Local and General.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXX, Issue 3535, 28 May 1912, Page 4

Local and General.

The Wellington-Brindisi despatch of April 19 arrived in London on 24th inst.

One ratepayer last night at the meeting in Towniey’s Hail raised a laugh by saying they “did not want any antimacassars, on their drainage connections.” In explanation lie said only the plainest fixings were required in the majority of instances.

Several cases against offenders jor cycling on the borough footpaths or for cycling, without lights were heard before Mr W. A. Barton, S.M., yesterday morning. Harry Reid, defended by Air Burnard, .was fined £1 and costs (7s) for riding on the footpath and for similar offences James Watson and Henry Bradley were fined in similar sums- Leo Feeney, a youth who denied having ridden without a light, knowingly, was fined 15s and

costs (7s). Parties of mutten-birders are now turning one by one to Bluff with the season’s catch of birds. Although some of them experienced a somewhat bad time of it this year in regard to scarcity of birds, others have not <lO.lO so poorly. However, all told, it must be admitted that the season was not a successful one. The price of birds shows an advance on last year’s Outnot quite so much as was at first anticipated. The retail price should he no higher than 7d or 7ld as against Gd last year.

An interesting point concerning charges heard yesterday against several butchers for committing a breach of the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act, is that they were the first in New Zealand under the section providing for special penalties, with respect to strikes and lockouts in certain specified industries including that of slaughter or supply of meat for domestic consumption, The section is as follows: "‘lf any person employed in any of the industries to which this section applies strikes without having given to his employer, within one month before so striking, not less than fourteen days’ notice writing, signeu by him, of his intention to strike, or strikes before the expiry of any notice so given by him, the striker shall be liable on summary conviction before a Alagistrate to a fine not exceeding £25.”

A young man named Percy W. Buslmell put up a stout defence at the Court yesterday’ to a charge of cycling on the footpath, and, after volubly explaining that the constable could not possibly have seen him on the footpath, and stating that .he had endeavored to get away from the officer, admitted unreservedly that he had “been on the path for a feuyards.” Constable Henderson went into the box and gave his version of the ease, afterwards replying to defendant that he had travelled on the footpath at about seven miles per hour for a considerable distance. Buslmell then proceeded to explain that he would not- have been brought up, but for the fact that both he and the constable got “rattled.” In replv to Sergeant Hutton, defendant admitted having been previously convicted on a similar offence. His Worship said he was satisfied of Bushnell’s guilt and imposed a fine ov £1 jlOs and costs (7s). A representative of the Edison--13 each storage .battery trameans waited on the Mayor of New Plymouth the other day, and intimated the willingness of the firm he represented to send its expert from Australia to confer with the Borough Council on the subject of these cars. He produced literature claiming that the cars are running with perfect success in' over sixty towns in the United States, including New York, and that they cost one-third less to install and one-third less to operate as against the trolley cars, whilst the cars have a power factor of 90 per cent., as against not better than oO per cent with trolley ears. Morever, he stated that the Kd.son-Beach people are prepared to guarantee the efficiency claimed for the cars, and that New Plymouth would thus he indemnified against any loss, supposing the cars did not fulfil expectations.

That ill wind that blows nobody any good is again ‘demonstrated The big warehouse that sold Melbourne Cash that big line of hats are the losers ; the public are the gainers. Straw sbanes Is lid, Ready-trimmed Hats 3s 6d, Tweed Hats 3s Gd. Paddy Hats 3s 6d. These are the veiy latest for' ladies’ wear, and wliat amazingly low prices.*

The Harbor Beard yesterday appointed Mr. Fielder as caretaker of the Board’s slicds-.

At the meeting of ratepayers last night, a speaker, in referring to a sum of’thirty shillings, the cost of a drainage plan, thought the amount was excessive. A gentleman present in : terjected by saying he had often paid more to a lawyer and get much less m return.

During the hearing of a ease at the Court vesterdav, Air. Y>. A. Barton, S.AL, expressed surprise that cattledrovers could gam permission from the Borough Council to take cattle through the town at hours other than between 4.50 p.rn. and 8 a.m- The practice of droving in town during the day, he considered, was a dangerous one.

The Chief Postmaster notifies, that owing to the Wimmera being a day late on the Southern run, it will bs necessarv to divert all- Australian, United Kingdom, and European correspondence via Auckland, ‘by jihe mail closing at 9 a.m. on A\ edm saay. Bv this means it is hoped that it wig connect by Alain Trunk railway with steamer at Wellington.

?ilr. A- Sawyer gave notice to move at a recent meeting of the Harbor Board that the Engineer should be instructed to supply a report and p.ans concerning the d&Veloyment or rr.e inner harbor and the construction ot an outer Itarbor suitable to accommodate ocean-going vessels. As other business of the Board took up a ureadeal of time yesterday the matter was allowed to stand over till next meeting.

An inquest into the 'circumstances surrounding the death of the timercunate young man, William Burton, who met an untimely end through & mishap in the harbor, will be held towards the end of the week. Yesterday the coroner (Air. AY. A. Barton; and Sergeant Hutton viewed the bz-iy for purposes of identification. Deceased’s funeral was attended by a large number of his workmates and. numerous other friends, the cortege being a lengthy cue.

Cetilers in the district from pahatttanui to Waikanae are complaining cf the havoc wrought by opossums upon their fruit crops (wires ouryown correspondent;. Orchards ana gardens situated near the .patches of standing bush where these animals have thenlairs have naturally suffeied tne most severely. The opossums seem to be particularly fond of apples anti pears, but no sort- of fruit comes amiss to them, and they are not particular a~ to whether it is ripe or not. It is stated that in some instances they have destroyed half the crop. A well-attended meeting of the United Alissicn was held in the Baptist Tabernacle last evening. Rev. T. Keith Ewen conducted the services, and on the platform were two country ministers, the Revs. AA alker and Blair, in addition to the Revs. AA. Grant and J. A. Loc-hcre. The latter ■'gave the address, which was “Kehelp iah and the Secret of his Power-” The service was a high-toned spiritual one, and evidenced that the mission is gripping those who attend. Tnere will be no services to-night, as a foreign mission lantern service will be held. The evangelical mission will be continued to-morrow. A meeting of the executive of the Sir James Carroll Testimonial Committee was held yesterday afternoon, the Alayor (Air. AA". Petrie) being in the chair. The balance-sheet disclosed a satisfactory state cf affairs, and it was decided to thank the secretaries (Messrs. H- De Costa and C. H. Aloss) for the excellent voTk they had dene in organising the function, which proved such an unbounded success. A vote of thanks was passed to Air. T. A. C-olenian for auditing the accounts. The committee is particularly desirous of thanking the public for "its ready and generous response to the fund. In reference to Air. Sawyers, suggestion at a- meeting _of the Harbor Board in April that a wire rope should be stretched along the top of the groyne, where the drowning fatality occurred, for people t-o hold on to. the Harbor Board's Engineer reported vesterdav that the ecst would be about £ls. They had no old rope, and new wire rope would have to be secured. There was now a substantial- barrier over the groyne, and the words: “Danger, no admittance” were painted on the gate. This would take some getting past, and he therefore thought tlid wire rope was unnecessary. Besides, it would only encourage the people to go there. The Board decided not to proceed with the work-

Mordaunt Crommerlin Winter was charged at the Magistrate’s Court yesterday with driving cattle on the public road on April 11, at a time other than between 4.30 p.m. and S a.m. Mr. Coleman, for the Borough Council, outlined the facts of the case at great length, the simple statement being that cattle were driven past the Borough Council Chambers and over the Kaiti bridge, cue beast breaking away and doing considerable damage. Charles Ferris, Inspector of Nuisances, gave evidence regarding the charge. Defendant had stated, when accused, that he had not driven the cattle, but merely gave the drovers assistance over the bridge. Mr- Burnard said that this was so, .and ndmitted that his client had committed a technical offence. His Worship remarked on the dangerous practice, of driving cattle in the town during the day. A fine of £2, costs 7s, and solicitor’s fee £1 Is. Reports from Stewart Island state that a quantity of wreckage has been washed up on the south western portion of the Island. Mr. Harry Roderique informed a Bluff Press representative that he picked up several pieces near South Cape. These include a, double cabin bunk made of white Baltic pine with metal fittings and also part of a cabin wall with coat hook, etc. There was nothing to show whence the wreckage came but it appeared to have been in the water only about three or four months. Mr- Roderique appeared to think that it might have been caught in the Tasman Sea current and. washed up by the south drift current. _ He expressed the opinion that it might be from the foundered s.s. Yongala but the chances are more in favor of its being from the missing barquentine Mary Isabel. In the absence of there having been a wreck there appears to have been a collsion and the washing up of further wreckage will be awaited with interest.

Burning Daylight, the hero of Jack London’s delightful book of the same name, condemned the middleman in forcible Western language. The reason that the People’s Emporium, the now shop next the Kimpton Cycle Co!, can afford to offer such wonderful values is because they import direct from the manufacturers, thus enabling their customers to get the “cut” that usually falls to the middleman.*

Mr. L. T. Symcs, who lias been appointed to l the managership of the Auckland branch 'of the Bank of Australasia, will be waited upon this afternoon and made' the recipient of li suitable presentation. . . Regarding the Tauwhareparae sections, the chairman stated at a meeting of the Harbor Board, yesterday that Mr. King was proceeding with the work of taking the levels for the reading preparatory to- letting the first section, of the* work.

A Christchurch telegram says that the voting in. the Methodist Circuits re tlie^ proposed union with the Primitive Methodists is competed* It shows that 119 circuits have voted, 1358 members, favoring union and 11 being against. Forty-two did not vote. An old and grizzled fellow named John Heaphy, alias Happey, pleaded guilty at the Magistrate’s Court yesterday to bis second offence of drunkenness within a short time, and was •penalised in a sentence of 10 days’ imprisonment and prohibited for 12 months. William Hardy was fined £1 and costs (2)s, or 4 days’, and a first ■offender was mulcted in the amount of his hail (10s), in default 43 hours’.

The nautical inquiry into the stranding of the Union Company’s steamer Kotuku on the North Tiphead was opened at Greymouth yesterday far-cording to a P.A. wire) before Mr Hewctt, >SM. Captains Post and Black are the assessors. The evidence of Captain Christian 'and the first mate. Air C'aiTick, was taken. Both' attributed the accident to the jamming of the steering gear : and the stripping of the propeller. The inquiry was adjourned till this morning.