NEWS AND NOTES.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue 7396, 24 February 1902, Page 2

NEWS AND NOTES.

The question of the site of the Federal capital was the cause of a hot discussion in the Federal House on Friday. At a meeting of the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association, it was decided, if Simpson could get leave of aosence, to send him to England with Smith to represent the colony. I Frank Slavin, the well-known heavy weight boxer, has been appointed a Government suryeyor at Elondyke. An Australian paper states that a close race from San Francisco to Melbourne has just been completed by tbe American ships Elwell and Henry Villard. The last-named vessel left San Francisco on December 15, and the Elwell a day later, but the latter arrived at Melbourne on February 3, while the Henry Villard did not roach her destination until February 4. Both vessels made splendid passages of fifty-two and fifty-four days respectively. An elderly dame in Christchurch, who makes periodical bows to the bench on charges of inebriety, rather amused the onlookers the other day when she entered " Black Maria," en route to do her usual fortnight, by patting her head out of the van and calling out " Home, John !" in her best «• society " voice to the driver on the box. An elevator for the discharge of butter on the system used in the discharge of frozen meat has been invented by Captains Lawson and Noakes, Marine Superintendents in London of the New Zealand Shipping Company. Each elevator can discharge 1500 boxes of butter an hour, and in one day last December 10,000 boxes were discharged from the Paparoa by one machine without working overtime. Marconi assured the shareholders of the company interested in the wireless telegraphy system that the post office monopoly alone prevented the commercial utilisation of the system between Britain and Ireland. The same monopoly prevented commercial messages within the three mile shore limit. His system at present would utilise seventy ships and twenty-five land stations, and he Would be able to transmit twenty-two words per minute. , Absolute seoreoy by the system was a certainty. Mr Hesebeck, of Napier, has shown a representative of the Daily Telegraph an excellent sample of peaches which he has grown upon the stock of the wild peach. Up to twenty years ago, the wild peach in Hawke's Bay used to furnish an abundant supply of fruit, which for quality and appearance could not be surpassed. Mr Hesebeck, by utilising the same stock, ensures crops of large, juicy, well-flavoured and attraotively-ooloured fruit, His view is that the acclimatised peach stock ought to be chiefly relied upon by growers. TWO STRONG EEASONS. W. J Mcllroy, Esq., Kumara, N.Z., said recently :— " From actual use in my own family, and remarks made by all who have ever used Chamberlain's Cough Bemedy "I know it to be the best cough mixture in the market. I have had the agency for over four years, have sold many dozens and have never had a single complaint. For sale at Hawera General Store.— AdAt.

The Aorere arrived at Patea from Wellington on Saturday, aud sailed again the same evening. She is expected back tomorrow, and sails for Wellington same night. A representative of the Lyttelton Times ; has just returned from a visit to Cheviot. ' He reports that the settlers have praotic- ( ally resumed their normal life, and that with the exception of the buildings, which met with the most serious injury, tbe ; settlement bears its usual appearance. ! The total sum subscribed by the public, ( together with the joint subsidy, amounted { to £2700. Most of the money has been distributed, and, what is more, In a manner which appears to have given satisfaction to the recipients. Tbe country is looking well. Up to the end of November the settlement was threatened by a serious drought, but copious rains fell during December, and again last month, and now the country wears a blooming appearance. A curiouß case of long estranged lovers becoming reconciled, late in life, and united in marriage, in reported from Wisconsin. About the end of 1861 a young man and his sweetheart quarrelled over the War of Secession. The girl's relatives wera Confederates, and she sided with them; while the youth sympathised with the Federals. The pair parted in anger; the young man joined the Army of the North, and figured in. many engagements. Each remained single out of regard for the memory of the other. They met accident- ' ally, after an absence of 40 years, at the end of last November, and the old quarrel was made up by the twain becoming man and wife. [ The Wellington Times' special reporter writes : Poultry farming has a future before it in tbe Palmerston district, for the plain reason that it is being established on a proper looting. In comparison with the manner in whioh dairy farming is conducted, this is little short of remarkable. The great majority of dairymen evidently consider the roughest possible shelter good enough for a dairy cow, whereas the men who are embarking in the poultry business believe that the shelter for their fowls cannot be too good. Ihe strange sight is to be seen of a filthy now yard and a dilapidated milking shed standing in close proximity to a number of splendidly bnilt and finished poultry houses, painted in two colours. Considering that the modern dairy cow is the most highly organised domesticated animal, the reason of her continued general neglect, whjoli. daily reapts upon the owner, is inexplicable. ' „ In the House of Lords, Lord Can ing ton, moved for the production of all papers in connection with the tenders for the army meat contracts. He denounced the enormous profits of the last contract. Lord Raglan, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for War, said the Government accented the lowest out of 55 tenders for the new contracts for a currency of five years. Lord Lansdowne, Secretary of State for War, said that all agreed that after the colonies' splendid bohaviour no effort ought to be. spared to give them a chance of freely competing, and such opportunity had not been denied. The Public Accounts Committee of the House of Commons declared that the last contract vas justifiable in view of the difficulty of supply and the uncertainty of events, though it would have been better if there had been separate contracts for live and frozen meat. Bergl's contract stood unaltered, but monthly inspections and reports at intervals had been arranged for, in order to secure honourable observance of the contractor's promise to deal with the colonies as far as possible. The Admiralty's contract for supply of meat to ships in Simon's Bay was fivepence three farthings, compared with Bergl's fivepence halfpenny with distribution. It would be impolitic to produce tenders. An immediate inquiry would be improper and inconvenient. The motion was negatived without division. Mr Spence, of tbe Economic, Hawera announces the arrival of new goods in every department. The dress velvets, jackets, and mackintoshes are the latest. Customers visiting the Economic will find a large variety to select from. — Advt.