TELEGRAMS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2057, 18 April 1907, Page 3

TELEGRAMS.

Press Association. PASSENGERS VIA FIJI. AUCKLAND, last night. The steamer Tnluno, which left this afternoon for Fiji, carried an exceptionally large numbor of passengers in the saloon and steerage. There were 140 passengers, consisting of 95 first, and 50 second-class passengers. Tho greator portion of pasengers havo booked through to Vancouver, and are proceeding to Fiji to join the Manuka. FALSE PRETENCES. AUCKLAND, last night. At the Police Court this afternoon. William Charles Williams was charged before Mr. C. C. Kettle, S.M., with obtaining £3 10s from John Morrison by means of a valuless cheque, and two amounts of £lO and £5 from- A. W. Read, at Hamilton. Accused pleaded guilty, and was committed to the Supreme Court for sentence. WHOLES Al. E THE FTS. AUCKLAND, last night. A sixteen year old boy named William Kells, was charged at the Police Court with thefts of a silver watch, chain and pendant, valued at £5 10s; a bicycle, worth £10; suit of clothes, and a watch and chain valued £7 10s, and a cap worth 2s, belonging to local people. Tho accused pleading guilty, was ordered to be sent back to Burnham Industrial School, of which ho was formerly an inmate.

AN APPEAL CASE. STAMP DUTY ON BEQUESTS. (.Per Press Association.) ■WELLINGTON, last night. The Appeal Court is hearing the appeal, Public Trustee v. the Commissioner of Stamps. William Harrop, who died on April 2nd, 1904, left an estate valued at .028,013. .Viter making some small bequests, the residue was to go towards building the Anglican Cathedral at Dunedin. The Public Trustee was appointed executor. The Stamp Oifice claimed duty on all bequests, amounting to £3592, and this the Public Trustee refused to pay on the ground that with the exception of two small annuity bequests, it was exempt from duty under the Charitable Gifts Exemption and Kindred Acts. The real point of the case is whether a bequest for building a cathedral is for the benefit of the public and brings the bequest under the exemption. In the lower Court the point was decided against the Public Trustee, who now appeals, and it is on these lines the case is being argued. MINISTER FOR LANDS. TRADE DEVELOPMENT AND WASTE LANDS. Press Association. AUCKLAND, yesterday. The Hon. Mr. McNab, in a speech at Te Puke, said that as trade developed it would be found that before New Zealand could compete with the other colonies such as Victoria, New South Wales, and Queensland, where everything went to one port, we would have to get the freights between New Zealand and England enormously reduced. If large steamers had to go to several ports for cargo freights would remain high. It would pay New Zealand infinitely better to concentrate at its chief ports so that Auckland, for instance, should say f o the shipping companies, “Bring your largest and best vessels here, and wo will load them from one port.” Then freights would come down to the lowest figure. Competition in tho near future would compel New Zealand to resort to that means of getting low freights. Then the Government of the day would not hesitate to join with merchants and shippers, so that producers would be able to concentrate trade at one port. Mr. McNab added that during his present tour he had travelled and seen hundreds of thousands of acres of waste, land, every acre of which could be brought into profitable occupation. He did not 'know any place fn the South Island where anything like such an enormous tract of country was adapted tb close settlement as in the King Country. The existence of this land in Auckland province should bo known all over the colony. ' '

THE ’FRISCO SERVICE. .Press Association. WELLINGTON, yesterday. Tho New Zealand Times this morning says: “From a private source we learn it is the intention of the Oceanic Steamship Company to cease operations for a time on the arrival in ’Frisco of the Sonoma, which was to leave Auckland yesterday for the Californian port. Our. informant said that as far as he could gather, a preliminary meeting of directors of the Oceanic Company had been held at San Francisco, and reported that the intention was to lay up each steamer as it arrived there and abandon the service to the colonies until such time as the fleet was thoroughly overhauled; then, if it were possible to obtain',a renewal of the subsidy from the New Zealand Government, the service would be resumed to Auckland and Sydney, but if a satisfactory arrangement could not be made with our Government, the company would cut Now Zealand out of its itinerary altogether. The company has had expert engineers travelling on the steamers for somo time past, and it is understood that they have reported that the foundations for the engines were structurally weak. On the reports furnished, the engines and boilers are to be lifted out and tho foundation or engine base in each vessel is to bo strengthened sufficiently to stand the vibration of the powerful engines possessed by the steamers. >

THE GOVERNOR’S TOUR. INTENDED VISIT TO GISBORNE. Press Association. DUNEDIN, yesterday. His Excellency the Governor reached Dunedin last night . He left here by the 3.2-3 train this morning for Wingatui, arriving there at a quarter t j 9, and remaining there till about 9.13 for the reception of an address from the Taieri County Council and Mosgicl Borough Council. Lord Plunket leaves by special train for Hindoh, arriving about 10.18, and after a stay of 10 minutes goes on to Middlemarch, where lie is due at 11.50. He then goes on to Alexandra. Mr. .0. Reid, M.H.R., will accompany tho Governor throughout the Taieri electorate. His Worship the Mayor (Mr. J. Townley) yesterday morning received the following letter from Mr. Waterfield nrivate secretary to Lord Plunket -‘‘Sir,-I am directed by the Governor to'fiiform you that his Excellency proposes to pay an official visit to Gisborne next month. His Excellency intends to arrive from Napier by road on Sunday, the 19th May, and to leave on the 22nd. Jhe 21st will probably be spent by taking a trip up the railway and back, but on the 20th the Governor hopes to see what ho can of your town, and to meet some of the principal Inhabitants of Gisborne uud the neighborhood.”

MR McNAB AND THE DAIRY INDUSTRY. AUCKLAND, last night. In referring to the dairy industry in his To Puke speech, Mr McNab spoke of the low class of cows used by many settlors. People milking theso animals on the share system could not, he said, make a living, and the result was that they sweated child labor to such an extent that it seemed the State would havo to stop in and prevent it. He attributed three-fourths of this child sweating to tho unprofitable condition of some of tho dairy herds, and if the Stato could carry out experimental work and raise the standard of stock it would bo doing good in many directions. THE HAUPIEI. NAPIER, yesterday. The Union Co.’s -s.s. Hnupiri went aground while leaving port last evening, but is expected to float off with tho tide this afternoon. QU EEN t ;S SCHOLARSHIP. WELLINGTON, last night. Government has granted £225"t0 provido further accommodation at Victoria College. A sum will lie placed on tho estimates sufficient to award Master Humphrey F. Parker of Gisborne, a £4O scholarship, equal to the Queen’s scholarship which through technicalities ho was unable to accept. Henry L. Cook and Oliver V. Hadroll, Queen’s scholarship winners, of New Plymouth, will be granted a continuation scholarship of £4O at Victoria College. A Jacob Joseph scholarship has been awarded by the College Council to C. B. Collins ,of Wellington. It is proposed to grant a vacant Queen’s scholarship to Marion Whyte, of Havelock. A SERIOUS CASE. DUNEDIN, last night. At Balclutha to-day, before Mr. G. Cruickshank, S.M., Isaac Hurring, flaxmiller, was charged with discharging a loaded double-barrell-ed gun at Fredk. Field, at llomahapa, on 21st March, with intent to do grevious bodily harm. In the evidence it was alleged that the pair, together with a man named Lane, had been playing cards and drinking until midnight. When Lane left Hurring made an improper proposal to Field, and when he did not accede dragged him along for three-quarters of a mile, assaulting and kicking him to Lane’s hut. He there obtained a gun and fired two shots inside tho hut, which went very close to Field, clear of him by a few inches. Accused also, it was alleged, threatened Lane with a razor, but he escaped. After two hours in the hut Field also got away. Accused was defended by Mr. Gregor, the defence being that accused, who had been drinking very heavily, was mentally irresponsible. He was committed for trial, bail being forthcoming.

VOLCANIC ACTIVITY. CHANGED APPEARANCE OF RUAPEHU. Press Association. AUCKLAND, last night. The Raetihi correspondent of the Herald telegraphed that an. interesting change has taken place in the appearance of Ruapehu Mountain. -Yesterday tho mountain was capped with snow, but this morning it was seen to have lost its whiteness an 1 become of a bluish grey colour. There is nothing whatever to explain this extraordinary transformation but the fact that an eruption has evidently occurred somewhere on the mountain. It is considered that the. hot lake on the eastern side of Ruapehu, which has been more than usually active, has, instead of sending up clouds of steam only, caused an upheaval of something more substantial. It is scarcely likely that Ngaruhoe volcano is the cause of the trouble, it being several miles away, and much lower than Ruapehu. During the past two months Ngaruhoe has been very active, throwing ashes and mud to a considerable height. The lake on Ruapehu has also at intervals emitted clouds of steam, on se/aial occasions tremendous volumes of steam issuing about the mountain top. Heavy rumbling and explosions have frequently been hca;d at Ohakuue, presumably from Ng«ruahoe. At tho present time this mountain is partly hidden by rain clouds; and future events f;e awaited with much interest by residents.

MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS. Press Association. AUCKLAND, last night. The following Mayors of suburban boroughs have been re-elected unopposed : Grey Lynn: J. Farrell. Newmarket: F. Bennett. Birkenhead: A. Keyes. At Devonport W. Handley was elected unopposed in succession to Mr Alison, M.H.R., who declined nomination. A large number pf candidates have been nominated for the positions of councillors in these boroughs. For fifteen seats on the Auckland City Council 32 nominati ms have been received, including a complete Labor ticket. There will be a triangular contest for the Mayoralty, Mr. William Richardson’s name being added to those of Messrs St. Clair and Myers, previously, announced. PALMERSTON N., yesterday. Thore are three candida.es for the Mayoralty this year—the present Mayor, Mr. M. Colton, and Messrs R Essex and E. Hurley. For nine seats on the Borough Council there arc nominations. WANGANUI, yesterday.

The municipal gasworks has a tn*! piolit for the year .just, ended cf 1:1864, this successful result being obtained after making up i-100 f referred at the beginning ol the year IV tho relief of rates, and £4lO for renewal of retorts. The surplus profits actually were £2675. 1 *° “**; s increased by £369, and the liabilities decreased £319. During -me year the sales increased 10 per eo.i.. Air E E. Mackay was relumed unopposed as Mayor. There are 1? nominations for nmc sea's on Council. OAMARU, yesterday. Air Robert Milligan entered on ins third term as Mayor to-day, Icing returned lliiopp' sed. There are LI nominations for twelve councillors, nine seeking re-election. Councilors Draw-, shaw Hillikor, and Hodley declined nomination. The latter served tho borough continuously for .8 >«««> DUNEDIN, yesterday. The Morningtou Boron 'ii Co.im-H dreided to accept the Cv, Counul s offer to supply electric lighting for W 32 candle-power street 1 si.lip*, (Hv corporation to do Uie XilbUO vt the reticulation work, pto., in connection therewith. The cost to the borough will bo £259 per annum. In connection with the wftt.-r supply, it was decided to instruct the engineer to proceed at once with prep v-i <g ot plans and specifications so that tenders might be invited without delay for carrying out reticulation, supplying pipes, forming a reservoir ,etc. Somo interesting facts concerning Dunedin are given in the Town Clerk’s annual report. Tho population is 36,086, and with the suburbs 57,075. The area is 3383 acres, miles of’streets 815, number of houses 7753, rateable value £375,100 l