OMNIUM GATRERUM.

Otago Witness, Issue 2416, 28 June 1900, Page 2

OMNIUM GATRERUM.

The Canadian thistle is said to bo largely on " the increase in the Opotiki district., There were seven bankruptcies in the colony last week, a draper at Stratford, two paintera at Palinerston North, a baker at Pahiatua, a blacksmith at Kahiwi, a storekeeper at Foxton, and a chaff-cutter at Pleasant Point. - } Mr H. H. Jackson, locomotive engineer in 1 the Railway department, was tendered a social ! at Wangaimi a few evenings ago prior to his j transference to the Hurunui-Bluff section of , the railways, when he was presented with a | handsome gold stop watch. i The Native gathering at Mataikona, has ( 1 broken up and the. visitors have dispersed, j It is understood that resolutions weie passed j ; at the korero, dealing with liquor traffic in j j relation to the Native race, and that the j existing Native lands legislation was dealt with. His Excellency the Governor of Tasmania has (says the Hobart Mercury) received a comrnunicaLion from Sir Alfred Milner stating that it is proposed to make a collection of arms, etc., taken during tho present war, and to forward such collections and trophie3 to the different colonies that have sent contin- , gents to South Africa". ' j A runaway heifer caused no little excite- ; ment in Wanganui a few day 3 ago. During ' her mad career she damaged a bicycle which , was deserted in hasLe, knocked down S9veral I unfortunate persons, broke a strong iron fence, whereon it was impaled for some few minutes, j and scared innumerable pedeatrians, several j of whom experienced very narrow escapes. \ The Amazons of Danuevirko have formed I themselves into a '" Huia Contingent," about J 30 strong! to take part in the peace celebra- • tions. Khaki dresses have been procured j from Wellington through Lady Douglas. | Miss Tanelay has been chosen as captain, and ! the assistant master, at the main school has undertaken to drill the fair contingent. According to the Weatport Times the inspector of nuisances for that town appears to be fulfilling his duties without fear or favour. j He server! notice on his employers, the West- j port Boiou<rh Council, threatening law pro- j ceedings unless certain drainage at tho Town ! Hall and gasworks was attended to. The j work has been put in baud. By an explosion of gunpowder at Tariki (Taranaki) a few days ago two boys named Humirick were terribly injured. It is surmised the accident was caused by tha lad 3 obtaining possession of the powder and put' ting it on the five. Much anxiety is felt for their recovery, but they are progressing as favourably as could be expected. A man named Kleeberg 1-as died & miserable death in the Casino Hospital. He was taken to tho institution from a farm in a dying condition due to paralysis and starvation. Deceased led a wretched solitary life, eating food unfit for human consumption. A will found on him showed that he possessed property and cash to the extent of nearly £1000, and it is j bequeathed to the local hospital. Three large wills were ledgsd for probate at Melbourne recently— viz..,, those of Mary Thomson, Kyneton, tSe estate being valued 1 at £21,290; George Watt. Melbourne, the estate being valued at £30,000 ; and Joel EorTvood, 'the value of the estate being £14,553, The bulk of the estate in the first two cases go to relatives, suid in the last case the widow and children of the deceased receive the whole. At the meet-ing at Mosgiel on Monday evsn- ] ing for the purpose of arranging a programme j for the celebration of Peace Day, three ladies were present, and they intimated that the ladies of Mosgiel and surrounding districts were arranging to swell the Peace Dry procession by a number of Has; maidsns in costumes. I The si'jht will be a pretty one, and no doubt the efforts of the ladioj in this direction will j be eagerly watched and properly appreciated, j — Advocate. i It is stated thai Mr P. .J. O'Eegan intends; , * to join the legal fraternity. He is now in j , Wellington, where he is going through a j course of legal training preparatory to enter- I ing the profession of law. Tho Inangahua f Times states thai he has been heartily com.- J mended to take this step by Sir Robert Stout I | (Chief Justice). Mr O'Regan has no inten- j i lion of abandoning politics, and when the [ proper time comes will be heard pgain at the j j hustings. j j A daring theft took place at Melbourne , ! recently, when £129 was stolen from the ; counter of the head office of the London Bank j 1 of Australia. A lad employed by Messrs j j James M'Ewan and Co., ironmongers, was j ' sent to the bank with the above-mentioned sum, £69 beints in cheques and the rest in cash. The lad left the money on the counter for a few minutes while he ran over to another counter for change, and during his absence the money w?3 stolen. The Taranaki He: aid is informed th&i the schooner Toroa will proceed from. Waitara to Mokau to load timber for Sydney, thus inaugurating a new trade in that district. The shipper, Mr Green array, has already received orders for one and a-balf million feet, which will be shipped' to Sydney and Melbourne. Besides the Moka.u mill, Mr G-reen-awav has four mills in the Hiwke's Bo.y district. Ho loaded some four vessels with over a million feet of white pine for Australia during lasb month. Dr .J. E. Trevov, in {riving o-nd a rco at an inquest held at the Ashhurion Hospital on Fiiday, said that jßousrh on Rats was simply iiuro arsenic, with cv little colouring malter. There was enough powder in a box of "Rough on IRats +o kill a creafc many men. It was a specially deadly form of arsenic, as the powder was so fine it was quickly absorbed by the system, and lie would not like to be one of 400 who had swallowed a box between them. The violim who was the subject of the inquest had token nearly the whole of tho contents of a box of this deadly poison. An extraordinary case of monetary irregularities on ihe part of a trusted railway servant came to light a*; Melbourne recently. Mr D. Mitchell, a rated clerk in the traffic branch, w?s s-.lectcd by Mr Mathieson, the Comiius-ioner of Railways. 1 o accompany him on his visit to England and America to inquire into /oho syf-tem of handling grain in bulk. When all preparations for his departure were complete, Mr Mitchell interviewed the traffic manager, and told him that irregu-* larities would bo found in his account's, and said that he bad foiled to 'pay to the Spencer street station certain money that had passed through his hands. He promised to make good Ihs greater portion of the amount of the default at once, and would see that later on the department was fully recouped. An audit of the book? shows a shortage of about £400. Tho greater part of the money was received from the sale of periodical tickets. Mr Mitchell subsequently handed over to the department between £200 and £500, and there is-4io doubt that the remainder will be forthcoming in duo course. Pending further investigation, Mr Mitchell ha« been suspended, j arid his trip with the commissioner is, of , coursdj don© with.

I'rom Greymouth lasb week the Blackball Coal Company exported 1612 tons 4ewt coal, and the Brunner Company 2166 lons ITcwt coal and 46 lons IScwfc coke.

At the annual meeting of ihe New Zealand Curling Province at Naseby on the 16th inst., Mr Wilson was elected president, and Mr X* Cowan secretary for the ensuing year.

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