INTERPROVINCIAL NEWS.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVI, Issue 10059, 29 January 1909, Page 1

INTERPROVINCIAL NEWS.

(Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON. January 28. It is notified in tlie Gazette to-night that the districts of the three Conciliation Commissioners are to be as follows : —Mr Giles, Northern and Taranaki districts; -Mr Halley, Wellington, Nelson, Marlborough, and Westland; Mr Triggs, Canterbury, Ota go and Southland. The New Zealand gold output during ISOB was 506,433 ounces, value £2,004,925, compared with 508.210 ounces, value £2,027,000 for 1907. The value of aoods imported into New Zealand during 1908 was £17,471,284, compared with £17.302,796 during 1907. The exports for 1908 totalled £16,317,541, against £20,071,636 for 1907. . DUNEDLN. January 28. Mr J. A. Macpherson, cx-M.P., was entertained at a banquet at Nuseby last night, and presented with a purse of 105 sovereigns. The Works Committee of the Harbor Board recommended in its report to the Board this afternoon that plans and specifications of a motor launch for the nilot seTvice and of a powerful and up-to-date tug be prepared. The recommendation, after discussion, was agreed to. It was estimated that the tug would cost from £15,000 to £20,000. As the result of an appeal for funds for bread for those suffering as a result of unemployment in the Old Country the sum of £154 l£s 3d has been collected here within , the last few days. A committee, beaded by the Mayor, is organising a monster carnival, to' be held on Carisbrook Cricket Ground next Thursday night in aid of the fund. CHRISTCHURCH. January 28. At the inquest to-day on the body of Henry Bennet, of Preston's road, Styx, the coroner returned a verdict that deceased had committed suicide while in a state of unsound mind. The evidence showed that deceased, who was a single man of about 60 years of age, after leaving two notes stating that a land transaction had driven him mad, and he intended to commit suicide, had drowned himself in a drain about three feet wide and with two feet of water in it. AUCKLAND. January 28. At the sitting of the University Senate to-day Mr Baume moved that the Senate seek power from Parliament to establish the degree of Bachelor of Literature, the motion being carried by 11 votes to 9. Referring to-day to the necessity for a signal of some kind at the Three Kings, where the Elingamite and other vessels have gone down, the Hon. J. A. Millar, Minister for Marine, said he considered the only satisfactory thing to do was to erect a fog signal there. He had been making a long inquiry into the system of submarine signalling, which has been so largely and so successfully adopted along the coast of America. The system was a most effective one, but could only be put into operation when vessels were equipped with necessary telephonic apparatus to receive the signals when this system was in use; it was possible to receive a signal under water for a distance of 16 miles. If they could instal such apparatus upon vessels trading to New r Zealand it would be possible to introduce the system here, which in the case of such a locality as the Three Kings would prove to be invaluable. The Minister of Railways was asked today if he could impart any information as "to the constitution of the commission of inquiry which he has promised to set up in regard to the allegation against the employees in the Add.ington Workshops. The Minister replied that it would consist of three gentlemen outside the railway service, h would not be a magisterial inquiry; it would be open to the press. As soon as he received information from these gentlemen he would be in a position to disclose their names. At this afternoon's meeting of the University Senate Mr L. A. Cohen, M.A., commented, strongly on what he declared to be a degradation of the English language by New Zealanclers. His remarks were called forth by a recommendation of the Authors and Periods Committee to include in the matriculation course grammar, not including historical grammar, and the nature and classification of modern English sounds in relation to their bearing on orthography. It seemed that the recommendation was about to pass without exciting any unusual comment when Mr Cohen "rose." 'T 'regard this new prescription as being the greatest advance that has been made in elementary English culture during my career on the Senate," he said. As an example of what he meant, Mr Cohen said that in singing the diction of New Zealand boys and girls was so faulty that they lost the beauty of the words and melody. One had only to hear some cultured Englishman or woman sing to learn how gross and perverse our diction had become. As to the proposal, he hoped that the examiners would, so far as it could be done by written work, make it an essential part of their paper so as to save the New Zealand people from talking a degraded and unEnglish tongue. Ho attributed the fault he had pointed out to the inability of the teachers in country schools to speak decent English. The recommenation was carried. TIMARU. January 28. Timaru had a full holiday to-day for the friendly societies' excursion to Ashburton. Two long special trains were well patronised, and the party had a beautiful day for their outing. HASTINGS. January 28. The annual ram fair under the auspices of the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society was begun at Hastings to-day. The entry of rams was a record and there was a large attendance. Flock rams were irregular in quality, and in consequence prices for these were lower than those obtained last year, and a large number were passed in. under the hammer, but good business was done privately at figures satisfactory to vendors. For Lincoln stud rams the top price to-day was 42 guineas for a two-shear bred by and sold on account of Mr W. Gadsby, of Manutahi, and purchased 1 by Mr J. Fleming of Waipukurau. NELSON. January 28. Mrs Eggers, a resident of Upper Moutere, was thrown from a trap this afternoon, and died a few hours later from shock. She was driving with three children, when the horse shied at a passing motor-car driven by Mr Arthur- Maginnity of.Nelson, and upset the trap. The other occupants -were uninjured. The car was being driven at a slow rate, and the horse apparently swerved into a ditch at the side of the road. WESTPORT. January 28. William Connolly, charged with the murder of E. John "Bourke on May Bth, was committed for trial to Hokitika. The Crown solicitor would not agree to a committal to Christchurch, but said the Crown would not oppose an application to a Supreme Court Judge for a change of venue.

District Judge Haselden delivered a farreaching judgment- to-day, when he decided in the case of Oorry v. Mervyn, that appellant could recover £3O deposited with respondent as stakeholder over a

boat race that took place on the Buller River in December, 1907. Respondent was told by appellant after the race was rowed not "to hand over the money, but acted contrary to instructions, and paid it over. Appellant sought to recover, and respondent relied on the words added in 1894 to the Act thatyrecovery could not be made in any betting transaction "or any money won or lost or staked in any betting transaction whatever." His Honor held that this was an action to recover money handed to respondent under a void contract, and that the Act of 1894 has not substantially altered the law on this particular point of section 33 of the Act of 1881, on which numerous judgments had been given in favor of recovery, and allowed an appeal with costs and £7 7s disbursements. GORKI. January 28. This evening the police ridded the premises at Last Gore occupied by I.'. (.!. Thurston, and seized a. quantity of liquor. A prosecution will follow. TIMAIiU. January 28. At the wool sale, to-day 6800 bales were offered to a good bench of buyers. The woo! was said to be irregular in get-up. most of it dirty, and prices were irregular in consequence. For good sorts, with which a comparison could be made, prices showed some decline on the December prices. Fine halfbreds were not so keenly bid for as then. Threcquarters and crossbred pieces sold well. Top prices for halfbreds and three-quarters were the same, and best crossbreds Yjtl, .specially good 9-Jd. NAPIER. January 28. The Prime Minister to-dav despatched I,llc following cablegram to tlie High Commissioner :—"Meat companies here istatc that thev are adviised that the importation of frozen kidneys and other frozen otfal into the United Kingdom has .been prohibited. Kindly tee Home Government, and point out that this would be a very serious matter and handicap the New 'Zealand trade. As the whole 01 the business is under insepction here, therewould be no justification for such a course with respect to New Zealand. It is generally regarded as most unfriendly towards the Dominion, and before any action of the kind is taken I think, as a matter of fairness, fuller information should be furnished to the Government, and in cases where current contracts or shipments alloat are concerned these should be exempted until a settlement. The matter is very important, and 1 should be glad if you will give it immediate attention." WANGANUL January 28. In connection with the domestic service problem, now prominently before the public, the Chroncile reports on. good authority that- arrangements are on the point of completion, as a result of which a New Zealand lady, now resident in Kngi.and, in, whom the employers may place implicit confidence, will act in conjunction with the management at this end hi selecting suitable girls for employment. Every applicant- for appointment will be personally interviewed, and every possible precaution taken to ensure that only girls of a high standard of respectability and efficiency are sent out. The Chronicle adds that it is intended to place the Government in possession of full information on the subject, it being felt that as the domestic help problem has now been brought officially under the notice of a Minister of the Crown it is only reasonable that the Cabinet should be formally assured of the bona fides of the scheme which private enterprise has devised for the solution of that problem. THAMES. January 28. For the Thames by-election the results of the poll, with small returns to come, which cannot- affect the result are :—Taylor (Government) 1238, Lucas (Government selected candidate) 796, Rhodes (Government) 542, Deeble (Opposition) 518. Haseldeu (selected Opposition) 475. A second ballot will take place between Taylor and Lucas.