IN THE PAPERS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 18, 16 October 1907, Page 4

IN THE PAPERS.

Tho "Wairarapa Daily Times" ia responsible) for tho following:—A , typical example of the red tapo mothods followed in sonio branches-of.-the- Public Service is to be found in a recent transaction in connection with tiio Mastorton Gasworks. Tho manager ordered some g'asomotors, which arrived after the tariff proposals had been disclosed, but boforo they were adopted.; By tho now tariff'meters aro admitted free of duty, and on Mr. Blackinan applying for tho rebate of duty, the request was acceded to, but - tho Customs authorities insist that tho motors shall first bo sent back to Wellington to ensure'tho transaction being unimpeachable.' ' The. "Poverty Bay Herald" of Thursday last says that, on that dato two diseased cows wore destroyed by tho officers'of tho Agricultural Department at Messrs. Bourke,;' arid Co.'s boiling down works. A postmortem, mado by Inspectors Miller and Ross, revealed tuberculosis in an advanced condition in both cases. Largo tubercular tumours wero found in the .throat and mediestinal glands, and tho lungs wore highly charged with tubercular water throughout, in fact wero in a rotten condition. The liver and mesenteric , glands were also affected in the case of one of tho cows... Ono animal was a dairy cow supplying milk to, a family,-and tho other was rearing a calf. Fortunately in neither :.caso was tho lidder affected with disease, as from this source lay the greatest danger of infection to human beings. . . <. • '■ -

"I have lost energy, sleep, and my food does mo no good." These physical reasons wore advanced (says Napior "Telegraph") by a Crown tenant at the meeting of tho Land Board in support of an application for transfer of his lease which would, allow him to move from his present place of, abode. Tho applicant, however, had only- secured his section six months ago and as , he was not compelled to .reside until twelvo months, had elapsed the Board, decided that, his health must stand at least a nominal strain for that period. : , ■ '' .. ' . • The Feilding , ",Star". relieves itsolf as follows:—We have.' frequently heard 'of • tho coffers of the Stato being enriched with'"conscience money" refunded by folk who have cheated tho revenue and found peace in- repontanco; but. yesterday was the first time in thirty-four years' newspaper experience that •wo have come across a repentant newspaper runner, and our feelings, have; been so overwhelmed that wp can only reproduce the letter explaining the matter:—"Dear sir,— Enclosed find'half-soyoreign for papers which I sold whild. in your,employ." No date, no signature,-. but tho' half-soveroign was.there all right. < .. ■ •■': '•• . ■■• - "_ • An .editor of one Northern paper is ex-_ poriencing some difficulty in collecting subscriptions from his- customers, who subscribe more than they pay; The complaint is hot uncbmsnbn,, but' his method of bringing; :in the.ca'ih is probably, unique. .He has.issued a circular,: which funs: "We- see by an American paper to baud recently that a Chicago young lady is • so particular' that she kneads broad with,, her gloves.on. .What of that? , The editor of this papor needs bread with Jiis trousers oii : j in'faotj'he neods bread with ull his'.clothes on.' But'if some of'his creditors .don't pay up.pretty soon,-he!ll need bread .without.anything on at alV.and thd cliinafe of this town is no Garden of Edenl" ■■'<

Tho'ftev. A!'i)ewdriey, .spealiing at the Baptist .Union ,ConforeneG;at', Auckland on Thurs-day,-is credited by>tht> local ■"Herald "-with having'thus 1 expressed 1 himself :—'\ There'.is' a certain section ,of the community in •.Wqllingtpn Trho,ar,o morefrightoned ,pf, the..RoyrJ. J. North than they are: of a "policeman'.'-':

( The "Elthan/Argils" of Saturday says: Yo'storday afternoon :an electrical ; , disturbance caused an interference , with railway traffic; A lightning discharge, struck'the Waiongqna railway'station and fused the wires connected with, the electric tablet system. .The contact caused an explosion; which shattered 'the , ' instruments and blew out the sido of ■ the' building.' The goods ' train with passenger , , car attached,,,which should have left; Inglowood about.2- o'clock,: was delayed until nearly 4 o'clock. It was passed at Sentry' Hill by tho train which ordinarily , leaves' Inglowood at 4.10 p.m., , and arrived in .New,. Plymouth about 6.30,' the 5.15 train arriving at:,.schedule time. - It'seenis'remarkable that , the Waibngona railway dopot escaped 'total de; struction. Some of the. telegraph poles were' thrown down and the wires strewn across tho railway line.■ <■• •: ■; :; ' ' : - " ■ ■•■"

A daring attompt.to escape .from custody was made by a prisoner named John Garvoy, while being convoyed from Auckland to Hamilton'by the express - train' tho other day. A few-.minutos after the .train had left Mercer. Constable Ratt, who had.charge df the prisoner, asked him if he would care to have some lunch. ' Garyoy replied in , , the affirmative, the constable proceeded ■ .to take him thrpugh to the dining-car, but Garvoy. .on getting on to the platform seems ■ (says tho "New Zealand"Herald")-to'• have suddenly conceived the idea of making his escape,' and acting on the impjuse.of the moment jumped from the: car, landing in a small lagoon which had been created by tho recent-heavy•'rains. Tho'constable immediately had tho train stopped, and had run back along the line for about a mile when he met a goods train comings from Mercer: In answer' to his enquiry as to whether" he hadseon anything of the escaped'prisohej, .the guard informed tho constable that they had come,across Garvoy further back; and had picked him , up,' Garvey having stated that ho had fallen, off tho express train. The constable re-arrested liis chargo, and had him taken on to Pukckohe, whore it was found that ho had sustained a dislocated shoulder. • • "■■■•■■•" '

It was mentioned at tho,meeting;of the Land Board the other day, reports tho Napier "Telegraph," that the land boom in Hawko's Bay was beginning to show signs of panning but. It was advanced in support of this that the season had, been against fancy prices and there- was not , the same ■ rush of applications to transfer. A fow minutes after these observations had been mado, liowovor, a transfor was granted at. a price to the outgoing tenant that showed that'tho ruling passion to "get upon tho'land , ' was still financially tempting.' . .'.. . ' :,'', x ;.