FROM OTHER PAPERS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 121, 14 February 1908, Page 9

FROM OTHER PAPERS.

Tlicro is a prolific plum tree at I'almerston North, its owner, Mr. Just, believes its yiokl for the lust three yours is a record for Now Zealand, if not for the world. " This season," lie sa.vs, wo have picked 0201b.,' which realised ,C 7 7s. 3d. wholesale. Last vear the weight was 44111)., mid the year before last oS'Jlli., which shows that this tree is a continuous bearer... Tin;, variety is a new Japanese plum that I raised from seed ten years ago. I have called it Lord Kitchener. Tlio treo is now 20ft. high, and Mft. in diameter. I thinlc this variety should he widely known unionist your readers, as the fruit ripens about Christmas time, when plums are euro to command a good price."

Two witnesses at the Conciliation Board at Culyerden beenme very .--c-stivo under tlio cross-examination of the representatives of tho Farm Labourers' Union, according to the Christ-church "Press." The first got so annoyed or so tirod that. he. abruptly left the witness-stand and resumed his seat in tlio body of the hall./ Mr. Jones, representing the farmers, induced him to return and to go on with his replies to Iffs cross-examiners. The other witness lost'his putienco to a certain ex-tent; owing to the persistencn of a Union representative in attempting to get from liim reasons why ho would pay a miistcror IDs. a day if ho was only employed for a week, while ono employed - for a, month would bo paid at a lc-sssr rate. Tlio witness stated that .the. higher rate wss paid hecatiso of tlio shortness of (ho period that the man was employed, his contention being that a man given longet' employment (whs content v.'ith tho lesser rato. The questioner • persisted, and wanted the witness to admit that tlio longer a man was employed the' less he should 'receive in .wages, but tlio witness declined to commit, himself to this statement-,, and said lie would not answer any morn questions on tlio point. A remark liy ono of the farmers' representatiires tlmt the witness had rpplicd tp the questions to the satisfaction of anv raan of sense, was'prbrilpt-ly. withdrawn when the chairman.drew attention t-o its impropriety.

, During the last few days a number cf " gentlemen " ' posing as. representatives of i>. large plioto^rapbio. firm, liavo .been ,canvassing for orders locally, says the Poverty Bay "Herald.," eases,,these agents liaro asked permission to take away photographs, promising a free enlargement provided tho. householder would do his or her .best to advertisa tho firm'. Then in ,the course of h r few ,days another agent has appeared on tho scene with samples of mouldings, .and'pointed-out that hoforo tho-cn-largemont could be procured it-was necessary that tho householder should purchase: a frame. Nothing' had been "said by tho first agent regarding frames, and when residents who hnvo allowed photographs to be taken away hnvo declined to have anything further to do with the matter and have iiskcd that the plates be returned, tho 1 second agent haa. brcome cheeky and refused .to give up the photos; In other cuses enlargements,, have been p.r.imised provided . u householder would ajgrw to purchase a frame for 15?. In several instances which :ha;'o come under our notice this .'agreement, has been entered into, but when, the enlargements have boon produced tho customers have been surprised to,find that the charge for tha frames has been increased to 255. Thoso residents who hnvo declined to pay the extra 10g.' hnvo been treated in the. same, 1 munner as those who hnvo suffered by. the first trick.

' Wanted, moro .men} , Never before has there, been sucih a; scarcity of competent men throughout this district, writes the Poverty' Bay 'Herald's" Uruti correspondent. Tho want of them is retarding tho settlement of the.country to a nrnch greater extent than is known to thoso who are only affected indirectly. For instance, a j settler 011 the Oknu I'oad-.informs 1110 that ho wanted 400 iieron of bush fclk-d last- winter," and, tho". scarcity, of men prevented him. from (-uUiiig any, although he offered a reasonable price: Another settler on tho Tangitu Road wont so far as to insure his. men for bushfelliuTj.and then the? did not start work. At the last Clifton..bounty.. Qtwncil meeting several of tho contracts advertised did not oven draw a 'tender,"and some others wero tendered' for at a. ridiculously high price. Again, the Government road overseer at • Toiicatwrnta litis. sections of. road finished and other sec-tions'-'unfinished . where whole gongs luive thrown up good, contracts—and tho cottiers are using • pack tracks instead of.-a dray road. - tf the present state' of things con-: tir.ucs the only place a good navvy will bo found will bo in tho museum, and bushincn will have followed tho Mtia and given placo to ,vcommunity of college trained tradesmen and townspeople with 110 back country to keep them in employment. Thcro seems to bj such a thing' as too much prosperity.

, The "North Olap;o Times" :—" It is whispered that thorn is ,a possibility of the roeoiver of tho Harbour Board superseding the Board with a manager, who would accept all responsibility for tho conduct of tho afhiirs of the harbour in the interests of'tho bondholders; . Under . tho Act; tho , bond-' holders havo tho right to petition tho Court for tho appointment of. a- .manager if iho affairs of tho harbour are being conducted in a mannor that they consider is detri;ne.i-. tal to thoir interests. Tho affairs of: tho Board , arc not purposely being'mismanaged, but tho conduct of its affairs'has become m : entangled that no 'progress can bo intado, and' whon it will shako it-self out of ..that ontaiiglemoiit is a problem it would be rash to speculate upon. If tho thrco export reports that tho Board has .vet to consider do not load .to a solution of tho. impasse, something of tho kind wo have indicated may cvcntuato. '. Tho reports, however,'may open u wiiy out of the difficulty, when wo' hopci l:o Board will set. itself, in the interests of .the ratepayers ,to extricate itself from- nil intolerable position,". ' '

Thcrq wero' sovoral discussions' in > tho Supremo Court at Christchurch (says the ''Press"), bntweeu Mr. Justice Deiiniston and Jlr. Donnelly, principally as to the length of time occupied by counsel in his addresses to various juries. Air. Donnelly protested that ho had -no intention of'.wasting time/ His Honour replied . that some counsel liad; an idea that when addressing juries their points should ha frequently reiterated. Were they addressing a judge they would not go.throiigh tho name- repetition. Mr. Donnelly: If I were addressing a'. Judge I might be compelled to bo shorter. His >!onour: That- I can guavan 7 too. •

In a letter dated January 24, rccciycil by a Now Plymouth'resident from Kakahi, about twelve Wiles south of Taumarumii, on tho Main Trunk Railway, the writer says : "Tho weather'is'enough to kill anyone; it is frightfully hot in the 'daytime and freezing at night. Can you. believe we have had several fronts, rather severe ones, which have ruined tlte gardens. Ours is a sight to' see. Everything is killed, and anyonft would declare; a lire hiid, gone through it. Fino tomatoes anil encumbers are all withered right away,'and all that is left of lovely rows of potatoes are the burnt-looking bare stalks. You can't imagino what a ruin it looks. In the daytimo it is so hot that- everything in. the fat or butter line is running away. Even the candles will not stand up in tho candle-sticks AVe have not felt it so hot before."

Workmen for'building purposes appear to be at a.'jiromiiim in tho King' Country. Tho "Taumaruaui Press" says that a local contractor recently paid a bricklayer £1 per day' and hoard; while his plumber received 225. per day. But the men werr. good hands, and the. employer seems to bo ]iorfectly satisfied. Contractors reckon there is a good opouin;; there for a resident bricklayer; ho would lie miro to be. fully employed at high wages. Jiuilding operations are said to bo on apace all over the Ta'uniarunui district. Carpenters are in great demand and arc unprocurable. ■ ■ ■ , ,

A recent visitor to the IViidarves district speaks of an unusual sight which he witnessed in a paddock in that- locality. Owing lo tho dryness of the season and to the. shortage of feed, some farmers find it difficult to keep their stocks iu the paddocks, and from wandering. However, one farmor has blind-folded half of his Hock and hobbled the other, apd his experiment has proved a complete success.