YESTERDAY'S TELEGRAMS,

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2000, 2 October 1907, Page 1

YESTERDAY'S TELEGRAMS,

Press Association,. During the quarter just.ended 100 deaths wore registered in Auckland, . against. 275. in . the same . period of last,i. year. The.. Registrar attributes the- exceptionally hi-h death-rate, to the prevalence of, infantile complaints and influenza. July, dliowed , the highest number-of deaths recorded, viz.., 119, an unusually high proportion, 44 - being children under five years. The death? for tho quarter exceed -those recorded for any; previous,, quarter, possibly. tho continuous wet weather being a contributing factor.

' CHRISTCHURCH. y ester dpi,v. , ,■ Shortly,.after, 11 o’clock, to-da.v ,n fire broke. out, in the most renxark,al>lo ofiphices, the .top of a telegraph jiolc., at,the, corner of Gloucester street and, Oxford Terraco. The cause of, the fire is obscure, hut flames broke out'fiercely, in one. of. tho distributing boxes by which tlio wires in the metallic current cables are stmt, up., , Among telephone subscribers tho first effect was to sot all telephones on that- section ringing. Crowds soon, gathered and water was pumped on top of the pole from tho adjoining ■ building, but it. made so little progress in quelling the outbreak that, a chemical engine hid to bo sent .from. the. fire- station to extinguish' t-lie flames. The fire seems to have been caused by a liouso that was being shifted coming in contact with the telephone cables; at any ra.te, the fire in the box practically coincided with the incident. News also reached the' lire station that similar fires occurred on poles in Victoria street and other parts of tho city, and tlio general belief is that the moving of the’ house caused a contact- with tile tramway cables, and so an’ extensive fusion occurred,, affecting all sections radiating from t-lie point of contact. All the fires were extinguished, no serious damage being done. OHRISTCHURCiI, yesterday.

At lxaiapoiyesterday, G. tl. Martin, was fined £5 and costs for dyna-miting-a water hole in Wiaimakariri river and taking trout. Tho defence, was .that- Martin was making experiments, with no idea at all of taking trout. He gave uotico of appeal. William Bateman, a fisherman, was fined £2 for taking trout. He had baited. a hook for eels, and caught a trout, which,, ho did not return, to the river. A second charge of being illegally in possession of trout during tho close season was

withdrawn. The Hunmer motor car service was opened yesterday. Two more motor cars'were sent. to Culverden yesterday in readiness. 1 There was a rather severe frost this morning, and considerable damage to apricot trees and other l'ruit is feared, .During tho afternoon yesterday a severe hailstorm was experienced in North Canterbury, changing to rain at Christchurch, and followed by sunshine. The Riangitata. and I’Jxkaia rivers are expected to be in good fishing condition. for the opening of the trout season to-day. Lambing lias nearly finished on ,t-lie Peninsula. Tho percentage is below that of previous .years, but the losses are not so heavy as was expected. Webb, tlio champion sculler, will arrive at Lyttelton to-day from tho North. Ho will be in Canterbury for a fortnight, and ' -the Lyttelton Rowing Club intend making him a presentation on the opening day of the club’s season next week. A man named Duvid L. Moore was charged at the S.M. Court to-day with firing a gun at his wife with intent to do her bodily harm. It appeared that Moore had been drunk, and in that condition quarrelled with his -wife and asaulted her. jle chased her into a paddock behind tho house at Sumner, and fired a gun. He denied any intention to injure the woman. Mr. Bishop, S.M., committed him to trial, bail being allowed in £2OO and two sureties of £2OO each.

WELLINGTON, yesterday. At a meeting of tlio Council of Churches last night, the following resolution was adopted: “That ill view of the ovideuce received concerning constant gambling in one. of the clubs in AYellington,' the Council believe tho police should have, and should exercise, supervision of all clubs in this respect. The Council proposes to pursue the question in all the wavs in its power, behoving that the public interest requires the suppression of club gambling. The -following promotions and changes in the staff of the Post and Telegraph Department are announced by the Postmaster-General: Mr. H. Kessel, accountant at the ckiof post office, Wellington, to be assistant inspector of post offices, Christchurch ; Mr. W. Beswick, record clerk at G.P.0., Wellington, to-be accountant _at .Wellington, vice Mr Kcs-sel; Mr. H. D. Grocott, relieving officer at Wellington, to ho record clerk, vice Mr. Beswick; Mr. J. B. Jordan, to be relieving officer at Wellington, vice Mr. Corcott; Mr. J. Broadfoot, Auckland, to bo assistant record .clerk at Wellington; Mr. T. Ward, principal clerk of the telegraph division to be postmaster at Te Aro, vice Mr. Kirker, transferred to Lichfield street, Christchurch ; Mr. F. W. Fu-rby to ho assistant staff clerk at Wellington; Mr. W.;A. Tanner, to he jiroper-ty clerk at the Diud Letter Office, AVellington. DUNEDIN, yesterday. - Captain McCallmn, chief harbormaster at. Dunedin, after 34 yeiii'«’ . service .with.'the Otago. Harbor. Board, severed his connection with that body yesterday, and retires from the service, on . two years’ full salary, jin recognition of liis long and able service. as harbormaster, representatives iof foreign, intercolonial, aiid coadtal shipping services presented him wjitli a solid silver salvor and framed; illuminated address, and the staff and employes presented him with a w,ellfilled purse of sovereigns. There was a good muster of members of tho Harbor Board present, and all the shipping companies were represented. Bread is likely to remain at sevenpence for some time. Milk, on the other hand, has been reduced to what it was before the drought properly set in.

iSinco the maternity home was opened in Dunedin two years ago by tile late Premier, 352 _ patients have been delivered of 357 infants, there being five cases of twins. The,

infantile mortality lias only been cm per cent., and the still births slight fy over five per cent, of the ease, treated.

William Faixjualmrson was brought before Judge . Wulliams for sentence this morning Dor having malic a liaise tl. coliir at ion that lie was a bachelor when applying for a marriage certi ficate. Accused iwas fined £lO. Hen ry Francis. Smith, an old offender, on two charges of breaking and theft •was sentenced; to three years. Ht was also declared to a habitual criminal. , 5-

■N'APIvEII, yesterday. Tilio Anglkyiu Synod last nigilit discussed tohmigaism, and resolved that this Synod views witli satisfaetion the recent action of the Government in the direction of file suppression of it'olninanism/’ ami for the Church lo take a more aggressive action among the tribes specially affected liy this evil. One lay member declared that tohmigaism was a religions movement,' and should not he interfered with by the Government. Raia was a reformer, and should be won ovi/r and used as a Christian teacher. The Church should not express its approval ojF religious persecution, hut should utilise the ministry of women more, and then many of the present difficulties would disappear.

A fire early this morning gutted tile Napier Rowing Club’s shed, destroying eighteen of the club's boats, besides the whole of the Union Club’s plant, which bad been transferred to the shed while the Union building was being removed. The Napier Club’s shed and plant were insured for £4OO in the Australian Alliance. The Union Club were fully covered.

HASTINGS, yesterday. Cassiopea wus scratched before noon for all engagements here. The weather is fine and apepars to be settled, and everything points to a successful. meeting.