ITEMS.

Oamaru Mail, Volume X, Issue 4098, 30 December 1887, Page 3

ITEMS.

A northern exchange Bays :—The Manaponrl foe Melbourne goes away fall op, and not a few of her passengers are young I New Zealanders ! Is it surprising when I they notice that that colony is the only one going ahead 1 It is a grand policy of oars to grow yonng men to ahiptoProj tec'-ioniat countries, is it not ? Tbe locust plagne in the north-western portion of the colony (Victoria) is very bad this season. Mr London asked the Minister of Agricalture in the Legiilative Assembly yesterday to appoint |an entomologist to deal with insect nests generally and particularly with this visitation, bat Mr Dow said that there was no immediate necessity for each an officer. The locast difficulty could be easily dealt with if action were taken in Victoria and New South Wales simultaneously. He wonld ask the Premier to communicate with the Government of the sister colony, to secure concert in this matter. —Arguß. i A recent telegram from Brisbane, to the Melbourne Argus, Bays:—There was !an immense gathering in the hall of tbe Salvation Army at Maryborough to-night, on the occasion of Major Wright's retort to Jenny Watklna' address last week, in which she defended herself from certain accusations of tbe Army officers as to her alleged identity with a certain notorious Lena Watson, of London. Tbe hall was packed, and there were fully 1000 persons ootaide. The audience was pretty orderly daring the speeches, bat afterwards an uproar commenced. Not a window is now left in tbe bailding, and the palings are being torn np in dozens. The police are guarding the place to the beat of their ability. Tbe recant sudden death of a number of cattle in the vicinity of Dandenong was attributed to their feeding on a plant commonly known as the wild parsnip. The chief inspector of stock accordingly obtained specimens of the plant and forwarded them to tbe Government botanist for information as to their nature. Baron voo Mueller states that the plant ia the didisens pilorns. It_ is poisonous, and qnickly Kills stock, its action being so powerful that remedial measures seem to be of no avail. The only way of getting rid of thi3 noxious herb is to pull it up by tbe roots, before the seeds are formed, and burn it.

The sheep-stealing case at Matanra lately reminds the Lawrence paper of an incident which occarred at Auckland a few- years ago. The Stock and Pedigree Company imported from England two of the beat Leicester rams obtainable, for which they paid L3OO. By some means these rams got into an outside paddock one night, where their fat and well-pro-portioned sides excited the admiration of some hungry Maoris passing that way to a Native meeting. Tfiey took the two costly rams along with them; and when the police arrived at tbo scene of the gathering they were just in time to see the thieves picking their teeth after a most delightful dinner, which coat the provider L3OO in hard cub. Most newspapers have at one time or another a severe struggle for existence, and the Age which is now only second

to the Sydney Morning' Herald in its financial worth, was nearly_ going to the wall once. Oa going to his office one morning, Mr David Syme, one of the proprietors fonnd a communication from the Colonial Bmk notifying that the plant of the newspaper would be_ sold nnless the firm's overdraft was paid off within twenty-four hours. Mr Syme went and remonstrated with the manager, but found him obdnrate, as he was acting under instructions from the directorate. That day, when Mr Syme as usual, took { his luncheon at the Atheoaam Olub, Mr James Gatehouse, afterwards Mayor of Melbourne, who was silting opposite to him, remarked in his well-known gruff manner: "What's the matter with you, David, you look as if yon were going to diel" Mr David Syme's countenance certainly displayed signs of distress, and, hesitating, he said " I'm a ruined man ; the Bank has foreclosed on me, and after to-morrow there will be no issue of the paper." " Oh, is that all; how much do you owe them ?" asked Mr Gatehouse. " A large sum, L 7.000," answered Symes. Mr Gatehouse turned to a waiter, ordered him to bring a blank cheque on the Union Bank of Australia, which he filled up for L 7,000, Bnd handed it to Mr Symeß, saying : " There, take that over to the Colonial Bank, and tell them to go to Sheol." From this start the Age has steadily risen to its present position ; but it was more than four years after this episode that Mr received his last cheque on account, which was paid him " with thanks," he having persistently declined to receive any interest on the sum thus advanced.

Little brother, whose sister is playing cards with a gentleman:—"Mr Smiler, does Minnie play cards well 1" Mr Smiler: "Tea, very well, indeed." Little brother: " Then you had better look out; mamma said if she played her cards well she would catch you." The Bishop of Fxeter, speaking lately at a diocesan conference, expressed tbe hope that ere long a Bill would be introduced for the compulsory retirement of incompetent clergymen, whatever position they held in the church, compensation being made for existing claims. He acknowledged the value of trained women as workers in the church, but there must be no setting aside of remembrance of the fact that we were Protestants.

There is a pool in Utah only a foot deep and situated at a high altitude, that refuses to freez9 even in the severest winter. There is another that mysteriously replenishes itself with half grotrn trout. One stream, though clear as crystal to the eye, and quite tasteless, it staina all the vegetables it flows over, a very deep brown. A warm aprlng near Salt Lake City is the strongest sulphur water in the world. A hot spring, a few miles off, with waters so hot that yon cm hardly put your hand into them, and as bright as diamonds, is one of the most remarkable combinations of chemicals ever analysed.