NEWS OF THE DAY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 282, 2 December 1904, Page 2

NEWS OF THE DAY.

Forty-one years ago yestaviay the first railway was opened in New Zealand. Mr \V. T. Jennings, member Tor Egmont, was a visitor at the show yesterday. In an inter-State bowling match Victoria defeated New South ales by 85 points. A proposal to aiduiit primary school free scholars to Wellington College has been shelved. The conference of Land Board members opened at Wellington on Thursday, proceedings being conducted in private. During November 18,725 boxes of buttor and 462 crates of cheese were shipped at the breakwater for London via Wellington. Mr James Wallace, at one time general manager of the Wellington and Maaawatu Railway, died somewhat suddenly on Thursday morning at Shannon. Mr Steyn, who was President of the Orange Free State, was in Paris last month. He intended to spend two months in France, after which ho will return ta the Orange River Colony, having been authorised to do so by the British Government. Mr Steyn will live on Mb farm near Bloemfontein.

During tho past English (inancial year the threepenny stamp duty wuspaid on 1,905,1 (14 packs of cards. The Lambeth magistrate said to a prisoner, whose pockets contained 'U penknife, some tobacco, Bi<l. seven packets of needles, and some tea, sugvtr and bmid : "You have n regiulur beggar's kit." The clergyman's frock has its valuu in China, sa,\s Ihe North China Unity News. In ihe mixed couit the other day an accused person escaped a whipping on the ground that he was "in holy ordens." Alter acting as test inun at his friend's wedding, Henri / Versille, a young wine merchant of Bordeaux, wrote to the bridegroom stating that he was himself in love with the bride, and then shot himself. in reference to tilie cost of living, Mr Brown, a member of the Arbitration Court, stated at Wanganui that they had been told in every place in New Zealand that it was the dearest town to live in. He added that Nelson was the last place to claim that distinction. His Honor, later, on, jocularly remarked that only recently they had been listening to the agonies of Wellington on this subject. A New York despatch says that there was an enormous gathering at Senator Hour's funeral at Worcester, Massachusetts ; it is computed that 50,000 people attended. The police were quite unable to cope with the crowd, and scores of people fainted, and many were trampled under' foot. Over 40 cases were reported at the hospitals. Many women presented a most diagevelled appearance, their clothes having been literally torn oil their backs. The bazaar in aid of the South Road Sunday School enlargement fund was concluded on Wednesday. During the evening competitions were decided as follows :—Drawing for girls and boys. Miss Lilly Howell, Ist, Master Walter Patterson 2nd ; noil driving for ladies, Mrs Garner, Ist; sawing block, for ladies, Mrs Mclsaac, Ist; nail driving (blindfolded), for gentlemen, Mr Gordon Hooker, Ist; dam ng, for gentlemen, Mr. Victor Griffiths, Ist. Best looking girl (under fourteen), Mr Teud's special prize, Miss Lizzie White, Ist ; Miss Mary McWhinney, 2nd. A deputation of the Wellington Harbour Board urged tho Minister of Customs to increase the number of Customs officials an the wharves, so as to cope with the rapidly increasing Volume of goods. A statement laid before the Minister showed that In the past ten years there had been an increase in value of imports into Wellington of 130 por cent. ; that during that period ihe Customs revenue had increased by 93 per cent., and that the costt of collection had only increased .030 per cent. .The Minister promised to see what he could do to meet the position. In the course of an interview at Timaru, Mr Seddon was asked if he purposed accepting the High Commissionershdp. He replied : " Time will tell. I am still hopeful that I shall improve, and there is a great deal to (be done here yet. Whoever takes the position, and would do full justice to the colony, will need to toe strongiand robust, and my conviction is that I can do more more fed- New Zealand in the colony than I could do if I were in the United Kingdom. If my health does not improve I suppose the proper thing Son me to do in the interests of my family would be to take a complete rest." On Thursday the Employers' Federation Conference interviewed the representatives' of various accident insurance compaoiesi in Wellington, and as a result passed a resolution expressing! tko opinion that owing to the unsatisfactory condition of the accident insurance business a strong protest be made to the Government, pointing out that the utter chaos mto which accident insurance business has been thrown by vari- ' ous amending acts, and that the .executive be instructed to co-opertvte with the various accident insuramcc associations with a view to having such amendments made in the Compensation for Accidents Act as will safeguard the interests of purchasers. Tne prospects of Fiji immediately ahead are of a particularly encouraging character (says the Fiji Times ) ihe three staple articles of produc,,',!?L are "fi realisi '>B good payable pnees m the oversea markets. Sugar values a re increasing, and inclined to further increase. Copra, the second most important product, has been steadily rising in value, and commands tip-top prices in Europe and is likely to do so for some time while fruit—principally the bananais coming on nicely as regards quantity, and will doubtless realise firstclass prices in adjacent markets for the next few months. Altogether we are, adds the Times, inclined to' regard the fortunes of the countrv optimistically.

New Zealand, with a sheep capital scarcely one-third that of Argentina (writes the Pastora.lisitsi' Review of Nov. 16) exports nearly 50 per cent, more carcases. Local consumption does n o t account for the difference; the Argentines eat more beef and less mutton that do the New Zealanders. Argentina is, not capitalising her sheep stock ; on the contrary, it is . decreasing. When Argentina has exported 5 per. cent, carcases on her capital stock, and paid her local butcher's mutton bill amd strikes* a balance, she finds her capital on the diminishing; side. New Zealand oxports well nigh 25 per cent, and feeds herself, amd leaves her capital untouched. These are facts. Not one-half of Argentina's annual crop of lambs supply either the local or the foreign meat trade or pass into breeding capital ; they die before they are a twelvemonth •Id. Prior to Mr J. Witheford, M.H.R., leaving for San Francisco, en route to England, by the Ventura, on Friday last, he received the following communication from Mr Seddon : "Do not forget to impress upon our kindred in the Mother Country that our colony still continues to prosper and the outlook is asi bright as ever. It is a very promising outlook for the dairy industry. Tho grain crops are also looking, well, although the season is tt little late. The outlook in respect to mines is very cheering. There is over a million increase in the imports for the last year, showing tlie increased spending power of the people. Customs amd railway returns are largely in excess of the amount received last year. You may rest assured that the Government will proceed on safe liacs. There will only be moderate borrowing, and economy will continue to be practised. One very satisfactoi'y feature is the continued increase in our population, which during the last few months lias been at a rate in advance of anything since tho free immigration ceased." If you do your own washing then here is good news for you Try a tin of "Washwe " ; it will help vo u and please you. See list of storekeepers who stock it.» Engagement rings, wedding ilnw, gold bands, and spectacles to suit all sights at J. H. P alte . Si „™ Railway crossing, Dev on Street Cen tral, New Plymouth.* The Provident Building Society is issuing a now scries of shares, and in accordance with its usual policy ■t is inviting applications from the public. The secretary, Mr H A. Lernnan, will be pleased to givo any information to inujuircre and be happy to supply application forms which must bo filled in and lodged with him by December 10th. The so»«ly ' h , a L- S u ead% Prosresw*! since its establishment and has always done busmen on safe and cautious lines. The society has funds in hand and is prepared to lend on approved security at the usual favourable rates.* j