The Oamaru Mail FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 1903.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXVIII, Issue 8289, 18 September 1903, Page 2

The Oamaru Mail FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 1903.

His Worship the Mayor lias called our attention to the fact that the three-legged gravity escapement mentioned by him was invented by Sir E. B. Dennison some years ago, and not two years ago as reported. It was first applied t« tha clock in Westminster Parliamentray Buildings in London. The funeral of Mr R. W. Penfold took place last evening at the local cemetery. On the previous evening the body of deceased, borne upon a gun-carriage, with a military escort consisting of the Post and Telegraph Rifles and the Submarine Miners (of which latter young Penfold was a member) left the Wellington Hospital for the wharf. A large number of citizens followed. On arrival at the wharf the coijin was carried upon the shoulders of the pall-bearers through the lines of the- escort, and placed on board the steamer Mararoa, en route for Oamaru. The scene of the embarkation was a most striking one. No delay occurred on arrival at Lyttelton, and the body reached Oamaru on. the South express last evening. Despite the inclement weather, a large number of friends-assem-bled to pay a last tribute to the memory of the deceased, and the funeral cortege was then formed, and proceeded to the cemetery. As it passed along Thames street the bell of the Post Office clock was tolled and the flag on the tower was placed at half-mast (Mr Penfold having been a cadet in the accountant's branch of the Wellington Pest Office). At the cemetery a simple but impressive service was conducted by the Rev. Mr Wright, «nd the Columba Cliurch choir sang several hymns in an extremely sympathetic manner. The coffin-top was covered with beautiful wreaths, among them being those from the nurses of the Wellington Hospital; the superintendent, secretary, and inspectors' offices, G.P.0.; the officers of the accountant's branch, G.P.0.; the Wellington Submarine Mining Volunteers, the Oamaru Mail steff, the Oamaru Post Office staff and cadettes of the Telephone Exchange, and Columba choir, besides a number from private friends. The Wellington Post and 'telegraph Rifles Company took the funeral of their late comrade into their own hands, and considering the long distance travelled and the short time allowed for preparation, the whole of the projected arrangements were satisfactorily carried out, friends at Oamaru lending material assistance.

We have- received from Mr C. de Lambert a tin of Indian curry of which he has specially imported a consignment. Tho sample is totally different from that usually sold as curry, and we can recommend it as distinctly appetising and Jikely to appeal to the palate of those who relish piquant flavors.

At the "Magistrate's Court" this morning, before. Messrs E-. P. Burbury and Cagney, J.P.'s, John Dillon, was charged (1) with riotous and disorderly behavior while, drunk in Thames street- on. September 17th ; (2) with unlawfully damaging a tin can: of the value of 5s 6d, the. property of the Sew Zealand Government. Accused 2>leuded guilty on .both charges, and asked the Bench, to deal leniently with him for the sake of his family, promising to reform' in future. The Bench were of opinion that accused should have considered his wife and family before committing thei offence, which was a very grave one, and must be discountenanced. They would take into consideration the fact that accused had. promised that he would not offend again, or the penalty would have been much more severe. Accused was fined 10s for drunkenness and disordely oehavior, ordered to pay 5s 6d cost of damaged property,'and 6s witness' fee, in. default 48 hours' imprisonment. Accused was allowed till Monday to pay the fine. A first offender was fined ss.or 24 hours' imprisonment for drunkenness.

Our Gknavy correspondent ■writes :—A singing class, under Mr Jas. B. Fergusson, of Oamaru, is flow in foil-swing here. A large number of ladies and gentlemen have become members and evince the liveliest satisfaction and interest in' the 'practices which take place every Tuesday evening in the schoolhouee,. I understand that a concert will be arranged at of the first quarter, in weeks time from now, and no doubt a, "good gate" will result:, As a sufficient proof that Gknavy is coming to the fore" in matters social, etc.j let me mention that a* public meeting is being called for Thursday night first in the schoolhouse in order to form a branch of the Waimate Lodge of Oddfellows. Such an institution should catch on. here readily, and I have no doubt that a bumper attendance will greet the gentlemen who are coming from Waimate to get the lodge going. TbeVeather has Iteen distinctly wet here for the past three days, and although rain was badly needed previous to its ap tpearance I think -we could safely rest for a time with what we have. But if the symptoms are anything to go by to-night, then we are iikeJy to get a drop more than is either strictly necessary or convenient.

The annual meting of' the North Otago Cycling and Amateur Athletic Club will take place in the Borough Council Chambers on. Monday next, at 8 p.m. Messrs Dalgety and Coi report under date London, September 16th :—"The wool sales continue firm with an upward tendency,' especially for New Zealand greasy fine merino wools. Since our last telegram prices of prime mutton and beef tallow are 3d to 6d per cwt higher; other descriptions are unchanged." A proposal to erect a memorial to the late Rev.' .W. G. Parsonson has been taken up warmly in Christchurch and the neighborhood.

A meeting of non-commissioned officers was held in the Volunteer Hall last night, in connection with the proposed, bazaar in aid of a new drill hall. There was a good attendance, and Quartermaster - Sergeant Smith occupied the chair. After a lengthy discussion it was decided, in order to give the ladies time to get uieir work ready, and that clashing with the Catholic bazaar might be obviated, to fix the date for the Volunteer bazaar for show week of 19CW. Trooper J. K. Hood (Yvaitaki Mounted Rifles) was appointed secretary and Sergeant Brett (Queen's Rifles) assistant secretary. Sergeant-Major Vvlryte, Sergeants Spiers, M'Kenzie, and Dewar, and Corporal Thomas were elected an art union committee. Various other small matters of routine having been attended to, the meeting closed with the usual compliment to the chairman. i The heavy seas of the last few days have washed a large amount of kelp ashore, and it is now two or three feet' deep on the beach opposite the gasworks. This promises an olfactory treat for the Oamaru public during the summer months, when the sun exercises his influence on the deposit.

Mr J. E. Hood lias bsani appointed by the Council as caretaker of the Lown clock. Mr Hood is therefore responsible to the people of Oamaru for supplying the real official time upon which all things local are based... We scarcely think lie yet fully realises the full extent of his responsibility, but we feel confident that he will prove equal to the occasion in any emergency which might occur. He wishes it fully understood that the town clock is not to be regulated to. suit the eccentricities of individual watches.

We are informed that Captain J. R. MacDonald has been commissioned by the Government to write the lustory of the New Zealand Contingents in South Africa. Captain Macdonald, who is at present on a visit to Rotorua, intends returning to Wellington in a few days to undertake- the work.

Mr David Ross, of Glenavy, who has just returned from a visit to Victoria, has informed a member of our staff that it has now become very difficult to purchase draught horses in that State for shipment. The promising outlook' in regard to the incoming harvest has created a strong demand amongst farmers, and there lias been a considerable advance in prices of good horses. Says the Otago Daily Times :—A very interesting relic was recently discovered in the Catlins district,' and is now in possession of Mr J. T. Bryant, Ovraka. The object is of greenstone, beautifully polished and shaped. It weighs 2ilb, is Hin long, by'3in by consists in the fact that the. Maori carver had intended by one operation, from side to side, to have made two weapons—a fine tomahawk aud a mere. Fortunately, or Unfortunately, his work is unfinished, for he left about an inch in depth uncut. At present the relic looks like a long paperweight, and is an evidence of the patience, .skill, and intelligence of the Maori race.

Quite recently. at Bendigo, Victoria, the little daughter of a blacksmith named Butterworth, while playing in front of her father's house, in Old Violet street, Monument Hill, picked- out of the ground a piece of quartz containing gold, and showed her find to her father. A close examination of the locality revealed the presence of a quartz vein, and Butterworth's brother-in-law, named M'Gregor, at once pegged out a claim. Two men have since been at work, and their fortnight's labor has returned them £l7 each, tho net crushing of about 12 tons averaging 19dwt. The result is that another claim is being sunk, about 100 ft south of the original claim, and the party now consists of four hands. A 'ease lias also been pegged out by D. Reed, comprising 100. yards of ground, from Rowan street to Olive street. Monument Hill has been a well-known landmark since the Bendigo field was first discovered. It derived its name from a towering outcrop of quartz on its summit, most of which ha-s found its way to the battery. Rowan street intersects Old Violet street at the tog of the hill, which is about a quarter ot an hour's walk from the post office. A number of shafts were sunk along the line of reef in the old days and good gold was obtained, but no work has been done in the vicinitv for upwards of 25 years, and now there is not an unoccupied building site in the neighborhood. Violet street, on the south side of the hill, is unformed for the greater portion of its width, and it is on this J unformed roadway bordering the footpath that the claims are being sunk. The original claim is down about 14ft, and its holders are driving north alongside a lava, which is plainly revealed a little to the east of the outcrop on tho hilltop, about 200 ft above. The lava forms the hanging-wall, and the -stone is on the footwall side, and there is from 2ft to 2£ft of crushing dirt. Mr Reed intends to apply to the City Council for permission to sink a shaft on top of the hill, in order to test the run of • stone northwards. In connection with the recent decision of the Premier not to allow females to enter the Departmental buildings at night, whether in the employ of the Government or not, a furth-er regulation has now been issued, that no person will be admitted after hours unless he or she produces a permit signed by a Minister or Departmental head. Any official who has to work overtime must obtain a. permit before being allowed to enter the buildings. Some extraordinary evidence as to the huge profits made in the gunsmith business came out at an inquiry which was held at Westminster recently. The case was a claim for compensation in respect to the premises, which the South-Eastern Railway Company are acquiring. The claimant said that on many of the articles ae sold he made 200 per cent profit. The profit was even greater in some cases. An article known as the "Simples Wind Gauge" cost him 9s; the sale price was £2 14s. This was 500 per cent, profit. On gunpowder he made an average of 200 per cent., and on certain articles with a small turnover he made 800 per cent.

Sir William Crookes is of opinion that the emanations from radium are of three, kinds. The first consists of atoms of electricity projected into . space, apart from gross matter, being shot off from radium with a velocity of about one-tenth that of light, but gradually are obstructed by collisions with air atoms; nevertheless, they have riot the properties of a gas, such as depend on intercollisions, mean free path, etc., but behave more like a fog or mist, and are carried about by a current power, being able to effect a photographic plate, through several inches of wood or aluminium.! and their kinetic energy is calculated at about three and a-half millions of foot tons for each milligramme. The mass of an electron is one seven-hundredth part of an atom of hydrogen, or (according to Prof. J..J. Thomson) the fraction of a gramme represented by unity as its numerator and the digit 3 followed by twenty-six zeros as its denominator. The second class are atoms of matter positively electrified, whose speed is said by Rutherford to be of the same order with that of light. Their mass js enormous in comparison with the atoms of electricity, and .they have about one thousand times as much energy as that radiated by the first class, but very thin material obstructions fiuffice to stop them.- The third sort of emanation is the Rontgen rays, which are vibrations of the ether produced by the sudden arrest of the atoms by electricity when these strike against solid matter. Con- : sequently,' the third sort always accom'panies the other two. .• They are very penetrating—much more eo, in fact,-than the. "electrons.. ;A"close-caseTof "instruments is by Roritgeh -.rays in' three' minutes;;-by; the;.electrons in" three days; by the-second sort of emanation not at all.. '1 he .electrons are negative in the character of their charge, and can be deviated by amagnetic field. The .positive material i.atoma require a much more powerful magnet, to affect them, and are then delected in the opposite way to the electrons. The Rontgen rays a&> not afc ail affected by magnetism.

The English people have accepted the white man's burden of ruling and colonising far and wide, and in the steps of the soldier follow the steps of the nurse, remarks The Hcflpital. Her labors are no> less necessary for the furthering of the Empire than are

those of the soldier arid the statesman, and of every Englishwoman as of every man, we expect that she will do her'tJhity.

It is said that the benefactors of mankind are those who grumble to the best, purpose. There are a number of mankind's benefactors in Oamaru at the present moment. One section is asking why the cinmes cannot be heard at the north end of me town, and is straining its ears for the slightest sound. These predominate, but there are at least a few who object to the intermittent harsh jangling, and are about to petition the Council to have the chimes stopped at night, that they (the residents) might obtain un'interrupted slumber.' There are some who consider the face too small and the hands two large, while otners again, for what is obviously a visual deficiency, criticise the manufacturers of the clocK in unmeasured terms.. It was never supposed that everyone would be satisfied ; inueed, there would have been no satisfaction in putting up such an ornament to the town if even the carping critic were to accept it with tliat silence which serves him for appreciation. It is obvious that where the bells are too loud for some and two weakjor others tliere should be a reshuffling of residences, that all might as nearly as possible have their particular tastes gratified. We are assured, however, that the chimes will be heard much further away when the boards have been taken down from the openings in the tower, and when the wind conditions are more favorable. The breeze, from the north-east, which has been blowing during the past day or two would certainly have considerable influence on the sound of the bell's, as all must have noticed when visiting the larger towns. Tiie boards and sacking over the openings were to be removed this afternoon, having been kept in position while the plumbers were completing their work in order to prevent the rain from getting through temporary holes in, the flooring and dropping down on to the clock. However, weleel convinced that all-will come out right im the end, and those tlungs against which we are now prejudiced will perhaps later appeal to our taste as unqualified blessings. The Duntroou, branch of the Presbyterian. Women's Missionary Union will hold a failin the Defence Hall, commencing Friday next, 25th inst. The opening ceremony will be performed by Mrs Tait, of Otckiuke, at 2 p.m. . . The World says : The latest "notion is a School' of Happiness, and the locale of the first educational •establishment of the kind is Paris. Here we are told every kind of happiness will be .taught, doubt'ess by experienced professors. It is most interesting to learn that conjugal'happiness will form part of the curriculum, and there is no part of the educational course which is .more likely to tax the abilities of professors than this. Will bridegrooms of the future, one wonders, give' preference to fair graduates of the ''School of Happiness ?" Make your Pianc look hie new by using our "Brilliant" Piano poli6k, Is 6d to 2a 6C, MKLDKUM'S.

Only by the work it <loe6 and its manner of doing it can you judge of .the real worth of a grain binder—M'Cormick.

One of the most attractive selections in luce goods ever shewn in Oamaru is now open at THE POLYTECHNIC. The goods are direct from the leading Homo warehouses, and comprise the newest styles in Collarettes, Scarfs, Laces, Frillings, etc., etc., while the prices have been marked at smallest margin of profit. We want to do a large trade, and will be .satisfied with a small profit. Ladies' Lace, Lisle, Taffeta Gloves, in black, white, cream, elate, and fawn, 6d, 7id, 9d, 10£ d, Is, Is 3d, Is 6d, Is 9d, 2s. Our value in Hosiery this season will commend itself to our patrons. Ladies' Black' Cashmere Hose, plain, ribbed, or fancy, 10£ d, Is. Is 3d, ls4£d, Is 6d, Is 9d, 2s, 2s 3d, 2s 6d. Have you tried our 4dome Kid Gloves at 2s 6cl ? They are undoubtedly the bent glove for the. money in town. 'Try THE POLYTECHNIC the Favorite Ready-Money Drapers. You will save money by doing so.

The florist is curious until the season reveals its mystery, and can be excused the outburst of ecstasy when a new plant throws opens its petals. The spring seasun is full of mystery to the dry goods "people. Wo think we know what's coming, yet constant surprises greet us at every turn. We are charmed and puzzkTd at the same time. This season the surprises have been many, and the end is not yet, though it is almost a sure thing that a big lot of spotted goods will be worn, and that muslins, wonderfully pretty though they are, will have keen competition from the all-wool detains, a great number of which are bordered on the one selvage. Voile dresses are remarkably pretty, and in strong demand. Following closely the vogue of larger towns there is sure to be a srreat quantity of cream dress stuff worn in Oamaru this season. The best assortment of choicest dress muslins, detains, voiles, etc., is to be seen at PENROSE'S Cash Drapery Establishment.

Extra Special Supplementary Sale.— L. H. Tempero begs to announce that owing to alterations to the Showroom, which will be in hand next month, he will hold a Great Clearing Sale of drapery, clothing, etc., consisting of Ladies' Jackets, Waterproofs, Mantles, Underclothing of all descriptions, Hat 6 and Bonnets, Corsets, Aprons, Flowers, Prints, Muslins, Calicoes, Flannelettes, Sheetings, Blankets, etc., at desperate prices, to save stock, from damage during the progress of tho work. For 10 days only can you get drapery at un-heard-of prices. L. H. TEMPERO, London House.