NEW ZEALAND : GENERAL.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXVIII, Issue 13, 29 March 1900, Page 15

NEW ZEALAND : GENERAL.

Harvesting has gone on ahead in the Gore district during the last week (bays the Southern Standard). Cutting is very nearly finished, and most of the farmers are busy leading in. The crops judging by the abundance of stooks should yield most handsomely.

We have received a parcel of us^d stamps and Is Id in unused stamps for St, Vincent dp Panl'a Orphnnnjr». Sontb DnneHin, from Miss Annie Deegan. Oreti Plains, Winton, and parcels of used «ramp« for Father Kreymborg'« minion from Mi«« Mary A. Doody, West Oxford, Canterbury, and Miss J. E. Hayes, Cromwell

The journalistic enterprise of tha press in the Wellington Provincial District, especially as regards war articles, and reports of the Premier's patriotic speeches (says the Wairarapa Time*), has be^n found to be susceptible of even greater appreciation than has hitherto been accorded to it. The Railway Department has directed its servants to collect all newspapers which are now left in the trains, and to forward them to the Wellington Asylum.

Mr. L. Hanrahan occupied the chair at the last meeting of the Ashburton Catholic Literary Society, when there was a large attendance of me mbers. Mr. McSherry handed in his resignation as secretary, as pressure of other busiuess prevented him from carrying on the work. The resignation was received with regret, several members taking occasion to compliment Mr. McSherry for the able manner in which he had carried out his duty as secretary to the Society ever since its foundation. The contents of the ' editor's box ' occupied the attention of members during the evening, many of the questions asked beig productive of interesting discussions.

His Grace Archbishop Redwood, accompanied by the Rev. Father Ainsworth (says the Inanrjahua Times) arrived in Reefton on St. Patrick's Day. The visitors were met at Cronadun by Very Rev. Father McNamara, Very Rev. Dean Holland, and a large number of the laity, who escorted them to the presbytery. On Sunday morning his Grace opened the mission, which is to be conducted here during the whole of the present week. In the evening the Rev. Father Ainsworth preached a powerful sermon on Confession. The church was crowded to excess, the congregation including many members of other denominations, and we have no doubt but that the attendance will be equally large throughout the week.

A Napier correspondent writes : — Some time ago the Irishmen of Napier determined to procure an Irish flag, and requested Mr. Michael Davitt to procure it for them. A few days ago they received a letter from Mr. Davitt, who Baid he had put the matter in competent hands, and expected to be in a position to forward it about Christmas. The flag is to be of the best Irish poplin. It will have an Irish harp in the centre, resting on a groundwork of shamrocks with the motto 'Erin go Bragh' underneath. At the corners will be the heraldic emblems of Ulster, Leinster, Munster, and Connaught Mr. Davitt felt sure that the Irishmen of Napier would be very well batLofied with the flag when it arrived at its destination.

Our Chrirftchuroh correspondent writes: — At the afternoon parade at Addington on Monday Messrs T. I. Joynt, E. O'Connor, and M. OiSrien, on behalf of the Irishmen of Canterbury, presented field-glares to the officers of the Canterbury Company. Mr Joynt wiid that Lord Ranf urly had generously offered to bear the expense of the congratulatory cablegram from the Irishmen of Canterbury to the Oueen, and at the same time suggested that the funds collected for the purpose should be expended in fieldglasses for the officers of the Canterbury Company. Mr O'Ccnnor said lie thought it was their first duty to thank the Queen for giving the Irishmen in the Army the privilege of wearing their national emblem on their national saint's day, and also to thank her for her condescension in deciding to visit Ireland when, at her great age. she would find travelling a great inconvenience. He trusted it would be the beginning of a new epoch, and would bring Britain and Ireland closer together. He hoped the Queen would live to see that she had no more loyal or worthy subjects than the Iri&h. Mr. O'Brien said he could only endorse all that Mr. O'Connor had Baid. Captain Currie, on behalf of the company, returned thanks to the Irishmen of Canterbury.

The Dunedin correspondent of the Mount Ida Chronicle writing with regard to the celebration of St. Patrick's Day says :—: — For the day the Scottish population of Dunedin became positively Irish. Nine out of every ten persons one met in the street wore a sprig of shamrock — a firm of tailors supplied shamrocks gratuitously to whoever liked to apply for them — and the Irish flag, the harp on the green background, fiew from nearly flagpole in town. The entire population united in the expression of admiration of the gallantry bhown by the Irish soldiers in the war. The heart of the Irish residents was touched by the manifestation of their fellowcitizens' pride in their countrymen's valour. There is no more susceptible people on the face of the earth than the Irish, and our local Irish did not belie the reputation of the race. Their appreciation of the general recognition of St Patrick's Day and of the bravery of the Irish soldiery was marktd at a meeting of Irishmen at the Agricultural Hall on Saturday when they resolved upon cabling to the Queen an expression of their gratitude for the sympathy she is showing towards the Iris-h people. All the representative Irishmen of the place were present A rather curious collection they made — the Hon. J. G. Ward and Mr. Jam^s Hazlett, the Rev. Father Murphy and Mr. Barclay. M.H.R., the Hon. Hugh Gourley and Mr. J. P. Armstrong, Mr. J. B. Callan and Councillor Carroll, and a host of others, many of whom — perhaps the majority - would have resented it as an insult if anyone had told them six months ago that before a quarter of the year 1 '.100 was gone they would be singing the National Anthem, lhey sang it most heartily on Saturday.