NEW ZEALAND: GENERAL

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXI, Issue 23, 4 June 1903, Page 20

NEW ZEALAND: GENERAL

On account of Wednesday of this week being the J ril J Ce M?r Wales birthday and a close holiday in the lost Office, we have been obliged to go to press on Tuesday evening. Correspondence reaching this office on Wednesday morning has, therefore, to be held over for Jit. al* 100 I.IC. Book debts, like fruit (said Judge Kettle in the nn,\\.»va Bankruptcy Court the other day), want to be collected when they are fresh

A witness in the Arbitration Court in Wellington tho other day delivered himself thus : I don't consider the baking business a trade ; I consider it a profession. No man has yet mastered the art of fermentation

The trade of the port of Bluff during some months past (says the ' Southland Daily News ') has suffered considerably owing to the lateness of the harvest affecting the export of oats. The ordinary revenue for the m ??o^ Wa ~ by the Secretary to have been 1,1. >40, or £490 less than the returns for the same period last year. In reply to a member, he also stated that for the past five months the deficiency, compered with the corresponding period of 1902, was some £1700

A rather interesting point was raised at the Napfer Magistrate s Court last week, in a case in which a prohibited person was charged with having entered an hotel on May 9, during the currency of an order that existed against him. Counsel for defendant contended that us tho order had b)en made on the morning of the 10th May, 1902, it expired on the morning ot the 9th May 1903, and was, therefore, not in force when the defendant went into the hotel. The police inspector maintained that the order had not expired till midnight on the 9th. Mr. Turnbull, S.M., remarked that the only authority he knew on the point was that a man was supposed to have attained his majority on the day before he was 21. Counsel intimated that he would be able to produce authorities if the case were allowed to !»t and over The case was accordingly adjourned.

The Premier, interviewed on the subject of the cable message to the London ' Daily Express ' newspaper regarding the sale of New Zealand meat in the United Kingdom, said it is not intended to enter into competition with either the meat export companies here or the retailers at home, and there will be no cutting of rates because the Government believes that the superior quality of New Zealand meat will carry its own recommendation. The problem of the fluctuation in prices through l<u-ge or short supplies on the Home market will be taken into consideration in iixing the retail price so that pi ices will not go up and down suddenly, but will remain the same for definite periods. The Government has k'lt that New Zealand meat has not had justice done to it m the markets of Great Britain, and that inferior meat, such as that from the Argentine, was sold in its ■ tend. Under these circumstances, it was felt that something should be done to ad\ance the interest of the New Zealand producers The question of purchasing at this vml and shipping from New Zealand is a detail that has \et to be arranged, and generally it does not appear that the scheme is cry far advanced.

Replying to Press strictures on his attitude towards the Farmers' Union, Sir Joseph Ward, in a speech at the opening of the new Wannakariri bridge, said that on a foimer occasion he had publicly stated that union was a good thing and w as as necessary for the protection of larmers as workers. Farmers' unions were for their protection, and were destined to do a large amount of good. He had ne\er \ie\ved these unions with a eusjucious eye or shown hostility to them. He had never said that any union in the Colony should be formed for political purposes, but held that membership should be o]H'n to all shades of political opinion. Members of unions should be allowed to exercise the political franchise they possessed, vithout interference. The Government would not support VN.mons of the character indicated. Referring to tne retirement of Mr. M' Curdy from the post and teleg'./>h ser\ ice. Sir Joseph said it was reported to him that an officer in the telegraph service was also secretary of a Farmers' Union. It was entirely against the rules of the department for any officer to hold the posdtion of secretary, not only of the Fanners' Union, but of any union. As a result of attention being called to the matter, fair time was gi\en the officer to conform to the rules of the Public Service. An attempt had been made to ' martyrise ' the officer in question, but he had the right to do that which he thought besteither to contorm to the rules of the Service or leave tho Service, and he had elected to take the latter course.