LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1696, 31 August 1904, Page 26

LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS

Among suggested names for streets in Carterton are Rangitakaiwaho avenue, Japanese avenue, Pall Mall, Ngati-kahu-ngunu Webe. As a result ' of a canvass made by Messrs G. W. Heller and Strang, on behalf of the Wairarapa Pastoral and Agricultural So ciety, in Masterton, some £73 4s was collected. The Indian coolie is now firmly established as a labourer in the Fijis, where during the last decade he has ousted the local native from employment, as a result of the native’s indolence. The coolies return to their native land after a few years’ service; throo hundred and seventy left Suva for Calcutta in the ship Bms on August 18th. f ‘This is a day of congratulation,’’ said Professor Easterfield, at the laying"of the foundation-stone of Victoria College on Saturday. But as at that moment a smart shower of rain was falling, drenching the spectators assembled on the tiers of seats above him, and everybody else who was not fortunate enough to be under the canvas canopy, the remark had its distinctly humorous side, and was received with a peal of laughter. At the annual meeting of the Taranaki Producers’ Freezing Works Company at New Plymouth on Saturday the report showed that 163,261 boxes of butter and 9609 cases of cheese were received during the year. The balancesheet showed the loss by fire (which destroyed the Moturoa freezing works) over and above insurances to he £2398, otherwise the year’s operations were very successful. Mi* J. B. Connett was re-elected chairman. The Premier’s open sesame! Speaking to the toast of Mr Seddon’s health at the Hon 0. H. Mills’s residence on Saturday, Major Donald, of Wairarapa, told how, when other means failed him, a letter from the Premier had given him entrance everywhere in the United States—even to White House. . The Premier replied that he had heard of a man who, finding himself unable to get entrance to the celebrated Monte Carlo, raked up an old letter signed “R. J. Seddon,” and the recommendation of the signature carried him past all obstacles without further trouble. In the South Seas there is still difficulty to be met with when a resident of tho outlying settlements wishes to enter tho bonds of matrimony. The “Fiji Times” of August 17th says:— “The Rev Horace Packe, M.A., Vicar of Suva, proceeded to Fanning Island by the cable steamer Iris on Tuesday morning. The rev gentleman will be absent from 'Suva for some weeks—three or more. Holy matrimony is the beguiling influence which has taken Mr Packe thither. O'ne of The cable hands on this lonely islet has determined to take upon himself a helpmate, and hence the clergyman to tie the knot.” Judgment was delivered by the Chief Justice on Saturday in the appeal by Edward Collins against a decision of Mr W. P. James, S.M., imposing a fine of £2 and costs on the appellant for breach of a heavy traffic regulation made by the ’Wairarapa South County Council. The Council had prohibited heavy traffic on portion of one of its roads, and the appellant contended that the by-law was invalid. His Honor held that the by-law was invalid, and allowed the apeal. The conviction was quashed, with six guineas costs. Mr Hollings (Masterton) appeared in support of the appeal, and Mr Myers on the other side. The Labour Department reports that there are numerous demands for milkers in the Wellington district. Two men were sent to a dairy farm at the T’aita a few days ago, and between the Lower Hutt station and their destination were accosted on no less than four occasions by persons desirous of knowing whether they were looking for work as milkers. Tho landholders of Poverty Bay are complaining of the dearth of bushfelling labour so urgently needed in that district. Mr James Mackey, of the Labour Department, states that this winter labourers are evincing a distaste for taking up bushfelliug work. Whether it is that the monetary inducement is insufficient or merely an objection to that class of work he was not prepared to say. The annual meeting of the Dalefield Daily Company was held on Thursday. There was a largo attendance.. The report showed that during the season 7,857,2081 b of milk were received, yielding 305,555.081 bof butter fat, from which 751,9511 b of cheese were made, being 19 tons in excess of last year’s output. The average test for the season was 3.89, the highest being 5.8 and the lowest 3.4. Tho quantity of milk required to make lib of cheese was 10.451 b, and each pound of butter fat made 2.461 b oi cheese. After paying an advance totalling £7674 12s sd, transferring £IBB Is 4d for alterations to buildings, and reserving £6O 6s 7d for a b per cent, dividend on subscribed capital, there remains a balance of £3io3 16s lOd due to suppliers, making an actual cash navment of 8.94 d per lb of butter fat. In place of the retiring directors Messrs W. Ordish and R. Bassett were elected, and Mr Gallon was elected chairman of directors. The factory will open on beptomber sth. ■

The examinations conducted by the Dental Board were concluded on Friday. The only candidates who passed were Messrs Rupert Hashing, of Masterton, and Poole, of Hawera. The team of riflemen that represented the colony at the Bisloy meeting in England last month was booked to leave London by the s.s. Karamea on tho return journey to New Zealand. The Karamea was to have begun her trip on Saturday last, so the team should reach home early in October. Arrangements are to be made by the volunteer force in Wellington to give a welcome to Lieutenant-Colonel Collins and his men, in recognition of their fine performance in winning the Kolapore Cup. Mr B. Verdon, locomotive foreman at Timaru, states that coal from the State mine has been m use at Timaru for about two months, and nothing better could be desired for a steaming coal, though he does not consider it as good as Brunner coal under a heavy draught. The two coals mixed make an excellent fuel for looomotives. A number of Taumaranui (Main Trunk line) sleeper-cutters are petitioning Parliament against the action of the resident engineer of the Public Works Department, who refuses to take any sleepers except those cut from Government land. They say that this is treating them very harshly, as they have been allowed to cut sleepers for some months past, and have accumulated some hundreds of sleepers, and these have been refused simply because they were cut freon native land. Tho earthquake which was experienced at New Zealand on tho 9th was very plainly recorded in West Australia on the seismograph at the Perth Observatory. Preliminary tremors commenced at 7 a.m. ; the principal shock was at 7h 6min, reaching a maximum at 7h 7minJ and lasting altogether till 8h smin a.m. The corresponding New Zealand times can be obtained by adding 3£ hours to the above. An undesirable emigrant was returned to Sydney by the s.s. Warrimao last Saturday. He is a lunatic who arrived bore from New South Wales on the s.s. Monowai last Wednesday evening, and who escaped from surveillance on the steamer immediately on her being berthed. He had a loaded revolver in his possession, but. fortunately, he became dispossessed of this before a desire to do damage seized him. Then be used road metal on the police station skylights, whereupon a police constable arrested him, and had him medically examined. He will be deported at the expense of the shipping company. At Christchurch last week, two dairymen pleaded guilty to having sold milk that was not pure. The milk was adulterated with about 15 per cent, of water, though it was still above the minimum allowed by the act. Mr Haselden, S.M., imposed a fine of £5 and costs in each case. He said it was time that dairymen got rid of the mistaken idea that they could reduce the strength of the milk, and unless the practice was stopped, lie would feel it incumbent upon him to inflict the maximum penalty. He did not want to crush but he expressed a hope that dairymen would realise, before it was too late, that honesty was the best policy. The Chief Justice, sitting in Chambers on Saturday, heard an application by Mr Wilson, on behalf of the Public Trustee, for leave to administer a sum of £4OO, the property of a woman who was said to- have disappeared from the s.s. Haupiri on a voyage from Wellington to Nelson six years ago. She was stated to have left a note behind, expressing her intention to throw herself overboard. His Honor pointed out that it was possible the woman had gone away and not claimed the money, fearing that if she returned she might be sent to an asylum. After seven years, death could be legally assumed, but, lie thought, further inquiries should be made before granting administration. tc The student of to-day,” said Dr Knight (chairman of the Victoria College Council), speaking on Saturday, regarding the new building, “will in future years smile at the luxury which the undergraduate of the future will enjoy. He will call to memory the story of how in his day he shyly slipped into tho Girls’ High School to attend an arts lecture, and how valiantly he eluded th-o Corporation pitfalls as ho rushed along Featherston street to the Technical School, a mile and a half away, to sit at the feet of a science professor. (Laughter.) The student of the future will be provided with a covered way when he leisurely proceeds from the arts classes, commodious library, or pleasant students’ rooms to the wellequipped science department.”