MAIL SUMMARY FOR EUROPE AND AMERICA

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVII, Issue 87, 11 April 1906, Page 9

MAIL SUMMARY FOR EUROPE AND AMERICA

» i ■ ■- "OUK HOME LETTER.

.1 ;f r- : AUCKLAND, April 11. ** Tie' Auckland Harbour Board, haying tailed for fresh tenders for the construction in reinforced concrete of part ot tfneen-strret wharf, met on April 3 to rfeal with the following: Gummow and ' Forrest (Sydney), £115,331 5/; McLean and Sans. £84,487 9/.; Ferro-Conerete Cjb £82.290 12/j Ncwsom and Coulson, ' '•-0744 2/. The engineer reported that -\r e «rs. Neivsoiu and Coulson had made errors in the areas of asphalt, which would add f 17-430 to their tender. The jtoard accepted the tender of the Ferro- " Concrete Company. j D e chairman of directors of the ■tfanawatu Eaiiway Co.. in a speech at tfce annual meeting of shareholders, said that the gross revenue for the year was i 132,460, an increase of £4728 compared -iritli the previous year. He explained that the proposal to grant shareholders' £1 per share bonus had been misunderstood by many. It was not proposed to pay this till debentures matured in 1908: then, instead of renewing all debentures •f 170.000 would be"paid off and £510,000 renewed. A call of £1 per share would -fee made to do this, and would be met --"by a bonus of £1 per share, which would ]je placed to the credit of the shareholders. ;' In' response to a very general desire expressed through the medium of an influential deputation, his Worship the ' Mayor of Auckland (Mr. Arthur Jlvers) has agreed to accept nomination • for a second term. Mr. Myers will proliably be returned unopposed. The citizens of Auckland entertained Jiis Excellency Admiral Fawkes and the officers of the Australasian Squadron at a ball in the Choral Hall on the 28th nit. The function was a great success, and was without doubt one of the best arranged and most enjoyable that has ret taken place in this city. The masters of ceremonies were: Lieut-Col. Hoigate, Messrs A. Gordon. H. C. Tewsley, C. Ranson. E. Anderson. W. R. Holmes, P. W. Duthie, F. E. N. Crombie, and H. A Marriner. ! The explosion of a boiler at Kumara junction, near Hokitika. on April 5 wrecked Wilsou and Co.'s timber mill and caused the death of three men, , viz.. a sawyer named . Bull, a married man with six children; Lecornpte, n native of Akaroa, aged" 27; and Wilson, a native of Kumara, aged 25. Batey. the engine-driver was also seri-. iDUsly injured. The resolution of representatives of the colonial butter trade in London, recommending the Butter Committee to insist- on the genuineness, of all imported butter being guaranteed by the Government of the country from which it comes, finds unqualified favour in the minds of butter exporters in this colony. A large Auckland exporter, leen on the subject, said that it was undoubtedly a step in the •light direction to bring the other colonies into line with New Zealand, which 1 yon Id be the "result "if the proposal is '■- "hen effect to At present we are the. "". cifty colony with a complete system of grading." The Australian States have a system of inspection, but no grading, victoria, whose production of butter las risen enormously during the past two or three years, is about to follow ' ns in the introduction of thorough grading; but so far the Australian butter has gone Home more or less haphazardly, and the article, when placed on the Home market,- has not always re•domided to the credit of colonial butter. Another probable object of the proposal, said our informant was to . get at the adulteration of colonial butter when it reaches Home. Although an Act prohibits tbe sale of adulterated butter except as such, there is no Soubt that a quantity of colonial butter, when it reaches the Old Country, is shipped-over to the Continentj adulterated, and imported again as the genuine colonial commodity. For our own }few 'Zealand butter, it is now nearly all sold on the grade, buyers not troubling to inspect samples. . There is nothing new in this proposal, concluded the representative of the trade, for agitation in this direction has been going on for some time. -Its introduction ■would probably fall somewhat severely | St first on the Australian exporters, but for ourselves it is what we have heen ardently praying for for some j tine.

In order to encourage the natives to fciprove and farm their lands, the Govirament is taking steps to advance luoney to Maori owners. Power was taken to do this by section IS of the ■Maori Land Settlement Act of last year, fnd in order to give full effect to the intention of that section an order-m----tpuneil has been issued which provides «at every application for a loan shall « forwarded to the Commissioner of Crown Lands of the district for report tflereon. After consideration of such report the Minister may advance any sum .aot exceeding one-third of the unimproved value of the land, and the amount advanced shall be expended ™«J in stocking, improving, or farming SS land. Tee advance may be either «r a fixed term or repayable by instalments extending over a period not exceeding ten years. Five per cent, interest 15 charged for the advance.

fli - aMnal meeting' of shareholders in ,«S-Direct Supply Company was held - ~ Auckland yesterday afternoon. « r - John Brown, chairman of directors, pteiding. The annual report was as , r? WS: "In laying- before the sharefalers the result of the year's opera~»f| the directors report that the net j*°fit for the year ending February 28 fe*^ 5084 U/U - The recoma dividend at the rate of eight per '•per annum, of which four per cent. {JP ai( l as an interim dividend in Oc--1 Ivf * aSt " eT a^so recommend that Jwnus of five per cent, be paid on all payments, and that the 2?nee be carried forward. The report C v nilts havin S been adopted, Mr EfidAf an was re - e l ee * e< 3 a director, Mr w. Bruce was re-elected auditor. Premier, it is understood, intends " "ygfcj give effect shortly to an an■ha S mc nnder which every person be provided for. It is m^ ended that it shall interfere with Pensions Act. but in course it will pxobablvi take its place. ■•■est v + s -" ihav& not y et been worked Hr. Seddon's" proposal is un- *° c tha * any P erson .™ a y P ut *» ea £ 5, into a Government fund W hp l mterest an d compound interest, subsidised by the Treasury, pro- ** annual payment of 10/. a. $reek

at the age of 65.: TherPremier contend*. ■ that it would pay the colony to- do this. 'Th.c colony wouMVhave the use of the money-, it would save*the cost of charity iable aid, and, as years went' on, there; would be fewer and fewer people to goon the old age pension fund. '"The (scheme will" said Mf. Seddon, "encourr age thrift, and I hope the people will give it their -support, and thus enable New Zealand" again to give & lead to the world." ...