ITEMS OF INTEREST.

Te Aroha News, Volume XXVII, Issue 43114, 6 July 1907, Page 1

ITEMS OF INTEREST.

The strength, of the police force in Zealand on 31st December, 1906, ._>• was a total, number of 699 persons. The returns for the census of 1906 showed that 107,759 pupils 'were attending: Sunday Schools, and there: were 11,720 teachers. There were 8790 convictions for i drunkenness in New Zealand during! 1905, of which 850 were in respect of 1 females. orders numbered, 1974, including 166 . made against ; women.

Of every 100 persons in New Zealand at the time of the census of 1906, 83.5 could read and write, 1.6 could’ read only, and 14.9 could neither read nor write. In 1874 only 68.15 could read and write. A sneak thief effected an entrance into a .Palmerston 'Church the other day and stole a quantity of clothing that had been prepared for shipment to a mission station. Mr Woods has been appointed temporary conductor of the Waihi Federal Biand, jin place of Mr Trussell, who has just left for Queensland. Mr Woods, is regarded as a thorough musician, and a very good brass band conductor. The Wairarapa Daily Times quotes figures to show that the carrying capacity of a number of sheep runs in the Wairarapa has trebled since 1873, and concludes that enormous improvements have been effected in clearing and grassing the various star lions.

Consumption caused 25 deaths in the four chief centres last month. Twenty-seven deaths resulted from k ear t disease, 13 from cancer, 14 from pneumonia, and 10 from apoplexy. Sixteen persons died from old age. Speaking at the Magistrate's Court at Clyistchurch, in lecturing some boys who, it was stated, had been returning from a billiard- room, Mr Y. C. Day, S.M., said that billiards wa? not fit amusement for youths of the age of seventeen, and legislation should be passed limiting the age of persons allowd to enter licensed bil-liard-rooms. Speaking at the canning ceremony victoria College, Wellington, the Won. G. Fowlds, Minister I'm- Educa '■•mu said in future it was intender 7 -0 errant scholarships for oritonal investi gabions into matters pertainirm to'the industries of New Zealand I here was great scope in this sphere u studv for the colony’s young men lhe Aew Zealand Alliance’s annua 1 meeting and the Colonial No-License Convention will be held inWellington on the 17th and 18th July. At "the kst Colonial Convention, which wa' held in Auckland, a new basis of re presentation wa,s adopted, and the 1907 conference is therefore expected to bi the most representative ever hid ii the colony. Over 150 delegates will be present.

Ward told an interviewer i '"vyelling'ton th’at a, touching little ii cadent occurred at the Glasgow rai way station, while the Premier’s part was on a visit to Dumbarton. A Jittl girl came down to*the station with . large bouquet of flowers to present t Lady Ward. She stated that her tw, brothers had gone to New Zealand ; short time ago to commence life there and she asked .Lady Ward if she sav anything of them in the colony to tel diem that their sister had mentionec them. That was her Object in com in' down t,° the station with the bouquet Needless .to gay.” remarked Lada Am? °' nly tool " lad to sola© the little girl, who was in great dis tress about her brothers, I assured hei that T would try to find out'where they wsife and would write and let her know how they were getting on.” There was some amusement at the meeting of the Otago Football ' Assoraatmn. The referee in a. recent match was admitted to. explain* several mat -S’w 1 « i! 00nne - ion the match. tinrJ 6en s . j ld ’” observed the secrcinJ^hS 6 midSt ° f his mg ’ that you were afraid to mve a decision on the field.” “Me afraid” In. delf mJIa PPy referee, in a delightful Scotch dialect. “Mon T wasna ever afraid of anyone Then ™ , tlie r ’ efe1 '™ shook Tis Ah ! that accounts for it ” Mr Arnold. rto w returned from\ a visit to Australia ™ was pleased than ever hat New Zealand did not Join the commonwealth. “Throughout the vhole of the States,” he said, “there s a great amount of dissatisfaction md L believe almost the whole of hem would withdraw from the Fed-a-ation if they could take a vote over gain. The legislation is unsatisfacory, and the cost of government is leoommg unbearable. Tliey have a governor for every 579,000 people, a frmster for every 73,000, and a meim >er of Parliament for -every 5000. The ost of Parliament alone is just under 2560,000 per annum. There is £50,100 paid in salaries of Ministers, and >138,000 in salaries of members. The rOvemor-General and the Governors eceive in the aggregate over £57,000 ho Executive Councils £4OOO, and-the anous Aigents-General over £24',000'. are increasing earJjpS'S ■ .tw