NEWS ITEMS.

Gisborne Times, Volume VIII, Issue 580, 26 November 1902, Page 4

NEWS ITEMS.

]t is really funny how some things get , into the papers. Sir Henry Irving has denied positively that ho has made ar--1 rangements with anybody to tour the Antipodes, and now Lord Hawke, who was confidently stated to be “ greatly interested ” in the new game “ vigoro,” and intended to introduce it to New Zealanders during his visit to the colony, in reply to an inquiry, writes from York, thus : — 11 1 know nothing about ‘ vigoro ’ being introduced into Now Zealand. I have not even seen the game played so cannot give an opinion on it.” Acting on suggestions made by people interested in the Antipodean dairy produce industry the British Dairy Farmers’ Association decided this year to establish competitive classes for colonial butters. Various colonies were invited to exhibit, but only Victoria and New South Wales butters were on view at the show. Canada intended to show, but her exhibits were not received in time, and New Zealand producers seem to have thought it would bs unwise to compete with last season's butter against new season’s make from oilier places. But a small make of early butter might easily have been scut surely Victoria and New South Wales between them have no less than fifty-two exhibits, the entries being with salt butter :—\ icteric. 19, and New South Wales 10; and with fresh butter : Victoria, 10 entries to j eight from New South Wales. Generally, j the quality of the butler shown is sur- i prisingly good, to uniformly so, indeed; i that the judge hud very considerable ditli- j culty in coining to a decision iu both j classes. Notwithstanding the vaunted superiority ! of American lire appliances, it has been j left to a British firm to produce the first j efficient light motor steam lire engines, j Over three years ago Messrs Merry weather ! and Sons, of London, built their first motor j steamer for Port Louis, Mauritius, and j this has been so successful in active sc-r----vice that many orders have been placed j for other fire brigades. Recently, the firm j have shipped similar engines to Alexandria and Selangor, while others are building i for Cape Town aud Wanganui, and other j places abroad, as well as for the English j towns of Plymouth, Portsmouth, aud Ley- j land. The Government is to be commended i for the subsidising of a line of steamers to trade between this colony and South Africa. The fact that the distance between New Zealand and South Africa is greater than that between the ports of any other country that comes into competition with us is the only drawback which the producers of j this colony labor under. On the other ! hand, our soil and climate enable us to j produce more certainly and ns cheaply ns j any of our rivals. All labor under the j same disadvantage that there is fer the j present no return freight from South j Africa. The subsidy paid to the line of ; steamers is only a very infinitesimal re- j turn to the farmers of this colony for the j heavy prices they have to pay consequent on the heavy protective duties imposed in | order to bolster up exotic industries.— j Waikato Argus, ;