LOCAL & GENERAL
I* What becomes of the unfortunate wife ] and children when an erring husband anc !> Ut.ii'j ilimj •> norn the paths of rectitude ci and i-, placed in dur.ince \ilo for a term oi c months or years is an oft-repeated ques ?; tion. What does become of them is toe little known or thought of by the pubh< ft t generally. It is here that the kindlj s, influence of the Patients and Prisoners' 4.ic Society makes itself felt, but so unassum 10 ingly and quietly does the society pursu* its labours — thpy are of necessity largely m behind the scenes, so to speak— that rarelj s^ is one afforded an opportunity of reflecting i- on the blessings of having such a society in *» our midst. In a report presented by its ° agent (Mr F. G. Gumming) to a meeting of y the Patients and Prisoners' Aid Society ;t en the 11th, a "special" case is stated. It is the case of a man who was sentenced tc >s a term of 12 months' imprisonment, with g hard labour, and whose wife was left in a 'I most deplorable condition with three little ° children, whose ages were five years, two £ yeare and a-half, and six months respecr> tively. The only food they had had for 12 0 days was just what t he-neigh hours passed in. c It was in every way a distressing case. c There was only one way of ghing help, s and that was to send the woman, with her ° children, to Victoria. The Benevolent j Trustees were approached, and provided ? half of the sum required by way of pasf sage money, and the other half was forth- ? coming from members of the society's committee and a few- friends, and the woman, s by thus being- placed by tho society in the r\ hands of those who would be able to look n after her, was rescued from a position h which implied nothing else but sheer c destitution. There is said to be a dearth of unskilled . employment for people who do not care * to leave the towns to go into the country. It would also appear that some of those y who walk the streets day by day are not - too anxious to work when it is offered them. c This week one of our publio institutions ® required the sen ices of a man for a few B hours, at Is an hour, to remove dust from 3 the inside walls of several rooms. Work s of a lighter description could hardly be 1 imagined, and yet it was refused by several *; who were approached with the offer of it 1 on. the alleged ground that the duration of s the employment was too short to make it , worth their while accepting. Mr Widdowson, S.M., has no sympathy i with the man who shirks the responsibility i of providing maintenance for his wife and j children. In a case heard before him on the llth the e\idence disclosed that after a j nid-rned lite of five years the man and t wife separated, and the husband agreed to , pay 12s 6d per week towards the support » of the -wife and two children out of an > r alleged total weekly income of £3 per I week. In reply to counsel, defendant, the . lessee of a billiard room, admitted that he f went to the late Christchurch races at a cost of £6 or £7 ; that he drove out some ' ladies in a buggy, paying all expenses; and ' that he expended between 2s and 3s a . week on alcoholic liquor! His Worship, i when making an order for a future pay- ' nient of £1 per week, said the admissions 1 made by defendant were disgraceful. The j man who could afford to spend £6 or £7 . to go to races, and pay for driving women out, and expend money on drink could pay | more than 12s 6d or 15s per week for the 1 support of a wife and two children; and he warned defendant that if he made default , in payment and came before him again he would deal stringently with him. Ho also said, if defendant's story was tiue that he made so little out of his billiard 6aloon, he had better forsake that mode of lazy life and adopt some employment which would enable him to proiide for his family like a decent citizen. The current year of the Dunedin Athenamm has started auspiciously. There has been a net increase of 16 members in the first six weeks, whilst for the -arae period the revenue is over £10 better than for the corresponding six weeks in 1907. It is announced in tho Gazette that the building known as the hospital and surgery of the gaol at L^ttelton it. temporarily proclaimed to be a lunatic asylum as an auxiliaiy to the lunatic asylum at Christchurch. Presumably this is to make provision for 'the j:ase of Lionel Terry. A member of the Hospital Trustees has called upon us with the new of giving fcome explanations respecting the conditions under which it is intended probationer nurses shal] be employed in the Hospital in the future. The intention is that only a portion of their time for the first >ear — not inoie than one-third o! the eight hours per day during which they will be employed— will be occupied in domestic work, the remaining iwo-thnds to be dovotod to their professional work only. It is not from any consideration of economy thai the tru=toee have adopted this «jstom, but pureh m the interests of the probationers them«ehes and for more efficiently training them in all branches of their work, the *uh=equent practice of their profession being a combination of nursing and domestic attendance on patients. It is quite easily conceivable that a good nurse may be deficient in other necessary and valuable qualities in a sick room, and the trustees are cominced that the combined training it is intended to give them in the Hospital should certainly more fitly qualify them for their future work. The Otago Land Board had its attention drawn on the llth to certain statements made in bankruptcy by Wm. C. Pitches, Ic3j see of small giazing run 225j, Tiger Hill I cb>'iy«L Pitches, it was atat«d, had neifir ■.
resided on the run, as he had been grante • exemption, and at his recent bankruptc examination he was reported to have state 3 that he never put anything into the rur i and never got anything out of it — that h 3 had no interest in it, and that it belonge f to his father; and, further, that he neve . ownrd a sheep and never paid any renl 3 The ordinary declaration signed by Pitche 0 when he applied for the run read : "I at y purchasing such lease solely for my ow: 1 use and benefit, and not directly or indirectl . for the benefit of any other person o 3 persons." The Chief Commissioner (Mr E j Barron) said, in view of the reported state f ments of Pitches, he would ask the boan r to require Pitches to appear On March 1 i to show cause why the lease should not b 3 declared forfeited. The recommendation o I the Chief Commissioner was approved, am j an investigation will accordingly be heJd t The lessee referred to took up the run oi , July 27, 1893. 1 Mr Thomas Mackenzie, M.P., announce 1 his intention to speak at Waikouaiti on thi '■ night of Wednesday, 26th inst. The meet * ing gives every indication of being a larg< " one, people from all parts of the distric ■ having intimated that they will be present The Lyttelton Times says it is given t< understand that the Minister of Laboui . has decided not to rointroduce the bill . which was the subject la-st year of so mud I discussion, for the amendment of tin Industrial Conciliation and Arbitratior Act. Boring operations alongside the new Dunedin engine-sheds in the "endeavour tc : obtain a suita.ble flow of water are still ir progress, and have now been extended tc a depth of about 160 ft. A small flow oi clear water has been obtained, but boring— which haa bfen carried through hard rock for some time past— is to be continued tc a further depth, as until the solid rock i« passed through it cannot be expected that a suitable flow of water will be obtained. The annual meeting of the Wcstporf Coal Company was held at the company's • office on the 12th inst., the Hon. Sit H. J. Miller, M.L.C., presiding. The report (already published) and balance sheet for the past year were adopted. The Hon. Sir H. J. Miller and Mr P. O. Neill were re-elected directors, and Messrs W. Hislop and C. H. Statham auditors. Mr F. W. Mac Lean, recently appointed Inspecting Engineer of Railways, will leave Dunedin for Wellington about the end of this month. Mr H Macandrew, who fills Mr Mac Lean's position in Dunedin as District Engineer, is expected to arrive here on the 19th inst. Some remarks *hat caused a distinctly unea6y feeling to arise in one's mind were made at the Citj Council on the 12th. Speaking about the proposed appointment of a hydraulio engineer. Cr Scott said that some of the reasons urged on the Water Committee for the appointment it would not be right to mention in open council. Statements of this vague nature always give rise to much speculation, and as a reeult people form conclusions that are probably quite unjustified. Later on hie Worship the Mayor, speaking on the same question, said there was a good deal of explanation required about it. His Worship added : " The whole question of the Waitati-Leith scheme wants a large amount of consideration. All along I have never been in favour of it. Too much money is being spent on the scheme for the commensurate benefits to be received from it. Another matter must be looked into: we must get the right to erect such a reservoir as is proposed." (Cr M'Donald: "_We have it.") The Mayor did not agree with Cr M'Donald, and concluded his speech by aaying : " I don't want to say here all I would like to say about the matter, but I will gay it on the committee." The Taieri Advocate learns that sharks are vory plentiful round the coast this year, owing probably to the hot summer. The fishermen at the Nuggets also complain of them frightening away the fish. One boat with two men had rather an exciting time last week while out fishing for groper. A large shark was hooked, and »'t wns only after a *ong and exciting struggle that they managed to kill him with a bayonet fixed on the end of a spar. When brought ashore and measured it was found to bo | 13ft lOin long. The shark was what is known as a " rhrasher," so called because the upper part of the tail is prolonged about 4ft, and it wes this as a weapon of attack, and has been known to- attack whales. This long fin has two edges as keen as a knife, and makes the shark a* dangerous customer 'o deal with. Mr George Benstead, director of the School for Defectives to he established at the Otekaike residence, arrived at Wellington by the Corinthic with Mrs Benstead. Mr Benstead wae selected for the position by Mr Hogben (Inspector-general of Schools) while recently at Home, and by the Hon. W. P. Reoves (High Commissioner) and Dr Shuttleworth, who was highly qualified to advice on such a matter. Mr Benstead, who possesses excellent testimonials and has had large experience, was (says the Dominion) selected out of a considerable number of applicants. The school of which ( lie is to have charge is not ready yet, but preparations are- well forward. ' A by-product hitherto deemed useless ineumbrance showed up to advantage last week at the Bluff. It will be readily identified by the name of coal brick. The Westport Coal Company, it appears, ha 3 been experimenting in the utilisation of its mine refuse, with the result that it has succeeded in reproducing the coal in bricks without deteriorating from its qualities of combustion. A sample was forwarded lately for locomotive tftsl pimjoses* and
d apparently it proved sufficiently satisfactory :y to justify the larger consignment that came d to hand last week. 1> Both the first and the second prizes 1(1 offered by the Institute of Surveyors of c ' New South Wales in a reoent essay com!r petition weix; won by members of the New Zealand Institute of Surveyors. The title >s of tho essay in question was " The Subn division of Town, Suburban, and Country n Lands." Mr Thomas -Ward, of Wellington, y gained first prize, and Mr Walter F. Robin>r eon, of Hokitika, second awai - d. s ] ' According to a statement made to ft \ Dominion representative by Mr H. Judd. q of Carterton, who has just returned from a trip to the Islands, Tonga is iJie most . wonderfully go\erned^ kingdom on earth. , The only rate levied is 48s per annum on . every man, woman, and child in the country, but against this every child born there inherits eight acres of land from the Slate There is no national debt. On 6 the other hand, the country flourishes under c a perennial surplus, which at the present > time is £50,000. Nobody has to work; in 0 fact, the industrious citizen of Tonga bet comes an outcast until he reforms and •. does nothing. A proof of this statement, 3 says Mr Judd, is the time which the Government has taken over tho erection of its 6trong-room for State documents. The edifice was begun about 10 year* ago, and has now progressed as far as the eaves. All the work lias been done with prison labour at a snail's pace. It is expected that, at the present rate of building, the place T for the retention of State documents will 5 be finished in about five years' time. 1 It is rumoured that a writ will be served c on th© Dunedin City Corporation within a few days by Messrs Noyes Broe. for the full -amount claimed by thorn by way of commission on the carrying into completion of the Waipori electiical work6 — namely, 1 £10,953, le&s the amount they have been paid, approximately £3000. I Free secondary education is coming ' ' nearer realisation. At the last meet- | ing of the Board of Governors of the 1 Otago Boys' and Girls' High Schools the " secretary (Mr C. Macandrew) reported " that there are now 276 boys and 180 girl» [ at the schools under the free place regulations, while only 27 boy 6 and five girls i are paying pupik. . The Mayor of Naseby (Mr J. R. Kirk) has been advised by the Chief Electoral ' Officer for the Dominion (Mr F. W. Mansfield) that Naseby has been appointed th« chief electoral centre for the newly-created district of Tuapeka. A suit by Percy Cecil Hjorring against Ernest Cargill Cutten, in respect of a dissolution of partnership, which partner- ' ship was carried on as barristers and solicitors at Naseby, came before Mr Justice Williams in the Supreme Court on the ' 13th. By the terms of dissolution certain outstanding debts of the firm were to b» collected by the defendant, who was the continuing partner, and the action- was for 1 an order that the accounts of the partnership be taken under the supervision of the court. Mr S. Solomon, K.C., with him Mr C. J. Payne, appeared for the plain- : tiff, and Mr A. C. Hanlon for the d©- ' fendant. When the case was called Mr Hanlon stated that the matter had been settled, and the ca«e was accordingly struck ' out. At the last meeting of the Trades ' and Labour Council discussion was resumed on the circular sent by the Waikato Miners' Union advocating a federation of labour bodies. The principle of federation of labour was affirmed and the following resolution was agreed to: — "This council is of opinion that the proposal of the Waikato Miners' Union is c. step in the right direction a-nd has the approval of the council, but recommends the constitution adopted by the New Zealand Trades and Labour Councils' Conference to the favourable consideration of the union." Owing to the scarcity of water in th« river at Mataura (says the Gore- Standard) ' the operations of the Southland Freezing Company and the Paper Mill Company are severely handicapped. Both institutions will probably have to work shorter hours or arrange to work shifts at different times, as the present quantity of water is not sufficient to keep both plants going at full 6peed. It was currently reported in Mataura recently that several men in both work& were to be discharged. The companies are entitled to half the water each, but there is some difficulty in gauging this. It is alleged that one of j the companies has practically a watertight race from the intake to the turbine, while the other wastes a considerable quantity of water through having a leaky race. However, whether this is so or not, a considerable amount of friction exists, and it is believed the matter will yet have to be settled by a Supreme Court action. The river has not been so lovr for 12 yeare, and the paper mi)) 6at preeent are only working half their plant. Sir John Madden, Chief Justice of Victoria, interviewed by the Southland Daily News prior to his departure from tho Bluff this week for Melbourne, 6poko in the most enthusiastic terms respecting tha visit of his party to Lake Wakatipu. Ho said: — "There we found our paradise. Further on we found the other Paradise. Queenstown was precisely what we have been looking for, and we remained, coming away this morning in absolute content. It is an ideal place for people who want to use thoir holiday to get cool and comfortable and yet have sunshine, enjoyable and pleasant. We found excellent horses there, and spent many happy houi6 riding out round about. We sa.w the country iof
ourselves, and also rowed out to the various parts of the lake and had our own picnics. I think it is the spot of all places, and is well worthy of the Government's attention as a tourist terminus for people from Australia. Australians are always ?lad to see New Zealand, and to learn for them«eUes what it is doing. They want to get coolness and comfort, and they will get a'l that in Queenstown. A good de*l has been done already towards improving Queenetown for the sake of visitors. The gardens are exceedingly pretty, ana then there is a bowling green. If these resources were extended, as has been done in JRotorua, it would be the place to which all Australians would head straight away."' Sir John Madden further expressed the opinion that for people coming from Australia for a summer holiday Que-enetown is incomparably the best place. The number of members of the boot trade that ha-se suffered from consumption is (says Sydney Telegraph) causing uneasiness amongst the trades unions of this branch of industry. The members of the Operators and Rough Stuff Cutters' Union recommended at a meeting of the Boot Trade Council that a. bed or beds be maintained in the Queen Victoria Home for Consumptives. The cause of to much consumption in the ranks of this tra.de is eaid to be due to the dust which is fnhaled, and the unhealthy conditions under which some of them have to work. If beds are procured, it will be the policy of the unions to have the affected members at once despatched to the home, and thus prevent any liability of contagion, and. if possible, effect a cure in the early stages. The secretary was instructed to make inquiries concerning the cost of maintenance. It is expected that three beds will be engaged, one for each union — the Boot Clickers' Association, the Operators and Rough Stuff Cutters, and the Boot Trade Unions. Intimation has been received that the Chapter General of the Order of St. John ef Jerusalem has awarded the service medal of the order to Major G. Barclay, V.D., formerly of Otago and now of Auckland. This medal is issued for conspicuous service to the order and its departments, and this is the first award of the medal to New Zealand, if not to Australasia, Major Barclay ie the senior executive officer of the St. John Ambulance Brigade in New Zealand. A correspondent from Waitahuna writes to the Bruce Herald: — "A party of Waitahuna had the rights of copper and gold mines near Waipori. Last week a syndicate consisting of 10 influential Waitahuna residents was hurriedly formed with a capital of £50 to exploit the venture. On a day appointed the syndicate hired all the a\ailable traps in Waitahuna and, together with a numerous band of advisers and experts, made for the scene of wealth. Arriving there without mishap, the syndicate learned that there was 120 ft of water pressure available to work the mines, but levels taken only showed some 80ft. Samples of the copper end also gold prospecte were taken and kept dark. On the way home part of the syndicate came to grief with its trap, which wa6 smashed up owing to the horse harnessed thereto plunging and kicking when crossing a creek. The trap was left behind, and the occupants took turn about riding home barebacked. This untoward event seemed to have had the effect of knocking all the enterprise out of the party, and at a subsequent meeting at the railway station — the late occupants of the trap declining the invitation to be seated — a motion wa« carried in favour of each man getting his money back, and this ended what at first looked like a real Eldorado." A member of the House of Commons once expressed his pity for " the poor beggar" who had to live on less than '£10,000 a year. Mr Jabez Wright is more modest in his view as to whai a working man can get along on (say 3 the Sydney Daily Telegraph). He told the P.L.L. Conference that he believed a living wage was £500 a year. The Arbitration Court ha"d, however, estimated it at 7s 6d c. day for Broken Hill, from where Mr Wright hails. " Who can «ay what a living wage is?" he asked the conference. "' Surely not a, judge with £3000 a year. I believe if a mine cannot pay good wages out of 6dwt, the gold oughx to be left in the. ground until •>. grows to Bdwt."
The extent to which school teachers chould be permitted to augment their salaries by outside occupations during their spare time occupied the attention of the Auckland Education Board. It was stated that in one case a teacher had been in the habit of publishing a periodical and canvassing for advertisements for it. " What about keeping cows ?" asked Mr J. D. M'Kenzie. "Or growing cabbages?" facetiously suggested Mr A. R. Harris, "perhaps that should be stopped." The board, whilst not going so far as to place »ny embargo on oows and cabbages, decided that the publishing of a periodical. for purposes of profit, was not a fitting method of filling in a teacher's spare time.
There was (6ays the Argus) considerable interest manifested in the case heard et Cromwell on the 6th inst. of the Stock i>epartin«iit against Charles Harding, a farmer near Queensberry, on a charge of failing to keep the rabbits down on his farm. The father of the defendant, who has been doing the rabbiting on the farm ■for years past, is quite an expert on the rabbit question, and it was apparent when he was giving evidence that ha was very much excited over the case. He had done an immense amount of work to try to save the growing crops from the post, and it ~ -■lied to be a veiy bitter piU to be prose-
cuted after fighting against the ravages of the rabbit for months past. He made several challenges to the officials of the department when giving his evidence to have a contest in destroying the pest, and the bench and bar had considerable difficulty in following his remarks when the excitement was on. Mr Brodrick, who appeared for the defendant, was congratulated on all sides for his able defence, and it was a matter of comment how he could know so much about the rabbit question, the technical terms as to catches, the best means of trapping ground, and other details of the "profession" in which he seemed to be quite at home. He gave the inspector a severe cross-examination, in which this official did not fihow to advantage in trying to evade a damaging reply to hi 6 case. Mr Harding gained the verdict, but Ic6es considerably, as no costs could be allowed.
The Cromwell Argrus suggests that the need for accelerating the train service between Dunodin and Clyde be brought before Ministers on their forthcoming visit to Otago Central. It says: "At least an hour could be saved on the journey. This should be done before the winter sets in, as there should be no necessity to leave Cromwell for at least half an hour later in the morning. and an extra halfhour could be easily made up on the railway time-table to Dunedin. A resident of Cromwell who recently travelled to Dunedin by train timed the stoppages, and when the totals were made up it amounted to 3hr 17min. This included a stop of 22min at Alexandra, 6min at Gailoway, 35min at Ranfurly, 9imin at Wedderburn, 9min at Hyde, 15imin at Middlemarch, llmin at Hindon, 12jmin at Wingatui, so there is no doubt there i« ample room for a saying of time on the journey."
An almost incredible state of filth in a dwelling was disclosed in a prosecution at Randwick, near Sydney, on February 6. A man named Charles Buchanan was charged with keeping his premises in a dirty state. The inspector described the conditions. In the yard were junks of decomposed meat, heads and entrails of fowls, empty tins, and rubbish and rags. Complaints had been made by the neighbours about the stench arising- from the place. The front room of the house emitted such a stench that it was unbearable, and made the witness and a constable sick. There was a bedstead in the room, and on the floor were portions of two fowls, in a decomposed state. These " remains " were covered with an old shirt. The stenoh .was so great that the witness began to suspect that the man was dead himself. Under the bed a piece of putrid meat was found on a plate. The defendant lived on his money. The premises were disinfected by the inspector's directions, and half a cartload of rubbish was taken away. Defendant, who had been fined- a fortnight previously, was fined £25, in default three months' hard labour.
At a recent meeting of the Cathedral Building Board it was reported that a considerable sum had been paid in since the previous meeting of the board, and amongst other business it was arranged that the architect, Mr Sedding, should be invited to pay a visit to Dunedin, he having signified his willingness to do so on his bare expenses being paid.
We have ascertained that the cablegram received by the Primate (Bkhop Nevill) connection with the decision of thp Court of Appeal in the case in which his Lordship appealed from the decision of Mr Justice Granthem wa6 that the appeal was successful, with costs against the original plaintiff, Mr Roberts who was the subject of severe rebuke by the judges.
The new school at Romahapa, a view of which appeared in last week's Witness, is being reconstructed by the Otago Education Board's workmen, most of the material used being part of the original building, which was erected in 1863. The original school, containing one room, has for some time been too small for the increased attendance, besides which it was very unsuitable for the purpose for which it was used. Independently of this, the building had got into such a state of disrepair that the board found it absolutely necessary to reconstruct it. When the workmen started to pull down the old building they found that a large quantity of the timber was still in splendid order. Most of the additional timber was cut locally, a. good deal of it being totara and black pine. The new building will contain two rooms, with accommodation for 100 pupils.
The days of the hodman are numbered. For years he has toiled laboriously up the laddei-s with his burden on his shoulder and cautiously descended for another load. It was a slow method. At Messrs A. and T. Inglis's new building in George street the enterprising contractor (Mr George Simpson) has called electricity, instead of the hodman, to his aid, and thousands of bricks are being hoisted to a height without the least exertion to anyone. Heavy beams are raised by the same process. Messrs Turnbull and Jones carried out the electrical installation.
It was pointed out at the inquest on the unfortunate boy William Wilson, who met with, a tragic death last week by being run over by a railway carriage while shunting operations were in progress in the Dunedin, railway yards, that children were in the habit of playing in the locality referred to. The Dunedin etationmaster (Mr Duncan) stated that the presence of children on the railway areas near St. Andrew stree? had been a continual source of annoyance and anxiety to railway men in general. In fact, some had ventured right into the centre of the railway \ard ia order to gather bottles The coroner
(Mr C. O. Graham) expressed the hope that the present sad occurrence would be a. warning to paronts to keep their children strictly away from the railway, yards and surroundings.
A young girl was brought before Mr H. Y. Widdowson. S.M., sitting in the Juvenile Court on the 14th in6t., charged with stealing a watch, valued at £4, from one of her fellow employees. From the evidence it appeared that the girl took the watch from the owner's pocket to ascertain the time, forgot to put it back, and subsequently lost it. It was, however, found again and returned to the owner. The girl, who had borne a good character, was convicted and discharged. Mr Axelsen was requested to be observant of her future conduct.
The engineers' dispute came before the Arbitration Court on the 14th, and the parties interested were able to announce that thej came to a settlement on all points. The employers' and workers' representatives attended the conference between the two parties, and it is understood that they lent valuable assistance m arriving at a settlement. We understand that the Auckland award has been agreed to. subject to the approval of the court, with the exception of the clause relating to second-class engineers. Only one class of engineers will, we believe, be provided for, and the minimum wage proposed is Is 4£d per hour. It is also proposed to make provision in the new award for the settlement of matters in dispute by the chairman of the Conciliation Board.
The final distribution of the funds collected on Hospital Saturday is now being made by the secretary. The Hospital gets £430, the St. John Ambulance Association £180, the Patients and Prisoners' Aid Society £17 10s. and the Victoria Jubilee Convalescent Fund £17 10s. The Government subsidy of £200 has arrived, and will be distributed as follows : — Ambulance Association, £135; Patients and Prisoners' Aid Society, £32 106; Victoria Jubilee Convalescent Fund, £32 10s. The Hospital subsidy amounts to 24s for every pound collected, and is separate from that given to the other bodies who participate in the £200.
Among the seafaring men in Cardiff the steady increase in the number of Chins.men who obtain berths on vessels at that port is causing alarm. It "i 6 stated that the Chinamen accept half the wages of European seamen, and are less particular as regards food, requiring only a few cheap though wholesom* Articles of diet The Chinaman does not *sk for peas and haricot beans,, flour, oatmeal, milk, eyrup, suefc, pickles, and dried fruits. He lives for * month on the same quantity of salt beef, salt pork, and preserved meat »c the white man requires for ft week. Even of coffee and tea he wants less ia a month than hia white competitor in a week. " Four years ago," aaid the Cardiff secretary of the Sailors and Firemen's Union, in an interview with » Daily Chronicle representative, 'there was not a Chinese boarding-house in Cardiff. Now there are seven. Four years ago you oould not go along Bute road -without seeing the Greek and Spanish flags. The Spaniards drove the Greeks away to a great extent. Then the Italians came in. Now the Italian* are disappearing gradually, and also the Arabs and Turks, and the Chinese ar« taking their places. There are between 200 and 300 Chinamen always on shore and available for engagement. If the rate ol increase of the past year or so is kept up we jhall have a new Chinese boardinghouse established every month or two." "'""Here Ijake, distant about two miles and a-half from Elfin Bay ia one of the most attractive of the many beautiful scenic- spots at the head of Lake Wakatipu. The lake itoelf is not large, but its waters ere deep and blue, like most of the other lakes and lakelets in the surrounding country, and it is bordered by wooded slopes of native birch and other forest trees which grow to the edge of the waters on three sides of the lake. The road to the lake is through- a delightful forest of tall trees, beneath which the native shrubs and ferns grow luxuriantly ; a babbling brook runs through the forest by the side of the tourist track, and a splendid cascade leaping down a precipitous mountain side adds ite attractiveness to this little Arcadia. There is, however, a danger that this beautiful spot will soon be stripped of most of ite attractions unless the Tourist Department or scenic preservation authorities take prompt •teps- to prevent the destruction of the surrounding forest by bush fires. On Monday, 3rd inst., when a number of tourists and excursionists were landed at Elfin Bay jetty from the p.s. Mountaineer, they were informed by a resident settler to beware of falling aahes from burning trees in the forest, as a fire had broken out near the lake. The resident settler attributed the origin of the fire to a visit a few days before by a touring party of two clergymen and a country medical practitioner. On proceeding to the spot the excursionists discovered that the fire had a slight hold on the shore of the lakelet just where the tourist track terminates. There was considerable smoke, and ons or two dead trees were ablaze to the top, but the surrounding' forest was too green to burn unless the fire was aided by a strong breeze. Dried leaves were smouldering 1 on th© ground, and some members of the party did what was possible in the brief time at their disposal to prevent the 6pre*d of the fire. From what could be gathered, the fire appeared to have originated from the boiling 1 of a billy in the forest and th« neglect afterwards of proper precautions to put the camp fire out. The incident, which it is hoped will not result in material
damage to the forest, points to the necessity for some State supervision or even restriction in regard to the lighting of camp fires in valuable scenic forest areas.
When approached by a Dominion representative the Hon. J. A. Millar, Minister of Labour, would make no statement one way or the other as to whether the Arbitration and Conciliation Act Amendment Bill would be reintroduced next session. Asked whether he would make any pronouncement at Dunedin should he speak there on his visit, the Minister also declined to state.
Another habitual offender was dealt with at the Police Court on Saturday. Charles Mack wa<s brought before Mr Widdowson, S.M., charged with drunkenness, and this being his third offence within nine months, he was adjudged an habitual drunkard, and sent to the Pakatoa Inebriates' Home, Auckland, for two years. Two other charges against the man of resisting the police and of procuring liquor during the currency of a prohibition order were withdrawn.
It is understood (say 6 our Greymouth correspondent) that the first survey of the proposed extension of the State mine railway for a distance of three miles resulted in it being found that the grades were too stiff. Another survey will now be made with the intention of considerably reducing the grade. When this is done the work of consiuction will be commenced. The line, which will tap seams of good coal in Paparoa, will be worked in connection with the State mine.
The Dental Board of Examiners has completed its examinations, and of 15 candidates who presented themselves, nine were successful. The names of the successful candidates, in alphabetical order, are as follow: — Arthur Ernest Howard Bath (Invercargill), Reginald Wallace Bell (Reef ton), John Bird (Wellington), Torrance P. Cuddie (Dunedin), Douglas Vernon Donaldson (Gore), Richard James King (Christchurch), Thomas Bryan Riordan (Christ-church), Walter Rutherford Sloane (Wellington), Joseph Lee Stinear (Christchurch). The examination includes anatomy, physiology, pathology, dental surgery, dental materia mediea, comparative anatomy, and metallurgy. Only one question is put in each subject.
In answer to the statements made by Mr T. M. Wilford, M.P., regarding extra\agance in connection with the new baths at Rotorua, Mr Donne states (according to the New Zealand Herald) that the o!<l baths were unable to meet the requirements of special cases. The new baths will be mostly for medical cases. The capacity of the completed part is a thousand treatments a day. The present bath building is so designed as to form part of a larger scheme, and it can be added to from time to time, as demand warrants. The substantial rature of the bath buildings and the comfort, warmth, and brightness provided will enable a winter season to be run, as well as a summer one, and give a steady traffic all the year round, and not only a spasmodic crowding in the summer. The new baths will cost about £30,000, but the gioss revenue Mr Donne estimates at £5000 or £6000, and the income will increase. He does not agree with the statement that fish are allowed to go to waste at Rofbrua, and estimates that about 1000 fish, averaging about 41b, are caught every week.
At Tenne, an Alpine village in the canton of Grisons, a number of young women have bound themselves by an oath to forgo the joys of matrimony and maternity as an efficacious and radical cure for a, terrible hereditary malady which has hitherto baffled all the skill of the doctors (says the Milan correspondent of the Daily Telegraph). This disease, which passes from generation to generation with increasing intensity, is known as hoemophjlia, and in those afflicted with it the blood-vessels become co delicate that the slightest scratch, or even the slightest muscular effort, is sufficient to cause a terrible hemorrhage and disturbances an the circulatory system, which often prove fatal. It is a 6trange fact that the malady only appears in married women, and it is for that reason that the young women of Tenne have voluntarily renounced the pleasures of family life.
Messrs Robertson, who have conducted the fisheries and freezing works so successfully at South Cape (Port Pegasus). Stewart Island, have, we learn, completed the purchase of Northport (Chalky Inlet) works, and these are to be put in operation forthwith. Their engined craft (the Scout) has been down at the inlet for the last month completing arrangements. She arrived back at the Bluff on Saturday, and reports everything leady for a start. Two Riverton craft have set out to join her. The success which has attended their operations at Stewart Island is an earnest that in the hands of the Messrs Robertson the works at Northport will now be carried on energetically.
It is apparently not generally recognised that sunburns may cause death. Recently a young man who had been advised by a medical man to go in for sun-bathing and swimming to restore him to health died through sunburn (says the Sydney Morning Herald). He took his doctor's advice too literally, and, although his skin wa6 whit© and peculiarly susceptible to the rays of the sun. he made his first trip to a beach his last. He kept has body exposed to the sun in spite of the advice of friends, and was soon well burned all over. Next day he suffered torturee, and very soon his body was one great blister, as if he hud been plunged into boiling water. Usually the blisters caused bj the sun yield a watery
fluid, but in his case they burst, and blooii poisoning set in. Being in a low state oS health, his syetem wae unable to throw offi the virus. Many who have suffoied fronfl sunburn will appreciate the wisdom ofl advising beginners to practise their suir« bathing with extreme caution.
Some mischievous urchins (*ays the XortV Otago Times) possessed themselves of abouti a 6core of frogs, and wr-apping them in A sheet of paper threw then into the swimming baths while the ladies were disporting themselves. Of course the paper burst I when it touched the water, and the frog* flew hither and thither, and for safety tried to climb on to the backs of the lady, swimmers. The experience was an unusual one, and the ladies, with one accord, rnad<qf a dash for the shore, diving, in their con* sternation. into the nearest reception' rooms. Mrs Hunter, however, was equal' to the emergency, and, obtaining the services of a number of boys off the street— probably the same young rascals who had thrown the frogs in. — they soon cleared! : the baths of the reptiles, and transferred
them to the creek. 1 The following new regulations under th» Explosives Act aye gazetted: — (1) Everyj person shall be liable to a penalty no* exceeding £50 who smokes, strikes matches," or carries a light not approved by an inspector of explosives while engaged on employed in the landing, transhipment, carriage, removal, or handling of any, explosives other than those of the sixthf (ammunition) class. (2) Every person noti so engaged or employed as afor<>6aidi being in the immediate vicinity of anjfl explosives which are being landed, tran« shipped, carried, removed, or handled^ shall be liable to a penalty not exceedingi £50 if he continues to smoke, strike matches, or to carry a light not approved) by an inspector of explosives after being warned not to do so by any offioen, appointed under the said acts, or by any carrier licensed under the said acts, or by any person engaged or employed in hand* ling explosives.
Our Auckland correspondent telegraphed! on the- 17th inst. stating that in response to numerous requests Mr W. F. Maseey, M.P.. Leader of the Opposition, had decided U» deliver a political speech in Hamilton at aa early date, most probably on Monday. March 2. "He will take this opportunity of replying fully to the policy speech delivered in Auckland by the Prime Minister.,
The rain which fell locally on Sunday and) Monday seems to have fallen inland a\*o.Our Ciomwell correspondent wired as follows on Monday :— "There was a nice rair* over the district yesterday, and it has set in again to-day, so there is every hops now, if the weather keeps warm, of good! feed coming away for the winter. This will save the turnips, and it is just in time."
Mr Alexander Warnock, about 50 year* of age. died suddenly at his residence mr Canongate street on the 17th inst. Thai deceased, who was a wharf labourer, arose as usual at 6 o'clock with the intention ofi going to work. He complained of painsj round the heart and of a giddy feeling 4 *nd he walked about the house for a while, but was forced to go to bed, and died! half an hour later. Dr Gordon Maedonaldl arrived just *s death took place. Mr Warnook had never received medical attention, although he had several times complained! of having pains in the chest. It is supposed! that heart disease was the cause of his death.
The rabbiter named Alex Reid, who hsm been missing for about a month, is posed to have been found below Clyde in the rivor on the 17th. As no other body i» known to be in the river, it is almost certain that the remains are those of Reid. He has been missing from his hut between Clyde and Cromwell since January 7, on the evening of which day he was seen in the neighbourhood of the Halfway House Hotel, between Clyde and Cromwell. He was a single man. about 40 years of age, and a native of Scotland.
The question of merging the Police Provident Fund into the Public Servants* Superannuation Fund is the subject of much discussion among the members of the Police Force at the present, time. Opinions locally as to the advantages to be derived from th« combination of the two funds are somewhat divided, for there are advantages both for and against it. On March 31, 1907, the Police Provident Fund stood at £29,293 5s 7d, and it is argued by the older members of the fund, some of whom have put into it from £150 to £200 during the period of their membership, that, notwithstanding the payments made by them, members of other departments of the civil service may join the Civil Service Fund on practically the. same terms. The one big disadvantage from a police point of view that would result if the two funds were merged would be the lack of a suitable pension for a police officer who was injured while in the execution of his duty and incapacitated for the remainder of his life. A retiring allowance under such circumstances is computed at so many years' service, with a pension equal to one-sixtieth of the annual pay for each year in the service. With only a few years' service to his credit the pension would be a mere nothing. It would be merely a nominal sum, and for an officer retiring under such circumstances would simply mean pauperism. On the othet hand, with the Police Provident Fund it is discretionary with the managing board to grant an allowance not exceeding threefifths of hie year's pay for the Test of his life. But in regard to the Civil Servants' Fund there is * liberal provision in regard to where a contributor has only served a short period prior to dea/h. In such cases tVia Civil Servants' Fund provides that th«
Jiridow and children shall receive a pension •f £18 per year during her widow lnod «nrl each ohild 5s per week until reaching the age of 16 year 6. Tho contributions paid into the fund are returnable irrespective of years of service or whether tho member is dismissed or not, whereas in the Police Provident Fund a contributor with ijnder 10 yeare' service cannot receive an%- refund. A ballot as to what course is to be followed is to be held on March 2. A meeting of the executive of the Publio Library Association, held on the 17th inst, ■unanimously resolved to support the main principles of Or Gilkison's motion, which is to come before the next meeting of the City Council. The motion proposes the expenditure (as a commencement) of £2500 in stocking the library with standard English literature, and tho providing of £1250 annually for maintenance. A suggestion that the building should be handed over to tlie Athenaeum Committee and the sum 'donated by Mr Carnegie handed back to the donor found no favour. We have reason to believe that the Land Board has repeated its previous recommendation to the Minister of Lands, that preference leases be granted, in terms of section 80 of the Land Act of last session, to Messrs Mitchell and M'Kellar of the sections respectively selected by them in the Otekaike block. The board, as was intimated at the rehearing of the applications last week, has not concerned itself with the question whether the applicants are not entitled under the law to the leases : it has left it to the Minister of Lands to refuse his approval to the recommendation if he considers that the law does not admit of the granting of these particular leases. A speaker at a gathering at St. Marks's, Wellington, on Friday night made reference to what he termed a very defecthc method of nomination at present in vogue in connection with the Anglican Church there. He thought a parish should have a bigger voice in the selection of its vicar, and he hoped that ere very long a change would be made in that direction. At the Canterbury Automobile Association's prize distribution on Saturday night th© Hon. H. F. Wigram advocated the licensing of drivers as well as cars, explaining that suoh a system prevailed 1 in England. "When I last visited England," he sdded, " I took out a driver's license. The formalities were simple. I was asked .whether I was 17 years of age — (laughter)— *nd they accepted my statement when I said I was. Then they asked mo if I had 5s — (renewed laughter). I said I had, but they j did not accept that statement, and I had to ' ante up that ss. I was then let loose upon ' Jhe publio of Great Britain. I would like to see some such 6ystem adopted here, but I think that some examination should ha\o to be passed before a man is let lc<--> • <% :i Jhe public. , Despised of men as he is (6ays the Sydney ■Telegraph), the Chinaman can get his Christian brother many a lesson in humanity. One of the greatest is in the treatment of his horse. It is proverbial that a Chinaman will rarely be seen with a poorlyconditioned beast, and even when fodder prices ar© highest his horse will be sleek and fat, while the poor things in the city oabs and 'buses 6eem almost like animals of a different species by comparison. The reason that it belongs to a Chinaman does not make a horse fat ; it is because lie gets careful treatment and the best of feeding. In the Sussex street produce markets you ■will often hear a buyer object to a price for the reason that it 16 a "Chinaman's price." The explanation is that when a shipment of chaff arrives the yellow man .will pay 'from 5s to 10s above the market ■fftte to have his pick of the choicest for his horse. During the suspension for repairs of the Theresa Ward, Stewart Island trad© has been conducted by the t.6. Nile,, in conjunction with her ordinary traffic. She arrhed at tlie Bluff on Sunday, returning again to ,Half Moon Bay the came afternoon. Besides a few passengers, both outwards and inwards, she brought £>0 cases of blue cod bnd 30 very fine groper, mostly the produce cf Horseshoe- Bay. She reports the island fish trade as being again brisk. The Government 6teamer Hinemoa continued her trip northwards through Foveaux Strait and the western sounds, leaving the Bluff on Monday at 6.30 a.m. En route she will work centre and Puysejjur lights, thence she will go to Cuttle Co\e, where 6he will probably spend a night. From Cuttle Cove she goes on to Dusky, passing through Acheron Pass and Wet Jacket Sound, getting into the open again at Brc^ksca. She will probably spend a day or two in Dusky Sound, and then go on north, looking in at the intermediate sounds, to Mil ford. Allowing- a day for coaling at Westport, she should reach Wellington by the middle ot next week. Arriving in Wellington the steamer v\ill be docked for what is estimated to be a 6ix ■weeks' overhaul. S'ne took away a few pas•engers from the Bluff. A subject that is locally engaging some attention wae discussed in The Hospital, an English medical publication, in a recent issue. According to The Hospital, it is much a question of personal idiosyncrasy whether a nurse experiences any deterioration of health during her term of night service. Some nurses greatly prefer night work, and find in some curious way that lit leaves them with more spare time than jirdinary day work. And of these are made the beet r.ight superintendents, who, since itheir term of office commonly laets a considerable time, can only perform their duties satisfactorily if their vitality is not lowered by the enforced chango of habits demanded bj tlie post. But instances aie IBOb ■mconiP l on of wci*!) who can a**" sr
sleep rostfnlly at an unnccustomed hour and who languish through tho time perforce ■-pent on .iighl. rlutj in discomfort so acute as to threaten in the leng run a nenous breakdown. E\perience a of this kind have induced certain woll-meaning guardians to introduce a -system of short shifts, the nurses takini> night-duty turn and turn about. Truth to tell, there could hardly be de\i-cd a worse expedient. By mixing day and night work the body never gets habituated to the new condition's, and the lepose which is obtained is the product of exhaustion rather than a natural disposition visiting unconsciously the tired eyes. The remedy for the night nurse who cannot sleep i 6 complete isolation from noise and light with more attention to fcod. It is indigestion whioh is, after all, the night nurse's great enemy, too much tea drinking, and* heavy food partaken at unaccustomed hour 6. The account of the alleged cruel treatment of a " boundary" dog which was circulated by the Piess Association on February 6 has been inquired into by the police at the instance of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. It. has been found that while it is undoubtedly true that a dog was tied up in the lonely situation as stated, the severity of his treatment has been somewhat exaggerated. The police constable at Cromwell found that a dog was chained up at a point about six miles from Cromwell, on the Queenstown road. Its home was a lemonade case, and it was fed three times a week by the passing coach driver, and supplied with water by its owner every other day. The animal was not suffering from want of food, and had been liberated about eight times during its six months' detention, its leave extending to about half a day at a time. The only apparent need for intervention was in the kennel, which the constable thought did not afford sufficient protection against the extreme weather often experiened there. It is significant, however, that the local stipendiary magistrate, who in passing saw the dog about, once a month, considered there would be no ground for a prosecution. A meeting of the Programme and Refreshment Committees of the Otago Early Settlers' Association and the Siports Committee of the Otago Motor Association was held on the 17th instant.. Dr Fulton (president) in the chair, and was very laigely attended —^2 ladies being present. Various details in connection with the commg gymkhana and floral fete to be held at Tahuna Park on Saturday, 29th inst., were carefully gone into, and much enthusiasm was shown. Cordial promises of support were given by all present, and the 3ub-committees reported that a large number of entries for the various interesting events was assured. According to a North Otago paper officers of town and country "Volunteer corps in that district are sending in their resignations, the reason alleged being dissatisfaction with the treatment accorded by the district headquarters staff. Upon inquiry at the local office we find that only three resignations have been recehed, and these are all from officeis of one company, the Waitaki Mounted Rifle*. In the case of two of the resignations no reason ie assigned, whilst in the other caee the l-eason given 13 that the officer cannot spare the time which the new regulations require from him. There are no resignations in from other companies, and no word of complaint from other districts has been heard of at the district headquarters. At the picnic of the Kaitangata employees of the New Zealand Coal and Oil Company at Outram on Saturday a young lad who had been bathing in the river trod on a broken bottle when coming out and sustained a severe cut, severing a vein in his foot. Surgical attention was promptly procured, but there is yet a probability that the sufferer will have to be taken to the Dunedin Hospital. It is recorded of the late Mr David Symc, of the Melbourne Age, that on one occasion an influential deputation vreited on him and asked him to allow himself to be nominated for a vacancy in the House. Mr Syme could see his way to accede to the request. The deputation, was in sore straits for a suitable candidate, and asked Mr Syme's advice. The veteran journalist at once eaid that he could find just the man that the constituency required. There was on the 6taff of the Age a young man who showed great capacity, and he recommended that the deputation should forthwith wait on him. The deputation accepted the advice, and the young man was introduced. That was the beginning of the political career of Mr Alfred Deakin, who now fills the post, of Prime Minister of the Commonwealth. Among the mo6t interesting of foreign Ministers at the Court of St. James's is the Japanese Ambassador. In stature Baron Komura is 6mall, even for a Japanese. In intellect and statesmanlike capacity he towers abo\e most men. Talking with him and noting his modest mien, his total absence of self-pretension, one scarcely realises the historio part he played in the closing chapter of the Titanic struggle between Russia and Japan. He was senior Plenipotentiary at the Peace Conference held at Portsmouth, United States, in September, 1905, and with his colleague, Mr Takahira, signed the treaty on behalf of Japan. There wae an episode in the conference, sublime in its simplicity and magnitude of effect. Question arising as to the war indemnity to be paid by Russia, Baron Komura, with gentle wave of his hand, said, "Never mind; we need not talk about it." In some respects the peace negotiations between Germany and Fiance fillowinj oji the fall of p a.ris were
analogous. But Prince. Bismarck did not treat the question of indemnity in the tame magnanimous spirit. That candy containing chloroform is now manufactured in considerable quantity was asserted in an address by Sir James Chrichton Browne before a recent meeting of the British Sanitary Inspectors' Association at Llandudno, Wales. Says the London correspondent of the Dietetic and Hygienic Gazette: — "Such sweets are made in the form of lozenges, and are labelled liquorice, linseed, or chlorodyne lozenges, and are swallowed in large quantities by those who appreciate their sedative and narcotic effects; by women who find they can obtain the obfuscation they desire while avoiding the sense of shame that attends being seen entering the public-house ; by errand boys and shop girls ; and even by school children. Analysis showed that the lozengee contained chloroform in slightly variable quantity; and in the quantities of the lozenges taken the dose arrived at [ was clearly dangerous."
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Otago Witness, Issue 2814, 19 February 1908, Page 64
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9,981LOCAL & GENERAL Otago Witness, Issue 2814, 19 February 1908, Page 64
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