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Waipawa Mail, Volume XXV, Issue 4807, 4 May 1905, Page 2

A report ,of the Education Board’s meeting and reports from the District Health Officer will be found on the first page. The reading matter on the fourth page consists of Agricultural Affairs.

There has been only one bankruptcy in Napier sinoe the beginning of the year.

Mr J. H. Bull reports that the rainfall in Waipawa for April last was 4.69 inches.

A Wellington firm is having a motorwaggon constructed fcr the delivery of goods within the city. The sum awarded the late owners in the Flaxbourne case, £IBI,OOO, will be paid over by the Government in the course of the next few days.

An important recent addition to the Christchurch Museum is the skeleton of one of the smaller species of the moa family, found by Mr O. G. Meredith recently, on the sand-dun as of the Wharearaa beach.

One of the questions asked at the meeling of the Druids’ Lodge at Masterton, was : “ Should a Chinaman be permitted to become a member of a Friendly Society P" After an interesting discussion—during which there was a diversity of opinion—the vote resulted in favour of the affirmative.

The owners of large warehouses and factories in Christchurch (says the Press) have received notioe from the insurance companies of an advance in rates equal to 40 per oent. In one large establishment the rate of 10s per cent has been increased to 14s. On these buildings the State Fire Insurance Company cannot operate. The Maoris resident in Rotorua have approached the Rev. F. A. Bennett with a view of nominating him as their representative at the next general eleotion, the Arawas feeling that his services in Parliament would be of great benefit to them. Mr Bennett, however, declined, feeling that the calling which he is now engaged in is of greater importance to the welfare of the Maori race than representing them in Parliament.

A new departure has been made by meat shippers in the Argentine Republic, and it is a departure which may affect considerably the frozen meat trade. Shipments of live stock are prohibited from entering this country from outside, and so River Plate sheep are now being sent to Antwerp alive; they are killed and dressed there as Dutch mutton, and then sent to London and sold as Dutch. Many buyers have been deceived, but the meat is well spoken of, and this new branch of the trade seems to have every possibility of developing. A number of the Naseby business people and others reoeived an unexpected windfall recently in the shape of a cheque from a gentleman whom misfortune compelled to go bankrupt over twenty years ago. The gentleman in question has since been more fortunate in his occupation (farming), and decided to pay his old creditors what was due them, and aooordingly surprised them with cheques for amounts representing 6b in the £on their old aooounts. The total amount paid out, understands the Chronicle , will run to over £4OOO. An old age pensioner in a southern town fell into an error which cost him a few pounds. Last year, through not stating the amount of money he had in the Post Office (£41,) he had to make a refund of £7 from the pension he had received. In order to do this he drew out the whole of his £4l, intending to re-deposit the balance, but the money so drawn counts as income for the year, and this has entailed a loss to him this year of £5 in the pension he is to receive.

A former resident of Wellington, who is now holding a Government appointment in Natal, writing to a friend in Wellington, gives a gloomy picture of affairs in South Africa. He says; “ The country is in a very bad state. Thousands of good men are out of work. No doubt this is a good country, but it is governed by a rotten clique. The,thousands of men who fought for their oountry are actually starving and envying tlje Chinese, who are provided with Splendid quarters. It seems a crying shame that Chinamen should be imported and such poverty going on in the United Kingdom, and particularly in this part of the world.” The usual monthly meeting of the Waipukurau Road Board was held on Tuesday, 2nd inst., when all members were present. Mr T. Butler in proposing that Mr P. Gow be re-elocted chairman, spoke in most eulogistic terms of the way in which Mr Gow had carried out his duties, and the interest he had taken in connection with the Board’s work during his late term of offioo. The motion was carried unanimously. Accounts amounting to £IBO 2s 3d were passed for payment, which included metalling the Hatuma roads. A young man nearly lost his life on the mail train to Wanganui on Saturday. When between Feilding and Halcombe he was leaning with his back on the rail connecting the refreshment car to the next carriage, when a sudden jolt of the train jerked the connecting rod loose. It immediately fell between the carriages, and how the young man escaped is a miracle. It was just by a luoky twist of his body that he saved himself from falling between the oarriage wheels. The train was travelling very fast at the time. This should serve as a warning to those in the habit of standing on the platforms.

The following works have been added to the Public Library :—“ The Amblers,” [L. B. Farjeon]; “ The Silent Woman,” [Rita]; “The Sea Wolf,” [Jack London] ; “ The Prospectors,” [Ralph Connor] ; “ Highrigg,” [J. A. Haddon]; “ Overdale,” [E J. Worboise]; “ Kate of Kate Hall,” [E. F. Fowler]; “ Oblivion of Waters,” [Adeline Sergeant]; “ Vergibius,” [lrving Baiheller]; “ A Crime of the Under Seas,” [Guy Boothby]; “ Vanguard,” [Jameß Gale]; “ The Confessions of a Young Lady,” [Richard Marsh]., The credulity of Auckland tradespeople and the advantageous use that can be made by the unscrupulously disposed of the credit system have both recently been rather glaringly illustrated- A few months ago a family arrived in Auckland, consisting of mother, son, aod daughter. The daughter obtained employment in a local establishment, and very shortly began to favour various prominent business firms with orders for goods of sundry descriptions, giving it out that she was about to set up in housekeeping, and

mentioning as reference the name of the firm who employed her. All went well until about a fortnight ago, when some of her creditors began to get anxious and to make inquiries, but not in time to prevent the precious trio from embarking for an oversea port with about £2OO worth of Bouvenirs as a memento of their visit to Auckland.

It is the intention of the Government, ere many weeks are passed, to secure in the Petone-Hutt district land for workmen's homes. In announcing this on Saturday night the Premier said that even at the present enhanced prioes the Government oould acquire land at a prioe that would make the ground rent of an eighth of an acre 9d per week, and of a quarter acre section Is 6d per week. If the Government went a step further and built homes for its own workmen upon these lands, it might go still further and build houses for all workmen, and rent them at 6 per cent. That might be a departure for the State, but it had been done by County Councils in England, and by private manufacturers, and he believed it oould be done with safety in the colony of New Zealand.

In emphasising a plea for gladness in the spiritual lives of soldiers in the Salvation Army, General Booth laid stress on an opinion that corporal selfdenial was desirable as an end to proper spiritual servioe. It had been said that some men dug their graves with their teeth, and that more died from overeating than from over-drinking. Eaoh person was a combination of man and angel, and if he pandered to his appetite the man would be always on top and so prevent the poor angel from getting a chance to do good. A successful salvation servioe, said the General in concluding, “cannot be expected from a lot of people who have been stuffing themselves; who can shout hallelujah with a leg of mutton and a pork pie inside him.”

The Ohaiiman of one school district in South Canterbury hit on a brilliant idea for obviating the trouble caused when the householders do not attend in sufficient numbers to electa committee. His modus operandi is to secure enough nominations beforehand and he can do tht rest himself. The following communication from him to the Board explains itself: —“ At the meeting of householders to-night, there was only myself present, and after voting myself to the chair, I declared tho following nominated gentlemen duly elected as a oommittee for the ensuing year (here follow the names). Don't laugh. Yours sincerely, , Chairman.” His action (remarks a contemporary) seems legal enough, as there is no provision about a quorum at a householders’ meeting, and the Board will probably not laugh, as it will save them the expense ot another attempt to get a meeting.

Two munficent gifts have within the past fortnight been made to the Methodist Church. Two anonymous donors in Christchurch have given for the use of the Methodist South Sea Mission the three - masted schooner - rigged yacht, known as the Privateer. The ship originally cost £II,OOO, and has been thoroughly refitted. The donors have also signified their desire to present a sum annually for a few years towards tha upkeep of the vessel. In Sydney the Hon. E. Vickery, M L.C., who a few months ago handed over a fullyequipped mission hall with some thousands of pounds to the Central Methodist Mission, has followed up his gift by the purohase of the Sydney Lyceum Theatre, in the very heart of the oity, for £24,000, and after further additional outlay, will present the property to the Methodist Church for the extension of the C.M.M. work.