NEW ZEALAND : GENERAL

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXIV, Issue 15, 12 April 1906, Page 20

NEW ZEALAND : GENERAL

The Premier reports that there is a surplus of about three-quarters of a million for the past year. The ' Southland News ' understands that « the new valuation lists for the town of lnvercargill will show that the agg(reg»ate of unimproved land values has increased nearly 40 per cent, compared with the total for 1902, which was £436,799. An eel 4ft Gin in length, 14in in girth, and weighing 29 ft, was captured by Mr. Alex. M'Leod in Trotter's Creek' one day last week. A post mortem examination of the monster brought 'to light iseven'trout, varying in length from 3in to Tin. The meeting at St. Mary's Hall, Wangianui, in connection with the Catholic' Club was largely attended. Some thirty members were enrolled. The following officers were elected :— Patron, Very Rev. Dean Grogan; spiritual director, Rev. Father Mahoney ; president,' Mr. T.Lloyd; vice-presiucnts, Messrs. JN. Kuely, J. Mcßrearty, J. O'Shea, M. Denahey, and P. Lomas ; hon. secretary, Mr. H. Trigger ; hon. treasurer, Mr. b! F. Thorpey ; committee, Messrs. J.R. Hunt, McTubhs T. Mahoney, E. McDonald, and P. Mcßrearty. Proof of the heavy crops in the Edendale district is provided by some of the threshing returns. The Edendale correspondent of the ' Southern Standard ' writes that Mr. G. • Cushnie has just threshed the oats on three of the farms— Messrs. Mawdsley's, Clark's, and Cook's— on the Crescent block, and the averages were respectively 101, 99, and 95 bushels to the acre. The oats were in all cases of the Tartar King variety. The yield from some of the farms adjoining the railway line should not fall short of the 100 bushels. Mr. J. A. Scott, late editor of the ' Otago Liberal,' who returned from Australia by the ' Warrimoo ' last week, says that judging by outward ances at least Catholicity is in a particularly vigorous and flourishing condition in Sydney just now. All the city churches have splendid congregations at the various Masses, and at Benediction on Sunday evening St. Mary's Cathedral is filled to overflowing. On the Sunday evening before he left Sydney the very aisles and passages of the Cathedral were thronged with worshippers who were thankful to be able to get even standing room. Mr. Scott was greatly taken with the eloquent, pithy, and suggestive preaching of the Coadjutor-Archbishop (Dr. Kelly). Speaking on old age pensions at Rangiora on Tuesday evening the Premier said • The expenditure for the past year had been £254,300, vand the estimated expenditure £285,000, which showed that the pensions cost the Colony £30,700 less than was expected. The number of pensioners increased during the year by 800, and he desired it to be noted particularly that in 1902 the total number was 12", 776. In 1906 the number was 12,5^6, or 200 less than it was some years ago, and this was in spite of the fact that the age at which an applicant could qualify was reduced from 05 to 60 years. He still thought, however, that they might yet come to the system of voluntary contributions subsidised by the State.