LOCAL AND GENERAL

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 880, 28 July 1910, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

A well-dressed woman was charged at the Magistrate's Court yesterday with unlawfully abducting her sister's child, a boy under the age of fourteen years. The police explained to the Court that a mistake had been made. The mother had laid an inlormation against her sister, but later inquiries went to yrove that the latter had taken no part in the abduction. The child apparently had gone voluntarily to bis aunt, in whose care he had lived for a number of years. Defendant, although attached t° .the boy, was willing to return him to his mother. The latter, questioned by the magistrate, stated that she was content with this arrangement, and would take no further proceedings against her sister. The child was handed over accordingly, and the information was withdrawn "by leave of the Court."

The Minister for Marine (Hon. J. A. Millar) has decided to leave the Mokohinau light, which it was proposed to transfer to. one of the Chickens, in its present position for twelve months, in the hope that there will then be something like unanimity of opinion as to the relative merits of Mokohinau _ and the Chickens as a : site for it. This decision was communicated to an Auckland, deputation which waited on the Minister yesterday afternoon. Mr. Millar also told the deputation, incidentally, that owing to the expenditure necessary on the Tuahine light (Gisborne), which is slipping into the sea, the Department would not be able to put a light at Bushy Head (Whangarei) as soon as was hoped.

Some time ago it was reported that a vessel," the Century, had arrived in New Zealand' with three million feet of Oregon pine. Attention to tho matter was at onco called by the. secretary of, the West Coast Timber Association. Yesterday, however, Mr. Seddon, M.P. for Wcstland, received a wiro from Mr. Leyland (of the firm of Messrs. Leylaud and O'Brien), who was a member of the Land Commission, which showed that such was not thp case. His message ran: "West Coast .friends in error ro. Century. Sho left no tiniuer in Now Zealand, only a few laths, mostly for Christchurch. Her cargo was for Australia."

Mr. Mauglian Barnett reports tho following additional guarantors for tho proposed . municipal orchestra:—Archbishop Redwood, £o; Mrs..'J. Tripe, .£lO 10s.; Mr. J. Tripe, £10 10s.; Rev. Dr. Gibb, £b 55.; Mr. G. N. Sturtevant, £2 25.; Hon. ,Dr. and Mrs. Fiudlay, £5 55.; Mr. A. S." Biss,. ,£5 55.; Mr. Cecil Jones, ■£5 55.; Mr.' J. S. Jameson, .£1 Is.; G. A. T., £3 35.; Mr. P. Levi, £2 25.; Mr. John Mackay, c £s ss. The total amount guaranteed to date is JE349 13s.

It is matter of tradition that American tourists visiting Scotland used, to reap a harvest of lun at tne expense of its intensely patriotic inhabitants, by talking down, with easy nonchalance, the assets of natural beauty lor which tho country is famed. Invited to view with rapture a lovely Highland loch tne sportive American would infuriate his guide by a casual observation: "Well, that would make a good little duck-pond, wouldn't it now?" It is said that now-a-days tho Scot has becomo case-har-dened, and' impervious to all such shafts. A New Zealander lately returned from a trip Home relates that on a railway journey between Aberdeen and he travelled .vfoii.isome 'distance along the banks of a river culled the Spey. . It was running low in its bed and in his ignorance ho asked a fellow-passenger, a typical Highlander: "What do you call this stream?" "Stream!" replied the Celt, looking daggers at his interrogator, "why this is one of the biggest rivers we nave." "Surely you don't call this thing • a river?" exclaimed'the Maorilander. At that the Scotsman turned away with a bored expression on his face and a single brief remark: "I suppose you come from America?"

Tho "Government Insurance Recorder" is not a regular publication, but it is a very well-arranged and interesting little, paper. Neatly, printed on 'good paper and contaiuihg an excellent selection of letter-press, the little journal reflects 6redit upon its editor, Mr. Morris Fox. The "Recorder" for July 'contains a fine portrait of the 'late King, and one of Mr. Wm. J. Rudd, a veteran agent of tho Department (with an accompanying sketch). The annual report is. published in full, and there are some comical "Odds and Ends," bright enough to add many days to the lives of insured readers.

A meeting of the members of the newlyformed Wellington Canary Club was held in the Oddfellows' Hall last evening, Mr. D. Murphy presiding. There was a good attendance. The rules of the club, drafted at the previous meeting, were adopted, and the following officers elect-ed-:—President, Mr. D. Murphy; vicepresidents, Mrs. J. Martin (of Martinborough), and Messrs. H. ,W- Davis, W. Hi Stairmand, Frank Shaw, M. Gi Greenside, and W. Judd; hon. secretary, Mr. H. C. Davis; treasurer, Mr. T. O'Sullivahi Mr. Danks, on behalf of an anonymous donor, presented the club with a silver cup for competition, under conditions to be •drafted by the committee. ■

Yesterday Mr. W. R. Haselden, District Coroner, held an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the death of John Thomas White, aged 59 years; stevedore,, who died suddenly at 14 Binhain Street on Tuesday morning. Patience Wiggins, wife of Joseph Wiggins, residing at li Binham Street, with whom deceased boarded for six, years, stated that .deceased was subject to fits, having very severe ones about every three months.'On the day of his death he was sitting on a chair nursing her baby, when .'she, -heard a scream from the child, and rushing into the room found deceased face downwards quite still, and the baby some distance away" iiuliurt. -Deceased-was a.married man with ono son living at Palmerston. Dr Kington Fyffo, who performed the post-mortem examination, stated that all the organs of the body were found to be healthy with tlm exception of the heart. The causo of death was backward, flowing of blood through tho valves of tho heart. A verdict in accordance with the medical ovidence was given' by the coroner.

"Irresponsible" is the . description applied by tho chairman of the Harbour Board to statements in the country press anent charges levied at Wellington port. It had been threatened, he said, that' wool would be taken to Lyttelton for shipment instead of Wellington. It might interest those from whom the statement came to know that Lyttelton had recently increased' tho charge on wool from Gd. to Is. por bale.

The Conciliation Commissioner at Auckland has a fairly busy time ahead, says tho "Auckland Star." . He is at present engaged with the hairdressers' dispute. Oil Thursday tho engineers' labourers' dispute will come before tho Conciliation Council, after having been adjourned to enable a settlement to be arrived.at by the engineers. Next Monday proposals submitted for a now award by the Auckland Freezing Company will be heard. This is the second occasion that tho employers have been in the position of claimants in the Auckland Province since tho appointment o£ the Commissioner. On the following Monday the boilerniakers' dispute will bo taken.'*

Tho railway buildings at Taumarunui, including the refreshment room, the engine-shed, and the goods-shed, are shortlv to bo lit by acetylene gas, savs the "Auckland Star." The plant to be installed will be the largest in any railway station in the country, for tho generator specified is to bo 1501b. earbide capacity. . . '

' Andrew Riddle, who was severely injured as the result of an accident at Dimock's bacon factory on Tuesday morning, is reported by,.the hospital authorities to be slightly better, though still unconscious.

In connection with the fire at Messrs. R Hannah and Co.'s building in Cuba Street on Tuesday night, the insurances totalled JM3,000. Of this sum the plant and contents wero .insured for ,£35,000, the remainder being on tlio building.

"The Girl from Rector's," a comedy which will shortly be produced in Wellington, was the subject of representations from the local Ministers' Association to the Hon. Dr. Findlay yesterday. Those who formed the deputation included the Revs. Dr. Gibb, J. J. North, J. R. Clarke and others. As the interview was of a private nature, nothing definite is known as to what transpired. It is understood, however, that no. definite decision was arrived at with reference to a request made by the deputation.

Healthy progress is shown in a report presented by the chairman of the Harbour Board last evening. The tonnage of vessels using the port during June, IDIO, was 131),815 tons, being an increase over the corresponding period of last year of 29,278 tons. If the tonnage of vessels coaling in the stream were added the increase shown would be 32,878 tons.

Some remarkable figures illustrative of the value of gum lands were given by Mr. Stallworthy (Kaipara) last evening. Mr. G. W. S. Patterson had recently visited Pareuga (near the North Cape), and calculated that on thirty thousand acres there a thousand gumdiggers were making an average of a. hundred a year. To earn a hundred a • year from sheep one would require 200 sheep, or 200,000 sheep to produce what 1000 gumdiggers were earning. This was an average' of over six sheep to each of the 30,000 acres, Mr. Patterson calculated. Mr. Stallworthy challenged anyone to say that land that would carry sis sheep to the acre was not good land.