ITEMS OF INTEREST.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLVI, Issue 196, 19 August 1912, Page 2

ITEMS OF INTEREST.

A case that was tried in 1817 give* us (says The Daily Chronicle) someidea of the pill-taking proclivities of the time. An apotheqary sued one Samuel Jessup for payment of alongstanding account. The bill extended! to 55 closely-written columns, and showed that in 20 years he took 226,934 pills, beginning with the modest number of 29 per day, and advancing by easy stages to a daily consumption of 78. During the same period he consumed 40,000 bottles of mixture, besides juleps, electuaries, and other infallible specifics. The apothecary won the day, but Jessup died soon afterwards, at the age ol: 65, no doubt from stopping the physio.

At one time (says the News) the Southland farmer was only too willing to allow the rabbit-trapper to operate on his property, but it seems as if the farmer takes a different view of thingsnow, if what was said at a meeting, at Grove Bush recently can bo accepted as in accord with the attitude agriculturists generally are disposed to assume in the matter. At the meeting referred to there wererepresentatives from Rakahouka, Mabel Bush, Woodstock, and GroyeBush, who discussed the question of further allowing trappers to enter on their farms, and make a profit from the rabbit without giving any portionof it to the man who has provided the feed. It Avas regarded as a very onesided transaction, in which the trap- ■ per received more than his fair share- *' of the proceeds, while the contention, was also urged that the carter, seller1 of the traps, Railway Department, freezing companies, and others, all' benefited from the trade, and thefarmer, whose grass suffered in the process of feeding, obtained nothing. It was not denied that good was doneby trapping operations, but the modern agriculturist is a student of economics, and, like his urban brother, does not care to give much for nothing, so the farmers in the district referred to decided to deal with the situation by engaging ia systematic poisoning.

"I can assure you," said a prominent Bluff ex-sealer to the Bluff correspondent of the Dunedin Star, "that illicit sealing is being carried on in Southern New Zealand watersupon a by no means small scale by foreigners. For almost twenty years the New Zealand Government have had the sealing grounds closed for the protection of seals, with the sole result that they have been preserved for the depredations of foreigners. New Zealand preserves its sealing: industry for foreigners only. That isthe position in a nutshell. No effort has been made by the Government- to interfere with, the barefaced robbery that has been going on for years, and is still going on. I can assure you that the amount of poaching done during recent months has exceeded5 past records in the robbery line. TheSnares have been depleted, and even, the reefs visited. It appears that the poachers have made a harvest, and the southern sealing grounds appear likely to lose something in the natureof a couple of thousands skins; Thegrounds have been visited annually by strange vessels from Nova Scotia, the United States, Norway, and othermaritime nations, from which vessels sail on an indefinite cruise*, and return with cargoes of sealskins from the southern seas. No information is given to the sealskin buyers and noquestions are asked, and so the depletion goes cm."

"We don't sell our goods at other than tariff rates," said Mr C. P. 'Skerrett, K.C., on Thursday, during: his address to the jury in the slander | case (reported in yesterday's issue). Counsel was drawing an analogy beL tween the Law Society and any association of merchants formed! to control prices. ' The remark caused Mr Justice Edwards to say that he was not so sure of that, and' his Honor's comment was followed'by laughter at the back of the Court. "This is not; a theatre," said his Honor sharply. "If gentlemen want a hearty laugh they must go to some place where they have to pay afc the door. I a-m not going to have this place turned into'a theatre." The rebuke had: the-: necessary effect on the crowd At the back T and his Honor then proceeded to point out that there was a great distinction Jbetween >an auctioneers'" and a solicitors' association, as there was a responsible officer of the Court to see that too much was not charged by solicitors. -

The toll of the motor car is reaching appalling proportions, and every town provides its quota to the sacrifice 1 of human life according to its population. The figures published by the Home Office as to the number of persons killed and injured in streetaccidents is London show that this, class of accident has been increasing; at a terrible rate during recent years. This increase is almost entirely dv© to the number of accidents caused by mechanically propelled vehicles. Last year 410 persons were killed and 14,254 injured in our streets. Of those accidents which were fatal 288* were caused by mechanically propelled, vehicles. Two, years ago the deaths caused by the same, class of vehiclewere 161, so that they have nearly doubled in that time. It may be* pointed out that the majority of these; deaths were caused bjT motor buses, cars, and vans, as the following table1 will show1: Deaths caused by motor omnibuses and tramcars in 1911, 133; deaths by other motor vehicles, 155. What is going on in London is going: on all over the country. Fatal accidents caused by motor vehicles have gone up from 672 in 1910 to ,873^ last year. It will be noticed that the metropolitan police district is responsible for nearly a third of this^ class of accident. Certain places in London have become veritably deathtraps, especially for the old and the infirm, owing to the great increase of motor vehicles. Some of the local authoritfes have provided subways r which obviate the necessity of crossing the streets on the level at some of these congested points, "but it is curious to note how unwilling pedestrians are to make use.of them*

In restoration work at tittle Steep»ing Church, Lincolnshire, a stone step has been found to be an inverted' monument bearing the recumbent effigy of a priest and some wording iv Norman French. The figure is beJeyed to he that of the rector wh*>< »uilt the church in the thirteenth wntury, •