NEWS AND NOTES.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 19 June 1901, Page 4

NEWS AND NOTES.

It is expected that the Committee of judges appointed by tho Federal Government to select a Federal Flag will have to examine in all from 10,000 to 15,000 dpsigns. During the past twelve vears tho assessable income of Grent Britain has increased by the enormous sum of £120,000,000. Tbc value of exports of produce from the colony during the month of May were —Butter' £33,477, cheese £32,565. beef £25,914, mutton £68,190, legs mutton £4,298, lamb £135,245.

We learn that the Ber. E. Whitehouse lias been appointed Chaplain to the whole of the West Coast cadets. Mr T. H. Lee. manager of the Old Diggings Gold Dredging Company, informs the Inangahua Herald that they were in error in stating that Mr In wood has been appointed master of that Company's dredge, no one so far haying been appointed to that position.

An immense mushroom was found the other day at Lillieur, near Talbot, Victoria. It was 51 inches in circumference, and weighed 91b. On the Srd Inst, the Mount Morgan Gold Mining Company paid a dividend of 7s per share absorbing £29,166, this being the dividend for May. The development of the use of the electric light in Canada has been something marvellous during the past decade. In 1891 the census returned SO establishments are selling electric light; in 18'.)7 there were IS7, and in 1900, 297. The electrical lamps numbered 443,597 in 1897, and 807,772 in 1900. The Royal Electric Light Company of Montreal supply 78,762 incandescent and 1805 aro lamps, the Toronto Light Company supply 75,000 incandescent and ICSO are lamps, aud the Ottawa Electric Light Company supply 77,255 incandeacont and 021 are lamps. It was stated during the heating of the miners' dispute before the Auckland Conciliation Board that the Waihi Gold Mining Company has given £IOOO in various sums to the widows and orphans of de; ceased minersi The Maoris aro not behindhand in mourning observances for the late Queen. All letters sun to Mahuta, the Waikata ' King ' by his people aro not ' according to Burke ' unless they bear the badge of mourning. This is done by the sender drawing a black line all round the edge of the front of the envelope.

It it strange to note how the dynasties which have reigned over England have gradually improved in length of life. The average age of our Norman Kings was 57. That of the Plantagenets was only 40, not one lung of the Houses of Lancaster or York attaining the ago of 50. The Tudor Sovereigns averaged 48 years, Queen Elizabeth being tho first ruler of England to live into her seventieth year, and having no equal in this respect for a century and a-half, when George II surpassed her. The 'Stuarts averaged 52 years, in spite of the premature taking-off of Charles I. The five predecessors of her Majesty of the Hanoverian line lived tc the vastly increased average of 73 years, which the late Queen has already increased by a year. Tho United States Consul-General in Leipzig devotes a recent report to a description of municipal pawnbroking at Leipzig. These establishments assist poor people to obtain temporary loans at low rates of interest, and they proved so beneficial that many German economists and philanthropists advocate the total suppression of all private pawnbrokers. When work is plentiful the loans are few, but when it is scarce the loans rise in number and value. Sinco 1892 the number of articles pawned at the Leipzig establishment had decreased almost continuously, Germany having been, eince that year, in a state of unbroken commercial and industrial prosperity.

Municipal economy is troubling Fielding. A questioner at a mayoral candidate's meeting seriously wished to know if he (the candidate) was in favour of the gas and water being laid in the same pipe, to save expense ? Including the designs for the Federal flag, to be sent from Now South Wales and South Australia, lhe committee of judges appointed by the Federal Government will have to examine, in all, 10,000 to 15,000 desigos. Already 300 designs for the Federal seal have been sent in, but tbis number will be increased. There are nearly 1000 men on strike in the in iron trade in Sydney, but the total number affected by the troublo is over 2000. Tho Western Australian authorities have decided that all ships arriving at the ports of the State shall be inspected, whether they havo medical officers on board or not. The revenue of New South Wales for the 11 months ended 31st May was £9,768,310, as against £9,247,167 for the corresponding period of last year. The Northern Australian Leaguo at Port Darwin is objecting to the granting of mineral licenses and leases to Chinese.

The Commissioner for Public Works in South Australia informed delegates of 150 unemployed that he would have nothing to do with them unless they were prepared to go to tho country, whoro work was available. During the four weeks ended 28tli May, 283,573 tons of coal were exported from Newcastle, New South Wales. The Pull Court in Westorn Australia, has ruled that the Imperial Lottery Act is in force in that State, and therefore a defendant wilt have to take his trial at the forthcoming criminal sittings. A shocking accident occurred at Mount William, near Ararat (Victoria). - Two miners were working in their claim, and a fall of earth partially buried one of them. The other, whose name was Allan Moresby, went to rescue him, and was at work when another fall took place and killed him. Moresby's mate was rescued. He escaped with a broken leg. The heavy influx of visitors to Melbourne during the recent festivities means an increase of revenue to the Railway Department for a fortnight of .£60,000. At six bye-elections for the Victorian Ptato Assembly on 17th June, persons too ill or infirm to vote personally, or those who reside five miles from the nearest polling booth will be allowed to vote through tho post. Mr E. Gregory, the Queensland Government Printer, is to retiro on a pension at the end of tho month.

Cattlo continue in strong demand in New South Wales, best beof realising 25s per lOOib. Many of tb.9 returned troopers of the Queensland Contingents have been struck off the rolls owing to their absence in South Africa.

Mr Blackmore, Clerk of Parliaments, expresses some concern as to the cost of printing required by .the Federal Government. It appears that applications for copies of records and Hansard, the first two numbers of which were issued on Monday, arc coming in in great- numbers. If all who deem themsilves entiiled to copies of Hansard are supplied, the printing bill will run into thousands of pound.-'. The subject will it is expected, be brought before Mr Barton on his return to Melbourne.

During his speech at Napier tho other day Mr A. L. D. Fraser f aid it was never intended that the liquor legislation introduced last session should be passed. A Bill had been brought down, but Mr Sedden, whose life had bean worried out by both parties, had drafted it with such cuteness and clcaverness tiiat each was bound to bo dissatisfied. Which is the sort of tiling one naturally expects from Mr Seddon. An artesian supply of 2,000,000 gallons has been struck at the Yarrawin bore, between Nyngan and Brewarrina, New Sonth Wales. The water rises sft 10in over the casing,

Under date of April 28th, a London cabls to American papers says ; —" A novel spectaclo was present-d here this evening by men and women attending a West End church in evening dress. Dr Gray, the incumbent ot St. George's in Albermarle street, has instituted special late services for fashionable people, who profess that dinner engagements provents going to church early in the ovenings. Many women attended in decoletto dress with their theatre wraps. Dr Gray found it necessary to explain that it was not, as supposed, an evening dress service, but said there was no reason people should not attend in evening dress if it was convenient for them to do so. " The skeleton of what is declared to bo a large moa has been found at Waikaramoana in a good state of preservation. Invercargill and the Bluff aro going to make a huge success of the reception to tho Fourth Contingent. A people's ball on a gigantic scale will bo one of the functions.

The Napier Garrison i 3 establishing a museum at the local diillshed. Amongst the exhibits are some weapons secured by the British troops in South Africa. Tho question of selling cattle by live weight has been discussed by the Waikato Farmers' Ciub, 'which has unanimously agree 1 that tho system is prefer, able to that of selling by dead weight. Tho club has set up a committee to Work out a scheme. Mr E. Speight, ex-Commissioner of Victorian Railways, is the Minister of Railways in the new Westralian Cabinet formed by Mr G; Leake. Mr. J. P. Arnold, one of Dunedin's members, is not altogether satisfied with the composition of tho Cabinet. When he made his recess speech on the 4th instant he was loud in his praises of Messrs Seddon and Ward, but he went on to say :—" Those two gentlemen were surrounded by others who were very much weaker. The last man who was attached to the Ministry was the weakest of them all, and in his opinion it was not right to find in any Government two men who were head and shoulders above the rest of their colleagues. If there was to be a reconstruction of the Ministry presently, as he believed there would be, he thought they would have much stronger men united with the two he had mentioned—men such as the one who had to resign his position as well as his portfolios early last session." The proposals for increased taxation in the British. Budget have evidently been carefully considered by the Continental press. The Berliner Politische Nachrichten, which is often supposed to reflect the opinions of the Prussian Finance Minister, considers that the duty on refined sugar will have the effect of a protective duty for the English sugar refineries, a fact which cannot he regarded with indifference in Germany in view of the extensive export of German refined sugar to England. The tax, it says, will have a detrimental effect on German finance, as it will render it impossible io abolish the bounties on the export of sugar so long as the English duty is maintained. Among the speakers on the Budget in the House of Commons was Mr J. C. Wason, member for Selwyn in the last New Zealand Parliament, who he foresaw a time when Great Britain would have to reconsider her fiscal position and to resort to some form of protection. The farmers in Ohinemuri, Upper Thames, have combined to establish a co-operative dairy factory.

% An effort is to be made to rescind the resolution of the Heretauuga Dairy Company, Hawkes Bay, to lease the factories to Messrs J. E. Nathan, of Wellington, for three years. You can make a large saving by purchasing your drapery from T. W. Tymons and Co., and judge before buying elsewhere. —Advt.