NEW ZEALAND : GENERAL.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXIX, Issue 13, 28 March 1901, Page 19

NEW ZEALAND : GENERAL.

The Sixth New Zealand Contingent for South Africa arrived at Pretoria on Friday last, all being reported well. The purchase money (£141,661) for the Purves Russell's Hatoma estate, compulsonly acquired by the Government, was paid over in Wellington on Tuesday. During the past year 489 children in Wellington, 135 in the suburbs and Manawatu, and 321 in Wairarapa have received instruction in cookery under the Board of Education. The Dunedin Tramways were officially taken over on Thursday by the City Council, when the event was celebrated by a luncheon, a procession of cars, and free rides to all and sundry. During 1900 there were 145 deaths in the four centres of the Colony from cancer, 171 from heart disease, 266 from phthisis and other tubercular diseases. There were 110 violent deaths during the year. The Wellington City Council think that the head of civic affairs would look more dignified in robes, and consequently have ordered a suit for the Mayor. The new regalia is to be ready by the arrival of the royal visitors. The Government have decided that the number of ootznoillors in a borough shall be as follows -.—With & population under 5000, nine members ; over 5000 and under 30,000, 12; 30,000 and over, 15. The last provision will for the present only apply, to Auckland and Wellington. The new century volume of The Dominican Star is now in course of preparation, and will be ready shortly. We understand that the new volume will even excel its predecessors from every point of view, which ia saying a good deal, considering the very high standard attained by this popular annual since its first issue. The Cabinet has deoided that the New Zealand military oontingent at the opening of the Federal Parliament shall consist of 100 — viz., 20 men each from the Permanent Artillery, mounted corps, infantry, naval artillery, and Maoris. The men are to be {■elected from all parts of the Colony by the Commander of the Forces. The extensive stables of the New Zealand Express Company, Dunedin, were destroyed by fire on Wednesday evening of last week. The building oovered nearly half an acre and had been only reoently erected. Besides the building, seven horses, vans, furniture, and harness were burned. The damage was estimated at between £7000 and £8000.

Some idea of the dimensions of the Teviot fruit industry may be gained (says the Tuaprka Time*) from the fact that during the present season upwards of 100 horses have been employed in carrying fruit to Lawrence, where it is trained to Dune din and elsewhere. Apricots grown in the Teviot district have realised as much as 28s per case in Wellington this season. Dr. Logan Campbell, who is to be elected Mayor of 4uckland for the period including the Duke of York's visit, went to Auckland before the site of the city was chosen. His office stands now where his tent stood in 1840, the land having been purchased at the first Government sale. He was for a term Superintendent of the province of Auckland ; he ■was one of +he fj r«i" membcrii of the city in the House of Representatives, and also at one time was elected for Paruell. The Wellington people are not singular in their idea that Government Bhould pay the whole of the cost of entertaining the Duke and Duchess of York whilst in this Colony, for at a meeting in Christchurch in connection with this matter the opinion was expressed that the money should come out of the Consolidated Fund, and a resolution to that effect was forwarded to the Premier. The sum required in the ' City of the Plains ' is set down at £1500, and as this would only amount, to about 6d per head of the populatic n of the city and suburbs it should not be too much of a tax on local patriotism and loyalty to raise it. The Month's Mind for the late Dean Chervier took place at the Church of St. John the Evangelist, Leeston, on Tuesday, March 12, when (writes our Christchurch correspondent) clergy were present from almost every parish in Canterbury. A Solemn Rrquinn Mass was celebrated by the Very Rev. Father Le Menant des Chesnaip, in the presence of hie Lordship the Right Rev. Dr. Grimes. The sermon was preached by the Very Rev. Dean O'Donnell, who concluded hiß disaourse by suggesting that a memorial be erected over the grave of the late Dean in the Leeston cemetery. The matter has since been taken in hand by the Rev. Father Goggan, at present in charge of the parish. There was a large attendance of members at the last meeting of the Ashburton Catholic Literary Society (says the Mail). Mr. H. McSherry (President) occupied the chair. A considerable amount of routine business was transacted, amongst which waß the announcement that the Society intended to donate a prize to the best junior debater for the ensuing six months. A debate entitled ' Should we federate with Australia ' formed the evening's programme, Mr. P. Healey taking the affirmative and Mr. B. Moriarty the negative side of the question. This most important question was keenly discussed by the members, and some very fair speeches were delivered on the subject, but early in the debate it was peen that the verdict would result in favor of the non-federalist party, and notwithstanding the excellent addresses of the federal leaders a poll taken at the conclusion of the debate showed a verdict by a large majority in favor of Mr. Moriarty's party. The following message, from an esteemed Napier correspondent, came too late to hand for last week's issue :— The celebration of St. Patrick's Day in Napier on last Monday was unquestionably the best of its kind ever held in the town. There was a grand torchlight procession, headed by the Citizens' Band, through the principal streets. Many handsome Irish banners, particularly that of the Hibernian Society, and the beautiful Irish flag recently imported from Dublin, lent additional splendor to the procession. The Theatre Royal, wnere a national concert was held, was overcrowded, many having to be refused admission. The tableau ' Ireland with her four provinces,' represented by five young ladies in appropriate costumes, was the gem of the evening. In the musical portion the land of harp and shamrock was kept well to the front. To the energetic secretary unstinted praise is due. The Catholics of New Headford (writes our Christchurch correspondent) celebrated St. Patrick's Day by a very pleasant outiug. A special excursion train, conveying upwards of 150 persons, left Lincoln on Monday, March 18, for Little River, arriving there at about 11 o'clock. At the latter station the Catholic residents were gathered and, being joined by the excursionist*, adjourned to the recreation ground, where a most enjoyable day was spent. Besides a cricket match the programme of sports included children's races, three-legged race (won by Maori boys), girls" races, 100 yards and half-mile races for men, etc. A tug-of-war, Little River v. Shand's Track, was, after a severe contest, won by the latter team. An energetic committee of ladiea and gentlemen, under the presidency of Father Richards, had the day's arrangements in hand. Mr G. Cuneen combined the onerous duties of secretary and clerk of course. Mr M. F. Ryan was handicapper, Mr D. McVeigh starter, and the Rev. Father Richards judge. Many useful prizes were provided for the sports, and everyone seemed thoroughly satisfied and pleased at the success attending their combined efforts. Fresh from his tour in the Mediterranean with his wife, Dr. Mackin, of Wellington, turned up the other day (writes the London correspondent of the Dunedin Evening Star), and he is now takiDg post-graduate courses at the Eye Hospital, Moor fields, and the Ear and Throat Hospital, at Golden Square, until his departure for the Colony, which will probably take place in May by the Waiwera. The doctor's tramp abroad embraced visits to Tunis and the ruins of Carthage, Malta, Alexandria, Cairo, Port Said, and Beyrout, Balbec in Syria, Damascus, Nazareth, Jaffa, Jerusalem, Jericho, the Dead Sea, and Bethlehem, at which place he and Mrs. Mackin arrived just in time for the interesting ceremonies that mark Christmastide. During the whole of their two months' round they suffered but one wet day, and in Jericho th^y aaw the roses in full bloom, and walked about with the thermometer showing 82 in the shade. They came Home via Malta and Liverpool, and went thence to Ireland to spend a week or 10 days with relatives. Iv Belfast Dr. Mackin foregathered with the Very Rev. Dr. Watrers and the Yen. Archdeacon Devoy, who, I am rejoiced to hear, are both in great form at present.

A swindle of a particularly mean character (says the N.Z. Time*) wbs ' worked' upon the organisers of the recent performance of • Judas Maccabrons,' in connection with the Wesleyan Conference proceedings in Wellington The secretary received a letter from an unknown correspondent, who expressed his ability and desire to help the performance by disposing of tickets at Karori, if a supply were left for him at an address in the city. The secretary sent 20 tickets, no doubt blessing the voluntary worker. Almost simultaneously another official connected with the performance received a letter from another volunteer, who was burning to help ' tha cause ' by disposing of tickets in Petone, and who requested that a supply should be left for him at another address in town. Again 20 tiokets were unsuspectingly sent, and ie was only wheu lh« officials compared notes and found that the two letters were written by the same person and signed by fictitious names, that they realised they had been robbed by a new and ingenious method. There is, of course, no means of tracing the perpetrator of the swindle ; but the facts are published as a warning to organisers to beware of , spontaneous philanthropy of the kind described.

Mr. Sheedt, of Greymouth, has had a very fine Irish flag made to order. It is almost a counterpart (says the Greymouth Argus) of a flag procured by Mr. Michael Davitt for an Irish association at Napier at a cost of nearly a hundred pounds. It was much admired by Lord Ranf urly, and was used in the deooration of a banquet hall where he was the truest. While the groundwork of the Napier flag: is of Irish poplin, Mr. Sheedy's is of navy bunting. In the centre of the flag is the ancient Irish harp worked in golden silk, surrounded by a shamrock border in like material, beneath being the legend ' Erin-go-Bragh ' in old Irish lettering, also in gold silk. The arms of the different provinces of Ireland are displayed at each corner. On the right hand are the arms of Ulster in red satin, with the blood-red hand of Hugh O'Neill in the centre. In the left-hand corner is the coat of arms of Manster, with the ancient harp in the centre in yellow satin. The arms of Leinster are in black satin, with the typical black eagle in the centre clasping a shield in its claws. On the other corner is an emblem showing three golden crowns denoting England, Ireland, and Scotland. The crowns are worked in yellow Bilk on a blue ground The general effect is very striking, and the flag is decidedly a work of art. The flag is all hand-stitched, and is the work of the Sisters of the Greymouth Convent, who have peen engaged upon it for three months past.

The quarterly meeting of the Hibernian Society (writes our Timaru correspondent) was held on March 21, the president, Bro. M. F. Dennehy in the chair. There was a large attendance of members, and the sum of over £45 was received in contributions. The president reported having, with Bro. Kane, P.P., visited Waimate to assist at the first meeting of the newly opened branch there, and expressed the opinion that, judging from appearances, Waimate would soon po«se«s one of the soundest branches in the Colony, the number of young members joining being very encouraging. Votes of thanks were passed to the Waimate Branch and Fathers Regnault and O Connell for their hospitality to Bros. Dennehy and Kane during their visit. Bro. Sheehy proposed 'That the District Executive be written to and asked to communicate with thei bishops and clergy and branches of the society throughout the Colony asking them to have monster petitions signed in every parish memoralising Parliament to send a protest to the House of Commons against the insulting words and terms relating to Catholics in the Coronation Oath, aud have the same eliminated.' The motion was carried unanimously. A motion by the president ' That a levy of 6d per member per quarter be struck on all members till 1904 — the date of the next direct representative District Board Meeting to be in Timaru to defray the expenses of that meeting' was carried nnanimously. A clearance was granted to Bro. Toomey, of Waimate, who wishes to join the new branch. — A quiet ceremony took place at the presbytery when a fine flag pole was erected in front of the Priory and the National flag was hoisted on St. Patrick's Day. The flag is really handsome and I will have something to say of it later.