AUCKLAND ITEMS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 857, 1 July 1910, Page 2

AUCKLAND ITEMS.

MAIL STEAMER OVERTAKEN. (By Telegraph—Special Correspondent.) Auckland, June 30. Tlie steamer Century, which arrived at Auckland last evening, left San Francisco on Juno 1, a day after tlio Celtio King had sailed, but tho former vessel was tho first to arrive at Apia, and was there nearly two days beforo the othor vessel put in cn appearance. When the Century was leaving Apia information was received that tho Celtic King would probably remain three days there, and it is therefore considered unlikely that sh« will arrive at Auckland for some four or five days. The Celtic lung carries a heavy mail, but the Century, leaving si soon after tho othor vessel, carried a comparatively small quantity of mail mattor.

BACK HOME AGAIN. An old man named Harry Brierley was brought before tho justices at Cambridge this morning, charged with having insufficient means of support. The constable said accused cauie to the lock-up and refused to go away. Ho wanted to go to gaol. Tho constable offered to get him work at 2s. Gd. a week and found, but the offer was refused. Brierley had only been out of gaol three weeks; and had served 22 sentences, ranging from ten years io a month, and he evidently acquired a taste for prison fare, as he refused fried ham ana bread and butter for breakfast.

This is the same man who, about four years ago, refused to work, and vowed the Government wonld have to keep him. Ho is keeping his vow, and when sen. fenced to two months' imprisonment said: "Thank you, gentlemen."

THE LAND HUNGER. As showing the progress of land settlement in the Auckland district, it is worthy of note that at the monthly/ mooting of the Land Board, to-day 76' selectors of 14,836 acres were approved of and admitted to possession, all the holdings being small. Last month's figures in the samo connection were 146 selectors of 20,029 acres, these likfewiso being small in area. A good percentage, of the selectors continue to hail from southern: parts of the Dominion. Oh June 27 thoi board offered under tho optional tenure: of the Act .15 sections, comprising a total! area o£ 10,823 acres, generally in moderate: area.=;, and all but two sections of 995acres havo been covered by 232 applica- t tions. Under the Amendment Act, 1907/ the Land Board is empowered to give preference in tile ballot to persons, who tiro landless, awl this power the board is exercising rigidly in view .of the great demand for the "lands opened. Although the Government is unable to satisfy the appetite of the land seekers, yet almost every month large additional areas in different parts of the provinco are dealt with by the Land Board and offered to prospective settlers. To-morrow sections totalling about 10,500 acres will be balloted to the fortunate among some 200 applicants, the credentials of whom have been under consideration by the board to-day. At the sitting of tho board this aftornoon a further area of 10,000 acres was dealt with for selection at an early date. The new sections which the board has decidcd to throw open are situated in various corners of the province, from Kerikeri and Eawene in the north to Rotorua in the soutli, most of them being offered under the renewable lease system.

A YANKEE NOTION. To satisfy a whim of a New York society woman, Captain George Friar will sail fov tlio South Sea Islands in hi:i schooner Eagle to attempt to buy or capture the Sanifa, one of the famed pearls .of the islands (says the Seattle correspondent of the "San Francisco Chronicle"). The splendid jewel, which is the size of a walnut, is in the keeping ox Chief O'Reilly, ruler of Tonga Tonga Isle. O'Reilly went to the Islands twenty years ago in a sailing ship. He dethroned the native ruler, and now is chief of ten thousand people. The eiistence of the rare gem was not known outside the Islands, until three years ago, when a New York woman touring the world in, her husband's yacht visited Tonga Tonga and was shown the pinkhued jewel. She attempted to purchase it at once, but O'Reilly reftised to sell. He explained that it was an object of fetish worship by the natives. Since then many traders hare been commissioned to bnv'the gem, but O'Reilly lias refused to "part with it. Captain Friar is an old friend of O'Reilly's.