Interprovincial

New Zealand Tablet, 6 September 1906, Page 24

Interprovincial

Mr. R. McKerizie t- has been -elected Chairman, of Committees in the House of^. Representatives,. " '.',. -. During the financial year ended 31st March Chinese arriving in New Zealand paid ,£15,500 'in poll \ tax. ' - . . - Three of the 20 pictures brought out from Eng- ., land to be . .exhibited at . the Newr Zealand -Exhibi- "■■ tion are valued. at. £-1 000. each: ,;• . . , ,/•- .' The half-yearly meeting- of " the New Zealand District v No. 3 Hibernian Society referred to the Executive Committee a proposal to formulated scheme making primary Catholic schools free throughout New Zealand. . ,i^^,\- . -- - ' * . ■ v Under the will of the late Mr. Jeremiah Dwyer, of Temuka,. the following institutions benefit :— The. . Association for the Propagation of the Faith, £500 ; the Timaru Hospital, £500 ; Christchurch Hospital, £500; Catholic . Orphanage; ..Nelson, £500. The. re- , sidue '■•of ' his estate ' is' left " «to ' ttie Catholic ■ Orphanage of the Mission, Wanganui, managed by Father Soulas and Mother Mary Joseph Aubert. ' x ' The stoat changes its hue with the seasons 4n . order to resemble its surroundings,' v said a lecturer - : in Christchurch last week. "' In summer it is *of a j brown hue, like the. .ground, -around-. In winter.it is white, to resemble the . snow -around. It changes its name with its color. When brown it is called vermin ; when white it is called -^ ermine and is usod to decorate ladies and civic functionaries.' ' The annual report of the police force of the Colony states that during the year 87- men were taken; on. The nationalities, , religions; and occupations of > these are as follow :— Nationalities : New Zealand-born, 46 ; English, 4 ; Scotch, 14 ; Irish, it) ; Australian, 11 ; Canadian, ,1 ; Manxman, 1.- iwngions : Church of - England, 21 ; Presbyterians, 30 ; Catholics, 30 ; Wesieyaais,. 5 ; Salvationist, 1. Occupations : Laborers, " 38 ; farmers, ir ; miners, 4 ; artillerymen, 3 ; ex- , constables, 3'; asylum warder, 1 ; carters, 5 ; platelayer, 1 ; shepherds, 2; . ploughmen, 3 ; blacksmiths, 4 ; tgrooms, 2 ; bootmakers, 2 ; sailor, 1; ' ughthousekeeper, 1 ; machinist,- 1 ; jipiner, 1 ; storemen, 2 ; porters, 2. . ~ The annual report of. the Old-age Pensions Department states that the raising of 'the pension to £26 a year had had the immediate result, of increasing the number of participants* and of enlarging expenditure. On March 31 the number of pensioners stood at 12,582, being 812 more than at - the close of the previous year, and 194 less than on - Ma'roh 31, 1902. Of these pensioners 667 were Maoris.. Eightytwo per cent. (10i398) of the' pensioners on the roll are in receipt of the full pension. Of the four chief centres of population, Christchurch has the highest number- of pensioners— namely, 1440, as -agjadnst 1210 in Auckland, 1111 in Dunedin, and 596 in Wellington. The cost per head of- population in 1905 was 4s 6d ; last year it was 5s Bd.' ' The time is coining when we shall have to differentiate largely between one class of mind and another,' said Mr. R. Lee, chairman and ex-inspector of the Wellington Education Board, at the opening of the Wellington South School last week. Mr. Lee cdnsiders a mistake is made in trying to ' bring out all .i the boys and girls in tha same pattern.' He has made up his mind to- say a good deal more on the, matter, and that -very - soon. He is^ satisfied that in many cases a good deal too much education is given, because it is given where it cannot be received. If there . were >;fewer , subjects, and those subjects taught thoroughly -to boys and girls who could " understand them, there would be a better education—easier and less expensive. . ' The tender of Messrs.- Price 8r05.,- of the Thames, has been accepted . by >the Railway Department for the supply of 20 locomotives for thei New Zealand railways. In the' Railway submitted to Parliament by the Minister "a" few days ago the following reference' was "made -to" the previous' contract .carried out by the same firm: — 'The last three of the locomotives due under the .--contract of ' Messrs. Price were delivered during the year, well within contract time. These engines, as well as the seven previously built and delivered -by^the same, firm, have been - in every respect satisfactory.' Since 3902 all the new engines for tfte railways., have been built in the Colony at the -Government workshops or by Messrs. Price 'Bros. .

In . 1885, 4,081,920 lbs of tea were imported into New Zealand, or at the rate of about 6£ lbs per head of the population ; in 1905, the quantity imported- was nearly 5,900,000 Itis, or 6.37 fts per head. The .duty- : -on tea last "year amounted to _£534.; .in 1885,-- to £68,032; in 1894 to over £103,Q00. . " St Joseph's School (Sisters of Mercy)', Lyttelton, was . recently examined by Mr. Thos. Ritchie, M.A., Inspector under the North Canterbury Board of Education, and "the usual satisfactory report is now to hand. Under the heading subjects, remarks show ' good -'- and 'commendable-; the addi-' tioroal, sub jectg'are." marked 'very- good,' 'very commendable,'" while instruction of Class P. order, discipline, -efficiency, etc., are 'marked ' suitable and' satisfactory.'.- Mr. Ritchie mentions that the school acquitted- itself very creditably under examination.- St. . Patrick's School (Sisters of Mercy ) $ ' Akaroaywas recently .examined by Mr. Thos. Foster, M.A./ Inspector under the North Canterbury Board of -Education, - and the report received ' from him is most satisfactory. The co/mpulsiory subjects '/>are descritotd as ' good,' ' very good,' .'. commendable,! while , -.additional subjects are marked '.commendable'; order, efficiency, tone, discipline, 'good.' ' A reference to the subject of railway construction ' and'- the- projbtable policy of the future was made by Mr. Hall-Jones the other day in reply to a deputation from' Cheviot. He said that s when the North - Island Main Trunk railway was completed (at the end of 1908), the next main line to be constructed would be that between Blenheim and Christchurch. -When that work was completed, the two islands would be connected right through by rail, and it would -be possible for people to travel by train from Invercargill to Picton, then cross the straits in a •half-day, ferry service, and go b,y train a/gain fromWellington to 10.0 miles north of Auckland. That was- the" stage - he wished to reach, and '> he could see it coming ,in the near future. With .that in * jview, '- some of -the other lines that 'were now going on could take a rest for a while,' so .-that a little more progress could be made with . our main lines. That- was the policy he would submit, and he believed his colleagues would agree to ' it. The Minister had previously infoimed another South Island deputation that the Government had no intention of starting new undertakings except under exceptional circumstances until the lines -now- in progress- were com--pleted. On being subsequently questioned on the subject, Mr. Hall- Jones declined to- indicate ■ the lines which he thought might 'take a rest.' 1