LOCAL & GENERAL,

Otago Witness, Issue 2894, 1 September 1909, Page 31

LOCAL & GENERAL,

During its sittings this month the Executive Council of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants, as previously stated, waited upon the Hon J. A. Millar (Minister of Railways) in regard to the veto by him of 'decisions given by the Railway Appeal* Board in cases brought before it by railway servants. In replying to that deputation the Minister stated that he had gone very fully into the cases before lie finally decided to exercise the veto, and be was guided to a great extent by the fact that it appeared to him that if the legal position as set up by the elected members was sustained, it was going to cost the department £80,OGO per annum, and, on the other hand*, the District Judge* who presided ovei the North Island Board clearly cc* out the legal position, which was against the appellants. The judge further showed that the elected members had gone outside of their powers in upholding the appeals. They might, continued the Minister, regard the Appeal Board as •' farce, but it was ncr farce as far as he was concerned} and many I»emtfera "had been aWe to regain their positions tihrongh the medium "of the Appeal J^eard, And he, would exercise his powers <rf -■vefco*- only under two circumstances — »:au^nely, where tbe safety of the travelling, public .-waswcontoerned and T^be^tbe granting of appeals wonld involve 5 an enormous expenditure. However, he was prepared to again review the cases of Train Examiners Ramsey, Hutchins, and Seatoun, aleo those of Engineman M'Gurk j and Porter Morris. . '. At the meeting of the Executive of the j Dunedin Council of Churches, held on j August 23, it was reported -that, a telegram j had 'been received from the Wellington j Council of Cflurohes stating that Dr Wilbur j Chapman and Mr Alexander were open to I visit New Zealand in 1911, and asking f whether the Dunedin Council would join in ; sending an invitation. Asa reply was needed immediately, the Rev. W. Slade and Mr Hay had wired in the affirmative, and the executive endorsed their action with unanimity and heartiness. It ia expected that these evangelists, whose efforts have been crowned with such wonderful success in Melbourne and Sydney, will spend a considerable time in the Dominion during the winter of 1911. At the Invercargill competitions the subject for the compstitive essay for amateurs was " The Responsibility of the Colonies with respect to the Defence of the Empire." There were six competitors, #»nd Mr D. M'Neil was judge. The fol- j lowing * was - the result:— Miss Brenda j Morris (Danedin), 72 points, 1; Mr Prank ' Simon {{hvercargill), 68 points, 2. , ' At the Wywftam Magistrate's Court on jiugust 23 John Scott' pleaded "GuiKy" to i taking trout illegally in the Marairua Stream. The information was laid by Banger John Friend, and Mr Eric Russell appeared for informant and stated the facts. On July 26 defendant and another man were seen by the ranger near the stream, in which were large numbers of trout- travelling upwards for spawning. Each man was carying a i"ifle. The ranger saw Scott fire three shots and the other man two. These shots appeared to be resultlecs, and afterwards more shots were fired. Scott was seen emerging from the stream carrying a 6lb trout. When Scott saw the ranger he threw the fish across the stream into a flax bush, and afterwards admitted N the snooting. The magis trate inflicted a fine of £5, with costs (14s od) and solicitor's fee (£1 Is). Mr H. Rolleston, British Trade Commis«ioner in New Zealand, has compiled from Board -of Tirade returns a statement of •exports from the United Kingdom to New Zealand, which makes instructive reading. He chows how heavily £he imports by this -country hate bean reduced. There appears ! to be a falling-off in every item. Beer [ -and '/other alcoholic liquors show a heavy ■ehrmkage for the first six months of 1909 j wlben compared witih the same term of 3908, but there is a slight increase under this heading of £650 when the first six- j jftonihlj term of 1907 is considered. Iron ' and steel manufacturers' hardware and soft i goods, especially the last, show material j shrinkages; Portland cement, a local manufacture, which is rapidly growing in ; favour, was worth £28,571 in 1907, £21,254 ' in 1908, and has gone down to £13,723 for +h* .first six months of this year. Ts:e -total value of British imports for 1908 was, ' approximately, £1,864.653, whereas for the ' first half of 1909 the total was £1,533,206. I a difference of £326,447. The exportt of New Zealand staples, however, for the period ehowed a large increase. J At the annual general meeting of the Dresden Pianoforte Manufacturing and j -Agency Company on August 23 (Mr D. E. ] Theomin in ,-the chair), after the report and balance sheet had been read and passed, a letter addressed to the directors by Mr J. A. X. RiedJe was read to the ' meeting. Mr Riedle, who has been the , -company's manager in Dunedin, O ago, „ -and Southland for over a quarter of a cani?iry, .wrote that he was suffering from considerable trouble in the nerves of the eyes, ; whereby bis sight was so seriously affectad • that -he felt he could no longer, with fair- , ness to the company, retain his position, and therefore most reluctantly tendered Ins resignation. Very sincere regrets were expressed both by the directors and share- ' holders present, many of whom had known , Mr Riedle since he entered the service ' <>f the company in 1883, and a reoammenda- I {ion from the directors that the company

should duly reeogniss the services rende-red by Mr Riedle, and, while accepting his resignation with unqualified regret, grant him an adequate pension, was unanimously adopted. We understand that Mr R. Bennell, who has been with the company between eight and nine years, has been appointed as acting manager. At a meeting of the North Canterbury Hospital Board Mr C Allisor (Mayor) protested against the admission of a woman consumptive, who recently arrived from Dunedin The woman had been in a " number of towns previously, but had not remained long enough to establish a domicile. Mr Allison said it was most unfair that the North Canterbury Board should be charged with the care of the woman "and have no recourse against another party or body. The Hon. J. A. Millar, in reply to a question at Timaru on August 21, said that the National Annuities Bill would be brought forw. rd during the coming session, and' he believed it would be passed. " There will," he said, " be a lot of important business done, and you can take ft from me that the session is not going to be a barren one. If members don't choose to put the business through by Christmas, then they will have to sit after Christmas." Mr Millar expressed the .opinion to a Christchurch Press reporter on Aug. 21 that the Government" should not contißue to buy lands for ,peopl© to speculate with and make fortunes out of. He thought it would be far better if they settled all the available Crown lands before buying any more Otago University came near losing certain of its most respected professors on August 25. Five of the latter gentlemen attended the inter-faculty sports at the Caledonian Ground, and, gathering in a little knot on the green, they took a very keen interest in the various events. They were, apparently, much attracted by the hammer-throwing competition, and together watched tbe efforts of several muscular young students to give the hammer sufficient impetus, by swinging it round their heads, to carry it a long distance over the green. The throws of one or two of the competitors were somewhat erratic, and the. hammer occasionally travelled in unexpected directions, but nothing really happened until a particularly strong young man took the implement, whirled it round bis head, tmd let it go. Then there was a gasp of horror from everyone, for the thing was travelling straight for the little group of spectators on the lawn. The professors saw it coming, and, like a flash, all college dignity disappeared. Each gentleman dodged with a quickness and inientness of purpose that would have been creditable on the part of much younger men. Some side-stepped, others ducked, one mentor went down upon bands -and knees — and the missile - passed harmlessly .. The young man regained the hammer and prepared to throw again, but a chorus of protest from the anxious professors persuaded him to withdraw from the competition. And then a student made a joke. " Tbe glacial age controversy was nearly settled that time," he said. A few days ago it was reported in the press that a deputation from the Fishermen's Union' had waited upon the Hon. J. A. Millar, Minister of Marine, in connection with several matters relating to the control of fish in the tipper Harbour ami Lake Logan. In connection with the latter place, it was stated that the closing of tbe gates meant that fish could get into the enclosure but not out a&aan. Tbe report of the doputatior said : "It was also stated that t>he only food for the trout -o eat in the lake was the spawn from tho flounders, which would mean a loss of thousands of fish to the community during the next season." It was this statement which roused the scientific scorn of Mr G. M Thomson at his lecture oi Aug. 25 in Victoria Hali, and gave support to his assertion that it was surprising what a degree of ignorance of the habits and lives of fish obtained amongst those dealing with them. " There is no flounders' spawn in this harbour at all," he said. " All spawning fisb go out to sea, and the micioscopic egg* float to the surface of the water, pa«» through various stages there, until at last they sink to the bottom and commence to take on the recognised flounder shape." At another placo in his address Mr Thomson stated that for some considerable time paot lecords of the u-mperature of the water at the hatchery had been kept, and also records by those engaged on the trawlers, 1 and it was found that, even in winter, the i temperature of the open sea never fell appreciably below 50deg Fahrenheit, 1 while in the harbour it sometimes fell as 1 low as 40 degrees, and the ponds at the hatchery occasionally fell to 32 degrees. At this latter temperature some Home blue cod which weie in the pond had died, and ' in connection with this fact Mr Thomson said the temperature which fish would stand was an important fact to be discovered before tJieir importation could be attempted. A \eiy strong case was mad* I out by Mr Thomson in support of the necessity existing for the prosecution of work such as is being done by the fish 1 hatchery at Forfobello, and that hk advo1 cacy of it was appieciated by the audience was sufficiently evidenced by the hearty 1 vote of thanks accorded the lecturer at the conclusion of the meeting Reference was made on August 25 by Mr Thomson, in the course of his address, to the su-dden determination come to b\ Sir Julius Vogel to. import herrings into New I Zealand. Thia decision, tersely said Mr Thomson, was based on sentimentality and

ignorance. Arrangements were made :n Scotland for the shipping of the eggs upon a steamer for New Zealand, and they were duly shipped. When the vessel got to Madeira a telegram was despatched eaying that dl the eggs were dead, and it proved that the engineer who was to tupp'y the eggs ■with chilled water as the vessel was approaching and crossing the Equator had conducted the pipe through the freezing chamber, with the result that the water froze, and the eggs accordingly died. The cos* of this attempt — the first mads to import fish stock to New Zealand — MiThomson had never been able to discover, but he considered it must have been very Urge. "It is impossible to bring herrings to New Zealand at present," said MiThomson, "because the eggs hatch out in six days in warm weather, and 12 day* in cold weather, and if hatched on the voyage 'Aey would never reach here. It is impossible to bring live northern fish across the Equator, and till, therefore, a, means is found of maintaining Hfe in the eggs for from 45 to 50 days, which period , would be required to bring them to New j Zealand and hatoh them here, it will be j impossible to establish the English herring j here." . j It is understood that at an early, date the Otago University Council will appoint a Professor of Domestic Science, and that tKe new school will commence its work in April next. Our Greymouth correspondent says the Westport Coal Company is making no reduction of hands at Denniston. Only one shift is employed at the mine. At a meeting, of the Roxburgh Fruitgrowers' Association las' week (says a correspondent) a motion was passed expressing great regret at the proposed retirement of the Government Pomologist (Mr J. C. Blackmore). Several of the leading growers spoke in the highest terms of appreciation of that gentleman's services in raising the industry to the standard which it has now attained in the district. The members of the association have decided to make, at an early date, tangible recognition of Mr Blaekmore's services. Combating the doctrine that the secondary schools of New Zealand should be more specialised in their scope, the Minister of Education (the Hon. G. Fowlds) states that the most thoughtful educationalists of Germany to-day -recognise that the tendency of their system, with its borough schools, its gymnasia or classical schools, its real or medern schools, its universities, and its trade schools, is to perpetuate the class distinction between the military and official class, the merchants and manufacturers, the shopkeepers, the mechanics, and tLe agricultural workers. " The defect," comments Mr Fowlds, " is that which' belongs to an aristocratic sy stem, and 'implies the existence of privileged classes. The effect would be very little different whether the distinction were based upon birth or wealth or "learning." The Government has laid down some important regulations to be observed in connection with public contracts. Before any public work costing over £250 is commenced, the Engineer-in-chief, or other Government officer in charge, must submit to the Minister for his department, plans, longitudinal and cross sections, and all necessary detailed drawings, specifications, and estimates of the cost for approval by Cabinet for authorisation. No alteration or deviation therefrom involving an expenditure exceeding £250 will be permitted without the authority of Cabinet. Public works involving an expenditure of less than £250 may be approved by the Minister in charge of the department concerned. A new method is to be adopted in regard to contracts (says the New Zealand Times). Tenders must, except in urgent cases, close on the same day in each month, and will be opened by a board comprising the Minister of Public Works, tne Undersecretary of Public Works, the Engineer-in-chief, the General Manager of Railways, and the Government Architect j_ three members of the board to form a quorum. The board's duty will be to report in each case to the Minister for the department the most suitable tender to be accepted. At last weak'e meeting of 'the Otago Trades and Labour Council it was resolved to forward a letter of congratulation to Mr Liojd-George on the progress he is making with the taxation proposals contained in the British Budget and hoping that he will be wholly successful with them. The Gisborne correspondent of the Auckland Herald draws a tliemal picture of bad roads. He says some idea, of the state of the roads b?tween Gisborne and Wairoa may be gathered from the fact that at one spot on th© Wairoa eide of Stewart's Crossing on Saturday nine swingletrees were broken, a.rw.l four or fi\e trape were piled up on the skle of the road through breakages. The Wairoa county engineer was on" of the- unfortunate travellers who was stuck up, and a party of ladies who were with him had to get out into a sea of mud. It require-d the assistance of a party of eight Natives using levers to extricate one vehicle from the bog. At tho same spot on Sunday theHon. James Carroll's buggy came to grief, the swingletree being broken. The Mayor of Gisborne, when returning to town, had the axle of his trap .smashed at another bad. place on the read. A little bit of rtir was occasioned on the wharves on Aug. 31 (says the Bluff Pre-6) when a black whale measuring about 40ft in length was observed spouting in the j harbour. The leviathan came in with the ' tide and went up to the vicinity of Rabbit

Island. A whaleboat; trith a crew under , the guidance <6f Mr Charles Bradshaw, was quickjy manned, but in their eagerness to purscfe they tired themselves out rowing j after the monster. Several motor launches j went out and assisted the whaleboat £o keep near the scene of operations. As a . result a few hairbreadth escapes are reI corded, foj on more than one occasion . the occupants of these ' oil crafts Vere" in imminent danger of being capsized. The harpoon ist managed to plunge his weapon once into the monster, but the latter j wriggled out of it with no more harm to i himself than the loss of a little blood. The general opinion expressed by old whalers is that the engines of tha small craft frightened the whale out of the harbour, for he came down with the tide about dusk and got out to the open sea. j Pathe Freres, the celebrated firm of kinsmatograph film manufacturers of Paris, have submitted a scheme to the Hon. Thomas Mackenzie, Minister of Health and

I Touris 1 Resorts, for advertising the indus-> trial and scenic resources of the Dominion per medium of the kinematpgraph. The firm concludes its message with the following' appeal: — "Now that it is necessary for the colonies to live in closer spiritual touch with the Mother Country, it is to everybody'^ interest to know something of other countries by the best 'means possible, and each State owes it to its own .welfare to see that it is not left behind 'in the storm of publicity which is about to burst around the colonies, which have hitherto been, we might also say, unknown among ■the great nations of the world, and this through the medium of the greatest advertiser ever known — the kinematograph." It is stated in Melbourne that the addition of another storey to Dalgety and Co.'g wool and grain score at Kensingtou 1 has involved a building feat which it is believed constitutes a world's record of this kind. . The work had to be completed within two months from the time it was

T started on July 22, and during its progress business had to be carried on aa usual. To meet these conditions the contractor decided to raise the roofs bodily on screwjacks without dismantling them, and then to build the walls up to them. The difficulty of the operation will be anderstood when it is stated that these two glazed " saw-tooth " pattern roofs are respectively 236 ft and 216 ft long, with a widtsh of 10ft. In the case of the first this was successfully accomplished. The work on the second roof was started a few days ago. Mr A. S. Malcolm, M.P (Clutha), was in Dunedin on Friday, and stated to a lepresentatiye of this journal that he had come to town chiefly on railway and public works business. Asked as to the progress • of affairs in connection with the proposed ! Clutha Valley railway, Mr Malcolm said he was present at a very largely-attended meeting: at Clydevale on Wednesday, when it was the unanimous opinion that the settlers should confine their demand for a railway to Tuapeka Mouth only, a distance of 25 miles from Balclutha. The settlers are anxious not to come into competition in any way with other proposed lines. As . soon _as Mr Malcoim ascertains what form the Government guarantee up to. 3£ per cent, should take the settlers intend to ■ make a canvass of the district, and have I the formal guarantee ready for presentaj iioa to the authorities. Mr Malcolm, in • company with Mr G. J. Anderson, M.P., | will on Tuesday visit the Wyndham-Moko-reta district, which is suggested as a railway route with a possible view of connecting with the Catlins line at Tahakopa. A Press Association telegram from Hokitika states that the Westland County Council has resolved, with a view to according the Right Hon. Sir Joseph Ward an official ' welcome on his return to the Dominion from the Imperial Defence Conference, that mayors and county cbahman on the WestCoast, be invited to visit Wellington on the occasion of the Prime Minister's return, and join in the public reception to be accorded to the right hon. gentleman. Balclutha is one of the most progressive of the country townships of Of ago. Within the last two years over 40 new houses — some of them very handsome buildings — have been erected, and yet to-day there is not an empry house of any character there. Houses are still springing into existence rapidly, and residents asseit that the next census will reveal a marked increase in the • population of this rising township on the | banks of the Clutha. The total expenditure incurred by the Taieri County Council under the Government grant for flood-damage repair to date is £7246 2s 10d, which has been thus apportioned amongst the various ridings: — North Taieri, £2259 19s lOd; East Taieri, £777 Is lid; Otokia, £432 16s 3d: Outram, £1155 7s lOd; M aim gat ua, £863 5s 2d; Deep Stream, £25? 18s; and Strath-Taieri, £1514 14s. When final payments have been made on four works sti'l to be carried out or completed the total expenditure on fio.iri damage i-epair will amount to £8000. '■' The action of the society in erecting a screen at the Lake Logan flood-jates seems to have raised the ire of the fishermen, but I fail to see what difference it can make to them, as the Upper Harbour is closed to netting, and Mr G. M. Thomson, M.P., has clearly shown that flounders do not spawn inside the haihour " This sentence appeared in Mr Deans's report to the Acclimatisation Society on Friday afternoon, and led the chairma.i to make some remark^ concerning the conservation of trout in Lake Logan. He said that the deputation of fishermen who waited 06 the Hon. J. A. Millar in connection with this matter had stated that there were dead dogs and cats in the lake, and that dead flounders were frequently to be found there. Reports received from the manager (Mr Deans), from the q^.arrymen at Logan's Point, and from others showed that those statements were absolutely untrue : search had failed to disclose either dead animals or fish. Moreover, it had been shown that flounders jrlid not spawn in the lake — such a thing was never heard of. If fishermen were alive to their own interests they would restrict the catching of female flounders, by which an enormous quantity of ova was destroyed, and declare a clo?.} season for mar i no fish. «Jy that means tßey might renew the supply of flounders and other fish around the coasts. It is not generally known that quail have in some districts increased enormously ' since their introduction to New Zealand. The Otago Acclimatisation Society lecently authorised a mm to secure a number, if possible, in order that they might be sent to other parts of the country. He spent four days at Tarras Station, in Central Otago, and. has since reported that the birds _-are there literally -in thousands, appearing ,to thrive out on v the open runs. lie was; however, unable to catch any. The birds are very &hy, and onn only be easily taken alive whan-a heavy fall of snow is on the -ground. While in Dunedin on Friday Mr Malcolm, M.P., waited upon the railway authorities with a view to ascertaining if a time-table-could not be arranged more convenient to the Catlins people and to those country - settlers who have to board the trains at wayside stations on the Catlins line and on the main. line. Prior to the alteration of_ the time-table on April 1 last Mr Malcolm suggested that an arrangement might be come to with the Kaitangata Railway and Coal Company that would enable the company to run its engine and carriage between Kaitangata and Balclutha to meet the pspresses. The Minister of Railways and the General Manager of Railways approved of the suggestion, but said it would

be a matter of arrangement with the Kaitangata Company. As the Kaitangata people do their banking with the Balclutha banks, and in other respects have close business relations with Balclutha, such an arrangement would be of very great advantage to the Balclutha people, who at present, though the towns are so near each other, have practically no public way of getting from one town to another No doubt, too, it would be an equal advantage to the Kaitangata people. Mr Malcolm's views will leceive the consideration of the railway authorities in due course. Whether a road which has been closed as being " dangerous " could be open to three residents on the undertaking that they should not come on the local authorities for damages in case of accident was a question put by a deputation to the Taieri County Counoil on Friday. The road referred to is on the east side of Saddle Hill, and bears the ominous name of Hatalie's Slip. The council, inclining ro the idea that a road closed tc the public could not be open to a few, the deputation suggested that notices be erected at either end setting forth that the council would not be responsible for what happened to people passing that way. They argued that such notices were placed at unsecure bridges, and what held good for traction engines surely applied to human life. They knew the road, which was only dangerous to those who did not. The council pioposed deferring the problem for a month, but finally the matter was referred to Cr Hay and the engineer, with power to act. An Auckland message states that from 15,000 tc 20,000 acres on the Hauraki Plains, commonly known as the Piako Swamp, now being drained by the Government, are likely to be thrown open for settlement next March under the optional system. The Shanghai correspondent of the Tung Wah Times \vrit©3 that the Governor of Shensj, in a report to the Government, states that more than a thousand men in the provincial capital have abandoned opiumsmoking, and over 150,000 have rid themcolves of the habit in the outside provinces. The Governor also states that he will order cotton to be planted instead of poppy, and later on mulberry and hemp might be grown. Tho anti-opium commissioners are in full syirpathy with the proposals. When the ill-fated Maori left London she carried, in a specialty -constructed compartment in the fore part of the ship, 113 little owls, consigned to the Otago Acclimatisation Society. It has been discovered by ,the society that these owls, when liberated in any district, "very quickly kill or drive away all the small birds there, and it was in consequence of the society's successful experiments that the 115 naptorials were, at the cost of some trouble and expense, collected in ' Britain arid started on their journey to Otago, where many farmers were eagerly looking forward to their arrival. The birds were, of couise, lost in the wreck of the Maori at the* Cape of Good Hope; and the society learned on Friday, with regret, that it will be at least a year before another consignment of owls can be made ready. The meeting, however, recognised that' it was under a debt to the Shaw, Savill, and Albion Company, which had built the room and granted the passage and the necessary attention free of cost, and it drafted and passed a resolution expressing its appreciation of the services so kindly rendered. Professor H. W. Segar, M.A., of the Auckland University, in a leoture on comets at Auckland last week, remarked that there would in next May be a total eclipse of the eun, visible at the edge of Tasmania, and if it turned out that with it HalleyVs comet could be eeen in conjunction, they would b© tho sight of a lifetime. Owing to the fact that the sun's light would be hidden the comet would be seen at its best. The profeasor suggested that tho shipping companies dhould give people facilities for making the trip to Tasmania, io witness this remarkable sight. News was brought to Sydney by the German mail steamer Prinz Sigismund that before many months have passed wireless teie.graph.io communication will bo established between Japan and Hawaii. It waa not until May 15 of last year that a wireless telegraphic station was established at Choshi, in Japan, and since that time four stations have been equipped, making a total of five. As for vessels, 10 steamers belonging to the Nippon Yusen Kaicha and the Toyo Ki-sen Kaisha have been fitted for the punpo^e, together with three 6teamera of the Canadian-Pacific line. Nothing is more remarkable (says the Sydney Daily Telegraph) than the development of the system's efficiency. A ehort time ago communication was not possible over a greater distance than 120 nautical miles, but, owing to numerous improvements effected within the last 12 months, the distance has now been increased to 1500 miles, and it would be quite possible to have comimunieaition with Hawaii. As yet. however, the business between Japan and the Sandwich Islands is not sufficient to warrant tho establishment of a costly eystem of telegraphy, but that the thing will be accomplished before long is not doubted by Japanese journals. Tbe following extract from the preface to the third edition (1908) of "Bevan on Netr'.igence," a recognised text-book on the law of negligence, will be read with interest in view of the tribute it pays to the doyen of the Supreme Court Bonch of New Zealand;— ': Wbeie I Ime left the

' American decisions I have replaced them Ly the colonial. The community of our laws may prove a stronger bond to unite us as ono Empira with the colonies than other influences more harped on. So long as there- is an ultimate appeal to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council and a suitably strong body of judges to determine tho question of principle, the law, as laid dpwn by the House of Lords and the Privy Council, should be identical, and where not so is unsound; thus the efforts of the colonial judges will be directed to make for this community. Students of colonial law must know that at this moment there are in our colonies, judges — such, tor cxairple, as Williams, J., qf New Zealand — whose legal reputation i constrains reference to their reported judg- j ments which well repay perusal by their i clear insight into the principles of the common law and their vivid presentment of them. Contrast the judgment of the last-named judge in Brown v. Bennett (9 N.Z.L.R., 487, with that of the Privy Council in Colonial Bank of Australasia v. Marshall (1906, A.C., 559), and the benefit ; to cleai thinking and accurate kncwieiige, from the perusal of the colonial decision is apparent; and there are besides other colonial judges of an experience and learning which will not peimit of their- judgments being neglected without as oppreci- i able loss as appears here." . j It is stated (says an Auckland telegram), that arrangements are being made whereby Sir Joseph Ward will be enabled to complete his homewaird journey from Fiji by H.M.S. Challenger. Only the prompt decision of Mr Maloney, driver of the second express from Dunedin on Friday, prevented what might have beer a very serious accident at Dunedin. The train had started, " and run a score cf yards or so, and was just gathering way, : when the passengers were startled by the train being brought -to a very sudden stand- ! still. A belated passenger— male, of course, — with both arms full of parcels, had appeared on the platform just after j the train started, across it, and, J in spite of warning cries, was evidently going to try to board the moving traiu without even — encumbered as he was— j attempting to catch hold of one of the stanchions, when the driver stopped the j train so suddenly. The man was within i a foot or two of the train, and his sudden rush caused one of his parcels, just as the , train stopped, to fly out of his arms and roll under the train. The man, coolly went to get it, and either fell or voluntarily got down between the platform and the now stationary train. He had to be assisted out, and to new arrivals on tbe platform it seemed that a man who ha-d been run over was being ' pulled out from under the tjain. Women turned white and threw up their arms, while their facea^workod with horror, men turned red and rushed to render assistance, while a sympathetic ex-Mayor of Dunedin cried exoitediy, "Who was the man, who was j the man?" The man waß got out with some little trouble, and staggered across the platform, with the signs of a big bruise on his forehead. If the driver had not been keeping watch, or had " waited to see what would happen," the would-be passenger would probably have been a dea.i man. It was the same driver who pulled the express up in time to 6ave an accident when an obstruction was laid across the line near Waiwera some time ago. Two patients died in the Dunedin Hospital last week— William Stevenson and John M'Donald. Twenty-nine patients were admitted, and 34 were discharged, leaving the total number in the institution 150. The vaccine lymph now being manufactured by the Department of Health in Wellington is giving mott eatisfactory results. Mr Wragge has forwarded to th* Mataura Ensign from Chrifetohurch the following forecast: — "The isobardc contouring of the disturbance Dido, now operating, is decidedly complicated. Conditions are very suspicious, especially over the North Island. More rain is probable there, with flooding and vicious blows from between E. and N., later shifting to W. and S. Variable winds and very unsettled weather may also be expected in the South Mand, with more rain there as well. Shipping is warned." It has been agreed by the Wellington City Council that the Penguin Disaster Relief Committee should be allowed to erect memorial stones and fences on the graies of searr.cn drowned in the wreck, without the necessity of purchasing tho ground. According to Mr E. W. Dinnie, who had ju^t returned from a \ i~.it to the Homo Country and the Australian States, New Zealand has little to learn in regard to the identification of criminals by means of the finger-print system. He states that the Home system is llow in universal use throughout tho Empire, and is everywhere working with '.he greatest satisfaction. News has been received by mail from the New Hebrides that H.M.S. Prometheus haa made a cruise through tho group, landing a punitive expedition at Santo. It was at this island that the Greig family were massacred The warship had previously made several arrests in connection with the massacre, and the offenders were dealt with by the High Commissioner's Court. The remaining tribesmen, however, had taken refuge in tho bush, but on the recent -visit of the warship, the comjKander was successful in capturing two chiefs who were inipliea-ted in the tragedy at Santo. They were taken on the cruiser.

' and deported to Fiji. A.t one of th» villages visited the natives had anticipated _ the arrival of the man-o'-wax there, anj taken to the bush. The village was destroyed, as were also some pigs which wefo found running about the place. Altogether the officers of the Prometheus arrested 10 natives for various offences, and they were all taken on to Fiji. The Prometheus left Suva on August 9 for the New Hebrides, where she will b3 relieved by H.M.&« Pegasus. Then she comes to New Zealand, | Mr fl. E. N. Twopemy giving in his I paper, the Pastoralists' Review, his impressions of the Argentine, says: — " Australia is almost an unknown country in Argentina-. What little they know about our part of the world refers to New Zealand, and I am sure that over 20 times in the last 25 days when I have replied to inquiries that I come from Melbourne, th§ rejoinder has. implied that Melbourne is in New Zealand. There is, however, one thing for which Außtraba has achieved an Argentine reputation, and that is labour .laws and labow troubles. I was astonished to have. ' the ' five hatters ' thrown up in my face time after time. The mischief they havedone to Australia is incredible. " A small, number of.- New Zealanders have come* orec - here with station experience, and those pf; them who were w»th anything, have-, invested ?«i camp land to advantage,- or* obtained far better appointments as station . managers than they ©ouTd" have hoped foron our 6ide of the world. None the less,, their aim is to return to New Zealand es. soon as they have made money enough. They remain New Zealan-ders in exile, ao(i do not become Argentine." The rare instance of a pony with a. delicate taste in fowls has come to light ia Prestwioh (reports an English paper). - Mr W. Wrigley. of Barnfield, Prestwie!!, and Police-constable Lowther, of Barnfield Lodge, have for come time been losingyoung ducks and chickens in a, roih-jv mysterious fashion. A total of between 30 and 40 was reduced to seven in tho course of ft few days, and then the thief was discovered. Mrs Lowther, going out. one day to feed the chickens and ducklings, which were about a month old, found a. pony, the property of Mr Wrigley, chasing the fledglings round a field, and at last, he snapped up one of the ducks and ate it. Six more had gone to satisfy his peculiarappetite before he was chased off the pursuit. An infantry Maxim gun has been sent-, to Milton by the Defence Department, and. will be utilised by members of- the- Fourth. Battalion O.R.V. lf A diphtheria outbreak in a miJd form-, has' occurred' at Moneymore, near Milton, and the district school (Southbridge) 'hasbeen closed in consequence. The patient ,is a boy of about 12 years "o* age. la. connection with the outbreak, which the" Bruce County authorities notified, Dr Ogeton (head of the- Health Department, in Dunedin) has sent the local authoritynotice that, owing to retrenchment in hi» department and having no inspectors to send into the country, the council would have to attend to the matter with, +he assistance of the attending medical man. The^ doctor adds: " By the retrenchment schemeit is, I believe, contemplated that local authorities will have to fulfil many duties laid upon them by the Public Health Act which I have by my inspectors been doingfc>r and with them in order to educate, them for their duties." A Press Association tedegram froxnChristchurch states that a girl aged eboufc; 20 years attempted to commit suicide on:Sunday night at the .Manchester street bridgeover the Avon. She was noticed by a: young man, who saw her climb on to therailitig of the bridge and throw herself intothe water. He followed her into. th«-> river, and pulled her to the bank. On Monday morning tshe appeared at -the Magis*trate's Court to answer a charge of attempted suicide. Sub-inspector M'Grath sakk' that as far as he could discover the girl had. had a severe illness some years ago,, and since then had been subject to fits-, of melancholia. She •"-'• living with herparents. Mr Baselden, S.M., said that he. would not address the girl in public, but-, wouid leave that matter to her family. She was convicted and discharged. A Press Association telegram from Invercargill states that the Southland Employers' Association has Tesolved to supportMr W. Scott's carxHdatuire for the vacant position of employers' representative on; the Arbitration Court. A somewhat unusual case came beforetho Benevolent Institution Trustees at thaiweek's meeting the applicant having, come into a considerable sum of money. Mr Clulee (the secretary) stated that thesum the man had been left was variously stated at from £600 to £40,000. Th© man, it appears, had been working out at the* Home previously, but since the receipt of" his money he had been having a good timeoutside,and had been busily engaged dissipating his substance. Ho appeared beforethe trustees in a. somewhat shaky condition, and, in reply to the queries: "Have you spent all your money yet?" and "Have you not about £330 left?" said he thoughfche had still about £200. " Why do youwant to go to the institution il you have all that money?" he was asked. " Oh, F am a handy man. I have worked there before, you know," he replied, vaguely. " But if you go in you must hand your money over to Mr Clulee," he was warned. He eaid he would be willing to let Mr Clulee " keep tho book." He admitted' that he was not any better for hi 6 spell'

outside, but he asked for an interval to {consider the terms on which he could re* enter the Home, and left the ' room, apparently with the intention of turning the gnatteor over in his mind. A Gisborne telegram states that a case of interest to farmexs was inducted in the local icittinge of the Assessment Court, iwhicb was -called on to heax the protest of 'Peter Wright, of Motu, a farmer, against feeing assessed - for the timber standing on has land. It is generally admitted that ■when the railway reaches Motu, which may be in five years' time, any timber then standing ' will be worth a considerable amount, and this fact apparently actuated the GoTeramen* valuer, who seemed to think that the farmer was refraining from clearing part of his land because of the speculative value of the timber. The court ruled that as the timber was of no value at present, there being no^ means to get it to market, the valuation must be reduce* by £390. The voraciousness of the mollyhawk is imeideoially mentioned in the recently published booklet giving the scientific results of ike New Zealand Government trawling expedition. "When trawlinjr off Long Point, ' 'Otago,"' states' the report, " a number of the birds' were in close-, attendance, feeding- at the side oi . the - vessel, and -devouring food -thrown to .them. They are. -capable of swallowing a fuH-siaed t&i cod whole. When one of the birds had the 'field' to itself it would pick the fish to pieces as it floated on the water, but if another bird approached the fish was quickly gulped down." The average daily attendance at the Carnegie Public Library for the week ended Saturday, 28th met., was 614 persons.