LOCAL AND GENERAL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 10752, 25 April 1913, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL.

The following were the entries at the Addington yards on Wednesday, those for the previous week being _given in parentheses Cattle 545 (885), sheep 36.739 (41.,070), pigs 792 (904). An Auckland telegram says that the Forestry Commission proceeded south by the mid-day express. Some members will go to Mokau, via r le Kuiti, and others to Taumarunui and down the Wanganui River. The spoil of fair weather continued in most part of the dominion this morning. Lipht breezes and high barometer , readings were in evidence throughout. Rain was reported from Cape Maria Van Diemen and Russell. The following vessels are expected to bo within, range of the radio stations to-night Auckland Victoria, Wimmera. Ulimaroa, Tahiti. Moana. Matinganui. Navua. Atua and H.M.S. New Zealand. Wellington—Wimmera, Victoria., 'Ulimaroa, Maitai. Maunganui, Tahiti. Moana and Hawke's Bay. The Papanui Bowling, Tennis and. Croquet Club held a progressive euchre party and dance last evening, in the Masonic Hall. PapanuL about eighty people being present- Numerous prizes were allotted to loth ladies and gentU 1 - nwn in the euchre tournament. It is intended to continue such entertainments periodically during the winter months. A smoke concert was held by the Nomads Club oil Thursday night at which advantage was taken to present Mr P. Noakes (who is leaving fo.r an extended tour of the Old Country) with a silver-mounted razor strop suitably inscribed. The president, Mr P. _L. Davies, eulogised the work Mr Noakes had done for tho advancement of Association football in Canterbury, and particularly for the Nomads _ Club, in which as captain of the white team, he had been deservedly popular. An example of what industry and patience will achieve is shown in a model of a funrigged ship which is atpresent on view in a window in Panama Street, ?avs the Wellington "Evening; Post." It is the work of Mr # J. EGrainge, an inmate of the. Otaki Sanatorium. and was accomplished mainly, with the aid of a pocket-knife. The little vessel is complete in every detail > even to the tiny blocks in her rigging, while miniature life-boats, perfect in design, are stationed under the davits. The dominion exports for tha ye»F ended March 31, 1913, wereßutter, 3G9.ooßcwt, value £2,058,683; cheese, 834,1700wt, value £1.859,179; mutton, 2.149.950 carcases, 1,061,417cwt, value £1,500,728; legs and pieces. 31.2<0cwt,value £43,522.; lamb. 2,956,249 carcases, 901,146cwt. value £1,820,342; hemp, 21,567 tons, value £483,353; kauri gum, 8354 tons, value £430,200; skiUSi 16,483.692. value £8(1.941; tallo\v, 22:743 tons, value £663,470; timber, 91,771,133 superficial feet, vaWe £475.23.0 i wool, 195,822,5431b, value £8 065,351; gold, 332,350 ounces, value £1)305,217. For some time past an agitation, has been on foot t-Q relieve the lake at Levin of som© 0$ its..mmM waters, says the Times." The lake, which is nearly 2000 acres in extent, is within a mile and a half of the post office, in Street, and is a magnificent sheet oj water. It was recently ascertained that the Horowhenua County Council had power to carry out this work, with, the result that at the small expense of about £ls over a foot of water hag been enabled to flow out to sea. One of tho most notable features following upon this has been large catches of eels by Natives in their baskets along the creek leading to the Hokio beach. Several tons of eels have been caught and forwarded.to Natives in different parts of the Nqrth Is^nd. What is a reasonable load that a. liorse should be expected to draw? This question was again discussed _at Tuesday night's meeting of the Wellington Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, says the ''Evening Post,." ''Some time ago,' 1 said Inspector Seed, *' we brought the matter of overloading before, the City Council. 1 think Mr Morton was in favour of reducing the load to SOcWt." He explained that the load at present allowed was two tons. In spite of what carr riers had stated, ha was of the opinion that two tons was far and away excessive. Carters thought that because horses were free from sores they were not liable. One member thought that if a horse could take two tons on a good road they should not object. There were plenty of horsey which could take two tons. The matter was then allowed to drop.' According to one of the lonic's immigrants who arrived in Auckland _or« Monday afternoon, newcomers to New Zealand from the big English cities find that eye-trouble is one of the greatest drawbacks which they have to contend with. This particular immigrant-, an ex-remployee of a boot-manufacturing firm in Bristol, told a "Herald" representative that friends of his in New Zealand, who had come out five years before him, had written to him stating that before they had been in the North Island three months they found that the whole family had had to seek the aid of various types of spectacles. " I have heard of other cases," said the bootmaker. "I suppose it is your bright, blue skv, and the contrast it makes to working in dark factories in dull cities. But I think that if our eyes suffer through too much sunlight, we would sooner have the sunlight than perfect eyes." Mrs Donaldson, a candidate, in the Labour interest, for election to the Wellington Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, in addressing an open-air meeting in Customhouse Square on Wednesday, says the Wellington " Dominion." made a serious allegation in reference to the local administration of charitable aid. She stated that a woman wljo was ill, and had five children, was told upon applying at the Board office for relief that she ought to be ashamed of herself, and that a young woman like her ought to go out and work. So ill was the woman, Mrs Donaldson stated, that she was admitted to the hospital two or three days afterwards. Mrs Donaldson further stated that although applications for relief were supposed to be received between 2 and 3 p.m.. she went lip one day and found that the office was not opened until three-quarters of an hour after the appointed time. She was quite sure, she added, that if she had gone up at five minutes past three she would have found the office closed.

An extraordinary state of affairs is reported from the stockade at Dry Creek, which is South Australia's chief prison, states the Sydney " Sun." For month's past, thefts have taken place from, several, of the warders' houses, and also from the residence of the governor of the gaol. Inquiries were always made, and suspicion was allowed to rest on the guard's themselves. However, Jjuite recently, while one of these officials and his family were at the prison chapel attending.Sunday service, about £3O worth of jewellery was removed from his house, and the presence of detectives and black trackers did not clear 'ho situation in any way. As soon as the incident blew over, another robbery was reported, and this time the governor of the gaol had about £IOO worth of property taken. An exhaustive inquiry was made, and a search was instituted. The result was that a prisoner serving eight years for burglary was questioned. He denied any knowledge of the affair, but confessed his guilt when confronted with the missing goods at the house of a. relative situated close to the prison. It appears that this prisoner was allowed a great deal of freedom, and his actions were rarely questioned. Don't lost interest. Renewed energy in every doso of Steams' Wine of Cod Liver Extract. Increase your vitality and make your work take 011 an added interest. IS

i T)r Manning has given £2 2s to the Scott Memorial Fund. All the Canterbury trout streams were reported clear this morning. A DuiieOin telegrani says that the price of meat there is likely to bo increased on May 1 by from }d to Id per lb. The Hon R. H. Rhodes advises the Dunedin correspondent til' this paper that he has arranged with Dr C.hamptalonp to give his, illustrated lecture on bacteria, in milk in Cliristchurch on May 2. A number of informations against two Wellington hotelkeepers and other persons, , alleging breaches of the Gaming Act, were called in the Magistrate's Court there to-day, and were 'adjourned till Mjiy 2. A circular received from the Southland Farmers' Co-operative Association, Invercargill, states that from tho beginning of May it will observe tho weekly half-holidny on Saturday, closing -'it 12.30 p.m. It adds that all tjie mercantile firms in Invercargill are making the same change. The Mayor has been informed that the City" Council's electrical plant yielded a net profit of seven guineas per cent during the past financial year. Depreciation has to be paid out of that, but allowance has been made for working expenses, interest and sinking fund. An informal preliminary meeting was held yesterday evening at St Paul's Schoolroom, Papanui, to discuss matters generally in regard to the formation of the. proposed Canterbury Fruit Canflipg, Jam and Pickling Export Company of New Zealand, Limited. The prospectus of the company was submitted and read to the meeting and unanimously approved. Sitting in "Wellington on Wednesday Mr Justice Dennistou granted probate in the following cases: —William John Wilson (Mr Purnell), Alfred Charles Pritchard (Mr Brown), Mary Halton (Mr Peswick), Caroline Quinton (Mi" Slater), John Pratt Andrews (MiBrown). Letters of administration were granted in the case of Edwin Wilce (Mr Perry). There was a large attendance at tjie Methodist Schoolroom, Opawa, on Wednesday evening, when the congregation bade farewell to the Rev J. N. Buttle, who is obliged through illhealth to retire from active church work. Mr George Scott presided and made eulogistic reference to the work done by Mr Buttle and expressed the regret of all. On behalf of the congregation Mr Scott presented to Mr Buttle an upholstered easy chair, aud Mrs Scott, on behalf of tho Ladies' Guild, presented a similar gift to Mrs "Buttle. Messrs Cooksloy, Trerise, Collins and Turner also referred to the good work done by Mr Buttle and extended a hearty welcome to their new minister, the Rev W. Laycock, and to Mrs and Miss Laycock. Now that the Federal Government, after playing with the subject for somo Fears, has at last established wireless communication with Papua, it is astonished that it answers a public; convenience, -says a Melbourne journal. The importance of this station lies in the fact that - it affords the only means outside the ordinary steamer service of reaching the territory Already tlio revenue exceeds that for either the Melbourne or the Sydney installation. For the week ended February 25 there were 784 words transmitted, for tho week ended March 1 2291, and for the succeeding weeks 1958, 2845, 1604, 1849, 3120 and 4206 words. The longest message, which was for a- commercial firm, was .2000 words. As the communication is within the Commonwealth jurisdiction, the rate is 3d a ■word. For messages outside the Commonwealth area, such as telegrams to and from ships, the rate, which is governed by -international convention, is lOd a -word.

In connection with the fruit export trade, eays the " Age, 11 the Commonwealth has suffered disadvantages in the past owing to the perplexing lack of uniformity prevailing in the different States relative to the naming of fruits. This remark applies particularly to apples and pears, which are the fruits chiefly dealt in. A conference of delegates appointed by the Australian Fruit Growers Association to deal with the question was recently opened in the hall of the School of Agriculture, at Burnley. A collection, comprising all the varieties of the commercial apples and pears grown in the six States of the Commonwealth, was on "view. The confusion at present existing may be illustrated. by a few facts. For instance, the. apple Muurn's Favourite is known in some of the States as Dunne's Seedling, while in New Zealand it is known under still another name. One variety of pear, the Bartlett, is known in South Australia as the Duchess, while in other States it is variously known as the Bartlett and William's Bon Chretien. The apple so well known in Victoria as the Fire Crowns is in mania called the Colvillo Clanche. Altogether, there are from twenty to thirty varieties of apples and pears which are known under different names in the different Sfates. The object of the conference is to fix a common classification for all Australia—to arrange one common name for each variety of fruit. The collection of fruit shown is of great educational value, as disclosing how the difference of climate and other conditions, such as irrigation and manuring, bring ahout unexpected results in the formation, colouring and jaarking of the same variety of apples. Somq years ago the plumage of the ,/hea, a South American bird, was injluded in a Birds' Preservation Bill vhich was presented to the Imperial Parliament. The Australian Government subsequently prohibited the importation of the feathers, but, as the Bill has not yet become law, the Federal Minister of Customs has for some time been considering the question of removing the prohibition. The feathers of the rhea resemble somewhat those of the ostrich, and Mr Tudor is advised by Mr A. S. le Souef, director of the Melbourne Zoological Gardens, that, like the ostrich, it is becoming domesticated and bred for its feathers, for which a large market is developing. On the other hand, certain bird-lovers strongly object to the restrictions being relaxed. Having heard the views of a number of persons interested in the question, Mr Tudor has come to the conclusion that the rhea may be properly treated on similar lines to the ostrich, and he has therefore decided to remove its plumage from the operation of the proclamation prohibiting its importation. Referring to the proteats made by members of the Bird' Observers 1 Club against the removal of the prohibition of the export of certain birds when alive, the Minister of Customs expressed the opinion that the action would not result in the destruction of the birds. Very 'few, he said, were taken away, and he did not think there was any likelihood that they would be subsequently destroyed In order that the feathers might- be used for 1 commercial purposes. Nearly all the birds that left the Commonwealth were either pets or were required for zoological gardens or scientific purposes.