FEB. 13.] THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. 287

SPECIAL ORDER made by the Arch Hill Board Board, 6th January, 1896.

THAT, to secure the repayment of the loan of £1,800, to be raised under "The Government Loans to Local Bodies Act, 1886," for the purpose of supplying the district with water, a special rate of 4½d. in the pound on the annual rateable value be made and levied on the whole of the property in the district; such rate to be an annually-recurring rate for the period of twenty-six years, and to be payable in two half-yearly instalments on the 1st day of January and the 1st day of July in each year.

I hereby certify that the above special order was duly passed, in accordance with the provisions of section 76 of "The Road Boards Act, 1882," on the 6th day of January, 1896.

JOHN FRANKLIN, Clerk to the Board.

Approval of By-laws as passed by the Stratford County Council.

PURSUANT to the authority contained in the 130th section of "The Public Works Act, 1894," I, John McKenzie, Minister of Lands, do hereby approve of the following by-laws made by the County Council of the County of Stratford.

Given under my hand, this 6th day of February, 1896.

JOHN McKENZIE, Minister of Lands.

BY-LAWS OF THE STRATFORD COUNTY COUNCIL.

THAT it be a special order—That, in pursuance and in exercise of the powers conferred by section 130 of "The Public Works Act, 1894," the Chairman, Councillors, and inhabitants of the County of Stratford, by the Stratford County Council, do, in respect of the part of the Ohura Road and the Toko Road under the care, control, and management of the said Council, make the following by-laws:—

"The traction of any vehicle or thing by means of bullocks on the part of the Ohura Road and the Toko Road within the County of Stratford shall cease for a period of twelve months commencing from the date of the coming into force of this by-law—that is to say, twenty-one days after the date of the New Zealand Gazette containing the notification of the approval of the Minister for Public Works of this by-law.

"If any person shall commit a breach of the foregoing by-law he shall be liable, upon conviction for such breach, to a penalty of not exceeding £5."

I, William Monkhouse, of Stratford, Chairman of the Stratford County Council, do hereby certify that the above is a true copy of a special order instituted at a special meeting of the said Council held on the 26th day of June, 1895, and confirmed at a meeting held on the 21st day of August, 1895.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand, this 15th day of January, 1896.

WM. MONKHOUSE, Chairman.

That it be a special order—That, in pursuance and in exercise of the powers conferred by section 130 of "The Public Works Act, 1894," the Chairman, Councillors, and inhabitants of the County of Stratford, by the Stratford County Council, do, in respect of the Waiwiri Road, under the care, control, and management of the said Council, make the following by-law:—

"The traction of any vehicle or thing by means of bullocks on the Waiwiri Road, within the County of Stratford, shall cease for a period of twelve months from the date of the coming into force of this by-law—that is to say, twenty-one days after the date of the New Zealand Gazette containing the notification of the approval of the Minister for Public Works of this by-law.

"If any person shall commit a breach of the foregoing by-law he shall be liable, upon conviction for such breach, to a penalty of not exceeding £5."

I, William Monkhouse, of Stratford, Chairman of the Stratford County Council, do hereby certify that the above is a true copy of a special order instituted at a special meeting of the said Council held on the 21st day of August, 1895, and confirmed at a meeting held on the 23rd day of September, 1895.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand, this 15th day of January, 1896.

WM. MONKHOUSE, Chairman.

Revocation of Appointment of Bonding Warehouse.

CUSTOMS.—In exercise of the authority in me for this purpose vested, I, the Commissioner of Trade and Customs, do by this order under my hand revoke and annul the appointment of the under-mentioned warehouse for the reception and security of goods entered to be warehoused without payment of duty upon the first entry thereof, namely,—

Port of Lyttelton.

The warehouse known as

THE ROYAL BOND,

as appointed and described in Commissioner's Order No. 121, of the 4th July, 1879.

Given under my hand, at Wellington, this tenth day of February, one thousand eight hundred and ninety-six.

J. G. WARD, Commissioner of Trade and Customs. Commissioner's Order No. 534.]

Bonuses for Encouragement of New Zealand Hemp (Phormium tenax) Industry.—Notice No. 430.

Department of Agriculture, Wellington, 1st November, 1895.

BONUS No. 1.

A BONUS of £1,750 is offered for a machine or process for dressing New Zealand hemp (Phormium tenax) which shall be an improvement on the machines or processes now in use, and which shall, after trial, be found to materially reduce the cost of production, improve the product, or increase the quantity of dressed fibre.

The following are the conditions:—

1. All applications for the bonus must be sent addressed to the Hon. the Minister for Agriculture, Wellington, and must reach him not later than the 31st March, 1897. Each application must be accompanied by a description of the machine or process, particularly stating improvements on present machines or processes, and also the cost at which the machine or process can be supplied.

2. The applicants must be prepared to submit their machines or processes to examination at such time and place as the Government may direct.

3. The Government shall appoint a committee of three or more experts, to whom all applications shall be submitted. Such committee shall, after perusal, state what machines or processes they deem worthy of consideration, and may inspect the same at any place within the colony; and, having so inspected the whole or any of them, may direct that the whole or any of them be brought for further trial to such place as they may think fit.

The cost of bringing the machines or appliances on to the ground, from within the colony, supplying the necessary shafting, motive-power, and buildings, to be defrayed by the Government. If any machine sent from beyond the colony is awarded the bonus or part thereof, then the cost of bringing such machine shall be borne by the Government.

The following shall be the basis of the test:—

The committee shall supply a sufficient and equal quantity of green hemp to each machine or process as a test.

The committee shall take into consideration—

The time occupied by each machine or process in the operation;

The cost of labour and time required after the fibre has left the machine or process before it is ready for baling;

The percentage of dressed fibre and tow produced by each machine or process;

The cost of producing the same;

The cost of the machine, and the simplicity and durability of the working parts.

On completion of the tests the committee shall furnish a report to the Minister on all the machines or processes which they have examined or tested, and shall state,—

(1.) The machine or process which they consider on the whole the most efficient and economic.

(2.) Whether they consider that any machine or process tested so materially reduces the cost of production, or improves the product, as to be worthy of the whole bonus or of a part only.

(3.) Whether, in the event of no one machine or process being entitled to the whole bonus, they deem any machine or process worthy of a part of the bonus, and, if so, how much.

BONUS No. 2.

A bonus of £250 is offered for a process of utilising the waste products of the hemp.

The first three conditions of Bonus No. 1 to apply to this also.