Interprovincial

New Zealand Tablet, 18 April 1912, Page 31

Interprovincial

Sales of this season's oats are already being made in the Wyndham district. It is reported that Mr. D. R. Hunter, of Ivanhoe, Edendale, has disposed of 700 sacks, at the very satisfactory price of 2s per bushel. A farmer from the Feilding district informed an Eketahuna Express representative that he had been compelled to dispose of his dairy farm owing to his inability to procure labor.

The inmates of the Lyttelton Gaol 'struck' on Monday, and refused to work, or give a reason for their refusal to do so.

.The Taieri farmers are making the most of the existing spell of fine weather, and harvesting operations are general. - The sum received by the Napier Hospital Board on account of the recent Hospital Saturday collection was £654 15s 2d. Further donations from the country districts are expected, and there is every likelihood that the collection will eventually reach close on £7OO. By the Corinthic 450 third-class passengers arrived at Wellington on Tuesday. About 50 per cent, are from Scotland. Included in the list is a large : number of domestic servants, cooks and housemaids, "almost all of whom appear to be engaged to go to places in various parts of the Dominion. Up to the end of March (says the Wellington Post) 794 pensions to widows had been granted, involving an annual liability of £15,900. The average pension is £2O,- the families of the beneficiaries ranging from one to fifteen. The Postmaster-General (Hon. H. G. Ell) says he is satisfied that the advantages of the Act are not yet as widely known as they ought to be, but the Department estimates that at the end of twelve months from the coming into operation of the Act there will be nearly the number on the pension list that was estimated—namely, 3000. 'My desire as Minister of Agriculture,' said the Prime Minister (the Hon. T. Mackenzie) to a Wellington reporter, ' is to establish at our agricultural experimental farms facilities fqr young men. to learn farming.' The statement was apropos of the fact that the Cabinet had authorised the expenditure of a sum of money for the erection-of apprentices' quarters at the Wararoa Experimental Farm. The Prime Minister, went on to state that the building would be of a moderate size, and would include a room in which lectures would be given by onicers of the department. The lads would givetheir work for the first three months in exchange for board and training, for the next three months they would receive a slight remuneration, and the future allowances would increase in proportion to their industry and ability. He hoped to widen the system, so as to include the other State properties. He wanted to afford* facilities for quite a number of young men of good stamp to learn the practical work of farming, supplemented by lectures and other forms of instruction! In conversation with a reporter in Christchurch about the proposal to celebrate Empire Day on June 22, which combines- the anniversaries of. the King's Coronation and Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, Sir Joseph Ward said that at the Imperial Conference he had urged that it should be celebrated on the birthday of the reigning Sovereign. He was still of that opinion, believing that it was desirable to have one general day fixed throughout the Empire. When Queen Victoria died Empire Day was appointed for May 24, but when later on King Edward passed away a difficulty arose about recognising his birthday. As the custom throughout the Empire was to recognise the birthday of the reigning Sovereign, there seemed to be a danger of a multiplicity of holidays if all these dates were to be recognised. It seemed to him that the best nlan was to celebrate Empire Day on the King's Birthday, and to change the date to the birthday of the future' successor to the Throne. He "was convinced that Empire Day would receive more enthusiastic and united support from the people throughout the Empire if some arrangement of that kind was come to. , ~• ;