AUCKLAND NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 787, 9 April 1910, Page 14

AUCKLAND NOTES.

FARM LABOUR FROM ENCLAND. ' (By Toleeraßh.-BD'eoial Correspondent.) Auckland, April 8. At this afternoon's meeting of tho Auckland A. and P. Association Mr. Sedgwick, who is making a tour of tie Dominion ,in advocacy of a scheme for the emigration of the youth of the Old Country to these shores, addressed the members on' the subject of his mission. He said that England was now offering •suitable' boy-labour for the coloniesyoung, -strong,, and versatile meii who were willing to come to the oversea Dominions, .if the farmers of New Zealand were willing to co-operate- with the Home; authorities and ■ agree to take parties of these young men. It would not be long before they would be able to send, out the exact stamp of man required'for local conditions. If the scheme-was heartily taken up it would be possible to relieve the overburdened labour market at Home and turn it to good purpose in New Zealand and elsewhere. '■'...

- Dr. Stopford, in supporting what Mr. ■Sedgwick, had said, remarked that it was not, proposed to. send out to 'the colonies the "submerged tenth," but young men capable,of making good colonists.; He had seen the youth of.England living lives that were - debasing to. their manhood. The type of boy Mr., Sedgwick wished to send out here was not the "rag-tag" of London, but boys Who would make their way ahead if 'once given, a chance. . He. hoped that, the.-farmers of New Zealand would see their way clear to assist-in the movement. The president of the A. and P. Association (Mr. T. Gray) said that what the country wanted was.population, and he thought New Zealand could absorb not r only ; hundreds, but thousands of. suitable young men in agricultural labour. . A central' agency could perhaps be' established, in Auckland under the aegis of the association and an endeavour made to put the... scheme.-into .practical: operation. After further, discussion- a .committee .was appointed consisting of- Messrs. E. D O'Rorke, R. Dick, J. G. Rutherford J. Ambury, Dr. Stopfdrdj J. R. Scott, W. Westney,..' and,: J. R... Walters to go thoroughly' into the matter.

<-,;.. AN OLD PROMISE,. .■.', , : .'.- .'.'A,"matter of. the duplication of the Parncl! railway tunnel was brought up at last sight's meeting of < the City Council, when Mr.. P.. M. Maekay gave notice to move at next meeting :—"That this council ask the Mayor to name ten "representative men who; shall with him-, self consider the question of the proposed duplication,, and notify the Prime ;Minister and Minister/for. Railways that ,-they are prepared: to give a "decision in accordance with the official agreement." Mr.' Maekay drew, attention to the fact that when-a deputation waited, upon Sir Joseph Ward at Auckland five years ago, the latter asked that their request should be held over, and moved the following, motion: ."That, ui ; the opinida of. this meeting, .the,programme,. the , Government. 'proposed. ■'. to '.carry out, on the:;'Auckland-Penrose' •.section,. without ,the{idupjicatiph; ! '6f/the tunhel,.,be completed', "'and'- on. that/being done': the : Mayor-.'df Auckland.' select, ten'represen.tativo'men who: shall, liieet'the Minister r2 r ir ailways and So over the section, it; they,.declare the-duplication of the tunnel is then necessary, the Minister is, bound to carry out the said duplica''S? n ;' v ' ' Dunn g tD e past five years, Mr' Maekay said, the city had grown very much, and it was unquestionably the most prosr»rsus..een.tre in HwZeakaJ. Railway business had natoally increased to ;a corresponding extent,, and if the' Prime, Minister was among those who-, had to use this suburban railway service he would realise that the people of Auckland were travelling under .great 'inconvenience. He trusted that the suggested committee or inquiry, would be appointed. The Auckland Chamber of Commerce adopted a similar resolution. ..

Vv , THE RAILWAYS.. -...;, ; The fact that.the' Railway. Departmerit.have, decided to make Te Awamutu a,stoppmg-place for-the Wellington, expresses,, again opens up the quel tion.ot stoppages .between Auckland ?f n i Fran on this question a Pukekohe; resident says: "On the Auckland-Frankton section the only schedulo stop is at Mercer, where there is no prospect of ever working up a Passenger .trade,. whilst' the,claims of two nourishing .towns; namely.. PiikeJsohe and.Huntly, both of which serve a large back country, ■ are constantly overlooked.-, It seems strange that the passenger traffic ' between . Wellington and Frankton should.be studied by the Uepartmeht so much more closely than the traffic near Auokland. .• This is a qfuestion that should be taken'up by the Chamber' of Commerce in" Auckland, as both Pukekohe and Huntly are centres • from which commercial travellers work all the surrounding' country and it would be : of great service ■• to them if they could:-make/u'seCof' the express trains.', ''Its the:- Department thinks that by- stopping\at" both these stations they will delay the train, why not arrange to stop at each place, say, three days'_ a week each, making the stop at : each place on alternate days? By doing'this the Department would be conferring a great convenience to its patrons, and it would place this particular section, oh a level with other sections along ■ the route, whore the trains stop at the station most, suitable for the travelling' public." In the course of ah interview between the Hon. R. M'Kenzie-'ahd a-Huntly-'deputation,' the chairman of the Town Board (Mr. J. S. Bailey) urged that 'the Main Trunk express to 'Wellington 'should- stop'at Huntly. Huntly', he'said; was an im-portant-centre, having a population of 1700. Mr.,'H., J.', Greenslade, M.P., pointed 'out, that to ;,meet' this, wish a delay of. only a couple of minutes .would bo involved. The' Minister agreed to represent. the 'matter' 'to ' the Minister for Railways'. '~',• V

AUCKLAND CITY FINANCE. The Auckland,City-Council has reason to congratulate itself on the smallnoss of its book debts. At last night's meeting',,the..treasurer (Mr. "Brigham) reported that the .arrears of 'current municipal rates (exclusive of water) standing' at . the.close. of .the financial year, March 31, 1910, amounted to £184 2s. 3d. - Although the amount to collect was,- owing to .the-.increase in rateable value, £3572 4s. 9d. in excess of last year's,' the' arrears' 'stood £27 Bs. 3d. less.. The arrears "of the present year cbns'tituted-tbe- least amount standing: at.the-close of any of the council's financial, years, irrespective of the amount.to be collected, which had more than'doubled' itself in the last twenty years; The -rates were struck' on June •,'.17,-.'1909, ".and although the rating year did not end until May 31, 1910, 99} per cent.'of the rates .were in hand at balancing time. It spoke well for the prosperity* 'of the city.'that such results were obtained,. more, particularly as it wasj .not necessary to;resort to legal proceedings to .recover any' of the money. The treasurer included in. his report a comparative statement of rents' collectable and collected for quinquennial periods from ;1890 to 1910, Thisstatement showed that the ■ net rates collectable had increased from £30,780 2s. lid., in. 1890 to. £70,437 .9s. 7d. in 1910. The rates'collected'had. increased from £27,421135:. Id., t0;£70,253 75.. 4d. during the same period, while the arrears had decreased from... £3358 9s. lOd. in 1890 to £184 2s;-3d. in 1910.