GENERAL NEWS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2560, 22 July 1909, Page 2

GENERAL NEWS.

After ho had been awarded the Nobel prize, the Canterbury College Graduates’ Association forwarded a resolution to Professor Ernest Rutherford, congratulating him on the distinction ho had gained. Professor Rutherford has acknowledged the resolution in a very interesting letter, "x always look back with pleasure,” lie writes, “to the happy, if somewhat strenuous, days I spent at Canterbury College. I think my old college can well claim a fair share of whatever credit is due to the winning of a Nobel prize, for it was there that I received my first instruction in science and mathematics, and it was there J started my firs.t researches. My experience of numerous universities has lecl nie to the conclusion that New Zealanders may look with pride on the excellent university teaching that is afforded them in the various colleges of the New Zealand University. The Graduates’ Association was not founded before I left New Zealand, but I have often heard of the excellent work it lias done, and is still doing. In my time, the need of such oentral organisation was often felt.” The oyster season, which is now well advanced, has witnessed a very keen demand so far, but the supply of firstgrade oysters lias not been quite equal to that of previous years. The firstgrade oysters are now finished, the second-grade being put on the market, and are selling at 11s a sack. The reason for curtailing the season for the supply of first grades is that a number of mature oysters must ho left on the rocks' for breeding purposes. The supply while it lasted was very good, especially those coming from AVailiok© and Russell, which were particularly fine. The season closes in October. “One of its principal features will be tlio equipment of the better class of prisoners with a handicraft of some kind,'so that on leaving gaol they may have a better chance of earning a honest living,” said the Minister of Justice (Hon. Dr. Findlay) in discussing his prison reform scheme with a “New Zealand Times” representative. “The single cell system is being established at the tree-planting prison camps, and other changes are being made by which it is hoped that better instruction may be given- t-o the prisoners there. The reforms have to he made with due regard to economy,, and some of them may be deferred until the Government can see its way to incur the necessary expense, though this dees not apply to the establishment of the reformatory farm, hut rather to extensive structural alterations which may be made in the gaols. In large measure the success of those modern reforms depends upon .the s efficiency and willing co-operation of the gaolers and warders, and for the future the extent to which this efficient and willing co-oper-ation is afforded will be made an important test when promotions are being considered.”

The “dead beat” and his habits came under review for a brief moment at the Palmerston Hospital Board’s last meeting (says the “Manawatu Standard”). During a discussion on the difficulty of discriminating between the genuine article and the professional loafer. Mr. R. L. Bryant said that at one time they used to ask for work when they called at the farmhouses. They probably did not want it, but they asked all the same. Nowadays tilings were different. A man rarefy asked for a job ; he simply begged for tucker. The Pahiatua track seemed to be a regular trade route for “sundowners” going from coast t-o coast. They called at every house, and rarely went away empty-handed. Mr. Pearce said that there was a little hut on his property. and recently a “sundowner” had camped there. He made a tour of the farmhouses in the vicinity every day, and returned to the hut at night with his spoils, and that went on for a month. Another member of the Board also mentioned the case of an ingenious person who took un his quarters in a little hut in the Kairanga district, and every day for a fortnight made a tour of the adjacent farmhouses on a pony.

A Vo have it on good authority (says the “Oam.aru Mail”) that a number of butter factories in the North Island are to substitute the making of cheese for butter, this seasjpn. Not only are they altering their butter factories, but some are also putting a cheese plant in their creameries. As there is only a limited number of cheese makers in the Dominion this means that there will be plenty of work,for those available, while the conversion of creameries into cheese factories must considerably enhance the value of butter, not only in the North-Island, but also down here, for during the winter we have in the past drawn largely on the North for our butter supplies.

The Inspector-General of Hospitals, Dr. Valintine, had something to say regarding the training of nurses, when speaking upon the .question of hospital economy at the meeting of the Auckland Hospital and Charitable Aid Board. “There is no question.” he said, “that our system of training nurses has absolutely failed, because we don’t teach them anything about economy. For this reason the average nurse is a very bad housekeeper indeed. ’Many of them have not the slightest, idea of economy. I. went into the diningroom of .a hospital the other day and found a 41b loaf weighing Rb short. At another hospital I found that the quantity of milk delivered one day was a gallon and a-half short of what was charged.” “Is it because they don’t have to pay for it,” said Mr A. Sturgcs, interrupting Dr. Aralintinc. “It is because our system is wrong,” replied the doctor. The In-spector-General then wont on .to advocate that nurses should specialise in various things, such as hospital economics, sanitation, etc., as much as possible, and that the! qualifications they possessed in these directions should be taken into consideration when xiromotions wore being made. , .

It would appear that some of tlio unemployed in the town could, if they desired, find an outlet for their energies in the country, judging by tlio remarks of a couple of North Canterbury residents giving evidence beforo the Arbitration Court, says the Christchurch “Press.” One witness stated that for six months past labor had been very scarce in the Rangiora district. arid be could not understand why men would not leave town. There was work for them in the country vif they would take it. Another witness stated lie was practically always shorthanded. The district in which lie looked after the water-races comprised some 350 square miles, and when racecleaning operations were being carried out he could never get as many men as lie wanted.