NEW ZEALAND : GENERAL.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXVIII, Issue 47, 22 November 1900, Page 18

NEW ZEALAND : GENERAL.

It is gazetted that the census of the Colony will be taken on the night of March 3 1 next.

Colonel Robin has cabled to the Government from Pretoria that the remainder of the first contingent is now under orders to return to New Zealand.

The Dunedin City Council has decided to ask the citizens to sanction a loan of £50,000 for the purchase of the city and suburban tramway plant.

Arrangements have been made by the Government to send the Southland Pipe Band of 20 members with the New Zealand contingent to the Australian Commonwealth celebrations.

The Oovcrnvnnt Inxnrunre Itcrorde) for October, just to hand, contains several brightly written articles, the majority of which deal with the question of life assurance.

Dr. Mason, who has been appointed head of the Health department, is to receive a salary of £SuO a year, not £1200, as has been stated. He will, of course, aim receive the usual travelling allowance.

Tm: railway passenger traffic returns for the four weeks ended the 10th inst., under the reduced tariff, show an increase of 83,000 ordinary tickets, with an increased revenue of £<JOO, and an increase of season tickets of KJOO, from which the added revenue is £600

Tin: following pupils from the Convent of Mercy, Gisborne. passed the practical music examination held recently by the representative of Trinity College, London Junior Division— Honors— Ro*e Liddle. Preparatory Division— Mabel Clarke, Nellie Murphy, Linda Nicholson, May Fitzgerald, June Hale, Nellie Martin. Violin — Houors — Lullie Power.

Ix our i-^ue of November s we gave the names of 22 young priests who had lately arrived in Melbourne from Home for missiouary work in Victoria and New South Wales. We learn that one of the number, Rev. W. F. Cahill, who has gone to the Goulburn diocesp, N.S.W , is a younger brother of the Rev. T. J. Cahill, of the Dannevirke parish, Hawke's Bay.

The examination in connection with Trinity College, London («ays the Nelson Colonist), was held at St. Mary's High School, Mr. Charles Edwards, L. Muh. T.C.L., being the examiner. Thirteen pupils were presented and all parsed. The following are the names of thohe who were presented by St. Mary's Convent : — Piano • Misses A. Eden, E. Winisett, I. Crisp, M. Cullinane, E. Light, I. Louisson. S. Eden, H. Wie.sner, M. Mercer, M. Floyd ; violin : H. Gibbs and M, MoMahon.

Ir is the intention of the Government to start a salmon -rearing ntatiou at Uakataramea, where an area of 20 acres has been acquired on Robert Campbell and Co 's Station Peak property, and also a temporary station on Lake Ohau. The Agent-general will send out regular supplies of ova, which will be hatched at the station, and the fi-sh kept until they are three years old before being liberated. The first consignment of mio,oOo is expected from America shortly, being the gift of the United btates Fish Commission and the Canadian Government.

Several of the papers read at the Australasian Catholic Congress in Sydney appear in the November number of the Austral Ln/ht. His Grace the Archbishop of Melbourne brings to a conclusion the learned series of articles entitled ' No Salvation outside the Church ; or the Doctrine cf Exclusive Salvation.' The Rev. Father Cognet continues his sketches of the manners and customs of the Maoris, and there is a further instalment of the interesting serial, 'The Shadow Children.' The Rev. Father Slattery, CM., contributes an article on ' The Development of Electrical Science,' and in addition there ia a Federal hymn by Marion Miller, and several short articles, etc,

The Lake County correspondent of the Otago Daily Times, writing with reference to the fatal accident at the Londonderry Company's claim at Skippers' Point, says : Regarding the deceased Mr. Martin Tobin, it may be mentioned that his aged and widowed mother, who is still alive, has lost three children out of a family of six by drowning. Her eldest son, Thomas, came by his death at the age of 11), while bathing in a dam at Whitechapel Flat, Arrow River ; while her eldest daughter was drowned at the age of 16 by falling ofF a footbridge when the river was in a flooded state : the present accident adding the third victim. That in bo sad a bereavement the heartfelt sympathy of the whole district goes forth to the sorrowing mother, who is highly and universally respected, goes without saying.

The examination of the pupils of the Reefton Convent School by Mr. Edwards, of Trinity College (says the Inangahua Times'), has just been concluded and is very satisfactory, reflecting great credit on theii painstaking teachers, the Sisters of Mercy. The results are : — Senior division : Violin, Miss Ruby McDonald (honors) ; singing, Miss Ruby McDonald (pass) ; pianoforte, Miss Annie Horn (pass). Intermediate division • Pianoforte, Miss Moutgomerie and Miss Horton (honors) ; singing, Miss Eva Scoltock (paps). Preparatory grade (honors) • Alice Anderson, Maggie Dykes, Pansy Whitten, James Grange, (pass) Mary Duffy. The c i ::irr':n' >r pirtionlnrly praised Mim Anderson, she having secured the maximum number of marks. Miss McDonald was also highly complirrcntH for hor higher pxamination as Associate of the Trinity College of Music. In addition to the above five pupils were sent up for theoretical examination in June last, when all succeeded in passing.

A correspondent of the Oiry Star, referring to a visit paid to the oil springs at Kutuku, 22 miles from Greymouth, says • — The oil was oozing out so much that you could see it flowing down the stream, showing all the beautiful tints of a rainbow. About 10ft from heie a few hcles had been made about l£ft deep, and in all of these the pure oil was found, and no difficulty was experienced in scooping it up to fill sample ' jars.' It is of a dark brown greeny color, and smells strongly of kerosene. We were then taken up a bush track, and after an hour's walking arrived at a spot where, in a tributary of the creek, the flow is so great that the color of the water is entirely changed to that of a dark red. The stonea are all coated with a dark green color. Evidence is shown that an enormous pressure must be working to force this continual sweating through the rock. The company has consolidated six 100-acre blocks to organise a public company to start boring on an extensive scale. Abundance of timber is to be had on the spot, and nature has provided every facility for working the oils.

The Ladies of the Sacred Heart Convent. Timaru, will celebrate, on December 12. the first centenary of the foundation of their congregation. The Society of the Sacred Heart was founded at Amiens (France) in the year ISOO, under the direction cf Father Joseph Varin, N J., by Mademoiaelle Madeleine Sophie Barat. It was approved by Pope Pius VII. in 1 828. The community is semicloistered, and follows the rule of the Society of Jesus. The ladies of the Sacred Heart devote their lives to the Christian education of youth by conducting boarding schools and parochial schools, as well as by taking charge of orphan asylums for girls. The mother house is in Paris. The Convent of the Ladies of the Sacred Heart at Timaru is one of the finest establishments cf the kind in New Zealand, and in the Cathohe Directory iot 1900 the number of lehgious in the community is set down at 21. The first centenary of the Ladies of the Sacred Heart will be made memorable by the beatification of their holy founder, Madame Barat, who has already been declared 1 venerable ' by the Church.

The trial of Brothers Wyb^rtus and Kilian ot a charge of having assaulted lad*, et-inmatt s of the Stoke Industrial School, war* begun at the Wellington Supreme Court on Monday. The ea-«e of Brother Kilian was taken tir-it. Mi-snrs. 15(11 and Mye.s conducted the prosecution, am! Messrs. Nkerrett, Wilfwrd. and F.-ll appear* d for the defence. At the commencement of the proceedings Mr. hkerrett made an application that the eu«es be tried separately. He pointed out that thero were hx charges of as-ault each rtgain«t separate individuals, and alleged to have been committed at different times, and contended th it v fair tn.il could not be had if the casts were taken together. Mr. hkerrett further submitted that his Honor could exorcise his discretion m every case in which it could bu shown that the prisoner would be prtjudictd by the hearing of the indictments together. Theee case- were wholly distinct and separate one from another, and the hearing of thi m all together would result in considerable embarrassment. Mr. Justice Edwards said he would given decision without much hesitation if his decision could be reviewed. Hut as it could not he naturally desirtd to consult the other judges, and h" w ould accordingly telegraph to them for their opiuion on the point. The cases were then adjourned until Wednesday morning.

A Nioiitca!\>. correspondent writes — Thurpday and Friday of last week were red-letter days in the history of this township on the occasion of his Excellency the Governor's visit to this place. On the arrival of the train at the terminus all the reisidetits of Nightcaps, young and old, ansemolcd to do honor to the representative of her Maje«ty Qucei Victoria. Hie Excellency was met on the platform by Mr. Hanu.VMile (Nightcaps Coal Compinj), Mr. J. Lloyd manager), Mr. J. Furde, Mr. .1. A. Hall, Mr. Knox, Mr. McAnelly, Mr. J. Ma«on, and Mr T. Lloyd. The school children, under their head teacher, marohf d in procession, each carrying a tiny Union Jack and singing the National Anthem. It was a pretty sight and seemcl to please his Excellency immensely. Mr. Handyside in a handsome speech welcomed the Governor to Nightcaps. His Excellency thanked the people assembled for the honor they had done him, and said he was sure it was due to the loyalty of the people for her Most Gracious Majesty, whom he represented. His Excellency was afterwards entertained at a banquet at Mrs. Griffon's Hall, where quite 101) people sat down to a splendid supper, got up on only 2\ hours notice and in a style only known to the gifted hostess of the Railway Hotel. After the uaual toasts were proposed nnd responded to. the Chairman, in a capital speech, suitably thanked Mrs. CJritfen for the able manner in which she had provided so sumptuous,a supper, and asked the company to drink success to Mrs. Griff en, their talented hostess, who had done so much to make everything a success. The toast was received with acclamation by the company, his Excellency Lord Ranfurly included.