Interprovincial

New Zealand Tablet, 14 April 1910, Page 584

Interprovincial

The unsurveyed land in Taranaki available for future settlement is 92,000 acres, and the Maori land awaiting settlement 480,000. acres. A commission is at present sitting in Tim am to take evidence for and against the proposal to enlarge the borough to nearly twice its present size, and Mr. V. G. Day, S.M., is the commissioner. The buildings for the new freezing works at Waingawa (Wairarapa) are to cost £‘18,070; the machinery contracts are not yet let. The total liabilities of the company are estimated to run into £37,000, and the capital available is £38,000. The value of New Zealand’s principal products, exported in the year ended March last, was £20,048,449, against £15,699,046 for the year ended March, 1909, being an increase of £4,349,403. • Up till about seven, years ago totara timber was being exported from Wairarapa (states the Wairarapa Vaily Times). Now, however, this timber is being imported from long distances to supply the growing needs of the district. The full extent to which this is being done may be gathered from a statement made by a leading timber merchant that on one truck of timber alone, received in Masterton during.last week, the railage amounted to £22 15s. It is understood that the three designs for a Dominion coat-of-arms selected from among, those sent in in connection with the competition held some - time ago have been, reported upon by the Home authorities, to whom they were submitted, and that the report has been referred to a special committee set up for the purpose, whose decision will be made known in about a month or six weeks. Information is being obtained by the Hon. Dr. Findlay from the Federal Attorney-General regarding the Australian Commonwealth’s arrangement with the English mint for production of silver coinage. When this is to hand (says the New Zealand Tim ct) the whole question of coinage arrangements for New Zealand will be considered by the Government. About two years ago some 10,000 ladybirds were imported to New Zealand and, distributed over the two Islands for the purpose of checking the woolly aphis blight on fruit trees. It naturally takes time for the little insects to become established, but already they have been seen in some districts doing really good work in the way of checking the blight. The problem of eradicating the woolly aphis is a. most difficult one, and really no certain cure has yet been discovered. Spraying the trees with oil gets rid of the trouble to some extent, but it has not the same finality as the application of arsenate of lead has in dealing with the codlin moth. During his reply to the welcome extended to him at the Bluff, Lord Plunket remarked that there was one product which the people might congratulate themselves upon. They produced Prime Ministers. It was not for the Governor, who was absolutely free from political feeling, to say anything of a political nature, but he might say that he had to pay an acknowledgment to the Prime Minister for the constant courtesy and consideration shown in every possible way for any omissions he might have made, and he could only wish every other Governor had as pleasant and easy and as common-sense a Prime Minister to meet with. A humorous incident noticed by a few of those who sat down at the luncheon in Invercargill in honor of his Excellency the Governor, attended the chairman’s efforts with a carving knife (says the Southland News). On his right was the Governor and on his left the Prime Minister, while in front of him was a prime fat turkey that was being skilfully dissected. , As he turned to ask the Governor on his right if he would care for ‘a wing,’ his carving knife swept around with a flourish to his left, and as he asked Sir Joseph on his left what particular portion of the turkey he preferred, that carving knife swept gracefully round to the right. Both the Governor and the Prime Minister appeared in fear of the consequences, and ‘ ducked ’ gracefully time and again as that dangerous weapon swept round in their direction. The chairman never noticed .the alarming effect of his actions, and neither gentleman cared to protest. Relief came with the second course. A distressing drowning accident occurred at Castlecliff, Wanganui, about noon on Sunday, whereby eight lives were lost, the victims being members of two families named Ludlam and Anderson. A number of residents had arranged a picnic on South Spit, and a flat-bottomed boat was used to ferry the picnickers across. The first trip was safely accomplished, and the boat left again with ten occupants. All went well until the middle of the river was reached, when a strong tide and swell from the. sea made a nasty jobble. An attempt was made to turn back, but when the boat was broadside on it capsized, all the occupants being precipitated into the water. A fisherman on the South Spit noticed the catastrophe, and put off to the rescue. He managed to save two boys, and then saw the body of a woman floating. This proved to be Mrs. Lndlam, who was tightly clasping one of her little children. Both were dead.

Taranaki, where the ‘ trail of the cow is said to be over everything, had a surprise in store for a motorist' who was touring the ' province. In one of the back districts near Stratford I he noticed, to his great wonder, nestling near an unpretentious cottage, a building which, to ■ all appearances, seemed an up-to-date observatory. On enquiring at the town he ascertained that his surmise was correct, and thereupon made arrangements to pay a visit to the anomaly. He was fortunate enough to find the ardent farmer-astronomer in his observatory, which, he informed the visitor, he had constructed himself, and equipped it with many of the latest appliances. The telescope was a five-inch one by Crooks, imported direct from the makers in London. The driving clock, constructed out of various old wheels, etc., the visitor found to perform its functions quite correctly. In a corner stood a sidereal clock, showing the hours from one to twenty-four, and keeping the correct star time. The sidereal clock was also the work of this; mechanical and astronomical genius. Hie visitoran enthusiastic amateur astronomer himself—was amazed that a settler should have laid down the meridian line, determined the polar axis, constructed hour and declination circles, and generally, with only the telescope purchased, set up an observatory, alike creditable both to himself and the community. He also found that he had observed Halley’s comet, and was exceedingly well posted m all matters of current interest in the star line. All this lie had acquired by the expenditure of no inconsiderable sum of money and a vast amount of time and ingenuity; and, moreover, in the centre of a country busily devoted to the most exacting calling, the dairy industry. A Press Association message states that on Sunday night there was intense excitement at Palmerston North. The police, after many false alarms, got into grips with Powelka, Sergeant Maguire being badly wounded by the escaped desperado. Powelka again escaped. The "police had received information from Mr. Hampton, manager of a butchery, of suspicious circumstances at- his residence at rorguson street. A wire had been stretched across the pathway close to the ground, obviously to trip someone up. During the evening he saw a man jumping the fence into his garden. He immediately supplied information to the police. As a result, Sergeant Maguire, Detectives Quartermain and Siddells, and a constable all arrived and surrounded the house. The night was pitch dark. Sergeant Maguire went around one side of the house and confronted a man whom he recognised as Powelka. The sergeant gripped his man, and a desperate struggle ensued. Powelka, evidently determined to evade capture at all costs, wrestled violently to break away. As they fought he fell to the ground. Powelka then shot his captor in the stomach. ' Sergeant Maguire was taken to the hospital. It is feared that he is badly hurt. On Monday night Mr. Michael Quirke, a brother of Detective Quirke, was shot by a fellow-searcher in Ruahine street, under the impression that Mr. Quirke was Powelka. Mr. Quirke was a hairdresser and tobacconist at Pahiatua. He joined the searchers at Pahiatua, near which his parents and brothers and sisters reside. He has assisted in the search since. Mr. Quirke was unmarried, and was about 37 years of age. He was a very popular citizen of Pahiatua, and was respected by everybody. The Labor Journal (writes the Wellington correspondent of the Otayo Daily Tines) gives a list of prices of commodities and of rents as charged in the four centres. There are considerable differences in the prices. Flour by the 251 b bag costs 3s in Christchurch, 3s 3d in Dunedin, and 3s 6d in Wellington and Auckland. Currants are 3d per lb in Dunedin and 4d in Wellington. The 71b bag of oatmeal in Auckland sells at lOd. It costs Is at Wellington and Is Id at Dunedin. A tin of kerosene costs 4s 2d at Auckland, 4s 3d at Wellington and Christchurch, and 4s 6d at Dunedin. Bacon costs 8d a lb at Christchurch and lid at Wellington, lOd at Dunedin, and 10|d at Auckland. Gas consumers pay 4s 3d per 1000 ft (net) at Auckland, 5s at Wellington, 7s 6d at Christchurch, and 5s at Dunedin. Tripe costs 3d a lb at Wellington, 5d at Auckland, and 6d at the southern centres. Auckland gets the cheapest boots. At Auckland a dozen bananas cost 2d, at Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin they are quoted at 6d. Peaches are priced at Is per dozen at Auckland, and from 2d to 6d per lb at Wellington, 6d at Christchurch, and 4d at Dunedin. Wellington rents are still the highest. For a house of four rooms at .Auckland the rent is 8s 6d to 12s 6d per week, Wellington 12s to 21s, Christchurch 10s to 15s, Dunedin 8s to 14s; five —Auckland 12s to 15s,- Wellington 14s to 22s 6d, Christchurch 14s to 16s, Dunedin 11s to 18s; six rooms —Auckland los to 18s, Wellington 16s to 255, Christchurch 16s to 20s, Dunedin 13s 6d to 21s; seven rooms Auckland 18s to 22s 6d, Wellington 20s to 27s 6d, Christchurch 20s and upwards, Dunedin 15s to 30s.