LOCAL & GENERAL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2687, 13 September 1905, Page 33

LOCAL & GENERAL.

Our Outram correspondent wrote as follows on the sth Inst: — "The Taieri River was not in big flood — only up to its natural banks ; but, owing to the heavy rain locally, every creek and watercourse was converted into a small river, and the main watercourse could not contain the quantity of water coming off the hills and high grounds, consequently it spread on the low ground and the 'hollows. From Momona to Henley the depression between the river , embankment and the natural bank of the ! canal was ono continuous sheet of water, and all the low ground from the canal back ' to Lee Creek was dotted with lakes and lagoons, as wore also the lowlands on the j Maungatua side of Lee Creek. The Maungatua and the Otokia pumps were hard at work on Monday afternoon. The river has gone down a lot at Outram, but it will be kept up for some time at Allanton by the flood waters of North and East Taieri finding their way into the river." A " breeze " that ultimately worked up to something approaching a "storm" disturbed 1 tha placidity of the proceedings afc the | Bruce County Council's meeting on the sth. A number of settlers at Inchelutha forwarded a petition to the council praying that cer- j tain, roads in the island should be metalled out of money which, it was alleged, had been borrowed for the purpose. Messrs Smaill and Christie waited on the council as a deputation in support of the petition, and their action^and that of the petitioners was strongly resented by Cr Mosley, the member for the riding. During the tjcie Mr Smaill was addressing the council he •was subjected to frequent interruptions by Cr Mosley, who ejaculated at intervals : "You don't know what you are talking about." " Nonsense ! " " I do not pay attention to what is said by you Simon Pures — I am only concerned with what the ratepayers as a whole cay." You are not stating facts," etc. The exclamations abovementioned provoked a wordy exchange between Mr Smaill and the representative of the riding, and the former abruptly left the council table and retiied to the further end of the room. Mr Christie, the other member of the deputation, then proceeded to address the council on the subject of the petition, and he also was subjected to considerable interruption from Cj.Mosley. Mr Christie, however, continued his remarks, and studiously addressed tha chairman, without paying attention to (the utterances of the councillor, but after a time he made a statement that Cr Mosley had promised and had assured the settlers that the roads referred to would be metalled, and he had not kept his word. The latter statement brought Cr Mosley to his feet again, and he angrily retorted : '* Do you mean to say I an><not a man of my word? " and on receiving a reply that he had not kept his word on that occasion, Cr Mosley excitedly replied : " Will you say that outside?" The chairman of the council, who up to this "point had allowed considerable latitude, hereupon put an end to personal altercation by peremptorily ordering the parties to confine themselves to the business before the council, and tranquillity was thus restored. j Last month's return of zymotic diseases j reported at the local Health Office showed a ] total of 23 cases — three in the town and | 20 in the country. There were seven casce of scarlet fever, of which three were at Roxburgh and two at Milton ; four cases of enteric- fever, as divided over the localities of Hawea, Port Chalmers, Mosgiel, and Catlins ; three cases of diphtheria, two of these at Invercargill and one at Naseby; and nine cases of tuberculosis, the last being reported from seven different localities in the district. The Arbitration Court has fixed September 16 as the date for sitting at Cromwell to hear the compensation claim Annie Maria Hcsking, widow, claimant, and the Rising Sun Gold Dredging Company (Limited) respondents. John Towan Hosking was employed J as fireman on respondents' dredgeon the Clutha River, near Cromwell, and on the 13th July last was caught in the machinery and killed. Deceased had been receiving £3 per week. He left a widow and three young children, wholly dependent. The amount of compensation claimed by the widow is £400. The court expects to be back in Dunedin from its Southland circuit early next week. During the month of August the following old-age pension claims were dealt with by Mr Widdowson, S.M. : — Renewals — 56 at £26, 3 at £25, 2 at £24, 1 at £22, 3 at £21, 3 at £18, 1 at £16, 1 at £15, 1 at £14, 2 .at £13, and 1 at £10,— a total of 74; new claims— lo at £26, lat £19, lat £13, and 1 at £9, — a total of 13. Six uew claims were rejected. At Messrs J. A. Duthie's sale at Milton on the sth. Mr A. Fraser, of Moneymore, was offered the record price of 37s per head for his ewes, which were secured by Mr James Blair, Taieri. In consequence of a serious subsidence in dangerous proximity to Walton Park branch railway line, the department closed the line for traffic on Monday, 4th. The subsidence occured two and a-quarter miles from Burnside Station, and over part of the old workings of the abandoned Walton Park colliery. Part of the old workings were known to be on fire for some considerable ; time past, and it is believed that some of j I the columns supporting the roof have been burned away, allowing a portion of the superincumbent mass to collapse, leaving a i big hole about 60ft by 15ft. A gang of men are busily at work filling in, and it ia expected that tbe line will bs opened for

■traffic again in a few days. Meanwhile Messrs Christie Bros, and Loudon and Howorth are seriously inconvenienced by stoppage of traffic, and temporary arrangements have had to be made to ensure delivery of coal from the Saddle Hill mines in order to fulfil contracts. Apart from the inconvenience caused by the temporary stoppage, of railway traffic on the line, no serious difficulty is anticipated by the department. The following tenders have be-on received by the Public Works Department for the Otago Central railway Manuherikia bridge (third crossing): — Accepted: G. M Fraser, Dunedin, £4145. Declined:. J. M'Gregor and Co., Dunedin, £4578; J. and A. Anderson, Ohristchurch, £4706; A. Bain, Dunedin, £5322; Sutherland and Son, Dunedin, £5478; J. -©rummey, Alexandra, £5636. The weekly meeting of the trustees of the Benevolent Institution took place on Wednesday afternoon, the mcmheis present being Messrs B. M. dark (chairman), Tapper, Wilson, Burnett, and Thomson. The deaths reported as having taken place during the week were Frederik G. Panton, aged 79 ; Richard M'Garringle, aged 65 ; Mary Douglas, aged 82. The return relating to the outdoor ielief granted last month showed that the benefits were received by 135 men, 209 women, and 491 children, at a weekly cost of £99 6s 3d. For the corresponding month last year the figures were 138 men, 232 women, and 587 children at a weekly cost of £109 12s 6d. On the suggestion of Mr Thomson it was agreed to send a letter of condolence to the widow of the late Mr Peter Treseder, who had - formerly been chairman of the trustees. There were 36 applications for relief dealt with. The co-operative workers engaged on road work on the Greenfield Settlement have completed their work so far. The Tuape'ka County Council will undertake the work of making a road from the settlement through the Waitahuna Athenaeum reserve into Waitahuna. Two pieces of land in the Htttfc Valley nave (says the Wellington correspondent of the Christ-church Press) been secured by the Government for the purpose of workmen's homes. A piece on the- esplanade afc Petono will be divided into about 120 sections, each with a 40[t frontage and 100 ft depth, and will probably be disposed of under the Workers' Homes Act, if approved by Parliament. Negotiations for several other small properties are in progress. The Melbourne Argus, commenting editorially upon Mr Seddon's land resolutions, remarks: — "As an abdication of Ministerial responsibility, without resignation of office, Mr Seddon's move is unparalleled, and the Leader of the Opposition has naturally tabled an amendment calling upon the Government to show its hand. Were it not that Mr Seddon is so clever in manipulating parties and in gaining a material hold upon politicians and constituencies, it would be difficult to expect him to weather the storm which has so long been brewing. Whatever the outcome of the debate, his strange attempt to cast upon Parliament a duty which ought to be performed by .rthe Ministry suggests that his power is waning." The following interesting paragraph from an old number of Hansard shows the value the Maoris placed upon their lands in the early days: — "The data of the Auckland deed of their land is Octobei 20th, 1840, and the block contained 3000 acres. The price paid was 50 blankets, £50 in money, 20 pairs of trousers, 20 shirts, 10 waistcoats, 10 caps, 4' casks of tobacco, 1 case pipes, 100 yards of gown piece, 10 iron pots, 1 bag flour, and 26 hatchets. It was signed by four Maoris. ' There is a memorandum stating that £6 extra was given by Captain Ssonons on July 29th, 1844." The uncertainty of results when boringwells for artesian water is well known. An interesting comparison is afforded by the results obtained by two well-known Dunedin firms in this direction. A few months ago Messrs J. Speight and Co. succeeded in getting- an excellent supply of artesian water at their premises in Rattray street after boring to" a depth of 130 ft. The Taieri and Peninsula Milk" Supply Company, wishing to augment its water supply, recently sank a second bore on its property in Great King street. When the boring- rods had reached a depth of 200 ft good water was struck, but as the supply "was considered insufficient boring was continued until the bore was down 271 ft, at which depth an adequate supply of excellent water was obtained. On Wednesday (says the Wellington correspondent of the Christchurc-h Press) the Emma Sims set sail to recover the bullion Some 200 ea=?s of oranges, consigned from Tonga to various agents in the city, were condemned by Da- Ogston (District Health Officer) yesterday as being unfit for human consumption. At the Magistrate's Court, Port Chalmers, on Wednesday afternoon, before Mr H. Y. Widdowson, S.M., Thomas Crombie was summoned, under " The Electoral Act, 1902," to prove his claim. Mr Miller (the ', registrar) stated that the claim was handed jto him by a local hotelkeeper. In enrolling ' seamen the act provided a special law, the registrar having to satisfy himself as to the validity of these claims, and therefore he had to use the utmost care in enrolling seamen. The boat on which the claimant was on was not l-cgistcred in New Zealand, and, further, this was not the iisual port of call. The boat was the Hurunui, a fishing smack at the Bluff; therefore, the claim was invalid, and Mr Miller asked his WcWship for an order not to place the

claimant's name on the roll. Mr Widdowson said that greater care should be exercised by hotelkeepers in dealing with these claims, and granted the order accordingly. A similar case was adjourned for one month for xhe registrar to make further inquiries. On Thursday of last week the Emma Sims set sail to recover the bullion that went down in the Elingamito, off Three Kings, three years ago. A Wellington syndicate is exploiting this deep-sea treasure-trove. By arrangement with the underwriters the syndicate is to retain 75 per cent, of any bullion recovered. The services of one Lee. an American diver of i*epute from Thursday Island, have teen secured, and no grave difficulty is anticipated, as the steamer is lying in 14 fathoms. The Emma Sims is in charge of Captain Tosswill, formerly of the New Zealand Shipping Company, and there is a crew cf eight. The syndicate hopes to return with the gold within a month. In all, 35 tenders were received for the j-Drainage .and Sewerage Board's £50.000 loan (in 500 debentures of £100 each, bearing interest at 4 per cent, per annum), these coming before the board last evening. The total amount of the tenders was £141,900, the loan being thus nearly trebly subscribed. Two tenders were received for the whole amount— one at par, #nd th? other at a premium of ss,— individual tenders ranging in amount from £200 to £50,000, and tha prices offered ranging from par to a premium of 20s. per cent. The loan should realise a premium of over 5s per cent. 'The invasion of the American Trust was .briefly referred to by the Premier at "the Employers' Association dinner on Wednesday night. Mr Seddon said he saw that invasion coming, and it was coming along pretty fast. He hoped Parliament would be equal to the occasion. Ho was one of those who believed in fostering the industries of the colony. There was no market so good for the producer in any country as the home market, and the more their industries flourished and the more of their productions wete retained in the country the better would the people be. Ere long there would have to be combination in Parliament, and they would have to go to work and see how they could best prevent New Zealand from beins; made a "dunmin"- "round" of by other countries. Employers and employed would have to combine against the outsider. The following are the fixtures of the Arbitration Court :— Orepuki, September 9 to 12— compensation claim, Janet Elizabeth Broomhall v. the Southland Sawmilling Company. (George Broomhall, logman and assistant shoeman, was attending the shoe on the 30th of June when the shoe chain broke, releasing the back rope, which drove Broomhall against a stump, fracturing his skull, the injury resulting in death next day. Deceased, who had received £2 14s a week, left a widow and two infant daughters. The claim is for £400.) At Orepuki further evidence will be taken in the sawmilling dispute. On the 13th iust. the court will sit at Invercargill to hear an application for rehearing the case of Inspector of Factories v. F. A. Cole, of Winton, for breach of the saddlers' award. (This is the first application for a rehearing that the Arbitration Court has had to consider.) On the 14th the" typographical dispute and \n application to enforce the bakers' award against Kelly and Burk (respondents) will be heard at Gore. On - the 15th the court will sit at Dunedin to hear compensation claims — Public Trustee (representing David M"Neill, deceased) v. Begg Bros, Thomas Crowe v. New Zealand Collieries and Oil Company, and A. Dunn v. W. Wilson. On the 19th the court will sit at Cromwell to hear the compensation claim ETosking v. Rising Sun j Gold Dredging Company (Mr A. M. Brodrick appearing for the claimant, Mr Sim for the respondent). The court will later sit al Oamaru Mr Justice Chapman will sit in the Supreme Court in Chambers at Invercargill at 10 a.m. on the 13th. As the result of the sudden death of Charles James Barlow, a painter, an appeal is to be made to the charitably-dis-posed on behalf of the widow and young family of nine children, who are left in very straitened circumstances. The deceased, although 48 years of age, was of youthful appearance, active, energetic, and hard-working, with apparently every prospect of living at least for the ordinary span of life. A working man with a family of nine children cannot under ordinary circumstances be expected to make much provision for a rainy day, and in the present case, after the funeral expenses have been defrayed, very little will be left for the widow and family. The deceased was a member of the Caledonian Bowling Club, and a return card party which was to have been held last evening- was postponed on account of Barlow's death. About 20 members were present (Mr R. Powley presiding), and it was unanimously resolved to send a letter of condolence to Mrs Barlow, and to recommend the committee of the club to take immediate action to raise subscriptions to assist the widow and nine children of the deceased member. The sum of j £6 14s was raised in the room. In addi- ' tion to what is being done by the Caledonian Club, Mr J. G. Bentley, of the Dunedin Bowling- Club, interested himself in the matter yesterday, and no doubt there will be a ready response to th© appeal now made, '

.1

A Wairarapa journal says that one of its working man friends studied the Workers' Homes Bill to see what he would have to pay for a home under tho measure. He discovered that he would have to provide for the cost of survey, roading, subdivision, purchase of land, erection of building, rent, sinking fund, depreciation, and a few other odds and ends. His annual payment, he discovered*would be £33, payable monthly in advance, and it would consist of the following items: — Rent, £21; fire insurance, £1 10s; life insurance, £4 10s; sinking fund, £6. He worked ifc out that if ha paid £33 a year for the 32 years he would got a freehold. A reference to the Libel Bill is contained in th« annual report of the New Zealand Journalists' Institute. The ie« port says: — "The president and Mr F*. E. Baume, M.H.R., interviewed the Right Hon. the Premier with regard to the Libel Bill, but failed to induce him to take ifc up as a Goveqjnment measure. Mr Seddon stated, however, that if a private merabor introduced the bill the Government would not make it a party question. The Hon. Mr Feldwick, after sounding members of the Legislative Council, considered that there was not much prospect of getting a bill through this session unless the Government took it up; he therefore concluded that it was useless to again put the bill on the Order Paper. Ifc Is satisfactory to note that the Opposition I-ei-ty in Parliament has made one of the planks of its platform the adoption in this colony of the English law of libel. As most of our members are probably aware, the Libel Law now in force in Gieafc Britain has been on the Statute Books for many years, and has been found to work to the great advantage both of the press and public. The adoption of the EngKsh law is all that the New Zealand Institute has asked for, and it is a deplorable fact that a country which claims to be in the van of democracy denies to the press the same liberty of reporting the proceedings of public bodies as prevails in Great Biitain. The council considers that this question should be placed before candidates at the approaching general election." At the Otago Foundry oa Friday a man named Charles Tillic had one of his hands crushed owing to a piece of iron falling upon it, and op his removal to the Hospital it Avas found necessary to amputate portion of one of his fingers. The Protectionist press in Australia is never tired of citing New Zealand as a country whose manufactures have prospered under a fostering tariff, and while ij^is no doubt exceedingly satisfactory to note from the official returns that our industries are increasing in the magnitude of their business and the volume of their output, it is equally gratifying to find that they are extending their reputation beyond the colony. A local firm — Messrs Shaddock and Co.— has just received an order for a range which is to be sent to C'arrickfergus, in Ireland. The customer specifies how he desires it to be made, and asks that it be nicely finished and strongly packed so that it will reach its destination in good order. According to the Post some senseless individual has been causing distress amongst the nervous in Mitchelltown during recent evenings by "playing the ghost," a game that should be put a stop to with promptness and severity. The individual in question is stated to devote

himself to jumping out suddenly upon women and children who are passing along the road. According to a description which has been given by some boys who were frightened by " the ghost,"' the latter has Avhat looks like the outline, of a coffin on his back, and when he throws open his 'coat his breast is shown covered with phosphorus. The police have the matter in hand. [Residents in the King Country (says a tontemporary) should be having a particularly dry time just now, as the Railway Department absolutely refuses to carry alcoholic liquors of any kind, and the boats on the Wanganui River dare not infringe the law for fear of losing their packet license. The police, with two witnesses, are said to be empowered to search any ILkely-looking passengers' luggage or goods,' and, therefore, the introduction of liquor, is fraught with considerable danger. Nevertheless, there is liquor to be ob- ~ "lamed, or, at least, something similar in its effects, for at .Taumaranui on Saturday week two men were arrested for drunken- " ness, one of whom had got that far that he had to be taken to the police station in a ■.wheelbarrow. ' - In ' the New South Wales General {Assembly on the 31st ult., asked by Mr Fegari -if 'it was a fact that the Government Tiad closed the State insurance account, and had any steps been taken to insure the Government property, Mr Cartuthers replied in the affirmative. The reason for closing the account' was that the consolidated nature of the risks, . notably the resumed properties and Harbour "Trust areas, made the scheme \ , Impossible of successful application. It is understood (says a northern ex- ,■"' change) that a representative of the oil king, -Mr J. D. Rockefeller, was a pas- . lenger from America by a recent 'Frisco Iteamer, his mission being to tour the Australian States and New Zealand with the cbject of "spying 1 ' out likely oil-bearing country. The expert went on to Sydney, but stated that it was his intention, to return to New Zealand. A fellow passenger by ■ the steamer, a prominent Auckland business- man, had several conversations with iHe expert, who appeared anxious to learn all he could about the indications of oil in New Zealand. _ . His ' Worship the Mayor' (Mr Braitlrwaifce), sent a telegram to -the Premier on JTriday with. the object of endeavouring to ' find work, for the unemployed, has received the following reply: — "Have referred your telegram to • the Secretary of Labour for the purpose of inquiry, with a view of find- " - Ing employment. Will also-consult -"Minister of Public Works and Minister of Railways respecting this matter. Special' inquiry will be mode respecting the innuendo in your telegram that Australians axe given preference to New Zealanderß.— R. J. Seddon." The work of .filling in the hole caused by 'the subsidence of part of the old workings of Walton Park Colliery has been so far completed -as to ensure the stability of the _railway line, and through railway communication over the Walton Park branch line has been resumed. ■ The ,Hospital returns for the week show - that at the beginning of the week there were 95 patients in the institution, that 31 patients were admitted and 22 discharged during that period, and that the deaths of two patients — Ivy Heath and John Horse- . craft — occurred. The number of patients " now in the institution is 102. Our "Wellington correspondent telegraphs : **An electro chemical flax-bleaching process was under test at the laboratory of the Department of Agriculture this week. Further tests are to be made. The inventors do not wish for the present to bring their process prominently "before the public. At present " bleaching is done by exposing the stripped fibre in paddocks for about three weeks. A chemical process has been sought after for some time for the purpose of saving the delaly, expense of land, etc. Tha new prooess gives excellent colour, but a factor that always has to be "weighed in connection with v, chemical bleaching process is the subsequent effect on tensility, etc." The following resolutions have been passed by the Trades and Labour Council of Otago : — " That, while appw/vng generally of the provision of the Workmen's Dwellings Bill introduced by the Government, this council protests against the provko in it granting the freehold of the land to any tenant." "That this Council protests against the passing of Sir Joseph Ward's Animal Protection bill, and that the co-operation of the various councils of New Zealand be asked to prevent this bill from becoming law." The Southland Times states that a petition is being circulated praying that the death sentence passed on Daniel Swan, found guilty of the murder of his wife, at the recent- Criminal Sittings, be commuted to imprisonment for life. It is, urged in the petition that Swan, though sane in the legal sense, was not at the time mentally in E condition to realise or be responsible for his action. The Rev. W. Hay, who presided at Mr.--. "Harrison Lee's Prohibition meeting at the Garrison HaiT on Sunday afternoon, mentioned that while travelling on a train recently he overheard two commercial men discussing the effects of No-license in the Clutha district, and one of the speakers remarked that he would himself vote No- ' license, if only for the purpose of keeping down the cost of "sundries," which was a large item in the cost of commercial travellers' expenses. In explanation of the

t ' remark, and evidently with the object of ; freeing coiffinercial travellers from any imi putations that the whole of the " sundries " i were consumed by themselves, the re^ . gentleman remarked parenthetically that it was well-known among commercial houses i that their travellers had to expend money in " treating " country clients, and that the r.ums thus expended amounted to something considerable in the aggregate. The Drainage Board supplies the following rainfall statistics: — Rainfall for (he past week: Sept-ember 3, .460 i n; 4th, .040 i n; sth, .004 in; 6th, .006 in; 9th, .050in;— total. .56in. Days on which rain foil, five. Rainfall for 1905 to date, 16.323 in. We have received 2s 6d from '" Jack,"' foi the Young Englishman Fund. In all, nine tenders were received by the Otago Dock Trust for construction cf the new dock at Port Chalmers, the amounts of the tenders ranging from £53,000 to £86.256.- The lowest tender — namely, £53,000, — was from a Sydney firm, and was informal, having neither deposit, schedule, nor names of sureties The truat considered yesterday in committee a leport of a special committee which recommended that the tender of Messrs Luttrell and Scott, of Christchurch, of £58,719, be accepted, and, after a long discussion, carried a motion to adopt the report, though it is understood that a local tender, which was for some £2000 less than that of the Christchurch firm, had its claims strongly urged by two or three Port Chalmers members of the trust, who objected to the total cost under the committee's recommendation. It is stated that the trust is to provide the oement and the engine and pumps in connection with the new dock at a cost in all of £16,300, and this amount will have to be added to the £58,719 of the successful tender, which will make the cost of the dock £75,000, which is within £1000 of the engineer's estimate. Tho time originally allowed for completing tho dock was two and a-half years, and it is anticipated that with completion in 16 months instead the saving in expenses during the 14 months will be considerable, and make the cost of the work well below the estimate. From the Union Company's point cf view construction in 16 months means practically the saving of a season. Messrs Luttrell and Scott are the firm that erected the large drill hall at Christchurch in something; like 25 days. Construction of the new deck will presumably start immediately the dredge has been placed at -the disposal of the contractors. A telephone bureau was opened at Allan•ton last Saturday under the charge of Mr A. Roxburgh. Bureaus will also bo opened ■shortly at Kaihiku, Islay Downs, Edievale, Merton, and Ida Valley. The University of New Zealand has cabled congratulations to the new University of Sheffield, which was recently opened by the King. The university is an expansion of the Sheffield University College, which had itself grown out of an amalgamation of the old Firth College with other institutions. The university as constituted has a splendid pile of buildings, and is said to possess the most modern equipment in the world. The principal is Dr W. M. Hicks, a Launceston man by birth, who was a scholar and Fellow of St. John's College, Cambridge. He 13 a distinguished physicist. Lee Sun was arrested on Saturday at Lawrence by the police for having in his possession 23 tins of opium. He was brought before Mr Cruickshank, S.M., at Lawrence yesterday, and, being represented by Mr A. C. Hanlon, pleaded guilty to the offence, and was fined £15 and costs. The opium would be worth about £46, and confiscation would follow the conviction. A telegraphic chess match between Oamaru and Naseby, which was commenced on the 2nd inst., was xesunie'd on Saturday evening. Direct communication with Naseby was attempted, but proved unsatisfactory, owing to the bad weather, and, after some delay, it was found necessary to arrange for an operator at Dunedin, as on the first night. As a' consequence, none of the games were brought to a conclusion. When play ceased Oamaru resigned at Board 2 and agreed to draw at Board 1. A draw had also been agreed to at Board 4, at which there was no play on the second night. The other three games are to be submitted to Mr D. Forsyth, of Dunedin, for adjudication, and as Naseby holds gome advantage at Boards 3 and 5 and Oamaru at Board 6, it is expected that the match will be won by Naseby The results of the match (says £ke Oamaru Mail) shows that Naseby possesses some strong cliess players. Discussing the Electoral Bill, Mr G. Fowlds, M.H.R., remarked (says the Lyttelton Times) that there was one proposal which he did not consider very democratic. It was that a defeated candidate should poll 25 per cent., instead of 10 per cent., of the votes given for the man returned, in order to save his deposit from forfeiture. His feeling was that it was a mistake to place impediments in the way of candidates. The proper way of -dealing with the matter of candidates was by Mr M'Nab's Absolute Majority Bill, aud there was a strong feeling in the House in favour of passing the bill this year. If the Government would agree to let the House decide, the members would embody Mr M'Nab's bill in the one that has been introduced. The Government favoured a second ballot, but tho House would not have that at any price. When the Government realised this fact, it might givo Mr M'Nab's bill a trial. Th-ere was no difficuliy for the voter under Mr M'Nab's scheme, and the counting would be simple after fi\e minutes' instruction,

Some hundreds of unclaimed articles from tho Dead Letter Office were submitted to auction by Mr W. F. Shoitt at Wellington on Friday. Many queer lots wore includo<l in the list submitted. Tho cheapest and most varied assortment comprised " one box goitre cure, one box frrtcx, false teeth, one box mustard plaster?, one menthol plaster, ons packet dental rubber 0 , one tin tooth powder, two tins ointment"— and the whole lot wont for half a crown. A bugle was sold for Bs. Ten Maori kits brought 13s, but pencil Maori Testaments went for 6s. I'mbrellas and walking sticks realised fair sums, and silk blouse lengths al«o fetched their value. One article disposed of was a bicycle, and queries were made as to how that could be posted. It turned out that the article was sold on behalf of another client. Chatting with a Lyftefton Times reporter on Sunday evening, Mr G. Fowlds, M.H.R., said that there was a growing feeling in tho colony in favour of an increase of a penjiy in the land tax. Even land-owners would benefit under tkis extra tax. Out of the 150,000 landowners in New Zealand 92,925 had less than £500 worth of unimproved value, and they would pay less by the putting on of a penny tax tlirn they would gain by the remission of Customs dues and a reduction in railway freights. The penny tax would bring in £300.000, and he proposed that this sum should he remitted in customs dues, making an average of more than £2 per family, without the profits which wholesale dealers and retailers put on th 9 duty. Altogether, it meant close on £3 remission per family. Moreover, the extra tax was the only way of solving the question of big estates. It would have a tendency to compel people to cut up large areas, unless they could be put to the "besi use. As th-3 day was breaking over peaceful little Albnry on Thursday morning last (states a Timaru paper) a man from the township was preparing for the avocations of the day when, v. 'thout warning, the stillness nestling over the valley_was broken by the sharp reports of firearms, and bullets j began to whistle round him. The man instantly dropped on his knees, not with the intention of stopping lead by orisons, but to crawl tideways and upwards to the top of a slight eminence, on reaching which he found a party of men indulging in target practice supremely unconscious of the carrying power of their weapons and the deathdealing missiles that were plugging into the valley below. On seeing the extreme agitation of the man who had been leaning against the door of death, the party evidently took the possibilities of accidents into consideration, and the firing ceased. The sottler afterwards discovered that the men in question are members of the South Canterbury Aecl'jaatitation Society, who were getting into form preparatory to hunting the deer off their present run into pastures new. A mild sensation has been caused in New York by revelations of the methods of certain "society ' publications of securing large sums of money from society leaders for editorial mention and for refraining from the publication of scandalous matter. "' Fads and Fancies," " America's Smart Set," and the " Social Editors' Society ' are three tilings that are being investigated by the District Attorney's Office. It is stated that Mrs Collis P. Huntington paid 10,000dol for a oopy of "Fads and Fancies" — yet to be delivered, — to contain elaborate mention of herself; and other alleged subscribers were Chauncey M. Dopew ; J. J. Astor, and Clarence H. Mackay for 2500d0l each, and Perry Belrnont for 1500dol. It -was represented that the book would be a most valuable de luxe edition, limited to 100 copies, and woidd contain articles about President Roosevelt, ex-Pre-sident Cleveland, and others. Moses Ellis Wooster, who originated tho " Fads and Fancies " idea, has furnished the District Attorney witdi the agreement between-him-self and the Town Topics Publishing Company. This agreement shows that Wooster engaged to secure subscribers to " Fads and Fancies" and to "America's Smart Set," all subscription contracts to be in the name of the Town Topics PublishingCompany ; that the company w-as to have full supervision of the printing and binding; and that Wooster was to reoeive commissious of 10 per cent, on subscriptions up to SO.OOOdoT, and 20 per cent, on all in excess of that amount, the net profit then to bo equally divided. The death of a Japanese, Masugori Nagata, who was crushed in a mine at Ellsworth, Pa., has brought to attention the plan employed by the Japanese to learn advanced mining methods. Naqata headed a party of 11 graduates of the Imperial University of Tokio, sent to this country to acquire technical knowledge of American mining. Hs was an instructor in the university, and a man of good family. The 10 young men who accompanied him will continue in the mine in which _he was killed, and expect to return to their native land within two years as instructors in mining. There are declared to be many isolated colonies of Japs wiho are in this country 011 similar errands. They are to be found in the lead and copper mines of the West, in the harvest fields, on the cattle ranches, and in the mamTiacturing; centres. There ha*, writes our Auckland correspondent on the 4th, been quite a stir in mining matters during the past fortnight, and sharebrokers have been lKUiug quite a harvest, owing to the large number of shares which have changed hands. Business has been exceptionally brisk in Waitotahis and Kuranui Caledonians. In the Waitotahi mine rich gold has been struck at No. 5 lavel, and as a great deal of gold has recently been taken out of No. 4- level, th© hopes of shareholders are running high, and big prices, are being given in the expectation I that the experience of No. 4 level will be repeated in the level below. Iv the eourj»e of a week shares jumped from 50s to 755. At the time of writing they are still bringing 70s, and upwards. In the Kuranui Caledonian mine, which adjoins the Waitotahij the Cambria reei has been struck,

but so far no gold has been got, and th>rise which took place in the value of shares on tiie fir.-t receipt of the news haa not been maintained.