NEWS AND NOTES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 1035, 5 December 1912, Page 4

NEWS AND NOTES.

The Carterton News tells of a very pretty little romance, for the truth of which it vouches, len years ago a couple were married tn the V- T iirarapa. Things happened which led to a divorce. A child was afterwards born to them. Recently the husband was lying at death’s door in a hospital. A little girl came to him with flowers. After a few visits he recognised in her bis own daughter. He began to recover, and implored the child to bring her mother. A reconciliation followed, the man got better, the long-estranged again went through the form of marriage, and the last that was seen of them was that they were proceeding to Wellington on their second honeymoon, with their offspring by their side.

An Ashburton farmer who has just returned from a visit to the Old Country, tells a story, which is reported in the Guardian, illustrative of the average farmer’s wife’s desire to belittle New Zealand produce, and also exhibit her knowledge of geography. The. incident happened in Ayrshire, and is guaranteed as ‘‘strictly true.” The guid wife ‘‘Aha! Yer New Zealand butter is no sae good as ye wersayiu’. Mr K - tells me that twa shipments cam in an’ it wasua guid. It was tainted.” The New Zealander: “That is rather a serious charge. Can you tell me at what factory the butter was made, and what port it was shipped from, and the name of the vessel ui which it was shipped ?” The guid wife; “Oh, I diuua ken ocht aboot that. But it was some place in (Queensland, onyway !”

Speaking of bis experience m the shuns of Sydney before a meeting of the Ladies’ Home Mission Union at the Chapter House at Sydney a few days ago, Rev. H. N. Baker related how, in his endeavour to create interest in mission work amongst the people living in the slum area, he had experimented with a cinematograph. He achieved an astonishing result of his first attempt. “The worst of a film,” said the reverend gentleman, “is that you never know what's coming. I took great care to inquire into the contents of this first film, which I was told was a Bible story about Moses. Being reassured on the point, ‘Moses’ was screened. It had hardly been going a minute when, to my horror, there was Moses flirting, and doing it uncommonly well. Where the ides was got from I don’t know. They did not get it out of the Scriptures, and I do not know whether there is any other authority for this strange action of Moses. To make matters worse,’’ concluded Mr Baker, “the people laughted uproariously.’’

The new High Commissioner has not lost any time in running to ground statements which may be detrimental to New Zealand (writes the Loudon correspondent of the Christchurch Press)._ Needless to say, he found awaiting his arrival a bale of literature from the peace organisation which has been so active in misrepresenting the New Zealand training scheme. The sender drew Mr Mackenzie’s special attention to the fabricated story that he intends to conduct a censorship oi the British Press. Mr Mackenzie wrote simply: “I have nothing to do with the censorship of the British Press, but when misleading statements appear I shall deal with them as I think fit.” The High Commissioner has already replied shortly and sharply to one gentleman who demonstrated in a north country paper the deplorable "fact” that the enormous indirect taxation in New Zealand quite counteracts the benefits of increased wages. Mr Mackenzie points out that a man and wife and four children, if they were not addicted to drink or smoking, would only pay £6 8s id a year in taxes to the New Zealand Government, whereas they would receive in return at least the equivalent of £2l 12s in education alone, and they could live in their own home up to a value of ,£IOOO without paying any taxes on it.

Remarkable features surrounded a marriage ceremony which was solemnised in Sydney last week (says the Sun). For 30 years, it is said, a couple had been living together as man and wife. Lately the woman, who had been deserted by her companion, applied to the Court for a warrant for his arrest in respect to the maintenance of two children. The man was arrested, and appearing before the Court, he consented to an order being made

against him. The amount was fixed at 30s weekly, and he was bound over in securities to keep up regular payments. He admitted his inability to raise securities, but after having a conversation with the woman the solution of the whole difficulty was found. In fact, the couple agreed to get married and start life afresh. The prospective bridegroom, in charge of a policeman, went to a pawnshop, where he was enabled, with the assistance of a contribution from the officer, to redeem a wedding-ring. The policeman then escorted the man and woman to the altar, where the former performed the double duty of giving the bride away and accepting the functions of best-man. Back to the Court the newly-married couple went. The wife refused to press the order against her husband, and the case was therefore dismissed.

The Commissioner of Crown Lands for Hawke’s Bay, (Mr R. T. Sadd), informed a Napier Daily Telegraph reporter that as soon as he bad got the present areas of land for settlement under way,_ it was his intention to proceed with the cutting up of some 40,000 or 50,000 acres of Crown land, which had been acquired from the natives. This chiefly comprised n,ooo acres atTimahanga, 15,000 acres at Omakaki, and 16,000 acres at Kaiwaka, It was his intention to get a loan for the reading of the properties, and get them surveyed as soou as his field staff was available.