NEW ZEALAND GENERAL

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXIII, Issue 10, 9 March 1905, Page 20

NEW ZEALAND GENERAL

The ' Tiiad ' for the current m.onth is an excellent number, lihe reading matter ami illustrations being well up to the high standard always maintained by this monthly. Sir Joserh Ward states that the patent medicine misunderstanding seems to be satisfactorily settled. The principal firms are quite content to lodge a formwla of the ingredients with the Customs Department, but have been under the misapprehension that the formula must be pasted upon each bottle. He has received letters from a numiber of the bigger firms expressing satisfaction with the regulation as it stood. In the course of a speech at Dargaville en Tuesday evening the Premier, referring to the finances of the Colony, said the revenue for the 11 months ended February 28 was £6,305,000, as against £6,156,000 for the last year, an increase of £149,000. He would be able at the end of Maroh to announce the usual surplus, despite the prognostications of the Opposition. He al?o said the Customs revenue had shown an increase of £30,000, ,Jand income tax £40,000, and stamps £11,000. At a recent meeting of the Catholics of Reefton, at \\hi r 'h the Rev. Father Gallais presided, it was decided to hold a bazaar and art union next Christmas in order to provide f'utfds for the liquidation of the parish debt. A committee of ladies was appointed to canvass for subscriptions in the various districts, and another commiUee was formed to arrange a nightly programme of music, gamejs, etc. The appointment of stall-holders (says the ' Inangahua Times ') was postponed till next meeting. The G overnment has decided to throw open for selection on laase in perpetuity about 18,000 acres of land in the Burnett and Rahu survey (Maruia) districts, Nelson r.ro-i in.cc. These blocks are part of the land locked up by the Midland Railway. Mr. T. H. Robinson, of the Wellington Land Board, is endeavoring to induce the ■Government to throw open for selection the Awarua No. 1 B Block, of 50,000 acres, first-class land, situated on t,he ban 1 sof the RangitiSei River. A considerable portion is heavily timbered. The annual issued by the students of St, Patrick's College, Ballarat. is a very creditable production, and consists of 125 p.iges of letter-press and illustrations. Tho current number is really an excellent one, beiing well -written, clearly printed, and copiously illustrated. In addition to tfie usual record of school halppenings tne annual contains sr\eral clever prose contributions on \ariotis subjecis. The poetic contributions are unusually numerous for a selionl journal, and display no small amount of literary taste. On the whole ' St. Patlick's Col'lece Annual ' is one which reflects great credit on tfae institution from which it emanates. Referring to the alterations in the dining-room arrangements upon the express trains, Sir Joseph Ward told a ' Lyttelton Tunes ' reporter that th« Government would tial-c aver sole control from April 1. It was propospd to do away with the existing ones., in which the seating and table airangements would be much improved. The new cars would be similar to those running ulnon the Rotoilua line, which had won general praise. The Government had been running these cars all along, that branch of the railway accommodation not having been let out by contract". ' The results had been generally very satisfactory. It was not sought to make money from the 'dining-cars, and the accommodation would be improved and the convenience and comfort of passengers studied in every way. With regard to the stations, it was proposed to do away with the bars throughout the Colony, and not to allow alcoholic stimulants to be disponsied upon railway prqperjby. The tea rooms would be continued, but these would be let to suitable ten/ants from year to year, and woulff remain under the supervision of the officer of the Department who had been appointed to inspect the whole of the arrangements.