PERSONAL ITEMS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 10900, 3 November 1898, Page 6

PERSONAL ITEMS.

Judge Patt has been temporarily appointed to the Queensland Supreme Court Bench. The death is announced of Mr. P. A. C. O'Farrcll, a Melbourne solicitor, who was in 1882 sentenced to two years for wounding Archbishop Gould with a revolver. Mr. W. U. Bingham, whose name has figured so largely in connection with tramway matters in Auckland of late, entertained a number of the members of the Wellington Club, and several legislators, at a luncheon at Day's Bay, on Monday. The party went over from Wellington in the Duchess, and the luncheon — a particularly sumptuous one —was served in tie pavilion. The Auckland members of Parliament were exempted from the list of invitations, which was a very large one. Inquiries have been received by the New South Wales Minister for Mines and Apiculture regarding tiie Tungsten or WolfnSn deposits. 1 here is a growing demand for this metal in Luropc. One firm has intimated that it is prepared to buy this mineral for cash to any extant It is principally used n the hardening of steel tools required as cutters or planers, and also in the colouring of cotton goods. Tho chief deposits in New South Wales occur in the Cooma.Bingara, Bnrrowa Uwra, and Tuena districts, on the Mole Tableland, Emmaville, and at Hogue's Creek, near Glen limes

American competition may be said (says a Glasgow paper) to be pressing us pretty hard When Glasgow places a contract for the supp v of cast-iron water-pipes with a Philadelphia firm. It is not too much to say that Without it* ironficld. and coalfields Glasgow would never have been able to boast iU!f the second city in the Empire. Yet recently, When tho lenders for the wipply of 1000 torn of pipes were submitted to the Glasgow Town Council it was found that a Philadelphia firm had made „ lower offer than any Glasgow firm. The case is not without its «gnifl. cinco in these times, when it is part of the creed of the British trade unionift to 1 Z can get tthen the contract «-as originally tendered or. the Philadelphia firm offering fift length, in place of ,, ft lcngu* suggested' sinm contract was able to quote nearly I £1000 cheaper than the nearest Glasgow firm Uat i 8 more noteworthy in the case is the act that a firm in Philadelphia should be ih ?, pt ?. duce 'F on P'P<s. 'o ship them across the Atlantic, and to deliver them in Glasgow! at a price considerably cheaper than the Glas- : gc\v iron-masters themselves can sell at with- ■ out sacrincmg their profit. It is not only in ; TbZ V British nuuinfaotar ! >* finding himself in some degree cut out ' fir' \"T S fonnS Of ™W ™rk ssafeTStsP feel billets also lust now, but doubts are oontmuance of the supply at pre^t l^ A friend of birds sue«»cst« n= <A\ Every thoughtful .or obser-ant pers™ 3: "7 adnut that as an insect a K X best of friends to the orchard and garden yet bird depredations are often so Kin the berry and fruit seasons that the owner of orchards or gardens finds it necessary to protect himself by destroying his otherwise helpful little friends. With a little C thought and observation he could spare his friends and save «his fruit as well. A row of mulberry trees nea!r an orchard will furnish -, fruit for all Hie birds that are in the neighbourhood. The trees are inexpensive and of quick growth, and the fruit is preferred by the birds to any other. With mulberries at hand t'iierries, strawberries, and blackberries will not be molested. The expense will more than bo made up by tho fruit saved from the birds, who are nature's protectors of fruit, «ss, and vine from their insect foes,

Mr. J. Allen referred to the last speaker as lardly an authority on consistency or inegrity. The present system of expenditure in the construction of railways was a-n unnisinesslike scheme. Tlie practice of payng money received from the sale of native ands into the revenue account was also un> nisinesslike, and when all the lands wen old the Consolidated Fund would begin tt eel the want of this prop. Referring to th< act that the Minister for Lands had contra if £300,000, proposed to be expended, h toped that next session legislation would bi ntrodnced to prevent the transfer of amount; rom one item to another in the same vote. Mr. Buchanan said the waste which wa; aused by piecemeal construction of the rail rays of the colony, was nothing comparet nth the waste connected with the expendi ure of public moneys under the co-operativi ystem. The amendment was negatived on th( 'Oices. Captain Russell said there was nothini nore trying than to attempt to drive ar<ni »ent into empty benches, or so hopeless a: rving to make a speech when there was n< me to listen to it. Year by year the in erest in the public works of the colony wa: iteadily diminishing, which arose from tin act that arrangements with respect to thea vorfcs were made in caucus instead of in tin louse. Ihe prinoiple of the expenditure o lublic money required consideration, as cer am votes were passed without it being con iclered whether or not the money would bi iropedy expended. Notwithstanding th, act that theirs was a policy of retrenchment ne predecessors of the present Governmen: md constructed 28 .miles yearly, as again® iU miles by the present Government Tin )roposal to expend £200.000 on working rail rays was, he considered, an evidence of com showed that they-were being starved in ordei o show a dividend, which really did nol sist. He combated the statement that tin .ecessity for this expenditure was on accoun if the action of the Railway Commissioners ( nd pomted out that though the populate if the colony Had increased since the Govern nent assumed control of the railways thi armngs per mile, had not increased Wit! eference to expenditure on roads and bridges ».»>d that the Government subsidies t local bod.es should be in proportion t< nverse ratio of ratable value Mr. Seddon said the general consensus o opinion O f those who used the railway?^ Jiat they were now better managed than a' any previous period. He pointed out that n< -lemand had been made for an earlier oppor unity t<.consider the Public Works Esti nates. Referring to the transfer of mo™ from one item to another in the same vote he said the transactions had no influence o bearing on the balance for the rear whicl was neither increased nor decreased'. Con sjdennc the strain which had been placed oi tiie raifways plant, the manner in which tha Department had met it was highly commend

READ FIRST TIME iiy 34 to 11 the Canterbury College Powers Bill was read a first time ° toh^;rse u vrn. topistbeHouseadjouraed Thedebr resu med at half-past seven. go into ci-H the motion that the House ffi WnT^V 01 SUPPI} " t0 o°°*** Ae K B &v Est ' mates ™ resumed by of a KS , 00^the construction «a branch raUway from Pukekohe to Wai-

the fl» Government that