NEWS IN BRIEF.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XL, Issue 12402, 26 October 1903, Page 6

NEWS IN BRIEF.

Sitez mail arrived. ■ Te Anau left for the South. Waimate due from London. 'Frisco mail expected to-day. Zealaoadia arrived frpm -Sydney. • . Westraiia for Sydney this evening. Wanaka due.from Fiji to-morrow. Tomoana arrived from London and Aus- ■■' \ tralia. -'■ ':-'■-..' .'■.: : ' - > The profit on the Palmerston winter show .' '.-■■ was £248, besides assets £48. : A branch of the Liberal and Labour. Federation has been formed at Kaiwarra. " An Arbitration and Conciliation Bill is about t» be introduced into the Tasmanian Legislative Assembly. •:• .The first yearly report; of the Newcastle corporation electric tramways shows a gross surplus of £64,509. 1 ' • Sixteen fatalities occurred in connection;j with the various branches of mining work j in New Zealand last year. .' _ One wheat crop from Government seed in the Merriwa district, New South Wales, has heads up to 7iin long. Scarlet fever is still prevalent in Otago, 43 'cases being reported during the month of September, most of them from the . country.. . ■ , . ;, ■ . '•'. ' Stoats and weasels are said to be fairly numerous in Wairarapa district, and are causing considerable trouble to poultry •breeders. : ' " . ■ '.-,'.'■ The body of a female child was found -near Brighton, ', Victoria, recently. It bore the appearance .of having been "strangled. , Wanganui labour agencies report an unsatisfied demand feu? general domestics and farm labourers. The latter especially are very scarce. In company with", a half-caste, a lad named Miller was driving some horses in Queensland, when his horse rolled on him and killed him. .. The Hawera Star says that at most of the dairy factories it is anticipated that the output for October will exceed in volume ..that of any month during last sea-son. ' "The Manawatn A. and P. Association 'have a membership of 1308. Fifty-two new members were elected at the last monthly meeting . It is stated that 22,000 Wairarapa breeding ewes will be shipped from Wellington within two months' time for South Africa.. The animals will be shorn before being forwarded to Wellington. It is understood that the Government . system of retrenchment in Queensland will not affect the salaries of Civil servants. It will be ;a .. matter of reorganisation rather than a reduction of salaries. • ['There; were ten nrailboats, .of a total tonnage of 46,000 tons, in port at Sydney ■one day recently. Three were English, three French, two German, one Japanese, ' and the other an American ship. . . Of late years 'there has been considerable increase in the number cf ejectment orders granted in the Wellington Magistrate's ~ Court. Increasing population, little room for it, high rents, and then eviction.''.'. . Several Marisb Brothers had a narrow : escape while picnicking in the Maitland district, New South. Wales. pThey left the protection of a large, tree during a storm, and a* few minutes after the tree was blown • down. •: " •-' ; ;■' *, ■ In the opinion of Mr. Hogg, £41,000 • has been fooled away by the Government .this year on surveyors put to work on land that there is not the least chance of being taken up by anyone outside a lunatic ■'■asylum.' Owing to the recent heavy rain, the tomato and; potato crops have, around Ourimbah, New South Wales, suffered V severely. Many acres of tomatoes have ■ been completely destroyed, and most of the potatoes have rotted in the ground. w Serious-attention is being given by the Tasmanian Government to the recent outbreak of smallpox, ; with a view to finding out how the disease was introduced into the State. It is probable that an inquiry, presided over by a judge, will be held. ■; , Mount, Tuhua, 3688 ft high, distant four

miles from the head of Lake Kariieri, oa the east'side, is now accessible to tourists, a. good track having recently been formed. A splendid yiew of the Hokitika and Ross districts is obtainable from the summit. There never has been such a fine season in Apiti with such promising prospects for the fanners . (says the correspondent of the Feeding. paper). Butter is high, stock is high, » ana grass and lambs plentiful. Most of those who have docked have high

percentages. ■ The Government Statistician of New ': South Wales' estimates the total area under /wheat; iu the State.at 1,826,948 • acres, •;against:•l,6oo,34B acres last rear. Of the . wheat area, Mr. Cogldan estimates that : : ,340,100,.'■ seres will be cut for hay, and •* 1,486,848 reserved for grain. '■ ■'•'.' •