NEW ZEALAND: GENERAL.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXX, Issue 30, 24 July 1902, Page 19

NEW ZEALAND : GENERAL.

The movement to eieot a memorial on the first landing-place of Captain Cook in New Zealand is meeting with good support. The cost to the Wellington Corporation of the Coronation Day preparations amounted to £3f>2 odd, inoluding £217 for the children's fete. Mr Seddon was entertained by the Vagabonds' Club, London, on Thursday. He said that if Canada and Australia were to become respectively the granary and butchery of the Empire, New Zealand would provide her with butter and cheese. The Meroedes, which left Westport on Saturday for Hongkong had the largest cargo ever taken across the Buller bar— viz., 3860 tons of cargo coal and 500 tons in the original bunkers. An old Auckland boy, Dr. Lambert Hepenstal Ormsby, haß just been eleoted to the high position of President of the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland. It is stated that Mr Seddon will return to New Zealand by way of Canada should Mrs Seddon be sufficiently recovered from her illness to undertake the trip. IN a letter to the Patea Harbor Board Mr E. M. Smith stated that it is a certainty blast furnaces will be erected at Patea for utilisation of the ironsand. At the instance of Mr W. P. Reeves, the ,New Zealand AgentGeneral, a batcher was fund £."> and cohts at Sheffield, England for selling River Plate for New Zealand mutton. The Right Hon A. .1. Balfour, the new Prirao Minister of England, ia (fcays an exchange) the owner of a large estate near Pahiatua, which he took up many years ago, and wh.ch has been very much improved. Mr Seddon, in conference with the Austrian Ambassador, in Lor-don, assured him that Austrians were not treated differently from other aliens arriving in New Zealand. The Wellington Harbor Boaid have reversed their attitude on the dook question, and now propose to &<k for parliamentary authority to borrow £2."0,000 for the construction of a dock and applianoes. With the view of avoiding the clashing of show dates, the Manawatu Association have decided to postpone their show till No\ ember I.), 20, 21, provided Wanganui, Hawera, and New Plymouth oonsent to put their bhow,-t off till a week later than the dates fixed. It was stated that there was no prof-pect of Canterbury giving way in the matter of race or show dates THB followir g cablegram (bsjs & Napier paper) has been *ent from here to Mr Heddon :— ' The Irishmen of Napier would be glad if you could do something during your visit to the Motherland in the direction of promoting autonomy for Ireland, thns ensuring graeped hands aoroßs the channel.' At the Sydney Town Hall on June IS the Hon. John Hughes M.L.0., on bel.alf of the Sydney Ludertafel, presented Mr Alfred Hill, the conductor, with a gold lyre, on the occasion of his departure for New Zealand. Mr Hill, who had been conductor of the Bociety for five yearp, was very popular in musical circles, but is compelled to return to New Zealand on account of hie health. The experiment of providing lectures for farmers, instituted by the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association, had an initial trial on Saturday afternoon, when Professor Lowrie. director of Lincoln College, delivered an address on ' Technical Education and Its Relation to Farming.' About 70, mostly large farmers, were present. The next lecture will be givea by Mr Gilrutb' Government Veterinarian. ' AN Auckland message states that the Waininngu geyser is extraordinarily active. On Tu. bday morning Warder Soanlan, who hag charge of the tree-planting operations in the vicinity, reported that the geyser was violently active for extended periods between 8 o'clock and 10,30 in the morning, a huge jttof water being thrown up to heights estimated by spectators to be between 800 and !).o feet. The July number of The Catholic Magazine, the organ of the Mariat Brothers' Schools Old Boys' Association, Wellington, has come to hand. It in an excellent number, and highly creditable to the Association. Its pages are full of local and general news, which ia presented in a orisp and compact form. A very artistic yrecessblock photograph of the president of the Literary and Debating Society, the Rev. Father Heibert, is given as a supplement.

Wai™«n n v ° n ? 8 P£ l ßt (wrifces a Taranaki correspondent to the tonied nSmM y We haVe &h lonK *B*rva£ heard a pron volnmJ Jm°f >T' Commencin * loud and gradually decreasing in volume until it dies away. It h«s a muffled sound, and suggesta a subterannean explosion. Very little notice was taken ?f much r^or enCe T d laßt Prid "*.when " was exceedingly loud SarLTr. ™ ™?* °^ l >™, was sufficiently' whether K^'l" 66 * 0 w . onderra^ t - We are anxious to know MarttTque^rtrr PrePanUß t0 tWat U9 t0 a «™ M editi ™ of Miss Mary Woods, A T C.L , associate pianiste (says the Tua. peka Jen,,,) HC ored a signal Huc,e.« Al the prea.nta iuu of prizes and musical o , r ihcates in connection with the Trinity College tnral Hall, Dunedin, where all the perfo-mers were certificated £nZf DB> 7/1? satUre5 atUre ° f tbe COncert * aa M ™ Wo'^' nt one of fh°« ? r^ffi° V , emento£ Beelh °™>'8 Wallem-lein Sonata, »JL M- w d l^ CU , lt cora P' B^c-»8 the great composer has written. Mies Woods' playing surprised and delighted the musical and critical audience present and at once established the p « 5?° ere ™P» tation as an artistic musician of a high order. Although unusual to single out particular performers at highclas 8 concerts of this character, the Of ago Dally Tune, says : ' Miss ™Z nfT c r eptl ° n nyS y 9ucceiflful in her Playing of the fir.t movement of Beethoven 8 "Sonata in C" (op. 3-1) and well deserved the recognition her fine performance received.' The Evening Star while admitting it js contrary to rule to crilicUly notice such a programme claims pardon for recording the fact that ' Miss Woods eur P"^ d , aI P^eent by the taste and finish of her pianoforte work', before her yy ° UDff 7" * musician and hi^ h possibilities are ?*£* ?**% a u d , moßt ci W abl e gathering in connection with the Ashburton Catholic Literary Society was held on Thursday evening. It took the form of an •At home,' and there was a good attendance of numbers and friends. The school was beautifully decorated with nigs and evergreens, and reflected credit on the committee, and everyone, young and old, cook part in the many games that had been provided. Mr Soal (president) in an appropriate speech welcomed the guests at the opening of the proceedings. A splendid programme was arranged, and was gone through to the delight of all present. The following ladies and gentlemen took part .-—lnstrumental selection, piano and violins Miss Bournique, Mr John a«d Master Joe Moison ; piano solo! Misses Do vane and Brankiu ; songs were given by Met-dames W P JJ y V J< MolM)n . and thri Mi-seis M. Madden and Bournique' and Messrs T. Nolan, F. Hann.hau, J. Moison, Heaiy A J fuller and M. J. Surges; recitations by Messrs F. Cooper', L. liaurahan aud J Monarty. During the evening the fair sex were kept very bu*y Lauding round the good things that were provided by the Society, the only thing wrong being that the time passed away too soon and left iv the mind of all a wish for a repetition at a near date. The proceedings closed by the anting of ' God save tbe King. A cable message from London states that Sir Montagu Nelson on behalf of a number of Anglo-New Z^alanders, presented the Kight Hon. Mr Seddon with a massive silver cntr-p ccc aud Mrs beddon with a diamond ornament, together worth £500, in recognition of Mr Seddon's patriotism in promoting ihe solidarity of the hmpire. The subscribers inelud-d opponents of Mr Seddon's domestic policy, though all wore admirers of his Imperial services Mrs beddon was present. Mr Seddou replied that, the war had proved the virility, euergv, and determination of New Z> a^anders. He claimed that New Zoalanders recognised the dangerous character of the South African difficulty before the Motherland. He referred to the overwhelming character of British hopitahty He wasconfideut the future would show that the tv s of Empire would b. comeoloterand closer. He believed good results would follow from tbe Imperial Conference and become apparent much quicker than many suspected >ew Zealand de-iml to see Great Britain a nrlf-coi.tained nation' less dependent on foreigners, who must ;>llow the British th« sam« libeity of action that they claimed and r-xercihed. He considered the gigantic American trusts a great dang* rto great Britain. If Great Britain were once aroused she would be able to avert the evil consequences. New Zealand was willing to concede preferential relations to the Motherland without exacting a reward, though the Motherland was abe by means of subsidies to steamers and bounties in other ways to help the colonies.