Hawke's Bay Herald. THURSDAY, JULY 23, 1896. SHEEP RETURNS.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 10362, 23 July 1896, Page 2

Hawke's Bay Herald. THURSDAY, JULY 23, 1896. SHEEP RETURNS.

HAS New Zealand arrived at its currying capacity bo far as sheep are concerned ? Ib looks like it, from the interim returns of onr Hocks, at all events bo long as the present conditions of sheepfarming prevail. The North Island did something more than hold its own last year, partly owing to the improvement) of old rnns and partly to the settlement of new conntiy. The three districts into which the Island in rilvlHArl mnHA fihp fnllm&lncr rptnrnn* —

The most) remarkable feature in the return is that the Napier district;, which is by for the smallest) Id the colony, carries more sheep than any other district. The sheep districts are not co-terminons with the old provincial boundaries, bub are as follows :— Auckland, 15,225,000 acres ; Napier, 4,735,000 j Wellington - West Coast, 9,290,000 ; Marlborongh»Nelson, 9,560,000; Canterbury and Westland, 11,738,700; Otago and Southland, 16,033,400. Thus in proportion to area the Napier district carries twice as many sheep as Wellington, sixteen times as many ac Auckland, ten times as many as Marlborough-SJelson, more than twice as many as Canterbury, and four times as many as Gbago-Sonthland. This Is an eloquent tribute? to tho energy and expenditure of our much«abused sheepfarmers, for whereas there were large areas of good native grasses in most of the other distrlots, especially In the South Island, almost every acre here has had to he reclaimed from scrub, f.em, bush, and swamp, and sown in English glasses. In 1858, when the first returns were made, the district carried only 182,206 sheep. Twenty years ago, ia 1876, the number was 1,243,993. By that time nearly all the present area was occupied e#d much of it improved. Ten years later the number had Increased to 2,595,105, and now it is 4,229,411. The inoreaoe in the last twenty years is practically all duo to improvements. Turning to the South Island the disastrous results of tka heavy snows of last winter uro at once soea 3a the following table :—

What strikes one the most in this return is not so much the total decrease, enormous as ib is, bat the decrease apart from the exceptional severity of lasb winter. The exceea loss over the average, a foot-note tella us, was 700,000. Consequently had there been no exceptional losses there would still have been a decrease of over a quarter of a million sheep, or more than twice the gain in the North Island. It will, ba seen, therefore, that oar opening query is pertinent. What is the c»uae of this decrease? Wo have more than once i called attention to the enormous export of frozen lambs, including maiden ewes, from tiho South Island in tba Just three years, and have remarked that unless, these represented lambs spaoially bred for freezing by the small {armors the result on the flocks must be disastrous. Last year the export of lambs was greate? than ever, showing an excess of 171,209 over the previous year, while there was a decrease of 42,959 sheep exported. The reduced export of sheep, when read in conjunction with the above figures, tells its own tale. Under normal conditions of aheepfarming the drop of lambs would have been kept to make np the winter's < losses and provide young breeding stock. But Instead of that 784,828 carcases of lamb were exported, of which under 00,000 were from the North Island. To put it another way, She lambs exported were more numerous than the losses of sheep due to the bad winter, and mainly eccount for the large reduction in tbo flocks. This Is simply tilling the goose that lays the golden eggs. The higher prices of lamb may bo tempting to ranholder at their wlta' end to make good the winter's losses, but a present advantage may be purchased at a heavy future loss, and this Is apparently what oar South Island sheepfarmers are doing.

On the fourth page will be found I several letters to tbe editor, a report of I the Wellington Racing Club's winter I meeting yesterday, and our Hastings correspoadent's letter. The business announcements of Messrs Baker and Tubatsaa are inserted to-day on onr fonrth pagfl. The fingby Union will meet at 5 o'elook thle evening at the Criterion Hotel,? I The F Battery and Garrison Band will parade for Government inspection at S o'olook tonight.* Cathedral choir practices will in fntnre be held on Thursday at 8.15 p.m., instead oi Friday, as heretofore. Mr Samuel Valle is again petitioning Parliament) to give a trial to his eystem i on one of tbe sections of the New Zealand | railways. | The half-mile skating handicap takes 1 place in the Oddfeilowa 1 Hall, Taradale, I to-morrow ovening ; firs(i heat at 8 p.m. 1 Admission 6d, Captain Edwin wired at 2 30 p.m. yesterday as follows ;— " East to north and north-west winds, with rain and heavy sea ; glass farther fall ; high tides. '• . The St. John Ambulance Association nvites ladies to meet, at the Athenmnm to-morrow afternoon ad 4' p.m. to enrol 1 for the 1898 clauses in "Fiiai Aid" and! .'JSarstag,"* g

Paris has elovon 'cycling papers, and over the whole of tho Continent no less than 93journalB are specially devoted to the 'cycle and the 'oyolo trade. The Napier Philharmonic Society gave a coneeft at the Athenaeum last night, bat the attendance was extremely meagre, and the programme submitted was commensurate with the audience, K. D. Meacher, the person who attained much unenviable nototiety in connection with the Dean case, has started a lectorins tonr through New Sonth Wales. His subject Is " Crime and Criminals," about which he should at any rate know Bomeeometihing. At the S.M. Court yesterday morning Elizabeth Snolier was oonvlotod of drankennoss, and a largo iiumbor of prevloas convlotlons having beon recorded against her Mr Tnrnbull eald he had no altornatlvo bat to impose the maximam penalty of three months' imprisonment. Messrs Barry Bros., in conjunction with Messrs Tnit and Mills, have bought 415 tons of Newcastle and Waratah coal ex Stfinloy at a great redaction, and are prepared to sell at very low rates at the ship's side for cash. They are also landing 100 tons of Greta coal by the same boat. A report recently published by the superintendent of the Labor Barean shows :— The expenditure on works in aid of the unemployed for the twelve months ending February, 1596, totals £201,591 4b Id, Other incidental expenditure in conneotlon with the unemployed would, if added, probably bring the total to a quarter of a million.— Sydney Times. The New Zealand Shipping Company advertise in their time-table that the Rlmutaka will again pass through the Straits of Magellan on her way Home. This steamer now makos a regular practice of passing through these oelebratedStralta, and intending passengers to the Old Country Bhonld not lose tho chance of seeing one of the grandest sights in the world. Any person who may contemplate the erection of a verandah in front of his business premises may take as a copy the one now being erected opposite the four shops next the Criterion Hotel in Emer-son-Btreet. We notice that this structure is in every detail in exact accordance with the new bye-laws which have recently been paused by the Borough Conocll. A child was expelled from the Inglewood (Taranaki) school because she refused to hold oat her hand to be caned. The mother wrote pointing oat that by terms of the Education Act a ohlld conld only bo expelled for incorrigible disobedience, which she said, according to the diotionary, meant " too depraved to be reformed." The teacher Is being asked for an explanation. A Viennese professor has just mado public the fact that the chances of n smoker suffering from diptheria or other dlseasen of the throat, as compared with those of a non-smoker, are as one to twenty-eight. His observation enables him to assert that smoking tends to check the development of bacteria and to kill them ; so much so is this the case, that it has been found essential to forbid amok, ing In bacteriological laboratories. For some time past sand has been silting up near the wharf at New Plymouth, and during the last westerly gale the quantity of sand Bitted up increased to a considerable extent. In consequence of this the Takapuna, on her laßt trip to New Plymouth from Wellington, was nnable to land any cargo there, and on Tuesday she was again unable to get alongside the whart, and only landed mails and passengers, leaving afterwards for Wellington. The final match for the season between the Pirates and Napier Footbal Clabs will be played on the Kecreation Ground on Saturday afternoon next. Sj far the Pirates have an unbeaten record, and the Napier suffered one defeat, so that on this match hinges the championship for the Beason. The following players have been selected to represent the Pirates :—Fullbook, J. Ryan ; three-quarters, Williams, Caldwell, M'Kae ; halves, J. and W. O'Connell ; wing forwards, Wi Duncan and D, O'Connell; forwards, Maleon, Firtb, BlnJ, Cheer, Geordlne, Bransfield, Tankard ; emergencies : forwards, Tuckwell and Brophy ; back, Minns,* Oar Forangahaa correspondent writing yesterday says t— A very sad burning accident has just occurred at Wimbledon, which I regret to say has ended fatally. On Saturday morning Mrs U. Hales's eldest daughter, a girl of fifteen, was attending to a fire when her dress caught alight, and before the flames conld be extinguished the poor child's clothes were destroyed, and she was fearfully burnt from her knees to the top of her head. The unfortunate sufferer was attended by Dr. Biddell with the greatest possible promptitude but remained unconscious till her death, which took place this morning. Great sympathy is felt for her parents who are very well known throughout the district. At Chrißtohnrch last week judgment was given in an affiliation case presenting some peculiar features. We quote a report from Truth:— An order had been made against the defendant, bat a rehearing was granted on the ground that the child, the subject of the order, had Maori blood in it, and as both parties were Europeans it was impossible that the defendant could be the father. After a hearing which occupied the Court a very long time, 1(3 witnesses having been examined, judgment had been held over. His Worship now said he was satisfied that the truth of the allegation made by the defendant had been establisbedbeyond reasonable doubt, and dismissed the case, (ihe effect being the revocation of the order, without poutp, It is stated thai a petition is being promoted and circulated for signature among natives in the King Country praying that the Government will grant a license for an hotel &t Otorohango, and also for another at Te Kulti. The natives have been Informed, so it is said, that some of the clergy are in favor of having licensed hoaees rather than prohibition in the I King Country, an at present existing, and its sequel— sly grog-sclllnp, Thiß statement, It is said, has beon the means of Inducing a number of the natives to sign the petition. The Key, William Glttos, superintendent of the Wes'eyan Native Mission, informs us that in bis opinion incidental sly grog-selling is a much lesser evil than the establishment of the licensed liquor traffic in the King Country.—Auckland Berald. A missionary weeding, presided over by Bishop Williams, was held in St. Johwa schoolroom last evening, Dean Hovell also being present. The lecturer was the Key. Percy Williams, M.A., of the AIel« anesian Mission, which Is properly the special mission field of New Zealand. The lecturer gave a sketch of the history nf the Mission fror» jfca inception by Bishop Solwyn to tho pveeant date, and i!lns< trated his story by lime-light pioturea thrown on the oanvass by Mr Owen. The lecturer, who was listened to with marked attention, said the prospects of the work were on the whole very bright) Indeed, bnt that the field was still wide open for more laborers. There was a very good attendance Wo learn that Mr Williams la entering on a new field of mission work in Queensland, and we wieli hjm every success. Of a" A Gaiety Girl " and "In Town it is aaid ;— The sucsesa of both of these musical comedies has been very great everywhere. London raved about them, America endorsed the popular verdict, and in Australia last year and in the South of this colony at present, they attracted large audiences night after night, and were generally voted as among the most delightful and best of producItions placed before colonial audiences by those enterprising entrepreneurs. Messrs Williamson and Mnsgrove. Very few I playgoers have any idea as to the enor. moos expense and responsibility involved by bringing this monster company round New Zealand. It will surprise aome of our readers, no donbt, to hear that the cost) of the steamer passages alone for the Now Zealand trip fota ap to the formldi able' amount of over #1009. At the inquest on the native Joanna Whitua, who shot himself at Kalapoi, the following evidence was given by the girl with whom he was in love : — " Leah Soloman, who waß mugh distressed, gave evidence that she last sate deceased on Friday morning at her father's house. He wished to take her with him, but she told him that her mother objeoted and that they mnst part. He wanted her to go j with him to a registrar on the quht. She said she would not go io opposition to her parents, He then aald that Bhe must, and that she would see the end of it, He then went out and bronght baok the preaents and aald • Good - bye darling; thla is the last time yon will . ccc me,' and he hoped that her life would be one of peace and happiness. Deceased bad told her previously that as her parents would not let him hove h|6r, ha wonld shoot himself. On the previous Wednesday, when he had some drink, he asked her to go with him. She said, ' I cannot go, but I love you all the same. 1 He then went away and oame back with a gun. He took two cartridges and said, 'One for you and one for me.' Witness promise 4 him that night she would tan away with him, bat her mother prevented her. Deceased whispered to her that he would shoot him. self, and that she woald find a letter from him on tho gate post, It told her that if she woald not run away with him he wonldahoot himself," <?nM*M B ?* 6tlD e of the Napier Friendly booletjfia 1 Association, Mr J. B. Fielder presiding, the Chairman explained that in response to a elroalar which had been sent out asking for details of medioa! benefits given in varions lodgeß, 76 repiiea had been reoeivfd from eocieties in all r arta of the world, making a mont

I Interesting compilation, which Id wan deoided to ask the local lodges to boar the expense of printing.— The Nelaon Aanoolatlon'a vigilance committee wrote suggesting an agitation in the direction of the abolition of tha payment of charitable aid rates by Friendly Soolotiea. It was decided to refer the matter to the different local lodges for their opinion, and act accordingly,— The Old Age Pension Bill was discussed, and a general opinion expressed thai the scheme would injuriously affect Friendly Societies, fhis question was also referred t9 the lodges for consideration. — In view of the faot that some persons had been in tho habit of joining lodges having a low initiation fee and participating In the benefits without paying any subscription, and then passing on and repeating the performance, It woB resolved to ask thovurlonsaooletles to iDsort a clause in_tho form of lulllfttlon providing that candidates shonld make a declaration that they werj financial members of the lodge (if any) to which they pievionsly belonged.— lt wob decided to write to the Medical Association asking for information as to the terms fixed by them In dealing with Friendly Societies.— A vote of thanks to the chairman concluded the meeting, We have received from the author, Mr H. Hill, F. 6.5., a pamphlet embodying bis paper on " Denudation as a Factor of Geological Time," read before the Phllosopbical Institute last year. Mr Hill is an enthusiast in geology, not only as 16 can be found expounded in books, bat as it can be read in the face of Nature herself. He quotes the astounding variations in the estimates of the age of the world made by different authorities oven when working on professedly the same basis. He gives no dldaotio opinion of his own, but points ont that the present rato of denudation of the earth's surface Is no criterion of the rate In the past when climatic and other conditions wore different. Even the present rate of denudation varies very largely, not due so much to variations in the average yearly rainfall as to exceptionally heavy rains in a short period, falling when tho earth Is already saturated. As ovldenoe of this he quotes tho chsDgea made in the land surface in the counties of Patangato, Waipawa, Hawke'a Bay, Cook, Wslroa, and Walapu in 1893-4 owing bo abnormal rains under the condition mentioned. One property of 5000 acras had' 500 acres Blip, another 1500 out of 11,500 acres, a third 15 per cent ont of 2000 acres, and so on. The paper la intended rather as a warning to geologists not to dogmatise on a basis of observations extending over a comparatively limited period than bb a contribution to the controversy as to the age of the earth. The Napier branch of the Baptbt Christian .Endeavor -Society held a social in the Baptist Church last evening. There was a good attendance, amongst the visitors prenent being delegates from several other local branches of the Christian Endeavor Sooleby. The church had been most artistically decorated with flowers, evergreens, and texts, and the seats were bo arranged as to give every facility for social conversation. The Eev. G. D, Cox presided, and in his usual happy style introduced the various singers with a few chatty remarks. Mn Clare, Misses Lily Cox and Riblnson, and Mr Bardsley contributed vooal oolos in excellent style, and Mr Robertson recited. Misses Sims nnd Cox, and Mrs Reid accompanied on the organ, Several hymnn were sung by tho company present. Miss Cobb, on behalf of the Methodist, Miss Carruth, for the Coogregatlonallst, and Mr A. M, Robertson, for the Presbyterian Carlotian Endeavor Societies, extended greeting 1 ! from their societies to the Baptist Endeavor Sooiety. Mr Bardsley read a remarkably well written and Instructive paper on "The Progress of the Christian Endeavor Movement." This papar, which was the work of Mastei Leonard Bicbeno, conveyed a mass ol information in a condensed form, supplemented by a few well selected extracts from prominent writers who have diseased the movement. Mr Batdsley also read a small article headed " A Christian Endeavor Thermometer ■' Daring the evening tea, coffee, and more solid refreshments in sjreat variety were handed round and freely partaken of. Votes of thanks to all who had assisted terminated a most enjoyable evening's entertainment, The Catholic social held last evening at the Gaiety Theatre was, as usual with these gatherings, a hnge sucoess. The theatre was crowded, the attendance numbering nearly 500 people. For the dancers a capital floor had been prepared, and the terpaicborean devotees tripped the light fantastic toe merrily until an early hour this morning, Mr T. Connor, as M.C., was a host in himself, and fully deserves the gratitude of dancers for his performance of the duties appertaining to the position. Mr Newboald's band supplied the music in their nsual excellent style. Extra dances were played by Misses A. Darney and Madlgan, and Mr C. Wilson. The ladies who provided the supper are to be complimented on the catering which could not well have been improved on. Songs were sung by Messrs H. Andrews, I Kirk, and Q. Udwardo, and all were well received by the audienoe. Miss M'lntosh danced a Highland Fling splendidly to the piping of Mr d , Sbanahan; the Misses Spillane (2) danced a Spanish Cachuca with rhythmic grace of movermeat and in perfect time. An Irish Reel, capitally danced by two ladleß, was one o? the best items, another notable oca being an Irish Reel danced by a quartette (tvfo ladles and two gentlemen). Messrs Boden and Fisher danoed a doable hornpipe in a manner that has seldom been equalled at a Napier entertainment. Owing to the extreme length of the programme some items had to be oiuifcted, notably, a recitation (a ihe Chinese pa/ok, hv B£f G. Kdwards, said to be side-splfttlog in its humor. To the secretary, Mr P. Dnrney, is due much of the credit for bringing these socials to snoh a successful Issvte, Cavlton Cotnwell, foreman of the Gazette, Mlddletown, N. J., believes that Chamberlain's Cough Remedy should be In every home. He used it for a cold and it effected a speedy cure. He says : "It is Indeed a grand remedy ; 1 can recommend to all. I have also span id used for whooping qough, with the best results," For sale by A. Ecoles, Wholesale and Retail Chemist, Napier and Hastings. 82

1895. 1805/ croaan. Marlborongh-Nclson 000,307 8»2,iH2 13,805 Cantorbury-Kaikoura 5,559,990 5,080,625 479.365 Otago-Southland 4,3G5,6Gl 3,900,372 105,289 Total decroaso .. .. 058,519

1895. 1896, Incroase. Auckland „ _ 810,873 817,204 331 Napior _ „ 4,217,232 4,229,411 12,170 ■Wellington _ 3,030.611 1,032,028 101,185 Totalincreaso _ 113,995