NEWS AND NOTES.

Marlborough Express, Volume XXXV, Issue 295, 20 December 1901, Page 1

NEWS AND NOTES.

The manager of the Government poultry farm at Milton reports that of the various breeds of fowls raised there, the greatest run has been on buff Orpingtons.

The Greyuioutli Gas Works, purchased by the Borough Council fifteen months ago for £10,000, gave £2000 net proGt for first year (says a. West Coast paper). A nejv and handsome town hall is about to be erected "in Greymouth at a cost of about £7000. A fountain is to be erected in front of the hall in memory of soldiers from the district who lost their lives in the Boer war. Tenders are now beinp Jet for a watei- supply for- the "town, "at a cost of £20,000.

The " Widow Renwick," who, ifc will be remembered, recently on landing in England from Australia, became entangled with a "sharper," and whoso troubles therefrom were ventilated at Bow Street, has, since the hearing of the case, been inundated with letters from gentlemen anxious to assume tho role of protector to her and her fortune. The lady, however, after her recent trying experience of male designers, is hardly likely to fall an easy prey to these sharks. One of the suitors set forth his case on a post card, mentioning that he was "'tall, dark, and straight-limbed," and obligingly assured the lady that "i£ sh^ irarried him, she should be allowed to retain full control of her money!" Another admits that Mrs Eenwick's recent experience musfc have shaken her confidence, bat surely she will not condemn all for the conduct of one.: ■;

Nothing is ever likely to shake the naval superstitution, remarks the Daily Chronicle, that ships named after things that sting are doomed to loss. Besides the Viper and Cobra, the Ser?, - — pent waslo'st"with: m»ariy -ulr-ireiTeYew; the Wasp was wrecked with heavy loss off Tory Island, and a second Wasp, a gunboat, disappeared in a typhoon, i never to be heard of again. In cohse- | queace of this double disaster to ships named Wasp, that name has been struck out of the Admiralty list of available names. In the past we have lost a Rattlesnake. Gadfly, and Hornet. Probably a new Viper and a new Cobra will be built, but should anything " happen to eithe? of them the name of the other is almost certain to do changed by the authorities, indeferr ence to the sentiment that prevails afloat concerning unlucky names. The only exception that obtains is the. Eesolution. The present ship is the" tenth. No fewer than eight of them have had tragic fates, and the present one seme years since very nearly met disaster at sea. Most'of the old Resolutions, however, earned glory first in. battle, hence the perpetuation of the name. It is stated that an Austrian doctor, f~ who has made the study of cancer a speciality, has been appointed by the Emperor William assistant to Professor Ehrlich, the well - known German specialist in that disease. At the same time ifc becomes known that the Kaiser desires Professor Ehrlich to give his whole time and energy to the study of cancer, and at the express desire of His Majesty his Bacteriological and Chemical Institute will be devoted exclusively to researches to discover_.thjfl^ causes and cure of that scourge-pHGI .humanity. / The Taieri Advocate throws some light on the recent presentation at Auckland of a pair of braces to Sir Hector Macdonalil. The old gentleman who presented the suspenders is a manufacturer ot them. When the San. Francisco mail service was being debated last session, the gentleman was interested in the matter ; and when the affair was settled he sent a pair of braces to Mr Massey, M H.R., as a recognition of his efforts in retaining tlio ruail service. Kis peculiar and special method of recognising merit is to make a presentation of a pair of braces. The election for a member of the Manx House of Keys, resulted in the. triumphant return of Mr Hall Came, who polled 458 votes against his opponent's 191. The jpontest excited considerable interest, and local feeling ran strong. The Kamsey folk were very proud of tlie fact that-, probably for the first time in insular electioneering, representatives of London papers were amongst them to chronicle the day's doings; and even same transatlantic journals had made arrange?, ments for prompt information as to the result. Mr Hall Came took his seat in the ancient Parliament—which is of , much greater antiquity than the British House—a few days after his election. A doleful picture of the difficulties ' and hardships under which farmingoperations are conducted in the eastern;" tnallee, Victoria, was drawn by a deputation which asked the Minister for Water Supply to do something immediately to provide them with, water. It was^pointed out that there had noV been a general rain since 1894, while for the last two years water carting had been going on almost continuously. The result of the intense drought was that of 262,000 acres under crop this year fully one-third would not be worth; stripping, and the genera), average" would not be more than three bushel* to the aero. The question as to whether a child can fall off the top of a tramcai? with- • out damaging itself was satisfactorily settled the other day at Woolston. In London a man has shown it is possible - tall from tlie pop of an omnibus withto -»rting oneself. ' The other evenout hu up from his seat ing a geu. ofr a vehicle passing the on the top "ost his balance, and Hotel Cecil, i. Vnifeboard into the pitched over the , screamed, roadway. Several \i, «l up just in and a 'bus behind pullt. the fallen time to avoid going over . '^ehorwayfarer. To the surprise of w " .ss> ' rifled onlookers, who were .waiting see the ambulance, the maSi got up without assistance, and used very strong language to the 'bus driver because his-hat had rolled jn the dirt. Then he calmly walked away, without : . the slightest idea that he had^ stepped off the 'bus from the roof instead of the platform. This reminds one of the man ■ who walked down a.plank into four feet of water at Gravesend one bank ■ holiday, and then called out to his ■ friends, "What is the matter with - you ; why don't you come ashore ? "