TELEGRAMS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2011, 21 February 1907, Page 2

TELEGRAMS.

Press Association. WHANGAREI, yesterday. The Hon. Mr. McNab, in tho course of a speech here last night, said tliat all the land taken from the large freehold estates would still retain the freehold, and those who got it would have freehold rights. All native lands declared by the Commissioner to be surplus would be dealt with by legislation, and be disposed of under the freehold system, with favorable terms to buyers. AUCKLAND, yesterday. Last evening Mr. F. R. Bust, agent for tho New Zealand Federal '■ Operative Butchers’ Association, ] addressed a large gathering of butj chers’ employees and slaughtermen. 1 Mr. Bust pointed to the many advantages of tirade organisation of em- ! jdoyees, and hinted at the possibility : of upsetting tho present Auckland i butchers’ award, owing to several i alleged illegalities in its compilation, : which illegalities, however, the spealc;or declined to state in an open 1 meeting. At a subsequent meeting ■of the Butchers’ Union, a resolution | was passed applying to the Federal j Council for permission to seek a fresh j award if application to invalidate I their present award was made and ! succeeded. A large number of ‘slaughtermen were present, and requested Mr. Bust to organise a Slaughtermen’s Union for Auckland. ! The meeting adjourned till Satur- ' day, when the' slaughtermen will prepare a log for presentation to the Board of Conciliation. Mr. Bust expressed the opinion that the southern I slaughtermen would eventually ob- : tain the rate of pay for which they . went out on strike, but said he did not approve entirely of their tactics. j STRATFORD, yesterday. | .In the District Court to-day a case is being heard in which Dr. T. L. ! Paget claims £sod alleged damages | for assault, by which he suffered seri- ; ous bodily injury, in the shape of a j broken bone in the elbow. The de- ' fence is a general denial of the alleged assault, and further, in the al- | ternative, justification on the ground j that whatever he did was in self-de-fence, and to repel plaintiff, who had ! first assaulted him. Mr. Barton | (Hawera) appears for plaintiff and Mr. Myers (Wellington) for defendant.

At a very representative meeting of settlers of Stratford and district, held last night, the following resolution was carried: —“That this meeting desires to protest most strongly against the tardy progress made with the following public works, viz., metalling Ohura road, construction of Mount Egmont railway, and pushing on of the work on the Strat-ford-Ongarue railway; and further, that this meeting is of the opinion that, the continuation of such a low rate of progress in opening up the back country is directly opposed to the advancement and prosperity of the colony.

WELLINGTON, yesterday. Interviewed by a Post representative, Mr. W. S. Pryor, general secretary for New Zealand of the Employers’ Federation, said: “I regret very much the unfortunate circumstances which have compelled the two companies interested to accede to the men’s demands, because if they had stood firm in their attitude that matter was one for settlement,)}}- the Arbitration Court. Then they would have had the bulk of public opinion behind them. The result of the settlement that has been arrived at seems to spell the utter breakword of the Arbitration Act. It appears to have been shown towards the colony that a ‘strike’ (or whatever it may be called) is a more effective means of securing higher wages than the Arbitration Court is. In my opinion the result would possibly be that before long we will witness the cancellation of registration of a number of unions, and the strike .principle will be applied when the demands of workers are not acceded to by employers.” The Marine Department have decided to erect a depot for castaways on the Big Kings and largest of the Three Kings. The work is to be carried out by the liinemoa during the next fortnight. On Sunday night the police raided several Chinese houses and made a seizure of small quantities of opium. Prosecutions will follow.

The Tutauekai has gone to Queen Charlotte’s Sound for the purpose of laying a cable for telephonic communication. Afterwards she will lay a cable across the French Pass. The latter will be of great assistance t > shipping passing through Cook Straits. Three of the firemen from the Rakaia, who were landed while suffering severely from effects of coal gas some months ago, are still at the hospital, and a couple of them are scarcely able to move about yet. Originally there were six at the institution. One recovered sufficiently to disappear, and two were taken back to Great Britain. The N-nv Zealand Shipping Company is maiing arrangements to have tho remaining patients returned to their homes »n ’he United Kingdom, and they ill probably have passage on the Tongariio Rupert Kellow, convicted of an unnatural offeme, came up for sentence this morning. Mr. Justice Cooper said the case had caused him and the Chief Justice much anxiety. Prisoner was only fifteen, arid to send him to gaol would mean absolute destruction of liis future welfair, while to send bun to a reformatory was iu resirable. His Honor spoke at some length on secret vice * amongst boys, who were unaware of the full extent of their wrong-doing, and urged upon parents the duty of making lads acquainted with those natural laws, the inglect of * hicli in many cases destroyed health, sense, and morals. In admitting prisoner to probation, his He nor said he was taking an unusual step, but he world impose special conditions. Probation was for a period of six years. Prisoner was to report to the police weekly ,not be out after seven at night, and the boy’s father was to pay the costs of the piosecution and enter into a bond for £2OO.

CHRLSTCHURCH, yesterday. The Women’s Christian Temperance Union Convention closed - today. The business was of a loutine order. i , DUNEDIN, yesterday. The Arbitration Court sat in Dunedin this morning, when the enginedrivers’ dispute was heard, having reference principally to the fixing of the minimum rate of wagqs for casual labor and hours of work. The workers demand that a first-class' certificate men doing v ork which requires that he shall hold first-class certificate receive 10s per day, and that a second-class ertificate man doing work which requires that he shall hold a second-class certificate receive 9s per day. In reference to this clause employers propose that a firstclass certificate man shall receive 10s a day only if lie has served his time as an engineer, otherwise he receives 9s; similarly that a second-class certificate man receive 9s per day only if lie has served his time as angineer, otherwise Bs. Decision was reserved. The hatters’ disjiutes were then dealt with. Employes demanded a minimum wage of £3 a week, 48 hours to be a week’s work, and preference to unionists. It was stated on behalf of tlie employes that owing to the depressed state of tlie industry the present was a most inopportune time for granting the demands of the men. The bearing of the case was adjourned. ■■■■■■: ■■■ ■ Tin: drought appears to lave broken up. Heavy showers' fell all last night, ami the weather is ■threatening this morning, with an occasional downpour.

THE FREEHOLD. CHRISTCHURCH, last night . At a meeting of the executive of tlio A orth Canterbury branch of the r armors Union to-day a committee was appointed to arrange for a land campaign through Canterbury in support of the freehold. VANCOUVER SERVICE. AUCKLAND, last iTtglit. the proposal to make Wellington a port of call for Vancouver mail -stoaniers in the event of the service being extended to New Zealand was discussed at a mooting of tlie Council or the Chamber of Commerce, and a resolution was adopted protesting against making it a condition in the contract that Wellington must be the port of call. It was decided to forward a copy of the resolution ‘to the Acting Premier. SUICIDE OR ACCIDENT. _ . ASHBURTON, last night, the inquest oil tlie body of the man found iu the Rakaia saleyards plantation was held at Rakaia yesterday. The medical evidence was to t-lie effect that the man liad been dead from' ten to : fourteen days: A rifle bullet was found in the skull, and a rifle found alongside the", mail contained an empty cartridge.. In tlie man’s pocket there was an account addressed to Peter Anderson, of Kinlock, from L. J. Lynch, storekeeper, of Queenstown. The body was too decomposed to give any clue to identification. A verdict was returned that deceased met his death either by suicide or accident, , but that the evidence was not sufficiently clear to show which,

MASTERTON SHOW. MASTERTON, last night. The Alasterton show concluded today. There was a large attendance. The hunters’ competition for lady riders was won by Miss Briggs’ Eiavlliti; consolation jump, won by W. H. Buick’s General; champion jumping competition, won by 1). Nonkes’ Mignon.tho same liorso they won with yesterday, and who won tho sanio event, last year. Tho championships in draughts wero as follows: Colts, A. Alexander; mares, J. W. and F. Douglas; gelding, J. C. McKillop; produce, otc., to bo judged Friday. There wero a good lot of exhibits. FALSE DECLARATION. CHRISTCHURCH, last night A woman named Beatrice Milford pleaded guilty at the Lyttelton Court to-day to a charge of having made a false declaration in respect of tho birth of an illegitimate child, and was committed to the Supremo Court for sentenco.

ALLEGED MANSLAUGHTER. AUCKLAND, last night. An adjourned inquest touching tho death of an infant named Douglas Allen Campbell was continued this afternoon. At the opening of the inquest on February 12tli tho coroner informed the jury that although the child was not in the custody of the mother when it died, it had not been boarded out according to the provisions of the Act. Mrs Eliza Davies, who had charge of tho child at the time of its death, and Dr. King then gave evidence, the latter stating that the cause of dentil was want of proper nourishment, or ill other words “practically starvation.” The hearing had accordingly been adjourned to allow the mother of tho deceased child to give evidence'. After hearing evidence the jury returned tho following verdict: That tho child died at tho residence of Mrs Eliza Davies. The cause of death was want of proper nourishment, and that Eliza Davies, boing in charge of the infant, did cause the death by failing to supply him with the necessaries of life and medical attention.” Mrs Davies was placed under arrest, and will appear at the Police Court on a cliargo of manslaughter tomorrow.

RECHABITE CONFERENCE. NEW PLYMOUTH, last night. Tho Council of the Recliabites’ Conference resumed ’ this morning. Provision was made for establishing a central sick fund in New Zealand central district. As the result of tho conference a basis was agreed upon for submission to tents on the question of amalgamation of Auckland with the New Zealand central district. It was resolved to hold the next meeting at Mastertn in 1909. Officers wero elected as follows: District Chief Ruler. Bro. Calder (Nelson); District Deputy Ruler, Bro Westney (Invercargill), District Secretary, Bro. Fraser (Wellington); District Treasurer, Bro. Leslie (Wellington) ; District Superintendent of Juvenile Branches,Bro. Fathers .(Wellington) ; District Auditor, Bro. Nicholls (Wellington).

RIFLE ASSOCIATION. CHRISTCHURCH, last night. When the shooting started at the 600yds range in the Westland match a howling nor’-wester was blowing and there was a glaring light. A few minutes after starting the winds disabled four targets arid the scoring boards were blown down at the range As a result • the calculations of the marksmen were upset, and breaks were common to all. A marksman who had made the possible at the 200 yards only got in 36, but' Bulford (Karori) and Feist (Opaki) got 44; Halliday (Karori), Chapman (Tekapu) and Turner (Karori) got 42. While the 600 yards was being fired the 200 yards had to be stopped. This, in addition to the wind, made the shooting lengthy, and the 200 yards has not yet been completed. The best scores to the close of the day were: —Smith (Kaitangata) 91, Chapman (Te Kapu) 92, Bulford (Karori) and Goldstone (Waimate) 88.

TECHNICAL TRAINING. AUCKLAND, last night. At to-day’s meeting of tho Auckland Education Board it was decided to admit the junior district scholars to the technical colleges. MISCELLANEOUS. WELLINGTON, last night. At the Magistrate’s Court to-day further evidence was taken in a case in which Thos. Wallace, alias Williams, and John Baxter were charged with conspiring with others to defraud Jas. Chapman, a new arrival, of £9O, by a confidence trick. Baxter pleaded guilty and was remanded to the Supreme Court for sentence, and Wallace was committed for trial. NAPIER, last night. Mr J. Vigor Brown has been elected chairman of the Napier Harbor Board for the third successive year. - INVERCARGILL, last night. Patrick Finn and John Keating were committed for trial to-day on a charge of assaulting and robbing Jno. Devanney of £2O, a watch, and purse The evidence was to the effect that Devanney, while drinking at Wrey s Bush hotel, had disclosed possession of money, and that as he was riding home, not quite sober, at night, he was assaulted and robbed by two men one of whom he identified as Finn, who, he says, was with the other accused at the hotel. Bail was allowed. CHRISTCHURCH, last light At a meeting of the council of tho New Zealand League of Wheelmen to-night the Enfield Cup race inquiry was continued. Several officials at the meeting at which the race was run stated that there was undoubtedly collusion among riders so as to allow Baker to win. It was resolved to disqualify all the riders for the race, and for 12 months from date; that punishment to bo in addition to the fines already imposed by the North Canterbury Centre. H. R. Russell, of Christchurch, an official at the meeting, was disqualified for twelve months for failing to attend the enquiry when summoned.