TELEGRAMS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2035, 21 March 1907, Page 3

TELEGRAMS.

Press Association. AUCKLAND, yesterday. A syndicate lias been formed and registered for the purpose of taking up land in the King Country to prospect for gold, and in a'short time to go in for thorough development work. Prospecting has been carried out and a reef located on Maori land, and it is intended to hold a meeting of directors on April 3rd, after which it is proposed to push on with goldmining operations. Although somo fair specimens . of ore have been obtained, quartz has not yet been opened up to test the value of the stone. The capital of the venture has been fixed at £2BBO, in 144 shares of £2O each.

The University Council discussed the bursary scheme. The Chairman (Sir Maurice b’Rorke) favored the scheme. • He thought the Council might co-operate with the Department. Mr. Baumo said members of Parliament whom ho had consulted strongly denounced the £250 income limit as a class _ distinction. The Council deferred decision to obtain the opinion of the Professorial Board. Professor Bourne, of Christchurch, was appointed temporary lecturer in classics.

NEW PLYMOUTH, yesterday. The Supreme Court was engaged all yesterday hearing the case of F. Fontenalla, hotel porter, charged with the theft of £4O from a hotel at Elthnm. The jury retired at 9.30 p.m. to consider its verdict, and at 11.30 announced that tlioro was no chance of agreement. The jury were locked up till 1.30 a.m. In the Divorce Court a decree nisi was granted in the ease of Taylor v. Taylor, wife’s petition. STRATFORD, yesterday. A middle-aged man, giving the name of Henry Wilson, was arrested hero on a charge of threatening to shoot another man at Eltham, and with threatening to shoot himself. Accused purchased a revolver last Saturday. The weapon went off when the man was arrested, and Constable Hyde narrowly escaped being shot. Wilson was sentenced to one month’s imprisonment.

WANGANUI, yesterday. A lad 12 years of age, the son of Mr. Preston, licensee of the Aramolio hotel, was drowned this morning in the river near the railway bridge. Ho fell in the stream while attempting to catch some driftwood coining down in the flood. NAPIER, yesterday. At the Supreme Court Stella Marsden and Henry Tate, who both pleaded guilty to a charge of theft from the person, were sentenced to six and three months respectively. A vprdict of not guilty was returned in the cases of Mary Ann Vocasivich, charged with concealment of birth, and Thomas Todd, carnally knowing. Michael Barry, who had pleaded guilty on the previous day to a charge of theft, was.admitted to probation for two years. PALMERSTON N., yesterday

The Manawatu was in heavy flood yesterday. Considerable damage was dono to the Hokowhetu protective works. The mains were broken in two places at Tiritoa lieadworks, and somo small bridges carried away. The town supply has been cut off. The service is now supplied from a small reservoir. It is expected the damage will be repaired in a few days. Slight damage is reported to properties along the river hear Palmerston.

WELLINGTON, yesterday. Lord Plunket and suite left for South by the Rotomahana last night. The Hon. Hall-Jones left for Christchurch last night. He returns to Wellington on Sunday. The City Engineer hopes' to be able to meet the difficulty arising from the break in the water mains by turning on a supply from the Karori auxiliary reservoir to the higher levels during certain hours of the night. . It is expected repairs to the Wainui main will occupy three or four weeks. In the Divorce Court a decree nisi was granted in the case of William Edward James v. Ada James, husband’s petition, on the ground of adultery with Cuthbert Twoman, who was joined as co-respondent. Costs were given against the co-respondent-on the lowest scale. The annual meeting of the Council of the N'ew Zealand Fire Underwriters’ Association opened here today, and is expected to last until the end of the week. Mr. Buttle, general manager of the Now Zealand Insurance Company,- is president. Owing to slips on the line the express train from Napier, due at 7.20 last night, did not arrive till 3.20 this morning.

NELSON, yesterday. In the Supreme Court to-day John William Hawkes, convicted of indecent assault on a girl under 8 years, ivas recommended to mercy. He was admitted to probation for 12 months on the ground of 36 years’ of blameless residence. Mr. Justice Denniston said offences against women and children must bo closely watched, and severely dealt with. Much might he said in favor of accused, and the offence had been only slight, without natural indecency, but accused had pot told the truth, and in such circumstances probation should not always be granted. He took into consideration the extreme age of accused, and that the offence was nothing more than an act of impropriety; so that he granted probation, but only in exceptional cases would this be done, and His Honor desired this to he made as public as possible. CHRISTCHURCH, yesterday. Harry Marquet and Alfrod Boundy pleaded guilty at the Magistrate’s Court to stealing 55 sides of leather, after a .fire at the Woolston tannery on December Ist, and were committed for sentence. Edgar Bevis Mead admitted having received the leather, knowing it to have been stolen, and was also committed for

sentence. A' man named Arthur Sparrow, upon several charges of petty theit at the Exhibition, was fined 40s on each charge. The foundation stone of the Consumptive Sanatorium on the Cashmere Hills is to be laid to-day by the Hon. Hall-Jones. The weather is very fine for the function. OAMARU, yesterday. At the conference of the Grand Lodge of the 1.0.0. F., the Grand Secretary, in reviewing the period since the Grand Lodge had sat in Oamaru 17 years ago, said the lodge had increased in membership from 1230 to 3564, and the lodges from 20 to 42. The funds of the Order amounted to £38,950 16s 7d. Since then they had added to their constitution the Itebekah and juvenile lodges. There had been a gain of 164 members in the year. The income from all sources had been £10,489 9s 4d. WAIKOUAITI, yesterday. Mr. James Boddie, who was for three years Provincial President of the Taranaki branch of the Farmers’ | Union, commenced a series of meetings he proposes to hold in Otago for the consideration of the land question in the public hall hero last night; Mr. Boddie freely criticised the Government Land Bill. At the close of the meeting the following resolution, moved by Mr. McGregor, was unanimously agreed to: “That this meeting is of opinion that any proposals submitted on the Land Bill will not bo acceptable to this country until provision is made for the optional tenure.* * DUNEDIN, yesterday. The Clutha Leader' understands that Mr. Johu Gibson, of Ashley Downs, has been, formally advised that the Government have decided to acquhc his estate-for close settlement pur*

poses. Tho price, it is believed, is £4 10s an acre. Tho area comprises approximately 3700 acres, Mr. Gibson retaining the homestead block. At a meeting of subscribers to tho

Patients and Prisoners Aid Society, a resolution was carried cordially approving of tho decision of tho committee to incorporate tho society as a separate institution under the Hospital and Charitable Institutinos

Act, 1885, and requested tho committee to sond tho Govornor-in-Counoil a petition for incorporation. This enablos the society to undertake tho care of habitual drunkards.

DAMAGED PIPE-LINE. WELLINGTON, last night. Tho work of repairing tho damage to the pipe bridge, which carried tho water mains supplying Wellington from Wainuiomata reservoir, began to-day, and the contractor is confident that the work will be completed in three weeks. Tho work will bo carried on continuously day and night, the latter shift being aided by electric light. SUPREME COURT. NAPIER, last night. At the Supreme Court to-day a native named Paratono was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment for carnally knowing a Maori girl under the age of 1G years. A verdict of not guilty was returned in the case against John Michael Smith charged with indecent assault on a female of the ago of five years. A Maori named Mauru Kurukuru, who pleaded guilty to a charge of forgery, was admitted to probation for three years.

NATIVE LAND COMMISSION. WELLINGTON, last night. The membors of tho Native Land Commission, the Chief Justico and Mr. Ngata, will leave for Wanganui to-morrow morning, and commence work ther on Friday. Matteers connected with about fivo blocks of land will be investigated. THE RAINFALL. WELLINGTON, last night. Wellington’s share of the recent heavy rain was nearly three inches, spread principally over three days— Saturday 0.47 in., Sundey 0.69 in., Monday l.G7in. The meteorological officer reports that plenty moro rain appears to be imminent. During tho past twenty-four hours rain visited most parts of the country, and it is predicted that showers may again bo general. CHANGING SCHOOL BOOKS. AUCKLAND, last night. The Chief Inspector of Schools in the Auckland province (Mr D. Petrie) submitted' a report to the Education Board to-day on the question of changing the school reader, as follows: —“I beg to bring under the notice of the Board the desirability of making a change in the principal series of readers now in use in the schools of the colony. It is a good few years since these books were introduced and they have long since become stale both to Jieachers and to pupils. Knowing the objections invariably raised to all changes of works, I would suggest that the Board decide that a new set of principal readers shall be adopted in the beginning of the year 1909, and that a committee of suitable composition be set up at an early date to examine and report recent series of school readers, with a view to selecting the best that can be had for use in our school.”

Air Greenslade, M.H.R.,. said that he was very strongly opposed to the changing of the school books. There should be some unformity. The Minister seemed disposed to do something’ in the matter, and he strongly opposed any addition to the charges cast upon parents. The Chairman (Mr Bagnall) pointed out that the Department were about to issue a school magazine, and he moved that the matter be deferred until the outcome of the Department’s proposals in this regard was seen. If Mr Petrie’s recommendation were carried out there would be ten years between the changes. That could not be called very frequent changing of books. A motion deferring the matter was agreed to.

TRAMS ON GOOD FRIDAY. DUNEDIN, yesterday.

A special meeting of the City Council was held to reconsider the decision giving the tramway employes a holiday on Good Friday. Dr. Coughtrey wrote that he would probably require to use the trams on Good Fri-= day, and as any failure on the part of the Corporation to carry out honestly their legal obligations would seriously inconvenience him and others, he asked for a prompt reply stating whether the tram services would be placed for the use of the public on that date. The Mayor said lie thought it was only right to call the Council together to consider the matter, and also to ask the City Solicitor to give his opinion as to whether they could legally grant a holiday or not. The Corporation’s solicitor forwarded an opinion that the Corporation could not discontinue the running of cars on Good Friday. A lively discussion ensued, a motion to rescind the granting of the holiday being lost. Later on the Mayor decided on his own responsibility that the trams shall be run on Good Friday.

WELLINGTON, last niglit

A full regular tramway service is to be run in Wellington on Good Friday. Cars will be run by a volunteer force of motormen and conductors. Members of the staff were asked individually whether they would run on Good Friday, and only thirty re-, plied that they would prefer not to work on Good Friday.

TEACHERS’ SALARIES. AUCKLAND, last niglit. At a meeting of the Board of Education to-day the old question of payment of teachers’ salaries on the basis of average attendance came up again for discussion, being brought under notice by a letter from the Assistant Masters’ Association, in which the Association took exception to a statement made by a mem her of the Board that teachers preferred outsiders to be appointed to the positions of Inspectors. The Association considered that matters relating to the promotion and payment of teachers were very unsatisfactory, and requested the Board to use its influence to obtain the aboli tion of payment by attendance. The Chairman (Mr L. J. Bagnall) remarked that with regard to promotion and payment the Department had made a great improvement on the former state of affairs. Mr Greenslade, M.H.R. : The basis is absolutely wrong. The Chairman: The Department is, I think, prepared to adopt a better system if one could be found. M r Greenslade: It is a disgraceful thing that salaries depend on averago attendance instead of on the service and ability of teachers. Mr C. J. Parr said it was the first duty of the Minister for Education to evoke a system. The present system caused very great injustice to teachers. In some cases, though no credit was due to the teachers, the average attendance had gone away up. Perhaps a district was developing rapidly or something, and perhaps teachers rose from £2oo a yeai to £4OO a year, whereas if it bad been a £4OO appointment in the first place the Board would have been able to appoint a teacher with better qualifications. Mr J. Stall worthy, M.H.R., moved that the Assistant Masters’ Association resolution be sent to the Minister, and his attention called to the anomalies. This was carried.

THE GOVERNOR’S MOVEMENTS CHRISTCHURCH, last night. His Excellency tho Governor arrived from Wellington to-day, and will lonvo for Hokitika to-morrow morning. He will visit several parts of tho West Coast, and will return to Christchurch oil March 29th.

THE LAND BILL. CHRISTCHURCH, last night At a mooting of the Executive Committoo of tho North Canterbury Farmers’ Union to-day it was resolved to commence tho Land Bill campaign in May. POLO TOURNAMENT. NAPIER, Inst night. Tho N.Z. I’olo Tournament was continued at Hastings this afternoon, the following games being played: Hawke’s Bay A. beat 41 ollington A. by 7 goals to 2; Mangaheia beat 4Vellington B. by 8 goals to G. INTERPROVINCIAL CRICKET SHIELD. CHRISTCHURCH, last night. The Plunket Challenge Shield, given by the Governor to the New oaland Cricket Council for competition amongst the various cricket associations in New Zealand affiliated to tho council, was presented by His Excellency to the Council this morning.

ACCIDENT AT POLO. NAPIER, last night. Just ns tho bell rung for the finish of the last polo match to-day, Mr Earl Williams, of tho Wellington team, had a rather nasty spill, being thrown along tho ground for a considerable distance and rendered unconscious. A doctor was in attendance immediately. Air Williams recovered consciousness about 9 p.m. It is not believed that any bones are broken. MISCELANEOUS. NIELSON, last night, . At the Supremo Court this afternoon Win. Rettany, jnnr., was found guilty of appropriating to his own use a sum of £270, belonging to the estate of W. Wilkie, deceased, and was sentenced to 2 years’ imprisonment. That concludes the criminal business, and the civil business will be taken to-morrow. CAM ABU, last night. At tho meeting of the Grand Lodge of tho 1.0.0. c. to-night centralization of tho sick funds of the Order was carried by 15 votes to 2. This matter lias been before the Grand Lodge since 1887. INVERCARGILL, last night. Arthur Wilson, a jockey, sustained a bad compound fracture of tho leg, being unseated from his mount at the races to-day. The horse Trump continued and fought out a neck-and-ueck finish.