DOMINION NEWS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 16, 2 January 1912, Page 5

DOMINION NEWS.

(Per Press Association.) Auckland, December 30

Operations in regard to the export trade and collections in the Customs for the year 1911, which nominally closed at noon to-day, reveal a very s.il'isiactory state of alfairs. No less a total than £310,226 Us 4d is recordled for net Customs returns, and £28,107 L!s 3d for beer duty. Tile grand totals of items of export for the [twelve months ended to-day are:— ! Butter £031,135, cheese £28,350, phormium £31,489, frozen meat £67,o.il, kauri gum £395,705, hides and skins £-10,798, tallow £44,697, timber £170,833, wool £306,298. There is c\ idence on every hand that the volume of retail business that has been transacted during tlie present holiday season lias tar exceeded that of any previous year. As one prominent business man put it, “The people were out to spend, and they were not to be kept back by any weather, no matter how rough.” The same state of affairs has been experienced during the current week. inquiries from representative traders have met witn the'same cheerful replies on every hand. The returns for the holiday period as a wnole have constituted a record, and the returns for what might he’‘considered more particularly to bo the New Year period show such a large margin of increase that even the busiest and most worried of busy managers is wearing “the smile that won’t come off.” The Auckland Eifle Association’s prize-firing will be held at Penrose, and a most successful meeting is expected, as competitors from all parts of the North Island have entered, and Hie lists contain the names of some of the prominent marksmen of the South Island.

Witji such champions as G. N. Hill, R. Opis, L. H. Kelly, P. T. A. Edmond, and possibly G. P. Keddell in the held, the Auckland Amateur Athletic and Cycling Clubs should draw a large crowd at their summer carnival to be held on the domain next Saturday. Redmond and. Opie will most likely 1)0 matched over a seventy-five yards course, and will also compete in tho handicap sprints off the scratch mark. G. N. Hill, tvho lias been putting up such sensational performances of late, - will endeavour to lower the mil© record of 4min 22soc of A. Shrubb. L. H. Kelly, the Australasian champion high jumper, will compete in the handicap high jump on Monday and Tuesday. Gisborne, December 30. The fire at Taylor’s furniture factory has been traced to children playing with matches amongst dressed flax in a storeroom. Eltham, December 30. A cablegram received to-day from Messrs Lane and Co., London, advises the sole of a consignment of cheese ex- Tainui on behalf of tho Hawcra factory at an average of 6 9-f6ths of penny per lb net. This is 3-16th of a penny better than the New Zealand record for .this season. Still higher prices are anticipated iftcr tho New Year. . •>. Christchurch, December 30. The ceremony of laying the stono to commemorate the farewell made by John Robert Go d ley to the Canterbury Pilgrims sat Pilgtiini’s' - corner, in Hagley Park, was hold to-day in the presence of a fair number of early colonists and other spectators. After Mr John Durey had given a brief address, Mr W. Guise Brittain declared the stone well and truly laid. In doing so Mr Brittain paid a tribute to the sterling qualities of the founder of Canterbury province, and the great regret that had been occasioned by his departure. Tiraara, December 30.

The two-year-old infant daughter of Mr and All's Skinner, of the Shamrock Hotel, had a narrow escape from death under exciting circumstances this afternoon. The child was put to bed upstairs, and the windoiy was left open. She got out on the wide ledge, and was about to fall, blit took hold of the telephone wire and hold on for some" minutes that seemed an interminable time to the onlookers, who did not seem likely to be in lime to do anything else. A man stood beneath to catch her, and this he did when she fell, and landed her unharmed. Timaru, December 30. A sudden rise of the Opihi in the small hours of Friday morning caught some picnic parties camped on the low level near Pleasant Point, and they had to wade waist deep to reach the bank after the tents were awash. The ladies, as well as the men, pluckily returned to salvage their belongings, but a good deal was carried off by the stream. Rain fell very heavily in the Upper Opihi, and the river at Silverstrcam and Fairlio was exceptionally high, doing much damage to the roads and breaking away the light stock and foot bridges. The AVaihi river is high above ’ Geraldine. One man in a cart got stuck and another going in to help him fared likewise. Both carts had to be abandoned, the horses being saved. Among the further news of losses through Thursday night’s heavy rains is that most of the settlers on Clandeboyo No. 1 State settlement lost much stock and crops, and had water flowing through their houses owing to an overflow of the Orari River. The Lands Department will he applied for help in providing security against a repetition of the mishap. Westport, December Jl.

Hjalmar Norman, a post office let-ter-carrier, twenty-one years of age, left Westport at noon yesterday on a bicycle" to try to catch the 4.20 p. m. train at Reefton for Greymouth. He took ill on the road through overexerting himself, and died at Inangahua Junction this morning.

' The Westport regatta, which, owing to lack of wind for the sailing races, was strung up over three days, was brought to a close yesterday, when S. Marris’s Mohawk (Westport) won the open sailing handicap, six miles (£ls), with Moss and Steele’s Alert (Greymouth), £5, second. In the three-mile sailing race the positions of these two boats was reversed. , A protest by the owners of tho Mohawk against the Alert for fouling was dismissed. Dunedin. December 31.

Customs duties collected at Dunedin last .month were:—Customs £35,369, beer duty £3625; gold exported, 27860 z, valued at £11.122. Totals for the year:—Customs, £441,062 (19,10, £434.9151: beer duty, £35.035 (1910, £34.430) ; gold exported, 78.257-oz, valued at £316.019 (1910, 75,8830 z, valued at £319,09 D.

The wages dispute at Fort Chalmers between engineers and the TTrion Company was amicably settled on Saturday. the Mayor of Fort Chalmers (Mr Flattsl acting ns arbitrator at a meeting of representatives of both parties at which a settlement of tho matters in dispute was arrived at, Tho terms of settlement are said to l)e satisfactory to both parties. Tho engineers, who have been cut of w°rk a week in eonsonuenee of the dispute, will resume duties next Wednesday.