THE COMMONWEALTH.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13649, 17 January 1908, Page 8

THE COMMONWEALTH.

CAPTURE OF A SWORDFISH. While fishing for kingfish at Straw Beach, near Manly (New South Wales), the other evening, a well-known Manly fisherman succeeded in landing a fine specimen of the sword or spear fish, which became entangled in his net. The fish measured lift in length over all, and weighed approximately 5001b, while the length of the sword was 37£ in. It is a rare occurrence for one of these strenuous fighters to be captured, and, strange to say, this one was landed close to the spot where tho same fisherman made a similar conquest over a gigantic specimen of the same species in 1905. WOMEN AS TIMBER-CUTTERS I .' Even the laborious occupation of the timber-cutter is not altogether sacred from the female invasion. In the forest around Kingaroy, in Northern Queensland, three sistera named Lynch are regularly engaged with axe and crosscut saw, and can hold their own with some of the best men felling in the forest. They take in turns to do the cooking and attend to the camp, while the other two do the felling, and they often bring down 8000 ft of pine, for which they are paid 6d per lOO^fi. AUSTRALIAN HONEY. Through the efforts of Mr. A. Norton, South Australian Commercial Agent in London, a profitable market for Australian honey has been developed in the United Kingdom. A trial shipment, the purity of which was guaranteed by the South Australian Government, was very favourably received, and many hundreds of sample jars were distributed among retailers. Analysis showed that the honey, which was chiefly gathered by the bees from the. flowers of the blue gum, contained 75 per cent, of natural sugar, which gave it a very high food value. The net return of several large consignments has averaged 2£d per lb on board ship at Adelaide, and this season upwards of 30 tons have been placed with London brokers. Mr. Norton has sent a cable message for a minimum monthly shipment of seven tons, and there is every prospect of a permanent trade being established.

' discovery OF rutile. Reference was recently made to the finding of rutile near White Springs, Queensland. The sum of £60 per cwt was refused for it, the prospectors asking £90 per bag. There was a previous find in the Walsh and Tinaroo district, and it is said to be fairly plentiful near Cairns. The colour of rutile varies from reddish-brown to red or yellowish. It is occasionally cut for mourning jewellery, for when it is found penetrating rock crystals it forms specimens of great beauty. It is also used in painting on porcelain, in fine arts,, and in the preparation of chemical compounds. It is now used, however, in much larger quantities for hardening and preserving iron and steel. It is twice as heavy as quartz, but not as heavy as wolfram or tin. x FROZEN TURTLE. The frozen turtle experiment by Queensland answered well (says tho Pastorales' Review's London in eat" trade correspondent). The turtles were sold for £5 to £.7, all over, according to weight, and restaurant keepers bought. them. Weight for weight, this is much cheaper than tho West Indian turtles brought alive; many of tho latter die en route, and in the trade are called " angels." Sun-dried turtle fish from Ascension Island sells at the stores from 6s to 8e per lb, and this is what people buy when they make soup. The frozen turtles were shipped by mail vessels, the freight was about gd, and they were packed in ordinary bags. BANK CLERK'S ADVENTURE. Mr. Davidson, accountant at the Union Bank, Henty, a township in the Kiverina, N.S.W., had an early morning interview with a burglar of sporting instincts. At about dawn on New Year's Eve Mr. Davidson, who slept at the bank, heard a noise in the adjoining store, and taking up his revolver, he aroused a fellow clerk and proceeded to investigate. They found the back door of the store had been opened, and entering the building, Mr. Davidson observed a busy burglar, whom he promptly covered with his revolver, and at the same time intimated that if escape was attempted he would shoot. Mr. Davidson's companion left to fetch the police, and the burglar then thought it time to come to terms, and intimated that he was prepared to take a three to one chance, and that if Mr. Davidson gave him four yards he could have three shots at him. Mr. Davidson declined the offer, and kept the revolver pointed at the intruder until the police arrived and took him. to the lockup. ANTI-SUICIDE BUREAU. The anti-suicide bureau, established in Melbourne by the Salvation Army, has not been rushed with business. The bureau was established abqut six months ago, and since that time only three applications for help against the spirit of despair have been made to the officer in charge. The work of the bureau has hitherto been confined to assisting those prompted to self-destruction, and it is now intended to enlarge the scope of operations, so as to approach persons who have actually attempted to end their lives. All three cases dealt with by the Melbourne bureau were relieved of tho burden of despair, , and the contemplated self-destruction I averted.

CIDER-MAKING INDUSTRY. Some three years ago it was considered by the Agricultural Department of Victoria that the large quantities of apples, such os ' windfalls, which go to waste every season or are given to pigs, could be turned into a marketable product in the form of cider. , With this object, a complete cider mill and appliances were imported by tho Department, and sent to various country shows, where the operation of cider-making was demonstrated. The mill was also lent to several persons who desired to test the industry on a commercial basis. ' These persons placed their products on the market with such satisfactory results that not only have several of them since purchased mills for themselves and made much larger quantities of eider, but others have been induced to enter the field. During the past season large quantities of cider have been made, one result being that the orchardist is able to grade his fruit for export and general market purposes to a much higher standard. • A STRANGE FISH. Quite recently a very large and strange fish became jammed between a punt and the piles of the Woolwich Baths, in the Lane Cove River, Sydney. The monster, which was I2j ft long," and about 6ft in girth, was harpooned and beached. But even old fishermen failed to advance any likely theory as to what kind of fish it was. Some thought it was a thrasher, others a kind of shark. From the head there protruded a bony battering ram, 3ft in length, and about 6in in circumference at the base, and tapering to a point. Portions of the flesh were secured by Chinamen ,in the neighbourhood for boiling with their rice, and the remainder of the body was towed into the centre of' the river to be sunk. No sooner waa it taken into midstream, however, than a huge shark was seen to rise and drag the last of the strange visitant put of sight.