THE KING COUNTRY CHRONICLE. MONDAY, JAN. 3, 1909 DISTRICT PARS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume IV, Issue 221, 4 January 1909, Page 2

THE KING COUNTRY CHRONICLE. MONDAY, JAN. 3, 1909 DISTRICT PARS.

During tbe past year tbe building trade of Sydney was tbe best on record. Tbe aggregate cost of new buildings was £5,819,000. Maggie Papakura and her sister Bella, tbe famous Wbakarewarewa guides, are at Sydney with a party of 60 Maoris. They have set up a pah with materials obtained from Rotorua and are giving, entertainments, in which native songs and dances are tbe chief items. Tbe venture is said to be succeeding. Tbe shipment of butter from Auckland province for the fortnight ended on Friday last totalled 20,488 boxes, or 512 tons, valued approximately at £50,000, as compared with 16,144 boxes, or 403 tons, for tbe corresponding fortnight last year. To date there is an increase of 804 tons- over last season's export to date, valued roughly at £78,000. The following is a return of the telegraph business at Auckland during tbe /our days before Christmas: —December 21, forwarded 2347, received 2895, transmitted 3476; December 22, forwarded 2414, received 3224, transmitted 4189; December 23, forwarded 2811, received 3902, transmitted 5077; December 24, forwarded 6316, received 7440, transmitted 7937. Among tbe returns presented to Parliament was one on tbe motion of Mr Russell, showing tbe amount spent in each financial year from tbe Consolidated Fund for the past 10 years under a variety of beads. Following are some of tbe comparative figuresHead office, 1899-00, £3321, 1908-09 £9,634; elementary education, £380,977 —£541,841; secondary and higher education, £20,090 —£84,003; manual and technical education. £2460 — £59,221; training college and training of teachers, £600—£26,804; public school cadets, £4Ol- £5493; native •chools, £16,879—£27,191; industrial schools, £11.623—£260,04; infant life protection, deaf, £3257—£3838; Jubilee Institute for P'ind, £312—£604; special school for boys £1636; miscellaneous services, £3293 —£4491; school buildings, etc., £29,943—£82,073. Totals, £473,146—£873,756. A few weeks ago a paragraph appeared in these columns dealing with tbe increasing nuisance of "mason bees" to householders in the district. Similar complaints come from the South, and at Purau (says the Christchurch Press) these insects are becoming so plentiful as to constitute a serious pest to residents. The habits of these insects are, to put it mildly, open to grave objection. Their living rooms they construct, with much ingenuity, out of mud, and when tbey choose the interior of a bouse as the site of their tiny dwelling places, the bouse bolder* are inclined to object. No corner, receptacle, piece of furniture, or article of clothing which affords shelter or concealment, is safe from their attentions. Another habit, which is also remarked on unfavourably, is credited to the female insect. When it is about to lay its eggs, an essential item in the programme is the forcible captors of a spider. Tbe unfortunate web-spinner is stung with paralysis, and then located in the vicinity of the asst. Tbe eggs i«t" then lajiaadlwtsteNfl^aadths-yeaag