New Zealand Hemp.—Notice No. 478.

Department of Agriculture,
Wellington, 30th March, 1897.

THE time for receiving applications for the bonuses
mentioned in Notice No. 430 has been extended to
31st December, 1897.

JOHN McKENZIE,
Minister for Agriculture.

Bonuses for Encouragement of New Zealand Hemp (Phor-
mium 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 mate-
rially 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 December, 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 in-
   spect 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 quan-
tity 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 dura-
bility 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 produc-
tion, 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.

The committee shall supply a sufficient and equal quantity
of the waste products to each process as a test.

On completion of the tests the committee shall report to
the Minister, and shall give the following particulars of each
process: (a.) The nature of the article made. (b.) The
quantity produced, and the cost of production. (c.) The
value of the product. (d.) Whether any of the processes are
of sufficient importance to warrant the Minister in giving
(1) the whole, or (2) any part, of the bonus; (3) if a part
only, how much.

JOHN McKENZIE,
Minister for Agriculture.

Commissioner's Decisions under Tariff Acts.

Department of Trade and Customs,
Wellington, 7th October, 1897.

IT is hereby notified for public information that the Hon.
the Commissioner of Trade and Customs has decided
to interpret the Customs and Excise Duties Acts in relation
to the under-mentioned articles as follows:—

NOTE.—"Not otherwise enumerated" appears as n.o.e.; "other
kinds" as o.k.; "articles and materials suited only for, and to be
used solely in, the fabrication of goods in the colony" as a. & m.s.
Articles marked thus * are revised decisions.

Articles, and how classed. Rate of Duty.

97/1117. Bicycle-handles of celluloid, or
covered with felt, leather, &c.; as
equivalent to rubber and cork
handles for bicycles Free.

97/972. Brushes, curriers'; as brushware
n.o.e. 25 per cent.

97/1218. Collar-stiffener, circular woven,
about 2 in. wide; as minor articles Free.

97/1234. Corset-steels; as a. and m.s. Free.

*97/965. Hoods, children's, wool; as apparel
n.o.e. (This deletes the item
"Hoods" from Hosiery n.o.e. on
page 20 of "Decisions") 25 per cent.

97/1211. Lead-cutter, printers'; as artificers'
tools Free.

*97/1200. Linotype machines: as printing-
machines 5 per cent.

97/1098. Malt-extract, Saunders's, in 1 lb.
tins Free.

97/1211. Miterer, printers'; as artificers'
tools Free.

97/1088. Shovels, bakers', wooden blades, or
pell-heads; as artificers' tools Free.

97/1115. Tent hooks-and-eyes; as a. and m.s. Free.

*97/1200. Type-setting machines: as printing-
machines 5 per cent.

*97/1006. Umbrella-makers' materials—viz.,
sticks, to include sticks shouldered
or with screw-joints; also "fit-
ups" with screws, in addition to
those specified in C.O. 584 Free.

W. T. GLASGOW,
Secretary and Inspector.

Commissioner's Order No. 585.]

Notice of Vesting of Land in the Public Trustee under "The
Unclaimed Lands Act, 1894."

WHEREAS I, the undersigned, the Public Trustee, have,
for the purposes of "The Unclaimed Lands Act,
1894," made due inquiries with respect to the land described
in the Schedule hereunder written and the owner thereof,
and have, in respect of the said land, given the notices
prescribed by section 4 of the said Act, and have in all
respects complied with the provisions of the said section:
And whereas I have not thereby ascertained who the owner
is, and believe that such owner is not in the colony, nor has
such owner established his title to the said land, as required
by the said Act: I hereby give notice that the said land is,
under and by virtue of the said Act, vested in me, as the
Public Trustee as aforesaid, as from the date of the publica-
tion hereof, and will be administered under the said Act,
the value of the said land being less than £100.

Dated at Wellington, this 30th day of September, 1897.

JAMES C. MARTIN,
Public Trustee.

SCHEDULE.

All that parcel of land in the Provincial District of Canter-
bury, containing 1 rood, more or less, being Lot 53, part of
Rural Section 14, Township of Woolston, fronting Princess
Street.

Public Notice under "The Stock Act, 1893," re Liver-fluke.—
Notice No. 470.

Department of Agriculture (Live-stock Branch),
Wellington, 5th January, 1897.

IT having been reported to me that the disease known as
"liver-fluke" exists amongst sheep running on certain
lands in the Hawke's Bay Land District, I therefore, in
accordance with section 14, subsection 4, of "The Stock Act,
1893," hereby declare the under-mentioned lands to be an
infected place from which no sheep, carcase, or any portion