NEWS AND NOTES.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 7 June 1901, Page 4

NEWS AND NOTES.

It is now some ten weeks (says yesterday’s Wanganui Herald) since tenders wore accepted for the erection of the Post office, but the work br.s not yet been commenced, owing to no detinue instructions hiving been received by the contractor. "yesterday Mr MhuU received a telegram to the effect that the desired instructions would be forthcoming in a couple or days, but if the policy of redtape \ybich seems to be inseparable from the various Departments of State is to be continued, it may be still a couple of months before the work is commenced. It will be absolutely impossible to finish it in the contract time, and who is to pay for the loss sustained by the contractors owing to the delay ? Basing his remarks upon an article from Hie pen of Mr Trevelyan, M.P., who some time ago visited the colony, on “ the splendidly democratic legislation which tire New Zealand Parliament has been engaged upon for some years past,” Mr William Eedmond, M.P., referring more particularly to “the land,” says ; “Is it not very New Zealand system of planting the people on the soil which is so badly wanted in Ireland, especially in the West?” J .

Mr. J. Ilenniker, Heaton M. P., is never weary of citing the brilliant example sot by Now Zealand in the direction of cheapening postage. Writing to The Times a few weeks ago he says;— “A few mouths ago I had the satisfaction of sending you :i cable message from the enlightened and progressive PostmasterGeneral of New Zealand (the Hon. J, G. Ward) announcing the inauguration of universal penny postage, and to-day he (Mr Ward) makes tho further notification that there is established penny postage from New Zealand to Egypt. So the New Zealander is better off than tho inhabitant of these islands.”

For many years flic opinion was held that (lie pumice land in the Taupo district was absolutely Worthless from the producers’ point of view. The experience, However; of it sclllcr shows conclusively that there lias been a great misapprehension as to the capabilities of the soil. The settler in question is now growing various kinds of fruit on a piece of land which was long regarded at worthless. .Some of his apples this season are fully I2in in circumference, and they and other fruits are said to lie of very lino flavour. , The work of clearing the Wanganui river and its tributaries for regular steamer traffic Is going steadily on. In his last report the Chairman of the llivef Trust states that tho work of clearing and snagging tho Tangarakau stream (a tributary of the Wanganui River) was com- ! menced early in Juno last, and the work has been completed almost half way to Putikituna, some twelve miles from the mouth. The bed of the stream being almost a mass of sunken timber, entailed considerable skill and ingenuity in dealing with the enormous snags found embedded.' The channel already cleared is now available for light draught steamer traffic. So far the expenditure in the Tangarakau has been £978 9s Id. About a s’milar amount will be necessary to complete the work to Putikituna. A sum of quite £1250 should be provided for the work daring the present year. A sum of £9OB 3s lias been expended on the Wanganui River, with excellent results. The traffic returns for the New Zealand Government railways for the first four weeks of tho current financial year show a satisfactory expansion in the passenger traffic. Toere was an increase of 89,53 S ordinary and 2365 season tickets, as compared wieh the corresponding period of last year. The goods traffic shows increases in all sections except three. The horses and cattle trucked were fewer by 264 and 622 respectively, and 836 tons less of merchandise was carried. The increase iii wdol is (50 per cent., showing that the delay in shipments earlier in the year is being made good. From Dawson City, Klondyke,’comes a letter which describes the killing of a big mastodon, at the Forks after he had demolished an hotel and several houses, tossed dogs and horses into the air, and caused men to run for their lives. He was at last killed by an electric wire which he tried to pull down. His skin alone weighedllOOlb: The,skeleton which is 15ft high, is now on exhibition, (fnh tusk weighed 2171 b. The town in which he was killed looked as if it had been visited by an earthquake. A good many precautions, says the “Otago Haily Tides,” are bhing observed by business people whose premises oner an inducement for a midnight visit, but, possibly, not tho least prudent course to adopt is that said to have been pursued by one business man in town. Ho is said to have left a neatly-written card attached to tho hand of the safe door, intimating to any casual visitor that ho had banked all his cash at 3 o’clock that afternoon, and kindly requesting them not to disturb tlffi papers inside, adding that if their curiosity to personally inspect the interior ol the safe was in any way roused to ring up No. So-and-So, and he would send him down the key. At the Dunedin Magistrate’s Court yesterday, twenty-two out of thirty-three cases hoard were actions for the recovery of mining calls, Sixteen of those were cither confessed or paid into Court. Referring to tho “matrimonial clause” under which bank clerks agree not to marry until they are in receipt of ,a salary of £2OO per annum, tho Auckland “Star” says : —“Many bank clerks complain bitterly that they could mary and live comfortably on oven £l5O a year; but they are not allowed to try. Surely this arbitrary interference with social liberty is absolutely unparelleled in any other kind of employment.” A Balclutha paper says that the big towns of the colony are uncontrollably loyal, and mean to make a big splash when the Duke comes along, Only on one thing, however, they are unanimous, and that is in trying to shift the expense on to sombody else. No less that twenty-four cases of failing to comply with th vaccination clause of tho Public Health Act, 1900, were brought before tho Police Court, Thames, the other day. It is reported that eggs are selling at fig per drzonai. Auckland at present—tho abnormal price being due to the projected visit of the Doka and Duchess of Cornwall.