Interprovincial

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXVII, Issue 3, 21 January 1909, Page 99

Interprovincial

Welshmen, resident in , the Westport district intend .sending a nugget of gold and an illuminated address to the Hon. Mr. Lloyd-George, Chancellor of the Imperial Exchequer, a prominent Welshman. Master Howard Buckley, of Wellington, won tho scholarship entitling the holder to three years 3 tuition at the Sacred Heart College, Auckland, which was open to the whole of the Marist schools in the Dominion. An applicant for the position of assistant mistress at a Taranalu school spelt 'perceiving' as < preceiving ' and later on explained her special facilities for ' preforming ' the duties satisfactorily. The applicant was not successful. It is expected that the eight sleeping cars for the Main Trunk line will be completed by the date fixed for the commencement of the through service. Six of the cars are certain to be ready, and the other two also will probably (reports" the N.Z. Herald) be available. There will be two on each train, giving accommodation^ for forty persons During the daytime these cars will be used as ordinary nrst-class carriages, and wiU seat about a third as many more passengers, as sleeping accommodation is provided for It is thought that the cost will be about 10s or 12s 6d per berth for the journey from Wellington to Auckland or vice versa. ' Speaking in Christchurch on Tuesday night Sir J. G Ward said that he had just received a telegram giving the results of the operations of the postal and telegraph service—a service widely used by all classes of the community lliat telegram from the present head of -the department was reassuring to him, and he confidently anticipated it would be so to others. Sir Joseph then read the telegram which was to the effect that the postaKand telegraphic revenue for the December quarter of .1908- showed a very satisfactory increase upon the corresponding quarter of > S, c*e * r if viou l year - The excess of P° stal revenue was *.IS,UUO, and of telegraph revenue £10,000 — total, £25 000 Ihe total revenue for the quarter was £250,833, or 'just over the quarter million. The business in all branches showed a steady increase. Sir Joseph, continuing, said that when it devolved upon him to take charge of the department mentioned, the total revenue was not a quarter •of a million per annum, and when he' predicted that it would attain to one million of revenue some had been sceptical regarding the possibility of such a result, and looked upon it as an excessively sanguine estimate. At the end of the present year he ventured to express the opinion that the revenue would not be far off £900,000. At least it would be £800,000. Not very long ago people interested in the development of the country expressed the opinion ' that some clay revenue from the State railways would reach £1,000,000, but here was a department not considered to be so large as the Railway Department that had earned over £250,000 in a quarter. Surely that was indicative of the activity of the development of the progress of their country.

The development of land settlement was dealt with by the Prime Minister at a social to Mr. H. G. Ell, M.P., in Christchurch on Tuesday night. At the present moment, said Sir J. .G Ward, there were some 80 surveyors employed preparing Crown lands for settlement. The total area of unsurveyed land was 764,482 acres. During January February, and March 133,241 acres would be open for selection. Of this 104,553 acres were ordinary Crown lands and 28,688 lands for settlement land. The territorial revenue for the nine months ended December 31 1908 had been £144,099. To that amount had to be added £41,581, being rental received from national endowment lands, which was formerly included in territorial revenue. This made a total for the nine months of £185,680. For the eight month^from April 1, 1908, to^November 1, 1908, the number of new selectors under ordinary settlement conditions numbered 1187, and they had selected a total area of 405,039 acres. Of the total number of selectors "691 had selected ordinary Crown lands, totalling 185,825 acres. Under the land for settlement system, including Cheviot, there were 155 new selectors, who took \ip 75,177 acres, and 341 selectors of, national endowment lands had taken up 149,037 acres. - -These figures, Sir, Joseph said, indicated the development of a policy which he was certain was in the highest interests of the country, and one which would be vigorously prosecuted by the Government. The policy was one that had materially helped in the prosperity of New Zealand, had wonderfully - assisted individuals in different paits of the Dominion, and had added to the earnings of various Government departments. That policy was going on, and it must be satisfactory to the country generally. -