NEWS OF THE DAY.

Colonist, Volume LI, Issue 12420, 9 December 1908, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Tlie circuit sessions of the Supreme Court at Nelson will commence this morning before his Honor Mr •justice Cooper. Tiie annual distribution of prizes in connection with the Nelson Colleges will take place in the Assembly Hall of the Boys' College on Wednesday, 16th inst. The Hon George Fowlds, Minister of Education, will preside. It is notified that entries for the various events at the Nelson.Provincial Scottish Society's gathering to be held at Trafalgar Park on New Year's Day, must reach the. Secretary not later than 5 p.m on Monday, 21st December. A large number of entries are .expected and the- gathering should prqve' a great success. The trawler Mullogh, working off Little Akaloa picked up sixty fathr oms of. chain cable and an anchor. The find was handed over to the Customs Department at , Lyttelton. It is supposed that they may. belong to the ketch Lily, .which last. winter had to slip her cable in a gale. , ■■- Governor Solf and his newly wedded : wife arrived here on 22 (writes the Tongan correspondent of the Auckland "Herald"), _and have .been -accorded a great reception. The whole town was tastefully decorated, while ite ships in harbour were dressed out in their best colours. Whatever may be said about German colonial rule in other parts of the world it cannot be denied that Governor. Solf has been a most able and discreet" ruler, and a: constructive statesman or singular ability. Parihaka, the once famous Taranaki Native village, around which such a fierce fight was wont to beat in the days o? the zenith of, Te. Whiti's influence, is novr. a greatly Changed place (writes .an Auckland correspondent). Since ; the death of Te Whiti the natives, no longer subject to the 'masterful domination of "the prophet. y have become accustomed to individual freedom, andi the general result, so a recent visitor remarks, is- a great improvement on the old order of things. The Maoris appear to be more industrious, and those who are receiving rents . for lands owned by them are in many cases applying the money to the improvement of the holdings on which they reside, whereas formerly a great deal of the money, -was handed to Te Whiti. The work of the young Maori party has had a great influence for good on the Native, and the ministrations of the Rev R. Haddon, of BTawera, and the Rev T. G. Hammond., of .Optmake (both of whom periodically visit Parihaka). have also been attended with beneficial results. Striped zephyrs 7d, B,d 9d, Is, smart and new. — Trathen's.* The theory that Jesus was not a Jew, but was of Aryan race, was brought forward by Professor Paul Haupt at the International Congress of the History of Religions at Oxford. Briefly stated, "" Professor Haupt (who is an Orientalist of the first rank) bases his contentions on the following arguments: — "There is % town in Syria, on the river Orontes, called Hamath in the Bible, and Hamah to-day. It lies 100 miles north-of Damascus and 250 north of -Teriisalpm. TTamath is irfiniioned about thirty times in the Old Tostamont. as it was a plane of considerible importance. In 11. Kings, xvii, 24, it is stated that the King of Assyria brought men from Hamath . . rind plncr>rl thf>m in tn» citiVs of Ramnria, inptond nf th« Children of Israel. Profossor Haupt maintains that this Ham nth piust n« sought for in Gnliloo, ?nrl that thos^ irrimiTnuts worn Aryans : that ooTispqiioTitV the racial character of 0-nlilo.n un(l°rwr"nt a rnrlirci rknm from S«T*iito S to Arvn.^f!. mid tVi->t it vns from h,}io tooo r.f +h^ ttmv co7v» /> r c ' th.nf Tpf.-u^ was born. The Bluff correspondent of the "Otago Daily Times" states that a haul reminiscent of the old whaling days was made at the end of last week at Mason's Bay, on the west fonst of Stewart Island. Bragg, soTir, and Swain were off the Bay fishing. Suddenly the waters inside became a mass of life and animation. Proceeding to ascortain the cause they discovered such a shoal of blackfish as has not been soen for many a day. Thereupon they set about driving the fish on shore, suro^edinp: in stranding no fewer than 320 full si^<?. They improviseS a "try down" and although at latest advices the work was not complete, they wore expecting to cask- from 60 to 70 tuns of , oil. The latest in striped muslins, cambrics, etc., 7d to Is 3d. — Trathen's.* An immense lot Fowne's thread gloves, new colours. — Trathen's.* The codlin moth parasites, which were introduced from California some cwo years ago, and a large number of which are being reared in Auckland by the local ottice of the Department of Agriculture, are now being distributed by the Department to several orchardists in the Auckland district, records the "Herald." Information has been received that the insects are increasing to a great extent in districts where they have formerly been liberated, and this is taken as a sign that their introduction is likely to prove of great benefit in coping with the troublesome post. A large number of the steelblue ladybirds which devour scale blight of various kinds, are also being liberated in different portions of the district. It is rather surprising to find that "Jack" whether afloat or ashore (says the "Lyttelton Times") is following the fashion, and rapidly abandoning the pipe in faovur of the more seductive cigarette. Aboard the Powerful it seems, the canteen sells Jack from 1500 to 3000 cigarettes a day, only the old hands .remaining true to their first love. Ship's tobacco (pure leaf) is served out to all who ask for it at one shilling per pound, but the demand is nowadays comparatively limited. A curious phenomenon is reported as having occurred at noon on Thiirsdiy last (says the "Hawera Star"). Mr W. Coweran and a party were near the Waingongoro river and two heavy explosions (or a noise resembling the sharp crash of a thousand hoofs of galloping horses) -ivere heard. The members of the party were separated by some hundreds of yards, and all heard it. The cattle sprang to their -fe^t and appeared quite alarmed. When the noise passed Mr Coweran expected an earthquake shock, but felt. none. The incident was forgotten until a few mornings later when in conversation with an acquaintance, Mr Coweran. ascertain- 1 ed that a similar experience took place at Ngamatapoun, 30 miles up the Waitotara river. . Somebody at Waitotara" "rang up" Ngamatapouri to know what blasting operations were in progress. / The: noise was also heard in Patea. • Bamboo Winds, all sizes., dress baskets, | travelling trunks, ' etc. R. Snodgrass ' and Sons.* In dress trimmings we lead the way, in .variety, "quality, and low prices we are first. Splendid assortment.—Trathen' s.* A Napier lady who recently returned from.' a trip to tfie Old Country discovered on opening up her luggage on arrival that in transit dresses to the value of £20 had been abstracted; According to a letter received in Wellington from what is stated to be an aijthorative source in England, there is a : possibility of a,representative pf a ducal house succeeding Lord Plfink^t as Governor of the D6miniop.:of ,New Zealand when the latter's term of office expires. The writer a says the Governorship of New Zealand is. a coveted prize in 'the ej'es of many of rank and official standing.