NEW ZEALAND NEWS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 10957, 27 April 1907, Page 4

NEW ZEALAND NEWS.

(Per Press Association.) AUCKLAND, this day. Tlie weather, which had been stormy the last day or two, is now more moderate, but much colder. The s.s. Takapuna had a rough trip from New Plymouth, being delayed by heavy seas and strong north-west winds. Numerous applications for space at the coming Auckland Winter Show have been received, and a successful exhibition is regarded as assured. The show will be opened on May 22nd by the Minister for Agriculture. During the show, wliich will extend over four days, an agricultural conference, which will be addressed by the Minister and the various experts of the Department, will be held. Several of the country districts are arranging for courts for the display of their prodiwie. With reference to the statement that tho Marine Department proposes to ask ' Parliament to sanction a scheme under j which the picking and sale of . oysters will be undertaken by the department, a representative of a leading local dealer, on being interviewed, stated : "It is un open question what is best to be done for the preservation of the , oysters. . It is very certain that now the beds have been thrown open — Rakino, my own island, included — the pickers will skin them, and. barnucleg will take possession of the rocks, thereby preventing the spawn from developing, unless sometliing is done. I know what I should do if the foreshore were mine. I should spend money m cementing the rocks, thereby killing off the' barnacles and encouraging the growth of oysters. Here m our harbor concrete buttresses that have been erected have been actually covered with oysters inside one year. lam of the opinion tliat oysters will form oil concrete rocks before barnacles. However, it is a matter of experiment, but that is what I should do. Long ago I advocated that the Government should take charge of the oyster beds rather than that they sliould be leased to landholder?, who would do noi thing to preserve them. The landholders, m my experience, will do nothing with the beds, but levy taxes on the t oystermen, which, of course, means addi- !■ tional cost to the consumer. : As far as I can judge, it is the intention of the Government to employ pickers, and 6ell the oysters themselves. When the , Government come to enter into the business they will find obstacles cropping up; but they have entered into the coal business, and they might make a success of the oysters, seeing that they , will have a monopoly over the beds." WOODVILLE, this day. To-day eight tons of copper, ore was sent away from Woodville to Mel DoUa " ne to be smelted. This is a trial shipment from the.'Mahafahara Copper Company's mine. .

WELLINGTON, this day. During the year ended March 31st the tramways carried 16,897,034 passengers, against 13,596,597 last year. GREYMOUTH, tliis day. His Excellency Admiral Sir W. Fawjkes and party arrived from Christchurch at 3 o'clock yesterday afternoon, and were accorded a public reception.. The party were driven, out to Port Elizabeth to inspect the proposed harbor, and the Admiral seemed pleased '-with' th© prospects. He made a good many enquinjgs as regards depth and nature of the bottom and the quality of the coal m the vicinity. His Excellency left at 8 m the morning for Reef ton, en route to Westport. .-■',.•'.'- --;-..• CHRISTCHURCH, this day. An inquest was held yesterday touching the death of Elizabeth Jordan, who died as the result of an accident at the Belfast railway station yard on Wednesday last. A verdict of accidental death was returned.;' :",. With, reference to a Press Association message from Wellington _to the effect that tlie New Zealand branch of Alcock and Co., billiard table manufacturers, of Australia, had caused a writ to be issued against the general manager of the Exliibition, claiming £1069 ' damages for alleged wrongful detention of the company's billiard exhibits, Mr Munro states that the exhibit of the company are not being detained under any pretext whatever. As far as he knows, they have all been removed. The fittings and furnishings of a billiard-room proprietor at the Eixhibition have ceitainly -been detained, pending the payment of space money, but he has no reason to believe that the billiard table .and other property belong to the Alcocl-? Company. '.'.'■ ' :. DUNEDIN, this day. -

His Excellency tlie Governor left Lumsden yesterday,: and received loyal addresses and hearty greetings from large .numbers Of residents at Dip'ton, Centre Bush, arid Winton. His Excellency, who came on to Dunedin last- night, leaves to-day for Christchurch, en route. to .Wellington. _ In reply to an invitation to turn on the Waipon electric power, the Hon, W: Hall- Jones stated he was unable to leave Wellington at present. He had no doubt m the near future the development of hydro-electricity would revolutionise the industries of New Zealand, and congratulated Dunedin. on its enterprise on undertaking the Waipori scheme, INVERCARGILL, this day. William Lawson and Baud Hollman were charged at the Police Court tliat, being rogues and vagabonds within the meaning of the Act, they did impose upon one William Watt, a. private individual,' by false and fraudulent representations, witlr a view to obtaining money and goods and board and lodgings, on credit. The allegation was that they arranged for board .and lodgings at the Royal hotel, and went away without paying. Watt said he had been "slipped up" by four people during a fortnight. Tlie Magistrate, held that no criminal offence i had been shown by the evidencce, and dismissed the case, with' two guineas costs against informant. Discussion was reserved m the compensation case, McKenzie v. McCallum, a claim for £150 m respect of the death of claimant's son, who had been employed by respondent, and was drowned. At Otnntaui Mr T. Mackenzie, M.H.R. , addressed a meeting last night, at the invitation of the Farmers' Union. He made a strong advocacy of tho freehold, and at the conclusion the meeting passed a resolution affirming the freehold principle, a somewhat ambiguous amendment being lost. The Southland Employers' Association have decided to hold a big meeting^ of protest on Monday night against any alteration m the present : system of observing Wednesday as the half -holiday for shops and factories. It is proposed also to have a petition signed.