NEWS AMD NOTES

Grey River Argus, 21 April 1911, Page 8

NEWS AMD NOTES

A resident of Palmerston, who was in Napier Theatre Royal, at Miss Amy Castles' concert, says the occurrence of the earthquake that evening might easily have caused a serious panic and deplorable results. The singer liad just (finished the first verse of one of her songs, when the building began to rock and creak ominously. There seemed to ibe a disposition on the part of a section of the audience to make a rush for the doors, which might have easily brought about, a tragic sequel. But Miss Castles remained on the stage, and after a moment's pause, resumed her singing. Had she precipitately taken to flight the probabilities are (that 'the audience would have followed her example, with cohsequen ces which may 'be left to the imagination. A hearty and demonstrative burst of cheering s.howed the spontaneous appreciation of Miss Oastles' presence of mind in a very trying emergency. . . .

. A New Zealander, now resident in Buenos Aires, writing to a friend in Christchurch,. states that things are going from bad to worse in that coun.try. Six or seven year! ago a good man could get work at once, while the wages were 50 per cent better than they were at present. Year by year the rents had been going up, while the expense of working a business and or living had advanced. The big firms were feeling the pinch and had been curtailing expenses for some time! In the agricultural districts things were quite as 'bad. The poor cropper had teen squeezed between the landlord and the storekeeper, till there was not even a

•'n.Qf for him on' the laiid. Land speculation had run away from the country. In fact, the whole thing in Argentina was a gamble. A good sea son might mean" a fortune and a bad one ruin, but a crash "must come, and that before long.

Artisans and labourers to the number of 6440 fwere employed ' under the Public Works .Department during the month of 'February. Of this number 3601 were engaged on railway work, and 2839' on roads .

.; During the month of March, the Labour Department's 'bureau in "Wellington found employment or otherwise .assisted 90 married and 119 single men, with 299 dependents.^ Of this total 150 were sent to private employment and 59 to public works.

There is sentiment, even "exhilaration, says the Arg-onaut, in the suggestion that the old Portsmouth' from whose decks the Stars and Stripes were raised in California in 1846, should lead the march of the American battleship fleet- through the Panama Canal and into the Golden iGate in 1915. The old ship, honourably past service in the ordinary sense, now lies in a quiet corner of thai New York harbour, near the Jersey shore, awaiting- the judgment of the navy Department as to what ultimate disposition shall (be made of her.

It was announced at the annual meeting: of the Imperial Tobacco Com pany, held recently at Bristol, that had been set aside for distribution among- the staff and workpeople — exclusive of the highly paid officials.

'By a 'majority of 10,195 the Amal- I gramated Carpenters and Joiners' So- ; ciety in' London has decided not ' to : worJc on a co-partnery basis' unless ; provision is made for the "operatives ; to hold the major part of the capi- ; tal in the concern '. ' ■

Cape Otway' has (been ascertained to be a barrier to wireless communication with ' Melbourne from the south-west ' (says' the Melbourne "Age"). Mr! C.A. Hill, wireless operator on the Aberdeen liner Themistocles, and formerly of the R.M.S. Morea, thinks that iron or other mineral deposits on the high land of the cape intercept the messages and smo/then: them. On siictessiive voyages he has been unable to call up "wireless" ships in the ,bay when on the other .side of 'Oape Otw.iy, but immediately its parallel has Ib'een cross ed he oould speak them with ease. This was his experience of 'both the Morea and the Themistbcles. He can account for, it by no other theory than that advanced, as the land is hot nearly as high as many beadlands which are flashed over in other parts 'of the world. '

Mr. E.\de O. Clarke has declined the appointment . as field geologist to the Geological Survey of West Australia, having no intention of resigning his demonstratorship at Auckland University College.

Miss Russell, and Miss G. Russell, daughters of Sir William Russell, returned by the Morea, which reached Auckland from England on Friday.

News comes from Charleville, in the western portion of Queensland, of a great droving feat, w r hich reminds us that that romantic profession is not ye t extinct. Mr' Albert Williams arrived at the Millie boundary in charge^ of a moib of 2606 head of cattle, which he and his mates had driven across the continent. They came from Lissadale and Argyle Downs stations, West Australia, and travelled over 24000 miles. The trip was particularly rough.

The news that in consequence of the dearness of food in S\vitzerland the Government, after prolonged deliberation, has consented to; the importation of frozen meat from overseas is of considerable importance to New Zealand and Australia. Dr Buergi, the expert, sent some time ago to London, warmly recommends the importation. The duty will be 25 francs per 100 kilograms, which later will probably be reduced to 10 francs. At the higher rate the duty is something over Id per Ib, but even af ter. meeting such a charge colonial mutton could be sold at a price much lower than that which must now be paid for meat of similar quality in Switzerland .

Whilst in Sydney recently Mr Ben. Fuller was approached, by a syndicate ' which offered to build in the Commonwealth a chain of theatres for his firm, but Mr Fuller could not see his way to fall ki with the proposition; as they had sufficient to do at present for the New Zealand public with vaudeville and moving pictures. Owing to the good seasons there is a H'oom in theatrical investments in Australia, which, he thinks, is due to the limited avenues of investment. Some of these schemes, however, were being too much exploited, and over-capitalised, and Mr Fuller thinks that the only outcome of some of thm will be liquidation, and that not always voluntarily.