NEWS AND NOTES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 2044, 21 October 1919, Page 4

NEWS AND NOTES.

The ‘‘Pieces of Eight” Syndicate working at Tobermory have succeeded in raising the brojue breechblock of jii cannon belonging to the Armada ship sunk in Tobermory Bay. The breech-block, which weighed 50 pounds, is similar to one recovered in 1905.

A parrot, noted as brilliant talker,, disappeared last' May, to-, gether with it cage, from the Silver ‘Gate Hotel,' South Melbourne, the . licensee of which, Mr J. D. Perfrson, is the owner of the bird. On Friday Plain-Clothes Constables O’Halloran and Kennedy, of Bourke Street west police station, discovered the bird and cage, which'are valued at £ ; SO, in the possession of a woman in Park Street, West Melbourne, whom .they arrested. W ben Mr Pearson was brought to identify the bird it appeared to recognise him, for it danced up and down on its perch, screeching, “Hello, Pearson! Hello, there! Whisky and soda for cocky.”

Pinus insignis, the once despised shelter tree, sq -familiar a spectacle in plantations about New Zealand homesteads-,, is coming into its own as timber, as well as a protection against wind and weather. Several speakers at the Agricultural Conference at -Wellington expressed their astonishment at the progress made. In the Waikato the pinus was being milled, and in Canterbury the timber was fetching big prices. At the same time evidence was given as to ihq, destruction of the native bush. Mr A. Matthews, an old resident of Feathcrston, told of the devastation of fires which swept over the Rimntakas, and the depredations of goats. Mr R. Reynolds (Cambridge) said there bad been lamentable damage done by negligent visitors in the beautiful native bush about the hot hikes in the Rotorua district. A remit was adopted, urging the Forestry Department to facilitate the conservation of native forests, and enlist, the co-op-eration of farmers in a more vigormis sytem of tree planting.

The gross cost of a Parliamentary election varies according to the number of, polling places appointed, the cost of clerical assistance duo to energetic enrolling of electors liy organising parties, and the cost of. printing the doctoral rolls. All things being equal, it is generally considered that the rural elections arc a little more expensive than urban, but it is known that some of the recent urban elections have cost more than rural elections. The evtra cost due to the number of candidates is inliniiesimal. The average, cost of an election is £599. The recent hy-elcetions at Grey cost £315, at Palmerston North £270; Taranaki, £289; Wellington Central, £259; Wellington North, £322; Wellington Honth £249; Pahiatna £255, The information given above was furnished in a return asked for by Mr K. A. Wright.