NEW ZEALAND NEWS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 459, 18 March 1909, Page 5

NEW ZEALAND NEWS.

(BY TEtEQIIAPII—ritESS ASSOCIATION.) ' THE J COOK ISLANDS.

SHOULD BE MADE A PARADISE.

- Auckland, March 17, Dr. .G. A. Gates, president of Pomona College, South California, who is 'at present visiting' Auckland, _ speaking to-day on tho government of native • race?, remarked that New/Zealand, in taking over the Cook Isr lands,' had undertaken a very great responsibility,'which did not seem to be fully enough realised'here yet. If the Now Zealand-', Government set , to work, it could do for those,: just distinct and as bright a ,work as it had done for the people of xjfew Zealand, and if it did so it would sot an: example to the colonising nations of the'/world. If the Islands were to be'regarded simply as a revenyo-produoiig asset, thfit.'was, where,-disaster lay. The simple people of ; those Islands might be so easily led to a high moral standard of life. Tahiti, near at hand, was a hell upon.earth, and that; was .all the more reason ohat New Zealand should make a paradiso of''the Cook Islands,; and if there was any place in the Dominion .where the best men, arid the men of the highest character, should be appihited, it ■ was in the Cook Islands.

.LINCOLN COLLEGE. . A VISITOR'S IMPRESSIONS. • ■ Chrlstchuroh, March 17. Mr. ,G. 'Hinge, who is inquiring into the Dominion's agricultural methods on behalf of the Peruvian' Government, - visited Lincoln . College to-day, _-ariu'. was much" impressed T)-ith,.the attention'paid to the practical side of farming-by those conducting the institution". 'He stated that the students he saw at work wer'e.doing much harder, work than he expected Vto find them vat. N Of the agricultural colleges he. had visited, none paid so much attention to. practical; work as was done at-Lincoln College. In , Pern, there were two .colleges, similar, in i character to Lincoln College, where special effoHs were made to prepare students for the actual work of farming. Mr.. Klirige. leaves to-mor-row for Dunedin. ' THE SLAUCHTERMEN'S DISPUTE. ' v ' Chrlstchuroh, March 17. With regard to the , slaughtermen's dispute,'., the ; men have been' cited to' appear before the magistrate on Saturday to settlo .what proportion of, their wages shall be impounded in satisfaction of the fines. , The men met at noori to-day,' and asked Mr. T. B.i Taylor to represent their case to tho Premier- to-morrow. Mr. Taylor consented to do so. ' ■' I SCHOOL BOOKS. , ■ Dunedin, March 17. The Education Board considered the Inspector-General's circular, of March 4 on -text'books, arid adopted the provisions for tho supply of books to. classes P. St. 1, and St. 2, and decided that quotations' be obtained as to the prices at which books could be supplied , and sent to schools. WHELCH IN TRAINING. ' Christchuroli, March 17. ffhelch has now settled down to thorough training for his rilatch with Fogwell., Ho scales 10st., and is in much better form than when'be rowed'in Australia.

A SOLDIER WHO SAW SEBASTOPOL. mi Westport,. March 17. The dcatli occurred this morning of Duncan Ji'Lelljtn, aged 76. Deceased was an old Crimean veteran 'gunner in 'the Royal Artillery, and fought at Alma, Inkermaiin, Balaclava, and the capture of Sebastopcl. He was. many years resident at Kumura, and was well known throughout the AVest Coast. He leaves a widow and one daughter. • A military funeral will ho accorded. ' ROWINC. Dunedin, March 17. Regarding the suggestion that tho Waitemata Club's fours be, sent.to tho Brisbane ■; Regatta, in May, the Otago Association considers it is too kto in the season to make satisfactory arrangements for sending a representative crew, and decline a monetary gralit. owing: to the low . state of tho assofinances. MARATHON RACE. Auokland, March 17. >'■" A Marathon race was run in connection Patrick's Day Sports to-day over a distance of nearly 11 miles. Thero were 23 starters. A. Rogers and 'L. E. Orp'stoin, running together, led the way for .tills fiist soven miles, when Ornstoin dropped out. Rogers ran home the. winner in lhr. 16min., G. Heron being second (lhr. lTmiii. Bsec.), an ;. E. W. Shauaghan third : (lhr. 17min. 14sec.). ■ Underwood ,the fourth man', finished in lhr. 18min. 14sec. \