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Otago Witness, Issue 3097, 23 July 1913, Page 11

According to a return presented to Parliament last week there were issued in the dominion in the last financial year 70,435 money orders, valued at £190,169 17s 3d, on Australia, and 81,007, valued at £262,944 9s 7d, on the United Kingdom and foreign countries. Mr Parata, member for the Southern Maori district, is asking the Government whether it can sc-o its way to assist, by subsidy or otherwise, the conveyance by sea of the Natives on their annual visit to the mutton-bird islands? Tho mutton-bird is tho main food of the Maoris of Ngaitahu, who own these islands. The cost of tho passage from tho mainland to these islands, a distance of not more than 50 miles, is £4 10s per head, and this is said to bo severely felt by the Natives, who must go to obtain their annual supply of food.

The assistance sought is represented by Mr Parata to be only analogous to tho assistance rendered to farmers by the expenditure of money on roads to give access to their farms. Our Alexandra correspondent states that there is a likelihood of the Manuherikia irrigation scheme materialising. It is understood that the Government has approached the Olrig Company and the Borough Council with a view to purchasing tho Olrig race and tho Borough Council’s Chatto Creek race for h'rigation purposes. The Borough Council met on Wednesday and decided to ask for definite information as to how the water would be need, the price, etc., before placing tho race under offer. A Christchurch Press reporter was informed on Thursday that a burglary was committed in Papanui on Thursday, 10th inst. It was alleged that three men were implicated in the theft of a quantity of jewellery, most of which has since been recovered. Tho police arc said to have got on tho track of the thieves in a rather strange manner. One of the thieves “ put up” as his stake in a city billiard room, a brooch, which was subsequently identified as a portion of tho stolen jewellery. The matter was mentioned to the police-authori-ties on Thursday, but they were somewhat reticent regarding tho alleged burglary. The matter has been followed up, however, and an arrest is expected to be made shortly in another city. Tho weather during the last week has been exceptionally mild (says our Naseby correspondent), and skating and curling could only be indulged in intermittently. Present indications, however, are for frosty weather. A fairly large number of visitors have been staying in the town, and appear to have thoroughly enjoyed tho bright sunny days and tho picturesque scone afforded by the snow-clad surroundings. Numerous inquiries liave boon matte regarding the state of the ice, and arrangements have now boon made, with the Tourist Department to supply intending visitors with full particulars as to the possibilities for skating and curling. At least one of the curling clubs has agreed to p’oee a dam and the club’s curling stones at the disposal of visitors. The price of factory butter was advanced as from Saturday morning by Id per lb. The retail price of 11b prints is now Is 4d. In advising their customers of tho increase the Taicri Peninsula Company’s circular says; —“Owing to tiie existing butter famine we are compelled to advance the price of our butters by Id per lb.” On Saturday morning, however, a Dunodin merchant stated to a. Daily Times reporter that he. would not be surprised to see the price fall again within the next fortnight or three weeks. On Tuesday the quantity of butter in cool stores in tho dominion was 24,231 boxes, as against 37,374 boxes on the corresponding date last year. In Dunedin tho total in cool store was 1048 boxes. On his attention being drawn on Saturday morning to the published cablegram from London with reference to the colourtests imposed on officers by tho Union Steam Ship Company, Sir James Mills stated tSta-t the tests imposed on the company’s ofScers had been in force for tho last 20 years without serious complaint. Ho also stated that tho company had no intention of increasing tho severity of the tests. “ Constables who have not been appointed rangers under clause 144 of the Animals Protection Act arc not authorised to take proceedings under that Act.” This was the dictum of Mr T. Hutchison, S.M., at Oamam on Saturday. A lad named William Ward was charged ttyc previous Monday with shooting a paradise duck during tho close season. The defendant, who was not represented by counsel, pleaded guilty, and tho magistrate said us it was the lad’s first offence ho would let him off as lightly as the Act would permit. Ho adjourned his decision until Saturday, when, he struck the case out, saying that the defendant had admitted tho shooting, and had no doubt committed an offence, but tho information had been laid by a person who had i.o right to do so. Various delegates at the Farmers’ Union Conference at Wellington complained bitterly of tho lack of sympathy and understanding between the various Government departments. Instances were cited to show that the departments did not pull together well, and did not study the interests of the public sufficiently. One would think, said one speaker, that each department belonged to a different private company, keenly desirous of ousting the other. As an upshot tho following remit, forwarded by tho Auckland branch, was adopted by the conference: —“That this union views with grave concern a tendency on the part of various Government departments to place tho interests of the department before tho interests of tho public, and would urge the Government to establish some system whereby the different departments in their relations with each other and with the local governing bodies, would bo controlled, and any disturbance in departmental finance equitably adjusted where necessary, so that there would be no obstacle to their cooperation in tho interests of tho genera! public.” In the course of his remarks at his welcome homo, Sir Walter Buchanan alluded to the superior quality of Canadian cheese. Ho had visited while in Canada, Montreal, Ottawa, Guelph, and Toronto, and had sampled a great deal of cheese in the course of his journeys, and the difference 'n favour of the Canadian product was very marked. He attributed this to the better facilities men had to qualify as cheese-

makers through the fine agricultural colleges in Canada. He visited the M‘Donald College and farm of 580 acres and buildings, the gift of one man, costing over £1,000,000. He had felt so impressed by the usefuhi oca of the institution that he had felt bound t> seek out the donor and personally pay his respects to him. New Zealand milk was as good as any, and there were no better pastures in the world than those of this country, but factory managers here bad not tne same facilities for becoming scientifically proficient os those of Canada. He found that New Zealand butter, however, was very highly spoken of. Ihere were 169 patients in the Dunedin Hospital at the beginning of last week and 161 at its close. During the week J 7 patienta were admitted and 46 discharged, and the deaths occurred of Francis Lo Fevre, an infant named Sutherland, Claud* Burgess, Elizabeth Esson, and George Jones. During last, month 1016 cattle, 9728 sheep, 334 lambs, 358 pigs, and 59 calves wear® slaughtered at the Burnside abattoirs, and of these 33 cattle, 336 sheep, 1 pig, and 6 calves were condemned as unfit for food, and the carcases sent to the manure works. Authority has been granted to the town clerk to arrange to have all stock at the abattoirs covered by a policy of insurance so long as they remain there, “I can hardly claim to bo of Scotch birth,” said the Hon. W. F. Massey at the Pipe Band concert at Wellington on Wednesday night, “ but there is something —;t may be duo to some fSr-away kilted ancestor—which makes .the music of the pipes appeal to me; and that despite tho fact that I have not a good ear for music, and cannot always toll one pipe tune from •" another. ” Undoubtedly, the bagpipes stitred the enthusiasm of millions of the race. Perhaps th.s was because they were associated with so many stirring episode* in the history of the Empire. They would never forget the piper who, though shot through both legs, continued io play .ti order that his comrades might not miss the rousing music. Such incidents as this, and the, part the pipes phiycd in the Relief of Lucknow, served “to arouse their love o! face, love of country, and love of Empire. 1 hoy. were all proud of the Highland regiments, and the part they had played in the Empire s history. It was well in a young country like this that they had men glad to wear the tartan and tho sporran, recalling tho great traditions of the race. Two Wavcrley residents who were out shooting on tho sandhills at the beach are reported (our Wanganui correspondent states) to have made a find that promises to bo tho most, valuable of its hind heard of on tho Coast tor many ycaro. One of them it appears, noticed a small greenstone tiki in tho sand at his test. It was of neat design and in an excellent state of preservation. Tho discovery encouraged further investigation, and a couple of stakes were procured, and the lucky sportsmen began v to realise that they wcie actually on a genuine treasure ground. Axe handles of all shapes and s.zcs, bone meres, ornaments, fishhooks, and many other articles that constituted tho stock-in-trade of a Maori of tho early days wore brought to light, together with numerous human bones. A Patea Press reporter subsequently gleaned the information that the remains of an old' pa arc visible in the rand, and that several posts, from which tho carving is almost worn away, are visible at intervals along tho surface of tho sand- Tho sand at this point, it seems, has Leon shifting for several years, and this has evidently caused the exposure of what appeal's to he an old Maori village. The discoverers intend making another trip to further prosecute tho discovery and unearth any more treasure trove that may bo within digging distance. The find should certainly prove of some interest to museum authorities. Speaking at tho opening of the Evansdale bridge on Saturday, Mr E. P. Lee, M.P., stated that in the near future a Board of Agriculture was going to be set up, and would ho of great assistance to tho Government. Experts in agriculture would occupy places on tho board, and would be able to a<l vise the Government as to tho best way of developing that important industry. Mr R. M‘Nab, now resident at Palmerston North, has presented the Manawatu branch of the Post and Telegraph Officers’ «• Association witii a framed photograph which is of peculiar historical interest. It is a reproduction of an advertisement from tha New Bedford Mercury of July 20, 1835, relating to the departure of tho first mail from the United States for New Zealand. The vessel was tho Samuel Robertson, and tho master was Captain M‘Kcnzie. Sha was advertised as due to leave for “ Tho South Atlantic Ocean and New Zealand on August 5, 1835. Tho notice states that “ all letters and packets forwarded to tho Mercury office free of postage for the Pacific. Indian, and South Atlantic Oceans will be despatched at tho first opportunity.” On. Saturday afternoon Mr A. L. J. Tait, of 217 Crawford street, gave an exhibition in Dowling street of a device which lo has invented for the purpose of relieving the weight on a horse’s back when descending a hill with a cart or dray. Mr Tad’s' idea is that by moans of a lover at tho side of tho vehicle the front portion of the body can bo go elevated that all the weight ia thrown back on to the axle, allowing tho horse to descend tho hill in comfort. Tha inventor had fitted one of tho patents on to .a light cart, and on this the demonstration appeared to bo convincing enough. Whether or not it would work as well with a heavily-laden dray was not shown. The exhibition was witnessed by several interested people.