On page 2: Census returns, hockey, commercial, Fitzhcrbert notes. On page 3: .Cables and telegrams. On. page 6: Entertainments, railway matters. On page 7: Oroua County Council. The first Oriental rug, factory established in the Southern Hemisphere has been started at Wanganui. It is a year to-day since the death of King Edward VII., which occurred at midnight. The Gazetto mentions that J. W. Cleveley has been appointed a lieutenant in the Manawatu Mounted Rifles. At the meeting of Home Rulo sympathisers at Wanganui last evening £l3O was handed in by the collectors. It is expected £250 will bo raised there. The census of Gisborne Borough gives tho total as 8194, and with outlying suburbs as 9529: At last census Gisborne's population was 5660. The Rev. D. C. Bates wired to-day:— Light and variable winds, but moderate to northerly winds prevailing, ■ indications for fair weather and probably a very cold night, glass littlo movement. Tho _ threat of' the Australian census authorities to administer severe punishment on those incorrectly filling in the census papers caused many, both males and females, to write'to the department correcting their ages, says a cable to-day. Tho latest additions to the telephone exchange are:—No. 436, A. J. Cobb, 59, Campbell street; 590, G. H. Blanche, Foxton Lino; 591, 'J. T. Dowdall and Co., 96, Cuba street; _ 592, E. Tilleard Natusch, Cole's Buildings.

At the Magistrate's Court this morning, before Mr It. Edwards, J.P., a first offending "drunk" was convicted and discharged. Before Mr A. D. Thomson, S.M., Steve Carkee was found guilty of drunkenness. Ho was fined £3 16s, and a prohibition orc{er was taken out against him. A lad, William O'Grady, was found guilty of breaking and entering tho house of Peter Christian Madsen and stealing the sura of £2 10s. He was committed to the Weraroa Training Farm, and ordered to return £2 2s 6d of the money. A serious accident occurred during the dinner hour at tho Northern Roller Mills granary to a youth in the employ of the company. He was jumping from -stack to stack of sack 6 of wheat, and slipping, gripped ] a sack, with the result that he pulled it over on top of him, several other sacks following. The unfortunate youth was extricated with all possible speed. It was found that he had sustained serious injuries, both legs and also his jaw being fractured. He was suffering so severely that chloroform was administered before dispatching him to the hospital in an ambulance. The South African Union Government is committed to an expenditure of £l.250,000, which mav extend to £1.500.000 or oven £2,000,000 for the new Parliament buildings at Pretoria, Tho plans, which might give some hints to Sir Joseph Ward _ for the new Parliament buildings in Wellington, are on a most luxurious scale, providing, amongst other things, for an enormous motor, garage, for a bicycle room, for an archives room,big enough to store in it all tho contents of the British Museum for an elaborately tiled private dining room for Ministers, in addition to the splendid dining room for the civilian clerks, and for £20,000 worth of decorative .sculpture, Southland agriculturalists appear to have bettor prospects than those of most parts of tho' Dominion. Their potato crops are turning out exceptionally well. The yield, taken altogether, must' be quite- a third better than last year, and in addition t there is a much larger area than usual under potatoes.- In tho Orepuki district alone it is estimated there are 600 lons of potatoes to go on the market, which is equal to the total shipments from Bluff for last season. 1 A remarkablo feature of the crop this year, on heavy land, is tho small quantity of small tubers compared with former years, and, what is of most importance an entire absence from all forms of disease. At Park's, stationer, large selection of Fountain pens by.the world's best ma, kers, solf-fitting, from 7s 6d.-Advt. ' For Influenza take Woods' G m t Pen permint Cure. Never fails, h M o,' 6d—Advt ' *

New Plymouth insistently demandg a continuous telephone service. There are still some thirty cases of scarlet fever at the hospital at Bottle Lake, near Christchurch, ■By.the last trip of tho Ulimaroa the Bank of New South Wales received .'jold. to a currency value-of £IOO,OOO. The new Presbyterian Church at Matamau (H. 8.) is to be opened to-morrow afternoon by tho Rev. das, Paterson, of Wellington.

In the suburban districts of Auckland. ' the local authorities are taking action, to enforce regulations dealing with a reduced speed for motor cars. At the meeting of tho Borough Council last evening, Mrs Rawlins 'was grantedpermission to erect a balcony to her shopin the Square. ■ A defeated candidate for the Westporfc. Borough Council said he had not canvassed for votes, because herecognisedthat; in elections, "all men are liars.' During the year ended March 3lst last,, the building permits issued by the municipality of Christchurch numbered 576 in. respect to buildings valued at £265,300.

Further census returns show that the' population of Scotch towns is practically the same as in 1901. and that the population of many of the country district* is declining.

A sudden death occurred at Gisbornoof a woman who was a recent arrival from Auckland. Sho was found dead in bed in hor house after, it is stated, a, drinking bout. The Wangami! Harbour Board last night resolved to tako immediate steps, to secure legislation next session to enable a loan of £200,000 to be raised for harbour works.

The manager of the Tikorangi dairy factory has, the Waitara Mail is informed, topped the list this season for.the best average grade of butter, viz., 91.9. Lepporton came second

Among tho names of recent contributors to the High School funds published in our columns was that of "Mr Laurence." The name should have been Mrs. Laurenson,

In tho recent egg-laying competition the winning birds, bred by Mr Hopkins, an Otaki poultry farmer, laid 1464 eggs in eleven months, 244 oggs to each bird's credit.

To show what a demand there is for pedigree Jerseys, it is Stated that a wellknown breeder of these cattle at Tariki, in the Stratford district, sold six yearling heifers to a Mangatoki buyer for 180 guineas.

The borer, which is 60 destructive to white pine, is not at all particular what he bores through. In tho Southland Daily News office a sheet of lead in one of the walls was found simply riddled by the pest. Flounders are getting scarcer and 1 scarcer at Napier. Several of the trawlers, after fishing all day, find they have been working at a loss. Floundershave now reached tho hitherto record price of one shilling a pound retail. During last month 3564 baths weretaken at the Napier Municipal Baths r made up as follows:-Children 429, adults 1428, juveniles 801, hot baths 560,. schools 346. The revenue 'amounted tc> £33 17s 2d.

They produce some heavy weight porkers in Wairarapa, The record pig for weight was killed at tho Masterton abattoirs. It was grown by Mr B. R. Rayner, of Taratahi, and turned the ecaleat 3691b5. The hams weighed 481bs and' 54lbs respectively, and the head 321bs. Between thirty and forty occupiers of Napier factories have failed, to comply with the law regarding registration. These defaulters were served with notices, giving them an additional seven days' grace in which to comply with the Act.

Despite the fact that the price of fat. stock has increased, the New Plymouth: Master Butchers' Association has decided not to increase tho price of meat to cash customers. Where meat is not. paid for on delivery an extra charge of a half-penny per pound will be made.

A man in a. Sunday morning Pullman to Brighton found occupying his numbered seat a lady who declined to budge. "Do you know I am one of the directors'' wives?" she asked. "If you were thedirector's only wife," he replied, "1" should still ask for my chair." The ex-Empress Eugenie, whose son was killed by the Zulus, entered upon the 86th year of her ago,yesterday. What ■; a career ofups and downs and extraordinary, vicissitudes has been hers. -She still resides in the strictest seclusion' in England. What a strange, eventful lifo history she could relate. 1

Auckland is preparing to spend £150,000 in paving the principal streets, and £IOO.OOO for making, forming, kerbing, and channeling secondary streets This; money is to be borrowed in instalments, beginning with, say, £75,000 during thelirst year, and the expenditure spread over a period of six or seven years.. Dunedin's matrimonial and birth statistics for tho first four months of 1911 are the best for many years. There were--601 births and 265 marriages. It is the' first time- since 1881 that there have been so many births during tho first, quarter, and, not since 1865, when registration was: instituted, have there been so many marriages for the samo period.

"Do you remember what I told you early last week?" said a stock dealer to a "Standard" reporter. "There was a strong demand and a sharp rise in values; of fat stock at Westfield, near Auckland, s couple of days ago. Prime ox beef brought 29s to 30s per 1001b, wethers up to 20s and 225, ewes (they must have been pretty good) 19s to 21s. And wear© not into winter yet. Meat is going: to be dear, take my word for it."

The fortnightly meeting of tho W.C.T.U. was held yesterday afternoon, Mrs--11. Mowlam presiding. A short address.: was given by Miss Powell, who dealt with the no-license question. She read extracts purporting to show an increase in value of hotel property in Inyercargill, stating that in many cases they had changed hands at high figures, whilo in others additional accommodation had been provided to cope with the tourist,traffic. Arrangements wero made for future meetings.

A New Plymouth paper affirms that, land valuation, as far as New Zealand is"concerned, is_ an. absolute misnomer. The valuer's basis, in our contemporary's opinion, is, and always has been, the selling prico obtained by any method, honest or otherwise, by speculators or jobbers .in any district. The valuer has no other method of arriving at an estimate of worth. His business is not tofind the worth of the produce lifted ficm the land, but the prico the biggest fool' would be willing to pay guided by thelast biggest fool. Messrs Ross and Co., of the Bon Marche, are now showing a fine stock" of eiderdown quilts, particulars of which' are advertised in this issue.—Advt. Bride cake boxes, confetti for i weddings; very fine and large selection of new writing pads.and papers;;-ladies'' twgs; footballs,; fetq.:. ■■,WW;Park, tioner.---A'dvt,' ' "\ .' ; ; pe Splice". |s:tE 0 ; .latest and best, value kerosene lamp on the market. It has many advantages to recommend ft. Those lamps are fitted with an enamel, shade- md a g ass illuminator, which. vS etely ¥ a^^h^hoordimSy ■£n£? l amP " gh ? aCCo,rat - Fifty caijdlepower hanging lamp, 125.6 d; 30 candleSdvt' Customhous9 Wellington^

Tho movement initiated by Mr Hugh Ward and Miss Graco Palotta in Dunodin to provide a women's pavilion at tho hospital has been taken, up cnthusiy astically, over £IOOO having been promised already. On the ground that the proposed Zoological Gardens at Onohunga would be tho breeding ground for rats, a number of residents have presented a petition to the Onohunga Borough Council, requesting that the Council do not sanction tho |V establishment of the Zoo,

, Mount Ruapehu and the active volcano, Ngauruhoe, presented a toe apJearanceV the Main. Trunk mo on Monday. The former peak. (38780) has during tho last week, received its fust winter cap of snow, whilstthe volcano is stilf emitting a largo quantity of steam. From Waiouru Mount Egmont was to bo

plainly discerned. _ l Experiments - recently. carried out in \ France and Sweden go to show that the > pig, the most grossly maligned animal with regard to his ood, is, after aMhe most fastidious in this respect. In Swedthe record tells tha ou* ante m goat eats 449. and refuses 126; the sheep, out of 494 plants eats 387 and refusesl4l; out of 528 plants ho cow ea s ' 2 and refuses 218; and of 7 7 plants L tho horse eats 262 mi re usee 212; while ' the pig, out of 243 plants eats only li, Jj and refuses the other 171. m The turntable in the middle of tho M Wanganui bridge has not, been oponcd BK very frequently of late, as all the ships'' ping and. steamer .traffic goes to the W wharves, which are' -lower down the W river. It will, however, probably have " to be utilised shortly to allow of more ! convenient carriage of material for the erection of the proposed additional - traffic bridge. Tho gear has been kept in repair and serviceable, and there should bo no difficulty in opening the turntable as during former years. A man boarded a tramcar in Auckland when under the influence of drink, and, on reaching the' terminus, refused to leave. He had an altercation with the con- ' ductor for about ten minutes when _re- ', quested to quit. The tram official set led matters by running the car to the police station, where police persuasion got the man out of the car. In consequence ot ■ the trouble the car ran 12 minutes late > all night. Accused was fined hi tor 11,I 1 , ■ drunkenness and his subsequent obstinacy ! cost him 32s and 8s costs.

A team of five English polo p avers and 35 ponies left England for the United ' States last month to endeavour to recover the American Cup in a' match to j be played on May 31. Tho victory of the American team last year m England was r partly due to tho superiority of their ponies, and an attempt hae been made to secure a really good lot of ponies for the . present teani, oither by purchase or borrowing. Chrysolite, a pony lent by Mr Evelyn Rothschild, cost 1400 guineas as , .a yearling.

' Many people in the Square to-day were I somewhat surprised to see the flag on the - Palmerston Post Office being raised just before noon. It went up very, very, slowly, and many spectators, thinking it was about to stop at half-mast, which it showed an inclination te do/ almost,held thenbreath, wondering what great one had departed. Then said to one another, . Un, I I know, it is on account of the anniversary of fne late King's death." But no, i it kept on moving slowly upward and finally waved from the top of ho flag ' pole. "What event can it possibly bo.' I was the query addressed by one and another, to which reply was made, Un, probably a bank holiday." A reporter was deputed to inquirp at the public counter. No, they didn't know, but one v ■■ kindly offered to ascertain by making m- * 'vestwation "inside." The reply was expectantly awaited by a .small concourse on the footpath, and it came:--The event in honour of which the flag had been hoisted is Accession; Day! Ihe expectant crowd dispersed, another suspense was at an end.'