TELEGRAMS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2030, 15 March 1907, Page 3

TELEGRAMS.

Press AssociationAUCKLAND, yesterday. The Hibernian Society’s annual meeting, after four hours’ debate, appointed doputies to represent the Executive in each province in connection with the opening of new branches. The Society occupied the whole of the morning debating a proposal by a Wellington delegate for removal of the district board office from Auckland to Wellington. Final consideration was adjourned till tomorrow. H AWERA, yesterday. Bush fires, which were raging between Kaponga and Opunake, were extinguished by last night’s rain. Rather heavy losses occurred in haystacks, fences, and pastures. One house is reported to have been burnt. The Hon. J. Carroll conferred with the Natives of this district yesterday. Among other things the latter said they wanted to t ake up dairy farming, and were anxious to acquire technical education.

WELLINGTON, yesterday. The s.s. Turakina, which arrived from England to-day, brought 137 passengers. The Carrington estate, at Carterton, 7500 acres, is to be acquired by the Government for closer settlement purposes. The price offered .is understood to be £9 5s an. acre. Eight chamois, the gift of the Emperor of Austria to the New Zealand Government, arrived by the . s.s. ! Turakina this morning. OAMARU,’ yesterday. A fire broke out early this morning in a six-roomed unoccupied house in Eden street, which was completely destroyed. It was owned by Mrs M. Johnstone, and insured in the National Office for £l7O. - The house had been empty for a week, and the origin of the fire is a mystery.

Peter- Walker, aged about 55, a well-known and respected farmer at Waiarelca, committed suicide by hanging last evening. Deceased slept with 'one of his sons, both retiring .at 8 o’clock. At 11 the son woke, and missing his father, called his brother, and the lads, searching found their father hanging from a tree at the back of -the house. He •was dead. No reason is assigned for the rash act, other than that deceased complained of insomnia and worry. Dr. Douglas was . attending him. An inquest is being held this afternoon.

DUNEDlNyesterday. A rider to the effect that the Government might with advantage appoint a medical officer to attend children in licensed homes for infants was added by the sury to their verdict at‘the inquest on a six months’ old child, who died in an infant home in South Dunedin. The jury came to the conclusion when it was pointed out that in many cases patients in these homes are children of poor parents, who cannot afford adequate medical attendance; the housekeeper therefore very often has to pay the doctors’ fees out of her own pocket. The Watteau picture goes Homo ■quth the British art collection, under an offer of Sir Isidore Spielman, a well-known connoisseur. The price is not under four figures.

WHANGAREI, yesterday. Whilo bathing in the Whangarie river yesterday afternoon a groom named Arthur Legge, aged 17 years, was drowned. Deceased was a recent arrival in the colony. The body has not yet been recovered.

WAIROA, yesterday. The Rev. W. Lambert died this morning, aged 74 years. He was recently vicar of Ormondville, and has held various positions in the church in different parts of the colony. He was a B.A. of Trinity College. WELLINGTON, yesterday.

The Post says the Defence Department has practically abandoned the idea of holding a volunteer camp at Himitangi at Easter, owing to the difficulty of railway transport.

FLOODS AT NELSON. EARTHQUAKE SHOCKS. NELSON, yesterday. Tropical and long-continued rain fell last night, flooding all the rivers. The railways line at Brightwater was washed out. A special train was run from Nelson this morning, and passengers were conveyed over the track in trollies; thence continuing their journey both ways. There is no delay to traffic, owing, to the prompt measures- taken. Trains will run through' in both directions as usual to-morrow. A washout also occurred in the wall and roadway on the Rocks roads, facing tho bay. No other damage is reported. Hop-picking will he greatly interfered with by the rain and state of the ground. Later details show that the rivers rose very rapidly in- Waimea county last night, being-soon more than bank high. Several orchard . crops and hop gardens were under water, and much inconvenience was suffered, but no serious damage done beyond the railway washout. Takalca reports state, that torrential Tain fell last niglit,- and the streets and roads wore flooded, but no damage was done. On Tuesday niglxt, following several light shocks of earthquake,, tlio people got a thorough scare by a heavy shock at 11.15. Many residents remained up all night, owing to tho. feeling of insecurity. Tho night, was pitch dark, with heavy, black clouds, of an unearthly stillness, but by midnight a north-east wind, had sprung lip, followed by heavy rain. No further damage is reported. Tho washout on the rocks road extends fifty feet. A very heavy sea >vas running last night.

CONSUMPTIVE SANATORIUM. CHRISTCHURCH, last night.

At a mooting of the gonornl committeo of the Consumptive Sanatorium this afternoon, it was decided to accept a tender of £9566 for the main block of the Sanatorium, to bo erected on the Cashmere Hills. It was resolved to name the institution the Canterbury Sanatorium for Consumptives, and to ask the ActingPremier, tlio Hon. W. Hall-Jonos, to lay the foundation stono.

AID TO PRISONERS. WELLINGTON, last night. A public meeting was held in Wellington tonight, presided over by the Mayor, to elect officers to the newly-formed Prisoners’ Aid Society. Among those present woro Hon. J. McGowan, Minister of Justice, and Dr MacArthur, S.M. A message ox sympathy was read from Mr. Justico Cooper, who was unable to attend. Mr. McGowan said that there should be no sectarianism in such movements. Good work was done in Christchurch and Dunedin by the Prisoners’ Aid Societies, which had experienced officers. At Auckland, where an effort was being made to form such a Society, he was afraid there was an element of sectarianism creeping in which would jeopardise the success of the movement.

MISCELLANEOUS. AUCKLAND, last night. At a meeting of the City Council to-night a letter was read from MiHenry Brett, sour., proprietor of the Star newspaper, intimating his intention of presenting the cit.izons of Auckland with an organ for tlio new Town Hall about to be erected. WELLINGTON, last night. In the Divorce Court to-day, dissolution of marriage was granted in the cases of Ellen Murray v. Patrick Murray, and Eliza Edwards v. Matthew Herbert Edwards. The grounds of the application in each case were desertion and adultery. WANGANUI, last night. At the Supreme Court this evening a lad named Julius Green, who had been found guilty of indecent assault, was admitted to probation for three years. His father entered into a recognisance of £SO. MASTERTON, last night. Owing to the wet weather this morning it by the committee to postpone the St. Patrick’s Day Association sports. The weather was fine in the afternoon. A large number of visiting competitors were present and were much disappointed. The meeting will be held on May 24.

WORK AND WAGES. Press Association CHRISTCHURCH, yesterday. In the slaughtermen’s strike the employers have filed a case before the Arbitration Court, and the men will bo cited to appear to answer it. In all the history of New Zealand industrial legislation, this is the first case in which the employers have proceeded against employees.

CITATION OF UNIONISTS. CHRISTCHURCH, last night. There was an unexpected development in the freezing works trouble to-day. The companies have from the first stood by the law as embodied in the Conciliation and Arbitration Act, and have demanded that the dispute should be referred for settlement to the Arbitration Court. The men replied that they will under no circumstances have anything to do with the Court, and that any settlement, must be by .means of an industrial agreement between the parties.’ To-day the freezing companies took the initiative, and filed with the clerk of awards in Christchurch an application for a hearing of the dispute at the next sitting ol the Arbitration Court in Christchurch The Union will be cited to appear in accordance with the ordinary procedure of the Court. This is understood to be the first occasion in the history of compulsory arbitration in New Zealand, in which the employers have applied for an award, and have cited the workers to appear.

THE. AUCKLAND WORKERS. AUCKLAND, last night. To-day an application was filed with the clerk of awards, by the Slaughtermen’s Union, citing the employers to appear in an industrial dispute at the next sitting of the Arbitration Court ip Auckland, which opens on April Bth. The men are not prepared to await the decision of the employers as to their demands, fearing that the delay would prevent tho case being heard at the approaching sitting of the Court. The workers ask for increased wages and improved conditions generally.

CHRISTCHURCH COMPANIES. CHRIS rCHURCH, last night. The position of the Christchurch Meat Company’s various factories is understood to be improving daily. At Islington there have been about 80 men at work for the last day or two, and the proportion of men able to slaughter for export is gradually increasing. At Picton, where operations have been suspended for the last ten days, work has again started, and fully three hundred a day is expected to be put through for the balance of this week. At Smithfield there are about twenty men at work, of whom about one-half are killing for export. Applications for work from suitable men arc coming in more frely, and there is every prospect that by the beginning of next week a fair quantity will be treated for export at all tho works.

POSITION IN SOUTHLAND. INVERCARGILL, last night. There are no new strike developments to report; in fact the strike is an obsolescent term in Southland. Mr. McQueen, manager of the Southland Meat Company, dealing with this phase of the matter in an interview to-day, said that the companies recognise no strike. The men went out, negotiations ended, and the men are now .simply in the position of employees who left the service, and \\ ith whom tho company, have nothing to do individually. Old hands applying for employment would he treated on their merits,but as a body of strikers tho company do not recognise them, and no person claiming to represent them as such will be received.

A PLEA FOR LENIENCY. CHRISTCHURCH, last niglit, A meeting of the Slaughtermen’s Union was held tonight, as the lesult of which the following telegram was sent on to the Hon. Hall-Jones, Acting-Premier, by Messrs T. H. Davey and Geo. "Vtitty, M.H.R.s, who were present at the meeting. “At a largo meeting of members of tho Slaughtermen’s Union to-night, at which we were present, a resolution was carried unanimously that tho members of tlio Union and ourselves should he vested with full powers to arbitrate with the directors of the freezing companies any question in dispute to he decided by the Arbitration Court. In view of this decision and the probable amicable settlement of the dispute, would you he good enough to give the men fined every possible chance to pay as best they can. It would bo a iiity to see any of them imprisoned. The cases are to bo hoard to-morrow. Do your best.” The freezing companies will consider tho new phase of the question at a special meeting to bo held tomorrow.