MISCELLANEOUS NEWS.

Inangahua Times, Volume III, Issue 81, 23 February 1877, Page 2

MISCELLANEOUS NEWS.

James Brace* writes at follows to the Builder :— Will you be good enough to allow me to make known, in your columns, the extremely simple discovery that I have made, that hard waters are rendered very soft and pare, rivalling distilled water, by merely boiling a two ounce phial, say, in a kettleful of wate<\ The carbonate of lime and any imparities will be foand adhering to the pbial. The water boils very much qaicker at the same time. The knowledge of this fact will proye a great boon to housewives and laundresses, as well as to brewers, as it is affirmed that good porter cannot be brewed oat of London. Mr George Petty, of Melbourne, is, it is stated, aboat to erect a theatre '* on the .American plan." He has purchased for £36,600 a block of land in Bourke-stoeet adjoining the Opera House. The machinery for the manofaciure of ! wood paperbiD^isg bis been tftyrerfected that an inch of white maple or otlfer fine | grained wood can be slit so as to famish i 200 ihin leaves, having the surface and grain of the wood. These leaves are laid on a paper backing, aid, thus constituted, may be fastened to the wall the same as I common wnll pflpf r. A room thus furnished presents the appenraoeeof ap»n» celled apurtmen*v since all the surface* risible is that of the actual Wtod ; with smoothed and polished wood of a coarser o. 1 moreop*n grain, tha number of leaves I< r veneers to tae inch is 125, The machine which produces these leaves is a rua: vel of mechanical ingenuity and skill. The Dunedfn Harbor Board have determined upon baiMin?, at a cost of £1900, a two storied building of brick on tV'r reclaimed ground opposite the cross | wharf, in which oil their offices will be i located. The Financa Committee hare been empowered to fake steps to float the balance of the Board's quarter million loan, I The Wellington Argu* states that I several methods have been suggested to I escane the ennrmou* wat»r rates soozht ! to be imposed bf the Miyor upon the citizens for bath pnrpnge*, but tb^ft a great deal of mcerhiintr will han^aronod the question until his Worship define* | where w*shipg le»v*«« off anH bathing besins. It is» imiversailv asrei^ that thery should b? no tax foi? «v ttering everything above the shonHers. hnft ss it is neressiry- ' to draw the Ym<*. w>m»<vh#->e. w«» believe bs Worship will foc'uh that there shall be no washing b<»low the belt. We " cabbage" the following Ja'e of ft cabbage from the Tuaoeka 'lime«. It makes the sage remark :— "ft it astonishing wliatmpflnnct'onsßometieon'©' I will be guilty of to r?me a little money/* and proceed* : — " A ?ar?e eaHbage, wei^u* >ng thirty six pounds. wa< sent to the* eHifor of tin's p-»per from Mr Afacdonald, of the BenutnonU The grower of the cibbasfft felt pfond. »nd wan'.«d a *loeal^ nhont his wonderful vegetable. Th* Editor won'd no doubt hare acceded to die request had he seen the gift, bat some mean cms pniered the onW, »nd in a fit of kleptoman'aexfrwted that cabb »«r* from> the bag in which it waa concealed, and: removed it to his own home. Yesterday our editor entered nxt hotel ; not to drink gende reader but to enquire what time it was, when he espied thi* ftsbbige in nil its glory on the bar eonnter, and pinned to it a Ion? list of names of gentleman who intended to t;tke a chance in a I ittery for the vegetable, tickets Is each, the proceeds, to go to the Hospital Of coarse, the cause was so &ood that the editor could say nothing. We understand that af*erbeing disposed of here, the eabbag* proceeds to the Blue Spar and other places, on a simitar pi rand of benevolence. We> regret to learn that the gentleman who* stole the cabbage was a fireman* and a member of the Fourth Estate>