The Motueka Star PUBLISHED TUESDAYS AND FRIDAYS. "Te Oranga Moti Iwi." TUESDAY, MARCH 11, 1902.

Motueka Star, Volume II, Issue 60, 11 March 1902, Page 3

The Motueka Star PUBLISHED TUESDAYS AND FRIDAYS. "Te Oranga Moti Iwi." TUESDAY, MARCH 11, 1902.

Lieutenant Richard John Spots wood Seddon has resigned his commission in the Ueretaunga Mounted Rifles. Mr H. E. Gilbert, our worthy postmaster, has received notice of removal to Mataura, South Island. The name of his successor has not transpired. Some excellent photographs of the river protective works at Glover’s overflow have been taken by Mr C. Holyoake. They give a good idea of the nature of the works carried out under the supervision of Mr Alfred Edwards and should be sought after by those interested in the undertaking. At the last meeting of the Nelson Education Board, held at Westpoit, it was decided to postpone till next meeting the questions of officially opening the Motueka High School and also the reqjuest to suitably recognise the services of Mr Lowe, who had acted as temporary master. Nominations for the tvta extraordinary vacancies in the Motueka Borough Council, caused by the retirement of Messrs Tarrant and Rankin, close at noon to-morrow, Wednesday. Several names of probable candidates are mentioned, but little interest seems to be taken in municipal administration -at' this juncture.

The cape of an overcoat has been lost between the Motueka bridge and Lower Moutere. The finder is requested to leave the same at Mr J. B. Jordan’s. The Committee established to discuss the details in connection with the proposed direct steam service weie to have mot on Siturday evening, but owing <cr\ the wet weather and poor attendance it was decided to adjourn until Wednesday evening, at seven o’clock. It is expected there will be a full muster on that occasion

Many years ago, when the late John Symons was leaving Nelson for England, he detained the steamer outside the Boulder Bank for about two hours in order to semi ashore for an overeoat which he had forgotten. On Sunday last the Joseph Simms was also detained after she had left the Motueka Wharf, the reason being that Mr Moffatt, the wharfinger, having discovered

the ship’s pussy had been left behind, promptly ran up the code flags which spelt ‘‘cat”. The yards were at once squared? a boat lowered and -manned, and in a; short space of time’ the ship’s pet was once more on her “native heath.” Then sails were spread, and the good ship sped onward. The following is a list of produce exported from Waitapu last month : 318 boxes butter, 79 cases of eggs, 3 bales bops, 74 bales wool, 98 cases of fruit, 1 3 cases wine, 3 casks wine, 64 sacks potatoes, 24 coops poultry, 42 sheep, 5 sacks chaff, 11 sacks grass, 2 bundles skins, and 121,860 feet of timber.-—Takaka News.

Messrs Laery and Co , Wellington agents for the Golden Bay and Sounds steamers, intend erecting a dopot with the necessary conveniences at Bulwei, so that the steamers can fill up with fresh water and coal when, calling there. The Hon C. H. Mills, member for Wairau, has requested the Minister for Lands to authorise the construction of a suitable track between the post office at Mr Mulcock’s and the settlement in Pig Bay, so that residents can get their mails when it is too rough to travel by water. There were 255 divorced males and 149 divorced females in New Zealand at the time the census was taken last year. The number of unmarried males was 272,858, and of females 230,361, while there were 118,475 husbands and only 117,821 waives. Farmers who are engaged in growing the tuber will be interested in some American experiments in planting potatoes different depths of from one to eight inches. Level cultivation was adopted, and so but little earth was thrown on the potatoes after they were planted. The best average yields were obtained when the potatoes were planted but one inch deep. Notes were taken of the depths at which tubers were formed, and it .vas found that most of them were within four inches of the surface of the soil, even where the seed has been planted six. seven and eight inches deep Where the sets were planted less than four inches deep, nearly all the tubers were found between that and the surface of the soil.

Quite a number of visitors from Australia and England and Australia have arrived in New Zealand for the deerstalking season. Most of them have gone to the Wairarapa. The London Chronicle takes the oppoitunity of the death of Sir Norman Campbell to remind Englishmen that New Zealand, with all its advanced democracy, is still the most aristocratic part of Australasia. Sir Norman’s death, it. says, “reminds us of the privilege enjoyed by New Zealand over the rest of Australasia in the possession of titular heads of old families among its population. Sir Edward OsborneGibbs (third baronet) is chief clerk in the Education Department at Wellington : Sir William Wasteneys is an old resident of Hawke’s Bay, and a member of the New Zealand Bar ; and the late Sir Edwin Dashwood lived for many years on the gumfields near Auckland. The present Earl of Sea field, the only man of that rank living at the Autipodes, was born in New Zealand, and the colony is plentifully do.ted with, the scions of noble families from the Old Country. One of Lord Kitchener’s brothers is a squatter in the Otago country. A baronet bearing a well-known name, was sentenced to four years’ penal servitude in Auckland some little time ago, in winch he followed the fate of his ancestor, the first baronet, who was transported from England many years ago for fraud.’

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