GENERAL NEWS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1610, 7 January 1903, Page 62

GENERAL NEWS.

The building of the new railway station at Dannevirke has commenced.

More than one hundred chimneys in New Plymouth are in need of repair as the result of the recent earthquake. The Education Department is to be asked by the Board of the Rangiara High School for an increased endowment for that institution.

'Advices received by the last English mail state that the names of the new vessels provided for in the current year’s naval programme have recently been announced. The two battleships are to be called Zealand and Hindustan, and the two armoured cruisers will, it is expected, receive the names of Natal and Newfoundland. Torpedoboat destroyers are in future to be called after rivers, and the names chosen for the vessels now being built are as fallows:—Derwent, Eden, Erne, Ettriok, i.xe, Dibble, Teviot, Usk, Cherwell, Dee, Kennett, Jed, Welland, .Waveney, Arun and Black water. The new torpedo-boats and submarines will be known by numbers only. The severe mental strain inseparable from a contest where one man’s braius are pitted against another’s is being strikingly exemplified in the present contest for the New Zealand Chess Championship (says the “Otago Daily Times”). Several of the competitors have at different stages found it necessary on more than one occasion to visit a chemist’s shop in search of headache wafers. The effect of the contest has been markedly shown in the case of Mr li. Warsaw, who in the present contest has made his debut in a championship tourney. It has been noticed that Mr Warsaw’s play is below even his usual club form. * The flushed countenances of the various players, whether winners or •losers, at once oonvinces the casual spectator that there is more in a game of chess than is apparent on the surface. With a falling revenue, and the prospect of a recovery for some time to come extremely doubtful, the New South Wales Railway Commissioners have been forced to arrange to dispense with the services of some 500 casual hands. This measure of economy will not, it is asserted, in any way affect the efficiency of the railway service, nor will it be carried out at the-expense of the upkeep of the permanent way or station and running equipment. As a matter of fact, the Railway Commissioners are faced by the necessity of keeping a more than usually close watch on all sources of expenditure, to carry out judicious economies wherever they can be practised without affecting the efficiency of the service or imposing a serious hardship upon the casual labour employed. These economies are said to he forced upon the Commissioners by reason of the fact that the current financial year is certain to he a most unprofitable one, and the poor outlook at present of any recovery in the freights derived from the primary products of the State,

In an article on the effect of the great drought on animal life in the New South Wales hack districts, the Sydney “Telegraph” says: “Kangaroos and wallabies are now almost extinct on the plains. Hardly one has been seen for months past. Yet they were very plentiful up till last year. It is not so long ago since in a big drive organised on a large north-western station, they rounded up as many as 20,000 kangaroos—a great sight. A sportsman could reckon on eight or ten in an afternoon almost anywhere; and men who ‘kangarooed’ for a living have been known to accumulate as many as two thousand-scalps in the space of a few weeks. But it will probably be a long time before the marsupial assumes the proportions of a pest in the west again. The drought has also been very severe on the emu, the most majestic thing in the way of bird life that cur bush can show. There are very few emus left. "What remain are nearly all to he found round the Lower Lachlan and the Murrumhidgee. If you suddenly came across one in the northwest, he is generally too weak to get out of your way.”

Efforts have been made for some time to acclimatise the tea plant in the United States. A recent report says that Dr B. M. Duggad, plant physiologist, United States Department of Agriculture, and Cornelius L. Shear, assistant pathologist, arrived in Beaumont, Tex., recently to make a preliminary test of soil and arrangements to start an experimental tea farm under Government, supervision. Dr Duggad stated that the Government would spend between 3000dol and 4000dol. in making the experiment in South-east Texas, and tuey would be followed by the tea expert, who would make definite arrangements. Dr Duggad said: “We think tea will grow in Texas, and a profitable belt may be found extending through hero fl.nd Louisiana. We will make the first experiment east of the Trinity river, and will require about five acres of land. ?yhe Government is conducting a very successful tea farm in South Carolina, and the climate is practically the same except it is a little warmer here. On this farm is growing a tea which is being sold at from 15 to 25 cents, per lb, and gpod land will raise- from 400 to 5001 b ! of tea a year.”

Mr William Ring, of Gisborne, is dead. Deceased, who was a sawmiller, had resided in Gisborne for nearly forty years.

A Motueka grower is informed that the hop crop all over the world is short, and as high as 3s a pound may be obtained in New Zealand.

There were about thirty candidates at the electrical examinations recently iheld by the Telegraph Department amongst its senior officers. Ten succeeded ill passing. The only local candidates who passed were Messrs E. A. Burr and C. H. D. Canavan, of the Wellington Telegraph Office. The annual shark fishing expedition of the Maori owners of Mayor Island (Tuhua), in the Bay of Plenty, is about to take place from Katikati, where they now permanently reside, to the island. This event (says the “Auckland Star”) generally comes off in January, and results in a supply of dried shark being obtained sufficient to provide for all requirements for a twelvemonth. Mr Charles Bill, M.P. for the Leek Division of Staffordshire, accompanied by Mrs Bill, arrived in Wellington by the Victoria on Wednesday. Mr Bill, who is honorary colonel of a militia battalion in England, was called tO' the bar at Lincoln’s Inn. in 1868. He has travelled extensively in the colonies and in India, and owns a considerable area of land in New Zealand. He served on the staff of General Stewart in the ruby mines expedition in Upper Burma in 1886, afid received a medal and clasp. Since 1884 Mr Bill has been president of the Conservative Association.

Mr Cyrus J. R. Williams, who has been appointed engineer to the Lyttelton Harbour Board, has had experience in many branches of engineering work in Queensland. For the past seven years he has been engaged in the construction of water supply works for Brisbane. He was previously in the service of the Queensland Government, and gained experience, it is understood, in harbour works and dredging. Mr Williams is ail Associate of the Institute of Civil Engineers. His appointment by the Lyttelton Harbour is for a term of three years, at a salary s of £SOO a year, with permission to practise privately.

- The Rev Father Thomas McEnroe, priest in charge of Greenwich parish, New South Wales, died on Christmas Eve from the effeot of injuries received through being knocked down by a runaway horse. A pony attached to a village cart was being driven along Greenwich road, when the breechingstraps gave way, and the pony bolted ; the driver, a man named Clark, being thrown out upon the roadway. The priest piluckily ran forward to stop the runaway, but was knocked down, and received such injuries that he died that evening. , Father McEnroe, who was a native of Ireland, was sixty-eight years of age. He was procurator of St. Ignatius’s .College, Sydney, for about two years.

The Customs revenue collected during 1902 at Wellington amounted to £539,929 19s 9d, and the beer duty to £10,002 9s 6d. These returns show a considerable increase on those of the previous year, which totalled respectively £505,543 12s and £9815 3s 6d. The duty for the past quarter amounted to a-j. 36,683 3s, against £117,432 13s 7d of the corresponding term of 1901. The beer duty for the past quarter amounted to £2BOI 5s 9d, against £2643 11s 6d of 1901. The Customs revenue and beer duty collected during December, 1902, amounted to £49,104 3s 3d and £IOBB 12s 3d respectively, against £37,701 17s 6d and £996 17s 9d in December, 1901. The police have been informed that the body of a man, apparently about forty years of age, was founcLon Thursday in the river at Gear Island, near Petome. The man. was about sffc 4in in height, of stout build, with a fair 'complexion and moustache; bald on top of the head and showing old scars and boil marks on the chin. On the arms are tattooed figures of a dancing girl and a woman’s Jbust. The body was dressed in a dark faded vicuna coat and vest; blue serge trousers of cheap material; new watertight boots, brown flannel shirt and drawers. There were several skin deep cuts on the neck across the windpipe. The body was examined by Dr Purdy, who is of opinion that deceased committed suicide Jby drowning. Lord Willoughby de Broke, whose death wias reported the other day by cable message, was born in 1844, and educated at Eton, where he distinguished himself in the cricket field. At the age of seventeen, he left suddenly owing to the death of his father . and his succession to the peerage. He went to Christ Church, where he distinguished himself in fox-hunting. He rode in the last University Steeplechase that was held, and was knocked over the last fence by -Lord Melgund. Lord Willoughby de Broke was to have gone into the sth Lancers, hut preferred to settle down to the life and duties of a country squire at Compton Vemey. He devoted himself to the mastership of the Warwickshire hounds, which he held for tv enty years. He was a member of the County Council, and figured also as a, speaker at Conservative political meetings. At one time, he was president and captain of the Warwickshire eleven.

Sir George Whitmore is understood to be a passenger for New Zealand by the Waiwera, which left London on the 18th ult. . r-

Mr Stephen Walter, son of one of the proprietors of the London “ Times,” is now on a visit to New Zealand. He is staying.in Hawke’s Bay. Persia has granted the Russian Bank at Teheran the right to construct a road from Tabliz to Kazvin, stopping for tho importation of English goods at Azerbijan and Northern Persia. It is pointed out, with reference to the expected visit to New Zealand of Dr John Watson (“lan McLaren”), that his stay will be hut of short duration, as when the last mail left England it was announced that he would deliver an address at the Church Conference to be held at Brighton in March. The Wellington Electric Telegraph Department last night made a presentation to Mr Arthur S. Ballance, who is leaving that department to join Messrs Bannatyno and Co. Mr Ballance was very popular in tho office, and hearty wishes were expressed for his future success.

Whilst holiday-seekers in this part of the colony have been complaining that the rainfall is too heavy, the crops in part, of the Poverty Bay district are suffering as the result of a drought. According to the Gisborne ot December 30th, the crops are very backward, and further drought must mean that the natives will be without- means of sustenance for the winter.

Sergeant Briggs, of the Mount Cook Police Station, has been allowed to retire (in account of ill-health, and he will he entitled to an annual allowance from the Police Provident Fund of £9O 6s 9d. He was twenty-seven years in the force, and during seventeen years had been a sergeant. Sergeant Briggs, who has been -a very competent officer was many years in Christchurch before coming to Wellington.

The members of the Fruitgrowers’ Conference, which met recently in Auckland, accompanied Signor Bragato, the Government Vigneron, on a visit to the Government experimental farm at Wairangi, to tost the wines which have been produced there. A red Hermitage wine, eight years old, was submitted, and pronounced excellent. Mr Bragato stated that the grapes from which it had been made had produced at tho rate of between 400 and 500 gallons per acre, and that tho wine in the local market was worth 6s to 8s per gallon in bulk! Another, a light table wine, from the Pedro grape, was tried, one sample being dry and the other sweet. Both were highly praised. Wines from the Pineaus and from the Carbernetwere also tried, both of undoubted high quality. It is estimated that the late M. Zola made a ooiiple of million francs by his pen. Considering his strenuous industry, that figure is well under the mark. Two million francs reduced to sovereigns represents about £BO,OOO. Zola was at work forty years, and certainly during the larger part of that term must have averaged far more than £2OOO a year. Anthony Trollope, also an industrious writer, who, like Zola, let no day pass -without its quantum of “lines,” made by literature alone something near £70,000. He made, in fact, according to hisv business-like balancesheet, £68,939 17s sd. He achieved it in thirty-two years, instead of forty, and post office work -claimed a good proportion of his time. Trollope’s best returns were £3525 for “Can You Forgive Her?” in 1864. He wrote three other novels which brought him in £3OOO apiece, and two that exceeded that figure by a couple of hundred pounds. But he only made twenty pounds by “La Vendee,” and his first novel, “The Macdermots of Ballyoloran,” was good for only £4B 6s 9d.

Sir E. Bradford has issued the statistics of the London Metropolitan Police Diotrict covering the year 1901. During that year twenty-four oases of murder were reported within the radius of fifteen miles from Charing Cross, and in only one case has the author of the crime been undiscovered. In six cases the murderers committed suicide; the death sentence was passed on five prisoners. Ninety-three identifications were made by finger prints during tbe second half of the year, when that system was introduced by order of the Secretary of State. Tbe number of persons apprehended in 1901 for ail offences was 109,534, against 108,267 in 1900. The losses in respect to felonies amounted to £376,206 —an increase of £163,866 over tbe loss recorded in 1900. It is pointed out that tbe Bank of Liverpool case accounted for £166,800, the larceny of the Anglesey jewels for £20,000, and other cases for £31,500. Tbe following is a list of articles left in cabs during 1091 (the total is 40,220): —Umbrellas 18,164, miscellaneous articles 8985, purses 2970, bags 2954, clothing (men’s) 2070, clothing (women’s) 2017, jewellery (various) 908, sticks 886, opera and field glasses 739, rugs 305, watches 223. _ Among the property were several purses containing over £lO, many bank notes, cases of jewellery, valuable dressing bags, seyeiral live ibirds, dogs, cats, fowls, and a rabbit; 26,184 articles were restored to their owners.

Austria lias denounced the commeiV cial treaty with Italy. Mr Hone Heke’s majority over the candidate for the Northern Maori electorate who polled next on the list to the successful candidate was 1415.

Mr John Chisholm, son of the Rev James Chisholm, of Roslyn, Dunedin, has received a unanimous call to the charge of Owaka. Mr Chisholm was for some time in charge of the Levin and Shannon districts.

When the Rotumah had completed loading timber at Maclean for New Zealand, the crew refused, to go to sea on the ground that the vessel was leaking badly. The authorities have ordered the discharge of the vessel for inspection.

The cable across Cook Strait, between Terawhiti and White’s Bay, is at present useless, having parted during the rough weather last week. The break will be repaired on the return cf the Tutanekai from Milford Sound.

With a view to assisting technical and agricultural education tho Auckland Education Board has agreed, conditional on the Minister of Education proipising grants for the erection and furnishing of the necessary buildings, to engage from England, for a period of two years, three male instructors in woodwork, at a yearly salary of £l7O each, and three female instructors in cookery at a yearly salary of £l3O each.

Lord C-ranley, who lias entered upon his twenty-seventh year, has lefc Madrid to become an attache at Sir Arthur Nicholson’s Embassy in Morocco. From wha*- ho has shown already, Lord Onslow’s son and heir appears to have a bright future in the diplomatic service. The London “ Daily Chronicle,” in commenting upon Lord Cranley’s move from .Madrid, refers to his narrow escape of losing his life from typhoid during his father’s period of Governorship in New Zealand. Mrs H. S. Chapman, widow of the late Mr Justice Chapman, died in Dunedin on the 27th ult., in her eighty-firsfc year. Her husband died twenty-one years ago. Mrs Chapman was a daughter of the Rev Thomas Carr, rector of Aglwoe, Queen’s County, Ireland, and twin sister iff the wife of Richard Davies Ireland, Q.C., of the Victorian Bar. She arrived in Australia in 1852, and was married at Avoca in 1868. There was no family. Mrs Chapman was for many years identified with charitable institutions in Dunedin.

The wettest day in Wellington last month was Christmas Eve, when the rainfall amounted to 3.03 in. The total fall for the month of December was 3.74 in, on nineteen days, the average for the month for thirty years being 4.49 in on fourteen days. During the year just closed, 38.75 in of rain fell in Wellington, on 211 days, whilst the preceding year’s rainfall was 52.67 in. The average annual fall for thirty years has been 50.19 in, so that the rainfall in the year 1902 was 11.44 in below the average.

Mr Henniker Heaton (says our London correspondent) gives an excellent example of the method in which Government departments stultify each other here. „ The Board of Trade, at considerable trouble and expense, prepares and issues monthly the “Labour Gazette,” with the express purpose of making known to the public, and more particularly to working men and women, all available information with regard 4 o labour. “Because it is published monthly (says Mr Heaton) instead of weekly, it cannot be transmitted through the post at newspaper rates. Country employment agencies, working men’s institutes and libraries are therefore debarred from receiving this publication without paying a heavy fine. I wrote to the President of the Board of Trade, suggesting that he should issue the useful publication, or a sheet of it, a week, if he could not get over the difficulty in any other, way. The departmental reply"is that my request cannot he complied with. There is. nothing left for me to do but to move, a year hence, the reduction of some official’s salary.”

The Imperial Institute, which was designed to be the outward and sing, of the unity of the Empire, will no doubt serve a useful purpose when transmogrified into the centre of “higher education,” but there will be abundant space beyond that required for university purposes, and a correspondent of the “London Daily Chronicle” suggests that some part of this should be utilised as a Royal Museum in which articles which are of interest because of association with our Royal Family could be permanently exhibited. In Berlin there is such a museum, and tbe _“Chronicle”, correspondent thinks that one established in London to exhibit tbe late Queen Victoria’s Jubilee presents, as well as tbe beauti-fully-illuminated addresses presented by the colonies to tbe Duke of York, with the caskets in which they were presented. would be of perpetual interest to the public. Tbe sight of these addresses would, he thinks, be particularly gratifying to our cousins who visit us from the Britains beyond seas. An increased interest would be given to such a museum, be avers, if there were also placed in 'it some articles, not of State, but of personal association with the