : ho^ielfe;, >_qre/ tliat if the Harbor Board undertook "the construction of the proirosed WaitSSi_tajSlanukau canal tliere would be. no.difficulty 'n getting the Government to give the Board authority to raise the meney required. The estimated cost is £"88,C00. The foundation stone of the Jubilee Institute for the blind at Parnell was laid this afternoon by. tlie Hon. Geo. Fowlds. Tlie contract price for the building is £13,735,. the amount contributed by the Government being £2500. The building, which is being erected alongside the present building, will consist of two stOroys,and special attention Ts being paid to. making it, as far as possible, fireproof., A bequest of the late Mr Williamson, of Pohsohby, by which the insitute will benefit to the extent of more thafl £1000, has enabled the erection of the building to be undertaken. A request has been made, to the Government for an increased vote on account of the' additional ii^ciuirementSi . Mr Fowlds who referred to the colonial nature of the Institute's work, said this would receive reasonable consideration. ' For the period ended April 20th the Waihi Grand Junction Co. treated 3442 tons of ore for a return of bullion- valued at £7955. During March., the Waiotahi' Co. treated 1407 tons 9cwt. 711b; picked stone for a yield of melted gold valued at £19,272. A protest against the election of Maoris as members of the Awauui School Committee was made to tlie Board of Education to-day by (V number of* liousehdlders, on the" ground that the Maoris, selected were neither householders nor residents in (lie district, had na children attending\iilie European schools, and had already voted for the Maori Soliool Committee. Air Olauditt, on behalf of 'the 'Europeans, at-.; tended itbe meeting, and saul that -the ' Maoris ?were taken to the meeting from gumfields outside the school district'- by a person who took charge of the meeting, and ruled that, the Maoris were eu'-ivte.-J to vote. The result was tliat the' Maoris were, etected a committee for the Euro--pean schools, although they did not '.'un-. aerstand English. It was deii'led t liafc " the election be declared void, and that another election take place. ,v Objection was also taken to East Tamaki election by residents, on the - ground of the decision of the chairman of tliie^ householders' meeting that husbands and wives could not bothy vote,, and that; ballot papers were given to^ersons'wluHiad no right to vote. Mr Harris, a_ member of the Board, and chairman of the .householders' meetingv said that he ruled that only one vote could be A allowed each householder, unless they had children attending school, believing that to be the law. H e did not. refuse ballot papers to any man who was Entitled to vote. It was resolved that a new election take place. WELLINGTON, last night. At his installation to-day as Mayor of Wellington, the Hon. T. W, Hislop made reference to the necessity for steps being taken to improve tlie town belts, and . he expressed a hope that, an \Af t -Gallery., would be established in the city. ; He" thought there was too much interference by tne Government with the work of local .' bodies. Not only ' did the Central Government ignore the city by-laws' regarding the widths of streets (as the site for the workmen's homes in Coromandel street, for instance), but although tlie Council had made a brick building area in the city, the Government continued to erect wooden buildings within tliat area; But tliere was an even greater injustice than tliis ibeing done by Uie .Government, and that was in applying for an injunction to prevent the Corporation crossing the Hutt railway line ..with their water mains from* the Wainui-o-mata reservoir. Mr Hall-Jones, Acting-Premier, left for the South last night. CHRISTCHURCH, last night. Tliis afternoon -Mr H. W. Bishop, S.M., and; the Crown Solicitor, Mr T. W. Stringer, took four sets of depositions involvinpr five charges of theft of Exhibition space money by D. C. Mclntyre and two charges "of false pretences. The first charges include sums of £35, £19 10s, and £10, and the latter are for passing valueless cheques. At the conclusion of the evidence, the extradition papers and warrants and the necessary forms were filled in and • completed.* A shunter named James Paton was crushed between the buffers of two horseboxes at the Ohristcliurch railway station this- afternoon and somewhat seriously injured. A middle-aged man named Henry Brown, while blasting rock-on the hills in the vicinity of Little River on Tuesdav. sustained painful injuries. He had some doubt as to whether a fuse-had prope'rly ignited and ventured out of his shelter to see. Tlie explosion occurred when Brown was witliin a few feet of the blast, and its force hurled him for a considerable distance! down tlie hill. His face and eyes were injured and after regaining consciousness he had to crawl fully half a mil e before he could obtain assistance. Ho was brought to the Cliristchurch hospital to-day. At- a meeting of the Council of tlte New Zealand League of Wheelmen to-night u letter was received from C. F. Baker, who had been disqualified in connection with the Royal Enfield boys? race, who wrote refusing to attend a meeting of the Council (o answer charges he had made in a local paper of collusion against two of the League's officials. He refused to givo the names of the officials alleged to be implicated in improper practices in connection with .the race. It was resolved to disqualify Baker for life for making deliberate misstatements reflecting on members of the Council and refusing to appear to substantiate them. DUNEDIN, last night. The Otago Trades and Labor Council, at its meeting, this evening, passed the following resolution :-.'■ 'That this Council .trongly supports the Hon. J. A. Millar, Minister for Laibor, in his endeavor to uphold tlie jaw in reference to the half-holi-day provided for in the Factories Act." A responsible official of the Otago Harbor. Board proceeded ot Timaru to-day to inspect the Timaru Harbor Board's suction dredge in order to report) -upon its suitability as an auxiliary dredge for Otago harbor. A four-roomed wooden house at Anderson's Bay, owned by Mr L. Page, was burnt to the ground early this morning. The house had been empty since Monday. Up till then it was occupied by Mr Jolin Brown. An application will be made to Mr Jus; tic e Williams in -Chambers, probably next week, for an order authorising ttie destruction of the books and documents of the old Colonial Bank. Their weight runs into tons. On April 27tlu the Outlook appealed for subscriptions for the China Relief Fund. Monc- has since been coming in from all parts of the colony, and now tho total exceeds £770, with, advice of more to follow. Yesterday £300 was cabled to Miss Reid, a Dunedin missionary in China, with an intimation that £250 was to follow by ma'l. INVERCARGILL, last night. At the close of „ie Wallacetown stock sale on Tuesday a horse broke loose and collided with Mr Angus Wallace, .breaking his leg above the ankle.