NEW ZEALAND : GENERAL

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXIV, Issue 2, 11 January 1906, Page 19

NEW ZEALAND : GENERAL

The literary and artistic features for which the ' Triad ' is noted are well maintained in the January issue. The discovery of extensive deposits of fuller's earth has been made in the Thames district by Gisborne. people, who propose developing their find. The Government is so satisfied with the success that has attended the establishment of State Maternity Hospitals at Wellington and Dunedin that it has been decided to establish similar institutions in Auckland and Christchurch. Among those who represented the Christchurch branch (St. Patrick's) of the 11.A.C.8. Society at the funeral of the late Very Key. Dean Foley was Bro. J. Power, whose name was inadvertently omitted in our report. The friends and supporters of Sir Joseph Ward in the Awarua electorate intend to banquet him at Winton before he leaves for home to attend the Postal Conference. The date of the function has not yet been definitely fixed. We have received from Messrs. Wootton and Co a new song, ' Teach me to forget,' with violin obligato riie words and music are by Raymond Hope, who has produced a tuneful and simple composition. The work is v v\ell printed, and the cover is designed witn much taste. / In the official lists just issued by the University of London of the results of the recent examinations for the Degrees of M.B. and 8.5., the following New Zealand name appears— Arthur B. O'Brien, student of Guy's Hospital, passed with honors, and described as ':Di'istinguished in surgery, in midwifery, and diseases of women.' The export of gold from New Zealand last year was 500,48'60z, of the value of £2,0'93 ) 936, which is tho largest quantity sent away since 1871. Since the year 186Y7 New Zealand has exported 17,146,6200z of gold valued at £67,230,058. Last month's export of gold exceeded, that of December, 1904, by about 8000oz. The export of silver last month was 183,6*30z, valued atiiJ 8,479. The Tourist Department reports that there have been phenomenal attendances at the tourist resorts of New Zealand during the Christmas and New Year holidays. At Queenstown, in the South, the people could not all get accommodation, and they slept all over the place Ilanmer Plains were very largely patronised by Canterbury and Westland people, while in the North, at Te Aroha and Rotorua, the capacious host&lries and other accommodation places were filled to their fullest extent. The trains landed 1700 people in one day at Te Aroha. The following are the details of the business done during the past year by the Public Trust Office .'—Wills and trusts, 954 estates, valued at £1,922,303 ; intestate estates, 10>70, valued at £277,??.') ; lunatic estates 940 valued at £25'6,()45 ; Native reserves, 119, valued at £380,000 ; West Coast Settlement reserves, 333, valued at £715,000 ; unclaimed lands, 268, valued at £35,628. The total value of .estates was over three and a hall millions sterling. The total amount of funds invested at the close of the official year was £1,703,709, but at the end of 1905 tMs amount had increased to close upon two millions. It is understood (says the ' Otago Daily Times ') that Larnach's Camp, on the Peninsula, negotiations for the acquisition of which by the Government art about completed, will be used as an institution for the relieving of the lunatic asylums of patients not rightly classified as lunatics, and who should never have been accommodated in the ordinary asylums. These are people who, through age or other reasons, have become" imbe-cile—-harmless people requiring supervision, but not the rigorous supervision of the madman. The institution will be more in the nature of a hospital rather than an asylum as generally understood in New Zealand. The need for such a place has been long felt, and the authorities have recognised that a separate home should be provided, thereby effecting the double purpose of relieving the strain on the asylum accommodation* and at the same time taking these unfortunate people, many of k whom are old, away from contact with those for whon^ the lunatic asylums were originally established. Jt^^