NEW ZEALAND : GENERAL.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXVIII, Issue 46, 15 November 1900, Page 18

NEW ZEALAND : GENERAL.

Dr. Ma^on', of Otaki, has definitely accoptt 1 the position of director of the Public Health Department of this Colony.

At a meeting of the Christchurch City Council on Monday night a committee was appointed with a view to taking steps towards the erection of abattoirs.

A Press As.-ociation message from Wellington states . In the Trinity College musical examinations seven pupils of St. Mary's Convent obtained honors ami five passes. For the As-iocia f ed Board and Royal Academy of Music's gold medal for Australasia, Miss Given Flanagan, a convent pupil, is at present in the leading position, with 140 out of 130 marks.

The Premier announced at the binqnet to the Hon. C. 11. Mills at Wellington Gn Monday night that he intended to endeavor to get the Duke of York to open the next "enwion of the New Zealand Parliament. There would be no difficulty, he said, in getting Parliament opened a month earlier than usual if this were desirable.

The Hon. C. H. Mills was entertained at a banquet on Monday night by the citizens of Wellington in celebration of his elevation to the Ministry. Mr. 11. Beauchamp, chairman of the Harbor Board, presided, and there was a numerous attendance, including the Premier and other members of the Cabinet. The speeches made during the evening were eulogistic of the gue*it of the evening.

About 28 000 p°r«ons were present at the C mtvrbury A and P. Association's hhow on Friday. The sum of £1210 was taken at the gates — a record for the Association. The railway tr tflic in Canterbury during the week was very heavy, nearly 150,000 persona having been bookel from Christohuroh. This total included passengers to the races and show grounds.

At the last meeting of the Ashburton Catholic Literary Society a report was received from the judge on the essay competition. First honors (says the Mail) fell to Mr. B. Moriarty for his paper on ' The execution of Mary (jueen of Scots,' while the second place was awarded to Mr. J. Quinlan for an es-ay entitled ' The future of Ash burton ' These members were, therefore, the winners of two handsome prizes offered by the Society. The remainder of the evening was then taken up by the competitors reading their essays, and as a whole they reflected the highest credit on the writers themselves, and more especially on the Society for the good work it is doing among its members. The successful competitors, Messrs. Moriarty and Quinlan, were then presented with their prizes, and after duly thanking the Society the meeting terminated.

Therw; wac recently purchased in Dunclin a pair of handsome rarri 'ire horses — bright buys with black points — the destination of which it was desired at the t'me to kv«p secret. The Southland Timrx announce s that the horses have arrived at Invercrgill, and are to be presented to Mis Ward by friends of the Hon. J G and Mrs. Wani, in the Aw&rua constituency, to hors-e tho landau which was prr Rented to her in England. The pair stand lfi \\ hands high, are perfectly matched, and severe tests prove th* m mo«t docile as well as staunch. The price, it is understood, was 150 guineas.

In the course of an address at a meeting of the Chrißtchuroh Philosophical Society, Dr. Symes said he considered the practice of tipubinn uitrtl for salts in buLchtio' fahopo wliu,li wux open to the dust of the street a very objectionable one, and thought that it was even dangerous to Llic public health. On Junty Ju>s, especially when a nor'-wester was blowii g, multitudes of bacilli were deposited every few minutes upon meat thus exposed. If the public realised the danger there would be a general and indignant outcry against the supply of meat thus exposed to the city for human consumption. He thought that butchers' shops should be arranged so that meat would at least be protected from the dust of the streets, and probably in time meat for sale would be so safeguaided that there would be no possibility of infection by contact with the germladen atmosphere of the streets.

THKba<son-curing industry is reported to be assuming large proportions in Taranaki. The season just opened is said to have a bright outlook for the settlers of that diHtrict. A New Plymouth p<tper 9tates that the markets for Taranaki bacon are extending day by day, and there is cv« ry prospect of a considerable trade being done with England. Wiih a view to experimenting in this direction, Mr. Drake, of Fitzroy, recently submitted a parcel of hams to the test of freezing, leaving them in one of the chambers at the Waitara works for two months, after which a party of gentlemen were invited to taste one of the hams cooked for the purpose, and pronounced it not only more tendpr than the unfrozen meat, but of superior flavor. As there is no difficulty in keeping hams after they have been frozen and thawed, the prospects of placing Taranaki hams and bacon on the Home market seems to be as promising in results as in the case of butter and cheese.

A bad accident occurred at tbe Skippers Sluicing Company's claim, near Arrowtown, last week, resulting in the death of three men. It appeira that the men -James Scott (manager), Martin Tobin, and William Low — were busy removing an obstruction in the tunnel, when the whole mass of tailings and the dead water standing in the paddock — the nee water having being: turned off — broke away, overwhelming them. Soott was carried down the tunnel and shot into the Shotover. The other two men were buried in the mass of water and tailings and smothered. Martin Tobin was bbout 33 year-*. He wa« married and leaves a widow and three children and a widowed mother. Mr. Scott was the manager of the claim. He was a competent miner and was very popular with all who knew him. W. Low was an elderly man, well known in the di-tri t, and, with Tobin, had been for some time in the employ of the company.

The Premier, speaking at the A. and P. Society's dinner at Christchurch. referred at some length to the rapidly extending functions of the State, and mentioned the establishment of a Government stud farm as the latest development. In connection with the market which existed in South Africa for New Zealand produce, Mr. piinted out that there were three lines of steamers carrying the produce of Australia to the Cape, and in view of the fact that, under existing conditions, shipments from New Zealand had resulted in loss he said that the time had now arrived that this Colony should have its direct line of Bteamers to the Cape. They had heard from reliable sources that our beef was wanted, an* l also mutton— not too big, they could do with 50's, and even as low as 40's, the rejects for the London markets would do. Referring to the colonies wishing to have 'a finger in the pie,' he referred to the fact that if British statesmen hid taken the advice of colonial politicians, all the islands of the Pacific would now be British possessions.

Speaking- to a Pre«s representative in Dunedin last week Mr. Stewart M icpherson, examiner for the Associated Board of the Royal Academy of Music and the Royal College of Music (London), said that during his tour in theao colonies he had come across a considerably higher average of merit than he expected to find. There had not been very many candidates of exceptional talent, excep r . in Wellington, where at the Convent he had some remarkable results, especially amongst the vocal candidates. Three girls there particularly pleased him, being the possessors of unusually fine voices, which bad been admirably trained. Mr. Maopheraon said that throughout the colonial examinations he had adopted as high a standard us he would have done in England. He thought that in the majority of the towns he had visited there seemed to be a desire on the part of the ciltured people to really wish for a more advanced and thorough-going musical training and a desire to cultivate art in a serious way. Iv many places he had found the teaching to be really good.

A Hastings correspondent writes :— On Sunday, October 21, the beautiful devotions of the Forty Hours' Adoration began in the Sacred Heart Church, Hastings. At 8 o'clock Mass was said by the Very Rev. Father Smyth, about 250 communicants approaching the Holy Table. At 11 o'clock Solemn High Mass was sung by the Very Rev. Dean McKenna, of Maßterton, Father Smyth and Father Lezer acting as deacon and subdeaoon respectively. At the end of the Mass there was a procession of the Most Blessed Sacrament. Farmer's Mass in B flat was ably rendered by the choir. In the evening Solemn Veepers were t-ung by Rev. Father Lezer, and a very eloquent sermon on the 'Church ' was preached by the Very Rev. Dean McKenna. On Monday morning Masses were celebrated at 6.30 and 7 o'clock, and at 9 o'clock Mass waa sung by the Rev,

Father Lezer. At 7.30 Vespers were sung by the Rev. Father O Shea, and Very Rev. Dr. Kenoeoy, of Meanee, delivered a very instructive sermon on • Prayer. 1 The devotions were brought to a close on Tuesday at 9 o'clock with Solemn High Mass and > rocesBion, the Very Rev. Dean McKenna being celebrant, the Rev Father O Shea, of Waipawa, deacon. Rev. Father T. McKenna, of Pahiatua, eubdeacon.— The bazaar to which I referred in my last communication passed off most successfully, the sum of £300 being netted

The Very Rev. D O, Egan, D.D., O 5.8., of Ponsonby, diocese of Auckland, New Zealand (says the Sydney Freeman's Journal, November .i), who has been spending the pint few weeks vi, the residence of hia brother-in-law, the Hon. John Toohey, at Wahroonga, left for Melbourne on Friday last en route for his mission. The very rev. gentleman's vacation has proved a very recuperative one, varied though it was in its early stages by a diligent attendance at our Cathedral dedication and Congress ceremonies During bis stay in Melbourne Dr. Egan celebrates the Silver Jubilee of hia first Mass aa a priest on November 1. It is probable that the observance of the event by his people will be deferred till h a arrival at lonoonby. The Very Rev. Dr. Egaa, who is a native of Dublin, and by no means looks the four dozen years to which he pleads guilty, went through his theological studies at the Benedictine College of St. Ambrose, Rome. He is called ' the triple doctor ' by his friends from the fact that he won the decree of Dr in Theology Philosophy, and Music. Oa October 31, 187.>, he was ordained by Cardinal Mona.o in the famous Benedictine Grotto of Sacro Specoat the Mother House of the Order, Subiaco. Returning to Dublin, he was appointed to the charge ot the Benedictine establishment at Ram-gite, England, which he worthily held for seven years Thence he was appointed Professor of Theology at St. Ambrose's College, Rome, where he remainel for a year. Dr. Egan accompanied the late Bishop Luck, 0.5.8, to Auckland in 1885, and has been associated with the diocese ever since. Besides having charge of the Ponsonby mission, the very rev. gentleman is one of Bishop Lenihan's Diocesan Council, Secretary of the Board of Education, etc.. and has lately been apppointed chaplain to the military forces' So busy a quarter of a century has very fitiingly closed with a wellearned brief holiday, spent at the home of hia sister and brother-in-law.