GENERAL NEWS.

Mataura Ensign, 23 May 1910, Page 2

GENERAL NEWS.

The hardships of pioneer settlement are not yet a thing of the past. Dr Valintiue told the Wanganui Hospital Board that while in Taranaki the other day a fellow-medico had told him that he had just been speaking to awoman in .the far-back, who had not seen one of her own sex for seven months! "There are dioceses, in America which are speaking of doing away with the ordination altogether," said the Rev. C. Crane in the Presbyterian Assembly at Sydney last week. "They say ordination is a supei-stition. I wouldn't care if it were removed tomorrow. (Cries of "Oh, oh!" and' >\ voice, "Stick to it, Crane!"). My opinion is that ordination is a matter of Church precedure—if a man uses it I properly he may get good through; it." A deputation of ladies organised by the National Council of Women waited on the Premier of Queensland the other day and asked for legislation to provide that all children of immature years should be. at their homes before certain hours of the evening, or, in other words, the establishment of the Curfew principle in its relation to boys and girls. /Mr Kidston, in the course of his reply, said that they might, by the restriction of personal liberty, bring about a reaction that would be much more hurtful to society in the end. It was natural in a climate bke this that young people should wis' l to be out of doors at night. He would ondeavor to collect information on tlw subject, and would lay the matter before Cabinet before the opening of Parliament to see whether they could take any action at all, or the particular action that the deputation had suggested. "We (the 'Poverty Bay Herald') can not forget the absolute discouragement that was given to one of our Gisborne boys, Mr George Kemp, who long before the days of Marconi got ort the track of "wireless," and made a number of convincing experiments, demonstrating that telegraphic signals could be transmitted without wires. Mr Kemp was a member of the local telegraph staff, and though those in Wellington knew that he had exceptional ability as an electrician and had made a very close study of the science, though they knew further the nature of the experiments he was engaged in, there was not sufficient public spirit amongst those in authority to give the young operator any encouragement either in the way of material or in "time off" for his experiments; consequently through lack of capital, but mainly through official discouragement, the experiments were not pursued to the final issue that would assuredly have given New Zealand the honor of producing for the world's benefit the marvel of wireless telegraphy."

"I was very much struck with Tauranga because of its natural and beautiful position, as well as its general air of solidity and comfort," said Bishop Averill on his return to Napier from his Bay of Plenty trip. "It has now started to go ahead after a period of depression, and is likely to become a big and important place. The people there are not so much interested in the railway to Te Puke as those of the latter place are. They are more anxious for a line to Waihi, which would give them uninterrupted railway communication with Auckland. A serious drawback in the Bay of Plenty and on the ( coast is the want of a really good har- j bor. Scows and other boats call, but sometimes through bad weather are unable to land their cargoes, which they carry up and down the coast waiting for a favorable opportunity. Not far fromh Raukokore I saw lying on the beach a quantity of drain-pipes and a boat intended for a place between Gisborne and Tolaga Bay. The captain of the vessel by which they were consigned had apparently got tired of carting them up and down the coast and had at last decided to get rid of them anywhere."

After nearly half a century of agitation the shopkeepers and shop assistants of Sydney,arc to have their Saturday half-holiday. The Premier, Mr Wade, imparted the news to an imposing deputation, which urged him on commercial and humanitarian grounds to make the universal half-holiday "the coping stone of the magnificent legislative structure which constitutes the monument of Liberal Governments in N.S.W." The words quoted were used by Mr A. J. Riley, president of the Shopkeepers' Association, who pointed out that as far back as 1865 he had attended a meeting at which resolutions were carried in support of the proposal. Since that time the question has been more or less a live one. But there were always two opinions about it, and it seems that there are still some who prefer the mid-week (Wednesday) to the week-end holiday. Mostly they are small suburban shopkeepers. It was largely on their account that the Royll Commission which last year inquired into the pros, and cons, of the proposal refrained from recommending a change. The apparent satisfaction which has followed the introduction of the Saturday half-holi-day in Melbourne has, however, modified the views of many who objected to the experiment being tried in Sydney, and the deputation which drew from the Premier a promise to give legislative effect to the proposal in the coming session of Parliament was satisfied that suburban shopkeepers who might not now be enamored of the movement would ultimately be among its foremost applauders.

All the frozen meat stores in Sydney are full to the doors and shippers are at their wits' end to know 'what to do with the meat. In some cases they have refused to buy at Homebush, knowing there is no place to store it. Every steamer for the United Kingdom is leaving with every available foot of space occupied, and shippers have found it impossible to book space in vessels leaving as late as July. This is due to the season. The January rains furnished such good grass that the stork kept fat, instead of going off, as they usually do at this time of the year. There was a block in 1906, but nothing compared to this one. Vessels which used partially to load at Brisbane and <?o to Sydney to fill up now c6mplete their loading in the northern State and there is no space left for New South Wales shippers when the steamers arrive there. It is estimated that there are 3,600,000 rabbits in the stores, besides beef, mutton, lamb and veal. I