NEW ZEALAND : GENERAL.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXIX, Issue 3, 17 January 1901, Page 19

NEW ZEALAND : GENERAL.

On last Thursday morning an unusual visitor made an early morning call on Lyttelton Harbor — to wit, a large whale. Few people noticed it, and no attempt was made to interfere with it. We understand that the Hon. Dr. Grace, M.L.C., together with some members of his family, is about to take an extended tour through America and Europe. We wish the distinguished medico a pleasant trip and a safe return. The Acting-Premier has reoeived a telegram from a prominent resident at Rotorua stating that there is general satisfaction in the district at Mr. Donne's (the newly-appointed tourist traffic manager) report dealing with the grievances in connection with the new regulations at the sanatorium. Warder Scanxon, who for the last 12 years has been connected with the Wellington Gaol — a capable and popular officer — has been specially selected to take charge in the capacity of Acting-Gaoler of the tree-planting operations at Rotorua. A correspondent, in writing to the Nexo Zealand Times on the question of the remarkable anomalies in school teachers' salaries, states that there are at present over 80 certificated female teachers teaching in the Wellington district, each controlling an average of HO pupils, who are only receiving £12 a year. In one case, the correspondent says, a girl was teaching for five years before she received this sum. The Greymouth Erening Star of January ,"> has the following paragraph — ' The Rev. Father Ainsworth will leave for Europe on Monday the 14 in instant. He will, during his sojourn, visit many (if the capitals of Europe, and as a colonial will take the opportunity of beting as much of the old world as he possibly can. We wish him a pie tsant voyage and speedy return. As he is a careful observer an account of his travels will be well worth listening to.' Trooper Harris, of the Woodville district, has written a letter to the Woodnlh' Examiner. In the course of it he says :—: — ' Every corps in South Africa that I have seen, reckon that they are the smartest and best fighters. So they are, if one could believe what the Generals cay. After every fight the corps are formed up, and the General pulls their leys tor about a quarter of an hour.' This (says the X.7. Turn i) is one thing that has hitherto not been very frequently referred to in the lettern written by our troopers. A shaup frost was experienced over a considerable area in Southland on Friday evening. On inquiry we (Southland Daily A'rw*') learn that potatoes have suffered severely, in some cases completely cut down. It is feared the damage to crops is extensive, in which c&fe the price of potatoes tlm year will be high. Wheat, which was only just coming into flower, will also suffer materially. In the districts most affected the ground was quite white in the early morning, and, as the sun came out strongly, the worat results happened. The annual picnic in connection with the Sisters of Mercy Orphanage. Nelson, took place at Wangamoa Flat on Tuesday of labt week. Various frames and races were carried out under the direction of Father G. Mahony, which were kept going almost the whole aay, and the unanimous verdict of the children was that they could not have spent a happier day. Just before starting for home they were drawn up in line by the Very Rev. Dean Mahoney, and that gentleman called for three cheers, which were very heartily given, for those who had ho kindly contributed towards the picnic, and also for those who had assented otherwise. Progressive New Zealand is evidently exciting some attention at the other side of the Pacific One of our contemporaries says : Attracted by information regarding New Zealand supplied to an Illinois paper by the Hon. W. T Jennings, M L.C., a large party of Americans, numbering about 100 families, are inquiring through Mr. Jennings what inducement in the way of providing unworked laud will be given by the Government to enable them to form a special settlement in New Zealand. The matter has, says the Wellington I'nst, been brought by Mr. Jennings under the notice of the Acting-Premier (Hon. J. G. Ward). The phenomenally heavy rain which fell in the Ashburton district on Thursday and Friday (sayd the Ires*) has done a lot of damage to crops in various parts of the district. Some of the wheat and oats in the Ashburton Forks, Wakanui, and Willowby district?, which promised very heavy yields, have been laid qiiite flat, and, as one farmer put it to our correspondent on Saturday, the crop has the appearance of having been rolled with a heavy roller. The rain which fell in Ashburton on Thursday afternoon was by far the heaviest experienced for years.

Soifß three years ago Sir George Clifford, who was then a member of the committee, urged upon the members of the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association the necessity of stringent measures being taken to eradicate the barley grass pest, but without any effect. This grass has now spread to an alarming extent (says the Lyttelton Times). Most of the waste sections in the city and suburbs are now full of it, and it is making its appearance in many of the pastures of this province. Hagley Park South has several large patches of the grass, and the path loading across from the hospital to the Addington Baleyards is almost overgrown with it. The captain of th« ' Lady Barkly ' reports that in steaming from Collingwood to Takaka last week, and thence to Separation Point, he passed through slime and dead fish the whole way, the fish being bo close together that they were not a footstep apart. The beaches of Golden Bay are strewn with dead fish in places to a depth of 3ft, and such is the stench that some settlers oontemplate leaving their homes for a time. At West Wanganui the beaches are strewn with flounders and other fish. Captain Stevens says the waters are thick with slime. Wellington scientists suggest that the cause of the destruction of fish in Golden Bay may be sulphurous exhalations from the bottom of the sea following a seismic convulsion. Thb adjourned annual meeting of the Aahburton St. Patrick's Day Sports Association was held on the 14th inst., when there was a fair attendance of members. Mr. M. J. Burgess (says the Mail) occupied the chair. The balance sheet showed a surplus of £8 17s 8d for the past year. The president and vice-presidents now in office were re-elected, and Messrs. H. Cullen and J. Moison were added to the list of vice-presidents. The following committee was appointed : — Messrs. D. Wilson, M. J. Burgess, H. McSherry, James Wilson, W. P. Daly, S. Madden, P. Cookson, J. Mullan, J. Kennedy, F. Cooper, B. Moriarty, D. McDonnell. Mr. L. Hanrahan was eleoted treasurer, and the appointment of a secretary in the place of Mr. D. McDonnell, who declined re-election, was held over till next meeting. Thb ordinary weekly meeting of the Ashburton Catholic Literary Society was, says the local Mail, held on Wednesday evening, when there was a good attendance of members. Mr M. J. Burgess occupied the chair. A considerable amount of correspondenoe and other minor business being transacted, the programme for the evening, which took the form of a debate, was prooeeded with. The question under disctfaaion was ' Should New Zealand federate with Australia,' and needless to say, this subject was the means of providing a very keen and interesting debate. Mr. J. Moison took the affirmative and Mr. F. Cooper the negative side of the question, and both debaters gave excellent addresses in favor of their respective aides. Several other members having explained their views on the subject, a vote was taken, which resulted is favor of the non-federalist party by a small majority. On Monday eveainp of last week a banquet was tendered to Mr. Gilfedder, M.H.R., by the settlers and other residents of Eastern Bush. The chair was occupied by Mr. W. Darley, and among: the guests present was the Hon. Mr. Hall-Jones, Minister of Public Works, In the course of a reply to the toast of ' The New Zealand Government. Mr. Hall-Jones said he hai been pleased to learn of the good class of land between Lake Manapouri and Eastern Bush, and he had no hesitation in Baying that the time was not far distant when a branch line from the Nightcaps line would be commenced to the lakes. Telephonic communication, at all events, would soon be extended from Eastern Bush to the lakes. In the course of his reply to the toast of ' The Guest of the Evening,' Mr. Gilfedder said that from the first he had advocated a railway through Eastern Bush to Manapouri and Te Anau. At present the settlers around Eastern Bush had no encouragement to grow grain on account of the lengthy haulage. The scenery of the two lakes ahead of them was already becoming well known all the world over as the finest lake scenery in the world, and he now had hope that the time was not far distant when a line would be made which would bring Te Anau and Manapouri within easy access of tourists. In concluding, he said he hoped the next time he was with them they would be gathered together on the occasion of the turning of the first sod of the Otautau and Eastern Bush railway. Dr. F. A. Monckton, of Feilding, says in the N. X. Times of January 9 : Now that the murder ia out, your readers may like to know in plain language the origin, canse, and result of the beer poisoning in England, so that precautions may be taken in time to prevent a similar catastrophe in New Zealand. In the first place, beer is supposed to be made from malt and hops, but malt sugar being expensive, a perfectly justifiable and wholesome substitute can be obtained by making an artificial, or, as it is called, an iuvert sugar, by the action of sulphuric acid (oil of vitrol) upon starch. This is what some firm was supposed to supply to some 200 breweries in England ; but, unfortunately, it was considered more remunerative to use a cheap commercial sulphuric acid derived from iron pyrites, instead of the pure article, such as the Drug Company used to manufacture at White Island from sulphur. To follow out the faots, iron pyrites has various impurities, and among them is generally to be found arsenic. Hinc illae lacrimae — I beg your pardon — I mean, henoe several thousand persons were poisoned and several hundred died. We all have a right to an opinion, and mine is that much of the British stamina was built up by means of malt and hops, as opposed to the washy light wines used on the Continent. I have seen with regret that for years past there has been a deterioration going on through trade opposition and trade substitution, and in saying bo, I am aware I shall be offending the moet powerful organisation in the Colony ; but when it comes to seeing a risk of arsenic poisoning, if materials used are not eorupulouay tested from time to time, I think it would be criminal to hold my tongue. I never knew why the White Island enterprise was abandoned, though there were rumors that a platinum plant was stolen, and of an insufficient market. I think everyone would be pleased to hear of its being resuscitated.