NEW ZEALAND NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1789, 30 June 1913, Page 8

NEW ZEALAND NEWS.

(By Telegraph—Press Association,) , j | DRAPER BURNT OUT. i 1 THE DAMAGE TOTALS £2300. Auckland, June 2S, A serious blaze occurred this afternoon, at 4 o'clock' in Manukau Road, Parnell, when a draper's shop, owned by Mr. J. Gilmour, was practically gutted. The, fire broke out in the showroom, right in the centre of the building. Tho outbreak, was confined to the shop which was built' of wood. A grocer's shop was closc no on one side, and a private residence on. the other, but the efforts of the brigado resulted in very little damage being dona tx> the adjoining premises. Mr. Gilmour's shop, however, was practically burned , out. The damage to tho etock is estimate od at .£2300. Mr. Gilmour will be a. heavy loser, as his only insurance is for wEIOOO in the Slato Office. Mr. Gilmour' also owns the property which is valued at .£BOO, and the insurance is .£350 /in tha ; same office. How the fire started is a mystery, fori there was no sign of anything wrong when Mr. Gilmour locked up tho shop for thaafternoon at 1 p.m. "FASTEST IN AUSTRALASIA." S.S. WAIIINE ARRIVES. , Dunedin, Juno 29. The Union Company's new turbir.G steamer arrived at Port Chalmers at noon, yesterday from Glasgow, via Algiers, Port Said, Aden, Colombo, and' Bunburv. Fino weather prevailed until after leaving tha latter port when slio met with some heavy south-west gales and high seas, lasting, until nearing the New Zealand coast. On the voyage out the Wahinc averaged UV knots throughout, but she can increase that speed,to 22 knots when -cciuired, Sffb is claimed to be tho fastest passenger steamer owned in Australasian waters and her officers describe her as being n wonderfully steady vessel in rough weather. Sho can accommodate 850 passengers inc. carries boats for all. SUPERANNUATION PROBLEM. LOCAL BODIES' MEN. Christchurch, June 27„ Tho Mayor (Mr. H. Holland) stated to-day that tho matter of a superannuation scheme for employees of local Iwdics came un at the meeting of tho Executivo Committee of the Municipal Confcreuco. It was felt that any scheme, to bo a success, must be a national scheme, otherwise there would bo great difficulty in dealing with tho caso of an employee transferring from tho service of one local body to another. With a national scheme, however, contributions would go on just tho same, no matter what local body on employee might' join. Tho proposal was brought before tho Minister (tho Hon. J. Allen), who requested the execm tivo to appoint a comraitteo to discuss the matter with liim, with* a of seeing whether it would not be possible to niako the National Endowment scheme available for superannuation of local bodies' employees. A committee wns accordingly Appointed to wait on tho Mini ister. The Mayor added that the dele, gates present at tho meeting all thought that, if the national fuml rould be mad? available, that would bo the solution h t the difficulty. THE SMALL MARAUDER. CHUISTCHCRCII ROBBERIES. Christchurch, June 2'i; Edward Neil Vi'liitten, an urnler-sized youth, and, an absconder from Burnhanii pleaded gtiilty at tho Magistrate's Court to three charges of breaking and entering. -In one ease ho stole a lady's hand< tag, valued at 10s., from a house in Fen. dalton, and, in tho second, ho stole a cash-box and contents, valued at 355., from a hoitso in Richmond, and, in th« third, ho stole Its. from St. Peter's Church, Riccarton. He wns committed to the .Supreme Court for sentence. Tha chief detective said that thero were other charges which could bo preferred against accusrd, but there would be no benefit in doing so. TO MANAGE NAPIER'S CARS. Napier, Juno 2S. In connection with the insinuation of tho electric trams and lighting system, tho council to-day decided to appoint a station superintendent and works engineer. at a salary of ,C3OO, also a traffio ami business manager, at X2CO,