NEW ZEALAND: GENERAL

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXIV, Issue 27, 5 July 1906, Page 20

NEW ZEALAND : GENERAL

The sum of £993 was- received- by th 3 Government during the year 1905 under the Cyanide Process Gold Extraction Act. . It is stated on good authority (says the Welling- •- ton correspondent of the ' Otago Daily Times ') that the value of the property which passed: under -the *in n °! lale Premier will --be' between £8000 and £10,000. - ' ■ A colonist Tvho. arrived in Wellington in 1831, Mr William Reeve, has just "celebrated his ninety-sixth-"birthday. Mr. Reeve went through some rough whaling experiences at the Lhathams and in the waters about Wellington. Sir J. G. Ward inspected Ul3 large new" refrigerating produce sheds in Manchester, and embarked 1 there last week for America, being accompanied down the canal by the Lord Mayor anil Corporation, and ' a numlbieri of the directors of import and export companies. The canal company ga;c a lun-heon in honor of the Minister. A petition is in circulation 'in Marlborough praying the Government to acquire, under the Land f o r Settlements Act, the Hillersdcn estate, Wairau Valley. The estate has an area of 120,000 acres, 40,000 of which are freehold, and bbc remainder Crown land. The petition states that the cs.ate is hold by trustees there being 'no heir to it. ' Sir Joseph, War,d apparently heard of Mr. Guinness "s electron as Speaker while crossing the Atlantic en route for America, lor he tent his congratulations irom the Atlantic Ocean by wireless telegraphy The message was taken up by the Crookhaven Wireless Station in, lreland (writes the Wellington correspondent of the Otago Daily Times '), and from there cabled to .New Zealand a unique and up-to-date message cf congratulations. & Sergeant Baskiville, of the police force, who has) arrived in Dunedin, was entertained at a smoke concert prior to his departure from Waipukurau, and was presented on behalf of numerous subscribers with ,a handsome gold watch and chain for Mrs. Baskivilte. Mrs. Baskmlle was entertained by the ladies of the township at afternoon tea and presented with a silver egg stand and sil.er bread platter, while from the members of the Catholic . Church she received a silver teapot, sugar basin, and cream jug. The revenue account of the accident branch of the Government Insurance Department for the year 4905 S J I ,?n W - s - that £23 > 97 °- was received in premiums and £905 in interest. On the expenditure side claims amounted to £11,242 .and commission to £3295, salaries to £2865, management expenses' £838, land and income tax £611, and appropriation to reserve £80 The amount of the accident funds at the 31st of De^cem>ber last was £12,186, as against £5(i95 at the end of the previous year. The total of the unearned premiums resene fund is £9588. From January 1, 1902, to Deceni(bpr 31, 1904 47 undesirable immigrants were refused admission into New Zealand. Of these 40 were refused admission because they failed to pass the education test, three because they were cc c nsumpthes, and four on the ground of insanity. Of the total number 33 came from New South Wales, included in this list being a batch of 20 Austnans. Seven Englishmen were refused admission, inree of them, who came from London, were consumptives, and three, who came from New South Wales, were insane. The seventh, .who' came from London, was refused on the ground of insanity. • A summary of rough resuHs of the census has now bteeii prepared, which'shows a total population amoumrtiine tc-^890,415 persons en the 29th of April last, as against . 7.72,719 persons on " the' -31st of March • 1901 The numerical increase is thus roughly ascertained to be 117.696 persons, .or 15.23 per centr. -for a period ' of five years and one month, as against 'an increase of 69,359 persons. for .the period 1896 to 190(1 or at the rate of 9.86 per -cent. The estimated population for the 31st- 'March" "last, arrived at by adding the " natural 1 increase (births over deaths) and thel excess of - arrivals over departures to the oensus figures of 1901 gave a total population of 889,900 persons so that the census of the 29th -April, 1906, may be said to' justify the estimate very completely, and the estimate has confirmed the results of the census. There will be the final corrections to make ; tine Maori population to add (43,143 persons in 1901) ; and the results of the Cook and other annexed Pacific Islands (12,292' persons mi 1901). Altogether a total population for the Colony of at least 946;000 persons may be anticipated.

SatUrT^^i ht^ Inver ? argiil cam ? under No-license on \ the new meteorological instruments that .h-ave been supplied to the Rev: D. . C. Bates, is a plu- ' SuS^'K^fifc isters not -only the amount *of rainfall, bait, the duration of tile showtrs,-a- most importaiit point-, says the weather recorder. During his recent visit l-hnougto -the Nortih Island he placed new thermometers and other instruments at stations where :they were needed. He declares- that the finest meteorological observatory in New Zealand belongs to the «cv. or. Kennedy, o f Meance, near iNapier'. Dr. Ken.TespV C U al \°oTe 0r Oo^y ne ' 0£ *" beSL teles^^er «+ <?+ n vS c °-°V^ ° f u Hl{ srmon at the 11 o'clock Mass Pifhi ™ cls ' Churc h, Thames, a few Sundays ago, the Right Rj&v. Mgr. O/ReiJly paid a tribute of arespcct r? fl irt M m^ mOrF ° f^ S a ? 2 ate Premier. Mr. Seddon's fife' (said Monsignor O'Reilly) was a noble and unselfish one, always doing what he could for suffering humanilli H aS h i e Who S ranbed the old age pension, in fact he was always try.ng to relieve^ the destitute. .1 hough not a member of our creed,- he was in sympathy with our schools and Jsaid to me personally on one occasion that if he could see his way clear he would grant Government aid to them.- The Colony will miss him for many years to come A list of the nationalities of the members of the new Parliament, which has been compiled by Mr Lawty, shows that out of a House of 80 members ??» iriSl colonials 23 Englishmen, '13 Scotchmen, 10 Irishmen , and one Welshman. The large proportion or colonials is hailed as a hopeful sign by the advocates of th 3 formation of a Young* New Zealand party. Our readers will remember that after the general election we published a list giving the birthplaces! of the members of the Hduse of Representatives, which differs somewhat from Mr. Lawry's as he uses a different classification. ' The annual return of the Post Office Savings Bank presented to the House of Representatives,, shows that during the year 1905 the number of new • accounts opened totalled 60,015, the number closed being 42 113 l?£ 27?nRfi °L ac ?°i m I ts °P en at < end of the 'year was 276,066, the total amount standing to the credit £7 7fii Iro acco " nils . bcil^ £8,662,022, as against *.7,7b1,d82 at the close of the previous year: -The - deposUs during the year amounted to £6,625,744, and t-he withdrawals to £5,984,185, thus leaving a balance of deposits to the extent of £641,559. The excess of the deposits m 190(4 was enly £171,769. The interest paid last year was £259,081, a s against £200,930 in At the general meeting of the Bank of New Zealand lasti wee)k, Mr. Malet, who presided, said last year the capital stood at £1,952,370. To-day it is represented by two millions. The difference represents the amooint of capital restored by the sale of the balal1 n C ° forfeited shares, and the payment of arrears of calls. The .paid-up capital of shareholders was now ?? a 7, a J? Uon: AU outstanding calls had been paid in 55V ?6? 6 ' reservel fund had been increased by id 7,397, 397 from premiums on the sale of forfeited shares .and stands at £81,294. The profit and loss account shows a profit of £274,329. against £253,930 last year The Banks progress during the past five years is indicated as follows :— 1902, £172,501 : 1983 £195 <59(v • 1904, £20p,303; 1905, £253,930 '; 1906, £27.4 «»' Investments in the Colony had increased by £51 756 K~2 h % 6 ? st A session of the six teenth Parliament of .New Zealand was opened by Commission on Wednesday afternoon of last week. After the swearing in of members and election of Speaker both Holes adjourned until- the following, day, when his Excellency the Governor delivered probably the briefest speech ion record la New Zealand on such an occasion. In both Houses resolutions were' passed expressing, regret at the . death of the late Right Hon. R. j. Seddon, reco K nis- - ing the great services he had rendered to ' the Colony and Empire and expressing the deepest sympathy with the bereaved family. A somewhat similar resolut on was also passed respecting the de a -ths of "The Hons. C ?*' i'-7' X^ ax7 ,^ d D ' Pil *erton and Mr. Job Vile On. Fnday the Addresa-i-n-Reply -was adopted in both Houses, and the Public Revenues Act Amendment Bill was put through all. stages and signed by the Governor. The Council adjourned indefinitely, and - the House of Representatives till Wednesday, when ParliT - ment was prorogued. - ~ «"«*-