Notes and Events.

Manawatu Herald, 21 October 1897, Page 2

Notes and Events.

Welsh-Babbit is a genuine slang term, and has no origin from toasted cheese or tho " rarebit," served by cooks. For amongst the odd terms of England we find an Essex iion is a calf ; a Fieldlane duck is a baked sheep's head ; Glasgow Magistrates or Norfolk capon are red herrings ; Irish apricots or Monster plums are potatoes ; Gravesend sweetmeats* are shrimps. Coffee, copra, oranges, and limejuice are the four staple products of the Cook Islands. Last year Coffee was exported to the value of £4,810 ; Copra £5,309; Oranges £8,409; Limejuice £1,827. Mr Moss 'says that oranges can be produced of the best quality and in any quantity, and* owing to the want of a wider market many hundreds of thousands rot yearly. New Zealand does nearly all tha trada with the Cook Islands, some £16,820, and Auckland secures i: all. The chief articles being piece and fancy goods, provisions, bread-* stuffy grooeriep, timber and iron* mongery. A Mr James W. Wilkie wrote to "George Jones, Esq " to afitt the House some questions as to the natives at Baratonga being supplied with drink, and, very properly, Mr Moss was asked what he had to say. He gave a very emphatic denial to the accusations and remarks as to rum being offered for sale by Natives en a road, " This is a statement which I am utterly, at a loss to understand. It is incredible on any other ground than that the Maoris were making fun of Mr Wilkie, whom ihty always regarded as an eccentric person/ 1 Nothing showa move clearly than the various tables issued yearly by the government, of the difference in the size of vessels now trading to the colony. In the year 1887, 658

vessels arrived and in 1896 only 589 \esael9,,. yet the last number of vessels exceeded the first number by 124,843 tons I

The English flag is a long way ahead of the foreign flag 3in these waters, as out of 589 vessels entering 521 were British.