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Bush Advocate, Volume XXII, Issue 13, 17 January 1910, Page 4

On pages 2, 3 and 6 will be found a full account of the British elections. Page 7: An interesting account of Mr Kennerley Humford's assault on a Times' critic. A degree meeting of Anchor of Hope Lodge will be held this evening at 7.30. On Saturday last Mr Lamb, architect, let the contract for the erection of a residence at Whetukura for Mr Sneddon to- Mr C. Enersen, of Dannevirke. There were nine tenders for the work. At the court this morning, an application to take evidence in the case of the Cyclopedia Company v. George Beatty, was adjourned on' the application of Mr Blakiston, pending the possibility of a settlement. We understand that Mr James Bell, of Hillersden (Marlborough) has purchased Mr Henry Gaisford's "Flaxmere" property near Hastings, but lie will not take possession for at least a year, as he intends to take a trip to England gefore settling down in Hawke's Bay. The Union Steamship Company's Ji raining ship Dartford is still at Newcastle, as a consequence of the coal miners' strike. The Dartford boys arc having plenty of practice in swimming and boating, and they receive daily instruction from the captain and chief officer. A resident of a North Island bush township who gains his living by the sale of ferns to passengers on the trains, as they pass through the township where he lives, has just returned from a trip Home; and it is said that the trip Avas paid for out of the proceeds of his sales of bush ferns. At the present time 150 hands are employed at the Frimley canning works, and even that army of em- ! ployees is unable to cope with the [ rush of orders without working overtime. Last week no less than 34 tons of green peas were preserved, which brings the total for the present season to between 60 and 70 tons. The sergeant of police asked Mr Scott-Smith, S.M., at Blenheim, if he should return a bottle of whisky which had been taken by a constable from a man who had been suspected of supplying another man with liquor during the currency of a prohibition order. The magistrate replied, "I supose so, unless yon want to keep it yourself," and the court smiled. After being free from the ravages of the Hessian fly for a number of years, some farmers on the southern end of the Tokomairiro Plain have found signs of it among their wheat (says the Otago Daily Mail). For many years after the first outbreak of this pest Tuscan wheat was |rown, but, thinking the district thoroughly immune, other varieties of wheat have been grown. If the fly spreads to some of the fine fields, the results will be disastrous. The following story is told in a recent book by an English Pool- Law Inspector:—At a board meeting in the West, it was proposed to provide nightshirts for the Avorkhouse children. The suggestion was opposed by a worthy farmer who happened to be chairman:—"l puts on a clean shirt," he said, "on Sunday morning, and I never takes it off till I puts on another the next Sunday. What's good enough for me is good enough for these 'ere children in the workus, and I'm agin all this cosseting." The Minister for Internal Affairs (Hon. D. Buddo), who has under his control the administration of the new Racing Act, is having regulations prepared for the operation of the measure on April 1. His attention having been drawn to the newspaper reports of the scenes of disorder at .the recent Miramar meeting, he replied that they did hot seem to point to a very satisfactory state of affairs. The new regulations, however, would operate beneficially in regard to the sport. Mr Groom wanted to know at the meeting of the H.B. Land Board on Friday morning if the settlers in the Piri Piri block were going to get any remission of rent owing to the nonconstruction of roads.—The Commissioner stated that the roads in the block, though not metalled, were in good order, but at last meeting the Dannevirke County Council was instructed to spend £7OO in metalling, being the amount of half timber royalties, and further that they had thirds in hand to the extent of £4OO to be applied to the same purpose. Some additional light is thrown upon Gilfillan's celebrated picture of the interior of a Maori pa (savs the Wellington Post). Mr W. E. Moore, of 28' Bidwill-street, states that the original picture was given to his father. Captain Moore, by the artist himself, for exhibition in the great Exhibition of 1851. Captain Moore was then in charge of the New Zealand court at the Exhibition, and for his services in that connection was decorated by the Prince Consort. Captain Moore had fifty copies of the picture lithographed at his own expense, and sent twenty-five copies to Sir George Grey for distribution among old settlers in New Zealand, and lie gave the remaining copies to friends in England. The original picture was then left in the care of Captain Moore's sister in Paris. Mr Moore has a photograph taken from the original. The Hon. C. C. Wade, Premier of New South Wales, Miss Wade and Mr Wade, jun., were officially welcomed to Rotorua at an impromptu gathering at the To Runanga tearooms. The Hon. A. R. Guinness, Speaker of the House of Representatives, presided. I)r Solf, Governor of Samoa, and Mrs Solf were also guests. In returning thanks, Mr Wade said lie came to Nov,' Zoalond not only to recuperate after a strenuous session, but also to study our political and social institutions, with a view of picking up points. He spoke very highly of Rotorua as a health and pleasure resort. He lamented, the mutual ignorance of happenings in different parts of Australia. -He hoped that the present movement in tho newspaper world would lead to a more comprehensive exchange of news, better knowledge of news, better knowledge of the affairs of New Zealand, bv Australia, and vice versa, and consoqeontlv a more sympathetic understanding of each other's triumphs and failures. l)r Solf returned thanks briefly, saving that Rotorua would have been the greatest spa in the world, only for its distance from populous countries.

Mr Potts, an Eltham resident, who hns just returned from a visit to the Old Country, called in at Teneriffe on his way out. He states that he found the people there just as primitive as they were a hundred years ago, and quite shiftless, making it a rule never to do to-day that which they can possibly put off till to-morrow. "Carrotty Anna!" was the peremptory call made by the orderly in the Masterton Magistrate's Court on Friday, when a certain witness was required. The amazed and amused crowd in the court expected to see a fiery-haired female respond to the calf, but it transpired that the party wanted to give evidence was a member of a well known local Maori family named Karaitiana. At one of the Wairarapa tennis courts recently, a young lady was preparing afternoon tea, using a primus kerosene heater. Something went wrong with the primus, which suddenly emitted a rush of flame, setting fire to the sleeves and front of the lady's blouse, and rather severely burning her hands. Some others standing near were not touched by the flames, which quickly subsided. A memorial service was conducted in the Salvation Army Barracks last evening in connection with the death of Mrs Elliott, who had been connected with the Salvation Army since its inception over twenty years ago. Staff-Captain Simms conducted the service, and paid a high tribute to the good Christian life of the departed lady. A number of other members of the Army also spoke of the work of the late Mrs Elliott. The Government is about to take, as a scenery and historic reserve, the great Pukerangiora pa, on the -cliffs over-looking the Waitara river, inland from Huirangi. The reserve will embrace not only the old Pukerangiora pa, but the Te Area pa, the site held and occupied by Hapurona Pukerimu in 1860-1. This is one of the most important historic spots in middle Taranaki, and its panoramic view is acknowledged to be one of the finest in the district. No more eloquent argument could be found for the necessity of the band rotunda at the Domain than the fact that the bandsmen had to stand out in the broiling sun and be scorched and frizzled while they played to a big crowd yesterday afternoon. The listeners were able to shelter themselves under the shade of the trees and the grandstand, but the bandsmen were perforce exposed to the full power of the sun's rays, and their experience must have been anything but a pleasant one! An int-erim official report gives the number of sheep in New Zealand on April 30, 1909, as 23,480,707, an increase of 1,031,654 on Hhe number for the previous year. Of this increase the North Island is credited with 561,010, and the South Island with 470,644. The average size of flocks is found to have been 1.659 sheep in 1886, 1.081 in 1896, and 1.085 in 1908. It is estimated that the annual consumption of mutton in New Zealand is equivalent to 2.25 sheep per inhabitant and that the number of sheep required for consumption in 1909 was about 2.295,000. The sportsmen of the district, and particularly the anglers, have heard with extreme pleasure the fact that Mr Gaisford has decided not' to dispose of his Oringi property. Mr Gaisford has always extended the utmost consideration to fishermen, by giving them free access to the Manawatu river through his paddocks, and so far as we are aware this confidence has not been misplaced. At the same time, it is questionable, if the estate passed into other hands, whether similar facilities would be continued, and fishermen are naturally pleased that their privileges are not likely to he curtailed owing to a change of ownership. The Dannevirke Band attracted a large gathering to the Domain yesterday afternoon, to listen to the musical programme which they rendered under the baton of Conductor Fry. The band did not turn out in their full strength, but their playing was most acceptable. The following are the numbers comprising the programme:—Sacred march, "I will praise thy Maker," Southwell; fantasia, "Beauty Bowers," J. A. Greenwood; cornet\solt, "The Holy City," Stephen Adams; march, "The Battle of Eureka," T. E. Bulch; fantasia, "Fairest of the Fair," H. Round; march, "To the Front," J. Ord Hume; selection, "Gigantique," W. Rimmer ; sacred fantasia, "Sacred Gems," T. E. Bulch; fantasia, "American Beauties, "J. A. Greenwood; "God Save the King." "At one time," said a member of the Wellington Presbytery, "we knew exactly what our home missionaries were doing. We do not know now what their position is. It's a good deal due to the Presbytery." "I can't altogether understand," said the Rev. Mr Douglas, "the strong desire for home missionaries to do the work of the moderates of the district. It has been my lot, especially on the West Coast, to have under my charge not only one or two, but as many as five different places. I have administered Communion regularly at Ross, at Kumara, and at Reefton, besides conducting my own work at Hokitika. I did not find it killing. I hardly think Ave ought to encourage too much of this work of home missionaries. I think the moderators in the various places ought to show a little self-denial and do a little work themselves." The question, which was whether the home missionary at Pongaroa should be granted leave to administer the sacrament, was adjourned. The dairy farmers in the United States are facing the enforcement of new regulations by the city of Chicago, calling for a tuberculin test and the pasteurising of milk as a prevention of tuberculosis. It is expected that this will have the. effect of largely reducing the number of cow'* in several States. Dealing with this subject generally, an American authority writes:—"The question of the future supply of cattle is a puzzling and complicated one, as in this country the finishing feed consists mainlv of maize, the price of which for the past two years has been verv high in spite of large crops, whilst considerable quantities of maize are used for making glucose and corn products. Many of the cattle ranges are gone and the rest are going fast: in their place farms are springing up, which will in time produce many more cattle to the acre than the ranges yielded, but until these new farmers- find their feet there is little chance of a marked increase in the supply of cattle, while the demand for domestic use is never I likely to decrease." ,

At St. John's Church, hist evening, Miss Yarrall, of Napier, sang very acceptably the solo "O rest in the Lord" ("Elijah") as an oft'ertorium. Mr R. Stevens shipped the three deer from his farm at Tamaki to-day j for Hastings. The animals were very j quiet, and a splendid photo, of the trio, taken in front of his house, was secured by Mr Kilford. prior to the animals being placed in. a. truck at Mangatera. Mr Harris, county foreman, this morning showed a number of contractors over the work which the County Council proposes doing on the Piri Piri roads. About twenty possible tenderers accompanied Mr Harris, some of them hailing from Hastings, Waipawa, and Takapau, as well as Dannevirke, so that there is likely to be some keen competition for the work.