NEWS ITEMS.

Colonist, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 8147, 16 January 1895, Page 4

NEWS ITEMS.

(From oue Latest Exchanges.)

The London correspondent of the * Press' sta'es :— •• Every difeposition exists to give the New Zealand woods a thoroughly fair trial, aud if only the New Zealand sawmillers will condescend to act on the advice of the expert and regulate their supplies after the method which he recommends. they stand a very good ohanoe of doing well out of their shipments. Mr Freiberg told me that the first consignment of timber from the Kauri Timber Company has been received by the War Office and has been delivered at the Wbolwjph Arsenal, where it is beiog tried for use in the construction of gun carriages and ammunition boxes.

A marvellous story of British enterprise and organising skill was told by Sir Colin Monorieff in the lecture be delivered at London, on Egypt and tbe Nile. Sir Oolin described the measures taken by English engineers to improve the irrigation of the Lower Nile, and to regulate the water supply. He explained how the great barrage across tbe river was repaired under his direction, with the result that the dam has been able to resist the pressure of the flood against it, and holds up the river securely uotil millions of tons of water have been poured into the irrig~ ation canals, and the value of the ; Egyptian cotton crop is increased annually by an amount representing five times tbe whole oost of Sir Oolin's works. Not the least extraordinary item in the story is the fact that it was found necessary to shift the Nile bodily co that it now runs a quarter of a mile east of its old course. If Egypt owed nothing else to the British occupation, its debt to Sir Colin and his engineers would be incalculable,

The Rev Dr Wordsworth in a recent sermon preached at Melbourne, referred at length to the work of ths Church done by women in the English dioceses ; in protecting the purity and beauty of English home life, in the rescue work of children, in homes and orphanages, and in the higher religious education. But after giving all due praise to the women who engage in euoh good work, the Bishop ot Salisbury concluded that the highest work of women was to rear children for the churoh— '• thai from women might be born the strong man, just, honest, brave, self-control-led and temperate."

Says a London correspondent of Sir George Grey. — * On his arrival in London he promised a youDg lady, one of bis flew Zealand friends, that she Bhould have a day's treat whenever she liked to claim it from him. She called with another New Zealand lady to enquire aiter his health, and he at onc e reminded her of his promf|\ in' viting her to choose her treat. Somewhat to his surprise she chose a visit to the Bank of England. Be at onoe rang and summoned a oab, drove with the two ladies to some bankers in the city who are connected with him by marriage, got the head of the firm to accompany them to the office of the " Old Lady of Threadneedle street," hunted op the Governor, and in the end the two New Zealand ladies saw, all the wonders of that marvellous mone« tary establishment, the more jnvenile one, in whose special honor the expedition was undertaken, enjoying the pleasure of holding in her hands more, than a million of money in banfc. Dotes. It is needless to say she returned home in a Btate of high glee, even thongh she was unable to carry that million sterling away with her.