LOCAL & GENERAL

Otago Witness, Issue 2921, 9 March 1910, Page 36

LOCAL & GENERAL

On the morning of the Ist at the sitting of the Methodist Conference the secretary read a letter from an Orange Lodge, in which was contained a charge that a minister of the Methodist Church was having his family educated -at a convent. "Of course, we know nothing of this," said the secretary. He moved that the letter be received and this was done without corr ment.

It will be gratifying to the residents of Green Island to know that the Mayor has received a telegram from the Hon. Thomas Mackenzie stating that the Government has decided to call tenders for the new post and telegraph office which has so long been promised. This will be another step in the maroh of progress of the Green Island borough.

A Christchurch message reports tha", tne Canterbury Land Board met on the 2nd to examine applicants for sections in the Buddo Settlement, near Belfast. There were seven applicants for 16 sections, but in only one case was a ballot necessary Five sections were allotted at the close o* the proceedings. An application was lodged for another section, and 10 sections remair available for selection

Boring for shale is to be commenced shortly at Orepuki. During his visit to the western township last week represen tations were made to Mr J, C. Thomson. M.P., to the effect that before any expendi ture is incurred by private enterprise in prospecting for shale deposits, Dr Belief the State Geological Department, should be asked to furnish a report on the shale field. Mr Thomson said he would ask th«Minister of Mines to accede to the requesy.

A rather peculiar case was heard at the Magistrate's Court at Auckland last weekbefore Mr C. C. Kettle, S.M., when Subinspector Hendry was sued by Thcs. Markwick, licensee of the Queen's Ferry Hotel, as a sub-debtor, for the recovery of £6 6s Id, held by him. It appears that some time ago a man named Ohadwick was arrested for forging the- name of Markwick to a cheque for £lO, which he subsequently cashed, and the sum of £6 6s Id was found in his possession when arrested. This was taken charge of by the. sub-inspector, and as the prisoner refused, to consent to the money being handed over to Markwick, he still holds the amount. Markwick now took action to recover the -money. After all evidence had been heard, Mr Kettle held that the sub-inspector could not in any event be joined as a sub-debtor. He ordered the money to be paid into court, and this would be handed over to Markwick upon his giving the defendant a clean receipt for the amount.

In his report to the Ohriatchurch Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals the inspector stated that, notwithstanding the decision of the City Council to introduce the stunning method of slaughtering in place of the pithing method, the old method was still being pursued at the City Abattoir. The Master Butchers' Association had passed a resolution that pithing was more satisfactory from a commercial as well as from * humanitarian point of view, and» in view of the fact that the highest authorities had proved that the stunning method was superior, he hat 1 asked the association for proof to the" contrary So far he had received no reply The inspector also read an extract from an interview with Mr T. G. Palgrave Government veterinarian, and supervisor of slaughtering at Ngahauranga, in which he said that pithing was obsolete, cruel to the beast, and dangerous to the mar operating, while the carcase did not dress as well as after the stunning process.

The Chinese community in Sydney for mally opened a school for students of their ow.n nationality on the 16fcb February The institution is the- first of its kind in Au& tralia. The teacher is Look Yet, who ha* had charge of Chinese schools in Java and at Singapore Twenty scholars, mostly young boys, were enrolled. The opening proceedings were invested with the ceremonial dear to the Eastern heart, and th& youngsters listened with commendable patience to several somewhat long speeches in fluent Chinese by prominent Celestials of the city Each pupil is uniformed, in dark blue, with cap and silver badge*. Before the student enters upon his day'a labour* he makes obeisance to Confucius v and pays a mark of respect to the teaohej. The children were reminded that they must, ihoufffe ,good citizens of New South Wales, neves forget their duty to their country and their Emperor The. Rajah Kumar Nomab Shyanaa Kumta Togore, an Indian prince, has made another presentation to the Melbourne Mwseuin, through Sir John Tayernsr, the Victorian Agent-general in London. His last gift consists of three antique brass idols, and goine.

rare Buddhist manuscripts, and three volumes of books on Hindu Ayurdics Sastras. Sir John Taverner says the rajah has informed him that the three idols were found in the ruins of Chandra Mera, in Bengal. One is the image of the Hindu god Sri Krishna, the second is a representation of Badha Sri Krishna's consort; and the third is a figure of Chaitannya, the great religious ieformer of Bengal. The King has approved the grant of tne King's police mtdal to Mr James Charles Gates, senior constable, New South Wales Police Force. The medal has been awarded to the senior constable in recognition of the bravery displayed by him in effecting the arrest of a dangerous criminal in April. A. despatch to this effect was received by the Premier from the Secretary of State for She Colonies. The arrest was made in connection with the burglary at the residence of Mr Russell Sinclair, in Ca-rabella street, North Sydney. On that occasion Mr Sinclair was shot by the burglar, a young man named Crook, twice in the groin Constable Gates met the man in the street, and during a conversation Crook fired at the constable, and made off Several shots were fired during the chase. It was only after a severe struggle, and after the constable had received much injury, that Crook was overpowered. The residents of North Sydney presented the jonstable with £IOO, in recognition of his services Crook was convicted and sentenced to death, but the sentence was commuted to imprisonment for life. A Wellington telegram states that Messrs Harold Beauchamp (Wellington) and W. Milne (Oama.ru) have been reappointed directors of the Bank of New Zealand.

By the R.M.S. Otranto, which reached Melbourne from London- on February 22, the first batch of 1,000,000 shillings of the new silver coinage was delivered to the Commonwealth Government. In order to obviate the construction of strongrooms in which to store £50,000 worth of coin, the Government has arranged with the Melbourne, Sydney, and Perth branches of the Imperial Mint to take possession of the money until it is required. Of the total, £25,000 worth will be forwarded to Sydney, £21,000 will be left in Melbourne, and £4OOO worth will be retained at Perth. Arrangements have been made for the hanks in each of the other capitals to secure what coin they require from the mints. One-half of the silver will be issued to the banks in oxchange for the British silver coinage now in circulation. The silver withdrawn from the banks will be forwarded to the British Government. The remaining half will be distributed among the banks in exchange for their own cheques. Future consignments from the Imperial authorities will include, florins, sixpences, and threepenny pieces -

In accordance with a general desire that the new Charitable Aid Board for the Oamaru district should be chosen without putting into operation 'the ponderous machinery of the act, with its concomitant expense, a conference- was held on Feb. 28 of representatives of the County Council, the Borough Council, the old Charitable Aid Board, and the Benevolent Trustees for the purpose of selecting gentlemen who are certain to prove acceptable to the electors generally- A special desire was also expressed that as many of those who had been active workers in the management of the Homes and the distribution of charitable aid should be chosen as possible, and that as far as practicable the members of the borough should be resident in or near the town It was unanimously decided to nominate eight gentlemen, and to request the electors to refrain from putting the local bodies to the heavy cost of taking a poll by accepting the list. Of the eight gentlemen selected, five have served many years as Benevolent Trustees, and are necessarily familiar with the work.

What he described as " a very remarkable development" was referred to by the Rev. J. N. Buttle at last week's session of the Methodist Conference, when dealing with foreign mission subjects. He said that many years ago a mission was started by the Rev. George Brown in the South Seas, in that archipelago known as New Britain. German traders followed the missionaries and native teachers appointed by Mr Brown,, and the islands gradually became more German in character. A Knowledge of German became essential to the proper discharge of work there, and •'/he mission authorities had to send specially to Germany for recruits, or accept men irom the staff of the American Methodist Episcopal Church in Germany. Now the whole archipelago had been taken over by Germany as a protectorate, and the name had been changed from New Britain to the Bismarck Archipelago. The German language had become the official language, and the Mission Board in Sydney wished men preparing for that station to note that a knowledge of the language was now desirable. The Rev. -S. Lawry said it seemed possible that they would presently lose this mission altogether to the Methodist Episcopal Church.

It is understood that between 60 and 80 officers and men of the Commonwealth Forces are to be sent to Great Britain to form crews to bring out to Australia titae new destroyers. The Parramatta was launched recently, and she is expected to 'be out of the hands of the builders and ready for sea by June. The Yarra is to be launched and ready for the trip to Australia by July 14. It is intended that the crewe shall be in Great Britain long enough to enable them to become, familiarised 1 with the intricacies of

oil fuel engines, so that several trips in the new vessels may be undertaken before they leave for their long journey. A report has been received by the Prime Minister from the Agent-general of New South Wales stating that he had made inquiries respecting empty butter-boxes, and obtained the information that they were being sought in England for improper purposes. He adds:-"From the particulars which I have so far gleaned, Malta appears to be the principal offender, and in view of the reputation which that island appears to enjoy in the trading, world I am not surprised that this shouk! be so. Large quantities of a vegetable production are manufactured on the Mediterranean seaboard, and I learn that much of this is put in butter-boxes, ae also is margarine, and sold as butter. I have asked that an inquiry may be mode of the British Consul in the Mediterranean, in order to ascertain the extent of this abuse, and I hope to have definite information to lay before you in the course of a few weeks "

Early last year considerable interest was aroused in South Canterbury by a case,u» which a farmer named Selbie obtained £4OO damages, with costs, from Arthur James Manchester, of Waimate, for the death of his daughter. The case was the outcome of an accident which occurred on People's Day of the Timaru show in October, 1908, when a trap in which Mr, Selbie and his daughter were seated collided with a gig driven by a young man named Shaw. The young woman was thrown out of the trap and run over and killed by a motor car driven by Mr Manchester. Manchester and Shaw were joinecT as defendant* to the action for damages, and the hearing of the* claim by the) Supreme Court in Timaru occupied several days, seven counsel being engaged by the parties. Eventually Mr Justice Denniston gave judgment for £4OO against one of the defendants, leaving the selection of the defendant to the plaintiff, who decided chat Mr Manchester should pay the damages. Mr Manchester has now lodged notice of appeal against the decision of Mr Justice Denniston.

A meeting of the Catlins-Tahakopa Railway League was held on Thursday afternoon, when it was decided that some members of the league should pay a visit of inspection to the line. The date was left in the hands of the secretary (Mr Waters) and the president (Mr Chisholm) to arrange. The Minister of Publio Works, Hon. R. M'Kenzie, wrote formally acknowledging receipt of the motion sent forward by the league urging the rapid prosecution of the line. Mr Andrews, of Gatlins, was present as a visitor. As the outcome of a discussion upon the line, it was decided that the secretary should be instructed to ascertain how far the building of the line was authorised and the number of men employed.

The Methodist Conference spent the greater part of its time on the 3rd discussing in committee a proposal to establish e eonnexional journal. This was to be called The New Zealand Methodist Times, and, provided a circulation of 2000 copies was guaranteed, was to consist of 16 pages, . and be published fortnightly. The matter had been considered by a, special committee (which was not by any means unanimous in its decisions), and arguments in favour of the scheme suggested were that, while almost every other important denomination in New Zealand had an independent denominational paper, the Methodists had none; and that the Chuech was practically, on its honour, to establish a journal of its own, owing to the remark having been, made at the Presbyterian Assembly that the Methodists, in regard to this matter, were " hanging on to the skirts of an unprofitable Presbyterian paper." That statement was blunt, and very unpalatable, but not unjustified. The inclusion of the Methodist paper in the Presbyterian Outlook had not proved financially successful, and the time wa3 undoubtedly come when the Methodists should endeavour to free themselves from this position. Strong opposition was offered to the scheme. It was pointed out there was evidently some public feeling against denominational journalism, judging by the number of failures of religious papers, and by the experience of the Methodists in New Zealand in the past. Again and again the New Zealand Church had been involved in severe monetary losses on account of its denominational papers, and, in the light of past happenings, the opposition felt little doubt that the proposed journal would result in further monetary loss. After much discussion, the motion for the adoption of the scheme was carried, and it was resolved that the offer. of Messrs Fraser (Ltd.), Christchurch, to publish the paper be accepted, and that Christchurch minister be appointed editor, at a salary of £3O per annum. It was hoped that the first issue of the paper would be circulated .vithir. two months', time. It was resolved that, the committee responsible consider the question of the Conference bearing any loss incurred by the publication of the Methodist Outlook from date until such time as the existing arrangement ceases by the publication of the new periodical.

Reports presented to Thursday's session/ of the Methodist Conference showed that" there are in the Dominion engaged in' European work 335 Methodist churches, 414 ; " other preaching stations, 136 ministers and* probationers, 15,988 church-members (an inorease of 516), 22,690 Sunday school chit' dren (an increase of 531), or a total attendance at public worship of 76,695. Engaged in Maori work were 14 churches, 148 other

preaching places, eight ministers and probationers, 1303 members, and 839 Sunday school children; or a total attendance at public worship 7870. . A dux board Was unveiled at the Tokomairiro District High School on Wednesday, 2nd inst., by Mr J. W. Petrie, chairman of the School Committee. The board was presented by the Ex-pupils' Club, and the first name upon it is that of .*r 'Jonathan Golding, 8.A., of Gore District ISchool, in the year 1875. No record can be obtained of a dux prior to that time, ttior for 1876, 1877, and 1878, otherwise the yoll is complete down to the present date.

>Dr Truby King lectured on the 3rd in l she Burns Hall to a large audience on subjects vitally affecting the general health of the community. The doctor confined his ' attention to " Air, Colds, Teeth, and Adenoids," and, being in excellent form, ■gave an invigorating address, replete with scientific learning and round common-sense "advice. It was that type of" lecture which should be encouraged, for it is only by the diffusion of general knowledge on the points covered by the doctor that the general '. improvement sougl t can be effected. Special attention was given to the proper .ventilation of sleeping rooms, cradles, perambulators, etc., and emphatic attention -,was called to the evil being wrought by the use of the sucking dummy. To this fact was traced the shocking prevalence of malformed mouths, and the consequent growth of adenoids, which, by blocking air passages, and, in a.less degree, the food passages, induced malnutrition, heaviness, and impoverishment of the intellectual ■faculties. As instancing the vital importance of care of the teeth, the doctor related an instance of a girl being sent to bis care suffering from incipient lunacy. Her teeth were all malformed, and on proper attention being given to this matter an immediate improvement was manifested in her mental condition. In closing his address, Dr King pointed out that the success achieved at Karitane Home could be achieved anywhere.

; A fire occurred at Bald Hill Flat on Wednesday night, by which the Cape Broom Hotel, owned by Mr John Dowdall, was fcurnt to the ground. The occupants had barely time to escape from the building, and as a strong wind was blowing the whole place was soon a mass of flame& The owner, has resided in the hotel for a number of years, and much sympathy is felt •for him in his heavy loss.

That the continued prosecution of the campaign in favour of proper methods of .caring for infants is productive of good was illustrated on the 3rd by the citation by Dr Trub/ King of a curious incident. He and a member of the Society for the Health of Women and Children were going along a street in this city, when they noticed a chemist's window full of that particular baby feeder known as the long-tube feeders. Being so cognisant of the harm done by this form of bottle, Dr King's companion insisted on going into the shop to remonstrate with the owner. This she did, when she found that the chemist's excuse for the display was curiously complimentary to the society's efforts. It was: *' There is now so little demand for these things that I thought before it stopped altogether I would make an,effort to clear off my stock." In spite of this, however, the representations made by Dr King and bis companion were successful in inducing the chemist to withdraw.the goods.

A pecaliir case before the Wellington Benevolent Trustees was that of a professional "coach" for examination, who alleged the action of the Government in taking up the system of coaching its pupils as the cause of his destitution. Several, members expressed scepticism at this new development in State interference, but the applicant for aid was persistent in his asseveration. He could shdw, he said, numbers of letters in a correspondence between himself and the Prime Minister on the question. Coaching was not what it was. He had one or twj pupils at £1 Is a quarter. "£lls a quarter!" exclaimed a member, ' Why, most coaches charge upwards of 2s 6d an hour." " Well," said the old man, " that has been my charge for the past 27 years, and hundreds of pupils have gone through my hands." The board decided to investigate the case of the "coach."

Successful tests have been made of Thomas A. Edison's storage-battery tramcar. The inventor has hopes that, by making a few improvements, he may put a car on the market that will make current wires unnecessary. The car which he tested -on the tracks at West Orange,. New Jersey, attained a maximum speed of 20 miles an hour. It was equipped with two 7j>-h.p. motors. It would run 150 miles without •renewal of the charge of electricity. The car's weight was five tons —half that of ordinary trolley car. The cost of operation is estimated at per mile.

The Auckland Education Board finds itself in a predicament "(erates a Lyttelton Times correspondent). U has some 60 or 70 vacancies for assistants, mostly at low salaries, and it can find no teachers to fill them. Meantime parents who find that the schools . which their children attend are not fully etaffed are making xno re or l ess strenuous protest, and the only body that they can reach with their .protests is the Education Board. The biard, through its •ommittee, which takes .-Special charge of . the work of selecting

teachers, has been doing all in its power to fill the vacancies, but has at last come to the conclusion that the teachers are not available in Auckland, therefore it decided at the ordinary meeting the other day to adopt a rather unusual course of action by advertising the vacancies in southern newspapers. The dearth of teachers has been brought about by the new scale of staffs set up by the last act, ffhich creates a greatly increased number of positions for certificated teachers.

The following pungent and aphoristic saying was used by Dr Truby King on the 3rd in the course of his lecture, to emphasise the supreme value of fresh air to the human constitution: " You may live for three minutes without air; for three days without water; for three weeks and, maybe, 40 days without foo'd. That shows which is the most important."'

Work in city and country is reported to be not quite so plentiful now as it was a week or two ago. The conclusion of harvesting operations in some districts will, of course, result in a large number of men being thrown idle. The building trade is said to be declining in activity. The local Labour Bureau has work offering for several bushmen. A project is being mooted for the entertainment of Lord Plunket at a banquet by the citizens of Dunedin on the occasion of his Excellency's farewell visit to this city a few weeks hence.

A large shoal of fish, principally Ted cod, followed or preceded the s.s. Tarawera into the graving dock at Port Chalmers, on Friday morning, and when the entrance gates were closed the imprisoned fish attracted some attention as they swam round and round the confined area seeking for a way of escape. As the .vater was pumped out through the iron gratings at the bottom of the dock the fish were stranded, and the suction of the pumping operations- below was so groat that large numbers were deposited over the gratings, causing a blockage, when they had to be shovelled off to allow the water to escape freely. When the dock was completely pumped ,out the floor was covered with stranded fish, which were gathered up and placed in heaps or put into baskets and taken away by all and sundry.

ProbaSly few people know that during the past week the total quantity of tomatoes brought into Dunedin has been so great as to provide an average of more than of this fruit for each man, woman, and child in the community. As far as can be ascertained the total was over 3000 cases, which at an average of 301 b to the package, striking a medium between oases and half-cases, would give over 90,0001 bof tomatoes. This is by far the biggest supply ever placed on the Dunedin market, and the effect upon prices is shown by the fact that 241 b cases of best Ghristchurch fruit sold' at Is and Is 6d each. Even some 36-401 b cases sold at only Is.

In the case Albert Ernest Louis Bertling v. John .Norton, proprietor of the newspaper Truth, a claim for £2OOO for allegel libel concerning the plaintiff's management of the Municipal Zoo at Newtown, application was made at Wellington before the Chief Justice on Friday morning that the case be heard before a special jury. The application was granted.

Mary Wilson, Eliza Ingram, and Grace Ledgerwood died in the Dunedin Hospital last week. During the week 38 patients were admitted, 36 were discharged, and 148 remain.

Messrs R. Chisholm, T. Brown, and A. Cowie have returned to Dunedin after visiting the deer forests of the Dingle, Timaru, and Hunter . Valleys with the object of investigating the conditions of the herds there. The results of their observations will be embodied in a report to be 'submitted to the Otago Acclimatisation Society at its first meeting.

On Saturday afternoon a large number of members of the Methodist Conference availed themselves of the invitation of Professor Hewitson to view Knox College. The were welcomed by Professor Hewitson, and, after hearing from him an interesting statement concerning the initiation and future possibilities of the Knox College project, were conducted over the premises.

According to the Fiji Times, reports that have reached Suva a-bout the Navua's last shipment of bananas to New Zealand are most unpleasant reading. One well-known shipper of a reliable brand got back £9 4s for 135 bunches and 100 cases of bananas from one agent; £3 14s for 120 cases from another, and 6s 9d debit note on 13 cases of pineapples. The same brand of fruit sent by the steamer Manapouri (fitted -frith cold storage) to Melbourne returned £55 13s 7d for 203 cases.

Something more than mere neglect was elicited in the case at Lawrence on Tuesday " last, in which, as aiready reported, George W. Brook was fined 10s in respect of each of two charges of failing to send his children to school. According to the Tuapeka Times, defendant pleaded guilty, and Mr Moore, in mitigation of penalty, pointed out that during the past year defendant, who was secretary of the Presbyterian Church Committee at Evan's Flat, had come in conflict with the local school committee, and the bad fesling thus engendered had extended to defendant's children, who had been subjected to contumelious usage by the other children. Consequently he kept them away, and had intended to apply fbr an exemption certificate, as his wife was'a

certificated teacher, but had, through an oversight,..not .done so. .Mr Bartholomew, S.M., in giving judgment, said it was not for him-to, consider extraneous .natters, but simply whether the defendant should send his children to school or not. He might have serious grounds for not sending them, but the facts showed that he had ignored the board's notice and had not sent his children, to school as required by the act. He would be fined 10s in respect of each charge, with 7s costs. Our Bluff correspondent advises that the s.s. Inveroargill arrived from Preservation Inlet early on Sunday morning. She brought to the Bluff two emergency cases of sickness, the Preservation Inlet medical officer being absent. Dr Torrance, of the Bluff, attended to the sufferers. The Inveroargill reported having landed new sawmill machinery safely on the selected site at Revolver Bay. A considerable amount of activity has set in at the inlet, and the tone of affairs there is reported to be healthy. Having landed mails and passengers, the Inveroargill sailed for Waikawa to load timber for Dunedin.

The Hon. T. Mackenzie, who (says the Press) has been in communication with the Union Steam Ship Company in reference to a Sounds trip at Easter, received a telegram on Friday evening from the general manager stating that the directors of the company were sorry that, in view of the loss of the Waikare, and the urgent calls for the larger vessels of the fleet, they oould «ot ee© their way to arrange a Sounds trip this Easter. The only veseal available was the Moura, and she was not only too small, but she was not suitable otherwise. Since the loss of the Waikare it was doubtful if the trip could be arranged, but the Minister's representation had received careful consideration. A meeting was held at Oamaru on Friday evening, to consider the question of holding -a regatta there at Easter. It was announced that the Otago Yachting and Motor Club would run ocean . races from the Otago. Heads to Oamaru for sailing yachts, and from Dunedin wharf to Oamaru for the motor launches, starting on Good Friday morning. The proposal to hold a regatta, on. the occasion of the fleet's visit, was enthusiastically received. The suggested programme includes a first class yacht'' race, " cruising " yacht race, at least one race for pleasure launches, a fisherman's, launch. lace,, and several events which will be arranged ■• for -by the Oamaru Boating Club. ;

The North Qtago- Acclimatisation Society has authorised • two x>f its members to visit the country at' the, back of Hampden, and ascertain what' grounds there are for the statement ..that a. herd of red deer exists there

A case wherein defendant is charged with sly grog-selling will come before, the magistrate at Balclutha on Wednesday. Cases will also be heard against four Dunedin bookmakers, who, it is alleged, were in attendance at the military sports recently held at Balclutha, and offered to make bets with the general public. At the weeikly meeting of the Benevolent Trustees the monthly report of outdoor relief showed that during February 141 oases had been relieved, comprising 36 men, 120 women, and 205 children, at a total cost of £49 2s, or 2s Bgd per head. Twenty-three applications for relief were dealt with. Attention was called to the practice of friends of inmates handing them presents of fruit, etc., and it was resolved that all gifts must pass through the hands of the nurse in charge. By being paid at the rate of Sd per yard, temporary labourers in the employ of the Taieri Drainage Board were able to make 8s per day. But the engineer reported at yesterday's meeting that the men had refused this after three days' experience, and preferred to be paid Is per hour for eight- hdurs' work. The reason, he said, was that they bad to work too hard to make up the 9s, and the men said thay were not going to " knock themselves out" for this price. The engineer had therefore been obliged to cease the piecework system and revert to day labour. He added that in the constitution of the moving population at present there appeared to be an absence of the navvy element, the chief supply being in the shape of painters and others who were temporarily out of work. He was, however, able to get plenty of men at the day wage rate —not on the piecework system.

It may be remembered that a few-years ago what now seems to be an irksome restriction was put on the sawmill trade of the South-west Coast Sounds. The reason assigned was the necessity for preserving the scenic attractions of the national park reservation. One thriving establishment at Southport, Chalky Inlet, was, to the loss of its proprietary, wiped out altogether, and no further application for sawmill sites on this well-timbered country was entertained. Time after time the Government was remonstrated with on the subject, but to no purpose. Now, however (says our Bluff correspondent), a better feeling has supervened, due probably to Mr Thomas Mackenzie's accession to office. It is understood that a site has been granted to Messrs Bates and Hudson, in the immediate neighbourhood of Revolver Bay, wharfage accommodation has been provided, and on the last trip of the Invercargill a mill plant and machinery were forwarded to the inlet, arid have been landed at the company's jetty in good order. Although it is not the equipment of an extensive establishment, it is. a compact which

may not improbably be the forerunner of more extended operations. The Hon." T. Mackenzie (says the Grey River Argus) is a gentleman that would soon win bis way into the hearts of West Coasters, as-he has that kindly disposition that'enables him to make all classes feel at home with him. At the No Town Station on Saturday evening five old No Town miners got into the Minister's carriage by mistake. The guard quickly asked them to move into another carriage, but the Minister would not hear of it, and told the guard that they were to remain as his guests. The Minister then was introduced to them, and a very interesting conversation took place on the early mining days of the Coast, until the train pulled up at Dobson, their distination. The five old miners stood with their hats off on the platform, and gave three hearty cheers tor the Minister as the train moved off. The Minister remarked, " They are worthy representatives of that good old band of pioneers who did so much for New Zealand."

The census of the Chinese in Australia and New Zealand is to be taken. This is in pursuance of an edict issued by the Imperial Government at Peking to the Chinese Consul-general for the Commonwealth and the Consul for New Zealand. The ■ Progressivists in China have f or years been clamouring for constitutional reform, and with the advent of a new regime the realisation of this national aspiration appears to be within an encompassable span. It J is generally understood among the " informed" at Peking (says the Sydney Daily Telegraph) that the year 1910 will see the creation of a Central Parliament. In this Central Parliament the Chinese scattered over the globe are to be represented. The proposed system is novel, but it has a farreaching significance. The census returns, which are now being collected, are expected to be complete in. the course of two months, and as soon as possible thereafter they will be despatched to Peking. Representation in the Central Legislature is fixed upor a population basis, and it is competent for any reputable and capable Chinese citizen in Australasia to be chosen as a representative of his countrymen in the Peking Congress. This peculiar form of franchise is not to be restricted to the native-born Chinese. The Australian-born sons of Chinese fathers are to be included in the scope of this extended system of parliamentary representation. A party of Samoans —eight men, 15 women, and three children —passed through Suva on the last trip of the Tofua„en route to Germany, to give entertainments such as the Maoris are now giving abroad (states the Suva correspondent of the New Zealand Herald). They have material for making their houses, etc., also canoes, and will give the national songs and dances. In the winter they will show in the Continental theatres. Tamasese, grandson of the late old warrior chief, is of the number, and Mr Marquardt is in charge of the troupe. The Ashburton Mail states that the labour conditions affecting threshing machines are still unsatisfactory as between the millowners, farmers, and employees. Last* week four of the workmen on one mill refused to continue to work any further under the contract system, and as the farmer declined to pay the millowner by the hour, the latter could not afford to pay his employees by the hour while he himself was working under the contract system, and he (the millowner) was obliged to pull out. In any case the men refused to work any further, and, it is understood, their earnings this season, up to date, after paying fo,r food and lodging, amount to a little more than 34s per week. In most' instances, however, the farmers, who'recognise that the grain is threshing poorly according to the bulk, are paying the millowners by the hour.

The average daily attendance at the Carnegie Public Library for the week ended Saturday was 609 persons.