NEWS ITEMS.

Colonist, Volume LI, Issue 12455, 3 February 1909, Page 1

NEWS ITEMS.

■ ■ * .' ■ - ■■-.... Passengers by the. Orient liner' Oroya report that in the Bed Sea" recently the vessel ran full tilt against a monster shark, variously estimated at from 20ft to 30ft long. The shark was for a time, impaled on the Orient's bows,, and , the* vessel was obliged to go - ! astern Vto^get rid of the encumbrance. The moment it was released the infuriated crea- .: ture, which was bleeding ; 'profusely from a gaping gash in its side, rushed furiously at the • liner, dashing itself heavily against the side of the ship several times before it disappeared from view, under the blood tinged water. ' The Premier recently stated there was only on representative of the Maori race in the Executive, and that was the Hon Mr, Ngata. His friena and colleague, the Hdn Sir Carroll. - did not represent the Maori; race, but represented a European constituency, and was returned by Europeans, and not ; by Maoris,- therefore, those who said that there were two representatives of the Maori race in the MinisI try were misleading themselves and were misleading the public. Mr Carroll was a very highly educated half caste, and, with the knowledge^ that he possessed of the Maori .race, ' ■ would find it extremely difficult in the position he 1 held not to brine to bear on questions affecting the Maori race, that intimate knowledge of. ifc that ho possessed. The law of the ■ country gave the' Government power to appoint a member of the. nativerace and the Government had done so. -When burning vegetable refuse in the kitchen stove put a handful of salt into the fire and there should be no unpleasant odour. y The "sea lion- displays no little skill and cunning in capturing gulls.' When in pursuit the sea lion dives deeply under water and swims some distance from where it disappeared; then, rising cautiously, it:, exposes the tip of its tail along «ie surface, at th same time giving it a rotary motion. The unwary bird near by- . alights to catch the object, while the -sea lion at the same moment settles beneath the waves at one bound, • with extended jaws, seizes its screaming prey and instantly devours it. A large swarm of bees settled in a tree near the entrance to the Auckland Magistrate's Court offices one day last week, and caused an unusual briskness on the part' of persons as- , cending .the flight of steps ! leading from High street. The bees were dispersed by means of a hose. '■ ■-,