INTERPROVINCIAL.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 10958, 29 April 1907, Page 2

INTERPROVINCIAL.

l»l 'I ■ I (Fer Press Association.) AUCKLAND, this day. The intention, of the Marine Department to seek legislative power m regard to the State control oi the oyster beds of Auckland was deferred to during an interview with the Hon. J. A. Millar, Minister for Marine, by a Star representative. "I intend introducing a Bill dealing with the question next session/ said the Minister, "as the experience of the past has shown that indiscriminate picking is simply ruining the beds on the whole of the islands and foreshore. (Those which were opened last year for picking have been stripped absolutely bare, and it will take five years for them to recover. If the same thing is allowed; to continue there will soon be no oysters m Auckland or anywhere else. Wo are opening a certain, portion this year only until the whole question of licensing the foreshore to those people who own ■ contiguous land . has been considered by Parliament. My proposal will t>e that landowners are allowed to lease beds at a fair price Irom the Government, and that they do the picking, the Government retaining sufficient areas m. their hands to prevent any monopoly or increase m price. ihe lessees will only pick the mature oysters, and will thus ensure a regular supply. They will Jiaye to regulate. their charges by the price we put on those taken from our beds, and thus there will be no feaiof a monopoly. Of course, our pickers will have strict) instructions to pick only mature oysters, so that fresh supplies will! be ready season after season, and our tycal market kept supplied." "Do you propose to prohibit the export of oysters Sydney?" "I do not think there will b$ any necessity to do so this year, because the beds opened will only be sufficient for local requirements, and the number will not be increased. The afea „ already gazetted -.'will have to suffice forsj the whole! of, the season, and when theyare exhausted no more will be opened. Something would probably be done ]n the way of cultivating oysters on the stripped beds." Mrs Mojselen, residing on Franklin road, on waking on Sunday morning, found her infant boy. 10 weeks old, dead. He is supposed 'to have been accidentally suffocated. ;..|' '-. ;.: '■ : "■■ # Replying to a deputation of the Trades and Labor Council, the Hon.. Mr M^lar said with! reference to the remarks Made on the subject of unseaworthy vessels, he would givo instructions for fresh surveys. If necessary an expert shipwright would be employed to assist Mr Dunpari, phief inspector I|ol • machinery, dealing with, wooden vessels. He was determined to restore tlje confidence of Auckland people. Every effort would be made to put things m order without interfering to any great extent yikh {he running of vessefft. On the subject of the shortage of trucks, Mr "Millar said it wbb impossible to run enough trucks to suit every emergency, but he thought goods trains might be run at night to relieve any congestion that might ari|e. , > WELLINGTON, this day. The appeal m the care of the Public Trustee v. Oommissioner of Stamps was dismissed with costs on the highest scale, as from jja distance. This is a case m which a bequest was left for building an Anglican cathedral m Dunedin, on which a. tax, of 1£4500 was claimed and appealed against. The Appeal Court said the Courts inj New Zealand held that the word "charitable" m the Act was not used m a technical dense. It was employed m English Acts, and did not apply to gifts to religious sects or denominations, i'he present bequest was not a gift m the popu. lar sense, rior sucl» a gift as is exempted fro.n taxation. It is understood leave Will be asked to appeal to the Privy Council. [ BLENHEIM, this day. Mir CUbrS, aged 31, proprietress of the Wiarau hotel, died suddenly yesterday morning. An inquest is being held OAMARU, this day. At a meeting of the Harbor Board this morning it was reported the new wharf was completed and ready for berthing of the largest steamers. j, INyEROARGILL, this day. An examination of the Invercargilj Customs figuies disclosed the interesting fact that the duty paid on liquors of all de.- ; scriptionsj including locally brewed beeiV • decreased £2319 m nine months of nolicense. In general goods other than liquors a Record year) was experienced, the amount Collected being over £6000 m excess | of that for the previous year, While admitting that these facts are fay- ■ orable to the contention that more tow-. „ cliandise and less liquor has been sold tin. der no-license, the temperanoe iMtfty do not admit that the figures of duty-paid m Inveicargill are any criterion of tEe consumption here, as duty is paid at Invercargill fo^ the whole of Southland, which includes three licensed ureas, Awaruu-, Wallace, and part of Wakatipu, All the liquor sold by the travellers of two Invercargill wholesale spirit merchants, wherever consumed, and the beer menufactured at Ooro brewery, forty miles away, pay duty, at Invercarglllv .' The . temperantie party contend it is unfair to judge the consumption for the town from the figures for the whole area. DUNEDIN, this day. At a well-attended meeting addressed by Mr James Allen, M.HfR,. at-Miller's Flat on Friday, the following resolution was unanimously approved} "That this - meeting is fully' convinced that the optional system of land tenure, embracing the right of acquiring the freehold, with reasonable} restrictions asl to ares of land purchased! from the Crown, is the best ' and most^adyantageous law that can possibly be devised for this colony, and that tli© proposed Land Bill of the Government, inasmuch as it destroys the option of occupation^ with a right to purchase, is adverse to the successful settlement of the country." Mr G. M. Barr, one of the most prominent consulting engineers m the colony, died on Saturday, aged 70. He came to Dunedin from Scotland m 1862, as surveyor to the Provincial Government of Otago, and was chief engineer of the Public Works Department from 1869 till 1872, . and ten years later waß appointed engineer to 'the Dundin Harbor Board, occupying that position till 1888, since when '. he has been engaged m private practice m Dunedin. ....... (Special to Herald.) ■ A sidelight on the rttinous competition^' oi the recent shipping war is given by a return to the Harbor Board. 'Last June the 6.8. Mntatua had to come here to reach out after i a morsel of cargo of 216 tons. For tin's she had to pay £180 dues. In the same month the Fifesliire paid a similar amount to lift 322 tons. The railway traffic superintendent lias received the following wire from ihe officer m charge at Queenstonn's "The mountains are covered with tsnovi*. It is a magnificent spectacle. The weather is fine." Discussing the Attorney-General's Palmerswm speech, the Star says ; "Owing to the wanton misrepresentations of the anti-reform party, it is necessary- to repeat again and again that there -is. nothing whatever m the Government propbnals tending to impair the security of the existing freeholds. It is time there was an end of tlie silly screeching about Ministerial designs upon property and order. Every Liberal Government' the world over, the leaders of every, progressive movement that tomes into operation and contact with greedy and catloue self-in* tercd must expect to hear the cry of 'property m clanger,' but there is reason to hope that the bulk of the people of New Zealand ale too intelligent to be'deceived. A close study of Df. Findlay's speech caii hardy, fail to strengthen public con. fidence alike m the active Liberalism and m the safle and cautious sagacity of the present Ministry." Sir Joseph Ward will not reach the colony for a fortnight after the meeting of .Parliament, as the s.s. Mooltan is not due at Adelaide till July 2nd.