OMNIUM GATHERUM.

Otago Witness, Issue 2425, 5 September 1900, Page 44

OMNIUM GATHERUM.

The profits of the Melbourne Tramway .Company for the year ending 30th Juno were £57,165. _ ._ According to a notice in last week's Gazette, Mr John Duncan has been re-appointed a member of the Otago Land Board. Queensland has determined to secure an officer from London to take charge of ils criminal investigation branch. The Corporation of Cardiff have unanimously decided to confer the freedom of the borough upon General Baden-Povell, in recognition of his gallant defence of Mafeking. Fireman Wilson, of the Sprmgbtira branch line, was presented with a writing case and accessories on behalf of the local railway staff, on the occasion of his transfer to Dunedin. The coal output from Westport last week amounted to 9238 tons, of ■which the Westport Coal Company exi^ortecl 8492 tons 17cwt and tho Westport Co-operative Company 795 tons 13cwt.

Some of the 1 friends of Trooper Leslie Collinge, of Hastings, who was recently invalided home from South Africa, presented him with a handsomely-framed testimonial of very artistic design. The Timaru Herald looms that the award of the Conciliation Court in the millers' dispute, which was before the court some time ago, comes "into force on Saturday next, the Ist September. Six letters posted to one of the Weslport representatives in the second contingent were returned unopened the other day (says tho Westport Times). The letters were properly addressed, and the addressee, at latest accounts, was well. A great tangi ifs being- held at Waiwetu over the death of Enoka Taiet-a Hokepa, one of the oldest Maori chiefs in the Wellington district. Natives from Taranaki and Hawke's Bay are amongst those pre=ont. A bankrupt slated in the Weslport District Court recently that he had worn the clothes he stood up in for three years — except the troupers, and they belonged to a man who had gone to South Africa. The committee of the Timaru Chess Club

have accepted a challenge from the Otago Chess Club to play a match by telegraph early this month, 14 men a-side. The match will be played on three consecutive Saturdaynights. The proprietor of v the Napier Daily Telegraph has been served with a writ at the instance of Alfred Pilcher, of Hastings, in which he sues to recover the sum of £1010 for libel in connection with the body found in the inner harbour in June last. • The receipts for five weeks at the Timaru harbour were £2331 10s 3d. This is a record for the board. A number of large J grain and other vessels have loaded at Timaru during the period mentioned, and the port j has been exceptionally -busy. A Christchurch importing firm on open l - ing a case of goods from Belfast, Ireland, j found the following written inside the lid, i in large letters: — "Packed Maf eking Day, _ I 17th May, 1900. Geo.. MacElvie. Bravo, New Zealanders and Australians !" Mr Edward Honey has taken over charge of tlie business of the Massey-Harris Com-p-sny in Dunedin. Mr AY. A. Shields, who has had charge for some- years past, leaves for Australia on Sunday to take charge of the Victorian branch of the business. ' A Pahnerston North message states that Mr Pirani, M.H.R., was presented by a nunvber of his admirers on Monday morning witli a framed portrait of himself. The presentation was made by the Mayor, who eulogised Mr Pirani' rf services as member for the district. . - - Through the death of an uncle, of" which he received information by the last English mail, Mr Henry Edwards, .storekeeper, oE Itosewood, Central Queensland, together with a female cousin aiding in -England, participate in the ownership of properly in London pitied at £80,000. The New South Wales gold return for July show? that 53,4640z, valued at £181,743, whs won, as agaiutt 62,8620z, valued at £222,357 for July, 1699. The total yield for tlie seven months of the present year is 209,8200z, a3 against 243,0920z for the same period of lasfc year. An Okarito correspondent writes to the Kumara Times t& the effect, that the bar at that place is again blocked." As in previous yoai'F, he remarl:?, we may have to a^ain eat up our scxl potatoes ; other provisions are getting; short, and unless the weather favours landing goods on the beach by steamer we will have to go to Ross lor store 1 !. The trustees of Trinity Wesleyan Church, h.we passed tbe following rc.-elution : — '"Wa earnestly protesc against the Dunedin and Jvaikorai Tramway Company running their trams on Sundays, because it will be an unnecessary violation of the Sabbath re3t, and because it will be a source of some disturbance and annoyance to the worshipcers in our church during the hours of service." At Lawrence on Thursday evening list Mr "Edward Herbert, who has retired from the firm of Messrs Berbcrt and Co., after a con l ncction of nearly 40 years, was oresented by his late employees with a framed illuminated, address and their photos. In thanking the ; donors for their gift, Mr Herbert presented each of them with a handsomoly-bound Oxford teacher's Bible. According to the latest iiles of Sydney papers, Trooper Duncan Sinclair, cf Palmer- | ston North, who is now serving with the Ans- : tralian Bushmen in South Africa, has. been , promoted to the rank of lieutenant." , It will I be remembered that a few days ago we (says , " 1 tho Mana'natu Evening Standard) stated that l.c had been specially mentioned in Lisuten1 ant -general Baden-Powell's - despatches, and doubtless the promotion is the result of that general's recommendation. On August 21 Mr and Mrs Brash, cf Ngapara, celebrated their diamond wedding (say 3 the North Otago Tinier). They yrcro born near Edinburgh in 1820 and 1816 respectively, | and arrived in Dunedin by the &hip Threa /J I Bells in 1858. They resided at " Saddle Hill ' 1 until about 10 years ago, when they went to Mosc-iel, but a few months ago they removed 'to Ngapara, whore some members of the | family reside. Complete specifications relating to the undermentioned applications for letters patent have been accepted- at 1 he Patents Office, Wel- ; lington, as follow. — Philip Palmer, Dunedin, an improved appliance for cutting pockets, .•ngle, circular, or straight, in cloth or other fabric; llosh and Glenclining (Limited), Dun- ! edin (assignees of -David Nable, ot Keclfern, New South "\Vales), improvements in 'Jetach- ! able coat adjustments ; George William. Pennpy, East Gore, a turnip shawer and lifter. Provisional specifications have been accepted as under: — William Bromilcy, Dunedin, improved insect-killing composition for use in orchards and the like, nnd afco for an improved vessel for containing material for killing moths and the like; Donald Wood! Mackay, Mataura, a contrivance to be affixed to planing, moulding, finishing machine?, and! the. like, for perfecting the dressing of timber ; Henry Bloomfield, Orepuki, an improved adjustable tire for dreys, waggons,, and such wheeled vehicles. • . Eleven- foreigners were landed -from a boat at Shoal Bay (Queensland) recently,- and were; taken to Mackay by the police the following day. Tho men are supposed to be Arabs from Morocco or Algiers. One speaks the French language, and tlie others profess to speak Arabic only. In the course of an interview the first-named stated they all formed part of the crew of a Greek ship of 1485 tons, the rest of the crew and Ihc c\ntain (12 in: number) being Greeks. Jretoi'ling to hia statement, the vessel passed through Sues Canal, and went to Colombo, from which port she sailed for New Guinea. The ship, however, was lost in a heavy gale when 33 days out, and the Arabs look to one boat, and the Greeks to another, tho former reaching land in 23 days. The man could not give the nama of the or of the captain. The whole story is regarded as improbable, but there isnothing to suggest that the men are escapeesi from New Caledonia. Tke opinion was expressed that they were probably escapees from, the Philippines.