NEW ZEALAND : GENERAL.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXVIII, Issue 7, 15 February 1900, Page 20

NEW ZEALAND : GENERAL.

We have received the sum of 10s from Mr. John Deegan, Wiamatuku for the Very Rev. Father Lightheart's Maori mission. We have received parcels of used postage stamps for Rev. Father Kreymborg's mission from Mr. B. Leydon (Kensington), G. OK. (Greymouth), and Miss Mary A. Doody (West Oxford). The Very Rev. Father Lightheart acknowledges, with thanks, receipt of the sum of £4. for the Maori mission, collected by a lady in the Balclutha district, and forwarded through this office by the Very Rev. Father O'Neill. Mb O'Regan, ex-M.H.R., was entertained in the Princess Theatre, Reefton, on Thursday night, and presented with a purse of sovereigns by his supporters In the course of a lengthy speech he that there was apparently not the slightest intention on the part of the Government to abolish the crushing taxation on food and clothing through the Customs. He was therefore better pleased to be out of politics for the present. This is the fourth presentation made to Mr O'Regan since his defeat. A meeting of the committee of the Ashburton St. Patrick's Day Sports Association was held on Tuesday evening of last week. A programme of sports (says the Mail~) was adopted. This included a shelfield handicap of 133 yds, value £13 5s ; four bicycle races, i^eluding a wheel race of £17 10s; tent pitching competition, fire brigade events, dancing, jumping, and wrestling competitions, and aKo other cash and amateur running events, so that all classes of athlet> s are well catered for. Substantial prizes are being given for all event«, and a grand meeting can be looked forward to. At the la«-t me-tivg of the Ashburton Catholic Literary Society a content was held between the junior members, and for which Mr. Moison contributed three and Mr. Jones one trophy for the respective winners. As was expected there were a large number of competitors, and the judges — Messrs. McSherry, Burgess, and Cooper — had their work cut out in selecting the winners, as the recitations of one and all were delivered in an excellent manner, and they were a credit to the young elocutionists themselves and to the .Society generally. First honours fell to J. Moriarty for hia rendering of "The Execution of Montrose,' with D. Moriarty second, F. Ilanrahan third, and P. Hanrahan fourth. Mr. L. Hanrahan in a neat speech presented the winners with their trophies, and the re&pectivc winners duly responded, thanking the donors of the trophies for their kindness. The departure from our midst of any well-known personage (writes a Hokitika correspondent) is always a matter for deep regret ; but when it is one of our co-religionists who is compelled to say farewell the loss is doubly felt, as our community is so small that even one from amongst our numbers is of great moment. On Wednesday (31st January) Mr. and Mrs. Flannery and family left for Napier. For the past three years Mr. Flannery has been in charge of the local gaol, and during: that time he, as well as Mrs. Flanuery and family, had won for themselves golden opinions, and when it was made known that he had been transferred to Napier, expressions of regret at his departure were heard on all sides from Catholics as well as non-Catholics. Ever upright and devout members of the Church their loss ia deeply felt, and whilst regretting that Napier is to profit at our expense we can only wish Mr. Flannery and family every happiness in their new home. Preaching on Sunday (writes a Waimate correspondent) the Rev. Father Regnault referred to the introduction of the new cutechi«m into tne diocese, and exhorted parents to see that their children studied it. The enemies of the Church throughout the world and particularly in France, he said, were doing their utmost to destroy the Catholic Faith by attacking the schools, but with the help of God the Church would maintain the schools in spite of all her enemies. Referring to the N.Z Tablet the rev. preacher said that Catholics should not forget the services rendered by the rev. editor in connection with the Slattery crusade. He urged the congregation to take the Tablet, and assist it in every way they could. — Catholicism is in such a flourishing state in Waimate that the church is far too small to hold the congregation. A larger one will be a necessity in the near future — Harvesting is now in full swing, but the weather has been anything but favourable. The crops are all looking well.