NEW ZEALAND TELEGRAMS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 7, 3 October 1907, Page 8

NEW ZEALAND TELEGRAMS.

NOTES FROM. OTHER CENTRES. AUCKLAND. [BY TEIiEGRAPir.—OWN CORRESPONDENT.] Auckland, October 2. The City Engineer's scheme for an electric light .and pcrnvr itist:ilfor an electric 'light mill |)o>.vfr iii.siitllation, which the City Cinuieil this afternoon approv.i'il ;ind. decided in take a poll of ratepayers upon, was embodied in a repuri <>i' which the Inlawing is a digest--The plant at the •station is-capable of 451) kilmviit-ts. plus. another 15IJ, kilowatts for the battery at top load periods, so thai it is possible to add at least three more feeders without increasing the station plant as far as the engines and generators are concerned. The buildings as cTected are capable of taking three additional boilers of equal capacity to the one now being installed, and two more engine and generator units of at least equal capacity to the one at present contracted for, bringing 'tho 'total' capacity of the station up to from 900 to 1000 kilowatts, including a battery of 1200 to 1300 horse power.' To meet tho demand would cost £40,000," and the Engineer recommended that the necessary authority ho obtained to borrow that sum, it being understood, however, that the extensions to both the power station and' cables will only be undertaken as the'growth of trio concern warrants. There will be a large additional demand to that already applied for, which excceds 500 kilowatts, and it is most important . that tho Council should be in a position to adequately meet tjiat demand within a reasonable . time. 'i ' The scheme in connection .with Municipal Workmen's Homes, which lias been formulated by tho. i Mayor (.Mr. A. M: Myers; and has been shelved for six. months past, was on the order papoi for consideration at yesterday's meeting of the-City Council. Itwwars r however, 01 i Ce niore postponed, ,'this \ time for three months, awaiting the rcceipt of the report of the recent National Congress at Home.. A settler, writing to the Press, resurrects' the old proposal of insular separation for the Dominion. He offers this as a solution for what ho terms ill-considered railway arangeraents, about Auckland. "It is difficult . to' believe," he remarks, " that we belong- to the same countiy—tho North witli its mud tracks,, the South .with its colossal building's, and railway works." It has been customary in Auckland on Labour Day to hold a trade display :iijd afterwards a sports meeting at one or' other of the recreation reserves. ■ This year there is to bo no trade demonstration, beyond a procession of Unionists and a marine excursion take's the place- of tho spoi'ts gathering. ' Disquieting, reports arp going about to tho effect that several serious assaults have lately- been perpetrated in the Remuora'District. On one occasion recently the wife of a railway employee,. while walking along Wilkinson Road Witli her two infant children, was attacked by a man, who struck her, it is said, -with" a sandbag, rendering her > unconscious. , While slio was" in this condition the miscreant is.credited with having robbed her of her purse, and made off before she had recovered consciousness. A ,day or two! latqr a young girl employed by a resident ,o£ Arney Road is said to have been chased down tho road by a man, who had been seen hanging'- about the', road for somo time. Vi ln .the; most serious case-of. all, it is stated that a girl under ten years of. age was" enticed under the -.bridge over the railway lino in St. Mark's Road and there assaulted. ; The remarkable increase -in the death-rate in Auckland this winter ns compared with last winter is accounted" for by tho Registrar 'as largely due. : to the prevalence of infantile. complaints and influenza. Tho highest death-rato this year occurred in July, when of a total of 149 deaths 44 were of children under five. In August the proportion was twentynine children under five, out of a total of. 129. deaths.. ~ The deatli-rato for the past quarter cxceeds all previous quarters, and that .many deaths were due to the long spell. of wet weather experienced here may, be <:auged from the fact that very many fatal cases of'bronchial.'diseases and pneumonia were registered. . A warning note is sounded by the District. Health Officer (Dr. Purdy), who states to-day . that rats are becoming very prQvalent agaiu. 'He urges a general household crusade in view of tho possibility otherwise of a recrudescence ,of plague. ; Mr. John Ellspn Brown, who died last week in this city at the ripe age of eighty-four years, was formerly an employee of tho Government Printing Office staff, which he joined after the seat of Government was shifted from Auckland to Wellington. Mr. Brown was one of the oldest members of the Manchester Unity 1.0.0. F., Wellington, retaining his connection .with that lodge to the end. . •'HASTINGS. ; : Hastings, October 1. Sir William Russell has announced his ' intention of contesting the Hawko's Bay seat at tho General Elections. ' This makes four candidates in the field, to date:—Messrs. H. Lan Simson, T. J. Thompson (Mayor of Hastings), A. Dillon, and Sir William Russell, with Mr. Jull, of Waipawa, as a dark horse. Mr. R. It. Martin, organiser for tho Opposition, arrives at Hastings to-night.• Mr. A., WO. Ytwwjt, M/ft ,IV, Vws boon approached. Ijy representatives of import,wb sections of the community to contest Hawko's Bay at the General i Elections. Mr.. I'Vascr declined em-! phatically, stating that he would represent Napier as long as tho people desired his services. Tho Native Land Court opened today before Mr. Justice Sim. There were 961 cases, including investigations into title, partition, succession, etc. . ' A meeting of delegates from local bodies was held 'at tho Technical j School to-day, Sir William Russell presiding, for the purpose of considering the question of appointing a local board of directors t-o coiitrol technical education in the district.. Tho Chief Inspector, Mr. Hill, addressed the meeting at length, stating what was necessary to.the carrying on of technical work in tho district. After discussion, it was resolved that a board be appointed, and that each delegate represent the feeling of the meeting to their respective bodies with a view to seeing what financial support each body is disposed to give. NAPIER. v Napfer, October 1. The playing of an alleged unqualified player in the final challenge game for the championship shield, , Rovers v. Scinde, resulted in considerable excitement in football circles. Tho secretary of the Ilawke's Bay Rugby Union, writing to Hastings subunion, confirmed the action of Uio management committee in suspending the Rovers from the fixture, but took upon himself to express the opinion that, for the challenge game, in the event of Scinde agreeing, his committee would offer no objection to Kenyon (who was alleged not to bo qualified) phi 'ing for Rovers. Acting on this the Rovers, who had previ-

ously decided not' to play, changed their minds and decided to fulfil their challenge. On arrival in Napier however, they were informed that t ! io secretary's action in stating that ' Kenyon would not be objected to was likely not to be upheld. . Tho Rovers then-held a meeting and dccided they would not take the field At tho same time the Rugby Union management committee held a meeting, and in the faco of the circum- ' stances decided to confirm the secretary's letter. The Rovers worn notified ol the decision and decided .to play with .v-nyon .. ter an exciting gamo .lie match ended m a draw, both sides spring six points from penalty goals.'. ,M.-mde t.hiis win the Hawkc's Bay ciiampioiiship v,-itli the Rovers as ruu-nens-up. As. a result of the management' commit tee having, broken .their •previous ruling-j» regard-to tho play'■'"i . lu ;". V011 . three prominent offi- Y cm Is ot the Hawkc's Bay Rimbv ♦" tioi' OU ' I!nU their rcsignaAt a meeting of theiWaiapu AngItcan Synod to-night, tho RcV - F A. Bennet moved that this Synod' impressed with the havoo that drinlj .is working amongst the Maoris in many districts, urges upon tho Gov- , einment the justice of extending the principle of local option to the native race, so that in any Maori electorate where tho native vote decides in ■ favour of no license, it shall be illegal to supply any' Maori in that electo- • rate with liquor, and that a copy of tins resolution bo sent to the Native .Uinister and to- all members m Parliament. Mr. Bennet said tho, difficulty .'was vin Maori electorates, but this should be met by doing away with Maori representation. This,, however, the native.did - not want. It is proposed to - solve the difficulty by taking a vote of the Maoris, 1 so as to prohibit the supply of liquor to them in • their electorates should they desire it. Tho -motion was carried. It was . also unanimously resolved, on ■ the • • motion of , Mr. Thornton (To Aute, College) That this- Synod views' with much satisfaction the proposal to hold a representative Maori Congress in Wellington during 1908. It is of opinion that-such a gathering vvill not ■ only bo .productive of much V benefit to the Maori, but by bringing, prominently forward' the positive needs and claims of the race it will tend to promote a better understanding between the. two peoples, and arouse a sense of responsibility in ■ the European mind in. reference to ' the spiritual and temporal welfare of the natives." Mr. Thornton outlined a scheme'which'is being promoted 1 by the Young Maori Party to ■ show the progress; of the natives in' church work, education, manufactures,. and agriculture. CHRISTCHURCH. Christchurch, October 2. The train from Christchurch to Springfield is one of the slowest of the country trains in Canterbury, taking something, like four hours to cover'some 40-miles ._ It . has : fre-,-quently been the subject of protests to the Department without success,, but after all its leisurely wayof getting'over' the journey is not without compensations. For instance, the other morning 'a sheep-dealer, who was travelling by it, met at a waysido station, a farmer who had some sheep to sell. The dealer • walked across to a paddock near the station, examined tho sheep, counted them, did a little,, bargaining with the owner, and finally bought 'them. Tlicin he strolled leisurely back to. the station and boarded the train. .' Some months ago • the Board of Governors of Canterbury College, on. tho initiative of Mr. John Studholmoy offered the position of profossor of home economies |at the College to Miss Gilchrist, ! _ a tcacher of the subject at iKnoxville, ; Tomiesseq. The", salary .was £600 .for threo years, and Mr. Studholmo' offered to., provide £200 a year of the total. The appointment/was accepted, but there was Some hitch about travelling oxpenscsj and in the end Miss Gilchrist cabled declining to take up the appointment. A letter, which was read at the IJoard meeting to-day,; • threw 'some light on the lady's ac-' .tion. " The delay in our; negotiations," she.wrote, "gave opportunity for new complications to arise. t I found that my terms were not likely to be agreed upon and I choso the other course, and' followed my heart's desire," leaving the teaching profession and entering upon a- more individual practice of homo economics. I have, recently been married." ' : A correspondent of- the " Press;" referring to a recent lecture bv Sir James Drummond on New Zealand birds,- in which the statement was made that the native quail ; was ex- . terminated, says that it,is frequently met with in the North Island, especially near Eltham, where in soma cases these birds rest m gardens. The native lark, which'was killed out in the South Island by tussock fires, is also said by this correspondent to be very numerous in the North Island. ■ There have been singularly : few accidents in connection with the ovor- . head wires of the' tram system, in",:' Christchurch, but an. incident occurred to-day which showed the possible danger that lies in . the enormous energy transmitted • ,by the wires. A house was being moved from one part of the town to another whoa its iron roof, came 'in contact witli the tramway and . telephone ' wires, and acting as a conductor, it led the current from tho former into the latter. The result was that fusings took place at several telephone poles in the vicinity. The flare set' tho posts alight, but the flames were quickly subdued except in. one case, where one of the chemical engines had to be requisitioned to extinguish the outbreak. A number of telephones .wero put out of serried rati] repairs, wr? effected. . That the Canterbury pioiwew mu of good stock is generally admitted. Fresh proof of the soundness of their constitutions is afforded by the fact that at the celebration of the jubilee of the ship Glentaner's arrival • at Lvttelton on October 3, 185 i, no fewer than forty of those who came out by her are expected to be present. ■ :' SHOOTING CASE AT SUMNER.' COMMITTED FOR TRIAL.' [by telegraph. — press ' association.] . Christchurch, October 1. A man named David L. Moore was charged at the S.M. Court to-day* with having fired a gun at his wife with intent to do'bodily harm.' It is alleged that Moore had been drunk, and when in that condition quarrelled with his wife. Ho assaulted her, chased her into. a. paddock behind their house at Sumner, and fired a gun. Whon arrested he denied any intention of injuring the woman. Mr. Bishop, S.M., committed accused ftfr trial, bail being allowed, himself in £2(k) and two sureties' of £200 each. RAILWAY ENGINE DERAILED. . Auckland, Octpbcr 2. • The seven o'clock traiti from Frankton to Paeroa narrowly escaped disaster last evening. Tho points on the Thames side of the yard were fixed at half-cock, and wedged there with a piece of wood.. Tho train was travelling slowly, and only the engine was derailed. Three and a half houra wore occupied ill replacing it. . A similar attempt to derail tho train was made on the same lino six weeks ago.