ISLAND NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14209, 4 November 1909, Page 7

ISLAND NEWS.

TONGA. [FROM OUR, OWN" CORRESPONDENT.] Nukualofa, October 30. A well-attended meeting of the sub* ~ scribers to the Victoria Memorial Hall ;*; was held in that building on the 6th. iflst., , the business being the election ;of a new. ' committee, the majority of the , former ''„ members having resigned. The chair was : taken by Mr. W. Teller , Campbell, the British Consul, and 14 names were proposed for seven seats on the new com- ; mittee. The ballot resulted in the election of Messrs. Skeen, Cowley, Scott, : Rankine, Krause, Day, and Cameron. At - the subsequent meeting of the committee Mr. Skeen was elected chairman, Mr. Krause treasurer, and Mr. Scott secretary, . of that body. "' , .

A complimentary dinner was tendered to Mr. W. Telfer Campbell by the British residents of Nukualofa on the night of the 12th inst. About 40 were present, and the catering was in the hands of Mr. Alfred Cowley. The Government Brass Band played selections of music during the evening, and a fairly lengthy toast list was duly honoured. After this had been disposed of a musicaj pro-, gramme, arranged by Mr. L. B. Law ton, occupied the rest of the evening, until.

the strains of VAuld Lang Syne" -about midnight brought a very pleasant gathering to a' close.

The local whaling season is over, and Mr. A. Cook returns to Haapai with his boats and gear this week. He has had rather hard luck the last three weeks in having been laid up, and, of course, during ,the time he was unable to go out, several whr.les were "■ 6een close to the station. The total catch for the season ._. was four whales, which yielded 24 tuns of oil. . . * • •■-■'

His Majesty King George . Tubou ! 1I. : is to be married ■ early next month; bub the name of the bride-elect is being kept a close secret, so that we are compelled to possess our souls in patience until the invitations are issued, and then bJI doubts will be set at rest. - ■ . i'r

The missionary meeting of the Free Church of Tonga for , the , Kolomotua, or western end of this town, realised .£221, and to this the eastern end, Kolofoou, replied with £223. These amounts represent the yearly contributions of the members of the Church, as the r European system of handing round the plate at each service does not obtain here.

FIJI. [from otjr OWN correspondent.] > j*| Suva, -October 20.' .' I October '. has come /. in in a real blustering, unkindly fashion, causing no end :oi->?m ! coughs and colds. :, At times the * choppy " \ ', winds have been quite bleak, and rain storms have been heavy and numerous. '& Over l£in fell on Tuesday, the sth, and v ./ for the 24 hours ended 'nine a.m. on the 12th 3.066 in were registered. Our-very ;fjjl near neighbour, '• Navua,' recorded '■ over- sin" : -;£■ on the 9th. The wretched dengue fever 1 1| is in the air again, and those who have - ; had a ; few seasons 1 * experience "of it are telling such . delightful. tales of "joys to V* I come" to the stranger within our gates. [ The fever fiend has a special liking for I new chums, and I've seen, colonists of two and three days' standing sent down like skittles, wondering what had hap- ~ pened to them. The engagement is announced of Miss Jennens, late of Christchurch, New Zea- . - land?-, now of Suva, and Mr. S. Goldsmith, late of Hobart. Tasmania,. '-Despite the '* initial. difficulties, Towing looks as if it will catch on ' A' magnificent silver rosebowl has been donated for a trophy for Christmas. More "ships" will be available shortly, and Rewa has started a rowing club of its ! own. To an enthusiastic young North \ Sydney oarsman, Mr. Hob.. Gray,: late of f Canada, now of Suva, we , certainly • owe our practical position as regards this sport. The club's "four" has been tried by' a lot of our athletes/ and generally they show fair form., ' " * X : ; The annual meeting of the Methodist" ° "Mission's;- Synod ■•" in : Fiji '■■-} about 'to = / open at Taviuni," and will extend"over a ' ; . week. A lot of r missionaries i left for the ' , scene per.Amra on. Monday, J Ith. \ The j Fiji Government has secured the services of; Mr. J. P. Jepson ' as *,Govern- 'v£ ment entomologist. He is due here ■ about t -, ; < 'the 25th inst.

Our new and pretty Swiss *' chalet-look- f ing post office > was opened for . business on Saturday last. .There was no cere--v,:; mony or palaver, r, The 'staff had been §;| busy "moving" for days before, and they *■ ju6t settled into their new and comfortable quarters as happy as could be. . The prizes won at the late show •> were paid over last week, totalling £315. Mr. C. Hutchings led with a ; total (winnings, AV; of £25 ,10s, and Sunderland and.Co. came ' next with £18 15s. The Manapouri, from Melbourne, on' Friday, 15th, brought letters, etc,/ about, the first, shipment of bananas • to» the southern capital. One and all, the ■■ reports . are excellent. The i fruit is "described as "magnificent" candi" the;; finest ever seen *;',' in Melbourne." Retailed in the streets at 6d a dozen, the : bananas are thought "absurdly cheap." The bunches brought 2s to 3s net per bunch, and this is payable, albeit about Is less than Sydney.• . . The Manapouri took in all 6374 bunches and 2410 cases. The cases were a little too much on the ripe side, but this will , be avoided in -future by- lowering the temperature of the hold. _ The ship. also ■,■■;:.« took 150 sacks of cocoanuts, nine o cases, mummy apples, one case of grenadilloes, and three cases of ginger for Melbourne; For Sydney she had 2494 sacks copra and 57 sacks kauri gum. .; ;, Not a bad cargo for > the initial trip, and doubtless this new service will mean big things . >\ for our planters, once they are ready to. * meet the extended market. The court, of inquiry into the loss of the steamer Parua on the * Nasilai Reef ; finished on the 13th inst. The evidence showed that when Captain Ik&ch went below he' gave ;the mate, Mr. McCredie, a N.N.E. course, which would keep him off the reef. The helmsman said the mate gave him N.W. The Court found ' - that the wreck was caused by the mate not steering the course given him and not keeping a proper lookout, ■ and it also found considerable laxity on the captain's part. The mate's certificate as' ~ " only mate" was suspended for - twol ' ' years, and the captain '. was: ordered to pay £3 3s, portion of the costs of ■ the court .of. inquiry. ~: ' ;[J^p-y.-.-;<. ' •■' : ':" ■';',■% Carpenters, painters, etc.," are all busy, ?;': and I am happy to say. that the unemployed question ,is ~"■ for us. an "un-" known quantity" in the fullest sense.of ' the term.... _: : _.'. : _.-". • / : ''.;.

The Manapouri left last night on her. " ? second trip in" the Fiji-Melbourne service. V; In all she will take from Suva and Cuvit ; something like 8500 bunches of ; bananas," v : a falling-off of ; about 4000 bunches on • •. : ; the first shipment. The Chinese ship- 5 pers here are not sending one bunch 'by ; the. Manapouri. Apparently the New v; Zealand : and Sydney -markets are good ~; enough for them. / j ;, ; " The Venerable Archdeacon Floyd ; ; died ~. on the 5 13 th inst., aged 70 years. - The funeral ' took pjace" at Levuka ;on -■ Tues-' .';? day morning, all business places being closed. A number of Melanesian boys , carried the coffin from the steamer Amra to the church. The building was appropriately draped. At the service, as the Bev. Mr. Mathews spoke of the Inst hours of their ojd clergyman, ■ there, were few dry eyes in the congregation. The funeral was the largest Levuka has c*er seen.' Captain Hayward, A.D.C., and the Hon. Mf-C. Bunbnry. P.S., represented His Excellency. . All" sects were represented, and the Solomon and Fiji.-m natives mustered verv largely. The Levnka" Cadets, of which deceased was chaplain, headed the cortege, an a detachment of the i.. A.N.C. formed the firing party, . ' ; "^.•;--• 1 .., '~'M