LOCAL & GENERAL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2426, 12 September 1900, Page 52

LOCAL & GENERAL.

The weekly meeting of the Benevolent Institution Trustees, held on the sth, was attended by Messrs Haynes (chairman), Allan, Wilson, Swan, Treseder, Ziele, Hazlett, and Green. The accounts passed for payment amounted to £342. The outdoor relief book showed that for the month of August there were 353 cases, representing 118 men, 24-7 women, and 616 children, the weekly cost being £102 8s 6d. For August of last year there were 114 men, 241 women, and 547 children relieved, at a weekly cost of £94 12s 6cl. Twenty relief cases were dealt with.

Our Wellington correspondent telegraphs : " The Hon. Captain Rus.-ell, who only the other week received news of the death of his lather in England, ha^ received a cable mespage from Mrs Russell informing him of the death of his second son in mid-ocean, on the way to England from America. For the last two years Captain Ru-^ell has had more than his share of trouble, and the news now received comes as a very heavy blow to him. The lad who ha? thus been cut off at the very commencement of a promising career was a fine strapping fellow, who was greatly liked by all who knew him. He studied at Oriel, and was called to the bar. Just before his la«t ' dinner ' he was attacked by influenza, which developed into pneumonia. A trip to New Zealand followed, hut the trouble only became more acute, and the doctors recommended a cl,ange to a drier climate. Accordingly Mrs Russell started with her son for Chlifornin. The lad, however, got worse and worse, till there was but little hope of his recovery. Latterly he expressed a strong desire to go to England, and thither Mrs Ruseell started with him, and, as already stated, h> died on the voyage. Deep sympathy is felt for Captain Russell in this bereavement, and with Mrs Russell, whose devotion led her to make such sacrifices on her son's behalf."

Since the unfortunate fire which destroyed the North Dunedin Presbyterian Church last year the members of the congregation have assembled for worship in the hall adjoining. The necessity for this, however, is now obviated, as the new church, which, by the way, is a handsome building, is now available for Avorship. The dedication service in connection with the opening of the church was held on Friday evening. Amongst the speakers on that occasion being the Revs. Dr ""Baimerman, J. Gibb, and W. Scorgie.

Ihe monthly meeting" of the Women's Christian Temperance Union was held on Tuesday afternoon, the president in the chair. After general business, it was stated that owing to the question of prohibition in "the King Country corning up unexpectedly iv the

"House, the petition, consisting of nearly 6000 signatures, protesting against the legal sale of liquor to the Natives, was hurriedly sent to Wellington, and* as several sheet? have since come in a supplementary petition, containing 2000 signatures, would be despatched by the next mail. The following motions were carried unanimously: — "That on and after November there will be monthly meetings in the Sailors' Rest; and that a reception be held there to welcome the union's late president (Mrs Thomas Dick), who has for seme time been absent from Dunedin." Notice was given that new trustees for the Sailors' Rest would be appointed at the next meeting.

The Workers' Political Committee met last night, Mr Belcher being in the chair. A consideiable amount of routine business wag transacted. The following resolution was carried, and ordered to be forwarded to the Government: — "That the Government and local M.H.R.'s be informed that no Municipal Corporations Act is complete which does not provide for all persons, both freeholders and residential, voting on all questions affecting municipal matters, including the raising of loan,?. That the community are entitled to this right, seeing they indirectly contribute largely to the rates ; besides which, all public bodies are subsidised out of the consolidated revenue, to which they all subscribe."

The Y.W.C.A. is endeavouring to carry on ltd work among young- women on a much larger scale than formerly, and several new, classes have been formed that are creating great interest. The Calisthenic Class, of which Mr Smith (whose qualifications are widely acknowledged) is instructor, has amembership of 100 ; and the Sewing and Fancy Work Class, which has been in progress for some years, has an attendance of 120. The latest' development is a club, which was formed on Tuesday evening, and which will be known as the Te Rata Rahinga. (the Friendly Company). Ninety young women have already enrolled themselves as members ri tho Te Rata Rahinga, which meets oxi^ Tuesday evening?. The branches of education in connection with this club include elocution, dressmaking, cooking, and wood carving. The association has been most fortunate in securing efficient teachers for each subject. Additional classes and pocial gatherings, as well as religious meeting--, are being oiganised. During Wednesday evening there will be an "At home" for young women in the upper hall of the Y.W.C.A.

There is a silver — or in this case a golden — lining to every cloud. At a. meeting of a gold dredging- company on Thursday the chairman of directors informed the shareholders that the company had over-run the constable by £2000, but in less than 14 days' dredgingthey had repaid the bank half that amount.

There are at present 400 men engaged on the wtago Central railway, considerably more than the usual number. It may be stated that the Labour department could find employment on the works for some 30 stonemasons, and could "place" 10 or 12-more in other districts in Otago.

A gentleman who has devoted considerable time and study to farming pursuits, some time back left England for a tour through the British colonies, with a view to examining the various land systems and conditions of labour, and the result of his travels was that he became very favourably impressed with what he saw in New Zealand. So much was this the case, that he has purchased land in Canterbury, and has permanently settled there. Before finally leaving England, how- « ever, he gave expression to the favourable opinions he had formed of the land laws of New Zealand, the opportunities that existed for men possessed of a little capital, and the climatic ach'antages of the colony. The result of these utterances was that the population of the colony will be increased by 200 immigrants. They are comprised of artisans, including engineers, blacksmiths, compositors, carpenters, saddlers, bricklayers, and miners, while some are described as agricultural laboxirerj. A great many of them come from, farming districts, and, being possessed of a little capital, they propose to settle on the land after iliey have had some experience of colonial life. The party will come out in batches of 50. The first batch is expected to arrive in Wellington at the end of the month, and the remainder will come out in similar batches monthly. Mr Maxwell, of the Labour" department, has been occupied in connection." with the matter, and he hos secured employment for some of them who are to come on. to Otago.

A memorial window, to be placed in St. Matthew's Church, has been offered by tho following members of the family of the late Mr John Stephenson : — Mrs Alice Edmond, Miss Tui Stepheiison, Mrs Kate Hazlett, and Mr George Stephenson. The amount of glass will be about 180 square feet. The centre lancet will be " Christ blessing little children." This hos been chosen (a) because thi-s -window is in the baptistry, and (b) because Mr John Stephen&on was very fond of children. The other lancets will contain " The Good Shepherd" and "The Light of the World." There will be appropriate bases, medallions, scrolls, canopies, etc. The offer has been accepted by the Vestry. Mr R. H. Fra^er, stained glass artist, Dunedin, will carry out the work, which is to be finished by December 9.

Mr Leslie H. Reynolds, C.E., returned to Dunedin last night after a visit to Sydney for his health, and is now quite well again. On hia way home Mr Reynolds \isited Stratford, Masterton, and Hawera, in connection, with the drainage and water supply schemes of those towns, in »vhicli he is engaged.

At the Magistrate's Court at Palmerston. on Thursday before Major Keddell, S.M., Jv R. M'Bryde, licensee of the Pukeiwitahi Hotel, Shag Point, was charged by the police with selling liquor during .prohibited hours. From the evideu.ee (writes our t>orrje>poudea6}.

it appeared that two men, residents of Shag Point, called at the hotel about 11.30 p.m. on Saturday, 18th till., and osked for, and were supplied, with two drinks each, for w hicli they paid. They were supplied by the licensee's brother-in-law, the^ landlord himself being absent in Dunedin. Mr Find lay, who appeared for the defence, led evidence to show that the licensee, when going away from home, left his wife in charge, and instructed her to be careful in observing the law. She in turn testified that she instructed her bro-ther-in-law not to supply the men in question. Mi Findlay quoted authorities in support of his contention that the drinks, being supplied contrary to instructions, ho was entitled to a dismissal. The magistrate dismissed the case. Tho quarterly meeting of the Waikouaiti Licensing Bench was held at the Magistrate's Court, Port Chalmers, yesterday, and attended by Messrs C. C. Graham, S.M. (chairman), J. Cable, T. W. Harrison, W. M. Innes, and J. Porteous. A transfer -of the license of the Railway Hotel, Yvaikouaili, from Eliza Sinclair to Patrick J. Rodgers was granted. Dr Dendy, professor of biology at Canterbury College, holds strong views on the subject of the aims aad objects of acclimatisation societies, and in the course of a conversation with a repiescntative of the Press said that with regard to the so-called work of acclimatisation societies, it was extremely dangerous in a country like New Zealand to have such societies, which are. practically sportsmen's clubs, possessed of very little knowledge of the subject they were handling, and consequently liable to make introductions whicii might be extremely injurious in the future. He instanced the introduction of opossums, whicii, he said, might ultimately prove a perfect scourge. The opossum was very destructive of fruit trees, and it was highly possible if these animals spread it will become impossible lo grow fruit. He also referred to the preservation of hares as being most detrimental to farmers. Acclimatisation societies, he concluded, should he managed scientifically, and should be less of sporting societies. Mr James Malliieson, formerly of Coromandel (says our Auckland correspondents, ■writing to the secretary of ihe Oddfellows' Lodge from Glencoo. Natal, on July 15, gives a somewhat gloomy account of youth Africa from a working man's poii't of view. He siates that he got a position in the Natal I-tnilv, ay department as cleaner at £1 10s a week. He was then appointed fireman al £2 8s a week. He was fortunate in seeming the , promotion, as there are many who have been cleaning ivy two years, and still only receive 30s a week. Boms of ihe mining companies* are getting men from England at 10« a day on a two year.s" engagement, and lC's a day in the Transvaal is about equal to 5h a day in New Zealand, owing to the high prices of , provisions and clothing. Mr Mathieson is ! afraid that the numbers of people who are ; making for South Africa will be sorry for it, ps, owing to the immense supply of ' black and white labour, there is more possibility of a reduction than an advance in wages. | A short sitting of the Warden's Court was held before Mr Worden Stratford on Friday, when tbe application of John Walsh for a dredging claim of 71i 2r and lip at Sutton and Lee Stream was recommended for the , Minister's approval. Shareholders in the New Zealand Drug Company (Limited) have been sent a copy of the following resolution passed at a meeting . of the directors held on the 30t'i August: — I '" That, in consequence of the Government ' having reduced tho tariff on drugs, chemicals, ; and druggists' sundries from 20 per cent, to ; 15 per cent, ad valorem, and v>ntenl and pro- j priefcary medicines from per cent lo 15 per cent, ad va l orem., to take immediate effect, the directors deeoly regret thai this unexpected course will email upon tho company's shareholders a very heavy loss, as the bulk of the stock is comprised under the above headings, and have paid the higher rates of duty to the Government, the st.ock being still unsold. The board, under the circumstances and after carefully considering the whole matter, have decided to pass the usual interim dividend for ibc six months ending the 31st July, 1900, no; being in a position to accurately discover the loss sustained till tho annual stock-taking-period on the 31st January next." From inquiries made by a recent visitor to the Kaituna. district, Canterbuiy, it would pppear that the headstone bearing date 1771 which was reported by the Lyttelton Times to have been unearthed was an attempt at a practical joke. The headstone was first discovered about 20 years ago, it was alleged, but no inscription was then observed. When rediscovered a few weeks ago it was noticed to have an inscription : " Sacred to the memory of B. Townsend. Died A.D., 1774," — and there w r as much speculation as to how k European came to be buried at the spot four years after Captain Cook visited New Zealand. It is now made evident that the whole thing wa« an attempt at a joke by the chainman of a survey party under Mr Robert Tow nsend, who was surveying the place in 1874. Tho lettering on the stone is quite modern. The stone itself is a soft grey sandstone, and the lettering on it would not have lasted 126 years' exposure. Miss V. M. Greig, M.A., of Dunedin, has been appointed first assistant in the Timaru Girls' High School for one term. There is a new story (says "J. MD." in the Argus) of the famous Macdonald, Hector by name. He is rather inclined to be bald. His sensitiveness about tho top of his head generally is thus accounted for. At the time when lie presented himself for enlistment he was a mere lad, and by no means full-grown. The recruiting sergeant saw at once that he was " good goods " as a prospective soldier, but the veteran's practised eye conveyed some doubt whether the youngster "weald come uo to the standard of height.

Young Hector was doubtful also, and said so

"Corro along, lad. we"*]l put that right," said the sergeant, and led 1 lie way to the staff doctor's quarters, where recruits wero examined and measured. At the foot of the stairs the sergeant paused, telling Hector lo go on ahead. Just before they reached the top the young man felt a tremendous blow on the very top of bis head, delivered by the sergeam's cane. Thinking that might be part of the mystic ordeal of enlistment, he bit his lips and said nothing. The two entered the room together, and in a few minutes the intending recruit was put under the measuring standard, the arm of \,hich descended until it was stopped by a tremendous bump which had risen on the top of Hector Macdonald' s head. He jtwt passed.

One of the effects (sayp the Lyttelton Times) of the recent alteration in the customs tariff was phow n at Lytteitoi> when tlie s.f-. Wcstralia left with nearly 6000 cases of kerosene, shipped from Lj'ttclton for 'pale in Melbourne. This quantity will, it is understood, be supplemented by other shipments from Dancdin.

Glass works on a large scale are to be established in Auckland (fays the "Wellington Post). The greater part of the capital has been subscribed by .business men in that city. A number of shares have also been placed in Wellington. Mr L. A. Mount, formerly of Wellington, and w r ho was at one time proprietor of large glr.ss worki in Melbourne, has been npi>oiuled manager of the new company, and has left for America, to purchase the plant.

The Governor of New South Wales, Earl Beauchamp, made a long speech on. social questions at a public meeting at Sydney reoputly, under the auspices of the Christian Social Union. In tl c cotnse of hi-, remark,* he spid that in the old Greek States a rich man used to provide comforts and amuse ments for t^e poor, and that was just what our rich men ought to do 10-day. lie saw no reason why the people of Sydney should not give £30.000 or £90,000 a year in support of good work--, for there was plenty of money in tho e">mmvi.iifcy. He v.as no!- sure if investigation vieie made it would not be found thai in certain trades in Australia sweating was as bad as among the Jews in certain parts of London, and he asked the Christian Social Union tc take the matter up. aad endeavour to roiuc public opinion so $•, to put a stop to so great an' evil. He could conceive of nothing more democratic than to insij 1 . that the Government should place at. the disposal of every working man and his family in Sydney every advantage required for their improvement and amuserr.eiit. Xow thai his time for departure fro:n the coio iv wa-, fixed, he would begin to apeik freely. There had been reasons for his abstention from fioc criticism there. He had felt that he was too democratic for the colony Lc had lo govern. It was the foremost wing of the policy of the London School Board, of which he was a member, to secure an extension of the evening s^eliool?. aivl that school 5 were h^kl on every subject that could be required. They did go so far as to prcpof-^ fbpi, and he spoke it wit.i bated breath, trnt a time would ccmo when, in educational institutions for tho masses, room should be made even for such

subjects as dancing, if the people wanted them.

Our Auckland correspondent telegraphs: — " Information from Hiuilly states that arrangements have been made to enable King Mahuta and a urmber of chiefs to proceed to W oiling ton about tv. o weeks hence for the purporo of dcalii^ with the Government on mattui'i affecting the Native race. The Waiktitos rppeai to hi willing that Mahuta should condtilt vith the authorities frt Wellington, whero it is expected a commission will be appointed to thoroughly determine what may be advisable. Several rangatiias ha^e been in conference on the land question, and I gather that the Natives are prepaied lo give any reasonable proposal the most careful consideration. Mahuta will, owing to his great mana as a chief, be able to ascertain the collective mind of his tribesmen, so that in him the Maoris have a good representative."

There wero 23 patients admitted to the hospital during the past week and a Funilar number were discharged. Mehille Laurence Bradish died during tho week, and the patients' remaining number 107, as against 103 for the previous week.

The special services which wero held in connection with the opening of the new North Dunedin Presbyterian Church on Sunday were all well attended. The Rev. Dr Dunlop occupied the pulpit in the morning, and preached from Matthew vi, 33: "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God," etc. In the afternoon the Rev. A. Cameron gave an address to the children, and in the evening the preacher was the Rev. J. Gibb, who gave a discourse on ' The City of God," his remarks being based upon the description of the city in Re's elation xxi. The congregation in the evening was a very large one, a considerable number of extra seats having to be obtained from the adjoining hall in order to proiide seating accommodation for many of those present. The collections for the day amounted to £23 15s 4-d.

At St. Matthew's Church on Sunday morning, before the singing of the "Te Deum," tho Vicar (the Rev. W. Cttrzon-Siggeis.) thus addressed the congregation: — "As io-d.xy we worship in our church upon which a debt of only £1000 remains (which this day two years ago was £2800), owing to payments during the week past, we will celebrate this great reduction of our debt by inaugurating to-day the proper singing of the 'Te Deum.' The present Bishop of Salisbury some years ago collected in Dr Julian's ' Dictionary of Hymnology ' all the evidence upon tho division of the 'Te Deum.' In his recent charge he has urged upon his diocese and upon the church at large to henceforth sing the 'Te Dsuki' $o as to mark its threefold

division. He urges that each division should bo marked by a chingo of miuic. To do this we must alter the place at which, according to 'The Cathedral P&alter,' our third chant bpgin=. The 'Te Deum ' consists of these three divisions : A hymn to the Trinity, verses 1 to 13, where our first chant ends : then a lvymn to Christ, from verse 14 to 21 (here we will in future end our second chant) ; then a set of versifies and responses, beginning at verse 22 — ' 0 Lord, save Thy people, etc. — to the end of the 'Te Deum ' — this we will sing antinhonally : one half of the verse, being one versicle, by one side of the congregation and choir, and the other half of the verse, the response, by the other side of the congregation and choir. This division of the ' Te Deum ' has now become the authoritatively recognised one, as Bishop Wordsworth points out, by the action of both the English Convocations in directing the 'Te Dpum ' to be printed with the use of large capitals in the revised service for the Queen's Accession, so as to mark the division of the ' Te Deum' as already mentioned." The first services of the evangelistic minion conducted by the Rev. Josiah Ward, of Oamaru, were held on Sunday in Trinity Wesleyan Church. The attendance at each service — morning, afternoon, and evening — was very encouraging. The evening congregation was a large one. The addresses delivered by the Rev. Mr Ward were earnest and convincing. At the afternoon service over 50 scholars of the school gave in their names as hating decided for Christ, and at the evening service a number of adults decided to lead a new life. These meetings will be continued each evening during the week.

When the British officers were confined in Pretoria Gaol, Fome very interesting devices v, ere adopted by sympathisers to let them know how the war was progressing. On Sunday, May 20, a Congregational clergyman appeared in the prison, and preached a remarkable .sermon. His text was : "As cool waters to the thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country." His whole disccurse was a kind of cryptogram, for there was the usual J^oer sentry present, listening. In a veey clever manner he worked into his sermon all sorts of new\,— that the British at Waters £>] had been given clothes, that there was to bo no American intervention, that everything was going right, and that the prisoners might expect to be free very soon. He finished his di course b/ saying: "My last words to you' arc thai all obstacles are removed from your home-going."

The Daily Mail (London) publishes a striking account of the opening of the cave in Mount Dicte, in Crete, the traditional birthplace of Zcu«. After blasting away Ihe limestone blocks which obstructed the mouth of the cave. Mr Hogarth found, on entering, a quantity of offering?, chiefly bronze weapons and terra-cotta statuettes, many of them ornamented with the double axe, or symbol of Zeus. A lower cave was al«o reached by a shafc 150 ft, dccii, and lound to contain, in the niches of the stalactite?, quantities of offerings of higher value than those in the cave above. In view of the fact, attested by countless references in classical writers, that Crete was one of the greatest centres of ancient worship, the finds of Mr Evans and Mr Hogailh may be only the prelude to discoveries of far greater ethnological importance.

The i-ingular communistic colony, Cosme, in Paraguay (says the London correspondent of the Argu«), continues to send home optimistic accounts of progress. Thus on the sixth anniversary of its foundation it declares that its " prospects arc brighter and more solid than heretofore," despite the fact that six full members and one "on trial" withdrew during the 12 months, while only one recruit was attracted from outside. The community now numbers 29 men, 18 women, and 37 children. The liabilities amount to 22,369d01, but the assets of the colony in the form of " realisable movables " are said to be 13.187c10l in excess. Some of the smaller industries have been abandoned in favour of sugar cultivation and the working of timber. House accommodation is still unsatisfactory, but the standard of comfort in regard to food and labour has improved.

Lord Salisbury usually takes his lunch ! either at the Athenasum or the Junior Carl- I ton. The Athenaeum, as everybody is aware, is a very solemn club, and consists of eminent doctors, judges, barristers, and, above all, bishops ; which lends point to the story which '" M.A.IV tell-. It was one of those threatening days with which we have been familiar during this disappointing summer, and one oi Lord Salisbury's secretaries, observing that his chief was starting out for lunch, rushed for his umbrella, and offered it to Lord Salisbury. "No, no," said Lord Salisbury;" " I've lost 100 mairy in the Athenaeum. I cannot lru*t the bishops!"

A short sitting of the Supremo Court in Bankruptcy was held on Monday by Mr Jus tice Williams, who granted an order of discharge in tho case of Andrew Murray, of Popotuna, farmer, for whom Miss Benjamin appeared. The Official Assignee (Mr C. C Graham) stated, in reply to his Honor, that the creditors were all favourable to the bankrupt getting his discharge. Orders of release wero made in 12 cases in which the official assignee applied for a release. The next sitting of the court was fixed for December 10.

At a conjoined meeting of the Chapter and Standing Committee of tho Diocese of Dunodin, held on the 4th, the Rev. Frank Mayne, Vicar of Roslyn, was elected to the vacant canonry of St. Paul's Cathedral. Our Auckland correspondent telegraphs: — "An int ei citing discovery has been made at tho Oketo Fall*, Rolorua, by the workmen engaged on excavating for the electric light works. At a deplh of 10ft two peculiar looking stones wero found, &hapjd as tools^ but

in a very rude manner. They are of hard quartz, and are evidently the work of a much earlier race than the Maoris of the Arawa migration."

The following is a list of tho«e who have passed the examination of the nursing class held by T)r Will under the Dunedin Centre of Si. John Ambulance Association: — Misses Alice Andrew, L. Boyd, M. Barnes, E. Bremner. J. Campbell, S. Corbptt, M. Coneys, J. H. Don, F. Faulks, M. Galloway, S. C. Graham, JR. Gordon. F. Hamel, T. C. Hrmer, E. Ilavland, A. E. Lamb. A. JR. lam.lx.rt, M. F. Lambert, M. M' Vicar. M. MooreWright, F. E. Maclean. B. >S. M'Rute'ioson, M. E. M'Huteheson, E. (J. Maea^ey, E. M'Nicoll, I. M'Nab, C. Mackersy, A. G. Niven, F. Niven, R. Orbell, C. Pow, M. S. Palerson, E. Pirie, M. S. Ramsay, I. M. ■Remshardt, M. T. Ritchie, J. G. Thomson, E. Whclan, M. Wilson, L. Whinam, Mesdav.es A. Cowie, J. B Fergusson, P. W. Laing, G. Macdonald, E. J. Reeves.

A Melbourne correspondent write? : — " The New Zealand friends of Mr Robert Thorn Plainer, an old Quesiistown boy. who came to Melbourne from Now Zealand about 13 3 r ears ago. will be pleased to learn that he is coming into prominence in the scientific world, as an inventor of rare genius and ability. Mr Haines is engaged at present in commercial pursuits in a, legal and general agency business at Swanston street, Melbourne, and was until the end of 1899 managing law clerk for a Melbourne fiiin of solicitors. He has devised and patented some very clever contrivances, including an automatic typewriter recorder for registering the number of words and folios typed by the operator. This invention has been widely patented, and was recently given a place in America amongst the most valuable modern inventions patented in tho United States. Automatic recorders adapted to various purposes have been devised by the fertile brain of the young inventor, including an automatic digging plough, which will doubtless prove a valuable labour-saving contrivance. At present Mr Haines is engoged completing an instrument for transmitting and reproducing photographs by means of sound acros° the wire 0 . Should this pro.c successful it cannot but lank in practical utility with the phonograph and telephone."

An interesting- romance come= from Xorth Canterbury. Many years ago (says the Lyttellou Times) a couple were married in one of the neighbouring colonies and after children had been bom to them, circumstances aio=e which led them to seek the Di voice Court, and they were separated. Both married' again, and brought up families. The husband came to New Zealand and Fettled in North Canterbury, and his one-time partner remained in Australia. In course of time the one became a widower and the other a widow, and, strange to Fay, the affection of their youth returned to them, and they w ere happily re-united in matrimony last Thursday.

The result of recent developments in the new Ontario goldfields is something phenomenal (says the Winnipeg Free Press), and, as soon as the inevitable European capital commences to flow in this direction for their development, cannot fail to have an important effect on the world's gold supply. A prominent South African, who has lately reported upon them for the Central Canada Chamber of Mines, has stated without reservation that they are destined to become the most productive in the world, covering such an immense territory, some 350 by 150 miles in area, and the phenomenal size of the bodies of high grade ore. In comparing them with the enormously productive African mines, from 9dol ores extracted from 10ft reef bodies, by shafts aveiaging 3000 ft in depth, the advantage is greath" in favour of Canadian ores, which are of infinitely higher grade, and w-ill undoubtedly lead lo surprising results in the near future.

Mr Fincham, of Arahura, who recently found a moa's head, informs the We&t Coast Times that he has found another near the same place as the first was found. It was in an admirable stale of preservation, the muscles attached lo the jaws looking a& fresh 'as if the bird had not been dead more tl an a few months, instead of some hundred -of years. In, all probability the bird formed a portion of a Maori banquet, and when all that was eatable had been picked off the head became covered with sand, and these accumulations effectually kept the air away. Most likely bones of the moa will be found in the same locality unless they were used by the Maoris for tools, weapons, or ornaments.

In addition lo the other attractions in connection with the Canterbury Jubilee Exhibition, which is to be opened by his Excellency the Governor on November 1, it is proposed to hold a competition for church choirs early in January, for which prizes of £20 and £15 are offered. The coin-pc-tition is to consist of two %ocal choruses, ono to be telocted by the Exhibition Committee and one b3* the choir itself. Rules can be obtained on application to Mr P. Barr. recretary of the Industrial Association, Dunedin.

A case which i=; reported from Newcastls (N.S.W.) i« deserving of wide publicity and commendation. A settler named Williams was stricken blind. The local railway men raised £52 by a concert, and meantime the Railway department, hearing of the case, gave the wife a position as attendant in the ladies' waiting room. Then the concert committee put their heads togetlur to decide on the best thing to do with the £52. They got the Railv, ay Commi«&ioners to lease them a bit of land on the sandhills at the nominal rental of Is per month, got various firing to deliver building material at less than cost price, and 30 of them — railway carpenters, bricklayer-*, stonemasons, painters, and the rest — demoted their Saturday half-holidays for six weeks lo erecting a substantial five-roomed cottage free of cost for the afflicted man and his family. Recently the completed hou^o was handed over by tho railway works mana&cr

(Mr Filford) to the afflicted man on behalf of the men, and tho poor fellow thus, by Iho practical sympathy of his comrades, ensured a home for the rest of his life. There is evidently, from this and other cases, a fine spirit of comradeship in the New South Wales railway service. A Wellington telegram states that the estaU, of the late Hon. Thomas Dick has been certified to vs being worth £10,017. A telegram from Yokohama (Japan), dated July 21, says: — "The eruption of Mount Asania, the most violent and destructive seen in Japan for many years, has caused a sulphur refinery to blow up. The refinery entirely disappeared, its site becoming a crater, whicii is still emitting smoke and fire. Of the employees only 20 escaped; the rest, women as well as men, met with a horrible death. The officials arc among the victims. Many deaths have been caused by the hot springs. The lava from the crater of Mount Asama extends o% er a wide area ; four miles away it is still 2ft deep. The heat in the neighbourhood of the crater is enormous, entirely preventing any investigations. It was another volcano hi the same district, Mount Banctaisan, that spread disaster far and wide a few years ago.'' The complete working model of a dredge, designed and constructed hy Mr T. Shore, has been ou view for the past few days in a room in Rattray street, opposite Mr Wood's Private Hotel, and has attracted considerable attention. On Saturday evening, when a large number of those interested in dredging were present, the model was run foi about three hours, and worked very smoothly.

As Herr Zhnmermpim has decided definitely to settle in Dunedin, il is the intention of somo of his musical friends to tender him a reception concert. A programme hss: been proposed which should attract the nvunc-loving public.