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Otago Witness, Issue 3117, 10 December 1913, Page 11

The negotiations between the Minister of Public Works and the Cromwell Dcvelojnncnt Party in regard to the proposed scheme of irrigation for the Cromwell Elat appear to have finally reached a satisfactory conclusion, with the scheme definitely assured, and work is to bo put in hand right away. This information was forthcoming at a meeting of the Cromwell Borough Council on Thursday evening (says our Cromwell correspondent), and was received with much satisfaction. It is even reported, with a great degree of accuracy, that its work of erecting crossings on the river at the proposed site haa been been commenced, and representatives and engineers of the party arc expected to arrive at any time. It is expected that a large staff will bo at work in the immediate future, and the initiation of the scheme will open up a great era of prosperity in the locality. In connection with the matter the Borough Council unanimously passed a resolution conveying the district’s appreciation of the lion. W. Fraser's assistance in bringing the scheme to a successful issue. An interesting expression of opinion was given by Mr Hanlon in tiro City Police Court on Friday with reference to the conditions prevailing in at least one no-lieenso district. Ho said that Clinton was a “ dry ” district so far as licenses were concerned, but it was very wet so far as liquor was concerned, and those who knew the place would admit that it was a pretty “hot shop.” With reference to the representations made by Mr J M. Mackintosh, secretary of the Hcdgehopc Railway League, to Mr G. J. Anderson, M.P., as to the dcsira bility of setting apart the Lime Reserve at Glencoe as a cottiers’ bush reserve (says cur Wellington correspondent), the Minister for Lands has replied that the Southland Land Board has approved of the proposal. Any settlers wishing to obtain timber from this land—viz., Section 67, Block I, 'Lindlyjrst Hundred, containing 15 acres 3 roods 36 poles—should make application to the Commissioner of Crown Lands, Invercargill, for the necessary permission. The visit of the White Star liner Zealandic to Auckland at the present time recalls the circumstances of her last visit to New Zealand waters. It was in May of this year (reports the Now Zealand Herald) that the Zc-alundic arrived at Timaru for the purpose of lifting a big shipment of frozen meat and other produce for London. The waterside workers at the South Canterbury port were then on strike, and there was every indication that the vessel would be hold up. But seveal wealthy residents of South Canterbury, business men of Timaru, and a largo number of sturdy young farmers offered their services as waterside workers, and, under the supervision of the ship’s officers, the Zcalandic was loaded in record time with 50,000 carcases of mutton and over 1000 casks of

tallow and other produce. She was then timed, to sail at 4 p.m. on a fixed day for another coastal port, and punctually at that hour she cleared the breakwater amidst cheers from the large assemblage of townspeople. The Zealandic has again returned to New Zealand when labour troubles are occupying a good deal of attention, and it is a singular coincidence that whereas Timaru was the only port on strike on her last visit, it is one of the few dominion ports which haa remained open during the waterside workers’ strike. A Wellington Press Association telegram states that, as the result of a cablegram from the San Francisco police, a passenger by the Tahiti was arrested on the steamer’s arrival, on a warrant issued under the Extradition Act or suspicion of being identical with a man named Henry A. Brune, who is accused of committing forgery. Scherer, the passenger in question, was subsequently discharged from custody, the San Francisco police advising that they had doubts if ho was the man that was wanted. A Wellington Press Association telegram states that, in view of the Christmas and New Year holidays, the Government has made provision for the payment of the military, old-age, and widows’ pensions, due on January 1, 1914, to be made on December 23. The employment and emigration department of the Young Women’s Christian Association in London is taking active steps to ensure the right class of girls coming to the different colonies. Imperial talks are being arranged, and photographs of the clitferont places asked for. Recognising that .emigration affects the country to which the emigrant goes even more vitally than the land she leaves, such questions as these have been sent to Y.W.C.A. secretaries in New Zealand: —“What classes do you considei will have good prospects, and what would be their average wage? What classes would you advise us to dissuade from emigrating?” A meeting of women, convened by the Women’s Political Reform League, was held at Auckland on Friday afternoon, the object being to consider and inaugurate some permanent benefit, in the form of a scholarship or otherwise, to commemorate the .patriotic action of the farmers of the Auckland province during the late industrial crisis. There was a largo attendance, and resolutions were passed agreeing !o the suggestion. A committee was formed to proceed with the work of raising funds. It is intended to canvas for £IOOO to provide a scholarship. The following motion was proposed and carried —“ That a fund be raised to provide higher education for as many farmers’ children and descendants of farmers os the funds will permit, and that, with a view to furthering the proposal, an active campaign bo promoted throughout tho Auckland province.” Tho Rhodes Scholar is to bo selected by tho Scholarship Council on Wednesday. The candidates who have boon nominated by tho different universities are as follow: Auckland, Mr W. M. Jones; Wellington, Mr F. E. M'Konzic; Canterbury, Mr G. S. Lambic; Otago, Mr H. W. Slater. The Rhodes Scholarship Council is constituted as follows;—His Excellency the Governor (chairman), Sir Robert Stout (Chancellor of the Now Zealand University), Mr Justice Denuiston, Profcseors Segar (Auckland), Picken (Wellington), Chilton (Canterbury), and Malcolm (Dunedin). Criticism has been directed against tho policy of the Federal Government in giving Rear-Admiral Patey a free hand in the training of the fleet and in tho matter of appointing other British officers for naval administration purposes. .As regards the appointraents, the Prime Minister (Mr Cook) said that of course tho claims of Australian officers would receive every consideration tho officers were eligible for vacant posts. The guiding principle in making appointments ‘would bo efficiency first and last. For tho rest, lie would only say that RearAdmiral Patey was in Australia to develop tho fleet into an efficient instrument of war. Any suggestions that tho admiral hud to make in regard to carrying this out would probably receive the approval of the Government. ‘‘This is a splendid picnic,” writes a member of tho new Wellington Wharf Labourers’ Union, in a letter home. “I am a winchman,” tiro writer continues, “and though I never raised onions before aboard ship, I am raising them at the rate of 90 tons per day. It’s just child’s play. I learned in Half an hour from an able teacher, to wit, the captain himself. Tucker —well, it’s just a floating hotel, and tho company of tho j oiliest and best. Tho winch’s mumble Is music with a rhythm, and swell, and the looping and sway, rise and full, of tire slings as they dip into the hold and return to the wharf is a poem of motion. Some of my crowd have gone as firemen, and some are quartered on the Rimutaka, and will work her. L, hopo you will be able to .got many more to come, as this is an all-purpose crowd, and there are many avenues to,utility. You may recommend others to come, and all will enjoy the outing, for such willing work is a joy to see and help in. I would not have missed it for tho world.” Mr Courtney Vassin Hatfield, who is 25 years old, has dropped into a legacy of a quarter of a million of money (says an Orange (New South Wales) telegram to tho Sydney Sim). He was share-farming with Air Leith Larnrock on a block of land near Cargo. They had cleared the land, sown their wheat, and, after hard work, were waiting for tho earth to smile with a harvest, when the news came to Hatfield that an uncle, who had been a ranch-holder in Texas, had died-and left him the money. “I don’t know how to analyse my feelings,” he re-

raarkedprwhcn questioned on the subject, “ When the news of my good fortune cam* through I confess that I was somewhat excited, and momentarily lost my power of speech. A friend of mine told me that h* would have dropped dead if anybody had informed him that he had been left * quarter of a million. I hope to live to enjoy it. You see, so far as. I am concerned, it was not unexpected news. My father is a station holder in North ‘Queensland; but I left home some years ago with a determine tion to make my own way in the world. I was determined that I would not b© dapendent upon anyone; and I was bursting my way through difficulties, having just managed to keep my head above water.** His first act was to give his partner hia share of the crop, and his first business on arriving in Orange was to visit Mrs W. Lamrock, h : s partner’s mother, to break tha good news to her that his fortune had come at*»last. Mrs Lamrock assisted Hatfield when he arrived in Orange a weary wayfarer, sore at heart and depressed. Hatfield’s uncle was a Mr Vassin, a Texas rancher, who died leaving £750,000 to be divided between his sister (Hatfield’* mother) and her two sons, so that each gets £250,000. The “tired fooling” of a Waitotara mailman may load to trouble (telegraphs the Waverlcy correspondent of the Press). It is his duty when the south-bound express train reaches Waitotara to safely place the mail bags in the travelling postal van. He was standing on the platform as the mail train passed on Wednesday, but to avoid walking down to the mail van when the train pulled up, a distance of about 10 or 15 yards, ho essayed to throw the mail into the open door of the van as it passed. Unfortunately, ho miscalculated the speed, and the big bag struck the side of the van and rolled under the wheels of the next carriage. It acted as a kind of brake until the train was pulled up. When released the ba,g was a perfect wreck, boots and other parcels, and some apparently valuable Christmas presents for the south, wore cut up very badly, whilst several letters were also destroyed. Tho mishap could have been avoided had the mailman not tried to curtail his little walk to the van immediately behind the engines. The Postmaster-general, speaking at the letter carriers’ dinner at Wellington, on Saturday night (says a Press Association message) stated that since April 25 rural mail deliveries had been established. Since July 1 tho concession of posting without late fee at flag stations and railway sidings had been extended to non-mail days. For’ the present fishing season single trout weighing up to 20 pounds might be sent by post. Tho limit was formerly 11 pounds. As a temporary measure during tho present unusual conditions of trade an extension had been made of the weight of inland parcels, from 11 to 21 pounds, between post offices served by rail or steamer. A reciprocal arrangement had recently boon entered into with the Australian Savings Bank for a transfer of accounts for tho convenience of travelling depositors. The work of laying underground telephone lines was in progress in several of the larger and smaller centres, and preliminary work for the installation of automatic telephones was pro coeding at Auckland, Blenheim, Hamilton, Mastcrton, Oamaru, and Wellington, and it would shortly bo necessary to give attention to Christchurch and Dunedin. A considerable number of slot telephones had arrived, and these would enable the Department to make all the installations s which had been authorised up to tho present. In tho House of Representatives on Friday (says our Wellington correspondent) the Minister of Public Works gave tho hint that there would bo considerable developments in the future in relation to the powers extended to local bodies by the Railways Construction and Land Bill to construct railways on their own responsibility. In discussing certain minor amendments made in tho Bill by tho Legislative Council Mr Fraser said that next session there would bo another Bill, to give such local bodice, either separately or conjointly, the power to sot up boards for the management of those * railways, as it would be manifestly impossible for the local bodies themselves to control these railways ;n all details. The present Bill, he- explained, would enable such bodies ae desired to do so to take the necessary initiatory steps, and next year additional powers would ba given in another Bill. Tho Palmerston North drivers decided at an enthusiastic meeting (says our Wanganui corespondent) to break away from tho parent union in Wellington. A new union has been formed under the Arbitration Act, and immediate application ;s to be made for registration. A number of spurious sovereigns and half sovereigns have been in circulation in Palmcreton North last week (says our correspondent). They are of good weight and workmanship, but lack tho ring of true metal. They had been accepted in three local banks as being genuine when tendered. It is thought that they are probably some of tho counterfeit coins w r hich were put in circulation at the Foiiding races. It appears that another ingenious fraud with a one pound note was,sprung on the totalisator assistants at Foiiding on Monday. A man tendered what appeared to bo two note© which wore rolled lengthwise with the two corners plainly showing, and asked for two tickets, which were supplied. He was gone when the clerk discovered that the notes were really one, which had been cut in half and gummed to paper to make tho bulk necessary when rolled.