INTERPROVINCIAL NEWS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2112, 21 June 1907, Page 1

INTERPROVINCIAL NEWS.

Tlio decision of tho Government not to allow the exportation of flax fibre rejected by tlie Government graders does not moot with tlio approval .of, the : Hemp, .Committee- of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce. It is stated that ihtxmillers will suffer severe loss in consequence of the new regulations.

Speaking at the smoke concert ten tiered to tho Farmers’ Union delegates at Levin, the lion. Mr. McNal said he saw no reason why the Union should not'be a political-party. II any section of the community wanted to obtain -benefits from the-Govern-ment,. it would be a great fool if- it did not take a hand in politics.

; The Tarata branch of the Farmers’ Union lias asked tlie Taranaki County Council to have pennyroyal scheduled as a noxious weed. The matter jii one entailing a good deal of expense in advertising and so forth, and the Council agreed to defer consideration.''One member moved that -,“tho Council is very sorry to hear tho weed is spreading, and that the settlers be’ recommended to pull it up!”

j “I wish this Court had power to fine people for not putting contracts Into writing,” remarked Miv Kettle, S.M., in the Auckland Magistrate’s Court); “it would lead to very good results.” This is not a new view of :jhe magistrate, who had previously Expressed the opinion that an enormous amount of litigation would he laved if people reduced their agreetiients to writing.

A gleam of sunshine comes to I’ictoir (says an exchange) from-a casual remark'in a letter recently received locally,from.'a young mail employed near oiie of the . Government engineers’- camps on the North- Island Main Trunk railway. He' says,' inter alia, , that, the .‘engineers expect that Work will; be'completed ,in that portion of tlie colony about the - middle of'next year, and have already received official, notice to prepare for a transfer to the South Island, where it is expected the pushing on of the Main Trunk line with all speed will be the policy of the Government.

- The very latest device for the education and delectation of children : n Taranaki- is a - set of stereoscopic Views of New Zealand scenery. The Education Board' at its last meeting decided to buy three of these sets, one to be; circulated' among tlie schools of each riding. The' cost will be 11s Cd per set,, including the I'iereoscope. A few minutes before (says a Taranaki paper) ;thc same Board had had before it the follow-

ing description of tlio school residenee atPukearulie:—“Every room leaks except one. Several of the windows/have glass broken out, the* outside of the building ; is sorely in need of a coat of. paint,, and four of the rooms want papering badly. . . •It is-no fit.place to live in in its present state.” ! For ' the improvement of this dwelling, tlio Board agreed to provido .-material • only—estimated qosif .’£4 Is 6d.-;

Some illuminating evidence was given before "the Native Laud. Commission at Tc Tsiiiti with regard to the • practice ■of declaring minors, interested in lands, to be adults, remarks the King Comity '.Chronicle. Apparently a judge of Tlie, Native' hand .Court lias power to declare a in five an' adult, when there is ’some doubt about- the- exact age. Maoris, are proverbially hazy with, regard to dates, but in most: cases can tell to within a year or two, in a period of twenty-one years. However, it was

stated that tlie praeticoi bad grown up (in cases of sales of land to the Crown)' of‘ declaring.' 'children of hot more Hum ten years, to be adults. TJhis was done for the. purpose of soviiring the money at once', instead of having it vested in the Public Trustee. The Maori .may not he able to

manage Ids own. affairs after the manner of the -Pakeha, but lie is remarkably apt' in .taking advantage of favorable points.

If a vessel manned with an average British crew were to be seen in French', Danish, Swedish, or'-Russian ports (saysi the Otago Daily Times), how many of its members would be capable of making themselves undbfst’pocl in any- of the respective langu-. ages?. The only “Englishman” on board the barque Ingeborg now at tlie Dunedin wharf is aii “America;n,” but they all converse very freely; in English, although most of them are of Danish, Swedish, or Norwegian nationality. One, a Russian Finn, not only succeeded in passing the educational test, as required by the Customs, but professed his ability to read French and-Danish literature. In addition to these desirable qualifications, they are apparently excellent seamen, Their quarters, their vessel, and tlieir persons were alike clean and wholesome-looking, and the vessel was excellently found in every respect for her class, and reflected credit upon tfie Danish flag which floated gailj- from her .peak.

;As the AVakari drill hall had been brpken into before, when a bazaar was in progross (says the Otago Daily Times), a gentleman of military tendencies volunteered to sloop on the pijcmises on May 29th to guard the Wijres not then soldi In tlic dead of night be beard a rattling at one of the windows, and seizing a rifle and bayonet and his courage with both hajiuls, prepared to do battle with the

burglars. Other windows were rattled- in a ghostly fashion, and heavy

steps went’ round to the door, which 'alio began to shake. Bringing his rifle to tlie charge," the martial person inside shouted, “Halt ! "Who .goes there?” in terrible tones through the keyhole. Tlie supposed burglar then beat on the keyhole sehrdlubsdKH lieiat on tlie door still more furiously, and demanded to know what tlie person with tlie bayonet meant by being tlitre at that time of night. Tlie latter oneued the door to show him in, lnff dropped liis rifle in astonishment when he found it was the. new policeman.

A hardy Norseman, whose hair, like that of the Vikings, grew long behind, infused a suspicion of mirth into some rather sombre proceedings at-the Dunqdip morgue recently. Like most very deaf persons, he appeared to think that everyone else was similarly afflicted, and in reply to the Coroner’s “What are you?” he left his chair, and putting his mouth within an inch of the Coroner’s, ear, shouted triumphantly "I’m seventyfive.” Then resuming his seat and narrative, lie sketched ill the same stentorian tones, a pretty little busli landscape with himself In the foreground cutting wood, in the middle distance a woman appeared with his dinner, and a fire was lit and crackled, the billy - boiled, and the two sat side by side amid vast bush alienees. “Then,” said the Viking reflectively, “we . had a smoke.” “Oh, you had a ;smoke, did- you?” observed the Coroner with an emphasis on the pronoun. The old man gesticulated impatiently; ;and-made, another expedition to the ear of the Coroner, “No,” lie roared in a voice that threatened to shake the building, “wo both had a smoke.”

“How long does it take to learn to drive a motor car ?” askod his Honor Judge Hasolden, of an expert witness in a motor car collision case which -was ,heard at,, Mastcrtop recently. ' “About 1 IS? niohtlG',”'' Tilplied the witness. “Twelve',months 1” exclaimed his Honor, in surprise. “I have often wondered since,” lie continued, “how I came to trust myself in tho company Of several barrister friends of mine a while ago in Christchurch on their motor car excursions. They told mo, after only a week’s experience, that they wore O.K. drivers.” The witness remarked that it took quite a week’s driving before a driver could manage a car without danger. Mr. Pownall observed that it’was'just as well for the driver to he alone on his first week’s rambles. His Honor; appeared greatly interested in the point; and closely questioned various witnesses regarding it.

In his presidential address at the Farmers’ Union Conference at Levin, Mr. J. G. AVilson referred to a re-

turn, quoted in Canterbury last week, showing tho increase in tlio value of big estates since 1892. Mr. AVilson stated that a comparison with the condition of things five years ago was useless- 'tlie "return only showed the value of the estates, and tho increase was largely due to the inflated valuations. Speaking to a Post reporter on Thursday, the Hon. Mr. McNab said lie had quoted' the return only to show how many Were holding land over the £50,000 limit, both town and country. He was not dealing generally with tlie question of aggregation at the time, though ho had referred to tho ease of one man, who owns close on a quarter of a million worth of land, and is piling up acre on acre from day to day. The figures published were handed to the ■ Press for publication without comment, and the papers liad arranged and discussed them under the heading of aggregation of estates. I’lie figures wore not quoted to show

that estates were increasing iii area, but to show that estates of great value were accumulating in the country.