NEWS ITEMS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 10960, 1 May 1907, Page 4

NEWS ITEMS.

Hastings is 'forming a Chamber of Commerce. .'*"'.''■ '* ; "*-'-''.'" j,.% v Cable advice has been received that Miss Lily Ballinger, aged 21, daughter of Mr Thomas Ballinger, pf Wellington, who was touring Europe witli her parents, died .at Lucerne, Switzerland, on Sunday, from typhoid fever. « "Owing to famine and other causes the demand for flour has outrun the capacity of steamers now running to the East,' writes Mr Montgomery, the representative of the New Zealand Tourist and Industries Departments at SydnSy. Shippers have decided to make extra chartering arrangements. There are hundreds of applicants for tlie telephone-girl's position (says the Lyttelton Times.) Between 600 .and 700 applications arc on the books of -the Christchurch Exchange at the present time. She has to be trained before she is expert at her work. She starts o"_i four mouths' probation. She ea_?is £40 m her first year, and she is given an annual increase of £10 until she receives £80 a year. She stops at £80 until ?he has completed ten years of service. The salary then increases at the rate of I 5 a* year until it reaches £100^ She has to serve fourteen years before" she earns £hat salary, and it never increases further. - ' Mr Scott, the South Australian Commissioner at the Exhibition, informed a [Christchurch Press representative th_ week that, irrespective samples, tb«i hospitality of South Australia at The Exhibiton extended to sixty- four cases of wine. The New'' Zealand- Governmenthad charged him duty amounting to £.~2, at the rate of 10s a case on this wine. "Never before," said Mr Scott, "at any exhibition iv the world has siidi an "nipost been levied, and this sort of thing is calculated to do tlie colony a great deal of harm." Mr Scott reports that fourteen eases of grapes out of the last shipment have disappeared m some mysterious manner. He is quito unable to trace them, and has been obliged to refund to several purchasers, being unable -to ■dejiyey. „., ,

Sir John Forrest, of West Australia, has started well. He has guaranteed £7000— the cost of returning to Australia from South Africa 1000 stranded Australians. j It is one of the most sensible things tliat Ihavo 'been done for a long time. That thousand will be the best band of immigrants Austra'ia could get ; they will all come back satisfied Australia is the best country m the world after all, and will be contented to remain here, and become; good citizens. Forrest's action is prompt and decided — which is another good point. — 'Exchange. , I Mr Allan McLean, a Wellingtonian, is j the fortunate possessor of the farm m the j Orange River Colony on wliich is the Rietspruit Diamond Mine (writes the Johannesburg correspondent of the Christchurch Press). For.years past Air Me- , Lean, who came to South Africa prior to j the war, was well aware his farm was , -liighly mineralised, and some -months back diligent prospecting was commenced on it. The result lias been most satis- . factory. A veritable diamond pipe has been discovered, and the £1 shares m the syndicate that undertook the work now stand at some £15 m the stock market; and promise, too, to see a much enhanced figure. The Rev. Otho Fitzgerald, who filled the office of vicar of Holy Trinity parish,, Lyttelton, during tlie absence of £he Rev. Canon Coates, has -relinquisliied the position after a year of very successful work. He declined to accept a farewell presentation, and at the annual meeting of-parish--ioners a resolution of appreciation was carried by acclamation. Air Fitzgerald, m acknowledging the resolution, said that he wished to explain why he would .not take a presentation. He thought that the ; whole' idea of presentations were wrong, especially m connection! with church work, and that; tlie idea of getting a presentation m, return for everything one did tended to .- "make people lose sight of the reason why they should do things— because 4t was their duty to do them. Gastro-enteritis is held responsible . for the slaughter of "many innocents during February and March. In Christchurch alone about 107 children died from tliat complaint and other ailments usually produced by bad milk. The infant mortality i from causes niore or less attributable to foods, principally milk, was also high m other places. Napier contributed four, Dunedin seventeen, Auckland twenty, Wellington twenty-five, making an aggregate of 173. Tliis death rate naturally again raises the question of ensuring healthy milk supplies. The Chief Health Officer "(Dr. Mason) expressed a hope that this important matter will be given its proper place m th© new Wellington City 1 Council's programme. He has received an opinion from .Mr Martin, solicitor for the Municipal Corporations' Association, stating that municipalities had power to set up milk-clearing depots on lines which Dr. Mason has advocated.. _ The Minister for Lands has under consideration a scheme for reclaiming the western portion of 48,000 acres m •he Piako Swamp, a few miles inland from , the Firth of Thames. The proposal is to straighten the river m order to allow the flood waters to escape seaward moro rapidly than at present; to divert some of the mountain streams which now dis.charge into the swamp; and to erect flood gates at each drain outlet so as to keep back the waters of the river when through heavy rain or high tides there, is a danger of the stream again invading the land proposed to be reclaimed. Messrs Bourke and Company, of Wellington and "Napier, who have a 'arge flaxhiill m the Piako district, have drained a large area of swamp 'and there by means of canals, and are now fro wing splendid flax on land which a ew years ago was continually under water. -

. A consignment of 400 cases of apples . was forwarded from Mbtueka, and will be placed on board the Athenic at Welling- . ton for conveyance to London (says the Nelson Mail of Wednesday).' Tliis is the [ first shipment of Nelson -apples to the Old Country, and the result of the initial . adventure wilL.b© watched with great mii teres t. Tlie variety sent is Five Crowri , Pippin, and the apples are a good sample. The shipment bears the Government . brand, indicating tliat the packing, etc., , is satisfactory. It is understood that the. Government will guarantee Id a lb clear to the growers who are sending ihe 'fruifc ' It may be stated (adds the Mail) that tlie" , apples will go "as -ordinary ; cargo m the , Athenic, but they are to be placed m a cool part of the steamer's hold, and it is . anticipated will arrive m England m good order. When tlie export lias) reached : larger dimensions it will be possible' t° ' secure cool chambers m the steamers, but , the minimum numbeT of cases for a cham- ; - ber is 2600. and of; course it would never • lhave paid the Motueka growers to have ' engaged ca whole chamber for 400 cases. v Tlie' vote which Parliament passed last i year for the development of water power ■ from rivers and lakes, lias been drawn • upon so far for the making of surveys to , ascertain the merits and cost of the differ. ■ ent schemes. - It has been definitely ascer- ! tamed, the Acting-Premier states, that i the Kaituna scheme is the best for dei veloping power for use m Auckland. In f this case the power is derived from the ■ water running out of Lake Rotoiti' down i the Kaituna river. On this river also are the Okoroire Falls, winch, supply the electric light for Rotorua. , The fiills haVe a drop of from 14 to. -16 feel?, and by going ; further down the river a fall of three hundred feet could be obtained. Jlr HallJones points out that it will be a very costly matter to develop any. of the proi posals and it is advisable to submit the matter to Parliament, .vitlra view to making special provision for carrying out any scheme tliat may be idecided upon. Instead of obtaining small amounts each year from tlie Public Works Fund; provision ought to be made for raising special moneys for the work. It would, be for i Parliament to decide wliether this should be done. ■ • The largest estates of deceased persons . certified for stamp duty last month were : —Wellington: John Purvis Russell ' £46,632. .James Risk £11,878, Naomi Warburton £11,639, Charles -J. Tully £9240, Frederick R. Parkes £9220, Joseph Saunders £9054,> Eliza H. Gaisford £8635, ' John Benge £8390, Alfred Matthews £2182, James Wilson £1024. Auckland: James McWilliam £4540, Neil Smith £3619.- Canterbury: >Warren W. W. Westenra £21,805, George Brayshaw £21,298, Thomas Bante £12,663, Henry ■ Hill £7647, George Thompson £4947, Charles Shaw £4729, Wm. Allen £4657, • Edward Dunlop £2720, Charles Turrell ' £2566, Eliza Wilcox £1379, John Wat- ' son £1436. Otago: Jolm C. Gilchrist f £44,381, Augustus Henniker £26,675, 1 Henry Dodd £21,139. William Millar' : £2905 William Menzies £1814, Isabella • Stanley £1522, Margaret- France £1455, ' Robert Long £1441, James Christie : £1235, Marion Imrie £1188. Hawke's Bay : John Anderson £64,821. New Ply- • mouth: Maigaret Hicks £6936, Henry A. ; Arthur- £2085. Nelson : Frances Adams £1023 Blenheim: Alfred G. Symons £1286 Invercargill s William .Walker ' £1656. ■■'-•• •■■ ' The ''slaughter'" of wildfowl, as dis- . tinct from the gun .sportsman, came m for [ some wholesome condemnation at a meet- ," ing of the Otago Acclimatisation Society. , The chairman of the society (Mr R. Chis- ' holm) said he had observed, when passing , Lake Tuakitotp on the previous day, tliat I a cylinder gun was m position between , Lo veil's Flat and Stirling, m readiness . for the opening of the shooting season, ' on Wednesday. In addition to this, he I had observed tliree or four of. these, de- . structive machines m position nearer &lirp ling, and said he had no doubt large num- . bers of ducks, geese, and other wildfowl . would be destroyed' by their agency m the ' course of a few days. He strongly condemned the us© oi cylinders and swivel ' guns for shooting game as unsporlsmaiij like, and suid the Gun Sportsmen's Club , and other shooting associations should . unit£ with the society m preventing their , use. To get ducks or -other wildfowl by . such means was "slaughter," not sport, and- was reprehensible m the highest degree; and he suggested that the Gun Sportsmen's Olub should be approached by the society on the matter. Tlie remarks of the chairman were endorsed by all tlie members present, and it was re- ' solved that the chairman and secretary should take steps to prevent tli© de6truci tion of game by tue means referred to. ' One of the members; of the society, m » conversation with a prpss fepresentative '.j after the meeting, remarked that the bird ■'that could beat 'Hi.c , sporting, man who carried an ordinary fowling piece deserved j to get away with i's life, and those per- '_ sons^who resorted to the U6e of cannon j m order to "get a bag of game were un- ' vvorthy oi recognition as sportsmen. t The annual meeting, of Rotorua house- , holders for the election of a school eoni- , rnittee was a remarkable one. Anout 500 people, including a large ■ number of , Maoris wer c present. The Rev. C. A. ; TLsdall, the retiring chairman, was for- , merly curate of St. Paul's, Thorndoii. [ The Natives took" the greatest interest m ; the proceedings. Their sympathies were ' with Mr Webber, tlie headmaster of the ' school, and their vote carried the election . m ins favor. The new 'committee 'con-' j sists of men who do not wish to see Mr . Webber removed. The Maoris insisted on ' all tlie speeches of the Europeans being ' interpreted, and they strongly objected to : the nomination of two white women, on \ the ground 1 tliat it was contrary to Maori ] custom for women to interfere with; the ' arrangements and business .of the male sex. In a leading article dealing with the election, the Rotorua Times says: "One leason which has been driven home by last . night's meeting is the fact that the Maoris ; of Rotorua are at preegnt the 'tail that i wags the dog? on all questions where the i white community are dividedr Serious; i possibilities and dangers arejthead which r can only be avoided by judicious management and legislation. ". ..^: v Ji the pakeha dared to attend ""in his hundreds at the Maori pa to vote down and thwart the wishes of the Natives at the bidding df a ; disaffected section a howl would be set i up throughout the length and breadth of - New Zealand which would speedily find r an echo m Parliament. Yet this is what the Maoris did not scruple to do last i evening, and tho chairman had constantly to * interpret from Maori to English, and . Englisk to Maori to enable the meeting 4fe_^m#iJ^4tß' ,l basm6Bß; > -- - •-,

Mr A. Adams, Havelock, Marlborough, N.Z., says: "I consider that Chamberlain's Tablets are an Al remedy, and the most efficient procurable for all disorders of the stomach, liver, and bowels. I have used them for some time, deriving tho greatest benefit, and have every confidence m recommending them to all m need of such a medicine. For sale by E. D.. Smith, chemist. A Kerry cow exhibited by the Agricultural Department of New South Wales at the Sydney show is said to have put up the record of the State stud herds, and this during the drought year, when she yielded 4421 b of butter m the season from 831 gallons of milk. Tins little Kerry cow has yielded more butler than any cow of the different breeds imported by the New South Wales Government. SUDDEN FALL IN TEMPERATURE Is generally a forerunner of an epidemic pf Coughs and Colds. Be prepared by keeping a bottle of Dr Sheldon's New Discovery m the house. Obtainable at A. W. J. Mann's, chemist, agent. One of the many features of the big winter show of Palmerston is to be a working apiary, the bees being shown under glass.

\Mr W. Robinson, grocer, Mornington, N.Z., not only sells Cliamberlain's Cough Remedy, but uses it. He says: "I have been troubled several times with influenza, and the only cough medicine that has ever don£ me any good was Chamberlain's Cough Remedy. Innumerable times I have recommended it to my customers, and they were- more than pleased with the result. I have customers that always keep a bottle of Chamberlain's Cough Remedy, m their house, and wont use anything else for their children." For sale by E. D. Smith, chemist.