Interprovincial

New Zealand Tablet, 23 May 1912, Page 36

Interprovincial

The Hawera Electric Light Company made a profit of £1852 on the past year’s working.

/ Twenty .years ago the total export of wool from Poverty Bay was 8933 bales, and last year the output reached 45,539 bales.

A line of very prime fat lambs was sold in South Canterbury last week at 26s per head. This is said to be a record price for fat lambs in the Timaru district.

The Union Company’s steamer Kotuku went ashore on Thursday night outside the Grey mouth bar. The captain and crew remained on board all night, but got ashore in the morning.

At a special meeting of the Ashburton County Council it was decided to pay 9d a dozen for heads of all birds, except those of blackbirds, thrushes, and starlings, after June 1, and until further notice.

It is stated that, owing: to several of : the ' nurses receiving minor injuries, the nursing staff of the Napier Hospital has been instructed that leave will not be granted for the purposes of playing hockey or skating.

. A box containing £3OO, belonging to the Railway Department, which was being sent from one of the small stations between Ohakune and Taumaruriui for banking purposes, disappeared. Cash and cheques were in the box, which, on arrival at Taumarunui, was found empty. / . The affair is a complete mystery.

The engine drivers and winders at Waihi have issued a statement giving their reasons.why they formed the new union. They state that they can no longer tolerate a branch of the union whose officials embrace every opportunity of insulting the Empire and its rulers, ridiculing traditional beliefs, scoffing at all religion, and bleating forth anti-militarism, atheism, and revolutionary socialism in season and but of season. The statement concludes with the firm intention to hold their present position till the crack of doom.

' Mr. Kettle, S.M., at Auckland imposed no penalty but made an order for costs against Thompson Bros., grocers, for one partner being employed after 9 p.m. It was evidently the intention of the Act, he said, that all but one partner should be regarded' as shop assistants. It appeared strange to him that one partner could work while another could not. He thought there should be an exception in favor of partners. The inspector pointed out the difficulty which would arise in some cases, as for instance where five partners were employed. .

• Some interesting remarks on the subject of honey appear in a recent Agricultural Department bulletin. Dr. C. C. Miller, the writer, refers to honey as a very excellent article of food, but he adds a word of warning about adulteration with glucose. He states that manufacturers buy up dark honeys and put in 50 or 75 per cent, of glucose, and then the same is labelled pure honey,Harm honey, and scores of other innocent names. Dark honey is preferred because it will stand more glucose to give the mixture air appearance of honesty, particularly so if the stuff is put up in glass. A piece of comb is pul in sometimes, but it may be entirely dry or consist of broken comb, honey, such as the mixers buy from commission houses. ■ _ During the course of his remarks in Invercargill on the cost of living (says the Lyttelton Times), the Hon. George Fowlds stated that in ‘a-speech- he delivered in the north he informed his audience that the wages paid to the Rarotonga natives, Is 6d a day, were higher than those received in New Zealand. A member of . the audience, after the close of the meeting, approached him and said that he must be aware that conditions were, better here than in Rarotonga, and Mr. Fowlds replied that one day’s work a month would clothe a man in the island referred to, a day’s work a week fed him, and he had no rent to pay, every native having his own piece of land (leasehold) on which he grew his cocoanuts and. other fruits. He defied any worker in New Zealand to do that. • - '

. At ' a meeting of tile Cabinet on Tuesday it was resolved to add largely to the number of weather forecast stations in the Dominion, bringing the total up to 200. . ; 6 v

Sir Joseph and Lady Ward will return to New Zealand from Australia by the steamer Haufiganui, reaching Wellington on the 29th inst., On the following day Sir Joseph j.will j be presented with an address and Lady Ward with a. souvenir at the Town Hall on behalf of the citizens. .. , . ' ■'

The Hon. H. G. Ell (Postmaster-general) states that it may be some time until the King George issue of stamps is ready. . A proof of an approved . design was sent to London to be engraved, but the work of the engraver is considered to be so unsatisfactory that it has been rejected, and it may now be necessary to enter into negotiations with another firm. Thp Post-master-general is -determined that the new i issue of stamps shall-be in all respects a credit to the Dominion, and it is his intention to spare no paiiis tb attain this result. . VV V

Speaking to a New Zealand Times reporter, the Minister of Education (the Hon. J. A. H&) said he was surprised at the number of applications made for the* admission of children to the home for mental defectives at Otekaike.. There was not sufficient accommodation to comply with all the requests. The demand was so pressing that it was apparent additional accommodation would have to be provided. In his opinion the solution of the problem did not lie in periodical increases of accommodation. They - must' go to the root of the trouble, and endeavour to bring about a condition of society under which the defective element would reach an 'irreducible minimum. The first necessity was the creation of a sound public opinion on the subject of an atmosphere of thought leading to efficient and " wellconsidered action. • ‘

Inspector Mitchell, of Dunedin,,has been appointed to succeed Inspector Cullen in charge of the Auckland district (says the Otayo , Daily Times). Inspector Dwyer, of Napier, will succeed Inspector Mitchell at Dunedin. Inspector Mitchell has gone through the ranks of the force in New Zealand. Some years ago he was in Auckland as a constable, and when he had climbed further up the ladder in the course of service at Paeroa, Hastings, Napier, and Wellington, he went back as sub-inspector, exchanging places with Subinspector (now Inspector) Wilson. Lately he, achieved the rank of inspector, and took charge of Invercargill district, whence some two years ago he was promoted to Dunedin. Inspector Dwyer will not come to Dunedin as a stranger, as he is already well and favorably known in this part of the Dominion. Some ten or twelve years ago he filled the position of sub-inspector here and after serving, m a similar capacity in Christchurch tor some years he was promoted to the rank of inspector and took charge of the Napier district. %.[. ’ Another attempt will probably be made soon to acclimatise the herring in New Zealand waters!-A The Minister of Marine, the Hon. G. Laurensbn, says that the Cabinet has practically decided to have a, further shipment of herring ova brought out to New Zealand under conditions which, it was hoped, would ensure their arrival here in proper condition. Previous at tempts in this direction had been unsuccessful owing to the impossibility 0 preventing . the ova coming to maturity on the way, but a new method would be used to retard this process. If the ova could be landed as expected, they would be placed ill the Portobel fist hatchery for subsequent distribution to' different parts The Minister said he regarded the experiment . as : of very great interest. If successful it would have ,an important bearing upon the fishing industry The value of herring landed in Scotland was nearly equal j° £1 P er Jl eac J ° f the population, and if the fish couldbe acclimatised here it should, add greatly to the food supply of the people. 5 7 C ' tood