TOPICS OF THE DAY.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4315, 26 March 1901, Page 4

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

A NEW GEYSER. •Mv T. E. Donne, Superintendent of Tourists- and : Health -..esorts, received from Rotorua yesterday . that va. geyser of some considerable, magnitude jia.d burst out on the previous day at Lake Rotorua, • about half a mile ueyond the .Postmaster’s Bath at the mouth of the ‘ Puarenga stream, throwing up mud and water to a height of 100 feet. This goyeer bad not been active for some years. The lake wag considerably disturbed' near the Priest and’postmaster Baths. 1 ■- THE . WHITE PINE QUESTION. Mr .Beattie, secretary of the National Dairy Association, waited upon tho Hon T.rDuncan, Minister of Lands, yesterday morning, 'and, pointing out that the price' of white pine timber was being increased to those engaged in tho dairy industry, asked if the Government could- assist in obtaining supplies at » fair price. Mr Beattie pointed out that white pine for shipment to Australia was being sold at .la 9d per hundred foot on the truck, whereas people in Now Zealand were obliged, to pay 6s 6d per IQOft. _. Tho Minister replied that ha recognised tho importance of white pine t-o tho dairy industry, but he could hardly see how the Government could, interfere with private -euterpriao in the matter. , The Government had called upon ’the various Crown Lauds Gommissionej’S' for a report as .to the timber areas'-'available' and the probable quantity of material, thereon, and when that informatioiii came to hand the Gov. ..oipimeni: ' would see if help -could bo given, in securing a 1 regular supply at » reasonable rate. ,TJjo Minister pointed out that at a recent sale of Crown lauds at Dannevirkoi'-pnrcjiascrs word informed that the- Government .would not require., them to burn the heavy timber on. their ~ sections, .but ample time to .allow, it to .be, milled. , A similar course , would ho:udppl;pd’infuture cases. :

NO iB^AR T OP'PLAGUE. It,is not. ahMcipated by Dr .Mason,, the Superintendent. of the .IJealth Department,- that .outbreak; pf plague will take plape in'Now Zealand. .Thodoctox*, is very pleased at the cordial way in- which, the. local authorities arc working .to improve tho, sanitary condition# of the, centres of- population; Arrangements., have, been,.made: ! by which any outbreak -.would immediately bb"dealt with in the most ..effective manner.; In the meantime, experiments are being made which will prove of great value if the. plague should break out amongst us. The period of Quarantine in this colony is less than is observed at other Australnsian,. parts, but - the various , medical officers .at the different -ports have been, intimated that if they/think an extension of- time is necessary, and if they show good and sufficient reason for such an extension, ’it will be grant, ed.

■THE PUBLIC HEALTH. Dr Mason, Superintendent of the Health Department, has just returned to Wellington after a visit to some of tho northern districts. Ho thoroughly inspected the various premises at Roto, rua, and discovered that the outbreak of typhoid-there’ had been subdued, and measures 1 taken with the sanitary arrangements To pub the public health on a safe looting.'' Dr Mason also found that progress was' being made with the work of putting i Auckland sanitation hi order .in /the direction previously suggested by himself.- The outbreak of typhoid! .fover- at Now Plymouth- wa* found to have been dealt with promptly and subdued. "All the cases were traced to; a dairy outside tho borough, which had,since been closed. Dr Mason was greatly , with some of the drain-laying' at Palmerston North, and. after having made a personal examination of some of tho pipes, has made a report on the subject to the local Council. The doctor will remain in Wellington for some time, and will thoroughly examine Government. House and the new. wing at Searl’s Hotel set apart for the accommodation of the suite of'the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall; He will perform a. similar service in regard to the premises in which the Royal partywill be housed in the South Island.

i ' ' 1 . QUEEN'S COUNSEL. 7 A point of some interest in'connection • with the Queen's death is its bearing s upon the position of ; lawyers who belong- . ed to the Queen’s counsel. Mr Justice i Boucaut,- commenting in the Supreme ; Gouri at Adelaide on the uncertainty which_surrounds the designation of ouch practitioners , in South Australia, said he v had noticed, that since the demise of the Crown they had been designated by. tho letters .“K.C.”. According to his reading of the law this was inaccurate. .under tho common law the commission of Queen’s counsel would lapse immediately on- the demise of the j Crown, and unless new patents were issued lawyers bolding that office would inofe be entitled to wear silk. ■ By virtue of a statutory enactment, however, they were entitled to retain the title for six months after the death of the Sovereign by whom it was conferred. Sir Josiah Syhaon said he agreed with his Honor that there was no authority for the designation “King’s Counsel.” They were still Queen’s counsel, and unless 4iew patents were issued at the end of the period mentioned they would not bo entitled to retain the silk gown. His

Honor said ho had raised tho question Localise he desired to avoid any inaccuracy in liis notes. He would continue to use tho letters “Q.C.” for the period mentioned. In tho meantime the Crown lav/ officers have been instructed to pronaro fresh pa tents, and the coun-sellors*!’,-ill bo resworn before tho expiration of six months.