TELEGRAMS

Southland Times, Issue 12665, 7 August 1893, Page 2

TELEGRAMS

(Per Press Association). AUCKLAND, Aug. 5. W. T. Henderson, carter, aged 29, feil from the shaft of a dray, a wheel of which went over him. He died this morning. This morning a big land slip occurred at Birkenhead, opposite Auckland, 500 yards of earth moving about 400 feet seaward. The under stratum forced its way underneath the surface and upheaved a road some 12 feet. Wheeled traffic is blocked. It is estimated to cost L5OO to repair the damage. The land is still slipping, and if rain continues another serious fall must take place. There are heavy land slips on the Waikato line between Newmarket and the Domain tunneL Communication is interrupted, and passengers will be taken to Newmarket till the line is repaired. The Kaipara line, near Newmarket junction, has also slipped down a gully. Through communication with Waikato is re-estab-lished, but between Mercer and Huntly the line is in places dangerous. Only light trains go through, and at places at four miles an hour. The Waikato is still rising. Never since the Auckland observatory was established has there been such a . lengthy spell of bad weather. WELLINGTON, Aug. 5. The deputation which waited upon the Premier last Monday in reference to the working of the coal measures on the West Coast had another interview with that gentleman to-day. Mr Seddoa stated that the Government had decided to give a subsidy of £ for £ on the amount expended by the Grey Valley Co in laying down a tramway to connect the 26-acre Block at the back of the Westport Go’s coal seams and in constructing a main road through the property ; the amount to be paid by the Government, however, not to exceed LlOOO in any case. It was stated that the company would probably accept the offer of the Government. The heavy rain of the past few days has brought down quite a number of slips in parts of the city. One fall brought down fully 1000 tons of earth on a road, and it will be some days before the debris is cleared away. Floods are reported in the Wairarapa district and part of Petone township was flooded this morning. The weather is now clearing. The monthly returns show the arrivals in the colony for July to have been 1170 and the departures 857. A deputation of shopkeepers interviewed the Minister for Labour regarding the Shop and Shop Assistants Bill. Several speakers urged that the liberties of tradesmen should not be curtailed, and maintained that the penal clauses of the bill would ruin many small shopkeepers and give a monopoly to large traders. It was admitted that the principle of the bill was a good one,but what the deputation objected to was the compulsory clauses. Mr Reeves said that if he did what the deputation asked he would simply drop the bill, and he could not do that. The bill would not, ho was sure, do anything like the harm that was feared. All the shops would close together, and it would mean that they would have to do in five and a half days the work now done in six. As for the argument that the bill would interfere with the liberty of the subject, every bill dealing with industry did that in a greater or less degree. A deputation consisting of members of the Surveyors’ Institute waited on the Premier to urge on the Government to bring the Institute of Surveyors Bill on this session. It was urged that certain general lines had been laid down at the Sydney Conference, at which the Government was represented, that the other colonies were taking action, and it was a matter of honour for New Zealand to keep to the arrangement there determined on. An effect of the proposed bill would bo to make colonial certificates Australasian ; to ensure uniformity in examinations, and to safeguard the public from incompetent men and improper charges. The Premier promised to bring the matter before the Cabinet, and let the secretary know the result.