LOCAL & GENERAL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2811, 26 August 1908, Page 31

LOCAL & GENERAL.

The Rev. "W. Hewitson is not one of those who cannot appreciate a joke when" it goes, against himself. Speaking at Knox Church Men's Guild en the 18fch, Ik told ofan experience that befell him during his stay at Colorado Springs. He attended the negro service there oue Sunday, and was much interested to hear the coloured preacher make refereoice to the original •> Hebrew and to the S&ptuagint. Some days afterwards he got into conversation in the street wich an intelligent negTo, and found ' that he, too, had been at the service. He' inquired if the sermon might be taken, as typical, and suggested that the preacher was inclined to mak« parade of- his learning. The negro agreed thai thai might be so, - and was greatly amused by a question as to whether the preacher would really know whether the Septuagint was a shoemaker or a hymn book. As the conversation grew more intimate, suddenly a light dawned. " Are you the preacher?" asked Mr Hewit. ~- son. " I am," was the reply. Ths following- letter, cabled from Sydney, appeared in. the Auckland Evening, Star of Saturday, 15th inst. :— "On my return from Sa.th.urst I have received* many- interesting papers containing- corxespond.enee. re Invejrcargill, and am much, flattered that any expression of mine could have raised, such a etorm. However, if my "huntblje opinion had' been asked before it would have been exactly the same" as that published—prior tomy departure. The prohibitionists "appear most intemperate in their correspondence, and in their arguments. They have overlooked that my remarks also referred to grocers' licenses at Home. It would' appearas if all prohibitionists were staunch teetotallers, which, 1 understand, is not quite, correct. — Habxett. " A touching- incident occurred at th«> dinner given by the Auckland. Non-commis-sioned Officers' Club in honour of the visit of the British and American sailors at tiia v Auckland Drill' Hall on Wednesday even* ing last. The gathering- was just about to disperse, when Chief Turret-captain Miller,, of £h« United States warship "Vermont, rose and eaid: — "Men, there is but on« toast more — a toast which is not on thelist, — that of ' Our Mothers.' " The words, seemed to have ' a magical effect, and aa the proposer repeated the lines, " God bless our mothers, w&eresoe-'er. t-bey be, tha. women who gave their sons to fight' upon., the eea," one could have heard a pin drop, and the silence did not cease until the 50G men present had again placed their glasses' on the table. Then many handkerchiefs, wei-e produced, and it was evident that theproposer of the toast bad touched a tender chord. A kindly moti-re prompted Sir Josepih Ward, when speaking at the- Industries Exhibition at Auckland on Monday?, to> slow down his express speed of talking to* a rate of about 80 words a minute:/ Hehad before him a student from the Blind Institute, who was using a machine to take a note of the speech.— one of. the machines invented come five years ago, andr combining the Braile system for- the blind - with Pitman's shorthand. The Prime Minister took a very keen interest in the operation, and referred to the unique experience o£ being reported by; & blind student. The effort to speak slowly, however, was rather an ordeal" for the Minister, and his thoughts very, often ran ahead*' of his words. He congratulated the blind 1 =tudenfc on his work in previous tests, and expressed the hope to see fbe sbortb&ncistudents from the institute taking their places as stenographers in. commercial and professional houses, and he congratulated thoee responsible for the tuition in tha institute. The Oamaru Chamber of Commerce has decided to ask the Tourist Department to give more publicity to the opportunities which the Kurow route to Lake Pukaki and Mount Cook offers. The, route (says our correspndent) is a more direct one than/ Timaru and Fairlief for southern tourists, and it is much easier to negotiate, the saddles being lower. At present only tho Fairlio route receives any attention from the Government, though the Kurow one is better in several respects. At the meeting of the Electric Power and Lighting Committee on the 18th. a* report, was received from Mr F. J. Williams, civil engineer, on the flying survey made by him in connection with the various suggested ioutes for the proposed tunnel at Waipori. Three or more different courses have been suggested for thie tunnel, but in any case it will be about a mile in length. The opinion is held in some quarters that the oonsti'uction of such a tunnel would cost anything from £25,000 to £30,000 before completed. It lias been decided to hold" a special meeting of the committee at a vei7 early date to consider this report. Since th© deafh of the Hon. H. FeloS wick, Sovifchland has had but one representath'e in the Legislative Council, and it is expected that when the Government fills the vacancy, it will "call" another gentleman from the same district. It is rumoured that there are several likely aspirants for the honour. The old habits and customs of the Maori's die hard, and even the young<?r generation appears to be to some extent bound by • them. A story comes from the KingCountry of an East Coast Maori, wsll educated, clever, hard-working, and eager to do well for his family. His little son died recently, and he wiahed to have the body interred in European fashion some 20 miles away with his wife's relatives; but the mana of the rangatira compelled him to

Of Zsl samples of alleged silk imported into the Commonwealth, 230 were found to $>c fraudulent, and many did not contain a W»fit> of silk. Practically the only pure tflk imported into the Commonwealth fMnes from China and Japan.

bury it where he was, and to leave his | comfortable house and go to live, with his ! wife and family, in a damp, unhealthy { tent. He was also obliged to nearly ruin j himself in feeding the crowds who flocked to the tangi. When 6poken to sympathisingly about it, he said : " What can a fellow do? So long as the old generation lasts we must just put up with it." A decided refusal would have meant loss of work if the chief had chosen — as he certainly would have done — to exercise his power over the company w<hich employed the bereaved parent. It is generally taken for granted now that all Maoris are thoroughly satisfied with British rule, and well disposed towards the dominant race; but some of those who are best acquainted with the Natives evidently think otherwise. A writer who has spent some years in the heart of the King Country etates that this hatred of the pakeha is far deeper than we imagine. He says:— "Many a Native who greets us with a smiling 'Kia ora' has in his heart nothing but distrust and absolute hatred. I heard in our hall a most animated discussion as to the right of the pakeha to lay jdown laws for the Maori, and very bitter allusions were made by a chief to the action of the British during and after the war. At a gathering of Maoris held in Taumarunui this year, when a large number definitely joined the Christian faith, one of the most hotly-contested points was this : 'If we accept the religion of Jesus Christ, do we not also profess allegiance to pakeha gov jment law?' Many energetic arguments were urged against submission to pakeha authority." Our Greymouth correspondent etates that when a passenger train was nearing Otira on the night of the 17th a slip occurred on , the hillside, striking the train, of which i several vehicles were derailed. No one was i hurt, while the damage to the rolling stock was slight. The remit upon the liquor question from the Otago Trades and -Labour Council to the various affiliated unions is now being considered by the , individual bodies. At the last meeting of the Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners the following resolution was carried — "That we, the members of the Dunedin Branch of the Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners, endorse the resolution of the Trades. Council Conference urging the workers to vote no-license with a view to placing the trade under the control of tha State, understanding that this last would occur only if no-license proved a failure." The Secretary (Mr James Brown) -'states that this is the largest union in Dunedin affiliated to the Trades Council, and has 350 members. The meeting was not a special one convened for the purpose of discussing this motion, but if any serious demand is made for a review of the decision a special meeting will be called to discuss the matter. A police constable as an object-lesson in anatomy was an unusual spectacle pre- i sented at the Supreme Court on the 19th. j A medical man was in the witness box j under cross-examination by Mr A. C. Hanlon, who had armed himself with a number of weighty medical works, from which he meant to prove that .cerebral hemmorhage led to rupture of arteries under the additional presure of excitement. Abstruse technicalities couched in the most incomprehensible kind of Latin were exchanged between witness and counsel. "What are you quoting from?" asked witness hotly. " So-and-so'e ' Foreneio Medicine and Toxicology,' " replied counsel, triumphantly thumping the bulky volume. "What date, please?" persisted witness ; "it makes all the diffeienoe, you know." " Well, I've got 1898," replied Mr Hanlon. " Oh, that's out of date— I've got 1907," exclaimed witness. After further examination it transpired, according to witness, that they were not talking of " cerebral hemmorhage" at all. Finally a constable was requisitioned, and plaoed himself before the witness box, where the | skilled left hand of its ocoupant took him by the chin and tilted his head to the right angle, while with the other, and a pencil, he sketched aerial diagrams of cute, wounds, bruises, etc., on the head of the patient man in blue. The Mayor of Auckland has (says a Press Association telegram) written to Messrs Donne and Earner expressing, on behalf of j the Citizens' Reception Committee, approi eiation of the able manner in which they j discharged their duties in carrying out the t Government part of the programme in connection with the reception of the American fleet at Auckland, and conglatulting them heartily on the success which orowned their efforts. A Press Association telegram states that the Feilding Fruitgrowers' Association La 6 decided to import a number of little owls to keep down the small-birds nuisance. Between 60 and 70 gentlemen met on -t\x& 16fch sut La.w:r-en-c« for th« pwrj>©^<s of further consi-dering the erection of a new , convent, the present building being found altogether inadequate for the work. Mr jH. Hart presided. The Very Rev. Moneignor O'Leary explained what was necessary, and submitted the plans and estimated cost of the proposed new ouilding, and about £100 was promised in the room towards its construction, and a strong committee was appointed to carry on the work. A sale of work for the purpose of augmenting the building fund is being organised by the ladie« of the congregßfcion, and they are meeting with g^nerou? ■ support from all 3eetions of the commu1 nil

An extraordinary accident which happened on the nigiht of the 15th at the shop of Mi H. I. Hobden, chemist. Gashel street Christchurch, is reported in the Press. Mr Hobden and a friend were in the dispensary about 11 o'clock, when the whole of the shelving at the back of the counter and the dispensary came away from the wall, and, with its scores of bottles of drugs, crashed down on to the counter and the show case. The only warning was in the form of a bottle, which struck Mr Hobden's friend on the head. He put up his hand and fended off the shelving which followed, and both men managed to crawl out from under the wreck unhurt. Mr Hobden at once opened the front and back doors of the shop to clear away the fumes whioh were arising from the wreckage of broken bottles. Most of the bottles on the shelves were broken, and their contents scattered over the floor, and the show case and most of its contents smashed. Fortunately the only light in the shop at the time was a pilot light in the dispensary, which was at once turned out, otherwise the spirit from the broken bottles might have .caught, and nothing could then have saved the place. The Benevolent Trustees at their meeting on the 19th resolved to ask the press to make known that they would be pleased to receive gifts of children's clothes from those charitably inclined. The clothes principally required are those for children ranging from six to 14 years of age. Gifts may be left either with Mrs Ansell, or at the trustees' office in Moray place. The Benevolent Institution is scarcely a place where one would expect aotive hostilities, but it appears that two of the inmates oame to words and subsequently to blows, with the result that one of the belligerents, Christian Vecht, is in Dunedin Hospital with a dislocated shoulder and a black eye. His age is 66 years. Th© Arbitrtion Court has disposed of eight trade disputes, besides a number of enforcement cases, during ita sitting in Dunedin. The cases under the Workers' Compensation for Accidents Act were, with one exception, settled out of court. The court has on this occasion completely cleared the slate in so far as the Otago and Southland district is concerned, and for the first time in the history of the Arbitration and Industrial Conciliation Act, not a single case of any kind is standing on the books awaiting hearing. Mr E. Hardcastle writes to say that a literal error has crept into his letter relating to malformation of stags' heads, published' in. last week's issue. It is the absence of the " bay," and not the " tray"' tines that is a sign of degeneration. The misprint causes a seeming contradiction between the statement introducing this subjeot and the scientific explanation given by Professor Weissmann, which follows. Tine ordinary weekly meeting of the Benevolent Trustees, held on the 19th inst., was attended by Messrs W. T. Talboys (chairman), E. A. Tapper, H. A. LeCren, W. Burnett, A. H. Bridger, J. Loudon, and J. M. Gallaway. Accounts amounting to £81 8s 6d were passed for payment. The expenditure on account for July was £661 3e 3d, making an average cost of Us 8d per head per week for each inmate. It was explained that this amount included a considerable sum spent in improvements to the hospital ward. Four deaths— those of William Scobie, Joseph Gibbins, Mary Ann Bodley, and John Thomas Sneade— were reported as having taken place at (he institution during th© previous week. Messrs Mason and Wales wrote enclosing tenders for alterations and improvements at the institution, and these were referred to a sub-committee, with power to act. The Visiting Committee reported several inmates for i-eturning to the institution the worse of drink. Fourteen applications for relief were dealt with. A small parcel of grape-vine cuttings was a few days ago received in Dunedin from Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S., but in consequence of the prohibition of the importation of vino cuttings into the Dominion the parcel was seized by the local Government Department of Biology and destroyed. It is certainly very annoying to the consignee to have anything of this nature destroyed after coming such a, long distance, but the act is quite explicit on the subject. The position is that the importation of grape-vine cuttings is absolutely prohibited from everywhere, except Australia, and that is only when covered by a certificate as to their being free from phylloxera. Dr Nisbet in the course of his lecture on .the 20th had something to say in defence of the Scotsman's petition so often sneered at — '"Lord, gl'e us a quid conceit o' oursels." He quoted the saying of | Oliver Wendell Holmes that '' conceit is the salt of life," and went on to say that the old Scotch divine who was credited with the petition mentioned was not so fca.lwrong after all. "for the men who do no good to the community are the men who have no conceit of themselves, which is another way of saying they have no self-respect."' It is seldom that one hears of very large sums of " conscience money " being returned to the Treasury, but small sums are continually coming to hand. In last week's Gazette (says our Wellington correspondent) the Minister of Finance acknowledged the receipt of. 12 penny stamps, "conscience money" forwarded to the Chief Inspector of Machinery, AVellington. When attending a hunt club meet at Mamiiborough the other day a ouriou',

experience befell Mr C. E. Brewer, a local ] resident. "It happened," said Mr Brewer, , to the Dominion's Wairarapa correspondent, " that I was wearing a new waistcoat, the j front of which was made from the skin of a young fawn. I had never attended a hunt before. With a few friends, including some ladies, I drove up in a. vehicle in order, as they said, to ccc the ' throw off.' Immediately we arrived upon the scene of action the dogs rushed over to our vehicle yelling very loudly, j I thought that this was part of the business, and did not take much notice until some of the dogs tried to jump into our trap. Then the huntsman galloped up on horseback, and tootled a horn,, and "when he got up to me, he said, 'Why don't you throw out the meat?' I said, 'There's no meat, only what's alive' (meaning myself and my friends) ; but he could not have heard my voice; there was so much noise, and he cried out again, angry liko, ' Why don't you throw out the meat?' At this the dogs seemed to get more excited than ever. They jumped and yelled so much that I thought they were going to tear us all to pieces. The ladies screamed, and one fainted, and all th© time the huntsman was crying out, ' Why don't you throw out the meat?' By this time our vehicle was surrounded by the hunting party, and all the people who had come to see the hunt. They did not seem to be able to fix things up satisfactorily, and as the dogs were getting more excited and the ladies more frightened, I decided to effect a retreat. I set the horse at a gallop, followed by the dogs, but after pursuing me for a quarter of a mile the huntsman tootled them back to him, and we escaped. I learned afterwards that the dogs were after my new fawn waistcoat." On the 18th a farmer residing at Saltwater Creek regained possession of a lost Crown grant in a rather peculiar way (says the Press), the document having been missing since November, 1893. It was in that . year laid before the Bench at Rangiora in a trespass case, and left by the eolicitor in the case in the courthouse. The then clerk of the court placed it for .secure custody in a small— iron ,safe on the premises. Here the Crown grant appears to have lain till it was decided to make use of the safe, and as the key would not unlock it, it was forcibly opened. A person who was present when it was first stated that the safe would be forced gave it a 6 his opinion that the deed, which he described, would be discovered. He was not aware that a hue and cry for the document had ever been raised. The heir to the holder of the grant gave a clear identification and recovered his title to a block of land at Saltwater Creek. Speaking in Burns Hall on th© 20th inst. Dr Nisbet had occasion to refer to the questions of divorce and unhappy marriages. He considered that newspapers and novels, owing to the fact that they necessarily deal with what is exceptional and extraordinary, gave a much exaggerated idea of the proportion of marriages that result unhappily. He himself had been marrying couples in Australasia for for more than 25 years, and amongst them all there had been only one divorce. For ever} one unhappy marriage, he believed there were hundreds where almo6t idyllic conditions prevailed. The resolution passed at the Trades and Labour Conference urging the workers to vote No-license, with a view to placing the trade under the control of the State, has been considered by the Grocers' Assistants' Union and by the Operative Butchers' Union. The former union passed the following motion: — " That this union cannot agree to the subject of the motion passed by the Trades and Labour Councils' Conference in Wellington re no-license, as the question is one for individual action." The Operative Butchers' Union resolved — "That this union is of opinion that nolieense is a question for individual members at the ballot box, and that the question of State control cannot be attained on the lines 6uggC3t©d." '• The Oregon pine bogie is being done to death." So said an Eketahuna sawmiller a day or two ago (writes the Dominion's Wairarapa correspondent). He had, he said, orders in hand which would take him fully four months to fulfil. His trade had increased simply because he made a practice of supplying a good article, and keeping faith with his customers. A large amount of the timber supplied in some districts was of a most inferior description, and this was the great fiource of trouble to the industry in New Zealand. This statement was borne out j by a well-known Wellington architect, who stated that in a new contract for a big building in the city, the heart of rimu joist 6 required by the specifications had to be discarded on account of inferior quality, and Oregon pine substituted in ( their place. Several dairymen were proceeded against in the Police Court on the 21st on a charge of selling milk which, on analysis, proved to be below the standard required by the regulations. Professor Black ivas the anaJysl, and he was called by the prosecution as a wkne.-5. Mr Hanlon, on behalf of t two of th© dairymen, set up a novel defence. ' He called Mr G. M. Thomson, who elated that he had analysed a sample of the rrulk that had been seized by the Inspector of Weights and Measures, and, by employing the Babcock process, he found the milk richer in fats and solids than did Professor Black. Mr Hanlon then pointed out that the Pure Foods Act of last session, under which the prosecution was brought, made no provision whatever for the form of analysis to be adopted by the analy&t, and :f in 6uch cases the analysis of the

prosecution's witness were to be taken in, preference to that of the- witness for the defence the system would be tyrannical. "Hi* Worship recognised the difficulty, and dis? missed the case, stating that there was a, doubt as to whether or not the milk wa% below the standard, and he was bound togive defendant the benefit of that doubti In subsequent cases the fact that bot3i" analysts agreed on the inferiority of the milk, if not on actual figures, allowed tha prosecution to carry on its case, but it was clear that, where two analysts disagree as to milk being above or below the standard, defendant must, as his Worehip remarked", get the benefit of the doubt. Good progress has been made during the past week with the erection of the pump* ing machinery for the new dock at Port' Chalmers. The massive discharge pipes have been attached to the centrifugal •" pump, which is coupled direct to a "double cylinder high speed vertical steam engine. The fitting of the latter is now nearly cont^ pleted, the whole of the machinery being; placed upon a most substantial concrete foundation, upon which is superimposed! a damp-proof course of Neuchtael asphalt, which forms the floor, and also continues ' up the -wall* above high water mark. -> Meanwhile the massive concrete walls are - being carried up to the ground level, and 5 wlien completed a start will \he made with. , the construction of the new engine-house. Our Wellington correspondent informs vk' that the Hon, J. R. Sinclair, of Dunedin, met with an accident while stepping - off a tramcar on the 21st. "He fell and cut his head slightly. , When he returned "to his lodgings medical advice was obtained, and it was found that he had luckily; escaped serious injury. In view of the recent public interest in timber matter* 1 it, is vorth mention that the local timber merchants, Messrs A. and D. Macpherson, aTe shipping per s.s. Norfolk 10,000 ft of timber, chiefly red pine; for Vienna.. This is the fourth lot the firm has dispatched, similar shipments having been sent from Bluff in fulfilment of Austrian orders. A. comprehensive report was placed be* fore the Finance Committee of the City Council at its meeting on the 21st in regard to the state of finances _of -the different municipal departments at the present time. In each department the report showed the financial position to be on a sound basis, with the exception of the Waipori hydro- . electric scheme, where, as previously outlined, there is a deficit existing. Two of the Auckland tramway employees who declined to go out with the others " in the recent strike, a determination which implied possession of no mean share of personal courage, and the certainty of" incurring much odium, have been rewarded for their fidelity. The Press Associations reports that the two men, whose names are Eeuss and Spry, have been presented with the sum of £113 12s subscribed in recogni- ' tion of their action. At a meeting at Green Island on the 21sti Mr T. Mackenzie was asked his opinion, of Home Rule- " Well," replied the candidate, " like most married men, my wife exercises strong home rule over me." " Well," persisted his questioner, " whafc does your wife think of Home Rule?" " She has every confidence in it," was the quick retort. It was intimated at the meeting of the Council of the Southland Acclimatisation ■ Society on the 20th inst. that the Minister of Marine could' not see his way to provide for the continuation of experiments in' connection with Atlantic salmon. This, was regretted, in face of the fact that a hatchery had been erected at the Waiau. The Minister has stated, however, that ho will, with the approval of his colleagues, import from Canada next year some ova, if the procuring of the same be possible. The Government proposals for the keeping of fish in freezing chambers during the closa season did not meet with the approval of ' the council. Two hundred and" fifty thousand fry Have been distributed in the ' various streams of Southland. In tha_ matter of the preservation of the bush at the mouth of the Waiau the Hon. Mr ' M'Nab had enlisted his sympathies with the movement, agreeing to provide the land if the society would furnish the fencing, the Orepuki anglers to maintain the enclosure. It was proposed by Mr M'Farlane that a number of pheasants be liberated on Stewart Island, and after a' discussion on the suitability of the bush and feeding avenues the motion was seconded by Dr Snow and carried. Writing from London to hia parents recently, a young engineer, who learned his trade at Port Chalmers, mentioned

f, personal experience which gives the •^ crimson^ thread of kinship" theory a JKither severe snake. Being his first trippo the "great- eifcy of contrasts," he natuIfally lookectforward with -pleasure to renewing acquaintances, with several whom had met at Port Chalmers. At the first opportunity he called at the address given !by on© of them, but waß informed by an intelligent maid that the addressee was unknown to the household.- Hoping to fortify, her memory a little, the caller jstated that the gentleman inquired for ittHed from New Zealand. That settled dt» He must-be- somewhere else, Because 'her employer never allowed any foreigners. 5a the house, and the young New Zealander (turned sadly away, being for a moment in" some doubt as to his own nationality. The Surveyor-general (Mr T. Humphries), in his annual report, makes a reference to the movement of the- New Zealand coast. Be says the. importance- of provision being: foa.de for its detection and determination at a later period" has been brought under notice of late years, but up. to the present sno steps appear to have been, taken to Becure and permanently record reliable information as to existing: conditions, so as .to afford data for the determination at Some future time of the slope, elevation, or feubsidence oF different parts of the coastline. ' This . knowledge, apart from its scientific interest, is an important factor in ihe construction of marine works, as was -pointed, ©ufc 'by the late Mr P. * S. Hay, Chief Engineer Public- Works Department, fin 1903/ in a special report on the subject. &s a preliminary to a more comprehensive Scheme in the future in a wider distribution of tide gauges and mean sea' level deterftninations, it is the intention of Mr Humphries to have the zeros of all existing tide 'gauges in the various ports of the Dominion carefully connected to permanent bench marks in secure positions on the shore, which can be effected at a very email cost. _ The Oamaru Borough Council on the 2lst considered 54 applications for the position of town clerk, and finally appointed Mr C. W. Kent, of Messrs John Reid and £$ons' office, Dunedin. There wera applications from, adl parts of the Dominion, including qualified solicitors and accountants. At the letter carriers' dinner at (Wellington Sir Joseph Ward said that 4he letters posted, in the Dominion last year numbered 85,500,000 — an increase of 6,750,000 over 1906. The total number of jail articles posted was 125,500,000. At the Magistrate's Court at Gore on 3ihe 20th Mr Kenrick, S.M., delivered a lengthy judgment in a case in. which. Robert Ballock was changed with a breach of the county by-la-vrs in having engaged a. traction engine, over eight tons in weight, in heavy traffic on. a county road. It was admitted that the engine- was over eight tons in weight, but a technical defence ,yras- set up. The technical points raised for the defence were disposed of by the magistrate, who inflicted a penalty of .40b, with costs. During the past week 41 patients were admitted to the Hospital*, and 44 discharged, and one patient named Elizabeth Davies !died. The total" number of patients remaining is 141— four less than the institution contained at the end of the previous week. Another shipment of little grey owls came io hand by thie Shaw, Savill Company's eteamer Aotea on Saturday. Out of 65 birds placed on board in London, 60 arriyed in splendid condition, quite a number of the young ones haying nearly doubled in size as the result of the car© and attention bestowed upon them during the voyage. The owk appeared to feel th© hert of the tropics most severely, this being held chiefly responsible for the deaths which occurred. When it was seen how badly they were faring, Captain Kirby had a *ent rigged up on the main deck, and in tfchiis they were placed so as to get as much 000 l air as possible, whilst the awning sheltered them from the tropical sun. Later oh the" Aotea ran into intensely cold weather, during which many of the owls got semi-frozen, but on being taken down jbo the .stokehold they soon regained their sprightlinese The genial boatswain, who -has been most attentive to the owls, has •named most of them after more or less distinguished personages, and his feathered flock has a "Mr Kruger," and, quite naturally, the latter is accompanied by " Mrs Kruger," whilst " Admiral Rozhdestvensky " and other notables are similarly honoured. It is - intended to send 20 of the owls to Gladbrook Station- Some -will also be sent to Mr Iversen, at Eaxnseleugh. The destination of the (remainder has not been decided Upon. ■Several county councils have made applications for owls, and the circumstances of iibe claims have yet to be considered. 'The traffic returns for the tramways for tne fortnight ended August 15, as com.pared with the corresponding period for last year, were as follow:— Receipts, 1908, £2100 T)s 7d; 1907, £2103 8s 4d 1908, 42,096 miles 15 chains; 1907, 41,910 miles J36 rsTm.fna. ,Ifc is asserted that at the local railway engine-sheds the methods of serving out iwaste and oil are similar to those which hfve led up to the proceedings at Greyaaouth, where twd engine-cleaners "were criminally charged witih breaking 1 and e&fcering, the offence having beea committed for the purpose of obtaining supplies to enable them to properly perform (their work. The matter has -been the 6«bjecfc of frequent representations, but •without bringing about the change that is jdeeired. "If the cleaners have perforce io"' possess, themselves of oil and waste aHditibnal to what is served out to them,"

remarked a railway servant to a Times reporter, c: it is done with the best of intentions. The cleaners do not eat the waste or drink the oil* but simply use it for what it is there for." The first of the series of religious services initiated by the Rev. Wm. Thomson was held in His Majesty's Theatre on the 23rd. the attendance being very large, and composed, to a great extent, of young people. On entering, those liberally disposed had • an opportunity of making a-ny contribution they chose, attendants being placed at the doors with collection boxes. The Kaikorai Band, which assisted in the service, ■was seated on the stage, at the front of which was placed a reading desk for the convenience of the preacher. The band gave a I very fine rendering of Mozart's " Gloria," j wfiieh was followed- by the hymn " Nearer, my God, to Thee," first played by the band and then sung by the congregation, the band accompanying. The Rev. Mi* Thoin- i son engaged in prayer and read the parable I of the prodigal son, at the conclusion of which " Onward, Christian soldiers " was simg by these assembled, the band leading. "The second sacred' selection played by the band was " Eventide," after which the Rev. Mr Thomson delivered a short.address, his subject being the parable of the prodigal son. His discourse was a plain, homely one, well suited to his audience. Another hymn, " Oh come, all ye faithful," having been sung, the band again assisting-, Mr Thomson pronounced the Benediction, and retired from the stage, and the service closed with the band playing the saored selection "Adoration." j -Mr T. Mackenzie, M.P., informs us that an incorrect impression would exist if it j were thought that he had deprecated the j giving of evidence on the Education Bill j before the Parliamentary Education Com- i mitfcee, lest the effect might be to imperil the passage of the bill. He endeavoured, and partly succeeded, in carrying resolutiona to, widen the opportunities for giving ' evidence on the bill, and he regretted that the committee was unable to agree to fuller evidence being taken. It was Mr Fowlds who deprecated time being taken up by giving evidence, because he thought it would stop the passage of tihe bill this session. : A most extraordinary thing was discovered at the new bath buildings the other day (says the Rotorua Times). The water from the town supply could not be got to work satisfactorily at one of the douchps. Ait last it was found neces- , sary to investigate the service pipes. Then the secret was discovered. At the bifurcation of two pipes wae found a 41b trout, with its body jammed into each pipe, having got crossed. It was dead, of course. The town supply of water is derived from a spring like 'Hamurana, which gushes right up out of the ground. The trout must have been hatched- in some distant stream, and. ae a very small fry found its way into the subterranean cavity, in which it lived till it rose to the surface, and, getting into the pipe, lost its life. ,It must have had a most interestingI history. A perusal of the report and ba-lance-sheet of the Otago Typographical Union shows that the union is something more than a body solicitous only about conditions of trade. The union is one of the oldest in Otago. Raving been in existence for 35 ' years. The total funds amount to £731 9s sd, of which sum £468 10s stands to the eredifc of members as retiring allowance, the amount put to the credit of each member being at the rate of 10s for every 26s paid in. Besides this, unemployed members are allowed an allowance of 10s per week. The number of members on the books of the union is 144, and the total arrears of subscriptions stand at the small sum of £2 11s 6d. It is sometimes said of unions that a majority of the operatives are not members. This cannot be said of the Typographical Union, as there is not a person employed at the trade in Dunedin who is not a member of the union. It is also worthy of mention that since tho Arbitration Act came into force the union has come to terms with the employers on every occasion on which it has been necessary to register an agreement. Certainly disputes have been referred to the court, but an understanding was come to before the matter had been gone into. During the currency of the five agreements registered, only one breach of award— more in the nature of an interpretation than a breach— and one interpre- , tatdon have come before the court for decision. A Press Association message states that the Public Works Department has received the following tenders for the erection of additions to the Government Insurance Buildings in Dunedin :— Aoepted, Henry Lyders (Dunedin), £10,746; declined— R. Orr (Dunedin), £10,848; O. Campbell (Dunedin), £11,160; G. Lawrence (Dunedin), £11,200; Robson and Crawford ' (Dunedin), £11,225; Watson Rhodes and Son (Dunedin), £11,287; Michael Frain (Wellington), £12,900. i Dr Coughtrey, who recently suggested in our columns that New Zealand people should show that they take a practical interest in Lieutenant Shackleton and his confreres at the Antarctic, lias received a letter from Whangarei, which is of sufficient interest to publish. It is as follows : '• Since I was a boy Arctic exploration has always interested me, and I remember well the visit of Sir James Ross and Sir Joseph Hooker to the Bay of Islands. Being at the Waimate School, the only one then in New Zealand, I did not see the ships, but the previously-named gentlemen were the gu&fcs of the head master, the Rev. Richard Taylor. I was one of the- boys told off to accompany them into the woods in search of land shell and plants. One

of the boy* asked Sir James Ross if he had seen the continent said to have been discovered by the American Antarctic Es- , pedkion. He replied, ' Yes, we sailed over it.' This must have been a stock saying of his, as I have seen the same words in a magazine article on Antarctic exploration. I think Captain Scott's • Voyage of the Discovery ' a very interesting- work, and hope that the present expedition will be still more successful than he was. — I remain yourfe faithfully, Robert Jlair, eMost •son of one of the first pioneers of Xew Zealand, and one of the first generation of Xew Zealand born." At a conference between the Kaitangata truckers and the representatives of the employers on Friday iasfr what is described as a very satisfactory settlement of the points in dispute was arrived at. The chairman, in the course of his remarks, referred to the straightforward manner in which the men had been met, and also to the friendly feeling and tact that had been exhibited. The truckers themselves passed a hearty vote of thanks to the representatives of the employers, and made reference to the friendly offices of Mr Robert Lee. The vagaries of the present system of roll-making in public schools and the results that attend the close relationship between' the average weekly attendance and the schoolmaster's salary are well illustrated by the experience of a school in Central Otago. When the recent heayy fall of snow took place a considerable area of country, right in the middle of that which wa-s covered by some 'feet of snow, suffered only an unusual downpour of rain. Although the roads were in a bad state, people moved about freely, and the schoolmaster was able to keep his school open. The other schoolmasters throughout the district, who were virtually snowed in, promptly closed down. The , teacher referred to ha-s some 44 children j attending his school, but during the bad i weather his average dwindled to about 22.5. He kept the flag flying, however, until improved weather conditions allowed ) the full number of pupils to return to" school. Now that teacher learns that, despite the fact that he did not close down, his salary and the- status of hia school will probably suffer in consequence of his low average attendance during some weeks. Those teachers, on the other hand, who closed their schools, and received an unexpected holiday during the time it was impossible for the majority of their puoils to attend school, find that their salaries are not liable to a decrease, or their schools brought nearer the possibility of being, shifted into a lower grade. ] The chairman of the Otago Acclimatisation Society (Mr R. Chisholm) on Monday morning paid a visit of inspection to the . Shaw. Savillj Company's steamer Aotea, ' by -which a shipment of little owls came to hand on Saturday. The birds, which are a species of night owl common to the northern part of Germany, were found to be in capital condition and as lively as crickets, and. generally to be in much better order than any previously imported. On the occasion of the previous shipments it was found necessary to keep the birds some time before liberating them, in order that they might regain condition and strength. The present shipment it will be possible to liberate right away, as far as condition is concerned. Twenty of the birds were sent away on -Tuesday to llr John Roberts, Gladbrook Station. Two or three pairs are to be forwarded to Mr i Charles Turnbull, Lake Wanaka Station, the Lake County Council will secure pro- ! bably a/bout five pairs, and Mr Iversen, ' of Central Otago, "who has taken such a j lively interest in the importation of these birds, a few pairs. It has not yet been decided what is to be done with the balance of the birds. It has been agreed, however, to place two pairs in the aviary at the society's Opoho hatchery, while it is quite possible that two pairs may be placed in the aviary at the Botanical Gardens. j The proposal to lend a more vigorous ' tone to the meetings of the Council of I Churches has not been an idle ona, and j th© Rev. W. Slado kd off on the 24th with j an address, " TEe Church in Relation to Socialism." The rev. gentleman went into i the subject "without gloves," and did not I hesitate to criticise sections of the Church for wasting time on little things that did not matter. He drew a powerful picture | of bishops in solmn conclave on when and J how incense censers should be swung, ! while outside the building were teeming thousands who had never heard the Creator's name except when used in blasphemy. "It was," he said, " a case of Nero fiddling while Rome was burning." j He thought the churcbes might take over • the theatres and raise them to the right standard, and even re-open hotels and run them on right line.?. The churches should come out of their sanctuaries with their faces ashine, and let that glow into ' darkened' lives. A lay speaker stated that , when a man was sure of a day's work and a day's pay he would have time to cast his thoughts on higher things. As matters stood, all that was knocked out of him. | The address and the debate following it > were vigorous and interesting. The next Bubject has not yet been decided on. The enthusiasm of country Volunteers is often remarked upon, and an excellent illustration of their love for the training ia furnished by the Ranfurly section of the Maniototo Rifles. Staff-sergeant-major Burgess, mounted infantry instructor, was last week conducting a series of lectures for non-commissioned officers in Ranfurly, and members of the Rifles came into the township to attend these. One came daily from Kokonga, 10 miles away; another the same distance, from Patearoa; and another

from Gimmerburn. On Saturday morning the Sergeant-major held a parade at 7 o'clock, and there were 11 men there. Friday night was about the coldest night Ranfurly has experienced, and at parade on Saturday there were about 20 degrees of frost. This did not discourage the men from the outlying parts however — they were aIL present. The Gimmerburn man, for instance, rose at 5 o'clock, and rode eight miles through the biting winter's morning, so that he might not miss th© instruction to be given. He returned home for breakfast, was back in Ranfurly for another parade at 3 o'clock, and was in. attendance at a lecture in the evning. The Government forest plantation near Naseby has not suffered so severely by the recent anowetorm as was expected. Snow still lies thickly all about, but it has been removed to a gTeat extent from the plantation, disclosing the fact that while nearly all the trees had been flattened by the weight of snow, few have suffered serious injury. In some instances the trees have been stripped of branches, but most of them simply rose to the perpendicular again when the snow was removed. The damage to the whole plantation is infinitesimal. Our Clyde correspondent telegraphed on the 24th stating- that .there was every indication of an early thaw setting in. On Sunday the winds were unusually warm, and by noon severaL mountain creeks were filled with discoloured water, which indicated a thaw on the high levels. Late in the afternoon a cold wind set in from the south, and this prevented a eontmuance of the thaw. The sky was very much overcast on Monday, and there were signs of rain all along the mountain^. The thaw is likely to set in very suddenly owing to the lateness of the season.