NEW ZEALAND NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 85, 3 January 1908, Page 5

NEW ZEALAND NEWS.

(Ut TELEGRAPH—PttESS ASSOCIATIOS.) V

ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION

THE MAIL FOR'KING EDWARD VII. .. LAND. ' '■ v ' ■ ' (ny iTEMimApn—i'kess association.) i CJirlstciiurcl), January 2. Mr. Rcid, the business manager..of the. Antarctic Expedition, has still a'good deal of work to do 'in connection with tho,Nimrod. Most of the officers and scientists had a long list of final commissions for him to execute, and last night ho had to despatch a big budget of telegrams'arid cablegrams., ;Mr. G. 1 ! A. M. Buckley, .of Aslibtirtoii, wfio" went south in the Nimrod, did so 'at > about,an hour's notice. .'I-Ie will probably return , with tho Koon'ya. Mr. Buckley iswell 'known,is a yachtsman, and he hofds a master mariner's certificate. . Tho'mail for King Edward. VII Land, takeii by the Koonya, consisted of above 16(10 letters. Probably 1300 of these are dummyS communications sent in order that they may bo returned through the Dead Letter Office and kept as mementoes," . NAPIER STATISTICS;/-. - Napier, January 2..., : 1 During 1907 eighteen bankruptcies wero filed throughout Hawkes Bay,' as against' twenty-one last year. Tho realised assets foil short by £3019 of tho liabilities, whereas tho 1906 deficiency was nearly. £7000. i Tho rainfall last year totalled 37.65 inches; the average for past twenty years has been 36.39 inches. Tho vital statistics for 1907 were: Births 379, deaths 179, marriages 137,; and tho comparative figures for. tho previous year were: 363, 149, and 148.

; TAIHAPE'SIOMbV'-J v ■ Talbape, January 2. The ninth annual sports were held yesterday in splendid weather. There' was a large attendance. All tho entries- were large, and close finishes marked tho running ovents, as well as( tho chopping of an 18in. standing block, which resulted ; J. Hoare 1, P. Smith 2., J. Hartnott 3. Time,. 2min. 12 3-sscc. • BISHOP ; GRIMES. . ■ . Christchurch, January\ 2. Yielding to tho advice of his medical ,advisor and to tho wishes of his friends, his Lordship Bishop Grimes, tho Roman Catholic Bishop of Christchurch, i 3 again leaving for Hanmer Springs in search of, a muchneeded rest. During his absence tho Rovi Father O'Connell will administer the Cathedral parish. The 'Very Rev. Dean Ginaty has been appointed Viiar-Goneral of tho Roman Catholic diocese of Christchurch. : CUSTOMS REVENUE. Hew Plymouth','January 2. Tho Customs receipts for 1907 were £41,052, an increase of £7900 over 1906. The imports were valued at £118,778, -and exports from New Plymouth at £626,406, and from Woitara at £289,361. INVERCARGILL STATISTICS. Invoroargill, January ,2. Ono hundred and twenty permits .wero issuod during tho year,'for now buildings, aggregating ±.'44,000 in value. .. The revenue -from Customs for tho year was £92,730, as compared with £89,097 for 1906. Tho total net 'receipts at tho Customs office amounted to £105,197, as compared with £100,182 for 1906. . There wore 14 bankruptcies in 1907 in lnvercargill, as against 24 in 1906. . Tho vital statistics for 1907 are:—Births, 642; deaths, 249; marriages, 209;. as against 633, 223, and 202 respectively for tho previous year. , CALEDONIAN SPORTS. ... lnvercargill, January 2.. Tho attendance at the Southland Caledonian ,Sports yesterday was seriously affected by tho , very windy and, stormy weather, tho takings at tho gato being £222, as compared with £269 last year, and £315 for 1906. Tho Premier was proscnt. BURGLARS AT WORK. . Wanganui, January 2!' On Now Year'B Day threo houses, occupicd respectively by Mr. W. Andrews (Ingestre Stroot), Mr. J; Andrews (Avcnuo), and Mr. O'Hara (Wilson Street) wero broken into by burglars. Owing to the owners of the houses being absent from town, the full extent of tho robberies is not known. • GOLF. Dunedln, January 2. The Otago Golf Club's Championship meeting conckmcd to-day, when tho fourth round of tho championship was played. A strong win'd prevailed ana militated, against good play. H. Smith did tho round in 4 81, as against 96 by B. J. Smith, and 98 by A. F. Roberts, and won with an aggregate scoro of 334. B. J. Smith was second with 350, and Roberts third with 851. THE AHOKURA. Christchurch, January 2. The training ship Amoknra is to_ leave Lyttolton for Wellington to-morrow night.