NEW ZEALAND: GENERAL.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXX, Issue 19, 8 May 1902, Page 19

NEW ZEALAND : GENERAL.

The Triad for the current month is well up to its usual standard of excellence. The takings at Miss Caßtles's concert at the Agricultural Hall, Dunedin, on Thursday evening amounted to £500. This is the ' record ' money for Dunedin. A comparison of the port charges levied in Wellington and other parts of the Colony was (says the Poxf) made by Mr. T. M. Wilford at one of his meetings last week. This showed that for a vessel's first visit Wellington charged at the rate of 4d a ton, Lyttelton 7d, Port Chalmers Is 6d, Auckland 6d, Bluff Is 23, and Napier anchorage 4d. For subsequent visits Wellington made no reduction, but the other ports dirt, that at Port Chalmers and the Bluff being substantial. Assuming that a steamer of 2400 tons register called at each port three times in a month, the respective charges would be — Napier £80, Wellington and Auckland £120 each, Lyttelton £140, Port Chalmers £275 17a, Bluff £280. At a meeting of the Children of Mary, held in St, Mary's Schoolroom (writes a G-reymouth correspondent) the members presented the Rev. Father Kimbell (spiritual director) with an address and travelling rug to mark the occasion of his feast-day. The president (Miss Cissie Heffernan) read the address in her usual pleasing style. Since Father Kimbell has taken charge of the sodality he has left no stone unturned in getting new members and in furthering its interests in every possible way, and his efforts have already been rewarded, for it was never in a more flourishing state than at present. After thanking the members for their congratulations and kind gift, the Rev, Father gave a most instructive discourse on the devotion to the Blessed Virgin, and pointed out that the Children of Mary should show in an especial manner their love for her during the month of May. The following notice appeared in a recent issue of the Gazette : • Free second cla3B quarterly tickets may be iepued to school children not over 18 years of age — (a) To those attending the Government primary schools, from railway stations where there ia no primary school in the vicinity, and ouly to the station in the vicinity of the nearest primary school ; (b) to those attending private schools for primary education. Such tickets may also ba issued for the purpose of enabling pupils not over 19 years of age to attend a district hiirh school or a secondary school as defined by '• The Manual and Technical Instruction Act, 1000," provided that Buch pupils have pasted the Sixth Standard or are holders of scholarships, exhibitions, or free places tenable at such district high school or secondary school Applic-itious. fcr these tickets must be accompanied by a certificate duly signed by the schoolmaster haiing charge of the school. These ti< keta are available for distances not exceeding GO milts. They are not transferable, and are available only for use by the holder when travelling to and from school for thf> purpose of receiving tuition ; if UFed for any other purpose the tickets will forfe ted. Sir J. G-. Ward, in opening the new railway station at Wellington on Monday, refei red to the finances of the Colony for the past year, stating that they showed a surplus of £270,481). The receipt-! weie £<>, 185 403, ur\d the expenditure £5,1)1 1,000. Included' in the expenditure was £ lit, ooo paid off debentures, the actual revenue exceeding the estimate by £24.000, while the expenditure was about £3000 below the estimate. lv the actual receipts customs showed an increase of £20,254, lailvvays £148,817, stamp £47:iti. land tax £18,251, income tax £5588, Leer duty £5062, registration fe.e.i £8054, marine £1992. miscellaneous £7349. Singular briskuess. in trade had, he said, brought about incr. ases. Territorial revenue had decreased £20,584. Referring to the Wellington-Mana-watu railway, he said the Government proposals were rejected on April 7. The company were then asked straight oat whether they were prepared tc sell their u-s ti under the act, ot last fes icn, but it; was not until M.iy 1, when the act had expired, that the company specially mentioned the conditions which they wtre prt-parel to place before shareholders. Fair means wi>uld be used to bring to the Government line. The means to b • employed would do no harm to farmers.