GISBORNE NOTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13305, 11 October 1906, Page 3

GISBORNE NOTES.

[BT TELEGRAPH.—OWN* CORRESPONDENT.] .;" ; Gisborke, Wednesday. THE returned contingenters resident ,in Poverty, Bay .held a successful smoke concert There were present 57 men and five officers who were at, the front- in South Africa. The Hon.; J. Carroll addressed the gathering, and a number of musical items were contributed. It was decided to form an association and to hold an annual reunion. The Poverty Bay Herald understands that it is the intention of the Minister for Marine "to employ the Government steamer Hinemoa for survey purposes, continuing the work upon the New Zealand'coast that was performed by H.M.s. Penguin, and that the s.s. Tutanekai will be again commissioned for the lighthouse service, as well as for cable repairing work. Captain Pest, of the Government steamer Tutanekai, who visited Tuahine Point on ■ Monday afternoon, highly approves ,of the site chosen for a lighthouse. As the result of tho representations made to tho Minister for Marine during his visit to Gisborne it is understood the Government will supply a first-class light, . visible for ; a distance of 15 miles from the. shore, and that the Harbour Board will be required to maintain it. ' - Mr. A. T. Ngata, M.H.R., states that good progress is being made with the construction of the telephone for the Maoris from Port Awanui along the Bay of Plenty coast. The wire is already in position as far as Kawakawa, and it is expected to have it at Oreti Point by Christmas. The natives have cut and distributed along the line the whole of the timber, and have shown great enthusiasm in the enterprise. The line will be available for coastal vessels, to whom the* opportunity of communicating with the telegraph system, of the colony from any. Ox the coastal ports that they visit will be a great boon. • , Three Jack Tars from H.M.s. Challenger visited Wong Kin's vegetable garden at iive p.m. on Monday and caused a stir in the neighbourhood. The. police went down and arrested two of the sailors, named Alfred Lewis and Henry McFarlane. They were charged yesterday morning before Mr. Barton, S.M., with assaulting Wong's son, Ah Yoo. The magistrate inflicted fines of £1 and costs in each case. Lieutenant Terry, who represented tho warship, said the captain had desired him to state that the two defendants were not of the Imperial crew. They were colonials, and came from Australia. The fines'were paid by the lieutenant, and the men marched off to their ship. Mr. V. Aston, who has for a number of years been experimenting with various processes for the treatment of New Zealand flax, brought under the notice of the visiting Ministers a new method that he has discovered. Mr. Aston has hit upon a dissolvent which can be used with cold water. Tho green flax has simply to be dipped in a bath, of the solution and the gum and portion of the leaf disappear, leaving the fibre strong and clean, with a splendid lustre. This treatment completely eliminates the out-door bleaching process and cheapens the cost of securing the fibre. Mr. Aston declares that the cost, of treating seven tons .of green flax, producing one ton of finished '.fibre, tho usual proportion, will not exceed 6s. Mr. Buddo, M.H.R., who is an authority on the subject, inspected. the samples, and stated that Mr. Aston appeared to have solved a problem that had puzzled ' flaxmillers for many years. He promised to endeavour to arrange for a display of the fibre treated by the process at the Exhibition.