TOPICAL READING.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXVIX, Issue 8145, 21 May 1906, Page 4

TOPICAL READING.

The question of bank holidays was considered by the Council of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, on Wednesday, (says the Herald). The Chairman said the secretary, in accordance with the instructions of the Counoil, had waited upon the various managers to see if they would open the banks on Saturday evenings, and on holidays, to receive deposits. Mr Denniston found that some bauks received deposits on Saturday evenings. but it was not done as a general rule! He did not see that anything further could be done. The only solution of the difflloulty that he oould see in view of the refusal of the banks to open to receive deposits was a safe deposit system.

It is suggested that the Maori oensus now being taken, will, when completed, form a valuable basis for the compilation, under the provision of the Maori Land Settlement Act of last session, of a list showing the lands or interests in lauds held by each Maori. The proposal ia that a full list of the Marri inhabitants of New Zealand should be published in the Kahiti (Maori Gazette), and that the Maoris themselves would be only too willing to send any corrections that might be discovered, while at the same time the land owned by each could be discovered and a roll compiled. In this connection the Native Minister points out that tbe Maoris, as a result of their becoming ratepayers and taxpayers, must in time get on to the general rolls of the colony compiled for local government purposes, and that the carrying out of the above suggestion would be of great assistance in compiling those roils when the necessity arises.

In the course of a speeoh delivered afc Wellington, on Wednesday night, by the Secretary of the New Zealand Shopkeepers' Asociation (Mr H. P. Allen), mention was made by that gentleman of some effects on small businesses of the early closing provisions of the Shops and Offices Bill, in his oapaoity as an accountant he had been called in to inspeot the accounts of several Wellington shopkeepers, who had loyally complied with tbe early olosing provisions of tbe Act and he had found the fallings-off in the takings lamentable—as much as 40 per cent, in some oases. Sinoe the Act had been amended there had been manifest improvement, and he hoped that tbe trouble was past for all time. But there was always a possibility of its recurrence, and to prevent it the shopkeepers should maintain unceasing vigilanoe.

Mr R. 0. Bruce, at the last meeting of tbe Wellington Acclimatisation Society, entered a strong protest against the "sportsman," who goes forth at the beginning of the season to get a "bag." He caustically referred to the "big takes" recorded at Home, the chronioling of the feats iu the newspapqrsi the publishing of figures in the weeklies

in the colony of rows of pigeons, etc., ana ao on ad nauseam. At Home tbe "sportsman" had his deer driven paat him to be ahot; it was a wonder that they did not have the deer rounded op in a etook-yard and shot there. The Society, he declared, shoad da its best to discourage the praatioes he had referred to. He also entered a warm protest against thatf "horrible advertising of our climate and tourist resorts as if we were a travelling showman." He appealed that the indiscriminate slaughter of birds and fishes should be stopped. Mr Bruce's remarks were warmly applauded. Speaking to a Waikato Times interviewer the other day, Mr Stewart, one of the Government hemp graders, expressed his conviotion that the systematic planting of suitable lands with flax would pay well. He went on to say: "Experiments are now being conducted at Levin to determine tbe best varieties of flax, and I understand the Department intends shortly to issue a leaflet on the subject of planting. Draining is, of coarse, the first step, and, while on heavy solid land the drains should be deep, on peaty lands deep draining would be a mistake, as the land would sink end the roots would be robbed of water. Autumn is the right time to plant. Tbe rows should be from Bft to 12ft apart, aooording to the quality of the land. Where the land is poor the distance between the rows should be reduoed to 3ft. Sheep can be grazed, ou tbe land if required, but not oattle, as they would destroy the young shoots. In Canterbury tbe plants would take from five to six years before they would be fit to cut, hut here in the North Island, I think the time would be considerably less. If owners of flax country would only insist on careful outting of the plants so as to leave the centre leaf or shoot intact, they would be able to get a crop about every eighteen months. I should, roughly speaking, put down the cost of plants and setting them at £6 10s per acre."

The "hen tests" of which weekly reports reached every part of the colony during the past year, is not a thing of to-day or yesterday. , According to a Blenheim deputation which waited on tbe Acting-Premier (tbe Hon. W. Hall-Jones), on Friday, another egg-laying competition is now in progress across the Strait, and others will follow with the regularity of the seasons. On the grounds that these contests do a great deal to improve the breed of poultry and foster poultry raising, a request was made to the.Minister that a Government offioer should be placed In charge of the competition. The promotors are anxious to have tne hall mark of Government approval on their venture, and so excite confidence in prospective comDetitors, and give the "cackling" business a "tone" it otherwise lacks. It was suggested that the present offioer in charge should be made a Government servant, and that the Government should defray part of his salary. To these representations the Hon. Mr Hall-Jones promised to give consideration.