ITEMS OF INTEREST.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLVI, Issue 117, 15 May 1912, Page 2

ITEMS OF INTEREST.

"Probably your "Worships will not be able'to see him if he gets into the box," remarked a sergeant at the Gisborne Police Court the other morning when an African pigmy stepped forward on a charge of being guilty of disorderly behaviour while drunk. In order that the Bench might see the defendant he was allowed to stand on the step leading to the dock. He pleaded guilty to the charge, and Sergeant Hutton stated that defendant came to town to ventilate some grievance about his wages, and some unscrupulous- person gave him whisky, the effect of, which was to send the pigmy mad. Ho yalked up and down Gladstone Road1, throwing his arms about and shouting out. He had been repeatedly convicted for a similar offence in Wellington. The Bench said they would take into consideration that -accused was a foreigner and probably ''not usedl to the customs of the country, and also that persons had supplied him with drink, and would convict asid discharge him.

It was in the minds of anti-mili-+.arists to hold a meeting of protest in tlio Post Office- Square, Wellington, on Sunday afternoon; They held their meeting and it was a meeting of protest, bst the protest was mainly against anti-militarists (observes the j?imes.) Various speakers essayed to address a couple of hundred persons, the inajoiity of whom were evidently .there for the fun they could get. A large'section was much more concerned with inqiu'ring if anybody had seen Kelly; than' with asking if anybody heard Hickey. In the intervals between the alleged .musical numbers small side discussions with anti-mili-tarists provided entertainment and an ardent photographer also created diversion. Mr Freeman '.-urged that a worker had nothing to fight for. He could earn his daily wage just as'well in another countiy as in New Zeaisnd. At this Mr Freeman was promptly and loudly advised to "go and get woi'k." The last speaker, wliose- declamation was generally drowned in interjections, called' for cheers from all who believed in ''Peace and brotherhood." A, chorus of hoots and cheers followed, counter cheers for General Godley were- enthusiasLiCfilly given, and/the meeting terrmnated with a large proportion .singing the National Anthem.

People in one quarter of Thorndon ■ht:d no lack of excitement, partly ine^'iy, on Thursday night (says the Post). Following a disturbance whic Post). Following a disturbance which sonndedv like a breach of the i?eace, ■fc^yp fire-engiriesV cne from Thorndon ami the Ttheiv from Central Station, ;:charged up, and it was vaguely hoped b.y some psrsons whose ears had been tortured that1 the brigade had, arrived <!o extinguish the, outbreak; of/noise. The nreiUen looked .about for flames and "smoke,-but did riot even see anything,describable as .."incipient." Just -.when. they '"were- reaching the coriclu-^ sioif that it was one of the old brand of/false alarms,, a much-agitated foreigner rushed up, and said: "L done it, but I don't waiit^ the firemen; I vrant tKe police." 'He said that he Kad been assaulted, and had pressed the button in the lire alarm box in .the hope that.-pblice" aid would arrive. The foreigner once lived m New York,' wlifer#' thera is.= a' push-button i system fpr calling the police, and he I hud eviderttly. imagined that'Thorndon '■ v.*as "just as up-to-aate. * Interest--in astronomy is likely to be considerably increased as a result of "^decision arrived at by the sniall tandvof enthusiasts who comprise the Astronomical Society (reports the "Wellington Post). The tender of Messrs M'Lean and Gray has been accepted by -tho society for the erection of an observatory at; Kelburae. __ It js: expected tjtiat the work will be completec!. in two months, As the .society is not burdened with excessive wealth, a start lias to be made on a small scale. The building will consist of two rooms, with asbestos walls. In on£ of these, surmounted by a revolving' dome, the-sin.tele-scope will be erected, and it is the intention of .members of the society to visit the observatory on a few nights each week, and demonstrate the use of v the instrument, with a view to a-wakening greater interest in, the science. Eventually it is hoped that a permanent observer will be appointed, and when "this is done the Carter Jwquest will become available. That time, the society hopes, is not far distant. The Wairarapa Daily Times recorded last week that Mr W. Kemp, of Masterfcon, was suffering from bloodpoisoning and had been • rendered temporarily blind. Mr Kemp himself ■>vrote to the paper as-, follows:—''l hep; to inform you that I contracted poison from a climbing plant commonly known as Ampelopsis Hoggii, cor-rc-ftly Riiiis toxicodendron, or American toxieodendron. I had occasion to root out one of these plants, bnt shall give them a wide birth for the future." It appears that the plant is a" very dangerous one, and should on no account be handled, as anyone so doing is liable to contract blood poisoning. A Maiterton medical man has had two or three cases of blood poisoning from this cause of lute, and he states that it is not necessary for tho hand to be cut to contract blood poisoning from the plant, Th*> latter exudes an oily substance which enters the pores of the skm, and does its work.

Mr J. Griroen^an Onehunga- fisherman, says that he, has often # been surprised at the contents of his fishing 'nets after drawing them, but he pot the surprise of his life the other day, according to an Auckland paper, when he landed a well-conditioned stag. Mr Grupen had placed: his net on what is known as the middle bank in the Manukau Harbor, between the north channel' -traversed ; .by, coastal .steamers and south channel used by the Waiuku steamer. The entrance into the channels is at the

I Horn, travelling from Onehuiiga. ■ As i already stated, the net contained a stag with antlers • quite three feet long. It had the a^pearanoe of having just died' whenf* caught, as its flesh was quite sweet_ iand fresh. Someone said it was six years old. How. the animal got into the harbor is a mystery, and ajlsq where it came from. It may have; been chased from the Waitakerei Ranges and. fallen over a cliff into the Manukau Harbor. The middle bank is always bare miles at low water, and no doubt the animal got stranded there and was gradually forced on to the highest point of the bank'by the flood tide until it got entangled in the net arid drowned. '

„ Stoats nnd weasels are responsible fbv a marked and regrettable clecrea.se of bird life in the Catlins Bush, Ota go. Robins are now rarely seen, and parakeets, kakas, tuis, and various native birds that used to make the bush alive with song*; have almost disappeared. The native pigeon is also disappearing, and the time does not seem to be-far..distant when the native birds will be a thing of the past. A sportsman wha' has just returned- from a duck shooting expedition in tKe neighborhood of Waipiata, Ofcago Central, says the paradise du&ks there are so'numerous that the farmers are threatening to lay poison for them immediately the short season of twelve days is done. This fine game bird is very destructive in the turnip field, to which they resort in large numbers. They attack the leaves, and are more rapacious than pvpn the • rabbits ;'in 'that.- respect. Opossums are very plentiful, and very destructive, to fruit trees in various parts of Catlins. The regulation that one. : man may kill thirty by dogs and gun. but not by trapping/is roundly condemned. It is an absurd regulation, says the Clutha Leader;? for if they are to be killed at all it mic;ht as well be in such a way that their skins will be of some value, and not riddled--by shot or torn by dogs.

This year promises to be a record one in connection with the importations of timber from Japan and Russia to Australia, says a Sydney paper, and already it is rumored that several steamers have been fixed for this particular business, most of the steamers being under the Japanese flag. At present the indications point to a very busy time for the Oriental Timber Mills at North Geelong, and it is reported that the directors of these mills have arranged for eight shipments of logs from -their timber rexorves in Siberia, and the deliveries vriH r^ach the record aggregate of 138,000 logs; It is also. stated that this company has obtained further

important concessions in Siberia. The t>rn« is for twelve years, and relates to a magnificent forest adjacent to ( imperial Harbor, where all the logs so Tar milled have come from. Already oik: firm has fixed the following .Japanese .steamers to load timber at Japan for Sydney and Melbourne: — The Shinho Maru, 4319 tons; tho Koju Maru, 4412 tons, and the Shinsei Main, 5069 tons.

The visit of Miss CuthberLson to Scotland to obtain woman workers for Victoria v.a's very successful, states the Meltourue Age. Jn a report to the State Government, dated March. 22nd, slit, states that she was returning from Scotland, where she had interviewed 200 applicants for a&sisted passages to Victoria. Although the ag&nts of a'very large firm in Canada had been before her, and had been successful in obtaining only a few applicants, she was able .to select from the applicants about severity suitable girls, who wished to go to Victoria. The number was drawn principally from Glasgow, and Miss Cuthbertson believed she would be. able to obtain more from that centre at ai\ early date. She noticed that correspondents in Scottish newspapers were urging intending emigrants not to go to Australia, as the actual con T ditions were not. stateci to them. Her report added that twenty-five gii'ls were on board the .vteamer Irishman* and 100 berths had been reserved on tho steamer Makarine, sailing at the end of April. ■ .

An fcceident occurred on Tuesday afternoon in Queen Street, Onehunga (says the Auckland' Ster). ■"; A . hprs»3 was beinp;-.driven down the street oy Mr Tom Piittcn, when the back-bard broke, -vnd ts fhero was only a "Yankee", breeching being used, the sh»s.ft fell to the ground, with the result that th© horse , immediately bolted. A collision with a. tram polf followed, jiftev which three yer^ndia'v posts were'broken...clown.-. By" thistime the liorso was cteiv and -con t'.nued. its career into Church Street. When stopped, it was "found to haye suffered severe ir.jxiriesy an artery in the..frog as well as one of the t<^tdons having been severed,- and doubts'' iar-3 entertained-, by-, a'veterinary surgoon :«.« to -whether th© animal will recover! The hors<i, which was. valued at £40, had : practicj^lly been sold ; this being a final .trial- before bein</ handed over to a hew owner. """The driver, Mr Patten, jumped from, t£e vehicle before the collision, and e*-ca-ped with a few abrasions to thfi face... .'".•.■• r^. ■ .•• • .

An ijifectious disease of a serious nature (says the Northern Advocate) which is causing considerable concern among . stockowners in the district, owing to the large death-roll among, young calves, is paraplegia, or intestinal worms or wasters.-- Tlie afflicted, beasts show symptoms of wasting or flat-sidedness, and prior to death are subject to scouring. The disease is brought about by microscopic germs oi" parasites, and is attributed largely to the unseasonable weather. Quite a large number of calves have died from the-disease, and in consequence, quite a. lullin the* market for'young calves has been felt. ■

The theft of co:il from trucks in Lyttolton is causing .a gi- ent deal < f annoyance and' a considerable amonnt of lossi. One firm counts its losses from this- cans© in tons every week, and the police are being asked to de.il with the matter. Some prosecution? that were undertaken last year caused the evil to diminish, greatly for a time. - The offenders in most m•• stances seem to .be boys/ whose parents presumably 'a-re at' least guilty' of l^eceivers of . the stolen property. '