LOCAL AND GENERAL

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLVIII, Issue XLVIII, 5 February 1913, Page 4

LOCAL AND GENERAL

Yesterday was a scorching day m Melbourne' and the hottest of the >'eaain. The thermometer registered 105 dci"; in rhe shade —Press cable

A find of apparently consxlorabfe importance has been made on the Swastika. Coklmining Company's property at Mokih'mui, where a. series of shots have disclosed free gold i u a reef 18 feet in thickness. The shots took place 70 feet in on the reef. There is no -diminution it! the sulphides. The majority of the shares in the company are held in Wellington (says a Wes-tport wire).

A hydroplane that attains a speed of 50 miles an hour on the surface of the water has been invented by Mr. Fred. Baldwin, a Canadian engineer, -and is being adapted for trans-Atlantic travel. It is called the hydrodroms, and is driven by an aerial propeller, rising only a foot and a-ha't" above the water. It is supported by hydro-surface like which are curved, and not flat. They are arranged in three ladderlike forms under the keel of the vessel. Tt ;s claimed that the new vessel operates as well in rough water as in smooth, and that there is no motion and no spray.

The Faro-meter, a remarkable implement to prevent motor-'bus and taxicab accidents, has been invented by Mr. Thomas Farrow, the chairman of Farrow's Rank. Ltd. The instrument registers the number of miles at which the vehicle is travelling, and may be placed in such a. manner that the figures are plainly visible to the public and the police, while on the reverse side the same figures are shown, to the driver and occupants of the -bus or taxi-cab. Should the vehicle lie travelling above the speed limit. n lnud gong it set in motion, and continues to ring until thp sneed is reduced. If the driver ignores the gong the Faro-mcter exhibits "red" or "danger" figures. At night time the instrument is by electricity.

It was stated at the YVnimatc Comity Council meeting hist week that nruler the Act of 1910 U would cost three times the amount of rates that could he levied to recover rates from the Cllenavy Maoris. The clerk illustrated the various difficulties, and stated that oven if judgment was secured on such claims the, process would necessarily be slow. The European settlers on these reserves had all paid up. but the Maoris were indifferent, and one had invited the clerk to ''Fire away." Members agreed that the Act, however beneficial in some parts of the North Island, was of little practical use in 'their case. The actingchairman (Mr Hart) reported on a remit that had been dealt with at the Counties' Conference. The proposal read that all rates on Native reserves recoverable under the new Act be paid by the Public Trustee, irrespective of the source o'f his payment. Needless to mention, says the "Timarn Herald," members had a laugh at this suggestion.

Newspaper files from New Caledonia aro just now filled with material relating to proposed improvements in the port of Noumea. The Coyernor,, has nominated a commission to inquire into the questions of a new wharf, a floating dock, graving dock, longer quays, coal station, refrigerators, etcT IT is anticipated that the opening of the PanamaCanal will make Noumea of much higher importance as a port of call, and. New Caledonians are anxious to .keep pace with possible developments of trade.

The proposed scheme for carrying fruit by post was the only important matter dealt with at the meeting of the Canter-' hury i<ruitgrowers' Association on Saturday night, says the "Press." It was decided that nothing could be done in the matt-er at present, as there were not sufficient varieties of fruit ready for the market. The secretary was instructed to make arrangements for obtaining the names of those growers who would, have fruit for sale, so that the matter could ■be brought up at the next meeting of the Association. /

Over 1.500,0C0 gallons of highly inflammable oils were brought front New Yor.k by the steamer Cape JT'inisterre, which arrived at Auckland late on Friday night, The vessel's cargo includes the largest quantity of cased benzine yet shipped by one steamer from the American port, and the freight. (2s a case) was the highest yet paid for an oil freight.

Of the large number of immigrants who arrived on Monday evening by the Remuera. onlv about 20 have so far applied to tlie Labour Department in search of work, says a. Wellington telegram. As nearly all were prepared for country employment, no difficulty was found in placing them.

A young man appeared at the Police Court: at Invercargill yesterday on -a charge of drunkenness. Detective Cameron stated that the defendant had been for some days past freely presenting a revolver, and yesterday,- while .coming into town in a. taxi-cab, threatened to shoot .the driver. The police were informed of the man's peculiar demeanour, and arrested him on the arrival of the taxi-cab. He had been drinking heavily of )ate, and the police asked for a- remand for a. week <to see-'if the defendant's behaviour was .due to drink, or other causes. A remand was granted.

A heifer's strange fondness for cream ' as a beverage created a little amusement I in Aorangi the other day (says the Feilding "Star.") It is the custom for those dairy-:reu who work on the home separator system to place their cream in cans on a. aboii!; the time the colleetine motor van may ba expected. A certain dairyman followed out this rule as usual one day, leaving the precious fluid unattended. Meanwhile a wanderinn heifer, evidently suspecting something goad in the cans, after investigation at once set to regale herself with the contents of one. In her enjoyment the fluid disappeared, her "lowering" bead became jammed in the vessel, which discovery" greatly alarmed the bovine, and with <thc can as a muzzle and head tiitcd she set up a wild and weird dance, the effect beinjr enhanced by the spread of "the richest in cream" over the head and back of the animal, difficulty being experienced in relieving her of her unbecoming muzzle. Of those interested in the incident, perhaps the dairvman concerned was the least amused.

The Hon. W. H. Hcrries (Minister for Railways) told reporter vpfiterdav that iho experiment of attaching a •special car to the Auckland- express for the carriage of fruit had not conic up to expect., lions. On some days no more fruit had. offered than could ho carried in the guards van, aim" on- these occasions the (special car had' been dispensed with.

(iroa.t briskness in the Dunedin grain market, is looked fur inwards the end oi' next month.

A first offender for drunkenness >va» convicted and Jimxi ,'Ss by Air. J.'.'S. hlvaus. S.M., this morning.

Settlers on the hills about Lake Wanaka, says the jJunedin correspondent of the "Lyttj'ton Times," report at t.io kea is very do-: rue live ;,, their ■■ strict, many j-heep !-e--,.r killed by that bivl every winte;

The following steamers will be within wireless range of Wellington to-night: Victoria. Wimmern, Manuka, Moeraki, Delphic. Talune. C.\f Auckland:--Warriiuoo.

Tlie general meeting of the Overseas Club, which wa.< (o have oeen held tonight, is postponed, and will ho held in the Louncil Chambers on Tuesday, 11th. iit'St.. at 8 p.m.

Messrs J-".. Buxton niui Co., Ltd., (agents N.Z. Shipping Co.), have been advised that the s.s. Opawa .sailed from Loudon on 31st January for Auckland, Wellington, and Nelson, and'that h)io ha." 1600 tons of cargo from this port.

The new instruments for the (larrison Band, with the exception of three or four which will be here in a day or two, are on view at Messrs Begg and C'o.'s, Tral'algar-street. They arc*~silv?r-plnted, arid of very line npiiearanee. On Saturday i veuing the- Ba'ud will play outsidft Beg:; and Co.'s when a collection will be taken up in aid of the instrument fund. With a complete set of Bessou instruments, the Band should make good headway.

A deep voice from the auditorium caused a stiiv in the Wellington Magistrate's Court the other morning. Detective. Abbott was in the witness box'giving evidence in a case in which theft, was alleged against a steward on the steamer Arahura. "On Saturday Inst." he said. "T was on the Arahura 'making inquiries into the fire which occurred there—" "You're a liar." cried someone from the back. "Put that man out," the Magistrate (Mr Riddoll) ordered, and the Court orderly and another constable ejected the interruptpr. —"Dominion."

The recent departure of the Anglican Archbisho'p of Melbourne (Dr. Clark-i for England has an important bearing on the subject of the legal nexus which binds the Church of England in Australia to the parent Church. While in the Old Country Dr. Clarke will lake tli* opportunity of ascertaining the of the Archbishop of Caiiterb~ury, the' English bishops, and other Church authorities upon the question of the autonomy of the Church in Australia. It is expected that Dr. Clarke will return in time to discuss the results of his visit with thi» bishops who will assemble in connection with the _ Church Congress in Brisbane next spring, and/ important- proposals will probably be laid before the next meeiing oi" the ■Gsneral Syno.d.

Although his Excellency the iGoverno r had occasion to mention on more than one occasion the year 181.3 —onp hundredi years "ago-rduring hi.< interesting speech at the New Zealand; Club's luncheon, he admitted to sthts that at that period the then Earl of Liverpool \vas Prime Minister of England, having taken office on June 9, 1812, re-, linquislxing it on April 24,, 1827—a fifteen years' term. That •distinguished' statesman was the second Earl of the old title.* The present Earl of Liverpool is the second Earl of the revived title and fifth of the o}<\ title.—"Dominion."

"The Katipo," the official organ of the Post and Telegraph Asociation, has a sting occasionally. The January number says: "The usual annual protest. All clear was not signalled until 9.30 Christmas morning. It is aptly named the anv nual endurance test, and the sooner some folution of this nerve-racking, heartbreaking, Christmas EW task is found, the more pleased we all will be."

The steady decline of. population- haft lone been k subject of serious concern to French statesmen. But another and more alarming discovery has been hinde, says tho_ "Argonaut.""' The French peasant is losing his reputation as a. wealth-producer. The vast accumulation of reserve capital in France, and the general prosperity of the country, are due in no' small degree to the existence. of an industrious and thrifty peasantry. The peasant is the backbone of the republic. And yet all is not well with ag- " riculture in France. The subject has ' been thoroughly ventilated in the Paris '., press. It will surprise most people to ! know that the net returns to the French

farmer are lower than those of most countries in Europe. Denmark, only a fourth the size, exports four times more agricultural produce than France. Germany and Belgium, although mainly industrial countries, have' a relatively greater agricultural export than Frances which is primarily an agricultural /nation. The return per acre to land under crops in France is lower than in Denmark, Belgium, England, or Germany in the order of production. France sl\6ws increasing imports of eggs and buttery although twelve years ago France exported more eggs than Denmark. . ,1:

In a letter to a Tfrnnru friend (says trho "Post"), Mr Phil O'Shea, the'wellknown cyclist, gave some particulars of the six days' race held in Sydney about New Year time, in which ho* and" a .companion took part. "I wos doing .my last turn on the trade before going on for the final sprint," ho writes, "wlien - 1 punctured, and 'Smiler' had to go ■ on while. I got another wheel in. As ho had been doing some 'hot stuff* a little before, he was tired, and I had to relieve him at 9.20, and kept going till 18 minutes to 10, when I had a threeminutes' spell before going on for the final quarter of an hour, with all the sjrintors who had had a spell of mi hour or more. , I therefore didn't have much chance, being tired, while thev were fresh, especially as the speed for the final lap was.4s miles per hour." Mr O'Shea mentioned that all the sleep he had during the six days was about six hours. He added that what troubled him most in the six days' race were the pain« which got into various muscles, but these could be avoided when one "knew how." Mr O'Shea does not intend riding any more in Australia, and returned by the Moeraki.

Two of the juvenile perpetrators of tho recent serins or burglaries in Wellington came before Mr W. G. Riddell, S.M., in the Juvenile Court yesterday, says tho "Post." The other boy did not appear. His mother wiw getting him ready in tho morning, when he cleared out-, and had not been found when the Court sat. Tho porporty taken was of a miscellaneous description, including gum boots, cigarettes, watches, and money, and a considerable amount of it has been recovered'.' The two boys who appeared this morning are brothers, aged 7 and 9 years respectively ; the missing boy ia 8 years old, and none of them have been before the Court previously. The. mother of the boys who'appeared stated that they had given no trouble previously, and they went to school regularly. Questioned by his Worship, the boys said they broke into tho places because the other boy told them to. His Worship severely lectured the boys, and ordered'' them to receive six strokes with a birch rod. He also ordered the parents to pay tho value of the goods which have not been recovered. . . ~ .. .„

Several ■ plate-glass windows- in Wellington have suffered lately from a- person wlio has been going about marking them, with a glass-cutter. As a. result, considerable damage has been done, and the police are looking for the doer of the mischief, says the ''Post." There are indications that something will be heard of the Charleston lignite coal measures before very long (says the Greymouth correspondent of the "Otago Daily Times." Activity is being shown just now in the erection of the chain of wireless stations around Australia. The s.s. Warrimoo, which sailed from Sydney on the Ist insi., has on board an Australian mail. She arrived at \\ ellington this morning. Contractors in New Zealand are finding it very difficult to obtain delivery of Australian hardwood timber, particularly of ironbark, which is usually needed in long lengths in the case of harbour works. The Government is being urged by the Farmers' "Union to repeat the experiment of bringing out another draft of "Sedgwick" boys. In a letter on the subject. Mr E. C. Jack, Dominion secretary of the Union, refers to the bringing out- of the batch of fifty lads under the Sedo-wick scheme two years ago, and he goes"on to say :—"The Labour Department undertook the supervision of .the lads during the term of their engagement, which averaged about three years The Government decided to test the quality of the lads for twelve months before bringing others. The Department, we understand, reported vevv favourablv. but nothing further was" done. Mr Sedgwick is still hoping that arrangements will be made tor a further lot. and he has advised us that he can guarantee an even better selection than the last. There is a great demand for bovs of 18 to 2x years for farm work, arid there can really be no better class of immigrant, as they readily adapt themselves to our conditions.* We hope vou will see your way to include this in your scheme, or it :t more directlv concerns the Minister ot Labour, to urge h':zn to repeat the experiment.'"