Our Home Letter.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXV, Issue 10018, 8 December 1908, Page 4

Our Home Letter.

(From I'ui Own Correspondent.) _ London, October 30. Mr O. K. Stout, son of Sir Robert Stout, the Chief Justice of New Zealand, is just now in London. He has come over to co into residence at Cambridge- University. Mr Stout has three brothers studying in the Old Country, two of them liein g mediaii students at Guy's Hospital. 'The Roman Catholic Bishop of Auckland, who came over to attend the Euc-haristir Congress, journeyed to Rome last week with "a party of 225 pilgrims. A number of Roman Catholic bishops from this country have also gone there as members of the National Pilgrimage. The | number of pilgrims is also fairly strong. Following the" 225 who went with the Bishop of Auckland. 150 v.v-nt on the same dav. and the next day over left via Charing Cross. The Kev. A. F. Smith, vicar of Northcote. Auckland, mentioned in former letters, has Ujoked his passage, and that of [lis wife- and children, by the lonic, leaving London on Uecemi'er 10th and due to° arrive- on January 26th. After com[,'etin- thr.-.- months' work in cliarge of the parish of St. Philip's, Lambeth, Mr Smith joined his family at Eastleigh, near Southampton, and did a few days' cycling around the neighborhood. Now he has !.e_m. a preaching and lecturing tour through the diuce»>* of LicMic'.d, South-v.-.-ii. Oakham, and Norwich, which is to continue until December Ist. His workhere has be.-n very much appreciated, and the rev. geutlenuiii has received several offers of [Permanent work, if he would remain in the Old Comitrv. Mr and Mrs 1". Trice, of Whit ford.

Vi.-kland. came bv th- lonic on July :;h and will leave by the same boat on [Ki-emU-r IGth. It is sixteen years since Mr Trice has s.eii the- Mother Country, /■•Li it is Mrs Trice's tiist visit. In reading over my notes of last week, [ uoti. e I gave Monday, that is. last Mondavi as th- dav of which the Bishop of Auckland would "leave in the Tongariro. It should have read "next month," the actual date is November 26. lam now able to give von the names of the clergymen who will accompany him. They are the Ue\s. G. C. Cruiksh.mk, I". C. Harvie. f.-i il Howard. C. Mortimer Jones, and K. H. Strong. The Rev. G. C. Cruikshank w.is i rit=ted this ye.r only. The Rev. I'ran. is Graham Harvie graduated B.A. with .-econd-clu&j theological honors at Meiton Colie.e. Oxford," ill 1904. The Kev. Cecil Howard is jre-t now at Christchurch Minion in Poplar. The Rev. Ciive Mortimer Jones graduated at Wadham College. Oxford, in 1933. He studied theology at Leeds Clergy School in 1904, and a vear later was appointed curate of St. Janits'. Fulhani. The Rev. E. H. Strong is a New Ze-alander, and graduate M.A.f of the University of New Zealand in 19.0. He then came- to Oxford, wiiere he was senior colonial student, and won the Casberd Exhibition, and took the decrees of B.A. and 15. Liu. After taking holy orders, he w.is appointed, in ISO/, to "the parish ot" St. Barnabas. Balsall Heath. Birmingham. Mr John Thornton. Principal ot Te Aute College. Hawke's B-iy. is just now in London. He came by the Macedonia, arriving' on SepteinlK-r 2Sth. and has since made" a bievcle tour of the Eastern Counties. Mr Thornton is here chiefly to arrange for the publication of a short popular history of India.

Mr and Mrs Henry- Wood of Christchurch, have had a very enjoyable tour through Scotland and the lake district, and are now in London. Next month they will leave tor a tour of the Continent, after which they will return to England, and will sail for the Dominion on January 15th. by the P. and O. liner Moldavia. " Mr Wood Ins spent much time in visiting flour mills, with a view to making extensive alterations to his firm's mills at~C'hristchurch. Mr J. F. G. Orr, 8.A., has passed the colonial examination for the degree of Bachelor of Divinity of the University of London. Mr John Percy Gabbatt, M.A., the newProfessor of Mathematics at Canterbury College, Christehurch. is due to leave for the Dominion by the lonic in the first week in December. Mr Gabbatt is 28 years of age. and married, and has been mathematical" lecturer at University College. Nottingham. He won many scholarships in his school and college career, and was bracketed Eighth Wrangler in Part I. of the Mathematical Tripos at Cambridge in 1903, and a year later took a first-class in Part 11. of "the Tripos—a high distinction. He holds, also, the Teacher's Diploma of London University. Mr E. W. Geagleton, ot" Wellington, who is studying at- Jena University, for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, returned "to Germany last week from London, where he has soent the greater part of his vacation in research work in connection with a thesis which he is preparing. He will be visiting London again in about a year; eventually, he will return to the Dominion.

Mr H. C. Cameron, the New Zealand Produce Commissioner, gave evidence on Monday before the Departmental Committee appointed by the Board of Trade to inquire into combinations in the meat trade in the United Kingdom, but the evidence, so far is only of a formal character. The new steamer built for the Shaw. Savill, and Albion Company's New Zealand, the Tainui. had her trial trip last week. She has been tried over the measured mile satisfactorily. The steamer is of 10,000 tons, fitted to carry frozen produce, of 65C0 horse-power, and has five decks. OUR 'VISITING FOOTBALLERS. The following particulars are published by a contemporary of the relative ages, weights and heights of the Australian, New Zealand and South African footballers :

Average ... 25i 1210J 5 lOi The above figures are taken of the players who arrived ill England at the beginning of the various tours. It will be seen that the Xew Zcalanders were much the oldest side of the three on the whole. In the fortvard division there is nothing to chwse Iwtween the Wallabies and the AilBlacks. In the backs the Xew Zealanders can give the Australians three years. The South Africans had a very young lot of forwards. The oldest man in _the three teams is G. \V. Smith, who was jo. Smith was the Xew Zealand flyer, and has won several championships both in Xew Zealand and in' England over the hurdles. The African veteran was their captain, Paul Roos. who was 28, or n year older than anv memi-er of the Australian contingent." As regards weight-, the Wallabies come a bad'third to South Afri. a and Xew Zealand, who are only separated by a third of a pound. Compared with the others, the Australian forwards are over 71b a man lighter than the All I'.lacks.

WOOL AWARDS FOR XEW ZEALAXD. The Dominion and tiie Commonwealth share the honors ill the wool awards, a fact that was readiiv anticipated by all th.se who had seen the splendid exhibition of wools at their .ourts. There :s no doubt that no countries iu the world can grow w.»t to tome near these marvellous productions. Xothing like such a show had iveen seen k:-fore tinder oneroof, and it is a pity some permanent abidincplace cannot lie found to house them. in" some leading centre, where they will alwavs be or-en to inspection?" Tiie fleeces from" Xew South Wales. Queensland, and South Australia have been put in and shown as a collective exihibit, the official in charge decided upon this course, rather than put individual breeders fleeces into competition with one another. \ ictona let each breeders" wool stand on its own I bottom as did the Dominion, and West Australia, and Tasmania. The following are the results: —Xew Zealand Wools—i):t>loma of Honor. James Fay and Co.. Wellington: R. D. D- M'Lean. Maraekakaho. Gold medal—Pyne and Co.. Christchurch : Gear Meat Preserving and Freezing Co.. Ltd.. Wellington. Silver medalH. J. Rourke and Co. A special word ot praise is due to the splendid case ol fleeces from the Maraekakaho Station, conta;ning one each of pure merino, halfhred. fine Leicester, ordinary Leicester three.nianerbred Lincoln, medium Ijncoln. ami coarse Limoln. The Gear Freezing Co.. Messrs Bourke and Co.. Fay and Co.. and Pvne and Co.. are ali well to the front with their slipes. '

—Australians.— Average Average Average age" weight, heinht. st. lb. ft. in. Backs (15) ... 25 11 9J 5 3J Forwards' (14) 24 i 12 2' 2 .. 10i Average ... 2ov 12 4 5 9i —New Zealand (19051.— Tacks (15) ... 26 12 03 S 9 Forwards' (14) 24£ 13 5] 5 11 Average ... 25$ 12 10 5 10 South African.- (1906!.— Racks (14) ... 25J. 12 9? 5 3J Forwards (14) 257 13 4 5 1U