INTERPROVINCIAL NEWS.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVI, Issue 10058, 28 January 1909, Page 4

INTERPROVINCIAL NEWS.

(Per I'kes.s Association-.) WELLINGTON". January 27. At the statutory meeting of local holies to-day Wednesday was selected as the clay for the weekly half-holiday for shop assistants. A "petition is "in circulation in favor of Saturday, and if a sufficient number of signatures are obtained, which is very doubtful, the question will be settled at a poll of the electors. The Minister of Justice i the Hon. Dr Find lav) left tor the south to-nizht by the Ma'ori. He will represent the Ministry at the banquet to Mr G. W. Russell, the newly-elected member for Avon, and will alio attend to numerous departmental matters, in Christchurch during his stay, including an inspection of Lyttc-lton gaol. He eipects to return on .Saturday or Sunday. The Hon. JR. M'Kenzie (Minister of Mines! returned from Huntly to-night after his successful mediation in the Waikato coal mining' dispute. He leaves tomorrow morning for Nelson to attend several gatherings of his constituents in celebration of his appointment to the Ministry. He also intends to take the opportunity of inspecting the-construction work on the Tadmor section of the XelsonTadmor line. Upon his return to Wellington about Febrnary ith he will spend a few days dealing with departmental matters. and will then leave for Auckland to settle th> much-debated question of the route of the North Auckland railway. DUNEDIN. January 27. Damage estimated at about- £4OO was done by a fire in the- Union Company's workshops at Port Chalmers this mornin_". The fire was suppressed soon after its discovery. The plumbers' shop suffered considerably, while the electrical shop suffered from heat and water. The non-arrival of the auxiliary barquentiue Rio Lose from Kaipara is causing some uneasiness here. She was in company with the schooners Waratah and Isabella de Frnine. being with the latter in Cook Straits on January 15 and 14. She was lost finht of near "Banks Peninsula on the 14th instant, and two days later the Isabella de FTaine passed some floating locs of kauri. 100 kin - n& though recently jettisoned or washed overboard. The Bio Lo;e was commanded by Captain Spence. and only recently completed a strrveyThe present position in regard to the Dunedin North election petition is understood to be that both parties concerned have jointly examined the Tolls under the sanction of an order of a Judge of the Supreme Court. After investigation, Messrs Solomon. Wood house and IJownio Stewart came to the conclusion that in the ultimate result there will be a majority at least of one or two votes for Mr Thomson. Mr Barclay's contention as to duplicate votes apparently has been correct. and he will be entitled to the votes he claimed, but other votes were given to him which will be rightly disallowed, and which would counterbalance the gain. Mr Solomon has advised that the petition be not proceeded with, which advice Mr Barclay accepts. The position wili be explained to the Court to-morrow. CHRISTCHURCH. January 27. The question of providing for chronic consumptives was. at a meeting of the Xorth Canterbury Hospital Board to-day.

referred to the House Committee for consideration, and it was decided to ascertain from the Health Department the number of chronic consumptive cases in Canterbury for which public provision would require to be made. was stated that the consumptive sanatorium, which the Board takes over early next month, was originally intended only for curable cases.

The body of Henry Bennett, a farmer, residing at the Styx, -was to-day found drowned in a three-loot wide drain, in which the water was about three feet deep. Tied by a piece oi rope round his neck was an old ploughshare. Deceased left a note stating that he intended committing suicide. A. Humm Uxiay succeeded in lowering the record for a journey by bicycle between Christchurcn and Dunedin by 4 hour- 19 minutes. He started from Christchurch at 5.15 a.m., aaa reached Dunedin at 7.16 p.m. The previous record was put up by A. C. raider on -March. Ist, 1899, and the journey was done in IS hours 20 minutes. Ilumm was paced by two motor cycles. AUCKLAND. January 27. The method adopted by the police in securing evidence of .Sunday trading was severeiy condemned by Mr Kettle, S.M., in the Police Court to-day. -Mr Days, Assistant Crown Prosecutor, admitted that the police were sent- down to St. Helens Pay for the express purpose of securing a conviction for Sunday trading. '•ls this the practice," asked the magis trate, "to induce these people to commit a breach or the law':"" ill- Kettle conj tended that offenders should be detected, not entrapped. The suggestion made sometime ago that Mr W. F. Massey, M.P., Leader of the Opposition, should be made the recipient of a national testimonial is assuming concrete form. At a numerously attended meeting, held in the Chamber of Commerce to-niirht, presided over by Mr W. F. I.aua, M.l'., it was decided to takesteps to present Mr Massey with a national testimonial to be raised by subscriptions of a shilling and upwards, and to invite the'co-operation of all interested in' the movement throughout the Dominion. The resolution to that effect was proposed by Mr Uichard Monk, formerly member "tot- aitemata, seconded by Uv Bamfield, and supported by Mr Jaines Allen, who assured the meeting that the movement would be heartily supported iu the .South. Mr E. W. Alison, Messrs L. 11. Phillips and J. Bollard, M's.P., and others also supported, the motion. HASTINGS. January 27. The Prime Minister this afternoon laid the foundation stone of the new PostOffice at Hastings in the presence of a large number of residents. In the course o: his speech. Sir Joseph Ward said the section, of the building was a tangible evidence of tile policy of the Government in puttins tip permanent public buildings of the kind that was attempted. He spoke of the wonderful successfuiness of operations ot tile Post and Telegraph Department. and went on to give an assurance that a statement of the Dominion's finances for the las: nine months, which would come out very shortly, would show that New Zealand" was the only one of all countries, including America and the United Kingdom, to show increased revenue. He commented on the progress made by Hastings during the last fewyears. and said that its wonderful future was due to the cutting up of the land, a policy wiiich the Government were determined to continue. The proposal of the Hastings Borough Council to raise a loan of £oo,ooo for sewerage extension purposes was to-day reje'.ted at a poll by 349 votes to 2/8. WANGANUI. January 27. A poll was taken to-day on a proposal to raise a i-->an of £12.0C0 for gas works extension. Little interest was manifested, the poll being carried by 110 to 21. GISBORNE. January 2/. At the inquest on Dora Alice Griffin the jury returned a verdict of accidental drowning, probably caused through sudden immersion in cold water whilst overheated. Three boys were before the Court- today charged with breaking and entering. One pleaded guilty to three such offences. Two were sent to tiie Industrial School at Biirnliam. and the third was remanded for police supervision. WAIELI. January 27. Tiie hearing of evidence in tlie Ohinc--n;uri licensing petition was continued, and five witnesses gave corroljorative evidence as to overcrowding of booths, inadequatefacilities for voting, and the absence ot secrecy of the ballot. ASH BURTON'. •January 27. A iarso unoccupied boarding-house at Winslo-.v". known as the Wirislow Hotel, was tola'!-.- destroyed by fire last night. Trie property was owned by the estate of tb.-- !::T" Thomas Ua'.y, of Christcimrch, an 1 it ij believed it was not insured. The origin of the rire is a mystery. Information has been received that a team of horses, valued at about £2OO. and I-:-i. nziu_- to Mt. Possession .Station, were drowned while endeavoring to cross the Upper Asbbnrton lliver. which was much swollen by the recent- rains. INVKRCARGILL. January 27. The police are advised from Clinton that the much decomposed body of ail unknown tnan h;s been found in the l'oinaliaka Rivc-r. The Wyndliam police report that a farmer named Donald Fraser lias been drowned in a lagoon near his home at Fortrose. Deceased was about 62 years old. To-nizht the police again raided Pofi"s Carriers' Arms Hotel in Dee street, and seized a quantity of liquor. About- the same time another posse made a similar search of Mrs M'Auliffe's Shamrock Hotel, in Spey street, and there also liquor was seized." Prosecutions will probably follow.