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Southland Times, Issue 14370, 17 March 1910, Page 5

A correspondent writes calling attention to some errors in our report of Wallacetown stock sale on Tuesday. Mr Price's two-tooth ewes were sold for Us, not 11s. A line of forward wethers •was turned out, though the owner was willing to accept 11s 6d. not Is fid.

A special trial of die new tirebell will he held to-night at six o’clock. Certain Improvements have been made In the apparatus which has been titled up for ringing the bell, and it is desired to make a trial before serious occasion to use it arises.

An English newspaper states that a "particularly disgraceful’’and cowardly libel" has been ,circulated to the effect that the Radical candidate for Enfield Is a Polish Jew. This reminds the Pall Mall Gazette of the acquittal of a Russian last year on a charge of manslaughter on the ground that the murdered man had called him an Englishman.

Insurance agents are a byword for enterprise and “push.” The professional talent in this direction came out recently at a New Plymouth fire inquiry before the coroner. “ I believe you are the local representative of the Guardian Insurance Company,” said . a detective to a witness. “No, sir,” replied the witness, smilingly, “ I am the district agent of the Guardian Insurance Company,” and then, with a twinkle in his eye, he continued “ and that company is the strongest in the world, with a fund of £6,000,000. I want this taken down, please,” to the clerk of the Court. “ I suppose you are the strongest agent of the company,” interjected the coroner with a smile.

In a religious census of the world ■which he has just published, Dr H. Zeller, Director of the Statistical Bureau in Stuttgart, estimates that of the 1,544.510,000 people in the world, 531,940,000 are Christians, 175,290,000 are Mohammedans, 10,860,000 are Jews, and 823,420,000 hold other beliefs. Of these 300,000,000 are Confucians, 214,000,000 are Brahmans, and 121.000,000 Buddhists, with other bodies of leaser numbers. In other •words, opt of every thousand of the earth’s Inhabitants, 346 are Christians. 114 are Mohammedan. 7 are Israelite, and 533 are of other religions.

Yesterday morning a complete set of man’s clothes was found on the beach at Happy Valley, four miles froip Wellington, giving the appearance that someone had gone into the sea to bath and had lost his life. Among the documents- found in a leather bag lying ' near were papers relating to the Shearers’ Union and bearing the name “P. !F. Darcy.” The police searched during the afternoon, but found no traces of a body.—Press Association.

“Things Everyone Ought to Know.” Under the above heading the following appeared in the "Canadian Teacher” for 1909. We must go from home to hear news about ourselves. A correspondent of the journal in question inquired; What has been the result of advanced legislation in New Zealand along the lines of Government ownership and labour laws? and the sapient editor replied; "Government ownership and other Socialistic legislation Is blamed for a very serious labor crisis in New Zealand. Oneseventh of all the people are employed by the State, and las the freak public activities undertaken by the Government threatened bankruptcy, the appropriation* this year had to be cut almost in two, thus throwing an army of people out of work. Many who have the money are leaving for Australia, where, however, the labour market is likewise much over - supplied and where similarly radical schemes for artificial raising wages, etc., have also been disastrous."

Before the Chief Justice at Wellington yesterday Robert* Bertlln, superintendent of the Wellington Zoo, claimed £3OOO from John Norton, proprietor of Truth, for alleged libel. The case was tried before a special jury. The defendant denied that the words complained of reflected on the plaintiff in his occupation, or had been published falsely or maliciously, or were libellous or defamatory, and that in their natural ordinary signification they were true In substance and in fact. It was stated that an apology had been published, ivhich was said by the plaintiff to be no apology at all, but a case of adding insult to injury. The case was not concluded when the dourt rose for the day.

Crs. A. F. Hawke. W. A. Ott, and T. Fleming, who, with Mr J. Sturrock (Town Engineer), accompanied Mr G. Symington ' (Consulting Engineer to the Christchurch City Council), to the Motiowal district on Monday and Tuesday, on the occasion of that gentleman’s visit of inspection in connection with a proposed hydro-electric supply for Invercargill. returned to town at quarter past four yesterday afternoon.' They left Otautau in a couple of motor cars at three o’clock. At a meeting last night of the Special Trams Committee the matter was discussed in an informal manner and there is reason to believe that the visiting party were favourably Impressed with the possibilities of Monowai as a source of electric supply, which fully bore out Mr Slurrock’s report. Mr Symington’s report will be available, in the course of a week or so. In the meantime all the information obtained by Mr Sturrock will also be placed at his disposal.

At a meeting of the North Canterbury Board of Education yesterday a letter was received from the Department stating that a request from the Board to the Minister of Education to convene a conference of Education Boards at. an early date to discuss matters of administration in connection with the primary school system had been laid before the Minister as desired : but the Minister regretted that owing to appropriation being already Jxhausted he was unable at present to nake arrangements to meet the Board's wishes in the matter. The letter was •ecelved. Speaking on the subject of withdrawal by the Government of capitation allowances previously granted to school committees, Mr Jamieson pointed out that it would be better to abandon the free school book system and restore capitation. The',free book s'ystAn, he contended, had been a failure, and the amount expended on that system exceeded £267 10s sd, the total capitation payable for incidentals. Free hooks, he added, were not asked for, all that was wanted being uniformity of school books for children moving from place to place. —. Press Association.

Thus yesterday’s Dunedin Star:— Each successive meeting of the Otago Education Board adds to the voluminous pile of documents marking the Board’s disapproval of the department’s actions. This morning several issues were contested more determinedly than a departmental mandate concerning the reduc;ion of the staffs at Hyde and Naseby. In 1909 Naseby school was in grade Via, ind the Hyde school in grade IV. In order to reduce the former school to grade V. the attendance must fall to 120 (over a period of three years), 110 (over two years), or 100 (over one year), which it did not do. and similarly, in order to reduce the Hyde school to grade 111., the attendance would have had to bo lower over each set period than it was. Tet this morning the Board received a communication from the Inspector-General stating that, according to amended regulations, such reductions in staff’ as had been indicated must take place. The letter added that, while notice of retirement or transfer of the assistant teachers concerned Would not be insisted upon at once, yet the Board should take the first opportunity of bringing the staffs into conformity with the regulations. The opinion of the Board's solicitors is that according to the regulations the school cannot he reduced in grade. Apparently the department’s mandate is based upon a proviso rending: “Nevertheless. the number of teachers and pupil teachers shall be determined in accordance with the yearly average attendance for the year immediately preceding.” The lawyers express the opinion that the regulation containing this proviso is ultra, vires, over-riding the provisions of the Act, since, if effect were given to it the Schools would be staffed us if reduced, when yet they could not be reduced. Armed with this opinion, Mr .1. Mitchell found the Board at one with him in Die following motion —“That the Minister he Informed that the Board are advised by their legal advisers that the proviso to clause 3 of the Staffs and Salaries Regulations, on which tlic* department relies is ultra vires, being In direct conflict with the Act. While,’therefore, accepting the decision to permit Die existing arrangements In the Naseby and Hyde schools to continue, the Board decline to recognise any obligation ’to take tiie first opportunity of bringing the staffs of these schools into conformity with the present regulations-’”

The malls for United Kingdom, despatched from Invercargill on 3rd February, via Naples, arrived in London •on morning of 14 th Inst, two days late.

The Melbourne Age reports that for the convenience of tourists and others wishing to “do” the sights of New Zealand, the Dominion's Tourist and Health Resorts department has arranged to issue through tickets and credit notes from their Melbourne and Sydney^agencies which will carry the traveller from end to end of his journey without the constant attendance at railway and shipping offices usually productive of so much worry and delay. The tickets issued will be for use on the steamers plying between Australia and New Zealand, and the railways, coaches and lake steamers in the Dominion. For example, a visitor to the New Zealand Government Agency, Melbourne, will have his tour maapped out and full particulars supplied as to the time it will occupy, the various fares and total cost, and other useful Information, after which the necessary tickets will be handed to him, when all his troubles as to booking, etc., will be at an end. Concession tickets between Melbourne and Sydney can also be arranged for. The whole of the booking is done entirely free of charge on the part of the New Zealand Government.

Mr F. VV. Thompson, vice-president and managing director of the Ogilvie Flour Mills Company of Canada, has made the following glowing statement about the undeveloped wheat fields of Canada “ I suppose few even of the citizens of the Dominion are aware that arable land of the finest quality extends for 500 miles north of Edmonton, and that the total area of the three Prairie Provinces available for cultivation is over 250.000,000 acres.' As a conservative estimate it is, therefore, fair to assume that the north-west has available for wheat production 100,000,000 acres, of which there has so far been brought under cultivation 7,000,000 only, which area last’ year produced over 115,000,000 bushels of wheat. On , this basis, with the full wheat growing area under crop, the north-west is capable of producing under normal conditions 1,600,000,000 bushels annually, a yield equal to half the present total production of the world, more than three times the annual requirements of the whole British Empire, and more than five times the requirements of that portion of the Empire at present dependent on outside sources for its bread supplies. In the face of such figures, does it not seem absurd to question the Empire’s ability to supply its own needs when Canada alone has an area sufficient to supply them many times over ?”

Do Germans make good colonisers ? An emphatically affirmative answer was given to the question by Rev. E. G. Neil, a missionary from Samoa, in telling the Methodist Conference mission demonstration recently the story of Germany’s rule In Samoa. " X have all the freedom I desire under the German flag,” said Mr Nell. “ That is the white man’s point of view. From the native point of view we have no British dependency where the rights of the weaker people are better protected than are the natives of Samoa. We have perfect religious liberty," he continued, “though the Roman Catholics have powerful influence in Germany, and all sorts of difficulties might be expected in keeping the balance between the three societies represented —the Ijondon Missionary Society, the Roman Catholics, and the Methodists. We gat along very well, because the Samoans seem to have been born natural Methodists.” A new scheme of education seemed to be the one thing needed from the account of Mr Neil, .who said that, although almost alt the natives could read and write, they badly required more training. A school now existed in every village, and the German language is being made the medium of knowledge. In almost the same breath Mr Neil remarked that not 100 out of the 35,000 inhabitants fail to go regularly to church, and that the death rate is' abnormally high. It was understood, however, that the two statements had no connection.

DO not wait till Easter is upon you before selecting your autumn costumes. Price and Bulleid are now making a splendid display of 1910 novelties, all their own importing. The styles are absolutely now, the prices are absolutely the lowest, and the colourings are a delight to the eye. Ladies’ and maids’ coats and paletots are also on show, and there are some real smart lines that are within the reach of every purse. The blouses are a great attraction; flannelettes, delaine, Jap silk and crepe de cheno are in strong force, and the styles are unique. Our London agent has been ransacking the English and Continental markets for exclusive novelties, and the result of his labours are now on show. See PRICE & BULLEID’S display to-day. THOMSON & BEATTIE, LTD,, make a special display of their importations for the new season on Thursday, Friday and Saturday of this week. These halfyearly Exhibition displays welcoming the novelties of the time are almost us popular with ladies as the Exhibition end-of-season sales farewelling them.

Do not go to the expense of calling in a doctor when you sprain your ankle. Bathe your foot and ankle in water as hot as can be borne and rub in Chamberlain's Pain Balm freely. Repeat the rubbing several times and In two or three days you will be able to get about and will be quite cured in less than a week. Sold everywhere.

SYNOPSIS NEW ADVERTISEMENTS,

On Page 1. Wanted —Boy for farm. Ten-pound tin of Rava Tea, 13/9. For sale—General storekeeper’s business. Railway Social—Applications wanted for musicians. On Page 4. Funeral of the late Chas. H. Blackler at Otahut! to-day. Wilson, Fraser’s prices the lowest in the land —See advt. On Page 0. Fuller’s Pictures —New programme to-night. Annual meeting Pirates Football Club to-night. Southland Building 1 Society—Office closed to-day. Municipal Theatre—St. Clair Comedy Co. to-night. Tuatapere Axemen’s Sports on Easter Monday. Appleby Cricket Club —Grand concert to-morrow. Triumph Motor Cycles carrying everything before them—See Wilson, Fraser’s chapter. « Good offer for ambitious travelling salesman. H. and C.A. Board Elections—R. Galbraith returns thanks. On Page 8. Wm. Todd and Co.—Weekly sale of furniture to-day.