Clippings.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume III, Issue 118, 22 October 1901, Page 4

Clippings.

o——— PARLIAMENTARY - HUMOUR. The simple folk ot jrtaratonga, said Mr Pi'her in the House the other day, have a law that any ,'m*a who kisses anotl er man's sister shall be fined two bags of kumaras. . And, he added, we would apply to those islanders a uumbersome ystem of European law ! Shortly afle • wards Mr Pirani announced a number of equally remarkable Raratongan laws. Members might not know, he said, that Raratonga imposed two months' im» prisonment on any native who sat in "the preserceot the Queen. Other punishments were one month for any child under twenty-one whb ate nniipe fruit one year 'for any' native who criticised the Ggveftimerit.—A' member': . •'• We'll all be in chokey now"—one month for anyone, save Royalty, who wore a tall hat; and forty-eghf hours for any female inhabitant who wore a waist band of legs than thirty inches (laughtet).. The hon. gentleman suggested that instead of impo'injj our laws on the native", we might copy of them, and then the Premier would not hive neatly so.much trouble with members of his own party. Mr Pirani admitted that the intiflkioncy of the Raratoaga criminal code bad already bean considerably impaired through the repeal of some lawa, such as that which provided that, no man should go out at night with an unmarried lady unless'they held a torch alight. 'Great laughter). He added quizzically that the Government should appoint a Visiting Commission, for it could examine into these mattexs so much better than the House can from the d : st»nce.

THE VANCOUVER MAIL ROUTE. The Melbourne Age say«, regarding the suggestion that New Zealand should come into the Federal mail contraot and reap its advantages by establishing a fast service to Wellington and the Bluff for the carriage of mails, that it is hardly likely the Federal Government will consent to contribute towards a service in which its States have no special interest. If New Zea'and wants an independent mail service, the Vancouver route appears to offer the best prospects of success. The line would hare to be maintained at a irodern high-class standard, and such service, it has reason to believe, would command a subsidy from Canada, while the Imperial authorities might do something in the same direction, and establish an all-British mail line via the Pacific with Australasia.

EAEL ROBERTS. The parliamentary and permanent nnder secretaries and chief military administrative officials entertained Earl Roberta at the Mansion House. In response to the toast of the Imperial Forces, Earl Roberts, in the course of his reply, doubted if ever the Army was mora severelytrijed than during the last two years. They were most deeply indebted for the . very material help front the colonials, who had exhibited extraordinary intelligence, perseverance, and determination in" undergoing great hardships and privations " without a murmur, doing every thing chaerf oily and in a aoidiegUke manner. S— J ; • THE MAIL • SERVICES. 'i t' < « »«. i< » In connection with the remarks of the Queensland Premier on the San Fran, oisco mail . service a statemeqi. ia published;in Sydney, that hi .the event of ,New Zealand deciding to snbsidfee the- Canadian line Queensland' will "be offered the Oceamo, as -that State; Trill lose the Canadian, "It. la aaelteda* probab'le that Federal GovernWnb would .agree to the. substitution if Queensland recommended it. jAaJan inducement for.the change, it out that fcjtie Amarieantand are delivered ahont three daygrqaicher vj* Brisbane than vi* New Zealand; 1