By the Way.

Mataura Ensign, Volume 15, Issue 1345, 5 December 1893, Page 4

By the Way.

Quiet. Excitement past. ; Christmas is coming. ! Shows — Tapanui to-day; Gora on: Friday ; Invercargill on Tuesday and I Wi ttnesH.ay. . : B.C. Bazaar at Gore on Snow Day. J It will br the end of February before the railway staff wiil be able to tuke possession of their new station. Bum rs of big " smaHhes " in the ' lower regions— pastoralists this lime. It is said that if castor oil be rubbed daily on warts it will cause their disappearance. A Sydney mm states that he was so upset by tbe bank failures that he lost his balance. An American exchange reports that a mouse lately Bhowed great presence of mind after falling into a dish of new milk. It swam round and ronnd violently, until it was able to crawl out on tbe butttr. C, J. Aldridge, an old Goreite, is happy in the InvercargiU Hospital. Physically he in weak ; mentally he is strong. Plans of the proposed traffic bridge at Gore are to bo seen at the County offices in Invercargill, and, from an estimate furnished, it seems likely the coat wiil be less than the amount mentioned in former estimates. Fortnightly meeting of the Gore Borough Council to-night, and several matters of importance to be considered. " Captain," who belonged to one of our staff, could not be accommodated in the dog box on yesterday morning's train to Invercargill, aud got a " roadsider " all to himself. Mr McNab, M.H.B. for Mataura, was in Gore last night, and attended a meeting of his committee. Congratulations upon his recent victory were numerous. Mem. for Mr Christie : ' Oamaru Mail ' terms ' Mount Ida Chronicle ' " a wretched little butter-wrap." Sydney churches seat only 45,000 people out of a population of 300,000. A farthing newspaper has been introduced in Paris. * Clutha Ltader ' thinks more than one Minister will feel Mr Bichardson's defeat a very comforting deliverance. Eighteen Boman Catholic peers voted against the Home Bule Bill, and four for it. Sir Wilfred Lawson thinks that worn* n should be admit ed to holy orders in the Anglican Church. Mr H. S. Fish's friends and supporters have decided to pay the whole of that gentleman's election expenses. Messrs Tothill, Watson and Co. report having sold the Aparima Factory's output of cheese (a '•out 35 tons) to a Home firm at a satisfactory figureTrout are said to be abundant at Like Te Anati. The Clinton Biver is to be stocked with fry. John Bull has lent the Australian colonies for investment L 31 7,000,000. Export interest L 13,000,000 per annum. The ruling price at the poo gardie gold- ] field for oatmeal is ls a pound, 9d a pound fur black sugar, and Is a pound for flour. The canal through the Isthmus of Corinth, just completed, was projected 500 years B.C. and actually begun by the Emperor JNero, The Auckland branch of the Grand Irish National Federation has received a letter from ■• Mr John Dillon that Mr Michael Davitt will visit the colonies next season. The following telegram was received by Mr Thomas Mackenzie on Tuesday night : — The foo was Brugh, the battle tough, . The electors in a frenzy. The battle'- o'er and Brugh's no more, Three cheers for Tarn Mackenzie Mr Brugh says he will have something to say anent being "no more " at next election. At the Biverton Warden's Court. Warden : Ir residence sites are not granted where will miners live ? Miner : ll all the land is taken up by residence sites where will the miners mine P Scotch extraction. A horse named Longstride recently jumped thirty-four feet from bank to bank at Hollywood, Ireland. This is exactly one foot under the celebrated Birdcatcher's longest jump on record. A teacher examining his pupils on the Parables said : " One Gospel says, ' Are no : two sparrows sold for one farthing ?' And another says, ' Are not five spanows sold for two farthings P' How do you reconcile these two passages?" One little fellow called out in strong Doric : "Ye get them cheaper when ye tak' a wheen." The cutter Anna is at present round at Dusky Sound with Mr Docherty to fetch a cargo — 50 tons or so — of the asbestos ore from the quarry there. A more contempible falsehood than the Premier's claim to have been designated by Mr Ballance as his political successor has perhaps never been uttered A „ ««- „ V^"*' nlatform in New Zealand, on any poma^M- _ . . —•Post.' The Colonial Secretary intends to leave for Europe immediately after a full meeting of the Cabinet, whioh will probably be held this week. He retains his portfolio, but has no business to do so. Johnny : " Don't they use bark to tan hides with, pa P" Father : " Yes, my son ; but if you ask any more questions this evening you'll find that a slipper does just as well." Begarding the Hon. John McKenzie's statement that " Scobie" was the biggest liar in New Zealand, the ' Post ' says "it is very unjust to the Premier. The Minister of Lands should not seek to deprive his colleague and chief of his ; well won honors." Tbere aye 174 newspapers registered in New Zealand, or au average of one to, say, every 4000 inhabitants. Of these 52 are daily papers, 15 tri-weekly, 26 bi-weekly, 59 weekly, and 22 monthly. The Ensign tops the poll in regard to the bi-weeklies ; and don't you forget it. Our readers will rejoice with us to hear that the Bey. Mr Hampton, of St. John's Church, escaped poisoning the other day, through taking an overdose of r amphor, to ward off influenza. — ' Bruce Herald.* It is stated that 100 of the unemployed on the Cheviot estate were brought down to Christchurch on Monday night to record their votes in Mr Beeves' interest, but who brought them is not definitely known. Topsyturvydom can't iaat for ever^A the nature of things it can't. Meanwhile let us comfort ourselves by the reflection that New Zealand is a difficulty country to spoil. — " Civis." Mistress -. " Your character is satisfactory ; but I'm very particular about one thing. I wish my servants to have plenty, bnt I don't allow any waste," Page : " Oh, no, 'm _ which I'd eat and drink till I busted, 'm, rather than waste anvthink, *m !" New hospital just opened at Palmerston I North ; cost L 3700. By a departmental order issued by the Minister for Lands, the rule by which applicants for land on lease had to dep sit ft half-year's rent in advance is now done i away with. ■ - --yy' -yy y- : :

I have reason to believe an extension ; of village settlements is contemplated, tfitii a system of .secured advances— ' Otago Daily Times '.correspondent. ' i During the three weeks preceding the ! election, Mr Seddon is staled to haye travelled 3000 miles by rail, coach and I steamer, and to have addressed 30 meet- : inns. '" - Magnificent grapes can be bought at Johannesburg (South Africa) during the season at ld per lb. Brandy < sells at 4d per quart, and* a little of it goes a long way. . - ! ; '. The latest development of the insurance business is interesting. You' can buy braces which entitle your next of kin to LlOOifyou are killed while wearing them ; and there are also hate which entitle your heirs to a similar amount if you are found dead with one on your head. Mr Dunne, who was defeated for Balclutha mayoralty, explained that he would have to trouble them again for as long as he lived, aud until elected no other man would obtain the chair wil boat a contest. ; Pleasant prospeot ! Iv celebrating Guy Fawkes in Melbourne a lad lit a rocket and placed it in his mouth, but instead of the rocket shooting out the. powder exploded and recoiled, the full charge going down the boy's throat. He died a few Hours after- ; wards in terrible agony. Germs of contagious diseases are capable of mutiplying themselves with marvellous rapidity. A single germ, when placed in surroundings ' favorable to its growth, quickly divides into tws. . Each of these then divides itself again, and so on, the number very soon reaching ' into thousands. It has been estimated that by the end of 24 hours one single : germ will have multiplied itself into more than 10,000,000 germs. Mrs Kindly : " Now I'll give you a sixpence, poor man. But I hope you will < not go and get drunk with it." The poor man (much hurt) : " Lady, you do me » great wrong to suggest suoh a thing." Mrs Kindly : " I didn't mean to accuse - you—." The poor man: "I'm glad of it, lady. Do I look like a man who could get drank on sixpence?" It is said that in Samoa the king's adviser lives in a handsome house, and the king in a shed alongside. The adviser receives a salary of LIOOO a year, and the king LBO. The chief of police gets L 350. A full Cabinet meeting will be held next week to formulate the order of policy measures and consider Counoil appointments.