MR BEECROFT ON JAPAN.

Feilding Star, Volume VI, Issue 1727, 23 February 1912, Page 2

MR BEECROFT ON JAPAN.

Last night, m the Oddfellows' Hall, the Rev. C. E. Beeoroft delivered a lecture on Japan, illustrated by lantern slides. There was a large and very appreciative audience. The lantern >as operated by the Rev. Mr Frost, of banson,- and the pictures were a most interesting series, ln his lecture, Mr Beecroft dealt with the religious, rural, and commercial life of the Japanese, and gave his audience an impression that they were an industrious and'"patient race of people, hut not particularly scrupulous in their commercial transactions. "Musical items Were rendered during intervals in the lecture.

TliG steamers Moana, . Manuka, Victoria, : Tainui, and lonic- should be within wireless Tango of AVellington to-nght. -•- The latest amalgamation is the, absorbation of Every Saturday by the World's News, that very successful Sydney weekly; ; : ; >-■_ *;.;..The cash payments received oji.ao-. coiint of the sale of : Crown lands' during the past five years were: £39,770 ■viii-.1907,:. : 5e48,620"iii--1908/.£89j324-'- : in: . 1909; :v£45,628; ; in,v1910,r ana-;£-76,618

ihe oldest bowling club in New Zealand is tho Auckland, which has just celebrated its jubilee. It is claimed to be the oldest bowling club hi the southern hemisphere.

Archbishop Kelly, of Sydney, Bishop Dwyer of Maitland, and the Very Rev. H. M'Dermott, rector of the Roman Catholic College at Manly, who had been touring the South Island, left Wellington for Sydney to day.

Wanganui is having excitement over its Council's trouble with the engineer. Mr Mackay has resigned as a protest against keeping the engineer, and for the other side Cr. J. T. Muir has taken up the challenge, and will contest the mayoralty.

Sir Joseph Ward informed the House yesterday that the value ot the Government buildings burned during the past ten years was £57,----637. This was exclusive of school buildings. Had they been insured, the premiums would have cost £90.----000.

On the motion of Mayor Nash, last night, the Palmerston Borough Council decided to submit to the ratepayers a proposal to raise a loan of £66,000 (trams £53,800, lighting £8,500. contiiigenices £550, first year's interest £3500).

A juror called at the Christchurch Supreme Court and asked to be excused on the ground that he was hard of hearing. "How hard of hearing are you?" asked his Honour. "Thank you," said the man, and left the Court. He was excused.

ihe Hawke's Bay Tribune says the Opposition is aware that its chances of success have dwindled since Monday, jind adds that it had drawn up a Ministry, including Mr Buchanan as Minister of Agriculture, an offer which he declined.

Tho weasel has always been looked upon as tho bano of the fowlvard, but it is now recorded that he has started on a new line, that of destroying trout. Recently a weasel was seen at Mjkimiki coming out of tho riverbed with a live trout 4in long in its mouth.

Mr Albert and Mrs Goldie (Miss Dulcie Doainer) sailed by the Orsova lroin Sq.dn.cy last week for London, en route for iNew York. Many friends of the popular New Zealand story-writer were present on the wharf to wish Mrs Goldie bon voyage and good luck in the publishing of her new books.

Mr Fred. Pirani, accompanied by Miss Dorothy Pirani, left tor Greymouth this afternoon, via Wellington and Christchurcli, to attend the annual conference of the New Zealand Press Association, of which body he is a director. Mr Pirani, who will bo absent from redding for a fortnight, will also attend the conferences of the iNewspaper Prox>rietors' Association and of ihe British Empire Priss Union.

Last- Monday morning the South Island Main Trunk ; express, when rounding a bend midway between Hihitahi and Taurangarere, suddenly came upon Ganger lierroii and Platelayer Maxwell proceeding north on a "jigger." The driver was unable to pull up, but fortunately the surfacemen noticed the appearance of the train. They just had time to jump clear of tho approchiug engine, and ■ saw the "jigger" smashed to matchwood.

Says tho Lyttelton Times: We like tho idea of reviving tho old Provincial Councils in a modified form, but wo confess we should not look with much favour upon a Legislative Council partly elected by the members of the Provincial Councils and tho House of Representatives and partly nominated by tho Government. We should much prefer to see tho upper chamber replaced altogether by - a revisory committee, with no power of veto and only limited power of delay.

In the Hawkes Bay district a new system of poaching is in operation. Lemonade bottles are half-filled with calcium carbide, and then thrown into tho middle of the stream. Gas is quickly made with the result that tho marble in the neck of the bottle is forced to the top, and as the gas continues to accumulate tho bottle explodes. In exploding it not only killed all the fish in the vicinity, but the poisonous substance drifts down >.vith the current, and trout for a long dis£anco down are killed. ... . .

The payments made by the Bank of England in connection with the five million loan amounted to £47,----14.5. The payments nia<Je by the loan agents, J. and A. Scrimgeour, amounted to £04,670. This sum includes £50,000 tor underwriters'' commission and £12,500 commission for obtaining underwriting.

llio February issue of Progress, a copy of which is just to hand, js a yachting number, and excellent at that, and thero is a description of boats built during the past year from designs in Progress, illustrated with photographs. The editor contributes an interesting articlo on Some Craft 1 Have Owned," illustrated with black and whito drawings There are also acouuts o fthe Auckland and Wellington anniversary regattas, and the Rudder Cup contest at Greymouth. The whole issue is profusely illustrated with beautiful photographs. In addition thero aro the usual architecture, building, engineering, motoring, arts and crafts section.

The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne (Dr. Carr), strongly denounced the practice of mixed bathing at present being indulged in on the beaches adjacent to Melbourne as an abomination. He regarded it as showing a contempt for women, and brutahsing men, when they read in the papers of vast crowds found bathing along the South Melbourne beach, not only until 9, 10 and P> p.m., but until. 3 a.m., it would be realised that it would eventually lead to the destruction of modesty, the lowering of the tone of morality, and would result probably in the. downall or the gu-ls who otherwise would Have been innocent.

A traveller m Tibet relates that he saw women wearing a garment constructed of wood. Wooden clothes, however, are not likely to he confined to Tibet if the ideas of an American inventor become popular. He has manufactured for himself and wears a fancy waistcoat of "pihewood hbre, and looks forwards to the time when wooden suits will be generally worn. The wood is, of course', not in its usually crude form, but it is first reduced to pulp, .then "drawn -into threads and woven like cloth. Cloth ot tins kind it is alleged, wears like leather, and is cheaper than the cheapest of ordinary cloth. Millionaire Rock-feller has taken to wearing this material—perhaps because of its economy! ' • '

Among the large number of mon sent from Wellington to jobs in the country by the Labour Department tliere is always a proportion whose nuances arc so low that they do not possess sufficient to pay their railway tare (says the iNow Zealand Times) iln such cases, particularly where the j man is known to be reliable, the Department is always willing to help s ill further by advancing the price of the ticket. In nearly every instance the confidence is proved to be warranted by the speedy repayment of the money, and, in the words' of an official, it is seldom indeed that the Department is cheated. Last year, it had the unique experience of having repaid to it an aggregate sum considerably in excess of that actual-' ly advanced. The advance for the year totalled a little over £2000, while the repayments were found to aggregate nearly £200 more. The explanation is not'that the men sent back too much by way of showing then- gratitude, hut that last year's receipts included some repayments which ought to have been made the year before.