GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXX, Issue XXVI, 27 June 1903, Page 1786

GENERAL NEWS.

A new system of telegraphy has been tested between the post offices of London and Glasgow. By the new method twelve messages can be sent over the same wire simultaneously, and the number can be doubled by the duplex method of transmission. In a Police Court case at Sydney a money-lender sued for the detention of some furniture, over which he had a bill of sale. In the course of the evidence it was stated that defendant had agreed to pay the sum of £ 20 for the loan of £35 for three months. Mr Montgomery, the local representative for the N.Z. Royal Humane Society, has received the medals and certificates which are to be awarded to certain Aucklanders for heroic conduct in rescuing life. The Governor, who is patron of the Society, is to be asked to present the diplomas and medals before he goes South. During May the Labour Department assisted 66 married and 268 single men throughout the colony, there being 282 persons dependent upon these. The distribution was as follows:—Auckland, 97; Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay. 7; New Plymouth and Taranaki. 14; Wellington North. 3; Wellington South, 50; Nelson, Westland and Marlborough. 14; North Canterbury, 71; South Canterbury. 7; North Otago, 8; Dunedin. 3. In Wellington South 34 domestic servants were assisted, besides five who had been previously assisted. The Government has now 5616 men employed on eo-eperative works in the colony. Of these 208 artisans and 2876 labourers are employed on railways and other public works, and 2532 labourers are on road works. The Department of Roads has at present 2532 labourers engaged on road works throughout the colony. The distribution is as follows: —Auckland. 482: Te Kuti. 176; Rotorua, 133; Hawke’s Bay. 146; Taranaki, 316; Wanganui. 314; Wellington. 373; Marlborough. 136; Nelson, 88; Westland, 149; Canterbury. 25; Otago, 80; Southland, 114. The Management Committee of the Auckland Rugby Union, who have for a long time been looking out for a new ground, decided last night to purchase part of an estate at Three Kings, in the Mount Roskill district, from the Assets Realisation Board for a new football ground. The area is forty-eight acres and the price £3600. The members of the committee are unanimous on the subject, and all that is now required is the formal ratification of the ground trustees, which may be looked upon as certain. The ground is a fine level property. and brings in a good income for grazing purposes. The Oceanic Company’s mail steamer, the Ventura, arrived from San Francisco and the Islands at midnight on June 21, having completed the voyage in record time. The Ventura was twelve hours late in leaving the Californian port, and has landed her mails at Auckland something like forty-eight hours ahead of contract time. The length of passage was 16 days 27 minutes, whilst the steaming time was 15 days

4 hours 35 minutes. The Ventura has therefore beaten all previous times between the two ports by at least twelve hours, which is a truly remarkable performance. MR SEDDON’S PREMIER-HIP. AUSTRALASIAN RECORD BROKEN. WELINGTON, June 20. Great enthusiasm prevailed when Mr Seddon mode reference to his record Premiership for the Australasian colonies at the social tendered to Mr Barber, M.H.R., last night. Two days ago, said Mr Seddon, tho Australasian record of Sir John Forrest was broken, and now, thanks to the people of New Zealand, and especially to those men and women of the West Coast who had sent him to Parliament, the record of the Premiership had been wrested from Western Australia, so that in this respect, as in nearly every other, New Zealand came first. Mr Seddon has been the recipient of many congratulatory messages from all parts of the colony and Australia on his great achievement, men of all shades of opinion combining to recognise such a wonderful lease of political power.