The Taranaki Herald PUBLISHED DAILY. MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 1883.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 4460, 1 October 1883, Page 2

The Taranaki Herald PUBLISHED DAILY. MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 1883.

The general statistics of tho Friendly Societies in New Zealand for the year 1882 forms one of the Parliamentary papers laid on the table of the Houses lust sessionThe return is fuller than the previous ones published, but is still imperfect, as the Registrar informs us in his introductory remarks that there are still thirty-two returns wanting, and one is so deficient in information as to be valueless. However, the return published shows that there are 268 Lodges in connection with the various Friendly Societies in working order in New Zealand. The total number of members belonging to the Lodges ut the end of last year was 19,353, and the amount invetted or in hand to their credit was the large sum of £234,935 11s. 3d. There were 3351 persons admitted us members to the various Lodges, and 2077 left them during the year 1882. The total receipts during the year amounted to £83,610 11s., out of which £55,392 3s. 9d. was expended for doctors' "sick pay" and '• funeral donations," Jcaving £28,218 7s. 3d., or about a third of the takings, to bo invested as a reserve fund. Tho number of days sickness amongst tho 19,383 members was 10,925 weeks 5 days — and during tho same period 12G members died. The Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Manchester Unity, stands iirst on the list, numbering in the Colony 8,200 members, witli an accumulated capital invested ot £149,457 16s. The Ancient Order of Foresters is next ia order, the Society numbering 5,952 members, and being worth £59,259 18b. sd. The other Societies ol any note are :—lndependent: — Independent Order of Odd Fellows, 456 members, with an accumulated capital of £3,804 95.; National Independent Order of Odd Fellows, 301 members, with an accumulated capital of £1,092 7s. Id. ; Ancient Order ol Shepherds, 79 members, with an accumulated capital of £314 9s. lid. ; Ancient Order of Druids, 1,622 members, with an accumuluted capital of £3,372 11s. lid. ; Independent Order liechabitcs, 926 members, with un accumulated capital of £7,239 135. sd ; Hibernian- Australian Catholic Benefit Society, 428 mcmberß, with an accumulated capital of £3,200 19s. lid. There are smaller Societies, but the wealth of them is comparatively small in comparison to tho number of members. The wculthiest individual lodge is the Fountain of Friendship Lodge, o£ the Manchester Unity Order of Odd Fellows, which, although it numbers only 343 members, j holds property to tho value of £16,762 10s. 9d.; and the poorest Society is the Papanui Court of Foresters, which has only 16 members, and is worth only £3 19s. 6d. The former has been thirty-eight years in existence, and the latter only a year. In the New Plymouth Dißtrict, the Odd Follows (Manchester Unity) have four Lodges, with 277 members, and an accumulated capital of £2,614 9s. 7d.; and tho Foresters have four Courts, 62 members, and a capital of £1,847 13s. The other Societies in the district are not mentioned. These statistics aro very interesting, and clearly show that if these Societies were encouraged by the Government there would be no necessity for Major Atkinson's .National Insurance scheme.

To-morrow being the Jewish New Year's Day, the shops of the New Zealand Clothing Factory und Messrs. J. M. Braecli & Go. will be closed during tho duy. Tho Ancient Order of Foresters' will celebrate the opening of their district and the new hall, in Gill-street, by a dinner to-morrow evening. The vital statistics for tho month of September in tho Borough of New Plymouth are— Births, 27; marriages, 2; and deaths, 7.

The Hon. Mr. Whitaker, the late Premier, is in his 72nd year. The Wellington Post understands that it is the intention or! the Government to appoint an extra Minister from the Legislative Council without portfolio. A lawyer will no doubt be obtained if possible." Owing to the Wanaka having to undergo her periodical overhaul at Dunedin, the Taiaroa will take her placo on the timetable, arriving here on Monday, the Bth October, carrying the outward 'Frisco mail. "The Opposition," says the Dunedin Herald, "have been frequently twitted with being entirely without a policy. The The fact ia that the Government has stolen tho policy of its predecessors, and contented itself with following up, to a certain extent, and in its own way, the course marked out by Sir George Grey." The Taranaki Minstrels, who met with so much success in New Plymouth, will give their entertainment at Inglewood this evening. The programme includes Nigger songs and dances, black wit, plantation scenes, Ethiopian humour, Negro drolleries, laughable anecdotes, conundrums, and local squibs. The Inglewood people are noted for " lolling up" to entertainments, and we, therefore, expect this company will be well supported. Yesterday morning as the Rev. Fathers Le Menant des €hesnais and Ohastagnon, were on their way to Inglewood in a carriage they were stopped by the fall of a large tree, which had been blown down by the heavy wind early in the morning. They would have been unable to proceed any further had it not been for the kindness of Mr. H. 0. Turner, who cleared a passage through the bush for the horse to go through, and kindly offered his own vehicle to the aforesaid gentlemen. This act of Mr. Turner is worthy of admiration, and both Father Chastagnon and Father Le Aienant des Chesnais, have requested us to publicly testify their deep-felt gratitude to him. The furious south-easterly gale that was experienced on Saturday night, did considerable damage to property. In town, a large number of windows were brokenMr. Denham's coach factory was damaged to the extent of £11 or £12, the large windows being blown in ; while at Mr. Quigley's premises, near the National Bank, two verandah posts were lifted up bodily out of their sockets. The verandah, how"ever, was not seriously damaged. In the country, some of the fences and out- ! houses were blown down ; and the brick chimney at the Oakura school was partly blown down. We believe no damage was done at the Harbour Works. With reference to the native outrage at Kawhia, the Auckland Star's correspondent telegraphed — "Mr.N. J. Butler arrived •it Kawhia in the Hinemoa on Wednesday) and interviewed the natives who had e'estroyed the beacons. Tehirahi said, as the euiissury of Tawhiao, he was justified in doing as he had done. Mr. Butler told the natives that thuy had committed a serious offence, and warned them that if the beacons were not re-erected the Government would take steps to prevent any re-occurrence of the trouble. Mr. Butler left by the steamer the same evening. The buoys were not destroyed. The other natives assembled said nothing to Mr. Butler, and it is uncertain what turn matters will now take. Tehirahi said ho would not re-erect the beacons." Mr. George Jones, honorary conductor of the Oamaru Garrison Band, is to be pre-1 sented with a handsome baton bearing the following inscciption: — "Presented by the Oumaru Garrison Bund to Mr. George Jones, in commemoration of victory in band contest, Oainaru v. Invercargill, March 24th, 1883; and in recognition of his valuable services as conductor." Referring to the matter, the North Otago Times says — "The proficiency to which the Oamaru Garrison Band has attained, and which haH gained for them their present high musical reputation, is in no small measure due to the untiring interest taken in the band by their honorary conductor, Mr. George Jones, whose constant devotion of time and attention to their musical culture has been attended with the most gratifying musical results. The following circular has been issued from the Department of Justice: — "It being understood that considerable diversity of practice exists in the various Resident Magistrates' Courts with reference to charging the fee when judgment is confessed before hearing, Resident Magistrates are informed that it is considered that such fee is not payable when judgment is confessed before the case is called on for hearing." Defendants (says a Southern contemporary) probably think that another circular should be issued forbidding solicitors' fees, which are much higher than Court fees, being charged in such cases, and in cases being allowed to go by default also. We believe that a "diversity of practico" exists on this point also, some magistrates refusing to allow the solicitors' fees when there is no defence ottered. A young lady reading in a newspaper, the other day, of a girl having been made crazy by a sudden kiss, called the attention of her uncle, who was in the room, to that rather singular occurrence, whereupon tlio old gentleman gruffly demanded what the fool had gone crazy for. " What did she go crazy for ?" archly returned the ingenious maiden. " Why, for more, I suppose I" In an article upon the breeding of animals in New South Wales, a Sydney paper says :—": — " In one year our breeders huve been forced to pay tho Colony of New Zealand £50,000 for heavy draught mares, and £10,000 for heavy or working horses. From the same placo nearly all our horse-pease, beans, linseed, carrots, and potatoes come. We have been compelled to pay the other Colonies almost £lUO,OOO for stud sheep and £30,000 for stud cattle, and while all this is going on we talk about our superiority and advancement, yet few believe it, for few only come here for our stud cattle or horses, or even for sheep, so that our boast is a mere delusion. Let us look at the thing straight, and say what we mean to do. An amusing story of a mistake cornea from the United States. An hotel keeper living at Raleigh, in North Carolina, reccDtly broke one of his bar-room windows, aud being unable to get tho damugc repaired in his own town, ho wrote oIE to New York for a pane of glass of the required size. The measurement was 22 inches by 32 inches, but in his haste Boniface wrote " feet" instead of " inches," and in consequence his order rather astonished tho glassmakers of tho Empire City. They could not, they soon discovered, manufacture a sheet so large, and bearing in mind the magnitude and apparent importance of the order, they at once telegraphed to France for what they required. A Paris manufacturer happened to be able to roll a sheet of tho necessary superficies, and at the earliest possible moment ho did so, and shipped the result to New York. In due time the huge parcel, which, on account of its sizo, could not be forwarded by rail, reached its destination ; and on opening it, the hotel- keeper found a muss of glass an inch thick and as large as tho lloor of a banqueting hall. But, what was worse still, the Pans manufacturer's bill came to more than £600, and tho charged for transport and insurance amounted to nearly halt as touch again.