NEW ZEALAND: GENERAL

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXIII, Issue 40, 7 December 1905, Page 20

NEW ZEALAND: GENERAL

Potatoes were sold at from 20s io 25s a sack in Ashburton on Saturday. The supply was limited. Friday last was the anniversary of the opening;, in 1863, of the first railway in New Zealand, the Ferrymead branch of the Christchurch-Lyttelton line. 1 Some foremen in big quarries,' said Mr. J? A. Valentine, at a meeting of the Teachers' Institute in Timaru on Saturday, ' receive higher pay than any primary school teacher in South Canterbury.' It is not often a lady is appointed a judge of horses at an agricultural show, hut at Courtney Show, in Canterbury, the other day, Miss Button had the honor of being one of the horse judges.

On August 1 there were half a million dairy cows in New Zealand, and 1200 dairy establishments of all descriptions. Of the latter 84 were cheese factories, 214 butter factories, 448 skimming stations, 403 private butter factories, 70 private cheese factories, and 195 packing houses. A disastrous fire occurred on Friday night in the Wools ton tannery, near Christchurch, owned by Messrs. Bowron Brothers. Out of all the buildings, covering six acres, the only portion not absolutely gutted was the carriers' shed, which was itself badly damaged by fire. A great stock of leather and hides and most of the machinery were destroyed, and Messrs. Buwrou Brothers state that the insurances, which are c ose on. £30,000, will certainly not cover the losses. Fully 150 men were employed at the tannery, and as the busy, season was just commencing, the loss to the wage-earn-ers will be serious. The lire is supposed to have started in the vicinity of the boiler-house, but the cause of the outbreak is a mystery. The chemical engine and steamer and the railway steamer were soon on the spot, but all chance of saving the building was .hopeless from the start. The egg grading by the Government Expert (Mr. Burke) at the Taieri and Peninsula Milk Depot has this season been prolonged far beyond the anticipated time — viz., the end of October — and promises to continue for a fortnight or so yet (says the ' Otago Daily Times '). Against 15,210 dozen eggs stored last year there are already in the cool stores this season over 1000 cases of 25 dozen each— i.e., more than 300,000 eggs— every one of which, not to speak of those found for various reasons unsuitable for storage, has passed through Mr. Burkes own hands. In addition to the above, the grader has graded a large number of eggs for purchasers willing to pay Id per dozen extra for graded eggs for immediate consumption or for preserving in waterglass, lime, etc. This last-mentioned practice, which is growing without municipal or Government regulations, points the readiness with which people are prepared to avail themselves of any means whereby guarantee of purity may be secured. Before long consumers, in addition to the stamp mark of the abattoirs upon meat and the grader's certificate with eggs, may come to look for similar guarantees as regards poultry, rabbits, and fish. The Maoris in many parts of the North Island are in a bad way as regards food owing to the failure of the potato crop. The Rev. Father Maillard, Jerusalem, writes as follows to the Wanganui ' Herald,' regarding the condition of the natives in that district i 'As the New Zealand people seem very charitably disposed towards the Japs., I wonder if the Maoris could not share their generosity ? All along the river the natives are on one meal a day, even the little children of 9 and 10, and judging by the present state of affairs they will soon be reduced to less, for the early potatoes are blighted and they have no seed left to try a late crop. So without going to Japan, we ha\e urgent nocd in our own midst, and we should not forget that ' chanty begins at' home,' and surely the Maoris have more right to our charitable aid than the -Japs So I would suggest that a liberal supply of potato seeds should be sent to the natives,, to let them, try a late crop and brighten their future.' Mr. Hatrick, writing to the same paper, bears out Father Maillard's statement as to the serious straits to which manyv of the natives are reduced, and in conclusion says :—: — ' Any food, such as tea, flour, sugar, potatoes, rice, cabin bread, etc, etc., sent to mo I will forward free of cost to the schoolmaster at Pipiriki, and to Father Maillard, at Jerusalem. Mr. Gibson, schoolmaster at Pipiriki, assured me that many children were attending school without food, save such as I have mentioned, and Father Maillard writes you that little children are practically foodless. I hope, sir, you will bring this matter promptly and prominently before the public'

4 The publication of an advertisement in a Catholic paper shows that the advertiser not only deskes the patronage of Catholics, but pays them the com-pliment of seeking it through the medium of their own religious journal.' So says an esteemed and wide-awake American contemporary. A word to the wise is sufficient.