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Te Aroha News, Volume XXVII, Issue 4432, 6 July 1909, Page 4

The United Otago District Order of Foresters last February forwarded £25 to the Order in Glasgow in aid of the British bread fund. The money has been returned, with an intimation that tie Executive Council, while appreciating the splendid example of practical sympathy, could not, as a result of inquiries, find any trace of the children’s bread fund. •

The editor of the New Zealand Trade Review gathers from returns of principal New Zealand exports that 1 ' our anticipations of a heavy scale of exports for the June quarter are in a fair way of being amply vertified. We are assured of a very substantial increase in the total value of exports for the quarter, and as there is every reason to believe that the imports are still coming in on a reduced scale, and are likely to continue to do so it is practically certain that the quarter will exhibit a heavy excess of export over imports, probably to the extent of some two millions instead of an excess of some £300,000 as was shown in the June .quarter of 1908.

Very few people (say 3 Wellington Post) realise how many cables are connected with the coasts of New Zealand. The following cables are at present iii use :—Six across Cook Strait, one across Foveaux Strait from Bluff, one from the mainland to Centre Island (Foveaux Strait), one from Bluff to Dog Island, one from the mainland to Stephens Island, one across the French Pass, one across Croixelles Harbour, one mainland to East Cape (which has just been repaired), oneirfrom the mainland to Great Barrier Island, and several across Auck< land Harbour. The Tutanekai is primarily a cable-repairing ship, and she is to be kept for this work only in future, and laid up when not so engaged.

An interesting document was produce! in Court during the hearing of a case against certain natives of Taumarunui, who had failed to register their dogs. One of the defendants maintained that the document relieved him of payment of taxes to Europeans. It proved to be a proclamation from the native “ king ” in Ngaruawahia, and stated that au annual tax of £1 should be paid to him, and that his laws should be obeyed, and those of the pakeha should be ignored. A scroll headed the document, having a centre circle with a reptile on each side. At the foot was a green seal with signatures. Each offender was lined os, plus costs £1 13s. The document has been retained, says the Star, for the purpose of translation when it will be brought under the notice of the Minister forJmtce. Inquiry is being made as to the existence of other similar documents.

Showing the superstition of the Maori the following is told by a correspondent of the Wairarapa News. He says, “ I was riding along with a Maori the other day, and he had occasion to remove his hat from his head. I noticed him look reverently into the Eq.t and very carefully replace it on his head. I asked him what he was taking so much care ovtr, and he took off his hat and passed it lo me, telling me to look inside. I did so and nearly dropped off the horse with the jump I gave. There in the hat was an enormous black spider with large hairy legs, just the kind to haunt you after taking an over dose of bad beer. I quickly passed the hgt back, and asked the Maori what on eaith he had that there for. ‘ You see that spider ?’ said he.' I said I did. ‘ Well, that is a good luck, If I keep him there I have good luck. If I kill hjm—Py korry, I dunno.’ On questioning him further I learned that the spider had taken up it residence there some weeks before, and had been treated with the greatest care by its landlord.” .