INTERPROVINCIAL.

Evening Post, Volume LXXIX, Issue 83, 9 April 1910, Page 3

INTERPROVINCIAL.

+ Tho Bluff I-'rh Company's s.g. Loyalty has rotu.ii€<l from a cruise to the South Capo Wands, having landed Bluff and North Otago natives at Evening Wedge, and Hidden Islands for the mutton-bird season. Tho report she brings (rays a Southern contemporary) is thit the birds are not so plentiful as they wero in past years, but so far as can be ascertained they are considerably heavier and in better condition than formerly. A Dunedin journal states that tho singular disabilities which the city is said to offer to rwimmers and would-be swimmers, found prominence nt a meeting of enthusiasts the other night. Tho chnhman f-tate<l : "Of all the school children in Dunedin not 1 Der cent, can swim, and in the whole of Dunedin there arc not 50 people who know the demon ta of life-saving." This frUitcment was challenged by Mr. M 'Nicol, headmaster of the Gcorge*treet School. In the course of an animated verbal passfigo-at-arm* at the Auckland Railways League deputation to the Minister for Public Works (says the Herald), one mfuijber twitted tho Minister with referring to a certain section of Auckland'eTitiz«n» an "the meddlesome people of Queen-street." Mr. M'Kenzio retorted: "I'm not the coiner of that phras*. I wouldn't bo guilty of so reflecting on any Aucldanders or people of tha Dominion in such terms." For some time past Mr. W. F. MasFoy, member for Franklin nnd Leader of the Opposition, has been interesting himself in the possibility of draining the Whangamarino Swamp, lying between Rangiriri and Mercer, of whidh Rome 100,000 ncres e*ill belong to tho Crcwn. Mr. Mnsscy brought the subject up in Parliament lost cession, and a promise was given that an engineer would be sent to visit the district and report. In pursuance of this promise the engineer in charge of the drainage of the Piako Swamp recently visited the locality, antl it is understood (says the Herald) that ho. has reported that it is quite possible to deepen the Waikato River below Mercer, and so drain the hugo area of swamp land in the locality. Efforts nre being made just now quietly but very determinedly (wires it Chmtehurcih correspondent) to push on tho work of coni-trueling a public road alor.e the ridges of tJio Port Hills, uhich separate Christchurch from Lyttelton, and which shut out this city from the ««a. These hilh have no peaks, but run up to razor-like summits. Although they are not many hundred feet high, and not at all of a forbidding character, ouly a small proportion of th« population of tho city realises the beautiful scenes and views they command-. In order, to bring the pecplo and tho rcenery into closer touch a few citizens are having a road made along the ridges. It is only a rough track at present, but it is hoped by-and- | by to mako it into a good coach and motor drive, when it i 6 expected many people will take advantage of it. The track ha« been made several miles m a southerly direction pa«t Governor's Bay, and a *tort has now been made U» construct it on tho northorn parts of tho ridge* overlooking Lyttelton. It will ultimately end at Sunnier, the popular MB"ido resort. Mr. Ell, t>ho principal mover in tho matter, i» working very hatu to bring the scheme to a successful issue, and with his unbounded enthusiasm and energy his gathered together a fairly satisfactory sum, which « now being spent on tho work. At present, perhaps, the citizens, on tho whole, hardly ronlim the value of tho undertaking, but there is- no doubt that in future, when the city's population has largely increased, the people of Christahurch will be deeply grateful for what hu been done in this direction. It it not generally known that rabbits, owing to the fur, take considerably longer than sheep to freeze. They require about three days in the freezing chamber, says an Invercargill paper, and three__in the cold storage-room before they Tan be stacked finally. It can thus be seen that rabbits make a greater demand, weight for weight, than sheep on the capacity of the freezing works. A very singular sort of practical joke appears to bavo been practised upon a Dunedin Corporation (ram at the loop on tho Main South-road, just beyond tho overhead railway bridge, states the Star. According to the statement of Councillor Keaaf , a young man on tho back of a standing car entered into argument with the conductor 0% to whether it was possible to turn the power on and off without tho uso of the controller. Ho demonstrated his side of the argument by pulling out » pair of pliers and , turning the tap, when the car commenced to run backwards. Had not the driver at the other end pulled out the switch, something swious, said Councillor Keast, might have happened. The Tramways Committee recommended thut' the offender be proceeded against, but on the interposition of Councillor Cole milder counsel prevailed, the clause making this recommendation being referred back. Councillor Keast had suggested to the culprit that he should apologise, and donate a sum to some charity as tangible evidence of his regret, and amid some laughter the Mayor announced thattho offender had written offering to pay I the costs and to give a donation of one guinea to the Karitane Home. The sanitary authorities at Hongkong have been warned of the importation from Canton of large quantities of mosquito larvae, says a writer in the Auckland Star. The discovery, apparently, was ouly made by accident, but it seems that this disease-bearing commodity has been coming down from the capital of Kwangtung for a long time, and is used principally to feed gold fish. The larvae* is brought into Hongkong on a reed,, which the Chinese caH Sa Chung, and which is sold iathe streets of tho-city. For 'one cent, it is stated, sufficient- Sa* Chung can be bought to feed a 'gold fish for quite a while, but- the owner' of the fish who stocks this dangerous fodder is probably blissfully ignorant that* he is rearing his fish at the great risk* of the health of himself and his family. The deer-stalking campaign in North Otago commenced as usual on the Ist inst., but fewer sportsmen are on the ground than in other seasons, only 21 licenses having up to the present been issued (writes the Hawera correspondent of tho Otago Daily Times). The easier and moro attainable country around Tapamn has attracted the usual number, and probably 100 sportsmen will try 'their luck and skill among the fallow deer in the Blue Mountains during the season.