OMNIUM GATHERUM.

Otago Witness, Issue 2202, 14 May 1896, Page 24

OMNIUM GATHERUM.

NEWS. GOSSIP. AND ADS. Out of 50,000 male adults in South Australia, 2000 are justices of tho peace. At the last ordinary mooting of the Shakespeare Club three candidates for membership were elected, A well-known Wellington properly, •• M'Nab's Gsrdcns,'' nt Lower Hutt, compriflinsf 3t acre*, was sold at auction last week for £5200. Sergeant-major Pratt, of . N*l*on, has been appointed a third class police inspector, and takes Inspector M'Govern's place on the West Coaet. The boppikal returns for the pa'itweek are : — Remiviaing fiona piv.viouß weak, 100 ; admitted dursng the week, 24- ; dUcl^r^ed, 19 ; death (Robert Kirkwood), I ; total remaining in the institution, 104. At Winton George Gorton was convicted aud discharged on a charge of stealing a newspayer, which was brought to make it knawo that addressed papers thrown out from a tram must not be appropriated. Colonel' Fox in inspecting tbe K»itMJgafrs Biflea expressed himself as being pleased with the w»y in which the comply had acquitted themselves in outpost duty, aad aho> on the marked improvement in drill and geneVal bearing of the company si nee his last visit. A man named Bedingfield has been arrested at MakotuSn, H. 8., on a curious charge. He wrote a letter to a eettler's daughter threatening bodily violence if she did not supply him with money or tobacco, which w»« to be left at a certain place. A trap was Uidfor hita> resulting is his arrest. ttearle, a publican, of Elcetahnaa, has abandoned his appeal againstr the decision of Mr T. Hutchison, 8 M., fining him £65 for selling liquor at the. recent show ai»d ram fair. He Sfcjs that the other hot«lkeepers and the agricultural society* refused to assist him, and he will not make h mself a tool for others. The Hospital Board have appointed Dr Walter Fox house surgeon, Dr Cro^ie assistant house Burg»ou, and Dr Diamond to fill' the vacancy oh the honorary medical staff, caused by the resignation of Dr Deamer The board ha7e also acef-pted a tender for £748^ for the construe iou of the Hjinaa Murka wr.rd. Mr Duncan Wright, the cify mis-i'Uftry. 1-- | jtorfs t' at l.c haa been aLI t. ,n >^ ( 1 <■. :iding th? Sciipiures in the- cilj * ..oa .s a unjernoted :~Moadav, at 3.45 p.m , tJi^h s>reet ; Tueaday, at 345 p.m., K'judicgton ; Wednesday, at 3.5 p.m., Albany utreet ; Thurrday, at 3.45 pm , George street ; Friday, at 35p m , Arthur pt-eefc. Mr Ross, assayw at the Gltncatrn mine, Johsinnesbuiv, and another white man and soa\e KaflSr-, were r^cpntly going from the cyauide works to the office with 1700uz gold, t&a tetfii at feo iaoai;h'e work, when they

were stopped by four masked and armed man <| and were compelled to give up the gold and were left tied to a post. The mineral, seam discovered on Mr OmundV sen's properhy at Miharabar*, now WoodvUle, has (sajs the Wellington Post) been pronounced' by Mr Skey, Government analyst, to have all the appearances of a nrst-cl»f8 jet? — oloeely resembling Whitby jet, so tha local papec sayu, but of much greater brilliancy. Its uncertain mode of occurrence, howeves, ■hows that it cannot be relied upon to be obtained regularly aad in quantity. ' ♦- Replying to a deputation which urged the Government t ) consider the propriety of placing the University College in, Wellington in a position of eexvice and utility, the Premier said that the matter was- receiving attention, and, so fay as the Government were able, the object of tha deputation would be given effect to. As to ths Mount Cook Prison reserve, he could not give any assurance that it would he diverted froßflt its present purpose. According to an mticle in "Pearson's M.aga« zlnr," Great Britain owns 13 millions oat of the 24£ million tons that the merchant vessels o£ the world measure up to. Of the 30,000 ships afloat she has 11,660, so that her ships are not only far more numerous than those of any other nation, but of larger average size. Thera are only 138 of" these 30,000 vessels that can. stanm at 17 knots and more an hour, and Great Britain owns 99 of them, France having ' 15, Germany 14-, Holland abd Belgium 7 each, and the United States 5. A private letter received at Lyttelton from Shanghai mentions that about a dozen New Zealanders are doing well there in different! employs: Mr B. F. S.^Maundrt-11, who was for over eight yeais in the Union Company's employment, is n'isv chief officer of the ».sv Ngattkin, Mr_E S> ringer^ of Chvktehureh, it second officer of the Raukin, Messrs F Ccata and H. Got, of Chmtchurcb, second officers in a Japanese Company, Mr J. Hint on, 06 Dun* edin, second officer of & C.N. CempMuj'a steamer, and Mr Paton, of T&ranaki, second officer in Jardine M. and Company's fleet. The Survejor-gen«ral (Mr Peroy Smith) acd the Auckland district chief surveyor, in company with Mr Cassen (a t,ui\ cy.v), have, been making an aaceat of tlie mountains, accompanied by an Bugliah gentleman. Upon reaching the summit of . Tongaririo it waa found that one of the tunny pretty lukes which adorn the top of that mountain had disappeared. Then, again, upon scaling to the top of the active Nguruhoe itr was evident tlitt htie a (hungo luul tnken place sAoo, for the trig ajjaticn was found to be some lOifi or 12ft nearer tho crater, or, in or her woxda, the cone is gradually flipping into the j awning abyss, ont of which sbe&m continues to come, aa also occasionally ashes , A .somewhat curious case is reported to hare ccoppied the attention of the Police Court &t Orepuki la»t week. Wiiliam M'Lean *'aa charged with stfjvliug a book v.Oued a. 6d, bylonjirg to a, CLiuaman, Ti.c ia^ttr had c^»atracted to construct a race for accused &ad his brothers, but before tha work was finished io was alleged accused went to the Chicamaa's . house, and after behaving in a tomewhab disorderly fashion seized the. book wherein wairecorded the time the men employed on tha--' contract worked caoh day. Accused refused ba give up the book, and charged the Chhixm&n wifcn cheating iv connection with the work. The adjudicating J.P.s gave accuted aa opportunity to return the book, but as be refused, to do so a conviction was entered up agaiuafe. him and he wss ordered to pay £2 lls costs. Notice of appeal was given. The treasurer of thr Free Kindergarten Association ackno»liflg. s receipt, of the following subscriptions : — lira George Gunn and Biug, Han is, and Co., £3 3s each; S«rgood, Son, and Ewen and Ross and Gleudiiting. £2 2s each ; Mr G G Riwsell, £2 ; Mrs H. Macneil sen., Mrs R Gillies, Mrs Colquhonn, Mr»Lkuio Ferguibn, Mrs F. Chapman, Mrs Tbeomin, Me William Brown, Mrs WiUiam Brown, Me G P. Farqiihar, Mr Michie, Mr A. W. Morris, Mr D. R. White, Murray, Roberts, tnd Co., £L la each ; Mrs Ur«, Mr J».mes R*ttra.y, Me N. V, A Wales, Mr C. W. White. £1 each ; Mts J. Roberts, Miss Huia, Mrs J&ckaou, and Mra 10* 6d e*ch; Mra T. Diok, Miaa Anderson, Mr WardeU, Rev. James Gibb, Mra Ritchie, Mrs Si«e, and Hi>n. W. BoU, 10^ each ; Mrs Ferßuson, 7s 6d ; Mr S S. BaDn»eter, Hoo, J. AlscGfPKor, Mr J W. Ehiifch, Mr* Gibson, and Mrs Bvy Jone, Si e*ch ; a friend. Is J AllaiidAle Coal Company, half ton coal. Ths Taraweia, whxh arrived at Auckland from Sydney on BIond«y was not berthed fot an hour atid a-half. In the meantime a thorough search was made of the ship by iihiee police officers and oce detective, several passr'.ugera having raided articles shortly a-''eß leaving Sjduey. Thrte geutremen fou^d i-afe thej h*d their overcoats fcs»ken, aud one, ia addition, missed a gold-ht.-tded stick. A lady , passenger found her macintosh nabsiog ; and a. pair of opera glto*es> which, the owner valued at £25, were also taken. No trace of thesa articles, however, could be found, and it is be'ieved thui; tbe things missed were taten by boob© of the I'rgV- fingered gentry of Sydney j«»*, brfi'i'e tb.« '.r«-n..afrr sailed. Tha Tarawera did not lta?« S3 - sey till 8 on Wednesday night, and aoyono would not noticed in tha dark taking away small articles. Juafc before the steamer l»ft Margaret street wharf a thorough oearch was made, and fivs suspiciouslootiiag ch*ractre;a withont tiokat* were oleared off. If they had no!; been fouud they woald no doubt ha-vo be-^n brought up at tbe Policfl Coutt kece as stowaways.