TELEPHONE SPECIALS.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume I, Issue 272, 29 October 1884, Page 2

TELEPHONE SPECIALS.

Auckland News. [Own Correspondent.] Auckland, October 29. Considerable divergence of opinion exists here in regard to the action of the Legislative Council re the District Railways Bill. A portion of the Press asks if irresponsible members of the Council, receiving £2lO annually, are much longer to thwart, control, and obstruct the opinions of an overwhelming majority of the people’s representatives. Mr. Bracken lectured to a good house at the North Shore last evening. At the inquest yesterday the jury returned a verdict of “ Accidental death ” on the body of Alice Wharton, who was accidentally killed at the Triumph picnic on Saturday by falling down the ventilating hatchway of the forecastle.

Miss Crawford’s dramatic company are playing to crowded houses. Woodyear’s Japanese troupe of Acrobats are doing a good business in the Theatre Royal. The Exhibition of Works of Art closed last night. Twenty-nine seamen and firemen have been arrested for breach of their articles. The cases will be heard to-day. A largely attended meeting of the Federal Seamen’s Union was held on Monday evening, when a letter was read from the Dunedin branch of the Union, urging the seamen to uphold their rights. Also cablegrams from Sydney, in which the Auckland branch were urged not to concede one point. A special meeting qI the Auckland district of the Australasian Institution of marine engineers was also held last evening. The following resolution was unanimously carried : “ That no further action to raise the pay of the Northern Steam Co. engineer s should be taken at present owing to a pending question of the validity of the present articles. That no member on the expiration of his agreement should sign again in that company unless the articles entered into should contain a clause enabling either the captain to discharge or the engineer to leave the steamer by giving 24 hours notice of his intention, the same as every other company in Australasia. The Northern Steamship Co. have acceded to the.terms of the Federated Seamen’s Union, which body supplied the different steamers with crews.

Tawhiao and party proceeded by train to Waikato this morning. He intends summoning a meeting of the different tribes in Waikato, to acquaint them with the result of his recent visit to England, and returns again to Auckland in a month.

Geo. Milner Stephen, the Australian healer, is announced to lecture here on Friday evening. He was introduced to Tawhiao yesterday, with a view of seeing whether he could give relief to His Majesty, as he is suffering from rheumatism, principally in the loins and legs. Stephen declared his ability to cure Tawhiao providing the latter abided by his instructions. The King professed his willingness to do so, and inquired from the interpreter whether the pakeha Tohunga, like the ancient Maori piests, used incantations or a supply of “ passes” over him. Stephen commenced operations and made a number of magnetic passes over the places afflicted by rheumatism. He asked i Tawhiao to walk briskly to see if he felt pain or stillness. The King started dubiously at first, but walked faster and faster and felt no pain. A gleam of delight passed over his tattooed visage, and pulling two bottles of lotion out of his pocket, he dispensed with them and purchased a bottle of magnetised oil to take with him to the Waikato. Several natives suffering from rheumatism are interviewing Stephen. Arrangements arc being made by the Auckland Press to give Mr, Bracken a dinner prior to his departure.