BRIEF MENTION.

Marlborough Express, Volume XXXVII, Issue 222, 19 September 1903, Page 3

BRIEF MENTION.

Blenheim colder than Cape Campbell this morning. A compliment for the Marlborough deputation which waited on the Pre mier at Wellington last month. In a letter received by the Borough Conneil Mr Seddon acknowledged the Council's thanks for his courtesy, and added that " the manner in which the speakers placed their views before him increased the pleasure of meeting them." Which young lady did the musical critic have in view when he put his foot down on the giggling at the concert in Ewarb'« Hall? Several are vicing for the honor, but the critic is wise and says nothing. The value of the products from the whales caught by Jackson's party, Marlborough Sounds, this season is estimated at £4000. A resident of Nelson informs the Mail that it was not sulphur that fell with the rain in Blenheim this week, bat pollen from the wattles and pines. Never look a remount in the mouth. There's many a slip 'twixt the Cop and the Lipton. Even a German will turn. It's a wise daughter that doesn't take after its mother. The total membership of the New Zealand Farmers' Union, according to Mr M'Curdy, the organising secretary, is 19,800. The liquor seized recently by the Kaiapoi police was sold by auction last week, realising 50s. lt< was a line of gin, ginger-brandy, hock, sherry, kola nip, colonial wine, and beer* A gentleman who addressed a meeting in Levin recently, says the Levin Farmer, stated that the meat supplied to the people of Levin was M not fit to throw to the dogs." The butchers, it is said, demanded an apology, and the gentleman has tendered one. He now says ""the meat is fit to throw to the dogs." Four Auckland youths who hired a buggy and went out to a suburb on a recent Sunday, have been heavily fined for assaulting two Chinese gardeners whom they met on the way. One was fined £10 and costs, and each of the others £5 and costs. The Grey River Argus reports that in the south of Westland cattle and sheep are particularly fat, but footrot is prevalent. Cigar ends collected from the various cafes of a German city, and sold to the manufacturers of cheap tobacco and snuff, realise about £1000 a year for the poor. At a special sale of Clydesdale horses held by Messrs Wright, Stephenson and Co. in Dunedin last week, some record prices for geldings were obtained. Two magnificent five-year-old gledings by Young Botanist realised £80 and £73 respectively, whilst a third by the same sire brought £62. It is stated that many "househunters" in Christchurch achieve success by arranging to buy cottages when they only want to rent them. Facilities for buying are so easy now that a deposit of £10 or £20 is sometimes sufficient. Applicants pay the deposit, occupy the house for a year or so, and then, leave, if they want to, forfeiting the deposit, which they^ merely .look upon as extra rent. The novel spectacle of two municipal bodies engaged in an encounter on the cricket field was recently witnessed at High Wycombe, when the local corporation played the Maidenhead Corporation. The Maidenhead team included Alderman Nicholson, who is nearly eighty years of age. High Wycombe won. Those who were wounded in the fight at Bothasberg were all hit very hard, and most of them are still suffering from their wounds. Captain S. C. Caulton, of Auckland, who was in charge of a portion of the firing line, was dangerously wounded. He was five months in hospital at Hamsmith, and went under an operation after returning home. It has now been found necessary to amputate the forearm. On Tuesday morning it was discovered in Dunedin that a safe had been robbed of £140 in gold and notes on Saturday. The thief had abstracted the keys, secured his booty, relocked the safe, and returned the keys. Mr W. Faithful, of Greymoutb, is at present in South America engaged on an inspection of a mining concession in Bolivia. The property consists of two hundred miles of auriferous riverbed, and covers an area of 25,000 acres. Many wandering gipsies employ a very simple method to check dishonesty on the part of the member of their band of musicians who has to make the collection. They give him a plate to hold in his right hand, and a live fly, which he has to keep imprisoned in his left, as he goes round collecting the money. Some years ago, in a very rural district, a farmer had a cow for sale. Now, as thsre was no weekly paper to advertise in, it was the custom of the vicar to give each notice out to his congregation on Sundays. So the farmer thought he would go to the vicar and get him to advertise the cow in church. "Yes," said the vicar, "but you don't come to my church." And they struck a bargain that the vicar should advertise the cow and the man in return should go to church. Now, unfortunately, the man was very deaf, and on the Sunday following, when the vicar gave out the banns of marriage between Joseph So-and-So and Sarah So-and-So—a rather unusual incident, for they seldcm had a wedding in the parish—the farmer took it for granted that the vicar was giving out particulars of his cow, and shouted out: " You might as well say, while you are about-it, that she is a most gentle' creature, entirely free from vice, and a good eater."