GENERAL NEWS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2443, 6 March 1909, Page 6

GENERAL NEWS.

Threshing-machine owners- in the Ashburton County expect to have tallies almost double those recorded last year, when 40,C00 bushels was a fair average.

The shadow of tho black man apparently falls very darkly on Dunedin, for on Monday night the Laborers’" Union pledged themselves to vote for no member of the Drainage Board supporting tlio employment of colored men. ’ Mr J. Courtier, one of the Government fruit experts and inspector of orchards, was at Rangiora on Tuesday last, and examined the fruit offered at. the saleyards. Ho reports that there is this season some very fine locally-grown fruit, and it is intended to collect some samples for exhibition in England. The fruit in northern Canterbury is not so much marked by the - hailstorm of January last as is the case in the. southern districts.

“Nobody cares a snap of the finger at Home for ritualism,” declared Bishop Neligan at Auckland last Thursday night. “You never hear it mentioned there. A friend of mine, when asked how this came to be, replied ‘because the Anglican clergy in England to-day care for nothing except foreign mneions and social questions.’ I hope that will be true of the clergy of New Zealand, and of the diocese of Auckland,” added the Bishop.

A (reference to the supposed origin of the term “Oddfellow,” as applied to the members of the order bearing that name, was made bv Mr Massey, M.P., in the course of his speech at the Premier Picnic at Auckland. He said that the pioneer members of the order were looked upon as “odd fellows” nearly a hundred years ago because they were making provision for a rainy day. Now, be said, public sentiment upon the matter bad changed so much that persons who neglected to provide for the future were apt to be regarded as the- “odd fellows” of the community. Mr John Cook, who has formed a number of patrols in connection with the Boy Scouts stated on Tuesday last, (says the “Pres*”) that he expected Mr. Frank Baden-Powell in Christchurch very shortly, and he would ho armed with full authority from General Baden-Powell to organise the movement. At present Mr Cook, in conjunction with Mr Empson, of "Wanganui, has been instructed to draw up and submit a scheme for organising the Boy Scouts of the Dominion. They have resolved to nominate Colonel Cossgrove to the charge of the South Island.

An interesting sight was seen at Riverton a few clays .ago, when a.t the mouth of the river a black cloud of mutton-birds approached from the bay. The “Southland Times” correspondent says, that the birds were like a swarm of bees. There were forty acres of water with a bird on every square foot. This was from the traffic bridge to the bar. which ?s at least forty, chains long by ten chains wide. They did not go above the bridge. One" of the birds struck the battlements of the bridge and fell back into the water. This seemed to be sufficient to cause a retreat of the vast swarm. When they rose to retire they shut out the view of North. Riverton from the south. Immediately after their departure the banks and beaches were strewn with sardines, which the birds squeeze the oil from and store for the purpose of feeding their young birds on the islands. The Rev. F. W. Isitt, general secretary of the New Zealand Alliance, arrived in Wellington on Wednesday, after visiting Invercargill. Gore, Mosgiel, Dunedin, Oamaru, Timaru, and Ashburton, (fie conferred with workers in' the campaign as to the programme of the immediate future. Everywhere, he says, he found great hopefulness, and an impression that the Government intends to deal justly with the No-license Party as far as the constitution of the present House will permit. He regards the fact that the Ilev. J. Dawson, chairman of the executive of the Alliance, has been set free by his church for no-license work for three years as a matter of the utmost importance to the party. Mr Dawson, he says, will continue to reside in Wellington, and will retain possession of his position as chairman of the executive, but will share with Air Isitt the duty of conferring with, the leaders in the different electorates, and in generally promoting the interests of the .party in the dominion. At a benfiit sports meeting in Christchurch last Thursday Richard Arnst, World’s champion sculler, was a prominent and versatile performer. The “Lyttelton Times” says:—Arnst proved himself a .magnificent athlete, getting through an amount of work during the afternoon that would have severely taxed the strength of the stoutest heart. Ho was a prime favourite with the spectators. He started from scratch in the first heat of the two-lap cycle race, gaining fifth, place; he won the musical chairs competition; he. boxed three rounds • with - James Miles, middle-weight champion of British Columbia; gave * an exhibition of rowing on Mr F. A. Hornibrook’s patent borne rower ; won' the first heat of the Dunlop Wheel Race from scratch, five miles and a half; engaged in the pillow fight for three rounds, and to finish up his remarkable afternoon’s work started in the final of the Dunlop Wheel Race and gained'second place. Some brief mention of our Labor laws was made at the ironmasters’ luncheon .in Wellington, on Thursday last. The secretary (Mr H. F. Allen), replying to the toast of his health, said that a manufacturer in a very large way of business in Wel- — lington (in. the furniture trade) told - him that if he were permitted to employ half a dozen men at Is a. day less than the award rate ho would give them employment. Those men would be able to manufacture stock lines, which lie could store, but if lie had to pay the full award rate he could not afford to employ them. “I think we are face to face with the placing on trial of many of these awards,” remarked' Mr Allen. “The masters with whom I have been associated are

not men who would grind down their employees. On the contrary, they are fair-minded men, prepared to give a fair wage, for a fair day’s work, but they canot give what, the businesss will not allow them to pay for wliat may be called surplus . labour.” ' ■