LOCAL AND GENERAI NEWS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 1 October 1907, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAI NEWS

From to-day (Ist October), -the rate's of postage to places beyond New Zealand will be reduced as under : — To the United Kingdom, British Colonies, Protectorates and Possessions, United States, and the following places: Chili, Egypt, Hawaiian Islands, Italy, Liberia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Pago Pago, Peru, Porto Rieo> Portugal and Portuguese Colonies, Servia, Siam, and Tonga, Id. for each ounce or fraction thereof, in lieu of for each half ounce as heretofore. To allother places, 2J[d for the first ounce, and ljd for eoch succeeding ounce or fraction thereof, in lieu of 2id per half ounce as foimeiiy. A good story is told by "The Caterer" of a well-khown actiejs !>ho had beeil ordered by her physician to drink a certain mineral water. Accordingly this was regularly supplied. Some few months afterwards she learned quite accidentally from the chemist who was supposed to have supplied the chambermaid with the water, that he had sold only two bottles. It transpired that the maid had tasted the water, noted that it couid Hot be distinguished from ordinary aqua simphlox, and had filled the bottle from the tap in the kitchen. The amusing part of the adventure was tha tsho firmly believed that she was deriving great benefit from the use of the, mineral watt referred to. Such is the effect of faith ! During September 24 births, 24 deaths, and 11 marriages were registered in Nelson. Mr C. J. Ruffel's milk-cart, driven by Mr Ruffell, junr., came to grief in Bridge street last evening. The horse played up, and the driver did a bit of whipping with the result that the horse ran against the kerbing and the cart collided with a veranda post in front of Mr Karsten's premises. Both shafts were broken, some milk spilled, and other minor damage done to the cart, but horse and driver came off uninjured. The members of the Nelson Club yesterday afternoon look farewell of( Mr T. H. Bannehr, one of their number, who is leaving for Christchurch. Mr H. R. Duncan presided, and in proposing the health of Mr arid Mrs Bannehr, referred to Mr Banntjhr's long connection with the duo and to the high esteem in which he was held by his fellow clubmen. Messrs J. B. Harrison and J. T. Catley also spoke, and the toast was enthusiastically honoured. Mr Bannehr acknowledged the toast, and the gathering dispersed with the singing of "Auld Lang Syne," and cheers for Mr and Mrs Bannehr. Mr and Mrs Bannehr left by the Penguin this morning, and a large number of friends assembled on the wharf to bid them farewell, and as the steamer moved away, cheers were given for the departing Nclsonians. A presentation was made last evening to Constable McCormack, who is being transferred from Nelson to Christchurch. Sergt. Dougan, on behalf of the members of the local police- force, handed Constable McCormack a brief bag, with a, silver plate suitably inscribed, as a mark of esteem, and wished the departing constable all success in his new sphere. Constable McCormack left Nelson to-day. There was a large attendance at Mr Geo. Wilson's missionary meeting at the Diocesan Library last evening. The speaker took for his subject the "Need of the Holy Spirit. He emphasised the personality of the Holy Spirit, which was proved by Scriptural references, and the Christian ideal, he said, was to be filled with the Spirit. Mr Wilson spoke- gravely concerning the tendency in some quarters to lay undue stress upon what was called the gift of tongues. This, he said, was proving a real danger in that part of India- in which he had been working. It was next pointed out that the blessing of Scriptural power was according to capacity, and was not to be obtained by painful striving, but by simple faith. This evening at 7.30 the last service of the series will be held, when the subject will bo "Missionary Work in Southern India." The union of ministers in -.elson appeal for a thank offering which will be taken for tho benefit of the missioner. A hockey match, which should prove novel as well as interesting, will be played on Wednesday afternoon at 3.30 in the Botanical Reserve between the Wainui Ladies' Club and the Nelson Club, the men having to wear b'.iirts. A small charge will be made for admission. The following will comprise the learns: — Wainui Club: Misses Bowden (2), Child, Louisson, Simpson, Hunter, Chapman, Stewart, Calder, Hill, and Robertson. Nelson Club : Hurst, E. Spear, Chisholm, Calder, Allen,- An=cell, Combe, Noble, Stewart, Manks, and Wilkinson. I A cable message from Sydney a, day or two ago, announcing the death of gives special interest to tho fact that this more than usually "noxious" weed is growing on unused portions of land near the centre of Christchurch (says the "Lyttelton Times"). It is a plant with a fairly stout hollow stem with purplish markings. The stem bears branches on which are carried finely divided fern-like leaves, the co- ' 'our being a dark glossy green. It bears small white flowers arranged •something like those of the "sweetwil- '■ Ham" or phlox. It is one of the old- ' "st-known poisonous plants, the draught by which Socrates met his death being a potion made from the hemlock. The principal poisonous ingredient of the hemlock is alkaloid ronine, and the symptoms of poisoning ire weakness and staggering gait, eventually bringing about paralyis, which passes up the spinal cord till it reaches the respiratory centre, when death enuies. Like most poisonous plants, hem'ock has a medicinal value as a powerful sedative, while in the sixteenth -entury it was much used as a saladlavourini;. When bruised, hemlock 'eaves give off a sour, sickening smell, Sut they are practically taste'fss. and '■ would anpear that they must be partaken of in fairly large quantities to cause the most acute symptoms to make their apearance. So long, however, as there is a likelihood of children eating wayside weeds indiscriminately, the iresence of these plants constitutes a somewhat grave danger. Dr. H. G. Chapman, of Sydney, lately' delivered a lecture in connection with a ■ieries of University Extension Lectures, and took aa a subject, "What is \ Living Thing?" Ho said that the majority of persons could decide vhether an object was to be classed as 'iving or non-living. The distinction vas usually made from experience of he form of animals and plants, and he two properties of living things itilised was the capacity to move and ncrease in size. Irritability.j growth ind reproduction, and the power to tse food were stated to be the fundanental features of living things. Ir -it-ability was the capacity of response 'x> stimuli, and many type, 1 ! were found in animals and plants." Growth and %nd reproduction occurred in all living 'hings, but non-living things also inTeased in size and divided. The use >f food to build up and maintain life listinguished living from lifeless sub■tances. The functions of living bodies -ouid not bo explained on the chemical md physical laws at present known, md the existence of a vital force was "'"Jffosted by many observations, 'HniKrh not yet experimentally established*. While working on the' line at the -oods station at St. Gall, Switzerland, •young man named Rochsleiner found 'iis foot had caught fast in the rails. He strugled for some minutes to free himelf, but his efforts were in vain, md when he saw j irain approver ;ng <e threw himself do.vn an-1 allowed '.he train to cut his foot off.

The friends of Mr Ernest Edwin Pellow, son of Mr E. T. Pellew of this i city, will no doubt be pleased to learn 5 that he has successfully passed his ex- e amination for a third-class marine en- i gineer, also a- first-class certificate of < competency for stationary engineer. Mr i Pellew served his apprenticeship with I the Anchor Shipping and Foundry Co. i All wish him success in his career. < At the Magistrate's Court this morning, Mr 11. JSyre-Kctin.Y; S.M.. gave judgment for .the plaintiffs in tile following cases : — Harford and Daly (Mr Maginnity) v. C. Oakey, £4 ss, costs £1 7s 6d. Griffin and Sons, Ltd. (Mr 0. K. F«ll) V. Ai'llold Noldmeyer, £3 163 Id, costs ss; M. M< Webster (Mr K. B: Moore) v: G; Humphries, £19 3s 7i, cfiSlS £2 55 6H; J' P Pobke and Sons v. Otto Haase, £5 9s Id, c6BIB >&1 3s- fid S "P. B.'Adams (Mr C. J. Harley) v. Jas. Reilly, £17 17s 6d, costs £1 Is" 6d. The Magistrate gave his reserved judgment in the case of J. B. and I. Hulbert v. J. Wchley and Sons, and awarded tho plaintiffs £13 8s 6d, less £4 8s paid into Court, with costs £3 9s. The claim was for £15, refund of money bald for Hrainage ivpi'k that proved Useless, and the Magistrate altered the statement of claim to one for damages, and gave judgment as above. Mr Hayes was for the plaintiffs, and Mr Maginnity for the defendant. In the rase W, H. Phillips v. J. B. Parker was proceeded with. This was a claim arising out of n cattle transaction, Ule plaintiff claiming £I—£21 — £2 for driving fees, and £2 for interest. The evidence of the defendant was fcakeil at Palmerston North. After hearing' evkle'liCti to-day the Magistrate gave judgment for the plaintiff for £2, the amount claiming for driving fees, and disallowed the claim for interest. Costs amounting to £1 12s were also given against the defendant. Mr E; ..B. Moore was for the plaintiff and Mi A. T. Maginnity for the defendant. Mr Ell has given notice to ask the Minister of Justice whether his attention has been directed to the report of the inquiry before the Christchurch , Licensing Committee, instituted by the police into the conduct of the Criterion Hotel in that city, the result of the inquiry disclosing the fact that a most deplorable amount of drinking amongst the barmaids and others ill this Hotel took place. If so, will the Minister cause a searching investigation to be made by the police, with a view to as- . certaining whether there are any other hotels in the Dominion similarly con- ! ducted. There are doar good people who have r a sense of comfortable deliverance f roiii evil when they discuss the wickedness ; of business competition in great cities (says the "Pall Mall Gazette"). They ' are to bo envied the happy lot that, j while not precisely making a virtue of , necessity, knows little of the necessity 1 that makes a iliock of Some of the f gentler virtues. But for dowrnight i competition commend us to tho coun--1 try flower and vegetable shows. One ! had heard of tho man who sits up with ' 1 a shot gun keeping guard upon his big 1 gooseberries: it woulß appear that he 1 knows what ho is doing. At Westoti, near Bath, a grower named Hobbs was sent for 14 days to prison, recently, for ! visiting a rival's garden and sticking ! needles into his beans, cabbages, marrows, and onions. He explained that, suspecting the rival in question of winning prizes with bought vegetables, lie had wished to satisfy himself that this was not the case. At the show, he would be able to recognise his littl.e punctures. Tho Bench, however,, took . the view that it was not a perfectly ■ harmless scheme, and that in any case I it was to be defined as wilful damage. : On Friday evening Detectives Bishop j and 'jrfWfctwwly arrested a man on a charge of attempting to' set fire to -a house in Linwood on Dominion Day. 't is stated that tho man rented three ; rooms from a resident of St. Asaph-st., : Linwood, which he furnished. On Thursday afternoon he is alleged to ' have placed a candle in a. cupboard in one of his rooms, and after carefully I surrounding it with a quantity of dry , chips and'paper, to have applied a match to the wick. The landlady happened to visit the room a little later, and discovered tho candle, which she promtply extinguished. How long the candlo had been burning is a matter for conjecture, but if it had been allowed to burn down another eighth of an inch, it would, it is stated, have come in contact with the inflammable | material which was piled round it, and the house would in all probability soon have been in flames. The police were informed that tho man's furniture was insured for £100. ! In an article in "The Press" some little time ago on the value of deep-sea ! investigations by trawling, it was mentioned that it hud recently been proved that eels went from river to the ocean depths to breed. A writer in the •. "Argus," in a most interesting article on eels, deals with this point at some length. The spawning of the eel has always been a mystery, since no eels with eggs in them have been caught, I and no very young eels have been found lin fresh water. But it is now known ] that the adult eels make for the sea and breed in the darkness at depths of , over 3000 feet. What hapens to them j then is not known — it is supposed that j t'.iey die ; there is no record of adult eels coming up rivers from the sea. The >iinj. eeU \i- " tn> nrp.i i Met-' 1 ' 1 till they are about a year old, and then make for land^and ascend the rivers Ijji huge shoals'. In some rivers the ascent of the elvers, as they are called — j they are from three to four inches long, and not much thicker than a hair | —is a great event, and the inhabitants scoop them out by the bucketfuls. The , elvers are not stopped by waterfalls or cataracts. Most of the adult eels, : however, do iiot go to the sea, but no matter how long they live or how long they grow, no instance has yet been recorded of their breeding in fresh water. It is objected that eels are found in srme places which they could not pos- . sibly have reached from the sea. The r^ply to that' is that the eel has a peculiar gill construction which enables it | to live longer out of water, than, per- ] haps, any other fish known, and it is | thus enabled to migrate over land at niqht from stream to stream. The eel's life is, therefore, very wonderful. It ir able to live both in air itself, and in fie ocean depths under a pressure ot 100 atmospheres. The journey of 0000 miles to the breeding grounds and the reverse journey of the elvers are eacl undertaken only once in a life time, and without the guidance of companions who have h-»n over the tracks before. There are Mill Eaps in the eel's history to be f.lled. Neither eggs nor adult eels have been found in the deep sea. On the subject of tho videsv^id belief in the efficacy of bee-stings as a cure for rheumatism and kindred ailments, Dr Bertram Adams, writing in tho "British Medical Journal," appears to think that it has some foundation in truth. He finds that it is chiefly used in cases of acute articular rheumatism, also in tho acute exacerbations of arthritis deformans ; "but I have,s o far, not met with an instance of its use in gout." If, as is probable, the effective agent in the bee sting is formic acid — used, primarily, by the way as an antiseptic to prevent fermentation of the stored honey — physicians m : ght experiment with minute subcutaneous injections of the acid instead of adopting tho primitive plan of capturing bees.