NEW ZEALAND NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 182, 27 April 1908, Page 8

NEW ZEALAND NEWS.

(BIT TELEGRAPH—PHIigg ASSOI'IATJOH.). ' ' » . i LAND BALLOT. \' RENTALS SAID TO BE TOO ' HIGH/ , , Duriedin, April *25,' ,A ballot for twelve sections of .Meadow* bank' Estate took place at Balmerston to-day. There wore seventy-eight applicants examined, of whom twelve were ■ rejected,. leav- . ing sixty-six, who put in eighty-three applications. .It is said that.the rentals asked were much too high, being more than double .the amounts^paid by.the farmers who utilised the, land before it was taken ■by the Government. Nearly. all . the . applicants were strangers. The Fallot resulted as follows:— ■ ' Scction 1 A,.607 acres I'rood, half-yearly rental, £83, 2s. od., James Alexander, ilobbie (Ngapara), twelvo applicants. . , ' ; .Section-2 A,' 625 acres 2 roods 34 poles. £54. 18s., Donald Sutherland . (Woodstock), seven applicants. '-V" ; - , Section 3A, , 115 acrcsi.l rood-15 poles, £27 13s. 6d.,' George Barrow (Gore), nine applicants.. ;. . : Section 4 A, 153 acres 2 roods ■ 35. poles, £36 13s. 6d., Hannah M'Gabe. (Weston), eleven'applicants. . Section 5 A, 101 acrcs 15 poles', £15 2s. 6d., Lucy M. Hughes (Dunedin),: uineteen applicants. . . > Sections 6.A and 10 A, 1066 acres. 13 poles,. £75 35., Mary M'Cabc (Weston), setfen applicants. : , . ■ Section- 7 A, 260 acres 1 rood 20;. poles, £42 10s. 6d.,- George J. T. Taylor (Tiinaru), seven applicants. - : ~. Sections 3 A, 9 A, and 11 A, 813 ; acres 3 r00d5.23 poles, £69 19s. 6d., Edward Pine (Ardgowan), eleven applicants. > ; • ■ A-RAILWAY FROM MAIN TRUNK'TO ' TOKAANU.. : . Auckland, April 26. One result.of the recent, visit ■paid ,by-th« Hon', : Dr. Findlay,'• '■ Attorney-General, Rotorua, has.' been to 1 convince • him ' that better, communication with at any *ate some of-our great thermal regions is' required. 1 To. a Herald " .representative . 'the Minister said: I .think'.wo.must sobiipr. or.later. provide means of reaching Wairakei and-Taupo more ' easily and. speedily than at' present; Theroi'seems to be no do'ubt that'the Geyser; Valley at Wairakei contains a - finer ; concentration of- thermal eights' than; any part' : of the whole island; yet'only' a small number of' tourists find their way there ! or>'to.-Taupo.% When tho Alain Trunk line is completed/ there . should be" some easy', coiiimuhicatiou made between'the main lilie and Tokaanu (on'the south shore of Lake Taiipo), enabling 'southern; visitors to come up'.via Taupo and Wairakei' on ■to Rotorua, and thence to'Auck--' land, - and enabling northern or Auckland visitors to proceed from Rotorua on ■ to the Main- Trunk' .via: Taupo,;and either'back to Auckland by the main line' or via" the Wanganui River. ■ The expense of providing, either a good road or a light railway between--the Main "Trunk and Tokaanu would not be very great,, and;' as the traffic increases,: I' have no doubt'this proposal'will impress itself'on tho Government.'' 'i ■' '

' HOUSE HUNGER IN:NAPIER, m': 1 . " ■ ' •Napier, April 26. : A round'was made . of; land and , estate- ' agents on-Saturday bya.Press'representative in:the search for a Louse, not for him-' self,'", but; /simply- to ;know':'if such : a'' thing could be ,'got. .-:Tlie'■•'■.first agent,, called on said: .',' We; have' from ' six, 7 to • nine people yin '• ;here every day searching -for ;houses to "rent, and, there is'on an average about, one house a month to let; to them." Three pejSple'halve •been in this' morning.'' 'Another- agent gave '•■ it as .his opinion that : if, .100: cottages ..were ■ erected to-morrow he / could- let; them: in "a .week. ■

. . THE ' JUDICIARY BILL-DISTRICT ' •■■; COURTS TO GO. • ■ ; ' ' • ' Auckland, April 1 26..' • Referring to - the 'next - Cabinet meeting, the Attorney-General (Dr.. Findlay) told a " Herald'', reporter., that-, important, legisla-" tive' measures,' to be'dealt' with hext-'iessibn, '• would come up for consideration.. Asked il' ;hd proposed- to; again bring 'down th 6 Judi'ciary ; Bill., he . introduced;, last' session,:; Dr..' Findlay said, ho . did, but that:, it''wo'ulif ; probably be.witli Modifications.: There'would be an alteration, at "least-'asf'regarded .'the proposal to' establish -a 'ncftr- system:.of. hear-' * ill's appeals. The Bill involved a proposal to abolish District .Courts; and to.substitute sittings/ of -the- Supreme Court\ or extended . ' . j udisdiction to .qualified 'magistrates.',' .This,- : the' Minister/said,"ha- found almost; unifer*. ■sal- approval'from" the legal, profession..., FAILURE OS' ATTEMPT TO ' BURN . A " ; • SCHOOL.;. , , ' ■■':■'i Waipawa, April • 25. • A An attempt was-made last night to" burn the District High School. " The fire' was. commenced : .with . paper and pieces of ' kerosene. : . box, -built, up in. the main room, but'was • discovered before much damage; was-done.' :V RATING ON UNIMPROVED VALUES. 'J- ,''■•:•■;■ Hastings,:April-25; ■ i -Mr. P. J. O'Regan addressed a meeting of 300 . ratepayers last,, night:'oii< the,, .question of rating on unimproved valubs. He referred . to Hawlce's Bay as the finest province, in New Zealand. Yet>it had only nine people to the square lhile, .while the Taranaki bush province bad thirteen". , - i , .. £ . "This .scandalous ;state •of affairs," lia ;said, "is caused by' estates, and:pe6pie being driven to. the back country, while ■land served bv the railway, and teeming ■with potentialities,, is practically -'depopulated.",. , . ' This could not •be • suffered • to • and would not, continue if, the land monopoly was taxed out of existence. The speaker; waa accorded a: hearty vote, of thanks., •> ■ " •- fire! ■ " ■.'), • ■ - Dunedini April 25. A five-roomed-house, owned and occupiei 4 by Mr. James Tomkinson,. jun., of AYaihola, was, destroyed by-fire on Thursday. ■ : The house and furniture, valued at,, £300, were destroyed.:. The house was. iusured for.' i £2oo' •'- in the' Alliance office, and the fumiturW-Wa* uninsured.. 1 ■ • V NEWS IN'. BRIEF ' ~.f ,'. Gisborne, April 25. -*-V. James Garritjv arrested by' Det«ctiv« Rawle, was -committed for trial on a charge of attempting to steal a pocket-book' from .a passenger by:the• Maiiuka'last night.''The Gisborne- School . Committee' 'report . favourably on; the system of voluntary teaching of religion in schools. ! • ' '. Hastings, April'. : 2s.!' At tli? ./Magistrate's Court. William Charles Wilson, charged, with failing "to. prov vide .for- his illegitimate child,, was remanued: for a .week,, bail (£200) being forthcoming. Wilson .was arrested at Sydney. .... ' Wanganui, April 25.. It- is reported that thore is, ah opidemii of - typhoid ■ fever among the' Mnioris up" tlu . river, and that there have already been eight •deaths. : '-'•:'