NEW ZEALAND : GENERAL.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXIX, Issue 22, 30 May 1901, Page 20

NEW ZEALAND : GENERAL.

Thb ladies of Wellington will preeent a model of a carved Maori house to the Duchess of Cornwall. It will cost about £60. Fifty special constables will be Bworn in for a week's duty in Wellington daring the royal visit. The pay will be 10d a day, and each member will wear a distinctive badge. It is understood that Mr. A. Grant, the traffic superintendent for the North Inland, tormerly district traffic manager in Otago. takes a similar position in the South Island. The Oamaru Mail is authoritatively informed that the requisite number of shares have been taken up to induoe the North Otago Dairy Company to establish a creamery at Morven. The General Manager of Railways (Mr Ronayae), who recently returned from Australia, Ptatei that none of the railway workshops which he visited in Victoria, New South Wales, or Bouth Australia are so well equipped as that at Addington, Christohurch. Mh. A. 11. Burton gave another of his series of 'Evenings with Great Authors' in the Victoria Hall, Dunedin. on Monday night. The audience was very appreciative, and thoroughly enjoyed Mr. Burton's treatment of Thackeray's Vanity Fair. The expert of oats from North Otago and South Canterbury appears to be very heavy at the present time. The Bernicia, which loaded 20,000 sacks of 801 b each in Oamaru. has increased her cargo by 31,000 sacks at Timaru, and the Fatshoda has taken in 23,000 sacks in Oamaru. The bacon industry in Tarannki is assuming large proportions. There are now fcur factories in the district, and all are working full time. It in estimated that among them something like £30,000 will be expended this year in the purchase of pigs. About onethird of that amount will represent the expenditure of the factory at Stratford. We have to acknowledge receipt of ' Was Australia discovered by De Quiros in the year 1606 ?,' a paper presented to the Royal Geographical Society of Australia by his Eminence Cardinal Moran. The paper appeared in the April issue of the Australasian Catholic Record, and created considerable interest. Some additional remarks have since been added by Cardinal Moran in support of his theory. A presentation which took the form of 40oz of West Coast gold was made to Mrs Seddon at Wellington on Tuesday afternoon. It was Mrs Seddon's birthday, and the present was a birthday offering from her husband's constituents. The gift was presented by the Hon. Mr Ward, who had been requested by the Mayor of Hokitika to act in that capacity on behalf of the electors of Westland. At the balloting for the right of selection to various Crown land sections in the Kawhai district, Auckland province, there were 2191 applications, as many as 161 having been received for a single section. Nearly half of the successful applicants are from southern parts of the Colony. The total area of 3861 acres was disposed of, chiefly on lease, with the right of purchase, and carrying improvement conditions and requiring personal residence on the lands within one year. A btatemknt having gained currency that the Government intended to release a number of prisoners on the occasion of the visit of the Duke of York, Mr. G. Laurenson, M.H.R. for Lyttelton, wrote to the Minister of Justice on the subject, asking that he might be consulted with regard to several men at present serving sentences in Lyttelton Goal. He has received a letter from the Hon. Mr. McGowan stating definitely that the Government has no intention of remitting any sentences. An interesting fact in connection with the Wellington tele phone exchange is that of the total number of connections (about 1550) fully one-third are with private houses. Auckland has the second largest exchange, the number of connections being about 1330, of which only 200 are with private residences. The exchange in Dunedin is nearly as large as that in Auckland, the connections with it numbering about 1250, of which 309 are with private houses. The Christchuroh exchange has 1050 connections, 250 of which are with private residences. The present switchboard at the Wellington exchange will provide accommodation for about 250 more subscribers than at present, but, in anticipation of a rapid increase in the number, the Post and Telegraph Department is getting from Antwerp another switchboard section capable of bringing the capacity of the exchange up to 2100. An occasional correspondent from Palmerston North writes as follows :—lt: — It was very consoling to see the number of young men who approached the Holy Table on last Sunday. — Our esteemed pastor, Rev. Father Tymons, referred on Sunday to the good work which was being done by the Sisters. He announced that a concert would be held on the Duke of Cornwall's birthday for their benefit, and considering that the musical programme was in the hands of Bister Augustine we may look forward to a really good entertainment. — Corporal O'Reilly, son of Mrs. O'Reilly, of College street, who went away with the Second Contingent, arrived here last week. In an interview with him he Bpoke highly of the work done by the Sisters of Mercy at the front. — The weather of late has been splendid, and it has enabled farmers to get through their usual routine of work.