SOCIAL AND GENERAL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14103, 6 January 1908, Page 1 (Supplement)

SOCIAL AND GENERAL.

PERSONAL.

The Hon C. Louisson, M.L.C., retires from on the E S l Ynst SSem ly b » efflUjd ° n of time

ArchiMshop Dunne, of Brisbane, has Jns t celebrated his silver jubilee. 'He has been years amongst the peopie Queensland. Ihe Rev. J. G. S. Bartlett, of St. Mark's, tile Ple3s Association) accepted tho position of vioar of St. Luke's Oanjaru. v Mr Granville Waddy, son of Mr P. E. Wsddy, manager of the Commercial Bank at West Maitland, has been awarded the New South _Wales Rhodes scholarship for 1908. , . Yoder, formerly director and chemist of the agricultural '/experimental station in Utah (U.S.A.), was a' recent arrival in bydncy. He is travelling to study agricultural renditions in Australia, New Zealand ana other countries.

A Wellington Press Association telegram states that Mr G. S. Munro, who was general manager of the Exhibition, has severed his connection with tho public scrvice. He leaves for England next month.. A Now Plymouth telegram states that Mr T. Hutchison, S.M., who has just returned from England, has received notice of transfer to Oanuaru. Mr Fitzherbert. S.M.. who has relieved Mr Hutchison there, remains at New Plymouth.

Among the visitors to New Zealand at present arc Mr John Gane (immediate pastpresident of the Institute of Chartered Aooountants in England and Wales), Mrs G«ne, and Miss Gane, who expect to. make a stay of several months before returning Home, via Vancouver.

_ The Victoria College. Council has considered applications for the Chair of Mathematics. There were 37 applicants, including five New Zealahdcrs. The council's choice fell on Mr David Kennedy Piokon, M.A., at present chief assistant to the Professor of Mathematics at Glasgow University. The Rey. G. W. Davidson, at the close of the service in St. Paul's Church, Kaitfmgata, on Sunday 15th, ■ was waited upon by the members' .of the congregation and presented with a puree of sovereigns as a parting gift. 1 A very large and representative gathering of the friends ,of Mr Charles Draper'met in St. George's Hall, Milton on Friday, December 27, on the occasion of his leaving Milton to take up his abode in Dunedin as head auctioneer for the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Company. At a meeting of (the Southland Presbytery on .Thursday a call was presented to fhe Rev. J. M. Simpson. 8.A., of "Winton, from Knox Church, Parnell, Auokland. Mr Simpson accepted the call, and expressed feelings of gratitude for the appreciation spoken by his office-bearers and for 1 the 'happy relations which had characterised his years of ministry at Winton • •• .■■■■•

The Very Rev. Deuu Ginaity, who ban just been appointed Vicarrgenerat (says the Press) of tho Catholic diocese of Christchurch, was one of the very early priests having, charge of Christchurch. This was before the erection of Canterbury into a diocese, and whilst it was a mission under the' the charge of Bishop (now Archdcacon) Redwood. The Very Eev. the Dean retired from activo work'as a _ parish priest in order to carry out' a, mission which was then, as it is now, the great end of his life—namely, the establishment of Mount Magd&la. There sailed on the 17th by tne Tongariro for Seffron Waldron, in Essex, England, Mr and Mrs John Cross, who have been for the last 30 years resident in Dunedin, and 18 years of that time in business in Kensington, Mir, and Mrs Cro3s leave to end their days iu their native town, Mr CroEs served 22 years m the Imperial' Army in the 18th Royal (Irish, Ist Battalion, and was wrecked at tJ * n in India .on the 3rd December, 1857, where he served io years in the. Indian Mutiny in the reserve forces. For the last 31 years Mr Cross has drawn an Imperial pension of Is o, day, and during his 30 years in Dunedin has never been one day out of work.

Mr collector of, Customs at Duneciw for many years, retired oni the 31s.t iilt on a well-earned -pension,. He will lie succeeded bv Mr Sibbalcl, lately ollector at Nanier, Mr Sibbald is no stranger in this rily, having spent liia bovhood here, and' finished his education at the High School, Duncdin, He was in the Bank of Otago for three years, and left after passing the civil service senior examination. He was appointed a cadet in the Customs here, and aftor six months was rerroved to Auckland, and was afterwards in Christchurch and Wellington, He has filled every position in the department, having been landing surveyor in Auckland for 14 years before being appointed to Napier. Cardinal Moran will visit New Zealand to open tho new Roman Catholic Cathedral in Auckland on February 23. His Eminence, who has paid previous visits to this country, "Nvill arrive a week before the ceremony, and spend the interval at Eotorua. He will not come to 'Wellington, as his advancing'years render unnecessary travel inadvisable. All the New Zealand Roman Catholic bishops will attend the ceremony, and Bishop O'Connor, of Armidale, and probably some other Australian bishops, are expected to be present. Cardinal Moran will leave Auckland for Sydney the day following the ceremony, and Bishops Verdon, of Dunedin, and Lenihan, of Auck'.and, will leave by the same steamer, preparatory to paying a visit to Europe. • Some little time ago the retirement from the Government railway service of Mr J. Coom, Chief Engineer for Working Railways, was announced. Mr' Coom's official retirement would eventuate on March 31, but- the department has extended him throe months' leave of absence, and' he will accordingly retire from the service at the Now Year. Mr J. Burnett, Inspecting Engineer, will he promoted to the vacancy thus caused. Mr F. W Mac Lean, District Engineer at Dunedin, will succeed' Mr Burnett as Inspecting Engineer. . It is understood that Mr Hunter Mncandrew, well known in Dunedin, and a son of the late Mr James Macandrew, and at present District Engineer at Christchurch, will succeed Mr Mao Lean at Dunedin. . CASUALTIES AND OFFENCES. Private information reached Dunedin on December 15 to the effect that a distressing fatal accident had occurred at Balcairn, which is situated 30 miles north of Christchurch. Subsequent inquiries elicited the fact that three lives had been lost, the victims being Mr Wiri. Berry, schoolmaster at Balcairn, his son Walter, aged 2£ years, and another little boy. It appeal's that Mr Berry took a number of children out on Saturday for Nature-study to a picnic resort known as the Natural Bridge, 10 miles from Amberley. On tho return journey the horse in the trap driven by Mr Berry became Testive. The animal plunged Daok after crossing the bridge, and, breakins fte protection rail, fell into a 50ft chasm below. Mr Berry's skull was fractured, and ho died a few minutes later. His son and another boy named Georgo Deal were killed instantaneously.

At Lumsden on December 28 a man named Charles Cecil Smith was sentenced by two justices to two months imprisonment, without the option of a fine, for an assault committed under unusuaJ circumstances. It seems that two gentlemen of rank who were doing the La&s district left a valet

behind at Lumsdon. Tho valet, who is a Hindustani, named Jonae Nazareth, had boon staying in Lumsden for about a fortnight, and had ingratiated himself with everyone by his intelligent and courteous manner. He was especially a favourite with children. On Christmas Day, after the sports, the acctised came to the hotel .where Nazareth was staying and used some bad language to him. , Desiring peace, the valet went outside, whither .accused followed him, and tlien brutally attacked him, knocked him down, and belaboured him on the ground. Then the constable came. It transpired that accused was a rowdy character, and a heavy sentence was asked for. In imposing this, the Bench commented on the fact that the crowd stood by and saw a cowardly bully maltreat a coloured man. A man named Johnson was drowned in the Queen Charlotte Sounds off the launch A 7 ictory on Decemoer 21. George Denton was found dead in his bod at the Waimate Hotol on Christmas' morning. Deceased, who was about 50 years of ago, travelled with books. ' t Florence Farndale, who is charged with tne murder of her ohild on or about November 25, has been, committed for trial at Auckland, bail being refused. Thomas Hughes, an elderly man, was found dead in . bed at the Commercial Hotel, Haipawa. He was apparently in tho best of health the previous night. The body, of George Fuller, a bootmaker, who has been missins; since November . 2o' was found on December 26 at Sumner in a. lupin patch. A revolver was found by the side of the body. The five-year-old daughter of Mr F. Draper, of Newton, who sustained sovero burning injuries as the result of playing with matchcs at hev homo on December 9. died in the hospital from the effects. » Charles Paterson, a Dunedin young man, fell from his'bicycle on the 31st ult. whilst hastening to catch a train at Waihola, and sustained concussion of the brain, dying at Waihola on the morning 'of the Ist inst. John Sims, aged 40, a single man, climbed to the top ot a lamp-pcst on Rona Bay wharf on December 24, intending to make a long dive. In the descent he struck the edge of tho wharf and sank.

Maud Reid, a single girl, 23 years old, was- admitted to the Auckland Hospital apparently suffering from phosphorus poisoning, caused by eating mafoh heads. She died early on the 21st December. Advice was received by the police ori Decembor 30 to the effect that William Allan Brown, 19 years of age, was drowned on Sunday in' the Wangaloa Creek, near liaitangata. The body has been recovered. A swagger who had been observed for tho past three days in the vicinity of Mr Grace's farm at Sandon was on the 11th discovered hanging from the branch of a tree on the estate. The' name of the deceased is unknown.

The safe at tho Buller County Council Office was robbed of £200 during the holidays. Tho burglar removed tho main' plate, drilled a hole in tho safe, shot baok the bolt, removed tho money, relocked tho 6afe, and replaced the main plate. A Fijian named Chas.' Abel, who had been talcing part in the recent tangi at tho Moawhanga, Pa, went to sleep on tho table, and fell off dead. At the inquest the verdict was that death was caused by hemorrhage of the brain through diseased arteries, and was not due to the fall. A man named John Hooking, resident at Addington, was riding his bicycle through Riccarton, when ho rode into a shop window. Both ho and the'window suffered, and ho was taken to the hospital, with severe cuts on liis hands and faco. _ Edward Barry, aged 19 .years, whose relatives reside at Redwoodtown, was' loading sheaves on to a dray on Lankow's farm, near Blonheim, when the loaf slipped. Barry fell, and one wheel passed over his chest. He was attended by Dr Walker, who hold out no hopes of recovery. Barry died on December 29.

•Robert Scott, aged seven years, son of Robert Walter Scott, of Huntiy, climbed a fence enclosing the shaft of an old mine, and fell 60ft. He landed on a ehelving bank and then dropped another 30ft into water. The body was half an hota later, but life was extinct. The body of Cecilia ConoUy, wife of Herbert Conolly, was found hanging in her house at Petone on December 30. At the inquest a verdict of "Suicide while temporarily insane" '-whs returned. It was stated . that tho husband had left home early in the month and had 'not' been heard of since.

A ijreman named Mahoney, of the steamer (Largo Law, was drowned in the harbour on the Ist. Constable Holland heard a splash, and, seeing a man in the water, sprang in and succeeded "in getting him ashore. Mahoney, who was alive, was removed to the hospital, where he expired shortly after his admission.

'A serious accident occurred at Wanganui. When Mr and Mrs Arthur'Coe were driving down Durio Hill the horeo bolted, and both were thrown out of the trap. Mr Coe was badly bruised and shaken, and Mrs Coe .was removed to the hospital in an unconscious state, suffering from concussion of the brain, and died on December 30.

A man named Geo. Valentino Chatterton Johnston was arrested at Taradale on December 24 for drunkenness, and when brought to Napier was found to be in a very weak state. He .was admitted to the Hospital, where he died on Christmas Day. It is supposed that death was due to the effects of alcoholic poisoning. The police have been informed that Margaret Ronaldson Sharpe, wife of James Sharpe, a corn-dealer at Lower Hutt, •hanged herself. At the inquest on the body, which was found at the foot of a cliff at Island Bay, a verdict of accidental death was returned. The ovidenee showed that the deceased's' home was destroyed by fire some time ago, and that this. had affectcd her mental condition.

The two-year-old son of John smith, of Great North road, Auckland, died as the result of a scalding accident wh'lo playing in his father's % bakehouse. A copper of boiling water was lying partly underneath a bench, with part of it protruding, and the child, who was standing with his back to it, was in some way pushed by his little brother and fell into the water, which covered him from the waist down. He expired a short time' afterwards.

On December 3 the body .of a man named George Cochrane was found in an advanced stago of; decomposition in a hut at Elgin, Wakanui, about four miles from Ashburton. A gun, containing a discharged cartridge, was found lying with the muzzle pointing towards the body, and the same kind of cartridge were in the hut. Deceased was a single man, about 30 years of age, and had lived all his life in the Wakanui district. All his relatives reside in the vicinity. At the inquest the jury roturned a verdict that the deceased met his death from a gunshot wound, and that there was no evidence tcshow how such was inieted. They were _ satisfied that there were no suspicious circumstances.

An elderly man named Somerville was killed at Holooinbo 011 December 24 by the train from Palmerston to Wangamti. As the train rounded a bend the driver saw a form at the side of ' the line, and endeavoured to pull up, but the cowcatcher caught the man's head, cutting off the upper portion, A 6ugav bag, with - two bottles of beer (one half empty), was found alongside the body. Deceased, who lived in a hut at Halcombe, had been in Feilding, and was walking home.

At the Magistrate's Court, Napier, Chas. Hannah, a harvester, wascommitted for trial on a charge of attempting to discharge a revolver at W. Morris, a fellow-employee, at Fernhill Station. The evidenco showed that Morris's wife, who was cook at the station, refused to cook a hot dinner in the evening. Hannah objected to a cold dinner, and Morris attempted to pull the objector's _ nose. Hannah left, and returned with a loaded revolver, which he is alleged to have pointed at Morris, but the cartridges being old tho weapon miosed firo.

A particularly sad accident occurred at Messrs Ward Bros.'' flaxmill at Evan's Flat on December 11., A man named Edward Churnside, about 29 years of age, was feeding the machine, when his left, hand and arm were drawn into the scutcher. Before the machinery could be stopped tho unfortunate man's head and body haxl passed through the machine. Churnside \vaa killed almost instantaneously, his body boing frightfully mangled, At tho inquest a verdict of accidental death was returned. Tho deceased was a native of Auckland.

While Frank Brandford, aged 8 years, was driving with his parents near Invercargill on Dec. M the hoi's© became Tcstive. The horse was pulled up and the trap seemingly ran on to its heels. It kicked twico. and the boy, who was sitting in front of the trap with his back to the horse, was struck on the baok of the neck the second timo. He died on tho way to the hospital. Nield, of the firm of Evans, Meld, and Co., timber merchants, was found dead early on December 16 on the Gisborne side of Tolngo Hill. Deceased left town on Saturday night to inspect some contracts, and was to return on Sunday evening. Tho accident is supposed to havo haiD.ened at 7.30 jj.in. Tho buggy,- went

ovor a bank at a sharp turn in the road. Deceased, who was very popular, was secretary of tho Druids' Lodge and fire brigade, and for many years took an activo part in local affairs. At the inquest a verdict of accidental death was returned.

A drowning fatality occurred at Napier on December 30. A man named Arthur Sutton, who is a storekeeper at Onepoto Gully, was lathing in the river near the end of Carlyle street. He was accompanied by one of his son 6 and two men named Chaplin and Moore. After bathing for some time Sutton got out of his depth. The others went to his assistance, but not being able to swim were unable to save him. An alarm was given, and the body was recovered come half an hour later, but life was extinct. Deceased leaves a wifo and four children. '

The disappearance' of a coloured boy, known as Sam M'Donaid, aged about 18, was reported to the Auckland police on December 23 by Mr J. Alexander, by whom the lad was employed. Mr Alexander had engaged tho boy to go out with him on his oil launch on an excursion on Monday morning, and the boy went out in a dingey to the launch on Sunday night. Next morning neither the boy nor the dingey could be found. The weather was rough, and it' is supposed that the dingey was capsized and-the lad drowned. The body wa6 found near the Calliope Dook wharf.

7 • MISCELLANEOUS. The railway authorities have been very busy during tjie New Year, the bookings on Now Year's Day being not far short of 6000,, while the total on the 2nd was 3330.

An-Auckland telegram states that the Parnell .Borough Council has decided to apply to Mr Carnegie for a grant of £3000 for the purpose of erecting a library in the borough.

Tho Miners' Union having forwarded a claim to the Government • for £300 15s expenses incurred over the recent Nightcaps Commission, we understand that it is high'y probable the Nightcaps Coal Company will follow suit and also make a. demand for reimbursement of its commission (expenses.

Immediately the holidays are over there should be no dearth 1 of employment. A number of 'men, about 50 in all, are to be sont away to the Midland, Catlin's River, and Gore-Waikaka railway construction works. There is also ample work awaiting those in need of it in the country districts. In regard to blade-shearers, there is a particular dearth of hands right throughout tho Dominion.

A correspondent from Kurow writes: — Sunday, December 19, was a dreadful day of heat., Maximum shade temperature: 9 a.m., 86deg,N.W. wind, medium; 12 noon, 96degj 1 p.m., 98deg; 1.30 p.m., lOOdeg; 3 p.m., 90deg, S.W. wind, medium, became overcast with change of wind; 5 p.m., 80deg."

The Dunedin delegates to tho Political Labour League Conference just concluded in Ohristolmroh were very much impressed with /the vrork that. was being done in Christchurch by the branch there in tho way of open-air meetings. It has accord ; ingly beon decided to recommend that similar methods be adopted by the Dunedin branch. If the proposal is approved of locally a series of open-air meetings, at which the gospel and aims of the league will be expounded, will be commenced early this year..

A new industry has. been started on the West Coast—namely, that of the manufacture of wood stovepipes. Messrs John M'Lean and Sons and Mr Leslie Reynolds are (according to the West Coast • Times) mainly responsible for this project.' Works havo been erected at Hokitika, and the manufactory is under the guidanco of an expert from Canada: It is claimcd to be the first New Zealand works of its kind that has used New Zealand timber for the making of the pipes.

At a meeting of subscribers to the Y.M.C.A. extension fund in Auckland it was deoided to acquire a site 'below tho municipal buildings in Wellesley street, at a cost of £6000, for the erection of the now building. It was assumed that the present Y.M.C.A. building would realise £10,000, and that, tho proceeds (less the mortgage) added to the amount realised by the recent campaign would , give a. total of £30,000.' It is hoped that the new: building will bV opened without debt.

About £720 was collected for the Dunedin Hospital and kindred institutions on December 14- in city and suburbs. Two-thirds of this amount, pr £480, will go to the' Hospital, and as this sum will carry with it tho Government subsidy of 246 in the pound the funds of the institution will benefit to the extent of £1056. Of tho remainder of tho amount collected £180 will be handed to the St. John Ambulance Association, and the balance will divided between tho Patients and Prisoners' Aid Society and the Victoria Convalescent .Fund. The balance of £240 (after payment to tha Hospital) ie subsidised by the' Government to tho extent of £200, which will also be divided among tho three smaller bodies, the larger' 6hare going to the Ambulance Society. December 24 a busy day on th-> City Corporation tramways. The inloading was the heaviest on record for Christmas Eve, 12 special ears being brought into commission from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m., make a total of 34 cars in running; From early in the evening right up to 12 o'clock the holding capacity of every car was taxed to its utmost. Tho actual takings for Tuesday amounted to £289 3s 4d, as against £263 16s 8d for Christmas Eve of 1906. The crowded state of the principal thoroughfares on Tuesday night mado! it a trying time for the motormen, but it is pleasing to note that the running was carried out without accident, and, furthermore, tho timetable was strictly adhered to.

According to Vhe Dominion the popularity of> the New Zealand tourist resorts has been -very great this year. The Tourist Department has been receiving constant intimation that every sconio spot has had its quota of visitors. In many places accommodation has been taxed, but preparations proved adequate. Rotorua has, been en fete, and among the visitors there have been crowds from Australia. As a matter of fact, the general influx from Australia this year has been remarkable. In spite of the extra steamer put on by the Union Company, several intending holiday-makers were unable, so states the tourist officer in Sydney, to obtain a. passage over. Apart, however, from the outside traffic, New Zealanders themselves are greatly in evidence at the resorts this year.

Among those who are most severely taxed for the furtherance of the pleasure of the public mo the officials of the Telegraph Office, and it is to be conceded that they respond generously to the call. The Dunedin operators v.cro continuously employed from the time the office opened at 8 o'clock on Tuesday, December 24, until the last message wa6 finished at about 10 minutes to Bon Christmas morning. During that time there were forwarded 3605 telegrams; received, 3922; and transmitted to other offices, 6247. The numbers for the corresponding period last year were: — Forwarded, 3303; received,, 3774; transmitted to other offices, 5696. The respective totals were:—l9o6, 14,679; and 1907, 15,661—0r an increaso of 1002 messages this year.

The tramways staff have had a very busy time during the past week and have come through the ordeal with great credit. The fact that there have been no accidonts of a serious naturo and that the service in all its branches has been well maintained amply demonstrate? the efficiency of the servico. The loading on 31st- ult. was a good deal heavier than for the samo day on the previous year, the number of passengers being 41,901 and the amount of fares taken £254 Is Id, as against £224 17s for the same day in 1906. On New Tear's morning the traffic to the Railway Station and to the wharves was heavy, and there was fairly good loading to St. Clair. The threatening weather about 2 o'clock spoilt the afternoon traffic. There was good outward loading, however, in the evening. The number of passengers was 40,914 and the receipts for the day £250 17s, as against £258 10s 8d for New Year's Day, ISO 7. For the two days the total receipts coirjo to -£504;18s Id, as against £483. 7s,Bd

for the same two days 12 months ago. % Infant Jifo requires every protection. On January 1 a radical change took place in the administration of all licensed homes for infants. Henceforward all such homos will he under the control of tno Department of Education, instead of that of the police, as formerly. Four ladies nave . been appointed as district agents, and these will shortly visit every such homo in New Zealand. After this inspection has been made all homes will bo regularly visited by an officer specially appointed for the purpose. The scheme of inspection will be such that every infant in a licensed home under one year of age shall be visited at least once in every two months, and every other infont in such a. homo once in four months, Foster-parents must comply promptly with any direction given by a district agent or other duly authorised person, and they must also allow local visitors all reasonable facilities for ascertaining the condition of infants in their homes. All infants must also be treated with care and kindness. It is worthy of note that under the amendment of the Life Protection Act an important alteration is made. It is now provided that every child received into an infant home is to be an infant for the purposes of the act until it attains the age of six years. Under the previous provision the maximum Bge was four years. Accounts of the capturd of Hare Matenga, the Maori who was "wanted" by the policy fop five years ,and was arrested- last week', show that the man--110 ' le ' IM ® no firearms." When the party got on his trail, the description of Matenga was that of a man with torn clothes and ong, lagged hair. At the pa where he appeared in this condition he was renovated, got his- hair cut, and went on his way towards Wairoa, leaving a double-barrelled gun behind him. Evontu-, ally the Ruakituri pa was reached, and here the police travellers, known to the inquisitive Natives as a survey party, were we received by the head man,- Hawera. had been there about an hour," explained Detectivo Broberg, "when our guide (Mr Green), who knew the language, picked out a stranger. We could also see he was a stranger to the tribe, so we decided to have a word with him. H© had a -lady's silver watch and chain, with a pendant attached, in which our guide recognised a photo of Mrs Brothers. After giving a fictitious namo at first, he afterwards owned up, and admitted his identity. The gun he had left at Waima pa he 1 had taken from a Motu camp, and for the last five years lie had been living in the bush, getting food from time to timo from various camps. Ho made no fight, and he had no firearms."' Matenga is now on remand. A Zealand company has purchased the Dominion rights for an English coal briquette. Its texture is so fine and close that a briquette a little larger than an egg can be sawn through quite smoothly without any crumbling and cracking. It is impervious to the weather, and may be made from' the slack of any kind of coal. Some difficulty has been experienced in making the new briquette from-the receipt furnished, but this has been solved by Messrs E, H. Barber and Swannell,-mining and mechani&l engineers respectively, of Wellington. It is understood that the cost of producing the briquettes is about 5s per toi^ Superstition exercises sway nowhere more effectively than at sea. It is-regarded as essential by those immediately concerned that Polar expeditions should sally forth penniless. In consequence, just before sailing, Lioutenant ShackUton demanded that -each of his companions should disgorge his monetary possessions. These were immediately handed over to Mr A. Roid, manager of , the expedition, who will retain custody of the treasure until its owners return to civilisation to claim it. And so the hardy explorers set out; poor in pocket, but rich beyond telling, in -hopefulness and the sympathy of their 'kinsmen everywhere. The only known coin on board is a battered threepenny pieoe nailed .fixedly to the mast. Some months ago, when the Otago Acclimatisation Society liberated a number of owls in EarnscleUgh aad other districts with a view to minimising the "small bird nuisance, doubts were-expressed concerning the wisdom of ,the step, v The following letter, which has been received by the secretary of the Acclimatisation Society from a well-known resident of the Earnscleugh district, explains itself:—"l havo an orchard of fruit trees, and in some fir trees which J planted as a breakwind the birds were very numerous until last year, and ate all the buds of my fruit trees, not leaving me a case of fruit. Since the. owls were' liberated by your ranger I have had a fairly good crop of fruit, and I consider that this is due to the work of the owls in exterminating the birds. In the fir trees which I liave mentioned I have found several empty shells of eggs, and the trees are now almost deserted by small birds. I found several partly-eaten birds in an owl s home in' an old sod wall on my property, so that they would seem to eat both birds and eggs. The owls all • seem to be thriving well in the district." We understand that only 44 owls : were liberated in the district—l 4 in September, ' 1906, and 30 in September of this year. The Mount Ida Chronicle says:—"The late severe drought has caused some ,of our farmers to turn, their attention to 'boring for artesian water in order to obtain a supply for domestic purposes and stock. Mr P. Devinncy, of Wedderburn, recently sank a couple of shallow bores with satisfactory results. He obtained some rods from Mr A. , M'Lennan, and under the supervision of that gentleman sank a. bore at Wedderburn and' one at Eden Creek. At Wedderburn he commenced boring at 'the bottom of a 16ft well and went down to a total depth from the surface of 64ft, where water was struck. It rose into- the well. At Eden bore (52ft) the water rose to within 7ft of the surface. A suction pump would easily pump it to the surface from that depth. Most of i the ground was of a .hard clay formation, but at Eden a sft seam of lignite was struck, Messrs P. Shea and J. Lory are thinking of trying a bore or two." There are now five cables spanning Cook Strait between Wellington and Marlborough, and another between Wanganui and Wakapuaka. The first five can all be worked, with the quadruplex apparatus, by which means each cable can take a:i average of 120 messages per ■ hour, a measure of work frequently achieved in busy times. So that with five cables opera•tmg on the quadruplex, 1100 messages an hour can go from island to island under the wash of Cook Strait. Tho Wanganui cable is only adapted to duplex work, but is very handy for the despatch of business between the west coasts of the North and South Islands. This cable lies on a good bottom, and gives no trouble, but tho Lyell ay cables are laid across a bit of ocean bed that has prohably no equal in tho world. to 14 miles off Terawhiti there >s a huge hole m the bed of the strait the shapo 'of an enormous shoe, when tho lead drops suddenly from 20 to 30 fathoms to anything between 120 and 200 fathoms. Mr B. M. Wilson, registrar of the Arbi. ' tration Court, has supplied the Press with the following information:—The public sittings of tho Arbitration Court for tho year 1907 commenoed at Lawrence, in Otago, on January 28, and concluded in Christchurch on December 20. With the exception of Nelson, which has been visited once, and where there are now no industrial disputes pending, the court lias twice visited each of the eight industrial districts into which the Dominion is divided, and, in doing so, tho members have travelled nearly 8000 miles on the business of the court. Awards have been made in 89 industrial disputes, and, outside these, the court has dealt with nearly 1000 cases of all kinds, including - breaches of award, applications to add parties to awards, and compensation cases, ' besides a largo number of interpretations ' 9* wwfe. Shp. .powt has held publio sit-1

\ tings on 165 days in tho year—B2 in tho North Island and 83 in the South Inland,— and in addition a large number of deliberative sittings have been held. The annual report of tho Canterbury Frozen Meat Company states that the net profit for the year is £20,580 6s, and this sum, after adding tho amount carried forward from last year and deducting the interim dividend paid, and writing £5000 off the works account,- leaves £15,728 7s lOd. This sum the directors propose should be dealt with as follows:—To payment of a further 3 per cent, on the preference shares (making 6 per cent, for the yeaT), £2250; to payment of a further 4- per cent, .on tho ordinary, shares (making 8 per cent, for tho year), £4349 2s; ti> transfer to accident insurance fund account, raising this account to £2000, £556 16s 4d; tc- transfer to reserve fund account, £8000; to carry forward, £572 9s 6d. The quantities of stock dealt with at the company's works during the year were:—At Belfast, 513,970 head; at Fairfield, 373,306 head; at 282,073 head; —total, 1,169,349 head, being an increase of 112,013 over the figures of last year. A , t number of tariff alterations under the aot passed last session came into force on January 1. The removal of the duty of 10 per cent, on cotton piece goods (including' Turkey twills, dress prints, denims, drills, dimities, flannelettes, army grey shirting, moreen, canvas for fancy work, dungaree for. working suits, cotton cord, lmings for' dressmaking, and liberty muslin) is a departure whioli will be welcomed by all housowives. Similarly a duty of 20 per cent, is removed from plushes, all kinds of damasks, sateens, serges, dress hollands, holland curtains, linen sheetings, and towellings, .and a'hundred and one other things which come within the same category. ■ The duty on lace goods, satins, velvets, etc., will be'reduced from 25 to 20 per cent: There are many 'other articles on which reductions in duty will operate as from January 1, but those outlined are tho principal changes which affect the masses. The very favourable climatic conditions were, no doubt, to a great extent responsible for the large concourse of people on Dunedin streets on Dec. 31. In all respccts the crowd was an orderly and well-behaved one. There was, of . course, the usual display of lung power, as manifested by mouthorgans and other instruments of a like nature; but this year there was a distinctly now factor introduced, inasmuch as the young ladies of the city and its environs took a vehement part in the making of discordant and other noises by means of trumpets, hooters, otc. v So far as can be gathered there were no disturbances of a serious nature, and the- large crowd was a particularly orderly one. A s midnight approaohed the northern end of the Octagon was made- the centre of attraction. As the hrnir of 12 rang out there was a great outburst of \ explosives, whilst from the Fire Brigade Station there was made a very fine fireworks display. At the same time coloured fires were exhibited from various' parts of the Municipal Buildings', the while whistles from foundries and vessels in the harbour were screaming, rockets were being discharged in every direction, and a detachment of pipers paraded the main thoroughfare. For the space of about a quarter of an .hour the contre of the city presented a very lively and animated scene, but once tho .fireworks had ceased the crowd began to disperse, and by half-an-hour after midnight the streets presented t/uite ail ordinary appearance, and the year 1908 had been happily and auspiciously launched upon its 12-months* course, / , ?^ le annual Hospital Saturday collection taken up in Dunedin streets on December 14 realised £720.' r u in Auck,and wnicn is the heaviest over recorded. The previous record was 53in in 1893. At Waihi the rainfall i s reported to havo exceeded ■Uoin for tho year. % The Government has terminated the contract let to Mr Frame, of Invercargill, for extensions to the Sydney street side of Parliament Buildings. - The undertaking,which involved an outlay of £21,500, was entered mto l)efoTe the fire. .Sir J. ' Q. Ward' has been informed that the vote of the railway workshops hands as to Avhether thev desired to com* under ■ y on "liation and . Arbitration Aot resu ted: For, 225; against, 2154. There were oai men who refrained from voting. In the presence of a ,large concouree the belfry erected as a memorial of the late ilpn. R. J. Seddon at St. Mary's, Adding- •: ion... was dedicated-on December 22 bv Bishop Julms, and the memorial •. tablet Ward Waß Unveiled by s 'r : Joseph * Eiomas, of the Labour 'Department has just returned from the West Coast! iI ? Te S ai 'd to the dispute over the bank-to-bank clause, that the miners intend appealing -to the Court, of Appeal to test the question as to whether the Arbitration Louits award overrides statute law notice in the Gazette reads:-"I Joseph George Ward, Minister of Railways, hereby declare that the provisions of 'The (jovernment Railways Superannuation Fund Act, 1902/ shall extend and apply to persons permanently employed by the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company, as from January 1, 1908." The . coal exnorted from Westport for 1907 was 645,139 tons-610,759 tone by the Westport Coal Company and 34,380 tons by the Seddonvillo State colliery. The ■y.ostport Company's'figures'represent an increase of 39,199 tons over the previous year. . " ' A capital indication of the great progress . the town of Napier has made during the past year 'is obtained., from the fact that 142 building permits entailing" an*, expenditure of * nearly £100,000, have been issued during the year, an increase of over £50,000 on the previous year's figures. The Native Land Commission has concluded its sittings at Waiapu. The area investigated was 127,217 acres, of which 53,542 acres is cleared land, carrying 72,275 sheep. Of this area, probably from 30,000 to 40,0000 aores will bp available for general settlement, A report on a further 95,000 acres will be submitted by Mr Ngata. A conference has been ooncluded in Welington of head mistresses of the secondary schools in New Zealand..' Matters relating to tho free education regulations were discussed, and recommendations tending to decrease pressure of work and also popularise and extend domestic instruction for girls attending these schools were passed, j and will be submitted to the Minister of Education For tho last four years, to the end of March 31, 1907, the outstanding rates for the city of Auckland amounted to less than 30s—a record that probably stands alone in. tho history of any city in the Dominion. Tho. amount in question is owing by- a ratepayer living in Sydney, who has promised to remit it shortly, so that by the time the Uty Council s financial year expires there will probably be nothing whatever outstanding. When seen in reference to the proposal to remove the capital to an inland situation Sir Joseph Ward said that- the time had gono past when it was possible to make any change in that direction. The whole °f t'' e Government departments, including the head office of tho banking institution were situated in Wellington, and it would ' necessary to go back into the fastnesses of the country to discover any place that ww remote from the sea border. The men-o'-wavsmen off the warshijfe now in port havo been making their presence noticeably felt in Christchurch. Last night a number of them, all more or less in a state of inebriety, proceeded .to break windows and smash things generally in a IXKiiding-house on Moorhouse avenue. At tho Opera House, too, some of tho Jack Tars interrupted tho performance to such ?VS 0n ? Iar S e number of the audience left tho building, and the programmo could not .bo proceeded with. From the trader's standpoint, taken on the whole, Dunedin during 1907 has had a prosperous and progressive year. There has been an increase in the volume of general business transacted, and money has been equal to all requirements. That is tho general verdict The official assignee, who is a recognised trade barometer, records business • somewhat dull in his particular line, and a large wholesale jeweller and fancy goods importer remarked that in his business there had been a slight shrinkage. Customs returns for three quarters of the- year show an amount, in numbers, of £349,000, as against £322.000 for 1906—the latter being a specially good year for trade. The two months that, havo expired of, the October-Dccember quarter for 1907 show a proportionate increase over tho same period for. 1906, .and tho figures quoted go to substantiate- the statements mado by traders that business during 1307 haa .been ! satisfactory. . .