NEW ZEALAND :GENERAL

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXIII, Issue 41, 12 October 1905, Page 20

NEW ZEALAND : GENERAL

Of 25 Cthinese who arrived in Wellington from Sydney by the ' Monowai ' on Thursday, 15 were new colonists, four being 1 women. The Octolber number of the ' Triad ' is, as U9ual, entertaining and instructive, both the reading matter and illustrations being Aery good. An auction sale of articles left in the Wellington tramcars and never claimed has been held. The articles indu/dod 92 umbrellas, to s purses, a collection of wail'kiivg sticks, articles of clothing, miscellaneous parcels, boots, fuis, gloves, ami various other sundries. Our Christch'ureh correspondent inadvertently omitted the name of Bro. J. Power from the management, committee of the social gathering in connection with the thirty-second anniversary of the 11.A.C.8. Society, and also that of Miss Wally from the list of ladies who assisted. False packing, it would appear, is not confined to wool, for complaint has recently been made in Timaru of the fraudulent filling of fat sold at the fortnightly auction sales. It is alleged that sometimes a buyer finds on opening up 'his purchases of fat that the tins have in them a good deal besides fat, rotten potatoes, and ap(ples, lumps of iron, parts of The entrails of sheep, and other objectionable mixtures being added to fill up sipace and make up weight. The Government has deckled to summon a general conference of New Zealand employers and employees to 'discuss qjuestiomvS of interest relating to the trade conditions of the Colony Imitations ha\e been sent out by the Premier to all Tr aides and Labor Councils in ihe cities, and to all Employers' Federations and Farmers' Unions, to ne-nd two delegates eaah to attend the conference, which will meet in about ten day's. The cost of the tra\elhng expends of delegates will bo borne by the Government. The ballot for 6»7O0 acres of the Awaru Block at Mangawe>ka, in the- Manavvaki district, which the Government hias> Lately thrown open, took place on Friday. That great land hunger exists is sho<\\n by the fact tihat 'there were no less than 2000 applications lodged. T'h'o scene at Mangaweka during the operations of the ballot was remarkable, and the hall where the Commissioner sat was crowded all day with 500 or anxious peotple, representing all classes of society and drawn from all quarters of the North Island. This is the more striking in \iew of the fact that the land' is second-class, and by no means of 'a choice description. A dhart issued by the New Zealand Public Health Department shows the proportion of deaths in the years 1894-1903 from most dreaded diseases in this Colony to be as follows' — Tubercular diseases, 7 £> 1 7 , cancer, 4. t ?7 1 7 diarrhoea, 3970 ; pneumonia, 3783 ; bronchitis, 3190 enteric fever (typhokl), 92fl— a total of 24,0 G0 deaths from above causes during the period mentioned A decennial tajble, 1896-1901, shows thiat the total number of deaths from tubercular diseases in 1895 was Tfil out of a nrean population of 092,417, the rate per 10,000 being 10.99. 'Last year out of a mean population of 845,022, the number of deaths fiom the same disease was 799, the rate per 10.000 being 9.4fi. It is now certain (writes the correspondent of the ChriS'tcniurch ' Press ') that the loss of lambs in the Oanraru disrtrict, owing 1o the cold, wet weather, has not been nearly so great as was at first anticipated.

The avenagie deaths are not, probably, more than 7< or 8 per cent., and the seasi n's- lambing will have to be redkomed amongst the best of recent years. Farmers have had a very trying time, working day ansd night, saving their lamb's, but in the light of the results it wasi worth wdwle. Jt is thought that, in the Oamanui district, at any rate, lambs will not in future be kept after they scale about 35ft, as at that weight they are worth as much in the Home market as a 48Ub aiwimal, and the feed so saved will come in for fattening stores. A; very, sudden death occurred at Blue Spur on Friday morning (says, the ' Tuapeka Time» '), Mis. Brosnan, wife oif Mr. J. Brosnan, toeing found dead in her bed. Mrs. Brosnam appeared to be in good health lately, and was engaJged during Thursday night in attending) "to one of her sons, who has been ill for some time. Early on Friday morning she made her husband's breakfast, and then went to take a rest. When a member of the family went into her bedroom she was found to' he dead. Dr. Sutherland called at the bourse a few minutes later, and on examination found that Mrs. Brosnan had died from heart disease. The deceased, who. was only 44 years of age, was ' a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. P. Gregan, Wethersfcanes\ and her sudden demise is much regretted. Much sympathy ia feltl for her parents, husband, and family in their sad bereavement.— R.l. P. St. Mary's achoolroom (writes our IloJvitika correspondent, under date September 30) was crowded last evening, the occasion being the closing social of the Catholic Debating Society. Prior to the commencememtj of the proceedings the Volunteer Band rendered a number of choice selections outside the school. The programme presented, under the chairmanship of the president, Mr., Sellers, sen., was a very pleasing one, comprising the leading talent of the town, all the performers meeting! with a flattering reception : The following was the programme : Overture, Miss Heron ; rainbow dance, Miss Olive Breeze ; song, Miss J. Pfeifer ; soh'g\ Mr 'McSherry ; 'recitation, Mr. Coiulson ; song] Miss Burger ; recitation, ' How McDougall topped the score,' and a monologue, 'How Bill Adams won Waterloo,' Rev Mr. Hicks ; song, Miss Groufsky'; vfiolin solo', Mrs. X, 'Robinson ; reading, Mr. T. M. Grant ; song, Mr. Newman ; song, Mr. E. Dowell ; song, Mr. c! O'Brien ; \ocal q'martet, Misses Ward and Ilarker and' Messrs'., /Ward alnd Ralfe. A nrirth'-provo.king one-tojet comedy, eiii'titlod ' The LiidLy Penny,' was then performed Tltoo characters wctp taken by Mrs Phillips, Miss A. Murphy, and Messrs. Winchester, F. Sellers, Green, ani<i! McKay. Refreshments weie handed round by the ladies, and the entertainment was concluded by the sinigiiii'pj of the National Anthem.