Untitled

King Country Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 557, 9 April 1913, Page 4

I'eraotis arriving in (he Dominion during the month of February last, according to a return furnished by the Government statistician, numbered 4057, as against 8902 in the corresponding month of the previous year, while departures totalled 2<>6G in February, 1913, HB against 3125 in February, 1912.

The establishment of the Te Kuiti Defence Rifle Club, with headquarters at Te Kuiti, Auckland Military District, has been gazetted. The Davis Cup tennis team left Sydney by the steamer Ventura on Saturday. They received a great send-off. Mr Graham has an announcement of an iron and timber sale that should be of interest to farmers ana contractors The purchase of native lands in the King Country by the Government to a considerable extent is evidently contemplated. The last Government Gazette notifies meetings of assembled owners in the Wharepuhanga and Taharoa blocks for the purpose of considering resolutions pertaining to the sale of the blocks to the Crown. A gathering assembled at this week, the occasion being the unveiling of the monument erected over the grave of the late chief Kahu. The Maori king, Rata, accompanied by Messrs Eketone and a number of others proceeded to Pio Pio on Monday and Maoris from all parts of the district are attending the gathering. The Auckland Education Board received and referred to the inspectors, for consideration, suggestions submitted by the Teachers' Institute, with the idea of opening tip more equitably the avenues of promotion for teachers who have suffered a long period of service in the backblocks. What the teachers propose is that prospective regulations be framed to make country service in some form or other an essential qualification for certain of the more important positions near town. The sight of a building being carted on wheels through the town is not of frequent occurrence, but on Monday morning a large iron shed belonging to Mr Warner was hauled through the town and depoaited on a section in King street near the Chinaman's gardens. A man perched on the ridge of the building had a narrow escape of being swept off by the telephone wires thera being just sufficient room for him to squeeze under. The dangerous practice of promiscuous shooting with small rifles by thoughtless people still continues despite many complaints. A Hamilton resident the other day had the unpleasant experience of being under fire nearly a whole day, no less than fifty bullets landing near his house. At Te Kuiti the practice is followed by thoughtless persons to the danger of life. Mr N. B. Lusk had a narrow escape from being shot the other day and some time ago a valuable horse on Mr Lusk's place received a bullet in the shoulder. The Te Kuiti sports committee will meet to-night in the Chronicle office and a full muster of members is expected as the time is very limited in which to arrange final detai's, The support of the public is only needed to make the sports a success, and the programme arranged should surpass the best yet submitted. Included in the programme are Caledonian events, athletic, wood chopping, sawing, tug-of-war dancing, high jump, bicycle racing, etc., and the committee hope that the sports this year will be to the children something like a picnic, and plenty of toys will be on hand for children's races.

A very favourable report is' issued by the Finance Committee of Auckland Exhibition. After passing accounts amounting to £1568 the overdraft is about £2400. The executive has already spent about £IO,OOO, so that having collected nearly the whole of that amount; in charges for space and side-show concessions, the committee considers it is doing remarkably well. The space already sold amounts to 31,01)0 square feet, and the Government and provincial exhibits will account for at least U6,000 feet more. A further 5000 feet has been practically taken, and there are still eight months to elapse before the opening of the exhibition. In submitting the report, the president, Mr G. Elliot, said it might yet be necessary to build further accommodation. Some boys when out shooting in the Carnarvon district saw fire in the distance at three o'clock on Sunday morning. In * the afternoon, when passing in the .vicinity, they made an inspection, 1 that a travelling hut had been destroyed. Examining the debris, one of the boys was horrified to find the charred remains of a man lying across a stretcher The man had evidently been suffocated whilst asleep. . 'lhe body was subsequently idenified as that of a man named N. Marshall, who had been employed on a road metalling contract.

The United Methodist Sunday Schools of Te Kuiti and Mangaorino road eelebrate tbeir first anniversary on Sunday. The morning and afternoon services take place in the Municipal Hall, the evening service being held in the Empress Picture Theatre. anniversary promises to be a musical treat, for in addition to the special singing by the chlidren, there will be items by the main quartette party, the male choir and the church j choir. The preachers are Rev i Griffiths in the morning, and Rev. j Gosneli in the afternoon and evening. This is announced as Mr Gosnell's farewell service. The usual tea and oublic meeting will be held in the Municipal Hall on the Monday evening ♦ when the prizes will be presented and a social evening enjoyed by all. ! The Secretary of the Post Office received the following message from Afae postmaster at Shannon"About 920 on Saturday night heavy lightnine fused the wires connected to the test cabinet in the Shannon instrument room, all wires being burnt out, resulting in telegraphic communication over this route being completely cut off The damage caused by the tire was confined to a few scorched boards in the vicinity of the test cabinet. Direct telegraphic communi cation with Palmerston North and Wanganui was arranged via the East ,Coast and Manawatu Gorge.

Mr Graham will offer on Saturday at his mart a nice little line of furniture removed to the mart for convenience of sale, amongst other lines being a sideboard, pianola organ, etc. Full particulars appear in our advertising columns.

Representations have been made to the High Commissioner, and they have been investigated by him, to the effect that butter and cheese now arriving from New Zealand are in many instances not up to thoir former quality. This is greatly to be regretted, inasmuch as the well-manufactured article is suffering by reason of the f aulty conditions existing in dairy factories. A communication has been addressed to the Government in order that faults may be corrected. Captain Jatson, of Wellington, writing to the Liverpool Merchants Service Guild in regard to the Scott Antarctic disaster, alleges that Cimmander Evans told a shipmate that Captain Oates lost his „feet owing to frostbite before he left the tent, and that the bodies of the others were so attenuated as to be unrecognisable. The writer also alleges that Captain Scott was found half out of his sleeping bag with his left hand behind his head and his right fingers grasping a pencil. A Taranaki farmer, after paying it visit to a rural friend in thß Dannevirke district, has decided to instal an electric light and power plant on his farm. To his great surprise, on visiting the Dannevirke farmer, he found that the latter had put in an electric plant some years ago. By its means he lights his house, hi" shear ing sheds, and a outbuildings, saws his wood, turns his churn, runs his chaff catter, and the hundred and one other things required on the farm. From a switch in his own bedroom he controls the whole of the lighting. The power is obtained from a small creek. A recent visitor says that there is no other part of New Zealand that is endowed with so much latent electric power as Taranaki, and ho cannot understand why more is not done by settlers in the way of harnessing and utilising it for the work of the farm.