Interprovincial

New Zealand Tablet, 10 March 1910, Page 384

Interprovincial

. The Government offices throughout the Dominion will be closed on St. Patrick’s Day, 17th hist. They will also be closed for the' Easter holidays on the 25th, 26th, and 28th : inst. The first of the season’s oats is being forwarded to the Bluff for shipment to the Old Country, there being no less than eight truck loads shipped from Waimea on Thursday of last week for the Bluff. The oats were a bright, clean sample, not having experienced a shower of rain for some weeks prior to harvesting. The successes obtained by pupils of St. Columbkille’s Convent of Mercy, Hokitika, in recent examinations are as follow:—Teachers’ Examination, Class D, Miss May O’Sullivan; Partial D, Misses Una O’Sullivan and Violet Wright; Matriculation examination, Miss May O’Sullivan; Civil Service, Misses Margaret Monaghan, Ella Dorrington, and Nellie Faire. During his five years’ residence in Lumsden Dr. A. J. Mcllroy, who recently removed to Balclutha, acted as surgeon for the Lumsden Oddfellows’ Lodge. In carrying out his duties the doctor won unusual popularity by his unfailing geniality, and he was held in the highest esteem by the lodge members. In recognition of this respect the members have ordered a walnut hallstand, suitably inscribed, to be forwarded to the doctor at Balclutha. It is understood that the New Zealand Shipping Company and the underwriters will serve notice on the Auckland Harbor Board on Saturday of their intention to institute legal proceedings in connection with the grounding of the s.s. Kaipara in Rangitoto Channel on January 16 last, and a writ claiming heavy damages may be issued a month later. As indicating the extent of the damages likely to be claimed, it may be mentioned that Mr. C. V. Houghton, local agent for the shipping company, stated during the nautical inquiry that the total loss attributable to the casualty was not less than £125,006. ‘You can get opposition. to anything,’ declared a member of' a deputation which waited on the Hon. D. Buddo at Papauui on Saturday, when he wanted to impress on the Minister how blind to their own interests were those who opposed the formation of a borough. ‘ Why,’ he continued, ‘ if I were to go round this district with a petition tq-J-emove you from your seat hundreds of people would sign it! ’ There was a burst of • laughter, in which the Minister joined, remarking that he had no doubt as to the accuracy of the statement. Crickets are exceedingly annoying just now (writes the Dargayille correspondent of the New Zealand Herald), and -never in the history of the place have they been so plentiful. Passengers on. the steamer Awaroa had rather a unique experience with them when passing down the river. It seemed as if/millions of these little black pests were waiting for the steamer. Suddenly, as if by signal, they all hopped on board down into the saloon they swarmed, and it was found there were so many that the quickest way of extermination was by use of scalding water. A number of the insects, however, managed to escape, and while an Austrian passenger was asleep in his bunk, they destroyed his coat by eating their way through it. Among the economies that Sir Joseph Ward intends to effect in the Post and Telegraph Department (states a message in the Fast) is the cessation of the present system of taking duplicate copies of telegrams, and the abolition of telegraph envelopes by the substitution of a combined sheet and envelope, similar to that used for the Post Office Savings Bank receipts. Savings in this and other directions are expected to reach from £15,000 to £20,000 a year. The proposed rural postal delivery will be accomplished by carriers on horseback or on bicycles. Sir 6 Joseph Ward stated to an interviewer that when all these changes are carried out and the proposed system of wireless telegraphy !s installed New Zealand will not be merely abreast, but will be far ahead of any other country in the world in -regard to postal and telegraphic facilities. The season for trapping rabbits in Otago province opens on the 14th inst., and there is every anticipation of rt being one of the busiest on record (says' the Otago Daily limes). Blocks of land for trapping are at a premium and so great has been the rush for areas that it is anticipated the number of men engaged in catching 1 bunny * this season will exceed 4000. Several thousands of traps have already been forwarded to the country. As to prices it simply rests with the trappers themselves to get the best possible money by falling in with the wishes of exporters and bleeding the rabbits and otherwise handling them carefully. Improved quality, of course, means improved prices on the London market. The market will open at 5d per pair on the ground. The impetus which such wholesale trapping of rabbits gives to the freezing industry and to the timber tradefor truck loads of timber for packing cases go to the depots almost daily during the season—is very considerable, while it is calculated that the industry brings into the country in one season alone nearly £IOO 000 This prefers to Otago only. The bulk of the money ’cr 0 e S to the trappers. • ,

Mr. Clement L. Wragge, who has been lecturing-and doing some exploring work in the far north, claims to have discovered in the neighborhood of the Bay of Islands ‘ the remains of an ancient city or temple that probably dates back to the time of. sun worship.’ Mr. Wragge ..says The huge blocks of stone, some nearly 15 feet -long, were evidently hewn by prehistoric man. Some - have "cups’ or holes scooped out, on the face of which are evidently written ” records of immense antiquity, " and others , are marked with long and short strokes, one being an ansated cross.’ In the course of an interview granted to a newspaper representative in Auckland, Sir Joseph Ward, speaking of the Post and Telegraph Department, said that extensive economies had been rendered possible by improved methods of working, and the introduction of . the most modern appliances was being carried out, and these things, he hoped, would enable him to announce further concessions to the patrons of the department. Those just : now under consideration, he said, were mainly directed to the improvement of the services in country districts (such as reduction in parcel rates and an increase in the weight of parcels, the inauguration of rural postal deliveries with the ultimate object of getting a delivery at the door of every farmhouse in the country, and a greater extension of telephone facilities in remote country districts). He hoped to be able to provide for most of these out of the savings referred to, and he thought that no one would grudge the additional facilities to country settlers, even if the proposed innovations did not at first pay their way. Another new departure in the country districts- would be the introduction of the home savings banks.’ These took the form of steel boxes, which were lent to depositors as receptacles for their savings, but which could be opened only at post offices, where the amounts contained in the boxes were credited to the depositors. The Waikato would be the first country district to which the home savings bank would be supplied, and it was hoped to have them in working order in that district within a couple of months. Some interesting comparisons and statements in regard to" the business of the Post and Telegraph Department were made by the Prime Minister and Postmaster-General (Sir Joseph Ward) to a Herald representative in the course of an interview at Te Aroha on Saturday. In .dealing with the revenue of the department for the first ten months of the current financial year ended January 31, Sir Joseph said that the results were exceedingly satisfactory. The revenue for the ten months was £769,657, as compared with £713,585 for the corresponding period of the previous year. The postal revenue proper had increased by 8.8-per cent., and for nearly the whole of this increase the penny• postage was responsible. On the telegraph side also the revenue had advanced by 6.5 per cent., the largest share of the increase being produced by the telephone division. He hoped* he said, to end this month with a total post and telegraph revenue for the financial year of £960,000, which would be considerably in excess of his estimate. In speaking of the extensive reduction in the rates of money orders, and postal note commission, made a couple of years ago, Sir Joseph said that the wisdom of the step was proved by the fact that the loss in revenue was being rapidly recouped by the largo increase of business. As an evidence of the progress of the department he mentioned that the -revenue had more than doubled in ten years, it having risen during that period from £445,340 to £920,021, and this despite the very great reductions in rates that had taken place during that period. The business of the Post ; Office Savings Bank had also; shown a great increase, the amount to the credit of depositors at the end of last year being £12,666,892, which showed an increase of over half a million for the year.