NEW ZEALAND: GENERAL.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXX, Issue 49, 4 December 1902, Page 18

NEW ZEALAND: GENERAL.

From Nelson it Is reported that this year the crops of cherries and apricots exceed in bulk and quality the records for many years past. tvt TiT 0 ! 0 ! 1118 sub-returning officers for the Palmerston North election were ladi es, their booths being at Tiritea" and Fitzherbert East, two country centres. There are two million sheep in the Poverty Bay district, and yet it is stated there was not an ounce of mutton in any of the local shops one morning last week Fat sheep are being secured in such large numbers for freezing for the Home and South African markets' that the butchers find it difficult to obtain supplies. It is stated on good authority that Mr. Justice Connolly has no intention to retire at the end of this year and his Honor intends taking the next criminal sittings at Auckland, and will also attend the Court of Appeal. He will not be entitled to his full pension this year. The Wellington City Council has uccepted the tender of the Jarrahdale Forests and Railways (Limited) for the supply of upwards of 5,000,000 ft. of timber for paving the Wellington streets. The price is 16s 4d per 100. The Council will ask the Westralian Government to allow an expert to pass each shipment. On the opening of the Pacific cable on the Bth inst. the rates per word on ordinary cablegrams via tha Pacific will be : Great Britain, 3s (now 3s 4d) ■ France Germany, Belgium, and Holland, 3s 6d (now 3s 4d) '• Canada, including all British North America 2s 4d (now from 4s 4d to 6s 6d) ; United States, 2s 5d to 2s 8d (now 4s 4d to 5s lid). The ' Auckland Herald ' understands there is good reason for believing that Sir G. M. O'Rorke will be called to the Legislative Council, in which case it is considered certain that he will be elected Speaker of that Chamber, Sir H. J. Miller's term of office having expired. The Department of Industries and Commerce is shipping to London a consignment of white pine timber for treatment for pulping. The shipment arrived by the Mapourika a few days ago, and is to be sent forward to London by the first steamer. This special lot of timber has been cut off wet, swampy lands, of which there are large tracts on the West Coast, and the trees have been felled in the spring time to ensure the wood being white, soft, and full of sap. Mr. F. Waymouth, p-eneral manager of the Canterbury Frozen Meat Company. has received information from Colonel Sharpe, Commissary-general of the United tetatoa Army, that tenders a*e required for supplying frozen beef and mutton to the Philippines. The first ten! der is for 1,000 OOOJh of beef and 100,0001 bof mutton, £?Tft C JS&£ ry , at ' Mamla by M ay 15, 1903 ; the second for 600,0001 bof beef and 50,000rb of mutton per month for t^h^ 6^^? 1 ! 116 3 rP' 19 , 04 ; Tend ers must be cabled to the United States Consul, Manila, and close on De- ™^ r ! tin - g w ith reference to the result of the election m n^ m Well j n S ton c ity the ' Free Lance ' says : Mr. O Regan made a spirited single-handed fight and JltJ'S'T 1 ! V l^?*? £ clow * he J" nio ? member-is merely the kind of defeat that presages victory He was a comparative stranger in Wellington when he 'enter* ed into the contest, but the hold he gained upon the public reflected by the 6281 votes which he potted without party help, and by sheer force of his own tall cSming n ma SS n raightfOrWard P latform ' Predate hira Tasa nr TA c . Syd , n< S ' B *py Telegraph publishes a leader appreciative of New Zealand's prosperity It says that m substantial respects it progresses apace, and instances the large increases in the export of meat and butter, l hie explanation of the development is that the Government in good time had been as wisely administered as often as it was badly administered. Good government came in under Sir Harry Atkinson. Since the latter put the country s house in order it had never looked back Jn saying this the paper does not disparage the present government or question Mr. Seddon's striking ability in employing the opportunities to modernise social legislation but simply asserts the historical fact that New Zealand s prosperity dates from the inauguration of retrenchment by the late Sir Harry Atkinson. A concert, successful in every way, except that the attendance was only moderate, was given in St. Mary's Church Hall Nelson, on Wednesday evening, November z*> (says the Colonist '). A fairly long programme was mucn extended owing to almost every performer being re-

called. The Rev. Father George Mahony presided, and those taking part were Misses D. Driscoll, Pike M. Fraser, Hanron, and M. Higgins, Messrs. E. Richards, O'Beirne, and Condell, who contributed songs ; Misses Duff pianoforte solo, and Fowler (2) pianoforte duet ; Mr Trussell song and cornet solo and Mr. J. Jacobson recitation and song. Miss Duff was accompanist in most instances, Miss Fowler and Miss Stewart also assisting in this way. Prior to the close of the programme the rev. chairman expressed regret that the Very Rev. Dean Mahoney was not present, and the hope that good news would soon be received regarding him. He also thanked all those who had assisted in connection with the concert, and this included, besides those named, Mrs. Mark Levy, who was responsible for the floral stage decorations. The ' Bruce Herald ' understands that a movement is on foot throughout the electorate to make Mr J. A. Scott a presentation of a purse of sovereigns in recognition of the plucky fight he made in contesting the Bruce Beat. In the Cobar * Leader,' N.S.W. (writes our Timarn correspondent), is announced the death of Mr Michael Minogue, at White Cliffs, on November 12. The deceased was a native of Nenagh, County Tipperary, and arrived in New Zealand in 1876. He was muoh respected in Timarn and in the Waimate district durirg his stay of about 20 years, where he rendered muoh assistance in collecting funds for the erection of the Waimate Catholio Church. Some eight years ago he left New Zealand and started etorekeeping at Dryadale, Cobar, Wrightville, and for the past two months at White Cliffs, where he died at the age of 44 years, after a nhort illness. The deceased, who was a practical Catholio and of undoubted integrity, was rewarded by receiving the last rites of the Ohuroh on hia deathbed in a district where the visits of a priest are few and far between. The deceased leaves a sister in Timaru, Mrs James Feeley, to mourn his loss.— R.l.P. A Wellington correspondent writes : ' During his election campaign Mr P. J. O'Regan was followed np by some filthy-minded fellow of the Ruthven-Widdows school, who handed np written questions to this effect: "Are you in favor of Boman Catholic nunneries and monasteries being inspected 1 " Mr O'Regan did not read any of these vile queries, lest the huge audiences he addressed might be thrown into tumult. But he characterised the questions as an insult of which the author shonld be ashamed. The questions first made their appearance in the Exchange Hall, and were torn up on the stage by the chairman, Mr Finlay McLeod. The prurient creature again passed up his enquiries at a mass open-air meeting addressed by Mr O'Regan at the foot of Cuba street, and the chairman, Mr Noat, of the Painters' Union, tore them up, amid the cheers of the crowd. The creature, however, was persistent, and passed up a query on the same lines again when Mr O'Regan spoke in the Skating Rink on the eve of the election, but the chairman, Mr Young, of the Seamen's Union, denounced the question am insalting and scandalous, and again tore it up, amid the plaudits of huge audience. I may say that the public understood the nature of the question, for the ' Evening Post ' was mean enough to publish it at the author's request. Of course there could be no clue as to the authorship, ac the paper on which the question was written was passed from hand to hand with scores of others amid an excited crowd. I believe the question was put to no other candidate except Mr J. G. W. Aitken, who readily declared his desire that legislation phould be passed to provide for the inspection of convents. Mr Aitken is a reputedly respectable citizen, a^nd he should know that convents are always open to respectable people, though it i$ doubtful whether he has ever been inside one.