NEWS IN BRIEF.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 12480, 26 January 1904, Page 6

NEWS IN BRIEF.

Mokoia left foi Sydney. Talune for the South this afternoon. Taviuni for the- Eastern Pacifio tomorrow. Bullion valued at £9400 was sent to London via Sydney yesterday. • Recently the steamer leaving Melbourne for South Africa took 164£ tons of butter. Harvesting is pretty general in Wairarapa just now, reapers and binders being at work in all directions. The Waimate (Canterbury) County Council has paid away this season the sum of £679 4s 2d for small birds' heads, eggs, and nests. So great is the tourist traffic between Lake To Anaw and the head of Mil ford Sound this season that seven guides are kept employed. The vital statistics for New Zealand for the month of December show that cancer accounted for 19 deaths, heart disease for 18, and phthisis for 12. The master bakers at- Ballarat, Victoria, have decided to reduce the price of the 41b loaf to 4£d. The Ballarat Co-operative Supply Society has also made a reduction. The Victorian Minister for Agriculture has promised the fruitgrowers in that State to try and secure greater facilities for the carriage of fruit from Melbourne to Sydney. The Gear Company, Wellington, can now freeze up to 4000 sheep a day, and has storage accommodation for 160,000 carcases. Substantial improvements have recently been made to the Petone works. Dry weather is prematurely ripening the Canterbury oat crop, and on the lighter soils carvesting operations have already begun. , It is not anticipated that the yield will be nearly as large as last season. Shearing operations have been going on briskly of late on all the stations, says the Cromwell (Otngo) Argus. As a result of this the waggoners are busy carrying the season's crop of wool to the railway terminus. Last season 20.000 rabbits were trapped on Taylor's Flat, Upper Wainu, Southland. The flat has now fewer rabbits than ever before. In fact, the pest is not nearly so numerous anywhere in Southland as in previous years, which shows that trapping has been effective.

At the last meeting of the Launceston Chamber of Commerce, Dr. Webster gave notice to move that the Federal Parliament be asked to reimpose the tea duties. A motion favourable to the formation of a preferential trade league, ,as proposed by Sir Philip Fysh, was agreed to. A Stratford resident, who has just returned from a Home tour, says that the condition of labour in New Zealand and our legislation concerning labour are eagerly watched in America, and everywhere he went he was interviewed by union leaders and men as to the legislation in force.

A lint crop at Eastern Bush, Ofcago, is now out in flower. It is a fairly good held, but the soil in that district is rather light for heavy fields. With the advent of dairying, however, linseed meal is required, and there is no reason (says the Western Star) whj a little should not be grown for home consumption.

Active steps are being taken at Inverell, New South Wales, on the alien question by white storekeepers, who are raising serious objections and bitter opposition to firms of Chinese storekeepers, who are established there. A large meeting of business people was held to discuss the matter, and an association formed.

The Premier of South Australia, Mr. Jenkins, has received a letter from the Consul of Sweden and Norway, conveying the thanks of the Norwegian Government foi the very prompt and efficient means taken to despatch assistance to the crew of the Norwegian barque Ethel, recently stranded at Cape Spencer. Some of the old parishioners in London of the late Bishop Webber, of Brisbane, who were with him in the very beginning of his work in Holborn, propose to erect in his memory a baptistry in the Church of St. John the Evangelist, where he was vicar for 21 years—lß64-85. The estimated cost of this memorial is about £700.

The body of a well-known fisherman, named S. Rutter, who disappeared from his camp at King's Island, Clarence River, New South Wales, has been recovered in the river, about half-a-mile above the camp, by the master of the jmssenggr steamer Pacific. The body had a rope round the neck and was attached to the boat's anchor.

Two children belonging to Mr. P. Radburn, of Forbes, New- South Wak-3, were playing with a loaded pea rifle when the elder boy discharged the weapon, and the bullet went into his sister Amelia's head. The child, who is four years old, has completely lost the sight ef one eye-, and was in a precarious condition. The bullet has been extracted.

■ The following is the state of His Majesty's prison, Auckland, for the week ending Saturday, January 23:—On remand, 5 males, 1 female; awaiting trial, 12 males, 1 female.; sentenced to penal servitude for life, 2 males; sentenced to hard labour, 258 males, 13 females sentenced to imprisonment, 1 male; received during the week, 17 males, 1 female; discharged, 12 males: total in prison, 17S males, 15 females.

During a heavy thunderstorm William Matthews, a resident of Geeloug, Victoria, was standing near the stable door at his premises, whan he was struck by lightning, and killed. A boy rushed out of a barn as the storm took part of the roof off, and the wreckage, falling on him. killed him. At Castlemaine, the stable of Mr. Ebbott, manager of the Forest Creek Gok 1 Reefs mine, was struck by lightning and wrecked. A valuable horse -was also killed.