NEWS OF THE DAY

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8360, 21 February 1913, Page 6

NEWS OF THE DAY

A sharp double shock ,of earthquake was experienced in Napier at 1.50 yesterday morning. So far as can be ascertained, no move has been made by either side with a view to starting the collier Regulus on her run again, The vessel still lies but in the stream and her work is being performed by other boats. Consideration of tho question of providing increased accommodation for bathers at Lyall Bay will bo held oyer until next year if a recommendation of tho city engineer now before tho City Council is adopted. His Honor Mr Justice Chapman will deliver reserved decision in the Su■Uronie Court} (this! morning in the following cases; Edgarton Manufacturing Company v. Macky, Logan and Caldwell: Nicholson v. Taylor; and Rose and another v. the Equity Boot Company and another. The block of land at Taitville, acquired by the Government a long time ago as a site for workers* dwcDin®s. has noa yet boon made available*for^thispurpose. Formalities of on© sort and another have delayed the preparation of tho sections, and at present no timo can be given when the,block will really bo ready. Two special jurors, summoned to attend the Supremo Court yesterday—F. W. Haybittle and F. F. Grady—failed to answer to their names. Bus. Honor Mr Justice Chapman imposed a fine of £5 on each. At a later stage Mr Grady appeared and explained that he had forgotten ho was required to attend and did not remember till it was half an hour late. His Honor accepted the explanation and excused the juryman. The latter also stated (that he was not liable for jury service, being oyer age. His Honor advised him to get his name removed from the roll. The superintendent of the fire brigade has been instructed by the City Council’s fire brigade committee to report as to the advisablenees ot the erection of a fire brigade station at the top of Constable street hill to serve Newtown, Kilbirnie, and Island Bay districts, and also to bring down an approximate cost of the scheme to tho next meeting of the committee. The committee’s report, containing this statement, had to be < held over, last night owing to the decision to adjourn while half-way through business. Work in connection with the new 2-i----kilowatt wireless station on Chatham Islands will be put in hand immediately. The Himitangi. which left Wellington for the islands last evening, took Mr W. Furness, workshops foreman to the Poet and Telegraph Department, and a staff of five men. Materials for the wireless station and tho residence of the two ooeraitors were also on board the vessel, but the iron masta and a quantity of other material will bo taken On. the next trip. It is expected that the party will remain on the islands for a month or six weeks, returning on the next .round voyage of tho Himitangi. The station will ho erected near Waitangi. It is anticipated that the Labour' Conference which is to be held in Wellington in July will be tho largest gathering of tho sort ever known here. Fully SOO delegates are expected to attend. Every industrial union in New Zealand has been invited to send delegates. All the unions have also been communicated with by the Unity Congress committee and invited to make suggestions respecting tho two constitutions—industrial and political—which aro to bo drown up. The draft constitution will be sent out to the unions two mouths before the conference, to give ample timo for full discussion upon them. The business of the conference will be to finalise and adept the constitutions and no remits will bo placed before it. A case concerning an alleged breach of the Wellington engineers’ award was heard before Dr A. McArthur, S.M., at the Magistrate’s Court yesterday, when Denis Cannody,, inspector of awards, proceeded against W. Crabtree and Sons to enforce a penalty for .allegedly emSloying during August, September, and ctober, 1912, an improver named F, Gapper at the rat© of 9d instead of lid per hour as, provided by tho award, For the prosecution it was contended that the term of apprenticeship was five years. The defence was that Capper was employed for a period of six years, and that he was still an apprentice at the time the offence was alleged to have been committed, and was there-, fore not entitled to the lid per hour. After hearing evidence his Worship dismissed the information. Mr T. C. .A. Hislop conducted the defence-

The following vessels are expected to be within wireless rango_ of Wellington this evening: Victoria, A tun, Delphic, Manuka, Maheno, Moeraki, Corinthic, and Navua. The sum of £25 was last nlgirt voted from the tramways account towards the fund for the purchase of the lioness now in the City Council’s zoological collection. The fallowing dates for the doershooting season are gazetted; Marlborough, March Ist to April 30 th, fee £1; Nelson, March Ist to April 30th, fee £1 Is; South Canterbury, April Ist to May 31st, fee £2; Waitaki, April Ist to May Ist, fee £3. Mr C. W. Jones, general manager for the Huddart-Parker Company in New Zealand, and Mr William Dennett, manager of the South Tarsmaki Shipping Company, bavo been granted the support of the Shipowners’ Federation in their candidature for flotations on the Harbour Board, as representing payors of dues on ships. Authorisation has been given by iihe City Council to the tramway board to expend up to £IOO in advertising the electric lijgfat department, the public reserves and seaside resorts in the cars and tramway waiting sheds. For advertising the public reserves, the hoard proposes that two “flash” sign S/ be> erected at the Courtenay place and Hamilton station waiting shed respectively. Mr F. Holdsworth (Mayor o£ Onslow) mentioned at last evening’s meeting of the Onslow Borough Council that the sum of £228 4s 6d was outstanding in rates. Tins, he considered, was fairly good for this time of the year. Mr Holdsworth also stated that the Kaiwaxra drainage instalments had all been paid. The council decided to institute proceedings against those persons who nacre not paid up their rates. At next Wednesday’s meeting of the Wellington Harbour Board the chairman, Mr R. Fletcher, wiH move: “That the board favourably consider the question of the erection of a store on the land lying along the waterfront between the Ring’s wharf and the proposed Pipitea, wharf, and the engineer bo instructed to prepare ■botch plana and furnish an estimate of the cost.” Registration has been effected of the Kelbumo-Kaxori Motor Bus Company, X/td., with a capital of £3500 Into 3500 shares of £1 each. Subscribers.: J. F. Mills, 60; T, Ward, 60: A. R, Meek, 25, W. A. KcHow, 25; W. H. Baffinger, 25; R. O. Hamerton, 26; A. Picrard, 25. The objects are to carry on business of omnibus and van proprietors and carriers of passengers and goods by motor-bus between the terminus of the KelburneKarori tramway at Kelbume and the ■tarmel, on tho main road of Wellington. to KarorL A meeting of those interested in the formation of a cadi athletic and cycling club was held in the Trocadero Hotel last night, Mr D. Moriarty presided over a large attendance, but it was reported that about twenty gentlemen could not bo present on account of engagements in connection the Faster Carnival. It was decided to term a club, and all at the meeting yrere enrolled as a committee pro tem, 1 with. Mr J. Kennedy as secretary, to further Hie objects of the chib. On March 4th a general meeting will be held at which permanent officials are to be elected. There is every prospect, of the club being a Very successful body, and assurance is entertained that sufficient grounds will he available on .which to hold sports. Last evening the Onslow Borough Council discussed:.the matter of ..an al-. |eged nuisance - arising from manure {weeks at Kaiwaxxa. It .was stated that the trouble was due to certain byproducts being brought to the works •before they were dealt with at the municipal abattoirs. Dr Chesson, of :tiaa H«n.Hih Department, had been {written to, but he, in his reply, did .nnt specify any means of abating the nuisance. One or two councillors contended that the City Council was to [blame, because it would not allow tho products to be treated at its abattoirs on the ground that the harbour would bo polluted. Yet, the same process which was objected to at Ngahauranga had to bo followed at Kaiwarra, imA the pollutions entered the harbour at a point much nearer-the city than the vicinity of Hie municipal abattoirs. council resolved to write to the CSty Council on the subject, also to Dr •Gheaeon, pointing out that a machine (peas now in use on whaling ships which teas effective in the prevention of obnoxious smells. i Speaking to a “Times” reporter yesterday, Commissioner Cullen remarked that many policemen would rather remain in their present rank than aobept offers of promotions to positions bs sergeants. One policeman to whom promotion was offered declined on .the ground that he would make a sacrifice of £3O a year on the change, “and if a policeman stated that, the chances are that the sacrifice would be even greater.” This did not imply that sergeants were not bettor paid tlian constables; the explanation was found in the fact thatnumerUfn constables exercised other funcftaaaa and duties in addition to those ‘pertaining to a police officer. For instance, in various districts the local Constable acted also a clerk of court, bailiff, registrar for sundry purposes, in addition had his own house and poltirated plot of ground. He was a sort of offietal factotum for the district, in possession of many comfortable perquisites and sources of emolument, the rehraquisfament of which on favour of sergeant’s rank would mean (considerable financial sacrifice. Mr Gerhard Huaheer, tobacco expert, reports that the severe froet which so quite out of season, befel the Herotaunga Plains on Saturday night, and Which did a lot of damage to some maize crops, pumpkins, cucumbers and tomatoes, had a likewise disastrous effect upon one of his tobacco crops near Fold J?aki, but that Ids crops at the Arabafci farm in Havelock were not touched at all, although pumpkins and tomatoes in the lower parts of Havelock suffered considerably (writes tho Hastings correspondent of the Napier *T)ad]y Telegraph.”). Tho tobacco plants at the Arataki farm. Mr Hnsheer says, are looking exceedingly well and do not •oem to have been affected in tho ■lightest by tho long spoil of drough.t. Practically no rain has fallen here since the end of November last, and yot the tobacco plants bear a strong and'healthy appearance, with leaves erect, vigorous and of vivid green colour, in pleasing contrast to tho surrounding flora, which is wilting and languishing for want of water. Tobacco has thus stood the test and although he would have preferred a good soaking shower now and then, which would naturally have greatly benefited vegetation all round, be is, at tho same time, not ■orry that this exceptionally dry season has given him an opportunity to demonstrate the drought resisting properties of the tobacco plant. There is no sign of any blight or pest. If nothing unforeseen can happen ho expects a fair crop in spite-of the adverse jMason.

By instruction of the city engineer, soundings have been taken at To Aro Baths at 10 feet intervals, and no indication of any great irregularities have been discovered. , A duplicate turbine set and boiler, similar to the one now running in the Mercer street power station, is to be purchased for tho municipal electric lighting department. The cost of tho new plant will bo about £17,000. A motion was brought before the iVxiramar Borough Council last evening by Councillor Grigg providing that at tho next election tno number of connci Hors bo increased from six to nine. The motion was lost, only the mover and Mr Telford voting for it. It was recommended to the CSty Council last night that an application by billiard-room proprietors for an extension of time for closing bilhardrooms from 10.30 p.m. till /I p.m. be not acceded to. The question was not dealt with owing to the abrupt closure of tho council business. Notice is gazetted that “extractum papaveris,” an extract of poppy capsales, containing tho properties of opium, will ho liable to an import duty of 4s per pound, being a duty fixed in proportion to the_ degree in which it approximates in its properties to opium. “That the custodian of the LyaU Bay beach bo empowered to remove from off the beach any person who is behaving in an manner,” was ono of the recommendations which had to stand over from last night’s council meeting, owing to tho extraordinary ' contretemps which arose. Return of the number of stock slaughtered at the municipal abattoirs during December has just been made by the manager. It snows that tihere were slaughtered 51 cows, 478 bullocks, 3 bulls, 4007 sheep, 2236 laimba and 116 calves, while out of this member four cows, one bull, sixteen hullo ks, eleven steep, and two calves were co ndemmed as unlit for human consumption. Hales of unclaimed dogs will in future be held by rtho CSty Council every foritzxight, or as may be necessary in order to do away with any nuisances to residents in tho vicinity of the corparsrision (yards. An endeavour will al.cn bo made to amend the Act requiring ’fibo council to keep unclaimed dogs seven days before selling them, so as to psxnrido discretionary power tor the destruction of any dog not worth keeping £t«r sale purposes, Mr ‘D. Weir, representative of tha ■Woffington Rugby Union, last evening w aited on the Miramar Borough Council, to ask that the union bo granted tte uso of Seatoun Park during the coming season. Tho union offered to pay £lO, and guaranteed to play juttkm grade matches on tte park every Saturday, and ono senior matt daring tte season. On the motion of Councillor Grigg the offer was accepted. > ' The position which has arisen in consequence of tte sudden adjournment of the CSty Council last night aa a protest against a ruling by the Mayor is an extraordinary on®. The council bad not got half through the order paper when the break came, and a considerable amount of important business isetltl awaiting attention. Several documents ted to bo sealed last night to conclude agreements, but they were mot sealed because the council did not give tho requisite authority. A number ad committee reports were never reached, and all the recommendations they contained are still without tte fore® of decisions. Before tho City Council commenced business last evening, the Mayor (Mr D. McLaren) made reference to the that overcame the Scott expedition, and paid a tribute to the gallantry of those who perished. On his motion, seconded by Councillor Fletcher, it was resolved: “That this council, on behalf of tine whole of the citizens of Wellington, places upon record its deep sense of sorrow on account of tho sad occurrence that has befallen the heroic members of tte Scott Antarctic expedition, who gave their lives for the advancement of science, and in the high interest of humanity. Wo respectfully tender to . tho relatives of those meet bravo men our heartfelt sympathy with them in their great loss, which is a sorrow that is shared by all.” “That tte request that a Sd return fare be instituted between Courtenay place and South Eilbimie between the hours of 7 and 10 p.m. be declined,” was a recomroondirfa-on placed before the CSty Council by the tramways committee last evening. Councillor McKenzie moved that the-dance be referred back to tho committee for reconsideration. He had been told that thin threepenny fare, had teen a large source ol revenue, from-people who patronised the skating rtnlr at Kilhrrme. Tte committee should have made an alternative proposal, instead of merely turning down this one. If the board had suggested that cars might be hired at special rates, that would have been a different thing. Tte motion, however, lapsed for want of a seconder, and the recommendation was adopted by tte-eonnefl. ‘