Interprovincial

New Zealand Tablet, 10 August 1911, Page 1523

Interprovincial

One of the newly-enrolled Territorials who submitted himself for examination at Lower Hutt last week, turned the scale at 17st 111 b. He is only 18 years of age, and not very tall. v In a letter received by Messrs. Watkins and Fox last week from their London correspondent, it is stated (says the Taranaki Daily News) that they may expect shortly in New Plymouth geologists who are being sent out to select sites for drilling in connection with the operations of new oil companies. The Canadian snow plough imported by the Mackenzie County Council is reported to have done good work clearing the roads after the recent snowfall. Snow still, lies a foot deep at Fairlie, but the sunny facings are clearing. The Lands Department has purchased two estates, one near Scargill, North Canterbury, and the other near Fairlie, South Canterbury, for closer settlement. Possession, however, will not be taken till March 1, p, 1912, but the estates are now being surveyed. < In the course of a speech in the Legislative Council on Tuesday, the Hon. W. Beehan said that the price of butter should never exceed Is per lb. It was like eating gold when butter cost Is 6d as at present. He suggested that while the commodity was cheap the Government should buy and store a sufficient quantity to enable it to regulate the supply and the price when monopolists endeavored to force the price up. -s Hereditary titles may be a mistake (says the Auckland Herald), but they are not so great a mistake as to justify members of Parliament behaving like illmannered schoolboys and making themselves ridiculous. Nobody is silly enough to really think that the Parliament of our loyal and satisfied Dominion has the same right title to flaunt and insult the Crown as had the war-embittered Congress of the seceded American colonies, already the United States. To gibe at Sir Joseph Ward under cover of making a stupid claim as to the relation which British men in New Zealand shall hold to their King and his- courtesies is unworthy of selfrespecting men, and should be properly put an end to by the mutual agreement of all parties in the House. Some real poverty has been seen in Christchurch this winter, and the cold and wet weather has taken its toll in lives (says Christchurch News). Among old people the mortality has been very heavy. The claims made on the coal and blanket fund have been very numerous, and a financial statement prepared shows that up to July 18 the expenditure was fully £IOO in excess of that of the corresponding period of the previous year. There have been nearly 500 applicants. The fund was drawn on for £lB2 5s Id for‘coal and £147 5s for blankets. There were 483 orders for coal alone. The sphere of operations has this year been extended to include Sockburn, New Brighton, Sumner, and Prebbleton. The inauguration of the Auckland-Vancouver steam service last week was marked by a reception on the Marama, when some fifty representative citizens were the guests of the Union Steam Ship Company. The Mayor (Mr, Parr), in a brief speech, said that it was an occasion marking an important undertaking, in that it brought them into, line with the great All Red route, which meant so much to the Empire and to New Zealand. It was therefore a red-letter day in the history of the port of Auckland. The Union Company was to be congratulated upon its enterprise and its pluck. In responding to the toast of. ‘ The Union Company/ Captain Morrisby said that, without boastmg, he thought New Zealand would find this service ° n ® A. ■ e k B * l i n the Pacific, and he was pleased to And the port of Auckland included in the run. He had always hoped to see Auckland included in the Vancouver route, and although, in the past there had seemed small hopes of it, they could now congratulate themselves upon the successful inauguration of the service. The Marama left for Vancouver, with a. full complement of passengers, among whom were the Marquis and Marchioness of Linlithgow.