GENERAL NEWS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XL, Issue 7068, 30 July 1901, Page 4

GENERAL NEWS.

Mr EL T. Clinch/ of Teniuka, has, says the Leader, been, experimenting lately in the matter of incubating emu's eggs. His experiences are rather. interesting. •It appears that Dr>J.-,Si. Hayes, while visiting.Mr J. : B. Rutherford,; at Albury,' was presented by him with eight emu | eggs, from one of. several, nests- on the run.-These at first were designed to be converted into ornaments, but on; ar-! riving at the, Albany ; station Dr Hayes' .remembered ■ thati ; ,,-Mr ,fllinch • is': i the" possessor of an incubater,: and he ■liasdecided to try to get" these eggs hatched if possible. The services of the enginedriver were enlisted, and the eggs were 'kept as warm.as possible by being placed in a handy : spot in. the cab of the engine. It may be stated that they 'had already travelled: some six miles. On arrival at Pleasant Point the doctor placed a hot water bottle with the eggs, and they were brought right on to. Temuka and placed in Mr Clinch's charge. There was no information as ■to how long the eggs had been laid, nor, did anyone appear to know the period, of incubation, and experience showed that several were sterile. In thirty days one egg chipped, and there issued a chick about the size of a bantam. This chick now occupies quarters in what' is known as the " foster mother," and it appears to be thriving well.- ':.''..

The decision of the Australian Federal House of Representatives that men and women shall receive actual pay in. the Federal public service has produced an unlooked-for result.: As women employees in the Post and Telegraph De ' partment arc-not as efficient as men, notice has been given to girls in training that no place's will be found for them. Since there is to be but one grade of pay, the department will, in future give the preference to men. Eight or nino girls, who were learning telephone duty, have been told to knock off. By way of compensation they will be paid a gratuity of 10a a week each for the time they have been learning.

There has been a spurt in the sheep market lately, and sheep buyers are in much demand among stook agents (says the Bruce Herald)] Naturally, the rivalry is very great, and the buyer very often has a good time at the expense of the dealers. For instance, in a country town, six stock agents, flushed with the prospect of a good deal in sheep, lately awaited a buyer to arrive by a morning train. The train arrived, but their buyer did not. On comparing notes afterwards, they discovered that everyone of them had corae down to see the same man, and subsequently ascertained that he had been captured on the train by another agent, and had stopped at a hamlet a few miles away.

A strikingly typical story of Mrs Kruger, who has just died, vouched for by unimpeachable authorities, has reference to a statue of President Kruger erected in Pretoria during the days of his ascendancy, It was a true likeness of the Boer leader, and no attempt was made to -give the image adornments and beauties not possessed by the original. Oom Paul is pictured wearing the inevitable baggy trousers, loose frock coat, and high chimney-pot hat. Few people who have seen the statue know that the hat has no roof. It was Mrs Eruger's idea. She; goodj kindly soul, saw that the absence of the top of the hat would nerer be noticed, and in the depression thus loft the rain would collect and provide the birds of the air with a drinking-pool. The birds have appreciated her kindness.

During the hearing of evidence in a libel action in the King's Bench Division lately, Justice Darling called upon one of the.jurymen to stand up, and, addressing him,' said that he very much regretted to say that he had noticed that he had not been doing his duty as a juryman, " You have," continued his lordship, "to my mind strenuously taken pains to show that you are not at-' tendmgto the case, or, at all event?, to make it appear so.' Your conduct is most discourteous to the Court. I have, therefore, _ come to the conclusion that your verdict would not be satisfactory to either of the parties, and, at my suggestion counsel have .agreed to dispense with your giving a verdict on evidence for which we have no assurance you hayo attended to. You will withdraw from the box, but you are not discharged from the attendance to the Court, for which your summons calls you."- The Juryman: "May I point out that I do not think I have missed a' single word. On the contrary, I have taken notes, which I havo in my pocket." . The juryman having withdrawn to the back of the Court, his lordship, addressing the jury, said he was sorry he had had occasion to make the remarks he had made, but they did not reflect upon any of the other jurymen. ' Some discussion took place at the Christchurch Magistrate's Court last week,. with regard to the financing of hotels by breweries. A solicitor held that a brewery company would not supply a practically penniless man with the necessary cash to take over a licensed house, but Mr Bishop, S.M., said that this .was often done.. .He had never heard of such a course being pursued m any- other trade, and could only assume that the profits were very great. In giving judgment for the defendant, with costs, in. a case heard at Gore on Monday, in which a tailor named George Hall sued J. W. Kelly, ex-M.H.B. for Invercargill, for a week's wages in lieu of notice, the plaintiff having been discharged for having incited some female employees to go to lav/ against the defendant, the magistrate, Mr E. McCarthy, said.it was a matter of public notoriety that a great many trades in the colony had been cited before the Arbitration Court. The Court fixed wages and terms under which employees were directed to carry en their business. Tailors came .under the operation of the Act, and if there.was a breach of the rules fixed by the Arbitration Court, it was the duty of employees to bring it first under the notice of the employer,, and if he did not remedy the breach then to _ bring it under the notice of the Union, which would'bringit before the Court in the usual way. Plaintiff in trying to induce his fellow employees to turn from work had taken an unconstitutional course. . • '".. ' ' . ~.

_ The Chinese question in all' its varying intricacies formed the "subject of a heated debate. at the Napier Working Men's -Club last Friday night. The trouble arose over the election of a democratic gentleman from the Celestial: Empire as a member of the institution. A requisition,. largely signed, called upon the committee to resign on account of their action, and there was a counter proposal, that while, regretting that the Chinaman should have been elected, this was not sufficient recson to eject the committee. The discussion furnished any excellent-lesson of how keenly the alien racial question has been studied in Napier. Should the Chinaman go, or should he stay ? That was the all-absorbing topic for close on two hours. Members adduced good reasons^ why the Chinese should not be admitted to the social privileges of the average European, while glowing visions were pictured of the "disastrous effect of such concessions.- Ultimately adivisionwas called for, .-when the proposal not to throw out the committee was carried Meanwhile the Chinaman has resigned his membership, and matters'ho;doubt will run.smoothly as of yore.—Herald ■ _ A deputation; consisting of . Messrs Bagnalland Smythe, and introduced :in the unavoidable absence of Mr-Leth ' bridge, by.MrHogg, has waited on the Minister of lands- with reference to the road between Hawke's Bay and Eangitikei known as the Apiti-Norsewood road ' It was pointed put that by making a road of about thirty miles'inlandfrom the foot of-the range, a distance of over one hundred miles would be saved in the driving of stock'between the two places. It was also submitted that, the road was of great importance to settlers in the districts interested, inasmuch as m summer, when there was, sometimes very little, grass: on'the Hawke's; Bay side, there was a superabundance around Apiti. Largely signed petitions.in. favour of a dray road, which it is estimated,, would cost £7000, were presented. : The Minister;-: -received- ctho,a deputation .;'very favourably, and promised that a vote for ■ the road would: be i placed on the Estimates;, although it wasnotatalllikely that the amount required to complete it could be provided. :. , - .-

A lucky discovery of ambergns was, says-the Kaikoura Star,; made lately by Mr Heperi Paneta, of Kaikoura. He had gone to Otaki bnacoount of the death of his mother, and during' the stay there, .while on the .'beach' one day, casually* picked^p a pieoe'of substance, weighing, five and a half pounds, of the nature of' which; he was .'entirely unaware. ; Curiosity, however, "prompted him to obtain authoritative opinion regarding it, :and oni being examined and. tested by a Chatharns Islander.it-was pronbunoed to be ''ambergris."•';■ On the strength of this 'information the fortunate possessor took the' ambergris with? him to Wellington andarranged with the Loan and Mercantile Company to have it sent to England. It is reported.that Mr Paneta^refused an offer of JE4OO for < his find, preferring to; try the-Homo market,, and that he has befan advanced £100 by the shipping agents. ..■. \ :.,■..■;■: ■•:■:*•,-. '■ -..■■'.■