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New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 9490, 20 April 1894, Page 4 (Supplement)

There were 4100 weddings in New Zealand in 1593. The Postmaster-General is completing arrangements for the exchange of money orders with Canada. In New Zealand last year the gross cost of prisoners per head was £49 15s 6d, and the net cost £36 4? sd. Information has been received at Wellington that the Grand Lodge of Mexico has extended fraternal recognition to the Grand Lodge of New Zealand. The revenue returns for the last quarter are now made up upon the telegraphic reports from the various centres. A surplus of £200,000 is expected. Air. John Holmes, grader to the NewZealand Flax Millers' Association, estimates the New Zealand flax trade to be worth ; about £400,000 a-year. During; March the rainfall was more than an inch below the average of the previous 27 years. The mean temperature was slightly below the average. It is reported by Rear-Admiral Bowden Smith that the volcano in the sea between Tau and Olosega (Manua Group), Sainoan Islands, is rising ; and where 90 fathoms was reported by H.M.s. Falcon in 1866, there is now only 2 fathoms, or less. A comparative trial of Newcastle and West port coals on the Napier Harbour Board's dredge resulted in favour of the New Zealand coal. In 29 days' work 16£ tons of Newcastle coal were used, while I 3£ tons of West port lasted as long, and there is much less labour in cleaning out the ashpits with the Wes'port coal. The Auckland Freezing Works are busy refrigerating meat for shipment by the Buteshire to ixmdon. It is anticipated some 6700 carcases of frozen meat will be shipped from Auckland by this new cargo steamer, the shipment comprising beef, mutton, and lambs. The Engineer Volunteer Company, which has been in existence since 1871, have finally resolved to disband. They have good uniforms, a credit balance, and are in a sound financial position, but they have become disgusted with the treatment volunteers generally, and themselves in particular, have received from the Governpent. -■ The returns of the rainfall for 1893 give :— 174 inches at Fuysegur Point, 154 Inglewood, 120 Stratford, 113 Rotor 104 P»imutaka summit, 102 Greyraouth. At Auckland the fall was 53, Napier 57, Wellington 53, Christchurch 19, and Dunedin 54. Christchurch was the lowest recorded in. the colony. The greatest fall in any one day was 10 inches, on Marcli 11, at Kaoonga, Wanganui. .-■fThe Aberdeen line steamer Damascus left Sydney for London on March 17. -In the outward manifest of her cargo are two lines of colonial timber. One of these is a shipment of 90,000 feet of kauri pine, in flitches, specially selected for the manufacture of urniture, and the other is a lot of myall for the British Admiralty, that wood having been selected as best suited to the require-

merits of the Ordnance Department as material for the manufacture of spokes and gun carriages. The following statistics with reference to the hotels in the four centres of the colony, have been obtained by Inspector Broham, of Christchurch: Number of licensed houses of Christchurch city, 47 ; number of licensed house? in licensing district of Christchurch, 55; Wellington City and district coterminous, 54; Auckland (no licenses in district outside of the city boundary), 58 ; Dunedin, in city, 71, in district, 88. The total, therefore, for the four centres of New Zealand ie 373 hotels. The New Zealand Times states:—'"The Government had determined to lay down another cable to connect the North and South Islands. The material has been ordered, and will bo shortly on its way out, and when the Hinemoa returns from Rarotonga she will be employed in surveying the best line. The cable is to be a singlecore cable, but measures have been taken to make that cable properly serviceable. To that end the Government has determined to use the "sender and receivers" known as Wheatstone's, which work up to 450 words a minute. With these machines, which have been ordered, the new single-core cable will be able to do more work than the others now in use. The new cable will, in fact, guarantee the country against the evil effects of any possible break in the cable communication between the two islands. Mr. J. O'Brien, General Secretary of the New Zealand Workers' Union, furnishes fche following information : — Thti ballot taken in connection with the New Zealand Shearers and Labourers Union has resulted as follows : In favour of changing the name of the Society to the New Zealand Workers' Union : For, 500 ; againsb, 146. In favour of establishing a newspaper similar to the Australian Worker: For, 400; against, 246. In favour of adopting the death beneSt scheme: For 390; against, 256. In favour of the Society _ importing sheepshearers : For, 387 ; against, 259. In favour of raising the subscription to 10s per year : For, 344; against,, 302. Vice-presidents, three to be elected : T. Brown, 464; G. ' Pearce,429 ; W. Wills, 413; A. Avery, 279. Trustees, three required : A. Shirley, 434; H. Mellon, 423; J. Sullivan, 389 G. Pearce, 344. Auditors, two required : E. Barrel!, 403; W. Singleton, 329 ; A. M. Taafe, 320. Besides these the following were elected unopposed :President, J. W. Kelly, M. H.R. ; Treasurer, H. E. Mann; General Secretary, J. O'Brien. There were a few informal votes. The next conference of delegates opens at Christchurch on the 25th of April. I