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Bush Advocate, Volume XXI, Issue 144, 17 December 1908, Page 4

The result of the Dannevirke High Sphool Board of Governors' election will not-be known-until the 23rd, to enable all the returns to be sent in. ' The Ormondville School Committee, through subscription lists issued, have now some £8 odd in hand for school prizes. The prizes will be presented to-morrow by Mr W. Wilson. The executive of the Union Defence Rifle Club {Ormondville) met last evening, and drew up the programme for this year's trophy shooting. The list will bo published in to-morrow's edition. v Plans of the Piri Piri sections arc still unobtainable. It is understood that a f\irtlier supply is being printed at Wellington. Judging by the demand for the'plans, there will be a large number of applicants for the sections. The cricket match, which was to have been played yesterday between Ormondville and Norsewood at Norsewood, was postponed on account of the wet weather. The match will probably be played during the Xmas holidays. ' A tornado passed near Waimate (Canterbury) about 1 p.m. on Friday, and passing through Mr W. M. Hamilton's Oak plantation tore up by the roots the oak trees in its track —trees 30 years old. The whirlwind passed within 100 yards of the house, and travelled but to sea without further damage. . The Dunedin Star understands that a lively campaign '^rexpected in connection with the el-fictibn bf: the Licensing Committeesfop Dunedin City, i which takes;, place on. the second Tuesday in March. It g^es'without saying that the No-license party will endeavour to elect a committee that will close the maximum number of hotels —viz., ten—that the reduction' allows. The names of the various candidates are hot yet settled, so far as can be ascertained. „. The 13 superstition originally arose among the Norsemen, for it is recorded in tlie old Norse .theology that the god Balder was slain, at a banquet, at which there w-erO 13.guests, arid, as being slain was just as unpopular an experience then as it is now, the number came to be regarded as an illomen. In Christian countries it is generally supposed' that the belief had its origin in' the Last Supper, but, as a matter of fact, it is of a far older date. In many lands it is •regarded far more seriously than it is in England. The Turks, for instance, so dislike the number that the word is almost expunged from their vocabulary. The Italians never use it in making up their lotteries. In Paris .no house bears the' number; while people called "Quaterziennes" are often hired out at a pinch to make a 14th at dinner parties. At Wellington yesterday, matters in connection with the bankruptcy of J. J. Patterson were brought before the Supreme Court, when bankrupt applied to have the composition of 12s 6d in the £ he had offered the creditors approved. Mr Justice Cooper presided. The Deputy Official Assignee opposed the application on the ground that it was not in the general interest of the creditors, and that tbe bankrupt had committed offences under the Bankruptcy Act for which the Court would be justified in refusing his discharge.. In the course of his evidence, which was mainly a repetition of previous statements, bankrupt stated he had not illegally transferred any property either to Mts Patterson or to his son. The estate would pay about 5s in the £ if the composition was not' approved of. His Honor reserved judgment. Some excitement was occasioned among the Maoris of Waikawa and the Sounds during* last week (says the Picton correspondent of the Marlborough Herald). Launches plied busily to and fro bringing voters to the polls. It was a close contest between Messrs Uru and Parata. When the result was first announced the former led by one vote, with several minor returns to come in., Uru then telegraphedl to Parata': "My heart has stopped beating; how is yours?" "Still beating strong" came the reSly from the old M.P. In the conuct of this election each native, eligible to vote, indicates to the returning officer the candidate for whom he wishes to vote. The said officer then marks and initials tlie ballot paper. One old native, on being asked for whom he wished to vote replied, "Oh, I don't know. Watson —he no good. Parata —he too old. I thing the fat fellow, Uru." A man may snore in his own house, doubtless, but'what if he is a lodger? The case has been raised in America, where the owner of a boardinghouse has forcibly ejected one of his "guests" on the ground that his snoring was objectionable. The incident has reminded a Chicago paper of a once notorious case which is recorded fully in an early volume of- the reports of the Illinois Supreme Court. A lower court had-ruled that no man 'had &:right to make in his sleep a noise which would piwent other boarders in the same house from ob--1 taining their needed rest. The highj er court, however; decided that snor- ! ing was not noise. "Snoring," it ruled, "is music, and there is no law j in this State to prevent a man from 1 making music in his sleep. The decision of the lower court is therefore reversed." On being subsequently asked what kind of music the Bench had in mind when handing down this decision, one of the Judges answered : "Why, sheet music, of course."