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New Zealand Mail, Issue 1204, 29 March 1895, Page 18

Our evening contemporay is quite incorrect in stating that the Government objected to Mr H. D. Bell acting as counsel for the Midland Eailway Company in the arbitration case. The Government simply followed the usual course in such matters by entrusting the case for the Crown to the Attorney-General (Sir P. A. Buckley) and the Crown Solicitor (Mr H. Gully). Mr Bell was left to act as he thought fit, and he decided that professional etiquette would not permit him to accept a brief on the other side. The Government did not interfere in the matter at all.

The Government have made arrangements to start a fruit evaporator in the North Island for the purpose of affording instruction to farmers in this branch of industry. It is at present in the Waikato in charge of Mr B. M. Gubb, of Port Albert, who will gradually work his way South with it. Mr Gubb values the dried fruit turned out by the evaporator (chiefly apples) at 9d per lb for the market. A neatly packed package of apples sliced and dried by the evaporator has reached the Agricultural Department, and has been placed on exhibition in their show case at the Government Buildings. Some fine samples of grapes grown in the open air by Mr W. H. Beetham, of Masterton, have also been placed on exhibition. The varieties represented are the Hermitage, Black Hamburg, Chasselas, Dore and Pineau Noir. Some samples of grapes were likewise sent by Mr Chamberlain of Hastings, bvit were damaged in course of transit. Reverting to the fruit evaporator, it may be mentioned that one has also been procured for the South Island, and placed in charge of Mr Blackmore, Government fruit expert for that island. It has been as far South as Timaru, and is now at Christ-, church, but will shortly be taken down to Otago.

Mr John Sawers, Government Dairy Expert, who has been for the past two months in the Taranaki and Auckland districts giving instruction to farmers in dairy factory work, has just returned to Wellington. In addition to the practical instruction he has givsn in the various factories he visited, he attended a good many meetings of farmers held for the purpose of making arrangements for the erection of new factories and in connection with the proper care of milk and the introduction of a system of payment according to the productive character of the milk as determined by the Babcock milk-tester. Mr Sawers reports that the industry is steadily progressing, despite the low price of butter. Wherever the farmers are carrying on the factories themselves on a cooperative basis and have good management, the results are entirely satisfactory. Mr Sawers leaves Wellington on Monday next to attend the Hawera winter dairy produce show, after which he will address several meetings in the Taranaki district with reference to the establishment of factories Upon his return hither he will proceed to the West Coast of the South Island.

At Wednesday's meeting of the Wellington Education Board, on the motion of the Rev J. Paterson, seconded by Mr P. H. Fraser, Mr J. R. Blair was re-elected chairman for the ensuing 12 months, amid applause. The mover remarked that Mr Blair had done noble service for the Board in the uast, and he had no doubt he would continue to do similar service in the future. Mr Blair said he would endeavour to do his best always as the humble servant of the Board.

: The extent of the goldfields in British South Africa may be judged by the fact, as announced by the Buluwayo Chronicle, that up to the 15th February 35,000 claims had been pegged out in Matabele alone, these claims representing about 900 miles of ground. In addition there must be a similar number in Mashonaland. In January last the output of gold from the Johannesberg field was 173,463 ounces. A report from the most eminent mining expert in the district—a Mr Hammondspeaks favourably of the deposits and as to the large extent of trtie fissure lodes. He recommends, however, cautious investment. Quite recently .£750,000 has been sent out from England to develop some of the reefs, and several companies are advertised in Capetown with capital ranging" from .£IOO,OOO to .£150,000 each, while in London one company, called the Chartered Goldfields Company, is to have a capital of half a million sterling. There seem to be only patches of alluvial deposits here and there, but one near Umtali is said to be yielding lOdwts to the ton of wash. The yields of quartz lodes which are mentioned seem to range from lldwts to 2£oz, but in one case a quarter of a ton of stuff yielded 220 z of gold. The Postal Department call for designs from persons resident in the Colony for a new issue of postage and revenue stamps. The designs, which must be scenic and representative of New Zealand, may be of any pattern. The values of stamps to be printed anew are:—ld, 2d, 2£d, 3d, 4d, sd, 6d, Bd, Is, 2s and ss. For the best and second-best designs there will be prizes of .£l5O and .£IOO. The designs are to be sent in by the 31st July next. It may be remembered that a vote «£ .£3OOO was taken last session in order to defray part of the expense incurred by local bodies in carrying through the last licensing elections. The matter has recently been considered in Cabinet, and the Government have decided to pay half the difference between the cost of the elections of 1891 and .1894. This will just about absorb the vote of last session. We are glad to state that Lady Augusta Boyle, who recently met with a serious accident, is improving, though slowly. The good people of Pahautanui are bestirring themselves to some purpose in raising subscriptions to erect an Anglican Church in the township. Already .£250 has been raised, and the Old English Fete on Easter Monday promises to make a substantial addition to the fund. The committee have secured a very energetic secretary in the person of Mr Walter Leslie. There was shipped by the Tongariro last week for London .£61,438 worth of gold.

The projected monument to the memory of the Rev Father Carolan is now finished and erected. The monument stands in Karori Cemetery in the section reserved for the Catholic clergy, and is enclosed by a concrete wall, with iron railings. The monument itself consists of a cross of white marble, on the base of which runs the inscription : " Erected in love and gratitude to the memory of the Rev N. T. Carolan, S.M., one of the founders of St. Patrick's College; born at Dundalk, Ireland, January 30, 1856; died in the College, February 9,1894." Close by, on the same section, a similar monument has been erected to the memory respectively of the Rev Father Landauer, of Nelson, and the Rev Father Morrissey, of Westport. The Memorial Committee have finished their labours. A handsome mural tablet stands in the College corridor, and .£IOO are still in hand for an annual prize for music to perpetuate in the College the memory of Father Carolan. The monuments in Karori Cemetery were worked by Mr Gill, Vivian street, and the tablet by Mr S. G. Ross, Willis street. Mr James Ward was the secretary of the committee.