LOCAL & GENERAL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2812, 5 February 1908, Page 64

LOCAL & GENERAL.

It is worthy of note that during the 12 , months ended December 31 last the number ' of births registered with the registrar for the Dunedin district was 1615, and the number of "successful primary vaccinations " recorded at the same office 597. The vaccination of an infant is compulsory by law, with, however, an exemption in cases where the parents hold conscientious) religious or health scruples. In each district so many medical men are appointed to. fulfil the duties of public vacoinators, and the lymph for vaccination purposes is manufactured and supplied by the Government itself. But tihe fact has come under our notice that the lymph which is supplied to the doctors is, * and has been for some time, absolutely worthless as a, vaccinator. . To use the words of one doctor, it is perfectly inert, and .though it may not be, positively harmful it produces absolutely no response, on the part of the patient. - Cases have been, brought under our notice where medical men have refused to use the lymph supplied ,them, for the reasons that it was inert and worthless, and infants brought to them for vaccination were consequently being turned ' away again. Such being the case, the only reasonable deduction to be drawn is that the Government, whioh takes upon itself to supply the lymph, is not possessed of any lymph whatever 4hat is of any valfie. It will, therefore, ije readily seen that in the event of an outbreak of smallpox there would be no lymph available wherewith the population of New Zealand could undergo vaccination. From every point of view the matter is a serious one, and calls for immediate attention on the part of the Health Department. It has 'been definitely decided by the Salvation Army authorities to convert the "Arthurlie" property recently purchased j by them at Middle-march 'into a home for orphan and stray girls. There was ior a time quite recently talk of making the home one for boys, But that idea has been Staff Captain Arnott, of the financial side of the Army's social work in Australia, is at present on a visit to Dunedin to complete financial arrangements, eto. The home, which will hold from '40 to 50 girls, will .be completely furnished and ready for occupancy in about four weeks' time. The Salvation Army has a number of girls on-hand now who are to be , sent to the home. A new cancelling and date-stamp machine will shortly be introduced, whioh will enable the Postal Department -to get through its work far more— expeditiously than at present. The work is now done by a machine invented by Mr Robertson, "secret -tary of the Postal Department, by means of wfiich some five hundred letters per minute can be dealt with. With the new machine, however, which -will have date stamps only, a still larger number can be put through per minute. Dir Rosa Collier, medical officer at Strath Taieri, has written to the Taieri and Waikouaiti County Councils concerning the >' condition" of what is .flatteringly termed * a road between Middlemarch and Moonlight Flat. It will be' remembered that her predecessor, > Dr Martin,, was killed thereabouts, and ; the lady doctor states that she would have 1 met with a serious accident recently had it not been for the skill and presence of mind of her groom. The alleged road would seem in places to consist of tussocks ' and two deep trenches, where the horses run when in double harness. The effect of a "week's rain may be imagined. The road (or rather the tussocks and trenches) borders the Taieri and Waikouaiti Counties, touching Waihemo further on. The Waikouaiti Council decided go to the resets, and its portion will be repaired forthwith. It is, perhaps, not generally known mat the kea is a protected bird in the .Mount j Cook -jegion,; but the kea, ie apparently aware of it. Just at present (says the Press)' he is a very troublesome visitor to . the 'huts, ' which he enters, and then be claws at everything within reach.^-3ut for the fact that the law has taken him under j ite wing, a small fortune could be made ! in. a short space of time in capturing the kea. The Powerful, flying the flag of his Excellency the Admiral, will leave Wellington for Sydney on Friday next, January 31 (says the Dominion). The Prometheus t will leave Wellington on the same /day i for Westport, whence she will proceed I to Melbourne to receive her new comi mander, Captain Bentinck having been relieved on promotion. The remainder of the squadron will leave on February 1 for Nelson, and later for Hobart, arriving about the middle of February. It is in- : tended to endeavour to connect New Zealand with- Australia by means of wireless ' t&l&ffr&L&hy teiween tli-e efczps in. KTe^r- Zestland waters, the Powerful on the passage across, the Cambrian outside Sydney, and the Psyche in Port Jaokson ; but the success of this depends on suitable weather. His Excellency the Admiral last week inspected the Pioneer and Pyramus, and this . week he inspects the Prometheus, Pegasus, | and Powerful. The' squadron coaled at j Wellington. / i The annual meeting of the Congregational Union of New- -Zealand commences at Wellington in February, and the proceedings are expected to extend over a week. Consequent upon the resignation, through ill-health, of the chairman-elect (the "Rev. W. Saunders), the council requested €he Rev. D. Hird, M.A., 8.A., of oh,ristchurch, to accept the position and t ™-« D are the chairman's address, which will

be delivered on the-evening of the opening day. . During the succeeding' week conferences "Will oe held on the London Mis- , eionary Society (in charge of the Rev. A. 1 E. Hunt), "What is the Greatest Need of the Church?" (Rev. R. M'Naughton), and "Modern Methods of Sunday School Work" (Mr G. Hogben, M.A., Inspectorgeneral of Schools, and Mr Wm. Gray, M.A., principal -of the Training College, Wellington). The subjects to be dealt with at ihe public meeting on Tuesday, February 11, are "Temperance" (Rev. A. E. HuntL "Sabbath Observance" (Rev. L. Sargison), and "Gambling" (Hon. G. Fowlda, M.P.). Other large meetings will be the home mission meeting find the j young people's meeting, at each of which well-known ministers will deliver addressee. A large number of reports from special committees will be presented, and notice has been given of a motion relating -to the Pastors' Provident Fund Board. | Mr M'Na-b, speaking to an Auckland reporter on the 2dth,.said that drainage operations on the Piako Swamp were in full swing, and would proceed more rapidly when the recently-ordered' dredges arrived in the Dominion. The present-operations fcays an Auckland message) ' affect about 75,000 or 80,000 acres on one side of the river only. " The work is going on at a very satisfac- . Tory rate, and 1 the State is going to get the profit this time," Mr M'Nab concluded decisively. The North Otago Time# of the 28th says : " Strange as it may appear the rain of Sunday end Sunday night fell over a limited area* There was comparatively little or) nothing at Hilderfchorpe, very little at Deborah, and south of Totara harvesting operations, were not interfered with. At Maheno harvesting was being busily proceeded with on^ the 27th.. The- rain, however, found its way out and beyond Ngapera. It would have been imagined" that a rain of the oharaoter of that under notice would have been distributed over- a large area* of country, but apparently it was not so. ! From our" information it • was confined to : a narrow strip, of which Oamaru was the | centre." An Auckland telegram states that the Disthict Health Officer (Dr Purdy), together, with Dr Buck, left for Rotorua on the 28th inst by -^the . express with the primary object of making an inspection of the Maori homes, for the betterment of. which prizes are being presented by persons interested in the Native "race. During the tour both the medical "men and the matron of the Cambridge" Sanatorium will give lectures to the assembled Maori©. Th© t proper ' time at which to blind a *oad was .one of the' subjects discussed by 'Waikbuaiti county councillors yesterday. A member complained that the " blinding" had been spread and, owing to the dry weather, been blown all over the place and become blinding in another sense. So viv : d was the councillor's picture of more or less expensive material being whirled in powder across the landscape that the inspector was instructed not to do any more blinding till moister weather arrived. A remarkable instance of presence of j mind is reported by the Wanganui Her aid. J It appears that a/ young man the othor \ ' day suddenly developed -a >strong trait of j lunacy, and insisted on going to the house of an invalid, with the object, as he said, of passing his hands over the patient nrd restoring- him to life. The lunatio pushed his companion aside when the latter endeavoured to Block the way into the room where the sick man was lying, and a daughter of the invalid -was attracted by the scuffling. She rushed into the room, and intuitively took in the situation at a glance. "Wouldn't you rather come for a waik with me?" she asked, tapping the intruder on the shoulder. The latter at once accepted the invitation. SHe accordingly led him to the residence of a ■veilknown medico, who at once telephoned for assitance, which.duly arrived* ' Song and '.story abound with praise of th^ jolly miller of _ flour, \but Aat personage, to all appearance, is not so popular in Otago as the miller of flax," for, in-spiteof the road-destroying properties of his drays, his litter, his creek-pollution, and his passive resistance to specially-framed by-laws, country towns yearn for him. It is difficult to read an . account of a county council meeting without finding reference to a flaxmiller in it somewhere. He oropped up at the Waikouaiti County Council meeting on the 28th, offering to lease a small reserve on the banks of the Waikouaiti River. Whatever the miller may be, a flaxmill is hardly a gain from an aesthetic point of view; but no councillor said him nay. One representative of a riding explained that it would he rather nice to have a flaxaull about. It would be a local industry. "Besides," he concluded, "it will employ about 17 hands." | The tramways statement of revenue and expenditure for me period DecemDer is to January 8, laid before the City Council on Wednesday, showed that the revenue was £5414 18s 9d, and the expenditure £4125 9s Bd, leaving a credit balaneo of £1289 9s Id. The expenditure included -interest and sinking fund, £1133 (te 9d ; renewal fund," £402 17s 8d; and accident- fund, £57 13s lOd, the actual working expenses being £2531 17s 7d. The weekly meeting of the Benevolent Trustees,-- held on the 29th ult., was attended by Messrs W. T. Talboys (chairman), W. Burnett, and J. Loudon (Mayor). The Sacretary reported the death in the institution of John Thomson, aged 68, and acknowledged the receipt of magazines from Mr J. Duff. Accounts amounting to £117 12s lOd were passed for "payment. The applications for relief numbered 24. The

arrangements made for the reception of consumptives, arising out of conferences recently held, weTe formally reported by, the Chairman, and approved. At the meeting of the Education Board on the 29th ult., when the election of representatives on' the High Schools' Board was under discussion, very strong opinions were expressed that the time had oome when these schools should be placed under the control of the Education Board. In building the Burns Hall the architect appears to have evolved an architectural chameleon. The ball seems to adopt itself to anything. It has proved itself to be just the place-for a bazaar; then it seemed to have been built for nothing else than, a high-class concert hall. On Wednesday ib accommodated the carnation show, and a visitor had no occasion to go further than, the entrance to remark: "Just the place for it." ' From observations made by a qualified Dunedin observer it woidd eeem that th© sparrow iB a much-maligned bird, and that' instead of being an enemy he is a friend, whose introduction into New Zealand was justified. The observer mentioned -write* J, " Re sparrows, I beg to report observations in: connection with - this bird, hitherto almost universally condemned as absolutely useless, and of all -email bix<& the most destructive.- For the past month or mitre* I have watched sparrows in quite large numbers diligently feeding upon something in the hedges around my residence. 1 At first I could not make out what they were so greedily devouring, but close observation revealed the fact' that insects, moths, and small caterpillars were the objects of attraction. The hedges are macrocarpa and maple. ' My family has noticed the same thing, which seems to be general in the vicinity. I may state that lest season the maple hedges suffered severely owing to the ravages of caterpillars, of whioh pest it now requires careful inspection to find any at all. At the same time sparrows seem to nave left turnip, radish, and other seeds almost untouched." The young man Orossan, who was admitted to the Hospital. on Thursday week' suffering from the effects of a gunshot wound in- the head, accidentally received whilst shooting goats near Roxburgh, is progressing as favourably as* possible. The bullet has not yet been located. Mr J. H. Morrison, ex-m*nager of the Mosgiel "WooHerf Company, has' just returned from—a- l&months' visit to the Old Country. ■ Speaking of ihe state of the woollen- manufacturing industry of the Home Country, -Mr Morrison- informed & Times reporter that ' the- industrywas everywhere just as - "busy *a^ it' could hope to be. As in New Zeaalnd, labour had risen in value. In point of general conditions of work, the New Zealander was, of course, much better off than those employed in^the Home mills. Comparing the standard of the industry here with that of the industry at Home, Mr Morrison said that the New Zealand mills— at anyrate, the Mosgiel and the Roslyn— were in every respect quite, as up to date. There was, as a -matter of fact, no industry, in New Zealand that was on a more up-to-date footing, and this applied particularly to the manufacture of both worsted and woollen goods. .A* to the -shipping Home of wool from New Zealand, the finer classes, of wool, such as fine halfbred and , merino, were' always in demand, and would continue in demand. These were the only) classes of wool the prices for which would be maintained, fdr the simple reason that there was always a genuine demand for them. It was the class of wool the grower should devote his attention to. Mr Morrison ventured to cay that there were too many woollen mills in the Dominion for the size of the population. Further, the high price of wool and the high price of labour had, during the last two or tiiree years, practically killed the New Zealand woollen industry. " The protection now - afforded .the.jndjii.6tty should, however, enable it to jiroduea- much better results, financial, mnd -otherwise.; ■ Speaking of the heat-wave experienced in Australia during the past two weeks, Mr C. J. Payne, who has just returned from a visit to the other side, stated that the people were in many cases simply prostrated with the heat. In Melbourne deaths from heat were of daily occurrence. People were driven from their houses .owing to its intensenese, and at St. Kilda the whole beach for miles was dotted with thousands of families, who were camping there overnight. Thousands of people were to be seen bathing between the hours of 1 and 3 a.m. In Adelaide, where tha heat was greater than in any other State, though it had a dryness about it whioh made it less disastrous to people in weak health, and in Melbourne the available supplies ofice frequently ran out, and then the water used for drinking purposes assumed a distasteful warmth. The vendors of cool drinks dwl an xuiceoeißg trade. In one noted plao# in Melbourne "where American cool drinks were sold a counter 60ft or 70ft long was blocked by people 10 or 12 deep. The winds were -furnace-like, andto close one's eyes for a moment was to imagine that a fire was raging, within so short & distance as 10 yards. ' * " A summer school for ministers, held under the auspices of the JLuld Lang Syne Club, is to take place in Dunedin on Thursday and Friday, April 16 and 17v 1908 (saye- the Outlook), following on the close of ttfie Synod. " The. themes for discussion are the following: — "The Minister, in His Study," introduced by Dr F. W« Dunlop ; " The Minister as Pastor," introduced by Rev. George Lindsay; "The Sermon for Present-day Needs," introduced by Rev. William Hewiteon; "The Mini*

ter*s Care for His Own Soul," Dr Waddell; "The Baptism. of the Holy Spirit," Bey. H. B. Gray; "A Bevival," Bey. George Miller. The secretary of the school is Bey. George H. Jupp, of Kelao, from , whom all information can be obtained. The monthly meeting of the Presbyterian Social Service Association was held in First Church Hall on the 28th ult., when there we^ present— Bey. Dr. Nisbet {convener, in the chair), Beve. A. ' W. Kinmomv J. Chisholm, W. Hewitson, and E.- A. Axelsen, and Messrs J. Blair, W. Crawley,. P. L. Clark, and J. Dick. An apology was received from Mr B. Ohishohn, who was absent owing to illness. Mr Axeken reported that since last meeting the work of the association had been going steadily ahead. With regard to the general work, meetings, funeral services, , etc., had been conducted, publio institutions visited, families in distress assisted, and people out of work helped to employment; ' "but the branch, of the work that had become"' the most important was that among the . young. There- were now no leas than 46 young people under the charge of th© association. From that number could now, ' however, be deducted three for whom good homes, had -been found. Out of. the remaining, f3, 19 .were in .the^orphanage at 41 Clyde street,- six were boarded out, while the ,|8 .others (two girls- and, 16 boys), who were above, school age, had been placed in suitable situations either in town or country, and. were almost without exception doing well. The committee expressed hearty thanks to the many friends who, by their kind* gifts, had made the Christmas season such a happy one to the children. The response to the special appeal for funds to effect some necessary alterations to the orphanage bad been good,, but with the increasing, responsibility of the association to - the large family under its car© it was hoped that friends everywhere would keep its needs steadily in mind. In the course of a conversation with -a representative of the Christchurcb Press on the ult. Mr T. W; Kirk, Government Biologist, said he was thankful to say that we have had no trace of the fruit-fly so far this season. The department has an officer >losely Watching the gardens that were infected last year, and- no sign of the pest has been detected. The South Island is fairly olear of potato blight thie season owing largely to- the drynees of the . . season. The Auckland and New Plymouth - districts, however, are suffering fairly ' severely on- account of the superabundance of rain. Howeveir, in those localities where spraying has been systematically carried out very little damage has resulted. The • 'model apiary shown at the Exhibition was • removed to the Wereroa experimental station, and is now in full working order. -The much-haraesed postal- official is £requently subjected to somewhat severe tests in his endeavours to decipher illegible or incomplete addresses, and a case of the latter kind which has just come under the notice of the Auckland -Star i 6 worthy of attention. A letter was posted from Auck- , land on December. 18, addressed to Mr ' Thos., Waiuku, the surname being omitted. , Aiter numerous attempts to unearth the addressee, the postmaster at the latter place, remembering that he had on a j previous occasion seen the same handwriting on a letter sent to an Auckland resident who t was visiting a settlement about seven miles from Waiuku, filled 'in the surname and- posted it on, with the result th»t the l missive safely jreached its proper destination, although a trifle belated. The early settlers of Bruce and Clutha hold their annual picnic this year on the show grounds, Balclutha, on Friday, Febru- • ary 7. These picnics are held in alternate years at Balclutha and Milton, and the committee at v each place vies with the other ,to make the day ' enjoyable for* visitors. Anticipating a large attendance ' this -year, the local committee is putting forth most' energetic efforts. Interchange' of 'greetings and reminiscences' of 01-d/ days, speeches by old identities and others, and a programme of sports and music combine for the enjoyment of all who can make the outing. / The Oromwell Argus continues its adTocacy of the -scenic beauties of Wanaka^ ' In its last issue it says: "It ia-all very well . for the Tourist Department to make out feat it is not boycotting the Wanaka Lakes, as we received a private letter from 'Mr Donne in reply to comments made by us to J that effect. Qufte lately ,-again its attitude has been brought binder our notice, as in several large- advertisements which mentioned nearly all the show places of Otago, the mention of Wanaka and Hawea Lakes was conspicuous by its absence. The department bas just issued a lovely series of 10 picture post-cards, an 4Mr Hotop has purchased a consignment of them. Again, there ie not on© of the views showing .any- j iking of the Wanaka distriot. When Sir tToseph Ward visits here it will be as jjrell to have all these anatters brought be<or« him, otherwise- they will continue." The following- letter, which speaks for Itself, from an 'up-country schoolmaster, was read a\ Thursday's meeting of the -Education Board t— "I have th© honour io point «nt Ha* I have again- been disappointed in .not obtaining promotion. 'After the -many years- 1- have faithfully served the board l'find my-sal&ry,' even under A raised -classification certificate; is '£20 less titan it war 12 yean) ago. To be' left wfthou* reasonable promotion in such, -circumstance* h, M mf opinion, eft injustice. You ere no doubt' aware, * latterly made application for five he&d mastership* X applied for these because; faking everything Info consideration, J i felt I had fc just plaim to. tha promotiod {

which my appointment to any one of them would have brought about. So far I have failed. Yet I do not blame the board, but the system under which tie recommending — which is praotically the appointment — takes place. A teacher is the employee of the board, yet in seeking promotion he apparently has to look to the .school committee rather, than to his employer. But, unfortunately, teachers in remote country districts- rarely have the opportunity of interviewing distant committees, and in my own case I have never exercised this privilege. The result is that some teachers "get frequent promotion, while others are left to" look on. In conclusion, I beg to state I feel confident the board would willingly grant mo the fair promotion I seek." The board expressed considerable sympathy /with the teacher in the position in which he was placed, and realised that many of the statements contained " in the letter were only too" true. " However, under the present mode of making "appointments 1&e matter could not "be remedied. Relations between the Dunedin WharfLabourers' Union and- the employers have . reached an acute, stage. • Tjhe union submitted a list of propositions based . principally on the Auckland award, and the employers submitted a counter, set. There ia wide margin, between the two sets of* proposals. It may be mentioned that the conditions nowjn force are nominally those laid 1 down in the award nominally those laid down in the award of 1899. and the union seeks an amendment of them. Interviewed on the 30th u!t., the secretary of the union stated that the principal grievance of the union was that the employers would not state specifically what the, actual points of friction are. Of course, should the registration of the union be cancelled, the relations between -the wharf labourers and the employers will be as they were before any award was made. The saving to the corporation by the electrification of the Woodha-ugh quarry will be about" £20 per month. The present cost of working by steam, as 6tated by Cr Wilson, is £28 5?, and the quotation for the electric power required is £8. The electrification is not to be carried out until the machinery has been removed to its new site opposite the paper mills. Sand and its effect on the harbour entrances formed one of -the many subjects dealt with by Mr -Mackerras (chairman of the Harbour Board) in the course of his remarks on the 30th ult. Groins which had been extended seaward had successfully, shepherded that unstable substance into the places required, and had prevented it from being swept Up" to choke the channels. Fences and revetments had been erected on the hook from the north shore, with the result that sandhills had been "encouraged" to form, the result being that the two" channels were perceptibly widening and deepening, and affairs at the Heads were more or lesß as they should be. The Otago Education Board 1 on the 30th ult., on the motion of the Bey. P. B. Fraser, resolved— " That the board give ite cordial approval- to the work carried on by Mr B. H. W. Bligh on behalf of the White Cross League, and expresses the' hope that he will be given an opportunity to address the children in the -schools under the control of ihe board." Portobello wharf sprang into prominence at the meeting of the Harbour Board on Thursday afternoon. Mr D. A. Be Maus wished to know the feeling of his colleagues on this matter before giving notice of motion as to the extension of the wharf. . Another member rose to state that the people of Portobello objected. That residents could be found anywhere who would not clamour for. .local improvements on every possible or_ impossible occasion seemed, strange. That they should object i to such improvements, appeared incredible. The member who made the statement relieved th© strain on the board's feelings by going' on- to' explain that the people of Po.rotbello objected because they did not ] want .any tinkering done. What they j wanted was something worth having in lih'e shape" of * pier, and they were going to .contribute by raising money among them- | selves. The apathy of -the Government in the past in respect of the demands of the -Catlins-Tahakopa railway construction ! work has been the cause of long-con- j tinned agitation on the part of the mem- j bere of the league which champions the j cause of the settlers of the Catling district. The number of men employed on the line S at the present time is 90, and the league j wants ' to know why that number has not bßen increased to 150, as authorised by the Minister of Publio Works. The ex- j planation is that there has been, and is, a very decided shortage of labour. l An assurance has been given, however, that an honest endeavour will be made to have the 60 extra men placed .on the \ works, and the Labour Department has been instructed accordingly. A Saturday half -holiday movement committee has been formed in Christohurch for the purpose of enlisting public opinion and causing a poll of the municipal electors to be taken on the subject. The sports bodies are taking the matter up, and representative* of each, met in conference the other evening. The case for the advocates of tie universal Saturday half-holi-day was stated by.tba chairman, * whp said he. felt sure. that & *& delegates present would take an. active Interest in the agitation, the holiday would •oon be »n accomplished fao*. The principal oftj merchants $r«re In. lte favour, and if the Saturday half-hdidaj wero gained jjfipple would soon.

become' accustomed to it He was not opposed to shopkeepers having a late night for business, and Friday would be suitable. A late night was .necessary for people who oould not shop at other hours. Then there was the absurdity of ceasing business in the middle of the week.. The town on Thursday was a melancholy place, and gave visitors a bad impression. There were few amusements on that day. A resolution was carried unanimously to the effect that circulars in support of the change should be sent to the societies and bodies in the city. Mr J_ F. Arnold, M.P.,. on being interrogated oi the 30th ult. as to the suggested increase in the number of Cabinet Ministers, said that, with others, he thought the present number was quite sufficient in proportion to the membership of the House, one reason being that with an increased number of Ministers, together with the Whips, the voting power would ba out of all proportion to what) it should be. It was thought that Ministers themselves could .-educe the pressure •of work by curtailing the amount of their travelling, thus causing a larger portion, of the work to be done through the representa-. ti'ves, which >was the proper ■> channel, in* stead of by -direct deputation to -the Ministers as they visited various parts of the Dominion. ' > • - - ■ ■ Mr T. Mackenzie, M.P. tor W.aikouaiti, 'will open the pre<*sessional campaign at Waikouaiti in about three weeks. It was Mr Mackenzie's intention to address his constituents at an earlier date, but a multiplicity of engagements has stood inthe way. Mr Mackenzie's public utterances are never entirely devoid of interest, but on this occasion his remarks will be more than usually noteworthy from the fact that he has recently made public his intention to cast in -his political lot with the Government. This will necessitate an exposition of the standpoint and intentions of the member for Waikouaiti. Our readers" in Central Otago will be interested to hear that Professor ' Park's report on ' the geology and mineral resources of the Cromwell district will be ready for issue in the course of a week or two. The delay' in publication is attributed by the Geological Department to the pressure of parliamentary work in the Government Printing Office, and to tire time occupied in the printing of the numerous maps, plates, and diagrams with which the " report i 6 illustrated. Mr A. Sligo informs us that h$ has had a number of inquiries as to the consolidated statutes of the Dominion now under preparation by the Government, and that he has made inquiry as to when they will be -ready for issue* the number of volumes, and .the probable cost. In reply, Be has been advised that " they will be ready for presentation to Parliament when it meets next session, but. the other particulars are not 'yet available." Thursday's North Otago Times says : — . "It is whispered that there is a possibility of the receiver of th© Harbour Board superseding th© board with a manager, who would accept all responsibility for the .conduct of the affairs of th© harbour in the interests of the bondholders. Under the- act the bondholders have the right to .petition the court lor the appointment of a manager if the affairs of the harbour - are being -conducted in a manner that they consider is detrimental to their interests. The affairs of th© board are not purposely being mismanaged, but the conduct of its affairs has become so entangled that no progress can be made, and when it will shake itself out of that entanglement is a problem that it would be rash to speculate upon. If the three expert re- . ports that the board has- yet to consider do notr lead to a solution of the impasse something, of the kind we have indicated may eventuate.' , The reports, ' however, may open a way out of the" difficulty, when we hop© the board will set itself, in the interests of the ratepayers, to' extricate ritself from an intolerable position.'^ Th© Southland Times thus deals with the aspirations ©f the Invercargill Town Council for a new railway station: — "On Tuesday afternoon members of the Town Council deputationised Mr J. A. Hanan, M.P., asking him to get for them, amongst other things, a new railway station; They -were tired of the old one, which was too small, too old, too dirty, and too ugly, and an eyesore and a disgrace to the town. Mr Hanan -did not quite agree with them, and when he had finished saying so, Cr M'Farlane began to take him to task for being so careless of the good of the town. Mr Hanan, in reply, told the councillor and others whom it might concern that there was some scope for improvements in other directions. Supposing th© council looked after" Dee street; if it did so it would do much more towards improving Invercargill's good looks than he could do by getting a. railway station for them." .The following notice was placed in the window of a Wellington restaurant the other Sunday night : — " Owing to the ooncentrated attendance and abnormal appetites I of the Australian squadron now in port, i our cuisine is temporarily depleted. WhileI heartily thanking them, we regret our inability to do other than 'shut down /tonight, and wait patiently for to-morrow's supplies." - \ At Banglora Austin Nudian, a Malay, some time .since at th© Old-age Pensions Court, proved to th© satisfaction of Mr V. G. Day, S.M., his nationality as a British subject, bis good character, residence in the 'Dominion for 40 ye&rsj bis age, and ell . circumstances entitling him to. the. ]^n«'n\ 3/q a, gross. rejore-

' sentative Mr Day said he had passed the claim as a good one within the conditions of the Old-age Pensions Aot as he interpreted it. The Registrar (Mr £. Smith) had, however, taken exception on the ground that Nudian was of Asiatio extraction, and correspondence was passing on the subject. He (Mr Day) held the man was a British subject, and contested Mr Smith's powers to constitute himself an appellate court to review the ( decisions of stipendiary magistrates. I I An amusing incident has come to hand in connection with the sheep tax (says the Poverty Bay Herald). Either by miscarriage or through wrong address, a : notice from the local stock inspector, call- j ing attention to the fact that the time to pay his sheep tax had arrived, and that unless the amount was paid by a certain time he would be fined,' was received tby a. country clergyman. Seizing the opportunity the rev. - .gentleman replied somewhat after the following fashion :-r " Dear sir,— Although- -I- am a -shepherd, I never owned, a sheep in my life. • My flock, ! however, is. fairly free ! from disease^ except- j ing that - several are suffering from .an ' "epidemic of .whooping-cough and measles, and if by the payment- of your sheep -tax either of 'these oould be obviated, I would willingly do so.— Yours truly, 'A Parson.' " " ' ' " ■'- Thanks to' the remorseless efforts of thY ladybird," stated Mr T. 'W. Kirk* Government Biologist, to a press reporter, <( the bluegum scale ' is now being thoroughly controlled. The little insects have -spread wonderfully, and their path in every direction is marked by extermination of the-blight. Large numbers of ladybirds were liberated at Burnham last year and the" year before, and they have increased so enormously that we still have supplies for redistribution available this week. We have a numbey of applications j on hand, and anyone needing the effective assistance of these insects may obtain sup- j plies by applying at the local office of £he Stock Department at once." 1 The plans of the new Catholic Church at _ Waimate, the foundation stone of which was laid recently, shew that the build- . ing, when completed, will be an im posing one, and one tnat the members and adherents of the 'church, and the public as Veil;" ought to •be proud of.' At the main entrance there is to be' a /tower,' which will be "90ft 'from the ground." The front part of the edifice occupies U6ft of ground 6pace, and from the front to the back the building measures 101 ft. ' The building is of ( French design, and it ia estimated to take eight mofaths to complete. The .collection for th© day amounted to more than £900, which makes the total collection to date £3000. - An endeavour ia being made to secure for the nation the 10 beautiful pictures of Trafalgar painted by Ghevalier de Martino, marine painter to the King. , The pictures, which are large canvasses, j represent 30 years' work, and as the , painter does not exhibit, they have never [ left his studio. Competent judges affirm that nothing like them has ever been painted, except, perhaps, by Stansfield. j Considering the , subject of the pictures, their intrinsic merit, and the low price of I £20,000 placed upon them, an appeal is mad© to public-spirited -men to take such measures as will prevent them from finding, their way into foreign hand*. The demand for labour continues acute. The local Labour Department has work for in all about' 160 men, of whom about 60 are- for private contracts, 50 for the Catlins Tailway, 30 for the Mosgiel duplication works, and about 30 for the Gore-Waikaka railway line. Some 30. men have been booked for the Mosgiel duplication works, whiUv in . addition to that, there , has been a very considerable demand for employment, on that 'particular work. About14 men were booked for the-Oatlins railway on Friday. There is,, generally, a, big demand for unskilled labour, from private sources, but the utmost difficulty is being experienced 1 in meeting it. The Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners is very much dissatisfied with its award made by the Arbitration Court at its last sittings, and the matter received full discussion at a meeting of the society on Friday evening. The almost unanimous opinion of members of the society is that nothing further in the direction, of a betterment of conditions may be expected from the court, and Jthat the only hope of -an, improvement lies in the way of legislation. The main cause of discontent is in regard to the wages fixed by the court, -which compare most unfavourably, it is -contended, with those of bricklayers and plasterers, who receive Is 4d more per day and' have practically /no tools to supply, while the technical knowledge required in their case 4a very small as compared with that which a carpenter or joiner should be possessed of.. The matter has been referred to the executive for consideration and report to next meeting of the society. We understand that a local brewer is being proceeded against by the authorities in Wianganui for exposing- beer in - bulk for "sale at that -place, it being alleged that his license does -not authorise him so to do. The point "is of some interest to" brewers, and the cose will be heard .at Wanganoi on the 26th- inst. .-.-•■ "The Infant Life Protetcion Aot, 1907," came into force .in the beginning of the year. One of' its -features .is a. provision for giving prompt information ■ oi' a birth to the Begistrar in order that, if necessary, the persons so authorised may see that the infant is properly cared for;* Of the 163 births registered at Dunedin during last tnonth £ 44 took place this jeau < The

average monthly number of births in thtf Dunedin district is about 140. It there* fore seems that somewhere about 100 persons have laid themselves open to the penalty of £5 which the law enjoins in case of failure' to make the necessary report. It may be again pointed out that) registration is not necessarily implied by, reporting. t Begistrars have been provided with books in which are recorded the names and addresses of the parents, and this book is not open to inspection except, to a person having authority from the Minister. The process of registration haa not been changed at. all. The law merely, enjoins the giving of prompt information.Splendid rain set in on the Moa Flat settlement on Thursday night. It was badly; wanted, and will benefit grass and turnips greatly. As the rajn seemed to, be general all round it wHldo an incalculable amountf of ""good; On morning there werdf indications of more rain. -.-.There rs a, slight coating of.mow on the Whitecomb Range, and the atmosphere is somewhat cool, with? ■ a cold soiith wind- blowing. ■ | the month. ©£ January there were registered' in Dunedin 163 births, 63 deaths,lafld 48 marriages* J For" the corresponding month', of ' last year the. 1 figures were c"' 136' births, 84 deaths, and 56 marriages. Tha number" v <if. bfrtns rh .unusually large ; in fact, it is the -largest in any month since; 1883v\ This, however, must not he attributed; by sociologists" to a" gratifying recovery in, the birth rate, but is largely owing to th* operation of the Infant Life Protection, Act, which came into force on January li and provides that information of a birtl^ within a borough must be given to th^ registrar within 72 hours, and of a birtM outside-- a borough within 21 days. Ai^ giving the information involves attendance at the registrar's office, the informant , usually completes- the registration at onc©< I Of the 63 deaths'* registered at Dunedin last month, only nine were those of chil< I dren under one year of age. In the oor< responding month of last year the numbeij of suoh deaths was 19. This decrease ii , highly satisfactory, and though it may W only- a - ooincidenee, it gives rise to r th« I hope that the philanthropic movement, insti« tuted by Dr King is bearing 'good fruit. At the close of laigt year the returns showed! a highly satisfactory diminution of infantilei .deaths -as against- the previous -year's re-j cord. - That again may be only " a!* coincidence, but if each successive return; shows' continuous decrease the possibil'ijn ' of coincidence wijl merge into fact. EacW ! person >who registers a birth is supplied l with a broad sheet containing full instrue*' •tions written -by the doctor, and these ars ! so plain as to be easily understood by ail# "Fully 99 per cent, of , the trouble which 1 . carries off_infants arises from malnutrition^ 1 and this comes simply from want of know^ ledge and not from the absence of parental affection. It is highly satisfactory, there* ! fore, to .know that the txraimunity is be--i coming permeated with knowledge of the means of defeating the remorseless i minotaur which has been 'responsible fen such waste of infant life. Improvements in flaxmilling machinery td lessen the cost of production have occupied! many minds, but Mr James Shiels, the( well-known flaxmill owner, is confident thatf he has invented a mechanical device whiotf Will jatch the flax from the stripper, shal& and wash and hank' it. This will mean (says the Bruce Herald) that the fibre will not be handled after going through thd I stripper until it is ready to be taken to tha I bleaching paddock. On a recent visit to ! Wellington Sir Shiels had hi« idea patented', and he expects to have machines in running; order very shortly. Thß cost of production will be decreased something like £3 10s a ton. At the Gourt, Lawrence, on; the 28th ult., before Mr G, Cruikshankv S.M,. Messrs Ward Bros., flaxmillers, wei«, (says the Tuapeka Times) charged with haW ing neglected'-to give tfa& necessary notice t£j the Machinery Department or Ihe accident^ which recently occurred at their flaxmiil, Evans Flat, as required by 'section 37 <Jfl * The Inspection of Machinery Act, 1902. I -, Mr Bamsay (Inspector of Machinery) ap>] peared in support of the information. The defendants' pleaded " Guilty," and in cxx tenuation and mitigation of fine, Georgal Ward, the managing partner, said he was quite unware that it was incumbent on him; to give any notice beyond that given to th«( police. Mr Bamsay said the department? looked apon the neglect as a" seriour offence, as thereby it was prevented front