TOPICS OF THE DAY

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4261, 22 January 1901, Page 4

TOPICS OF THE DAY

POULTRY EXPORT. In consonance with the policy ol ae\o. employing people within llu> eoleiij’ i the services, of outsiders calling reives experts arc to bo wrum- u ’ Agricultural Department has decided »'■' linnp' four gentlemen over Iroin An i • lia to take charge of the poultry ''M’uw depots which are to be established at the chief centres of the colony. -ho depot at Wellington will be situated on the railway reserve at 1 ipitca, loind, and will bo opened ma, lorlnigbt. 1 ’;e Domirtmeat will receive, grade. kilt, pluck, ■ prepare, supply cases, pack, freeze the birds ai the following uniform rates :—Fowls and ducklings, Jo each; geese and turkeys,. 8d each. .1 >•’ Department reserves to itsell the i tent lo reject any bird over the age svalet,, ni* iu pooi* ccmULion, or oHienvi.-'' onsuitable, and all birds rejected must bo at once, removed from the depot by toe owner er bis agent. Shonki any ol Ibo birds sent be rejected, tlio olueia.ls util endeavour to fill up the crate with suitable -birds and ''barge cost, or dispose of the odd hhcVn :ii mmKol price. The Department will pay railage or steamer freight to the depot on oil birds accepted for export- The weight, railage, or other charger; on rejected birds will, however, bo charged to the owner.

VALUE PAYABLE ON DELIVERY. A correspondent' »i Pahisttu.% draws attention to the difficulty which exists under present, condition;} of obtaining supplies of material from dealers in tht cities—material which country storekeepers d‘o not usually keep "-in stock. He says; “Take photographic materials, for instance- A, man sends dona an order for so many plates. He docs not know the exact amount ta remit. 'I he* city shopkeeper has then to determine whether be.trill offend a- prospective good' customer by refusing to comply with the order, or whether he will send the supplies asked for and take (ho risk of non-payment. Now, i! a system existed here similar To one which obtains in France and in Gwnifiny—T refer to what is known as the ‘Value'Payable on Delivery System’ —the Wellington dealer could send the parcel through'The G.P.U. and have the amount collected on delivery at the other end. Tims the Post Office authorities would 1 confer a great ’boon on. country people and at the same time establish a profitable branch, of. business.” . This proposal has been referred to Hon. .1. G. Ward. Postmas-ter-General, who lias promised lo make inquiries as to tho feasibility of adopting ill New Zealand the plan referred to by bur correspondent.

EARLY EARTHQUAKE RECORDS. Fe.rty-six years ago Wellington was visited by a severe shock of earthquake, which throw down most of the chimneys in the town, and caused' loss of life -and widespread alarm. There is an impression abroad that the earthquake of 1865 took place on Anniversary Day, but early records prove that it occurred ou Tuesday, 23rd January, or the day oiler tho anniversary of the founding colony. From a copy of the. “New Zealand 'Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian,” dated 1 February 71 h, 1855, wo learn that/ tho memorable earthquake took place at an hour variously slated as from 9.10 to 9.1,7’ p.m. The, shock was generally felt all over New Zealand almost simultaneously, but Wellington was apparently the centre o! disturbance. An interesting and valuable record cf the event is (be narrative of Commander Drury, who was on board ship in the harbour when the earthquake took place. In his account it is stated that for cighf hours after the great shock the tide .approached; and '.recoded from the shore every twenty minutes, rising from eight to ten feet, and falling below (he low-water-mark of spring tides. Tho only person lulled by this earthquake was Baron Alzdorf, an hotel proprietor who was struck by a, brick from a falling chimney in a room, of the hotel where ho was "sitting, and was instantly killed. According to some published account/;, tho commissariat sergeant, and his two children were killed by the falling of a wall in this earthquake ; but this is an evident error, as nothing is said of such an occurrence in the newspapers. These three deaths weret probably caused lathe great “shake” of seven years pre-. viously.' It may. bs remarked that, the “New Zealand ''Spectator and Cocks Strait Guardian” was printed and published by Mr Robert Stokes, on Lambton ouay.