NEW ZEALAND GENERAL

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXIII, Issue 24, 15 June 1905, Page 20

NEW ZEALAND GENERAL

We have received an anonymous communication fiom Wairoa, which, according to our rule, we are unable to publish. A return furnished to the Inspector of Mines for the southern mining; district by the li\e banks doing business in the Colony, and by one private gold biner, shows (saysTthe ' Mines Record ') that 181,3780/ of gold were purchased, the value of which is set down at £098,116. during the year 1904. Tnat is nearly as much as the whole Colony Droduced in 1890, when orly 193,1930/, valued at £773,438, was evported. The programme submitted at the meeting of the Hokitika Catholic Literary and Debating Society on Tuesday evening, June 6 (writes a correspondent), consisted mainly of musical items. There was a large attendance of members and their friends. The following was the programme presented : — Overture, orchestra ; song, Mr. Burger ; song, Miss A. Dowell ; recitation, Mr. O. Johnstone ; song, Mr. Hills ; sonc, Miss L. Harker ; violin solo, Miss Burns ; song, Miss Pfeifer , song, Mr. Geaney ; Irish jig, Mr Morrissey ; selection, orchestra. All the performers met with a hearty reception, encores being frequent. For the remainder of tne evening games of all kinds 1 were indulged in. During an interval the president thanked the audience for their attendance, and also the performers for their kind assistance. Interviewed by a ' New Zealand Times ' reporter regarding the statement that it was intended to complete the Midland railway in 18 months to a point beyong the Broken -River, Mr. Ilall-Joncs stated that the department wanted to get through to the Cas.s as soon as rossi'ble, so .as to render that part of the line repioductive. The hea\iest part of the work was at the beginning of the section, but that is now almost completed 1 I am anxious to get the rails laid through, to Cass,' feaid Mr. Hall-Jones, ' so as to enable passenger traffic

to get through to the Coast in one day from Christctiurch. The railway will bring passengers out on the road at Castle Hill, which will be the first meeting place of the railway and the main road.' The five-mile tunnel which is to debouch at Otira, and so avoid Arthur's Pass, has not yet been commenced. On June 1 (says the Greymouth ' Star ') the Convent pupils assembled in St. Patrick's School to ofier their congratulations to Mother M. de Pam on the occasion of her silver jubilee, the twenty-fifth anniversary of her religious piofession. There were also present a largo number of the friends of the Sisters. A congratulatory address was read by Miss fiorah Trowland, in which, on behalf of the pupils, she thanked Mother M. dc Pa77i for her many years of devoted service, and begged her acceptance of a statue, which will henceforth adorn the Convent grounds. Then followed a musical programme as follows : — Chorus, ' Jubilee greetings,' nupils': pianoforte duet, ' Tancredi,' Misses Guthrie and O'Reilly ; recitation, ' Flo's letter,' 'Miss May Kilgour ; pianoforte duet, ' Goldfinch quadrilles,' Misses E. O'ltcillv and ft. I lan-nan ; vooal duet, ' The meeting of the waters,' Misses Matheson and C. Yarrall ; recitation, Miss Aureen Campbell ; clarionet solo, ' I Lonrbardi,' Master B. Peterson ; chorus, ' Ten little servants,' jumior pupils ; recitation, Miss G-ussie Rogen ; rianoforte duet, Misses M. Clarke and L. Higgins ; song, ' Oh ! I lave you, Dolly, I do,' Miss V. Hannan : pianoforte solo, ' Scherzo, 1 Miss L. Guthrie ; chorus, 'Harvest moon,' pupils ; dumbbell drill, senior pupils. At the fonrl'sirn of the entertainment Very Rev. Dean Carew, on behalf of Mother M. de Pazzi, thanked the pupils for their good wishes and generous presentation. It was now twenty-one years, he said, since that good teacher had come to Orevmout'h, and he referred in eulog stlc terms to the great work she had done during that time. Tbe Dean concluded by expressing a wish, on behalf of all present, that Mother M. de Pazzi would live to see her golden jubilee.