News Items.

Te Aroha News, Volume XIV, Issue 2101, 7 May 1898, Page 3

News Items.

: Mahogany is a species of cedar, and a native of the warmest pa ts of America. growing plentifully in tin* islands of Cuba. Jamaica, and Hispa .- inla, as well a* in tho Bahamas. The first use to which mahogany w-.s applied in England was to make a box for holding candles. A very startling story was to’d at an inquest the other day, held on a man who died suddenly. It was stated by his widow that for fifteen years, in addition to chewing onerous quantities <f tobacco, and drinking moderate cpianties of beer and ale, her husband had consumed regularly every morning no less than eighteen half-quarterns of whisky. Thus he must have spent 36s a week on whisky. Thirty-six shillings a week is £95 12s a year, so that in fifteen yeare he spent £1,4340u whisky.

A Christchurch paper publishes a legal opinion on the question ‘May a woman be a Justice of the Peace under the present law.in New Zealand?’ The opinion concludes : ‘ Properly interpreted, the law does not exclude women from being appointed and acting as Justices of the Peace. It is not the custom to appoint the n, and that is all that can be said.

The annual railway returns show the total expenditure for the year to have been £857,191 as against. £789,. 054, being an jncreaso of £68,137. The estimated revenue for the twelve months was £1,275 000, which has been exceeded by L10t,048. The estimated expenditure was L 823,127. but this was exceeded by La 5,064. The figures quoted refer only to revenue and expenditure, and have nothing to do with the L 200,000 special vote for rolling stock, passed last session. The net revenue for railways is 3| per cent., or 1 per cent, more than lastyear, the' exact amount being this year-L3 4s lQd per cent., lastyear L 3 3s lOd.