NEW ZEALAND NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1109, 24 April 1911, Page 6

NEW ZEALAND NEWS.

IBs Telceraph.-Press Association.) GREATFORD-LEVIN LINE. Th* T • r,, , LCVin > A P r 'l 22. iJ,Kni/iTi Clan J b , er of Commerce w.i» nmnn ° f d f l!lst: m , ght, Primnrily for the ?,,£? of forwarding Die movement in «;? U ICVm taG «*«'«l railJ™V Ir V D, .i Jl,Kmi(! was clcc,e<l President. .In the course of his address lie mentioned (hat the proposed eWatiou would shorten by an hour the journey to New- Plymouth as well tts fo Auckland, one the daily aggregated saving („ t] le laihroy would be three hundred miles of actual running, in addition to less wear and tear, as the result of the level route oi the deviation. The meeting resolved to circularise the , various Chambers of Commerce with a view to holding, at some central town. & conference of delegates favourable to tk* deviation proposals. JOYS OF BEING "ON THE LAND. , Timaru, April 22. Mr. John Talbpt, speaking at the Farm* ers Union, taid that ,land values in." bouth Canterbury were unduly high. In ten years they had gone up from 75 per cent to 100 per cent. This would be all right so long as prices kept up, but, it n reverse came, it would bo all wrong, lie supposed that the reasons for this in. crease were the absence of other forme of investment, and the willingness of men to work land without obtaining a fair return on capital im-cMr-l. Speaking of small birds Mr Talbofc went on to say that fanners lost as much grain by caterpillars now as before the birds were introduced, and tliev now lost gram enormously by the birds. CENSUS RETURNS. T , , Hawera, April 22. tii ™ nsus returns show the population pt the Hawera borough to bo 2654, ngaiust 21W-an increase of 531. Eltliam's nopum? u ls 1,!, "' an 'grease of 408. The populations of the Manaia oud Wavcrloy town districts are G26 (471 last census) and 516 (Ml last census) respec. Feilding, April 22. Census returns for Feilding borough 29'3 in 1906); Oroua county 3582 (1906, >)b!)8). A large residential portion of Feilding is outisiilo the borough. m , Stratford, April 22. ihe population of Stratford borough, as shown by tho census, is 2G37, being au iucrease of 510 since last census. DRAUGHTS CONGRESS. Dunedin, April 23. The eighth clay's play in the Australasian draughts championship was holdon Saturday. Penman defeated Brodie in.llheir second game, and thus became winner of the winners' class, In the fifth round of the losers' class Hillikcr defeated ton (Victoria) in the sixfii game, and put him out of the contet. In the sixth round Hillike'r won one. and drew one. agains-t Borchani. Brodie had a byo. I'he following are the prize-takers in the handicap tournament, giving tho scores with their handicap added-.—Bruce, 18; Lang, 171; Mnthostm, 17!; Gillie*, ISJ> Keunan, HI; Edwards, 11; ami Moore, K

UNSUSPECTED SANCTUARY. Timaru, Anvil 22. Sportsmen are agitated over the discovery that the Waslidyke Lagoon, clos« 10 Timaru, was made a sanctuary for ducks m 1908. This was not known hero, onrt the lagoon has been shot over for tho past five seasons. Mr. Biiddo who, as Minister, has boon appealed to to cancel the order, replies declining to do so. Hβ advises sportsmen to station themselves outside (ho* area,, and shoot tho birds on the wing as (heycomo and go, HINE CHARGES MENTIONED. CKristchurclv April 22 A handsome new post office on the Ferry Road, Linwood, was officially opened by the Hon. T. Mackenzie, Acting-Post-master-General, this afternoon in the presence of a large gathering of the public. In the course of his speech the Minister, referring to tho Jline charges, said that serious allegations were mado against tiio Land Purchase Board, but subsequent inquiries had prevail that (.ha allegations were absolutely groundless. GOOD WORK FOR OAMARU, ir r, ir-ii- Oamaru, April 22. Mr. B. Milhgan, chairman of the Hai*. bour Hoard, was to-day presented villi a purse of 100 sovereigns, a gold watch, and a beautifully-framed illuminated address for the good work he had done in connection with the consolidation of tho board's loans.- Tho Hon. T. Y. Duncan occupied the chair, and the hall was crowded. Tho speeches were very comp lmenliiry to tho recipient for the trouble he had taken in bunging to a successful issue a satisfactory scheme. TOWN HALL FOR DANNEVIRKE. Dannevirkc, April 22. lhe Borough Council last night accepted the tender of J. H. Fnirhurst lor the erection of a Town Hall. The council resolved to combine municipal offices with the building, and to go to the ratepayers with a proposal to raise a further loan of ,£2OOO. SOAKING RAIN, Christchurch, April 22. Soaking rain is driving i n sleadilv from tho north-east. The concluding races of the Metropolitan Trotting Club's nieetiti" have.been postponed till Thursday. All outdoor sports have been postponed. Dunedin, April 22. Welcome- steady rain has set in. All outdoor spurts to-day have been abandoned. GISBORNE CRIME CHARGES. Gisbornc, April 22. .T. Kerr Enston was committed for trial on a charge of manslaughter in connection with the death of ,las. Blanco. Thomas Leonard IJasten, 'alias Willio Wilson, pleaded guilty to a charge of breaking ami entering a labourers' camp, and was committed for sentence.

NEW HOSPITAL FOR GISBORNG. Gisbornc, April 22. The Charitable Aid Hoard decided to requisition Iho local bodies for JlSMlfl as Hie first year's instalment of expenditure on a now hospital, costing .£l,"),llfl(i; Tlio beard hopes to start tlie work in Seyt- ' (ember next, and have it completed in 1913. GIFT TO DUNEDIN. Dunedin, April 22. Evansdalo Glen, a picturesque spot about twenty miles from Munedin, has been presented to (he city by Councillors Ciiikison, Clark, and Steward, and other citizens. The Government agreed to give a subsidy provided it was declared a scenic reserve, which has been done.