FROM OTHER PAPERS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 163, 3 April 1908, Page 8

FROM OTHER PAPERS.

, A itoiyir man, who decided to purchase a cheap goat up-country at one of the sales, had a surprise the other day,' according to the : North Canterbury correspondent' of the Christchurch'"Press.' 1 After'paying 2s. for -Nanny, and le. 6d. for a case to convoy her by train,, expecting the balance of a ■ fiyeshilling piece would see tho goat landed >at his suburban homo, he was taken-all aback by tho Railway Department, which conveys sheop at •a. few. penco per head, demanding 9s. ■;

' .Somo few weeks ago a boating party discovered what was, supposed to be .a- Maori canoe on Lake George (says the "Western 1 Star") . From . inquiries- made, . .hovverei 1 ,. thero .is every probability that J the'canoe is tho one. in which John Fryatt and Thomas Intz met their death, by drowning some :32 years ago. The boat in question, which , was fashioned out of a' white, pine ; tree and.; is, somo 20ft. in length, l was used by the,miners named in crossing, the .lake to avoid .Walking the old track,-'which-was in abad'stiito. On the day of - the fatality, (a few days bofore Christmas) Messrs. Fryatt Bros, and Intz were proceeding to -Rivertqn. .to spend their s holidays, and when crossing: the .lake the boat filled and capsized. -The occupants were wearing gum-boots.. at .the time, and the only one to reach the. shoro was' Charles Fryatt. They, had a large' quantity of gold with them, and- this .was recovered oh the bodies.. - When: news was received at. Riverton about 50 volunteers made their way to Colac-to assist in tho search. -The bodies had,. however, been • recovered in the meantime,' and conveyed: to the house of John Boko, at Colac; thence they' were conveyed through tho bush to the Narrows, thence to Rivortbn by boat. ; . ;

' It is stated that' a traveller'-through-the Catliris Bush cannot help this year noticing" some great'changes;on thoV conditions of- a few years ago, . remarks. tho : "Lytfeltoh Times.'.'; The ;. most v regrettable is-:- the decrease in native birds! . Tho ' pretty littlerobinstliat'used'togather''EO.interestingly; round. visitors to' 'the bush : are •now' hardly ever seen, says the "Brace■ Herald."' Residents' say it.is ; .tho same in. all parts of the'bush, only an occasional .robin being seen. Thero is also a marked diminution ■ in tho numbers of parrakeots,.kaka's,Vand tun's.. There aro'a few tomtits'and pigeons, these,". awayback , from •; settlements, aro by no means .so< plentiful as they used to bo. The cause of this:dearth >of .bird.life" in. tho bush .is set'down ; by. ; tho • settlers, .to tho weasels, which are.becoming .very.plentiful, arid which play, havoc with tho birds which 1 build near the ground, and in; the. hollows! .of tree's, the.'youhg ones,-, and \t,'on tho/. full-grown' birds. fall: aii easy prey to the natural'enemy.''

: A very, interesting observation ,with; ; regard to mosquitos/was montioned .to a . Zealand Herald' reporter by the District Health' ; Officer, Dr.. J.; S/. Purdy, in /that the insecta select'certain, colours aid the colour, they-have a; decided : aversion .to ;s . chr'omo\ yellow j .while' white,- is not, altogether• to 'their; tasfe' •' Tho ■' - colours of attraction, aro :.black, .deep,blue," and' light; blue,. red; and. ; groans /Consequently .the/ new- style ...of ;,tent to ,he/.used ..by the. army is. tochromo yellowyand,in,lndia, where;tligtents aro indigo. msidej .it.is. proposed to change' ■ this:.to ;the ! :yellow which' is. distasteful .to .the-nerves- of the. discriminating-in-scot.'. ■ ■ ■''/'".■.• ■'

■' -A domestic event —thearrival of:a son and heir—m which Mr. D. Jones, one of the farmers' representatives on the . farm labour- . v ots'; dispute, was interested; was referred, to * by Mr A'cjand/ori. the Cbnciliatibri-'Board'at : Dirfield (says the. Christ-church ".Press").' He':'said v that.he would, like.-'to offer .tKe'cphgratiilatioris of 'the Board to Mr/Jones.' At .th'is\'^ct^'..;Mr:.;'';'J^^ : good his escape :.fr<qm tlid, hall. " GontmuingVi Air.., Ac- . ' land suggested /that'a-.very gobd name, for tho now arrival would be."Conciliation," and suggested- that the Board 5 , might soo its ,way .• ■clear to.-Ullow him' to 'appear on behalf of/tba farmers.: The. Chairman'' (Mr. \Y. /Minson) remarked that ;-tho- Board felt -pleasure / in congratulating.. Mr.; J.onos/on;. the'occasion.' ■

V A,'licensed' auctioneer:in it&city .(says the "Otago. Daily Times")' wroio to; the'COuncil! lately: complaining of the. ' conduct:of-In-spector- Donaldsony who .visited their • auc-. tion ' rooms: as their auctioneer; was 'in. the middle of: a sale, and j demanded that he. should .'show'his, license.. ;Mr/'Dpnaldson was' : not satisfied 'with.'demariding the-license,. but sent two policemen to him to ask for it.: Thia sort: of 'treatment' was" .very I annoying.'' ' In-' spector 'Donaldson .later on apologised; ias '.tbe insult'. was made ;. m. public■;'a,.-'public apology was duo to tho firm.- The matter was referred to the General- Committee for - a; report.:'?:'

■ The Native mutton-birders-are .now-(says the '"Southland Times") resorting .to the islands, in.- preparation for. the season.. The Rakiura'had'.been ■ chartered to; .take ; tHe Natives from Cblac- Baj; t . Riverton,. and the Bluff, .but;' 'diving to a;mistake, about a :dozea. of: the Bluff Natives we're left.behind. /' The Mayor/of . CarapbeUtpwh isin communication with ;the.. Marino Department in 'order to, obtain permission for* the Kekeno to take these belated Natives down'to the islands so that they may not lose what is to ,ttiem an annual harvest..',.. ' -. . • v

./During a'recent tour of the King Country, Mr. W. T. > Jennings, M.P.,, came .across 'two farmers'from-, the -..Old. .Country, who.-were looking for ,iand;m- the Dominion (says the "Hawke's Bay Herald"). ■ One of them, a Mr. -Smith, who . comes: • from. Lincolnshire, .told: him that he had experienced great;diffi- ( cult}' in getting suitable land, on which ■to settlo, as tho price . 'asked was too.-high;. .He and his friend had each brought £2000, but felt that they could do no gpod, at the.prices ruling.- ■ Mr. Jennings advised them to go. to . tho Lands, Office at. Auckland to enquire about j some of the blocks of land, that ,are open for selectibn, ■ more, especially-as, they, said .that they' did not, care ' much- about-the remote . chances of th'o ballot but preferred , buying \ land. . They had, ,they 1 said, been to tho Wellington, and ■ Hawke's .Bay districts,; but found- the price of land thero • prohibitive. ■Mr!: Smith, also' stated -that before .leaving England ho made'enquiries at the offices of:the High Commissioner-, in London, and was • given books- 'containing J particulars-.of landsuitable for .taking up m the Dominion. When he arrived here ho found to his disappointment. that" the information: contained ■in. the .books was* obsolete.:' ' . .f

Something like a-surprise! awaited;-Mr. A. S. Orbell; Chairman: of the Waikouaiti County Council,: oh'! returing: to '■ the';.chambers. after lunch, rwently, says the "Otago Daily Times,'' He found a large deputation and tlie assembled' Council wearing expressions of. .wellsimulated 'wrath. Tlio chairman sat-, down with, a sigh! Then: the assembly wreatliod: itself' iii smiles, and presented the astonished chairman with a silvor>gong and a caso of. fish carvers,on the' occasion of his approaching .marriage. The .recipient was too much taken'by surpriso to say so, but made two neat little speeches; and said afterwards: "Well, you. might me-the tip."

In consequence of ; the . extreme platform and constitution of , the ;i Political Labour League, the Dunedin • correspondent of the Cliristchi>rch'"Press" states,-it.is felt by ? a very large number of labour people in this city that they aro unrepresented .by any political labour, organisation.. Steps are therefore being taken: to' induce either -the Liberal and Labour . Federation, or .the. Labour Reform Association,'winch-has'its hi?ad- • quarters in Canterbury, to form' a branch in Dunedin. ■ ■ ; '

We are informed by . a correspondent in Blenheim, says the ■■■• Pelorus Guardian,"that an employee in the-post'office/there lias confessed to? opening letters '(containing cheques. sent from • Havelock by Messrs. Orsman and Hunter,-and finding the cheaucs ' not negotiable, lie put>them in-the fire; The; same individual has also admitted opening a letter containing money-seijt from Blenheim hy Mr. M'Guiro, of the Okaramio. Hotel, and having spent tlio: money. This ought to ' satisfy the public that ;the integrity of the Havelock . staff: is \unquestionable.: .- ' "i'