ITEMS OF INTEREST.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLII, Issue 8, 10 January 1908, Page 7

ITEMS OF INTEREST.

A record for timber cutting in IWestland was established last morfk The West Coast Times says that Baxter Bros, cut no less than 857jWm, of timber at their several mills m tHe month. The firm on the last pay day distributed over £1100 in wages.

An amusing little incident occurred at the Tressider reception at Wanganui, just as the visiting oarsjnan was driving away from the railway station. A Maoris evidently anxious to see more of Tressider than his face, shouted the query, "You got te porro 'ed (bald head?") The champion of Australia smilingly lifted his cap, showing that he was tending ;±o what barbers call "thin on top." '<Oh, you be all right then!" returned the Maori, amid the laughter of ifche crowd.

The Otekaike estate, which has!been "thrown open by* the Government for •selection, is 29,925 acres in area, and it has been subdivided into fortynine allotments. Over, fifteen of fhese preference will be given to married applicants with families, and over fourteen to landless applicants who have been twice unsuccessful within the previous two years. The balance of the allotments are open for general application. Applicants will be examined in alphabetical order at Oamaru on February 4, 5 and 6.

Whilst searching among old papers ■in an attic, Mrs M. K. Covington, of Huntsville (U.S.A.), discovered what purports to be the last will and testament of John Bunyan, author or " Pilgrim's Progress. ' The document is of parchment, yellow with age, and is dated December 23rd, 1685. Mrs Covington's ancestors came from England. :

Although a few weeks ago things looked not too rosy, this now, promises to be a record season'for Rotorua <says the Rotbrua Times). Every note! and boarding-house in the place is full, and every train arriving is crowded. Many people who have not looked rooms find a difficulty in securing accommodation. Certainly a large number depart by every morning train, but most people who have arranged to spend a day or two at Botorua regret that they have not .arranged for a longer stay.

The Miramar peninsula continues to yield a crop of relics for those who are skilful enough to know where to look for them, and to know them when they see them (says the Post). Mr J. W. McKay has discovered some 'inoa bones- —not. many—-on the Monorgan block, Lyell Bay. Moa eggf ahell fragments have already been 4ound on Miramar by j|l^/HectorMb--Leod, who is also a mojst,;patient inyestigator of the Maori, middens, at where he has found many interesting things. .

A replica in bronze of the marble bust of the late Sir John Hall, executed by Mr Nelson Illingworth foilate statesman's family, has been purchased by the Government. The Bust will be placed in the Par,liameniiary Library. At the present time "Mr lllingworth is engaged s on busts =©f his Grace Archbishop Redwood and Lady Ward, both of which be •executed in marble. ' Sir Joseph will also give' Mr Illinjgworth sittings when he returns to Wellington.

"Whilst out driving the-other evening, some miles from flawera, the trap lamp went out. The driver, a Soung man well known locally, thrust is finger into the candle socket to Bee if it were empty, and upon at--tempting to withdraw his finger found tfhat it 'had been trapped by the flange. Try as he might he could not release his hand. Fortunately he was . *fciH .seated in the trap—what' would i&ave happened had he bee,n on the can only be conjectured, as the lamp -could not he removed-H3o that he was able to drive into r|Ha--wera. Arrived in town it was found necessary to cut the lamp to pieces in order to release the finger.

A town visitor spending his holiday at Eltham thought he would try Ms liand at milking. It^ is hard to Bay wliat was the cause of the accident, l)Ut probably his long nails dug into tie cow's teats. In the twinkling of an eye ,a smart young man was seen rolling in the byre. A cow's leg was lashing out quicker than lightning. A tin bucket, Btruck the ,man violently in the ribß and Bmash■ed a couple. The town visitor spent .New Year's .Day in bed, and occupied his time cursing cows.

In the course of a speech at Fitzroy, Victoria, Archbishop, Carr said tihat unconstitutional interference with the deliberations of the Cabinet liad been attempted by an extrapolitical, polemical section j who were said to have haunted the House. of , Parliament, B0 that; they might have a voice -in the formation of a question to be put to the /people. If any Cabinet tolerated sttch a thing, it would earn for itself the contempt of every: ri^ht-thihkinjg member of tlte community. There was no foundation for the statement that Catho-

lies were guilty of the same offence. A member had stated that he (the / Archbishop) a year ago made an offer to all religious bodies to leave all political matters to politicians. Catholics were perfectly willing to do that. It would be the means of securing that peace, unity, and spirit of comradeship, which should exist in every community- He would leave political matters to those who had a perfect right to decide them. Let there be no action at election time on the part of the Churches. Leave people to freely and unrestrictedly record their Votes. He was willing to stand by that undertaking, and was sure that every priest would do the same.

The " iniquitous system of payment of salaries on average attendance," came in for some severe handling at the Teachers' Conference at Auckland recently. In the course of the discussion some instances of individual hardship, consequent on this system, were mentioned by Mr O. D. Flamank, an Otago delegate. He mentioned the case of a teacher who had been 13 years in the service, and was receiving the princely salary of £110 a year. This man, he said, nad a delicate wife and a family to support, but in consequence of a drop an the attendance at his school his ■Salary would probably fall to £9Q. The case of another teacher—a widow with seven children—whose salary was being reduced through the same cause from £120 to £90, was also referred to, "I think this is scandalous," was JMr Flamank's comment on the existence of such a system.

Another of the old pioneers, Mr Isaac Champion, of Tai Tapu, passed away on Friday evening. The late Mr Champion was born on January 51, 1830, in Somersetshire, England,

and came out to New Zealand in the ship Chapman in 1860. In 1861 he went to the Otago gold diggings, and in 1865 to the Hokitika gold diggings. In the same year he returned to Christchurch, where he married. Tn Christchurch he worked for some years for Mr W. D. Wood, at the Riccarton mills. In 1873 he bought land at Tai Tapu, living on his farm until the time of. his death. He met the many difficulties the farmer of the early days had to contend with in a spirit of courage and determination, and by energy and industry achieved success. The deceased ge^r tleman was .of a kind and genial disposition, and always ready to extend a helping, hand to those who needed it. In his younger days he took a keen interest in local affairs, and was a zealous adherent of the Church of England and a devoted worker m all matters connected with the welfare or the parish. He leaves a widow, four daughters-and three sons.

An amusing story is told of the way the Cullihan diamond—the birthday gift of the Transvaal—was sent to England. It was felt that there was a certain amount of danger in the rail-road journey from Johannesburg to Capetown. Two stalwart railway detectives, an ho»r or two before the home mail started from the gold reef city, were ordered to travel with it on special duty. 'They were notified to be well armed, and at the last moment they were handed a small sealed package, which they were ordered not to lose sight of until they deposited it in the strong-room of the Union-Castle liner. Learning that it was the great diamond, the two men had an anxious journey. Some months later the truth became known, by the Transvaal Postmaster-General's rep«i*, that the diamond had gone in the mail as an ordinary registered package. The detectives' mission was simply an elaborate piece of deception.

"The Plant World," which is published in the United States, and has a wide circulation, in a recent issue says: "At the instigation of Dr. L: Cockayne, the well-known New Zealand botanist, the Board of Governors of Canterbury College has decided to establish a sub-alpine Station in the Southern Alps of New Zealand, where the mountain flora can be studied under natural condi-r tions. This, it may be believed, is the most important step in botanical teaching and investigation which has yet been taken in Australasia. DrJ Cockayne is the author of a report on the botany of Kapiti Island^ rightly regarded as a natural history sanctuary in that part of the world. It is much to be hoped that work so well commenced will be extended to the whole of New Zealand', and that the Government, will exercise wisdom and foresight in affording means tor the continuation of the survey. The present active interest on the part of the Government in enabling a large body of scientists to visit otherwise more or less inaccessible ;parts, such as the Auckland and Campbell Islands, indicates a real and proper cv.ncern on the Government's part in the progress of pure science, which : we believe and hope, will be produce tive of sustained effort along the lines indicated. New Zealand contains so many, secrets which the scientific world is eager for, and there must be so very much of great economic importance to be discovered,; that no effort should be spared for their disclosure by competent men."

*' That tired feeling "is not always caused by the weather, as some people would nave you believe. The fault lies. in some derangement of your digestive organs. Your stomach isout of order, or your liver has become sluggish, and refuses to perform its ruiictions. All you need is a dose or two of Chamberlain's Tablets and that feeding of weariness will disappear. Kot: altAift hj^' Jjenning, Blenheim, and W. Synw, Fict&n. *

. AmongCihe; passengers by the MoIwia at A*fcfel^nd from Sydney:vns Mr T. Midgley Taylor, a well-fcaovii; drainage engineer, who has come from London to report upon a comprehensive drainage sicheme for the city of Auckland and suburbs. Mr Taylor is accompanied by his wife. After fulfilling his agreement with the Auckland City Council, he, proposes tc visit variouis places of interest in New Zealand. Speaking" with regard to the trend of sanitary matters at H<me, Mr Taylor stated that great advances had been made, especallv aiMing the past few years. Contmua! experiments were being made that world enable the authorities at Home to overcome their difficulties with ccrtajiity. Severed very big schemes were at present either in hand or in contemplation, including one for the complete drainage of: Leeds at a cost of £1,500,000. The method to be adopted was chemical treatment, which was the most up-to-date known to science. London was putting in a one-foot diameter sewer to bring its system up to requirements, and the authorities there were contemplating the bacteria treatment; at feast, they were experimenting with it.

Mr L. S. Ayson, Chief Inspector of Fisheries, is in the Southland district. His business is to select a site for a salmon hatchery on the Waiau River. When he has fixed upon the most favourable site, the necessary timber will be sent up to him, and he expects to be engaged in the work of construction for three weeks or a month. His son, who is the curator at the Hakataramea hatchery, is now on his way to Vancouver for the salmon ova. These he will bring to the Dominion. As soon as they arrive they will be taken to the hatchery on the Waiau River, and an attempt will be made under the most favourable circumstances that the Dominion offers to acclimatise the salmon.

The output of coal from the State mine at Point Elizabeth has greatly increased of late, and it has been decided by the Department to purchase another steam waggon for the delivery of orders in Wellington. It is interesting to note that the fine steaming records made by the Maori on her trips between Lyttelton and Wellington hsive been made on State coal.

Mr W. J. Fuller, J.P., storekeeper, Rendelsham, W.A., writes:—"Some little time ago I was called in to see a neighbour who was suffering from severe cramps., and who really thought he was past help. I took a bottle of Chamberlain's Colic, Cholera, and Diarrhoea Remedy with me, and gave him three dosses, according to directions, and in a few hours he had quite recovered. I have frequently used it in my own family, and am so well satisfied as to its merits that I make a point of selling it to my customers on a positive guarantee." For sale by J. Benning, Blenheim, and W. Syms, Picton. *