MISCELLANEOUS.

North Otago Times, 20 April 1906, Page 4

MISCELLANEOUS.

The following skit on the 'dimensions of the great British battleship Dreadnought appears in a German paper, "The German naval .authorities have been confo'unded by the launch of the British sooft warship Dreadnought, But now comes the news of the launch of,the Greatmoulli, which is In he built in six weeks. The Grealmoulh's length is immeasurable by tfui English system, Whole commandos of Dreadnoughts can be hung about her anchorcliains. She is so long that the time varies at the how ami stern, A butt of champagne was used to christen lioMhcrc was- no bottle large enough. Cavalry are training on board, The whole German fleet could be bidden away in her caboose, The King, when he went on board, wore out four top hats and frock coats, which had to be discarded owing to change of fashion during his tremendous journey qvci: her. A middy who goes from the deck to the bridge is a pensioned admiral by the time he has climbed there. But her size ' is nothing to her power. No gun or torpc;do can hurt her, and she can, 1 blow away fort reuses,, Her turbines are worked by the Gull Stream, But Germany is going to build a battleship which will take, six .Greatmouths as lifeboats. Jabez Spencer Balfour, ex-M.P., whose release was announced recently, was born in 1843, his father, at the lime, keeping a rag, bone, and bottle snop in Chelsea, afterwards blossoming into a ■ missionary and temperance lecturer. At the age of 25 Jabcz Balfour conceived his scheme of starting the Liberator Building' Society—a combination ofphilanthropy 'and finance, lie found colleagues in ' Alderman Lusk, Rev. Jabez Bjurns, and others, and, being in touch with the Nonconformist classes, he was able to secure the savings of Nonconformist congregations, temperance societies ami members of these jtpdics. The Liberator appeared to prosper exceedingly, and Jabez grew with it in riches, in bulk, and in ambition..He settled down at Uroydon in a palatial home, and became first mayor of that town. He was elected to Parliament in 1880, being then director of no fewer than thirteen Companies. lie 'became a pillar of the Liberal parly, and fully expected to become PostmasterGeneral. Ho was one of the great men of the National Liberal (Jlub, and a subscriber to party funds.' tie had a line country hdftse, where he entertained with lavish •hospitality. He, in fact, played a splendid "game of bluff, -although he must have known that the failure of (he Liberator group was inevitable, the crash came on Scjitcmbci 2ml, 1892, bringing ruin to. thousands. /In a few weeks Jabez was in 1 Argentina, whence lie was with much difficulty ' extradited. In' November, 1895, Jabez was, after a protracted trial,' sentenced io fourteen years' penal ' servitude.

On loard llio s.s. Lincolnshire, wheh' was loading whiat at Gcclong recently, | there - were a number of sailors who .are lor, tl-Jen to land in Australia by reason tithe.provisions of tha'.lmmigration Restriction Act. The vessel has,, tor nearly two years, Icon visiting no ports save in countries where similar legislation is in force. I'fo result. Is that -there are several men among the crew who have not set foot on-.landfor" twenty-one"months,;.' - ;